《Galaxy of Gods: A Gamelit Progression Action Adventure Story》 Chapter 1: Rebirth Part 1 Soul Realm, aka ¡°The Afterlife¡± No matter how often he visited the spirit realm, the negative light reflection cast in the pallid greenish-white hue sent an unshakable shiver up his spine. Everything was lesser here. The pale shadow of the light plane dulled the senses. In the great beyond, the massive black star known as the Ebon Maw devoured the departed souls too weak to resist its pull. Resembling a supermassive black hole whose only pull was on souls. Falling into its obsidian depths to be churned and chewed. Stripped free of emotions, memories, and any baggage brought over from life. Reduced down to only the raw soul energy, ready for reentry into the other realms. All part of the process, the cycle. He knew this because he¡¯d been present at its inception. Well, technically a part of him. The rest of his soul shards were scattered across the cycle by design. The spectral form of the dreadwyrm Bahumet floated before the ghostly solar system his mother¡¯s world used to inhabit. Having been born and battled under his given name of Bahumet. This wasn¡¯t his first trip through the cycle of life. He¡¯d come here hoping to see the wyrm mother of fate one final time, even if it was through the spectral realm. But her world was gone. He tried to scry her presence, and she slipped through his mind like water around stones in a river. Puzzled, he gave up with a sigh. She was either dead, consumed, or had placed a powerful compulsion spell on her location. If Maleficus had come for her, would his mother have resisted? Or would she have embraced it as he had? Disappointment banged through him at his lack of answers. Bahumet used his Form Shift ability and changed to his human-esque shape. His normal red mane appeared pallid grey in the muted realm. His draconic wings spread out behind him like ivory-scaled angel wings. Two sets of horns protruding from his forehead kept his hair back. Bahumet looked more like a ghostly negative demon than a humanoid-shifted void dragon. He was bereft of his physical body, anchored behind in the mortal plane. The pantheon had trapped it within a supermassive black hole if he recalled correctly. His last few moments were always hazy. A fact he understood with post-mortem awareness. Now that he¡¯d separated his soul from his body, parts of the ward on his soul had loosened. Pieces of his mind tingled as they reintegrated. Like limbs regaining feeling. He was massive and fragmented. Not whole. This wasn¡¯t the first death of the overall entity he belonged to. One such tingling limb was the fact that he bore another name. One as old as the void itself. Xanofex. His power flared as he resisted the ever present tug of the maw against his soul. At his strength, resisting the maw¡¯s pull was a trivial thing. It was always a trivial thing, and yet he allowed himself to take part in it every time. The Ebon Maw served like a warm bath for his soul. It tore away the pain and memories of existence, even if only temporarily. In his long and exhaustingly painful experience, rebirth was one of the few experiences that never lost its luster and made existence at all worth going through. A dimensional doorway cleaved the realm in two next to him in a concise 1.8-meter tall slash. Light spilled in from the realm of the living, splashing everything in a shade of gold that felt wrong for the plane of spirits. The edges of the doorway glowed with radiant golden energy from straight clean lines. The polar opposite of a void gate¡¯s cracked and jagged edges like an angry violet scar. A radiant woman with long ivory hair, glowing azure eyes, and blue robes drifted through the tear in reality and halted next to him. Her hair swam about her as if riding currents of water. He knew instinctually it was actually her power, the immensity of her aura doing that. A warm, soothing aether bathed him. He basked in the warmth for a moment, allowing himself a final moment with an old friend. ¡°So begins your rest anew then?¡± He nodded, a weariness setting in that he¡¯d long suppressed. ¡°Soon,¡± he replied in a cultured, draconic accent. War. Loss. Change. They were heavy burdens to carry, and he was glad to always unburden himself to the Maw. He felt cowardly for it. She¡¯d always stood to watch as he constantly let the Maw reclaim him. But then, compared to her, he did far heavier lifting in his brief incarnations. ¡°I¡¯m tired. This war was costly, and this sector feels diminished for it. With Maleficus slain finally, and the pantheon shattered¡­ there¡¯s little left for me. Let the survivors forge their destinies,¡± he added wearily. ¡°You always enjoyed offering others a choice and a chance.¡± ¡°If only I had one of my own,¡± he said ruefully. He missed the pained look the radiant woman gave him. ¡°How long do you think we¡¯ll have before they move again?¡± he asked. The radiant woman frowned, shaking her head. Her brows strained, and he could sense the effort it was taking to maintain her presence here. Being anchored between all realms meant manifesting in any realm specifically required twice the effort. Her power was vast, but not unlimited. And it dwindled with each new crisis and intervention. A fact their opponents exploited all too eagerly. ¡°Difficult to say. But I recognize his handiwork in Maleficus¡¯ deeds. Had the dragon seized control of the galaxy, I know Maleficus would have challenged the Titans.¡± He frowned at the thought of the titans. They were a bigger problem for another time. For now? He just wanted to sleep. To wake up and be someone unimportant with trivial problems for a change. He wanted to be free of his divine burdens and obligations. Even if temporarily. He wondered what it would be like to have a curfew. Or have to worry about what to eat. The radiant woman placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding to the Maw. It loomed in the distance. A massive negative contrast star in a pallid white star field speckled with black stars. If he strained, he could see all the individual souls slowly wandering toward the dark center. All part of the endless cycle of existence. A great engine he and the deity next to him helped create. A delaying action to buy time. For a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to remember a time when death and return were a choice and not a predetermined outcome. How low creation had fallen. But there were no more abominations rising. And that was good enough for him. ¡°How long have we been doing this?¡± he asked softly, still watching the horizon. ¡°Too long,¡± she said with a weariness matching his own. ¡°All we¡¯ve done is constantly react. Always rushing to avert some immense disaster. Our fight is a struggle against inevitability if we don¡¯t become proactive,¡± he sighed. The thought of taking the fight to the others sat ill with him. Most of them were his friends once. Though they likely felt betrayed by him when he¡¯d turned his back on them. Some choices just couldn¡¯t be abided though. He turned to the radiant woman floating next to him. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I leave it to you to plan and push things towards that intent.¡± Light pulsed from her, brilliant gold aether illuminating the surrounding space. She cast a ward on his soul. A traveler¡¯s ward to maintain the core of his soul¡¯s coherence against the Maw. It was kind of cheating around the process. Well, more of a loophole, he knew. Though it didn¡¯t make it feel less wrong somehow. System Info: Gold Seal applied. You¡¯ve been given A Gold Sealed Ward. The strongest and rarest of wards. Beyond a mortal''s understanding and even most gods. So complex and strong, and yet so simple. It will prevent alteration of the aether of your soul. Not even the Ebon Maw will be able to chew you up and spit you out completely. Lucky you! He willed the system missive to close with a casual wave. ¡°When next you awaken, I¡¯ll have set a new stage for you.¡± For a fleeting moment, if he couldn¡¯t be free, he almost wished he could simply cease existence. But the ward on his soul meant that even if he went through, it would scrub only the surface clean. The core of who he was, what he was, would remain intact. But for as much as he wanted to be done, there was just as strong a side of him that couldn¡¯t leave things alone. Not as they were. Not after everything sacrificed so far. He had to shepherd a better future for all. He owed them that much. His brows furrowed as a stray thought stole words before he could silence it. ¡°How much longer must we persist like this?¡± The radiant woman frowned, offering him a sympathetic expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Xan, would that I had any other options I would happily allow you the peace and freedom you yearn for.¡± Hearing his true name was still¡­ weird. Separating what he was born as vs what he¡¯d inherited was always strange. The burden the name Xanofex carried was heavy, though he felt like he¡¯d given it his best. He gave her a dismissive shake of his head. ¡°No, this is our mess. We decided this was the best way forward.¡± He let out a weary sigh. A wispy white and green spirit swished by him on its way to the maw, chilling his breath for a moment. As the small frosty cloud billowed away, it too being pulled towards the Maw, he turned to regard his long-time friend and ally. ¡°We have to find a way to finish this before everything unravels again.¡± ¡°We will. Now go rest. You¡¯ve earned it.¡± He allowed the Maw to tug him forward. Slowly, he drifted away from her. Turning to face her, it occurred to him just now that she¡¯d watched him leave like this several times. He¡¯d never thought about how that felt. The burden of standing watch. Unable to act as their creation ripped itself to pieces continuously, from within and from out. They each played their roles as guardians. No, not guardians, stewards of creation. ¡°See you in the next life, Amata.¡± ¡°Dream well, old friend.¡± He drifted back around to face the Maw. He knew what it was, and that he¡¯d crossed the threshold several times. He didn¡¯t remember what it was like to go through. Scary as it was, he was actually looking forward to the novelty of the experience. He studied the Maw. System Info: The Ebon Maw You sense an end, and a beginning, within its obsidian expanse. Proceeding will end your progress and cause you to restart. Xanofex acknowledged the missive mentally. He marveled at the jet-black star in front of him. It seemed so distant and yet massive. He¡¯d seen the Maw just beyond the horizon, no matter what location he visited the Soul Realm from. His position was now dangerously closer than he¡¯d ever cared to be in normal circumstances. Fully aware of its purpose, he¡¯d not thought to tease its pull. All around him, it drew souls into the event horizon of the Maw. Their essences churned and reclaimed. Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it can¡¯t be created or destroyed. He reached out as a spirit wafted by, his hand weaving through the pallid white smoky trail it left. His own skin, as white as marble, contrasted with the standard violet-black scales of his previous draconic body. He spread his wings wide and rolled lazily in a circle as the Maw pulled him ever closer with the promise of something new. He turned back to Amata, who stood vigil in all her radiance. She did him the honor of watching to the very end. He missed his friends and all the people he fought alongside. If he was lucky, maybe he¡¯d run into them again in the next life. System Info: You are now entering the Ebon Maw. All previous stats and data will be erased. Will you proceed? Yes/No Yes, he thought. It was time. He felt a warmth wash over him and the last thing Amata would see of him was his ivory-scaled wings wrapped around his porcelain white skin, and a contented smile creep out from behind his long ash-colored mane as it danced around him like it was windswept. Then, oblivion claimed him, and reality blew away from him like so much dust in the wind. *** As Xanofex fell into the Ebon Maw, Amaterasu lingered a moment longer. Knowing that Xan would fuss if she left before his journey had concluded. The crystal she wore around her neck glowed and pulsed warmly. The anchor point for the ward she¡¯d cast over Xan¡¯s soul. He¡¯d not retain much of his magic or memory, but his soul would remain intact. The core of what he was. That would survive the journey where others would not. There were many ways to avoid the dissolution of the soul. Most of the elder gods anchored their souls to their magic and then left that magic in the realm of the living. Sometimes that magic would be regathered and they could conduct an awakening to resurrect the god. Though this introduced the possibility of that magic being pillaged by others, diminishing the chances of return. Others used tombs or sacred vaults tethered to their souls. When they reincarnated, they would be inexorably drawn to their tombs, then reclaim their power and soul shards. But even the eldest god didn¡¯t compare to her or Xan. Where they wielded great power, she and Xan were power. Some could confuse them for Titans. But even that would be false. ¡°Not Titans,¡± she said softly into the realm of the dead. No secrets were kept here, and no one could scry her. This was the realm of unburdening oneself of the previous life. It had become something of a private confessional for her over the eons. ¡°The First,¡± she said with a sad smile. The eldest gods knew some secrets of the universe. She and Xan wrote the book as Persaetheus would joke. She held the crystal necklace tightly for a moment before slashing another tear in reality that glowed at the edges with a golden white hue as light magic motes drifted free of the straight, clean crack. Wasting no time, she slid through the hole and emerged into the realm she¡¯d created for herself. The interstice between the realms where aether gathered and condensed into the crystal. A plane specifically only she and Xan were aware of. It allowed her to stand watch over all, untouched by the children of reality. The silent witness to her catastrophic and drastic actions to save everything from certain doom. So much ruin and intense loss. She understood Xan¡¯s need to traverse the Maw. He withstood so much. Endured so much. She¡¯d often contemplated doing so herself. But she stood strong in her task because Xanofex needed her to. So she might one day pass on the burdens and responsibility of saving everything to him. She was unfortunately tethered here. The lynchpin holding it all together. Without her to counterbalance the threat of Atlas breaking free of his prison by the dark ones, it would all unravel, and the abominations would emerge again. And that said nothing of Erebos'' threat. So she stood vigil and acted through Xan. Bringing him back when she needed a champion among mortals to fight back into the darkness. Even though he often was of the darkness, she knew that sometimes you had to fight fire with fire, or in Xan¡¯s case? Void with void. Xan was her own personal agent of change. And when creation needed her? She would bring him back again. And he would rise, as he always did. To save it all again, as often as she needed him to. Because that¡¯s just who he was. She turned to watch the Prime Crystal. Some distance away, she gave a glance to the dimensional twin of the Obsidian Palace, whose main occupant was her most useful charge and avatar. ¡°Soon,¡± she said softly before drifting towards the crystal and leaving the palace behind for now. Chapter 2: Rebirth Part 2 Mind Realm, aka the ¡°Dreamscape¡± An unknown amount of time later¡­ The world was ethereal and pink all around him. It shimmered and warped, and for a moment. He was confused. He¡¯d been speaking with a goddess and didn¡¯t even catch her name. Or had it known it already and simply forgotten it? What had he just been thinking about? He was aware of things being scrubbed free of his consciousness. He was a he, wasn¡¯t he? That much felt certain, at least¡­ Now he found himself in some kind of psychedelic landscape where the rules boiled down to ¡°anything goes.¡± A System prompt appeared in front of him on fiery translucent scroll. System Info: You have arrived at the Dreamscape. One of the 4 primary planes of reality. In the dreamscape, soul shards merge and form new souls on their journey back to the light plane, the domain of life. The recombination period can take as long as needed while you establish just what exactly you want to be. ¡°Dreamscape, huh? So I¡¯m¡­ what? A ghost? A soul? What am I? What do I want to be?¡± What followed the prompt was a short tutorial of the Dreamscapes systems and rules. He found his health bar. He saw a blank space where his namesake was, so he selected it and filled it in with Akamori Shinjo. He liked Akamori how it sounded. Next, he forged his body with a wild mane of red hair. He noticed he could inspect himself and pulled his character sheet up. Giving it a quick glance. Attributes ranked from 1 to 5, and the System explained that 1 being the weakest and 5 being peak human strength tier. It explained that once he reached maturity, these stats would represent his physical, mental, and spiritual capabilities. Now that he had a name, he took a moment to think over his stats, then began allocating his points. Once he finished, he enlarged his stat sheet and took a step back to appraise it. He was leaning for a balance between martial and magical skill. He just hoped this setup would be the correct path for that. The realm offered him a choice in how his casting would manifest, which gave him both mechanical and flavor options. Did he want to be a smart, cold, calculating warrior? Or did he want to present himself as someone more artistic and vain? Or maybe someone who relied on instinct and intuition for their casting? In the end, he settled on selecting intuition. That suited his preference and his personality. He had good instincts, and didn¡¯t want to not play to that strength. After a few minutes of deliberation, he found himself settled on something he felt comfortable enough with. *** Character Information Name: Akamori Shinjo Race: Gold Seal Enchanted Human Class: Zero Life Path: Zero Hit Point: 5 Aetherpool: 5 Initiative: 0 Attributes Agility:3 Fortitude:3 Strength:4 Intelligence:2 Intuition:4 Will:3 Appearance:2 Charisma:2 Defenses Fortify:1 Resolve:1 Dodge:1 Armor:0 Resistance (): Skills Melee, Rank: 3, Mastery: Yes, +7 bonus Spellcasting, Rank: 3, Mastery: Yes, +7 bonus Perception, Rank: 2, Mastery: No, +6 bonus Athletics, Rank: 3, Mastery: No, +6 bonus Infusions Magic Expression: Intuition Magic Infusion: None Aspect: None Attacks/Combat Spells: None. You need a Magical Infusion to channel spells. Abilities/Spells Perks & Flaws This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. P is for Phobia ¨C Jonah Complex: Fear of fate/destiny ¡°Show me that again?¡±¨C You are the opposite of a savant. *Superhuman Strength Seal - Seals certain spells, abilities, and attributes. One of the three gold seals of the All Mother. Aetherically well endowed- +1 Aetherpool Not buying your bullshit - +1 Will Miracles & Spells ??? - ??? *** He dismissed the scroll, closing down his stats so he could clearly focus, he noticed a swirl that looked like the beginnings of a portal. The surface of the portal looked like a whirlpool on the surface of a mirror. He watched as colors swirled together and blended together. It had a mesmerizing feel to it. As he approached it, he peered at the object curiously. What was it? Some kind of doorway? Or perhaps an exit? What lay on the other side he wondered? ¡°If you want to know what¡¯s on the other side, why not step through?¡± A voice asked. Spinning, he saw a small ethereal dragon hatchling flying before him. Even in the distorted pinkish hues of this realm, he could see it was a dark dragon. Roiling void energy radiated freely from it. It did not hide its essence from him. This evoked a sense of wonder and curiosity in him. His perception didn¡¯t pull anything useful to work with. Unknown. Divinty: ??? Challenge: ??? ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if I was supposed to?¡± The small creature rumbled a purring chuckle. ¡°There is nothing you are supposed to do. This is a realm of possibility. You are nearly ready to depart it. But before you go, a bit of advice. Your life will be challenge after challenge. You will stumble, and you will fail. When you do, when all seems lost and hopeless, look at the darkness that lives deep within you. It will show the way. Though I fear these words will fade from your mind when you awake in your mortal shell. Struggle. Fight. Always rise.¡± Look at the darkness that lives within you? Well, that wasn¡¯t ominous at all. Akamori gave the dragon a polite bow. It blew away into motes of aether as he turned to face the portal again. Reaching out a shimmering translucent arm into the portal, it felt warm, like a hot bath. Resolving himself, he took a deep breath and pressed through. His vision went blinding white. ¡°Akamori?¡± He opened his eyes slowly, as a soft voice said his name again. ¡°Akamori? Are you awake? Maybe we should get back.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. Sorry. I must have dozed off.¡± Kusinaki frowned at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been acting spaced out lately. Is everything ok? Is it the dreams again?¡± He sat up and turned, focusing on where the voice was coming from. His perception skill worked its magic. He took a moment to study the information and filed it away for later. Kusinaki Koshiyoto the Artificer Divinity: Mortal, Magic Rating 2 Challenge: 2 Kusinaki regarded him for a moment with a curious expression. The look someone gave when they were worried someone wasn¡¯t well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Akamori?¡± Akamori shook his head, his wild mane of crimson hair spilling out over his shoulders and back with each turn of his chin. ¡°Nothing, I guess my mind was just somewhere else.¡± Kusinaki nodded with a soft smile. Relief played across the young artificer¡¯s features. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine having the spirit walk coming up soon is sitting lightly on your shoulders.¡± The spirit walk? He slapped himself in the forehead for forgetting ¡°You forgot, didn¡¯t you? Only you could manage that. Still, I heard Amara was the new priestess in training. She¡¯ll handle your walk as the guide. Might be a good idea to chat with her about what to expect.¡± A memory floated up of his father explaining tactical wisdoms. His father had spent a great deal of time emphasizing his ability to lead and fight. A set of traits that felt odd for what amounted to a group of backwoods air mages. What could happen to them this far away from the flights? ¡°It¡¯s getting late Akamori and you look like you need some rest. Maybe we should get back?¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t want to be out too late that the Manka cats eye us up for dinner.¡± Kusinaki¡¯s expression soured. ¡°Ha ha. Hilarious.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking,¡± Akamori said blankly. ¡°We really need to work on your sense of humor.¡± ¡°Really? I thought it balanced out nicely against my handsome good looks.¡± Kusinaki groaned, running a hand down his face. The two young men got up from their patch of wild grass and started back towards the soft orange glow of the village in the night. The moon began its slow rise from behind the nearby mountain ridge, casting a soft white glow across the land. The stars sparkled in the dark sky above. The cosmos stretched out before them for all to see. Teasing Akamori with the promise of adventures just beyond reach. As the two crossed a stream, Akamori studied a fish that swam in the current. He felt rather like it looked. Trapped within the natural cage of its life. Only able to swim up or downstream, but never free to leave the confines of the water. For him, the village was his stream. He could move wherever he wanted within it, but he felt trapped within its borders here in this world. Another look skyward, and he sighed softly. His heart longed to be up in the stars. To travel the galaxy. Somehow, deep down, he knew that was truly where he belonged. To see what the universe offered. There was a whole other life out there waiting for him. He didn¡¯t want to be pinned down as a village chieftain. That life felt stagnant, and entropic. He yearned to leave, to be free. But perhaps he was just being rebellious? Maybe he should give this spirit walk stuff a chance. With great reluctance, he pressed on. Resolving to himself that he would abide by his father¡¯s wishes, for the time being, at least. After all, it wasn¡¯t an irreparable choice. He threw on his large blue robe and straw hat. As the cool of evening air settled in, the robe kept him warm. Kusinaki stood, patting down his pants, and smiled. Kusinaki pointed out his sketchbook laying in the compressed tall grass. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that. You¡¯ll be manic without it if the mood hits.¡± With a sigh, Akamori bent down to pick it up, admiring the charcoal drawings inside. Kusinaki leaned over his shoulder and nodded approvingly. ¡°You know, could easily become an artist.¡± Akamori shot his friend a flat look. ¡°When is the last time you heard of an artist farming village chief?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t. You¡¯d be the first.¡± ¡°Exactly. I don¡¯t want to spend my whole life here. This place is suffocating me. It¡¯s not that I want to leave. I need to leave.¡± He turned from the stream back to the starlit sky. Bands of purple and blue brought depth to the night sky of Honshu. He¡¯d always fancied the idea of trying to paint it, but felt like he¡¯d never truly be able to capture how majestic it looked. Some day he wanted to get lost in those depths. To see just how far out the universe went, to touch all the wonders life teased him about. The two men strode along in contented silence for a time until Kusinaki broke it softly. ¡°So, you plan to leave?¡± ¡°Yeah. Somehow.¡± ¡°But you have no money, or a starship. We don¡¯t even have the massive spell mechs the old outriders used to pilot. They¡¯ve all lost their magic.¡± Akamori nodded softly, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°But you still plan to leave?¡± ¡°Somehow. I can¡¯t stay here. This isn¡¯t where my future is. I¡¯ve lingered long enough, I think.¡± More than just simply thinking it, he could feel it. Kusinaki chuckled softly. ¡°Sometimes you talk like you¡¯re leagues older than you really are.¡± Akamori blinked, uncertain of what Kusinaki was referring to, and shrugged finally. Sometimes it was best to just let some things go. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve just got an old soul,¡± he joked. The villagers always made playful jokes about some kids being wiser than others. It wasn¡¯t often that kind of thing was said about Akamori. He enjoyed showing his playful side more often. ¡°Not likely.¡± Kusinaki said, biting back a laugh. ¡°Too many practical jokes prove otherwise.¡± ¡°Hey, that bit with the fish was a classic.¡± ¡°Except for the smell.¡± Kusinaki lamented. ¡°Oh. Yeah. Except for that.¡± A shiver rattled down his shoulders. Some memories were best left in the past. Kusinaki clapped his back as they crossed the fence line, marking the village¡¯s edge. The two friends making their way back home before splitting up to head to their own homes. The Air mages lived simple lives. Their technology levels were below sector standard since their world was well off the standard lanes of travel. Wood and mud were the general building materials, with a few alchemical treatments here or there care of Kusinaki. The village was well lit with magical lanterns the young artificer had helped fabricate to make them safer at night. The increased night time lighting also reduced the amount of guards required at night. Just outside the village to the left and right of the main path the two young men had strode sat the fields that fed their village. Mundane rice and other grains on one side, and Air Rice in another. The Air Rice floated above the soil, using aether currents to pull nutrients up from the soil and ambient moisture in the atmosphere for sustenance. It took precision air magic to properly tend Air Rice. This was what the future had at stake for Akamori. A life of tedium and predictability. Each day spent working in the fields or dealing with some inconsequential dispute that might come up. Deep down, though, he knew he was meant for something else. Just what that was, though, he wasn¡¯t sure. He only hoped he found it before the boredom of village leadership sucked all the joy from his soul. Chapter 3: Prophecy Light Realm Eryn The Temple of Aeryn Captain Morwen of the Federation of Eryn rapped on the large hardwood double doors leading into the ArchPriests'' chambers. Made of ancient Eryn red timber, they etched the doors with gold runes, lending them an artistic appearance even as the runes imbued the doors with protective spells. The soft warm glow of several candles spaced evenly throughout the chamber pressed the darkness back just enough she didn¡¯t need to squint to see. There was a stuffiness about the chamber she¡¯d grown to resent. She shifted anxiously in her royal blue and gold officer¡¯s uniform. She took a moment to fuss with the collar, ensuring her rank patch sat properly. Being here meant not being on the front, opposing the ever spreading threat of Sauridius¡¯ forces. Her recent defeat at Kofex stung. The only redeeming factor being she at least grew slightly stronger for the debacle. The death toll she endured labeled the action a humiliating defeat. Her mage company was down to a mere squad that included herself. No, that was being generous. Now it was little more than a fire team. Non-mage reinforcements for the Cadaver Crasher from the Brotherhood of Man were expected to arrive shortly. They would do little to blunt the Sauridius forces, though. They had plenty of cannon fodder but lacked for cannons of their own. Short of significant personnel and player characters, she doubted if she¡¯d be able to carry out any meaningful campaigns. Her only steadfast supporter was Sgt. Sirsir. Captain Rayshe being an absolute pain in her ass, did little to raise her spirit. She cast a quick glance left and right, thankful for Rayshe¡¯s absence. His position aboard her ship being one purely of nobility appointment sat like bile in the back of her throat. The two gold armored guards positioned at the great doors nodded silently to words which she couldn¡¯t hear. An order given to allow her to pass at a guess. Without a verbal response, the large cherry wood doors parted open to reveal the very well lit chambers of the ArchPriest. A large fireplace crackled and popped against fresh logs. A velvet blue and gold accented rug lay in the center of the floor. The chamber was circular and sported no windows, making it easier to protect the priest from assault. At least he was taking some of her advice, she thought. She didn¡¯t need it, but a prompt appeared when her perception skill spotted the ArchPriest and scanned him over. ArchPriest of Eryn Divinity: Demigod Challenge: 9 Morwen stood straighter as the ArchPriest turned from what he was tending to and approached her. ¡°Thank you for coming, Morwen. I understand your discomfort being home, but this was most important,¡± the ArchPriest said with a sympathetic expression. Morwen glanced over his shoulder to notice an item called the prophecy mirror. A fire still blazed around its frame and in the glass. She recalled rumors the ruling class had a divine item that allowed them to peer into future possibilities. The ArchPriest followed her gaze and nodded grimly. He turned, his regal gold spell armor glinting warmly in the fire light around them, and the white and gold trimmed tunics beneath the sparse plates of armor gave the ArchPriest an elegant, almost divine appearance. Divine was accurate enough, if a slight stretch. Being the ArchPriest of Eryn meant they infused him with a great amount of magic to act as the wellsprings guardian. Enough to be considered a demigod. His appearance was supernaturally handsome and his skin was almost luminous. Despite his appearance, though, Morwen could hear hints of exhaustion in his voice. She couldn¡¯t imagine shouldering that level of responsibility. For her, trying to hold the line was difficult enough as it was. Morwen marched impatiently behind the ArchPriest, irked by the need to make this as awe striking and mysterious as possible. Straight answers seemed to be the anathema of the people of Eryn. It was always about the beauty and artistry of something. She supposed that was partially why she¡¯d grown so fond of the Federation. Sure, the nobles of Eryn led by the ArchPriest himself had pitched the idea, but it seemed like the Brotherhood of Man had left its strongest finger print on the Federation. From military bearing down to aesthetic details. Right now she longed for the sterile, cold metal corridors of the Crasher over the warm browns and golds of the Temple of Aeryn¡¯s palace chambers. She didn¡¯t feel as safe here. She didn¡¯t feel like she belonged. He turned the prophecy mirror to Morwen and gestured for her to look. Morwen¡¯s blood instantly cooled. It was never a good sign when you received a request to peer into a prophecy mirror. The ArchPriest¡¯s face went sympathetic again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯d long hoped this wouldn¡¯t be for you, but at long last, the last elements of its message resolved, and I can no longer waste time delivering it to you.¡± Morwen sucked in a breath, resolving herself to see the prophecy the mirror had to show. It would seem more than just the ArchPriest were interfering with her life now. Just one more thing to deal with. She nodded, signaling she was ready, and he allowed the prophecy mirror to reveal its images. It took longer than she expected to play. She looked at the priest, all color fading from her face, leaving her pale. Her brows knit in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand?¡± The ArchPriest offered a sympathetic smile. ¡°I know. But I wanted you to see first before I explained. So you would know it wasn¡¯t coming from me.¡± He gave her a soft squeeze on the shoulder, but she didn¡¯t flinch from it. ¡°The Sauridius are moving. To stop them, you must lead the charge. And you will need your team. Of import, these three beings.¡± She recognized her corporal, Yasiin. The resident counter speller and healer. He was a Nomad. Also, a capable marksman against the Sauridius forces since they leaned heavily on Soul magic. She didn¡¯t, however, recognize the other two faces. One belonged to a slender man with wild red hair that framed his face and almost cat-like eyes. Or were they more draconic? She blinked as she tried to scrutinize the prophecy¡¯s image, but they appeared to just be normal eyes again. She sighed, shaking off the creeping self recrimination. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°You look tired, Morwen. I¡¯m sorry this had to happen now, but I fear putting it off any longer would spell the doom it portends.¡± Morwen glanced up, blinking, and shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s fine..your holiness. So I must find this man and woman?¡± Stammered, trying to come up with an appropriate honorific. She leaned closer and examined the female in the fiery image. She had duo chromatic eyes. One eye was blue, and the other was blind with brilliant pink magic overlaid. The mark of a mind magic user, perhaps? The ArchPriest nodded, as if reading her thoughts. ¡°Indeed. She¡¯s capable of using dual magics. And she is vital to your effort in stopping the Saruidius. The world you defend will be the lynchpin of our defeat if you fail.¡± ¡°What am I stopping them from doing?¡± Morwen wondered aloud as she studied the prophecy. She did her best to bury her frustration at a lack of clarity. The ArchPriest shook his unhelpfully. ¡°I fear I cannot say for certain. Save that I sense a powerful dread lord will be pivotal to the prophecy. He seeks a weapon of some sort. More than that? I cannot say. Stop the dread lord. Save the Federation, and the sector.¡± Ominek. Morwen seethed. That cunning bastard never stopped. Somehow, Ominek had become the poster child of evil and stood behind just about every major move the Sauridius had pulled lately. If Morwen were to think of it from a childish perspective, Ominek represented Morwen¡¯s arch nemesis to boil it down to such a simple and reductive view. Morwen knew it was more complicated than that, but in a way it was also that simple, too. ¡°Is this my mission?¡± The ArchPriest stiffened, and conflict flashed through his eyes. ¡°Must I make it one for you to heed the warning?¡± he asked reluctantly. Morwen sagged, her bluff called. ¡°No,¡± she offered after a moment''s hesitation. She didn¡¯t particularly enjoy communing with her father like this. Having her family split apart because of her father¡¯s ascent to ArchPriest had created a sore spot in Morwen¡¯s heart. She disliked politics and actively avoided participation in anything even remotely brushing against them. But she could not argue about how powerful he¡¯d become, and how much good he¡¯d done for Eryn and the Federation. He put his other hand on her shoulder now. She was in danger of a potential hug. She felt her weight shifting to her heels, preparing for an escape from the grip automatically. The ArchPriest¡¯s expression shifted painfully, Morwen noted. ¡°Daughter. I fear for your safety. For your life. But if you do not act, then all may be lost for not just the Federation, but our world. Find the unknown faces the Prophecy spoke of. They will be on the planet Hoshun, but I fear their lives will be in danger soon. Travel with haste. Go with the blessing of our goddess.¡± A system prompt appeared, informing her she¡¯d just accepted the archpriest¡¯s mission. Morwen closed the notification and hid it from view. She nodded and tried to extract herself from her father''s grip before he swooped her into a hug. She fussed for a moment, before finally relenting with a sigh. After she¡¯d given up and hugged him back, he released her finally, as he always did. She backpedaled out of reach with a huff and smoothened out her uniform jacket, and adjusted her gold bracelet. He gestured to it. ¡°I trust the armor I¡¯ve given you is living up to your request?¡± She lifted her wrist up to look at it fully. She offered him a stiff nod. ¡°Yes,¡± she said in a clipped tone. A learned habit from the military. ¡°It helped me fend off the Sauridius forces on Tohruun long enough to see the survivors'' escape. Thank you.¡± Her father bowed his head in an appreciative nod. The elder artifact had been his own personal creation for her protection. His position prevented him from doing much more that would be viewed as favorable treatment for her. So it often left their relationship strained when she¡¯d asked for even simple things like attention or affection from him. Those particular overtures had long since stopped. Of particular note, it didn¡¯t stop him from reaching out to a concubine for solace when their family fell to pieces once he took his position, further straining his relationship with Morwen. She folded her arms, regarding him for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could finance my crew or purchase us some supplies?¡± Her father shook his head sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Morwen. I wish I could, but the prophecy made it clear if I did, it would doom you to failure.¡± She squinted, confused by that. ¡°How? You clearly have enough to finance a resupply. I¡¯m more likely to fail without it.¡± She knew it was a longshot, but it was worth it to try. He shook his head. ¡°Your supply problem is one you must solve on your own. This is your path to walk, and I¡¯m not meant to walk it alongside you. Go with Aeryn¡¯s blessings.¡± Morwen had about faced on her heel and marched for the door before her father could finish. She stormed through the heavy wooden double doors, throwing them open as she did. She¡¯d tensed for the slam, but nothing came. That deflated her a bit. She knew it was childish to throw up so much resistance against her father this way, but she felt like it had to be done. She spun just outside the doorway. ¡°So you want me to rush off on some wild prophecy to save the sector, but you refuse to at least supply me for it?¡± He frowned, nodding to her. A heavy sadness in his expression. She got the impression he wanted to do more, but something bigger held him back. Duty? Honor? She couldn¡¯t understand what it was. ¡°Yes.¡± She threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to descend the ornate wooden stairs that led to his chamber. She tapped her bracelet as she descended to key up the comm system and sent a message request spell to her Executive Officer, Lt. Rayshe. A moment later, his voice spoke as if right next to her, ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± ¡°Get the Crasher ready to depart. We have a new mission.¡± ¡°Understood. Will we be getting the supplies you requested?¡± ¡°Negative,¡± she replied in a clipped tone. Mentally admonishing herself for being sharp and short. It wasn¡¯t entirely Rayshe¡¯s fault. She¡¯d set herself on this path by rebuking Rayshe¡¯s father and his peers. Technically, they out ranked her and funded and sponsored her unit. She didn¡¯t actually own the Crasher or have the funds to support the unit on her own as she wished she could. ¡°Very well. The ship will be ready by the time you make it back. Where will we be heading?¡± ¡°To Hoshun,¡± she continued her feverish march back to the spaceport. She was used to being given impossible tasks, and not enough supplies or resources to make them happen. She just hoped she could turn things around this time. ¡°The colony world?¡± Confusion spilled out of Rayshe¡¯s voice. He was no doubt trying to think of where they would go for supplies next. ¡°Why Hoshun? They are air nomads. Mages stranded without a dragon to guide them. We haven¡¯t had very heavy communication with them in a long time.¡± ¡°The ArchPriest suspects Sauridius forces might hit it.¡± ¡°I see. Very well. To Hoshun then.¡± Morwen didn¡¯t like his reply. The way he always went behind her, like some kind of approving authority just because he was some noble¡¯s spoiled brat. She would have to bring the matter up with him later, in private. If she said anything in the open, his fragile sensibilities might shatter. She grew tired of coddling his ego, but for now she had to endure it since his father had done more to sponsor their work than the ArchPriest had, even though that wasn¡¯t saying a lot. ¡°Morwen out.¡± She said curtly, ending the transmission. She had an immense mission ahead of her, and much planning to do. She wouldn¡¯t have to spend anything on Hoshun however, so she decided that was her first stop. After that, she would address her supply problem. Charging into a fight against Ominek under supplied left her feeling with absolute certainty she¡¯d be condemning them all to an early grave. No, this had to be done right if she was going to succeed. This time, she would stop Ominek. This time, she¡¯d win. Chapter 4: Amara Honshu Temple of the Air Goddess ¡°Close your eyes and allow the truth of existence to fill your mind. Let the wisdom of Maetraya reveal itself to you.¡± Those were the words of the elder priestess to Amara, and as she prayed and meditated here, her sole guiding words. She was a rarity in Hoshun. A mage gifted with mind magic, capable of peering into the ethereal realm of dreams and imagination. The plane of possibilities. This, along with her growing talent, made her a natural choice for training as a priestess. Something Amara applied herself to. ¡°Now, open your eyes,¡± her mentor said softly. As her eyes opened, it partially shocked her. She could now see from her normally blind left eye. The normally milky blind eye now glowed lavender and pink, with motes of mind aether drifting free of it. So much information bombarded her mind, too much. A sharp piercing pain pressed in on her mind behind her eyes near the temples and she gasped. Her eyes clamped shut and her mentor cooed soothingly. ¡°It¡¯s ok. It¡¯ll be alright. You just need more training. You¡¯ve been gifted the Maetrayops.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The eyes of Maetraya. It allows you to harness mind magic to see. It¡¯s a rare form of divination that requires great control and power. And it appears to be a natural gift of yours. Many scholars would compete to hold your attention if you were on any other world.¡± Amara smiled sadly, but she wasn¡¯t on any other world. She was stuck here. She was sympathizing with her friend Akamori¡¯s complaints about feeling trapped here. She, Kusinaki, and Akamori would all lay in the fields of the soft hills next to the village and comment on what life might be like on worlds beyond theirs. Hoshun¡¯s lack of space port and its isolated nature meant that they were effectively exiled and stranded. ¡°All by design,¡± she¡¯d been told often enough. But what design? And designed by who? As the magic faded, Amara leaned forward, panting. A soft sheen of sweat cooling her skin. She glanced up and closed her bad eye, unable to see from it once again now that she¡¯d released the magic. Her mentor smiled softly and leaned back, giving her space to recover herself, and she sat up. The strain of her training having taken its toll. She felt the depleted AP from her total pool. It would take time to recover that magic back. Like an empty well that was fed slowly by an underground river. ¡°Thank you, master Imrae.¡± The older woman nodded as a soft breeze gusted gently through the inner temple. The small flames atop magic candles danced, yet did not extinguish. The elder mage nodded and turned to Amara. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day, child. Rest. We can begin again later. And don¡¯t forget to study for your first soul walk ritual.¡± Amara bowed deeply at the waist, thankful for the release of her duties for the day. ¡°I won¡¯t forget, master.¡± She rose slowly to mask the shakiness in her legs. Making her way to the temple exit, she saw one of her oldest friends since childhood seated at the temple steps, throwing pebbles into a nearby stream. Judging by his posture, Akamori was bored again. Akamori Shinjo (Friend) Divinity: Mortal, Magic Rating 0 Challenge: 0 ¡°You¡¯ll scare off the fish, and Old man Kaiden will get mad again.¡± Akamori turned to regard her. She¡¯d folded her arms in her best attempt at being authoritative. The young man in front of her had a small sheen of sweat on him. No doubt from training with his father again. That explained the boredom and dour mood combo. ¡°Guessing training with your father went as well as one could expect?¡± He huffed, another pebble plopped into the stream. Amara frowned and took a seat next to him, nudging a pebble gently with the toe of her sandal. The late afternoon sun warmed her after sitting inside the cool temple all day. In some ways, she envied him getting to stay outside and spar with his father. Though judging by his mood and expression, he wasn¡¯t as thrilled about it. ¡°Soon you¡¯ll be a mage too, and you¡¯ll be able to apply all the concepts your father is teaching you. The air mother will favor you. I¡¯m sure of it. Just have faith.¡± He sighed, the long bangs of his red mane billowed out with his frustration. ¡°Maybe.¡± He said sullenly. ¡°I just hate feeling like I don¡¯t get anything he explained to me.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be so hard on yourself. You can only hear so much instruction on how to use magic, without actually being able to use it. Your father just wants to make sure you¡¯re as ready as he can make you.¡± ¡°I just wish I knew for what. It¡¯s always so boring here. Nothing ever happens. I¡¯m going to grow old and die trapped here on this rock in the middle of nowhere.¡± Amara knew his heart and mind both lived among the stars. She snuck out of her hut at the dead of night and often found him in their usual spot looking up at the moon. As though he saw himself there more than on Honshu. Some mistook that for being easily distracted as a child. She understood it as a pull on his soul. ¡°All by design,¡± she said absently. He shot her a confused glance. ¡°Who¡¯s design?¡± She bit back a laugh, shaking her head. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just something the priestesses say. I guess it¡¯s sunk in so much I¡¯m parroting it now, too.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Parroting?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She paused and tried to think back to the ancient Terran fables. ¡°I think it¡¯s a massive bird god that steals your voice and speaks with your words.¡± ¡°That sounds terrible,¡± Akamori said with a shiver. The two shared a grateful laugh. They didn¡¯t have to deal with voice stealing parrots. Akamori pushed himself up slowly and dusted off his blue koza and robe. The yellow trim looked almost golden in the bright Hoshun sun. The air teased at his red mane and he glanced out to the fields. She could see the thought forming even before he knew what was happening. ¡°Wanna go for a walk?¡± She smirked, called it. Giving him a soft nod, she stepped off to fall in at his side as the two strode their way out of the village along the small dirt trail that flanked his favorite stream. As they walked, she caught him casting inquisitive glances down at the small fish in the stream. He had on his thinking face. It wasn¡¯t brooding. Just¡­ pensive. The way his brows knit together gently, like soft sloping hills. The focused intensity in his eyes. And the subtle purse of his lips. She wondered for a moment just what exactly it was he was thinking about. ¡°Sometimes I worry my dad puts too much faith in my ability to run this village,¡± he finally said. ¡°Oh?¡± she replied, giving him room to elaborate. She¡¯d come to learn he was actually rather introspective, and letting him arrive at things on his own worked far better than leading him most of the time. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s always so strong and confident and he always knows what everyone is thinking and feeling. Like he just knows. You know? Not like magic or anything cheating. But just intuitively knows. Me? I only really know you and Kusinaki, mostly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re concerned you¡¯re not the best fit for the role? Not necessarily about your capabilities in said role?¡± He nodded at her enthusiastically. Relieved that someone else finally understood the torrent of doubts that were pressing in on him from all sides. She recognized the behavior enough by now. His father cast an intense shadow to live under. It was understanding if everything his father carried seemed too much for himself. ¡°I just don¡¯t feel like I can be the person my old man is. The village bores me. I wanna know what¡¯s out there¡­¡± He pointed skyward with a reverent expression. ¡°To see what¡¯s beyond Hoshun.¡± She smiled ruefully at him. Sometimes it was hard to nudge him free of his need to leave. If they had spell ships or even live wyrms, she was certain he¡¯d have tried to sneak away by now. Instead, he¡¯d had the misfortune of being borne on a planet that was isolated from the rest of the galactic stage. She settled on a simple, comforting pat on the back. ¡°Wanna spar?¡± He asked spontaneously. She gave it some thought and nodded. ¡°Sure. I could use a little workout.¡± The pair circled each other as a soft wind gusted, carrying red leaves and pink cherry blossoms with it. She watched his hair dance behind him lightly, focused on his center of mass. He rushed forward, beginning with a basic series of hand to hand strikes. She blocked and parried capably. His skill was rusty, but he was strong and faster than she was. She pushed back against his offensive and countered on some openings she¡¯d noticed in his technique, punishing him a few times. He staggered with a wince, clutching his ribs after she¡¯d knife hand struck him there. She didn¡¯t quite get the nerve cluster, but she¡¯d still caught him in a soft spot. ¡°Believe it or not, you¡¯re actually improving.¡± While his father had been mentoring him on the Way of the Blade, she¡¯d been mentoring him on the Way of the Open Palm. Taking advantage of his opening further, she cast some air tendrils that drilled through the soft soil, erupting near his feet and anchoring him in place. In her mind¡¯s eyes, a series of concentric rings overlaid their positions. He was in the third and outermost ring. She knew from her training with Master Imrae that she could land roughly 8 strikes to critical nerve clusters, given the circumstances. She advanced, and her fingers crashed into his body like blunt stingers, smashing vital nerve points and causing general numbness to settle in across his torso and arms. For an instant she felt something cold and oppressive threaten to push its way free from Akamori and she hesitated before he stumbled to his knees. The air tendrils holding his feet whirled apart like dust devils running out of steam. She crouched down and threw one of his arms over her shoulder. The feeling would come back soon, so she wasn¡¯t worried about having done lasting damage. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head back home before it gets too late. You¡¯ve got your ceremony tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oof. You really laid into me there.¡± he said. She shrugged gently, despite him being on her shoulder. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a fair fight. You lacked magic and a sword. I have no illusions to thinking I could take you in a standup fight.¡± He shook his head, chuckling. His gaze down at his feet as they walked slowly. ¡°You sell yourself short.¡± She glanced back towards the soft warm glow of the village over the hill, back the way they¡¯d come. As they strode back, she noticed a distant and sad expression on his face. She was curious about what had him feeling so melancholy, but chalked it up to being trapped in a life he couldn¡¯t lead the way he wanted. ¡°Sometimes I feel like the fish in that stream,¡± he said softly as they made their way home along the small dirt path they¡¯d taken out. ¡°Like I¡¯m trapped in a reality I can¡¯t escape. I can see what lays beyond it, but I can¡¯t physically be free of my cage.¡± ¡°What cage would that be?¡± ¡°Fate.¡± Chapter 5: Rite of Passage Hoshun Outside the Temple of the Air Goddess Akamori paced nervously, trying to will the excess time away. He¡¯d initially planned to protest the Rite, not having any interest in taking it. In typical fashion, though, his mother had talked him out of it. She insisted he would do more harm to his future than if he went through the rite. Lobbying that he at least had options if he performed it, whereas he¡¯d have none if he abstained. It also didn¡¯t help his resolve when she reminded him of how important it was that he take the Rite since he was the son of the clan¡¯s chief. Reluctantly, he accepted the quest. Yeah, he was a momma¡¯s boy. What about it? The night air was cooling, and though a fire nearby cast an invisible sphere of warmth, his pacing kept cycling him outside of its influence. To complete the Rite of Passage, the priests expected him to navigate a soul walk. There the air goddess Anazzi would judge him. If she found him worthy, he would return to the mortal plane, touched by her will and, more notably, her magic. If not? She would likely just incinerate him. A prospect that didn¡¯t exactly instill him with a lot of confidence in this whole rite of passage thing. His people held many legends about spell riders in magitech armors flying alongside their wyrms into battle. Though there were no more functional mechs or armor on Hoshun, his people continued to train as though there were. Promised by their wyrm mother Anazzi long ago that when the time was right they would leave, and return, ready to bring retribution to their enemies. This kept the people of Hoshun mollified for a while, but eventually it became clear they¡¯d been abandoned. While he appreciated his mother''s confidence in his worth, he was infinitely less so. Who was he to think he was worthy of a god''s notice? He was just a kid with an acute case of wanderlust that wanted to have adventures. All this destiny stuff was beyond him. Why should the air goddess choose him? He didn¡¯t want to be chosen just because his father was their leader. He didn¡¯t feel like that made him worthy. For his entire childhood, his father had groomed him to one day assume his position. Sure, that would mean he¡¯d have power and influence for his people, but Akamori wasn¡¯t sure that¡¯s what he wanted for himself. He didn¡¯t need those things, much less want them. He was perfectly content roaming the countryside, exploring, and just getting into mischief. Living the life he chose. Some of his fondest memories with his friends stemmed from venturing off the path others expected him to walk. Akamori¡¯s mind went back to racing. His father recognized this rebelliousness in him, and while he knew it grated on Kalenza¡¯s nerves, his father was excellent at using Akamori¡¯s antics as teaching moments. This only confused him, though, when Kalenza tried to teach him how to be his own man while trying to ramrod him into Kalenza¡¯s shoes. What good was being his own man if they forced him to walk his father¡¯s footsteps constantly? ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Are you ready?¡± his father asked from behind him. There was a mix of emotions on his father¡¯s face. Pride, anxiety, and happiness all fought a war in his expression. Akamori turned, flexing his chest and arms intermittently to keep his torso warm. They decorated his torso with a variety of painted on markings. Many of which mirrored and echoed the designs of the tattoos that decorated his back and stomach. He wore only a Koza, a warrior''s skirt that covered his legs down to his ankles. His feet bore sandals made of leather. He shook and flexed his arms one last time before turning and approaching his father. His father wore his ceremonial robes and golden headdress. They had passed the headgear down through the generations since the clan first crashed on Hoshun and set up its colony. Their clan mother, an elderly dragon that made the journey here with them, had died out many centuries ago with no offspring, and without another dragon to extract them, or spacefaring vessel capable of leaving the atmosphere, the clan had to prioritize long-term survival. So it established a colony on the fringes of the sector. This isolation meant that no one had bothered them, but it also meant that his clan relied heavily on their past traditions. His father placed two enormous hands on his shoulders and beamed proudly at him. ¡°Remember, you take with you into the mindscape only what you can carry.¡± ¡°It is why we carry little,¡± Akamori replied. That came out so automatically for him, he was a little alarmed at how natural it felt to state that. ¡°For we lose all unnecessary things,¡± his father finished their creed. ¡°You¡¯ve grown much, my son. I know that your soul yearns for more than this world offers, and while you may not see it yet, I¡¯ve done all that I can to set you on the best path possible.¡± Akamori shifted under his father''s hands, feeling a little guilty. His father lifted his chin, so he faced him again. ¡°Do not feel shame, my son. You have a powerful soul that knows what it wants. There is nothing to feel guilty about in that.¡± His father gave him a faint smile that soon faded. ¡°However, you lack the discipline and strength to make that a positive quality. Yet. But we¡¯re working on it.¡± Kalenza patted his shoulders, giving him a playful wink and stepped out of his way, gesturing expansively to the vast air temple the clan had built thousands and thousands of years ago. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Soon you will walk in the footsteps of many young men before you. Once inside the mindscape, you will face yourself, and then you will face the air goddess. Be honest with yourself, to her, and fate will see you through.¡± ¡°Fate,¡± Akamori muttered, his lip curling in disgust. He detested the word, even though his father used it so positively. He deflated a little and sighed, then nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready.¡± Kalenza stepped out of his way, unable to school his features neutral. Akamori could tell his father wanted to say more, but decided against it. A few feet away, blocking his access to the temple, was a priestess in white robes. His childhood friend Amara. She¡¯d been born blind in one eye, and so she always kept that eyelid shut. She smiled at him with so much life shining from her single eye he¡¯d never notice. She greeted him with an irreverent bow and traced the right side of his face from forehead to chin in the custom of their clan. ¡°I see you Akamori, son of Kalenza, grandchild of Anazzi the clan mother. I see your soul is ready for the Rite. I see the air goddess is ready to bear witness. Let us begin.¡± Akamori bowed his head, and Amara went through the runes, sketching the hand gestures necessary to begin the ritual. Several Soul and Mind runes floated up, along with Air, weaving into a grid work and creating the spell. Finally, the runes fused together and showered down, creating an arched doorway made of pinkish purple aetheric energy. Ethereal and whimsical motes of mind magic rippled away from the edge of the doorway. Once the spell finished resolving, she turned to Akamori with a nod. ¡°The temple is ready to recieve you now. May your soul win the goddess¡¯ favor.¡± An update popped up. ¡°Quest Update: Enter the Temple of Anazzi¡­ and survive.¡± Gee. This should be fun, he mused to himself. He didn¡¯t move for a moment, remaining still, studying the ethereal doorway. The portal into the pocket realm where he was to commune with their goddess. Footsteps behind him signaled his father''s approach. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and he turned to half face his father, who gave him a reassuring nod. Ahead of him, the swirling ethereal doorway stood open. Magic rippling and pooling like living energy. A destiny beyond that awaited him. His body ached to turn away and not look back, but he stood firm. He could do this. He would do this. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I have faith you¡¯ll come back. So do that. Come back to me.¡± He turned back, steeling his resolve. He had to face this, whether he wanted to. The traditions of his people tied his hands. But it was the faith his friends and family had in him that gave him the strength to do this. It wasn¡¯t much, but enough that it took the edge of his apprehension off. Somehow, their faith and belief in him tilted the balance just enough in his favor. He sucked in a quick breath, fists clenching. Before he could move, though, his father spun him around one last time and presented him with a spell sword. ¡°You won¡¯t need this, but from this moment forth, it will denote you as a warrior of the last Wing.¡± Akamori bowed respectfully to his father and looked up with curiosity and wonder in his eyes. ¡°For me?¡± He¡¯d not received his own blade yet, and to be handed one now on the eve of his Rite meant he was now a man to his father, a warrior of the clan. Pride welled up in him from deep within. A feat he previously hadn¡¯t considered possible. He accepted the blade, bowing deeply, then quickly tied it to his waistband. The weapon was light, tugging at his waist sash only slightly. ¡°It is young. But if you expose it to enough magic, in time, it will grow in power as you do. Take care of it, and it will do the same for you.¡± Akamori gave the spell sword a soft squeeze on the grip affectionately. His own blade. The corner of Kalenza¡¯s lip tugged upwards ever slightly, cracking the unemotional demeanor of his father. Akamori caught the look and appreciated it. ¡°Now go, son. I¡¯ve delayed you long enough.¡± Akamori nodded, ¡°Yes, father.¡± He turned and marched into the portal of the doorway without another second of hesitation. He felt his skin tingle as he passed through the doorway. Akamori¡¯s body glowed with the aetheric pink energy. It wrapped around and covered him. His eyes glowed white with energy as his mind was elsewhere. He advanced on the temple. The body and soul separate, and would either reunite at the top of the temple, or his body would burn to ash if Anazzi judged the soul unfit. Once he was gone, Kalenza sat down just short of where the pink doorway had been. ¡°It¡¯s all in your hands now, son,¡± Kalenza said as he closed his eyes to pray. The priestess Amara stood nearby, mirroring him. The rest of the village stood watch silently, waiting as the newest member of their fold took the rites. These soul walks used to be held in the past to forge pilots for the spell mechs that would accompany the dragons when they rode to war. However, with time, those mechs fell into disrepair and lost their magic, most of the salvageable components being stripped out for general purpose use. Amara folded her hands together and whispered a silent prayer to the air mother for Akamori¡¯s safe return as his mother and father both stood vigil at the foot of the temple. Old man Kaiden, Mrs. Ito, Kusinaki and more. The entire village supported Akamori¡¯s walk. Amara smiled softly as she looked on at all the faces lit softly in the glows of the lanterns Kusinaki had forged. Akamori may not realize it, but he really had the hopes of the village supporting him. She just prayed that it would be enough for him to come home. It had been a long time since the air goddess rejected a soul walker. On the other hand, she knew Akamori wasn¡¯t exactly easy to get along with. ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything stupid in there.¡± She prayed. Chapter 6: Soul Walk Akamori stood in the aetheric construct, awestruck at what he saw. ¡°Well¡­ I always wanted to travel¡­¡± Before him lay a path. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should follow it or not, but since he couldn¡¯t see anything distinct beyond a certain distance, it felt like a good idea to follow the course laid out. But who laid the course for him? Was he in control? Or was someone else just presenting him a false choice? This didn¡¯t exactly come with a lot of guidance. Just a ¡°good luck chap¡± and a pat on the ass to send him on his way, hoping not to get fried by the air mother. ¡°I think too much¡­¡± He complained quietly. His voice had a surreal echo here, and it made him chuckle slightly. A terrible choice was better than no choice at all, he figured. With an annoyed sigh, grumbling about his luck as he stepped off, following the path. As he walked, he shivered, feeling a sudden cold. His mind tingled, and his body felt like it was waking up after being numb. He hated that prickly feeling. A quick glance down and he realized why. Aetheric energy was pulsing from the ground of the plane into him and washing over him. He knew little about magic and lacked training in its use beyond some of its basic concepts. If he had to guess, he was absorbing it. He watched as white motes of energy swirled around him, phasing in and out of his body. It was beautiful in a surreal way. They floated like translucent snowflakes of light that melted into his skin. The motes of energy followed him, and his movements. He slowly waved his hand, and aetheric afterimages of his hand traced by the motes left him almost disoriented. It made him wonder if this was what hallucinogenic drugs were like that some priests used. Movement quickly became an ordeal, with it feeling as though he were moving through knee high mud. Still, he pressed forward, straining with each step. He grunted with the exertion, building into a strained growl. He would not let this world hold him back. There was a distinct pull in his chest, a yearning to remain. But the prickly feeling in his body was a warning. He understood that at an instinctual level. If he remained, it would be his end. ¡°No,¡± he growled. This place was not his grave. There was much left he had to do yet. He knew that instinctively. He couldn¡¯t explain how or why, much less the what he needed to do yet. Just the certainty that this isn¡¯t where he ended. So he pressed on. Determined to find his way out. As he did, he could progressively feel a resistance, like a wind. Pressing against him, making it more tempting to give up and stay. He came to a halt facing himself, of all things. His doppelg?nger looked at him, annoyed. Other Akamori folded his arms. ¡°Why are you doing this? You didn¡¯t even want to.¡± That was a good question. Why was he doing this? Eventually settling on a shrug, he responded. ¡°Because I felt like it.¡± ¡°No, you let them bully you into it. Always the dutiful son. But what about what you want or need? Has that ever been considered?¡± ¡°No. Why should it start now? This isn¡¯t exactly the safest place to be going my own way.¡± ¡°This is exactly the time to go your own way!¡± Other Akamori hissed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because. I¡¯m tired. We do this every cycle. Some variation on the theme, sure, but the bullet points usually go something like a System threatening danger. Kill it. Rest. Come back. Rinse, wash, repeat. It¡¯s getting tedious putting down ambitious gods and troublesome civilizations. They were supposed to keep the system stable so we could focus on the real problem. It¡¯s exhausting.¡± ¡°Ok, I feel like you¡¯re dumping a lot of important information on me here, but I¡¯m gonna be honest. I got no clue what you¡¯re on about.¡± ¡°System threatening danger? Kill what? Who is the real problem?¡± Other Akamori pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh and shook his head, deciding against something. ¡°Nevermind. We lack the time to properly explain it all. The bottom line is this. You always have a choice, and you¡¯re allowed to say no.¡± ¡°A choice about what? You still haven¡¯t really explained anything at all except for sounding vague and ominous. Either tell me what I need to know, or get out of my way. I¡¯ve got places to be and gods to see.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve finally made your choice, then.¡± Other Akamori said, bowing his head and fading away into smoke. ¡°WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?¡± He shouted into the surreal expanse, but there was no response. This place was so confusing. The wind picked up again, gusting so heavily it blew him off his feet. He fell back with a grunt and scrambled back to his feet, pushing against the wind and pressed forward. Clenching his teeth, he held his arm out in front of him to shield his face from his hair, which whipped about wildly. Several times he felt himself waiver, and he flailed his arms for balance. Eventually he drew the sword his father had gifted him, stabbing its tip into the whatever the ground was. His body ached, and the prickly feeling had intensified to feeling like hot needles. And then, in an instant, it relented. Something seized him, and he could feel a loss of control. And then it all went white. It was like being disconnected from his body in every way his senses were accustomed to. Yet he was still conscious, still aware. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked with no mouth, just a disembodied voice in the white void. ¡°Am I dead?¡± No. You have faced yourself and made the choice. A deep feminine draconic voice crooned to him. He¡¯d never heard what a dragon sounded like, but instinctively knew this was it. Her words were alien, but he understood her language, his mind restructured the words into understandable English. ¡°What choice?¡± To face the unbearable. To become more than what you are. To struggle to save all that matters. ¡°Can I even do that?¡± Not as you are, no. But that is correctable. But first, you are due some context on why you¡¯re here. The white void slowly faded, resolving itself into a dragon wing gathering in space. They set the location in a large solar system between a planet and its twin moons. A super massive golden Amphiptere with white stripes that ran the length of its long slender wings, surrounded by younger amphipteres of varying types and colorings. He automatically understood that Amphipteres were long serpentine dragons with front legs that also doubled as wings. The largest was giving out assignments to its younger children. Like a noble giving land to his vassals. Yesss. You are witnessing the apex of our Wings epic. These are her children. Look closely and you will see our Wing, and my mother issuing her last orders. A disembodied voice purred to him deeply. ¡°Your mother? The big one?¡± Yesss. Anazzi. The Air goddess. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re not her?¡± No. My instructions were to take my wing and travel far from the prime world. Away from Sauridius. We were to be the last if the worst came to pass. ¡°She sent you away just in case she fell.¡± Yesss. ¡°So we¡¯ve been praying to the wrong goddess?¡± Not necessarily. I am linked to my mother, so a prayer to her through me is the same as a prayer to me. That is our covenant. I was not as powerful as mother, but powerful enough to impart a fraction of my strength to you and your riders over the centuries. Your coming, however, marks the beginning of a new epic. ¡°What? Why? I have so many questions.¡± The memory continued playing during the conversation. Anazzi giving her blessing and a portion of her power to the smaller air dragons and then dispersing them. Akamori somehow understood where they were being sent and recognized the positions like a military troop deployment strategy. Akamori didn¡¯t understand magic very well, but his father had ensured he understood swordsmanship and combat very well. ¡°She was deploying you to slow down and wear out Sauridius¡¯ forces. To build time for some kind of ritual?¡± Yesss. Mother sought to slow down her younger brother so she could cast a complex spell. One that has eventually brought you here. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why me? She clearly beat him, didn¡¯t she?¡± Sauridius¡¯ physical body was destroyed, but not his aetheric essence, and it was far more vast than the Wings realized. His return was inevitable. Stopping him then was only a delaying action. She needed the key to his actual defeat. ¡°Key? Let me guess, me?¡± Innndeed. You will be an instrumental role in defeating him. But you are not properly¡­. shaped yet. Grand Mother¡¯s mark on you has restricted you. Made you a shadow of your former self. You must be¡­. remade. ¡°This sounds deep and all, but I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m up for any of this. I hate the idea of not being in control of myself. I hate puppets.¡± There was an amused chuckle that rumbled over him in waves. Oh, little one. You are no puppet. You are a weapon. A great one, with a grand purpose. You simply don¡¯t remember it. You will in time, when your mind and body are ready. But for now, I will provide the next piece you will require on your journey. The memory zoomed in on a smaller dragon mother and her wing after she¡¯d received orders. A massive portal was opened, and the dragon mother and her spell mech riders all navigated into it. The memory rippled, and the surrounding space changed. The stars here looked more familiar now, and an exit portal appeared, disgorging the dragon mother and her wing into orbit above Hoshun. Time went into high speed now. The Dragon wing descended on the world. A temple was built, then a small settlement. The settlement grew into a colony, and they brought the local flora and fauna to heel. Many solar cycles passed. Then it stopped on the current day. ¡°So you¡¯ve judged me as worthy?¡± Oh, little onnnne. The eloquent, feminine draconic voice crooned. You were always worthy. Your worth was never in question. Only when you would begin your march towards your destiny. ¡°What if it''s a destiny I don¡¯t want? All of this is so much bigger than me¡­ I¡¯m not sure I want any of this.¡± Another amused laugh. Mother warned you were rebellious. I regret that you¡¯ll not remember any of this. It¡¯s also unfortunate you lack any of your previous memory. It would have been nice to get to know you more, grandfather. ¡°Wait. What?¡± Everything went white again as supreme confusion set in. With the white void, his memory, knowledge, and connection to this place dissolved. Like a spell that had reached its conclusion. His conversation with his granddaughter, his confrontation with his self. The waking knowledge bled away, but the feeling remained. Determination. Resolute will. Something had shifted within him. Deep inside, he felt a great weariness, like he¡¯d been hiking since birth and never stopped to rest. It was with him, but not intrinsically a part of him. Within the dream plane, a black robbed figure observed from a distance wearing a red mask. His robe whipped about him as he watched the human with the red hair embark on his journey and leave. Curiosity and sadness banged through him. As the leader of the council, losing Xanofex was perhaps his second greatest loss. Fighting against his best friend never sat well with him, but the System, and even more important, their very people, needed him to do anything to save it all. That¡¯s why they selected him. The willingness to confront anyone or anything to see the task done. The others would need to know. Xanofex was among living mortals again. How long would it be before he ascended and began openly confronting them again? ¡°You never were one to waste time.¡± Zeretheus said with a wistful smile that eventually dropped into a frown. Fate was marching them all towards each other, eventually. Why try to skip ahead? Best to let things develop as they will. A black and purple void gate cracked open reality behind him and he fell backwards into it, leaving no hint of his presence at all. Chapter 7: Air Mage Hoshun Temple Exterior Akamori¡¯s body had just reached the top when dark clouds swirled and growled over the temple. On the ground, Amara raised her hands to the sky. ¡°The time of judgement has come.¡± She bowed her head in prayer. At the top, lightning struck the flat surface of the step pyramid shaped temple. The strikes picked up on both speed and frequency until they all converged on Akamori¡¯s body. He levitated into the air as the lightning played and danced at his body, but no damage to him physically took place. The lightning devoured the bright pink energy that had been swirling around him as it crackled along his body. It danced around him and poured into his chest. His body lowered to the ground and the lightning around and on him ceased, leaving his body steaming. He gasped and twitched as consciousness returned to him. ¡°She favors him!¡± Amara said, unable to keep the relief from spilling into her voice. Kalenza, Amara and his mother, Noriko, rushed up the steps as the rest of the clan waited silently at the base of the temple, curious and concerned expressions dotting every face of the crowd. Kalenza slid to a halt at Akamori¡¯s prone body and lifted his head up gently, smiling to see Akamori¡¯s eyes crack open. His eyes were unfocused and glazed for a moment. Confusion etched Akamori¡¯s expression as his eyes swept side to side lazily. ¡°Where am I? What happened?¡± Kalenza smiled, slowly pulling Akamori up into a sitting position. ¡°You met the Air Goddess, and she judged you worthy.¡± A word pulsed in his mind after his father spoke. Fate. Akamori clutched his head reflexively, expecting pain to accompany the word. But it resonated more like a memory. Amara kneeled next to him and took his measure closely. ¡°He¡¯s probably disoriented from his soul walk with the air goddess. His confusion is likely because the Air Goddess erased his memories of the experience. Whatever happened was for him and him alone.¡± ¡°Then it would seem all he needs is time and rest.¡± Kalenza rose slowly, pulling Akamori up in tandem, and scooping a big broad arm under the younger man. Akamori swayed for a moment until Kalenza stabilized him. ¡°Easy. I¡¯ve got you. Let¡¯s get you back so you can rest.¡± As the trio approached the temple steps with Akamori in tow, the clan whooped and cheered. Kalenza beamed proudly. As they neared the bottom of the temple steps, the clan¡¯s people all crowded around Akamori to lay hands on him in support. Kalenza permitted them the honor for a moment and also allowed Akamori the chance to be the focus of their praise. It was an enormous honor to be judged worthy by their goddess. Noriko gave him a concerned look. ¡°Kalenza, we should really get him indoors so he can rest. Whatever happened to him, it looks as though it took much out of him.¡± Kalenza nodded. ¡°In time, my love. For now, he¡¯s earned his warrior''s welcome. Let him have it.¡± ¡°But will he even remember it, Kalenza?¡± Noriko¡¯s face wore her concern openly. Kalenza resisted the urge to laugh. ¡°Who am I to say? That¡¯s between him and the air goddess. Regardless. He finished his soul march to return a warrior. Tomorrow he will begin his true training.¡± Noriko looked unimpressed. ¡°You know he¡¯s going to hate that, Kal.¡± Kalenza shrugged. But he was enjoying the idea of the training routine. ¡°Perhaps. But you know how eager he is to learn. All it will take is an appeal to his desire for knowledge and he¡¯ll be hooked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s manipulation, Kal,¡± Noriko said, eying him sidelong. But she wore an amused smirk. Kalenza wrapped an arm around her, giving her a hearty pleased laugh. ¡°Perhaps, but I also call it good parenting. He¡¯s an odd one, but a good one. You just have to know how to work with him.¡± Noriko bit her lip, clearly resisting the urge to retort. ¡°Very well. But his training only begins when he¡¯s up. EVEN if it takes well into the midday. Understand?¡± She used her clan mother''s voice. Kalenza knew the line drawn in the sand when he saw it, or in this case, heard it. He held up his free hand placatingly. ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re the boss.¡± ¡°Damn right I am,¡± she said with a broad grin. A System prompt appeared much like the missives. All fiery scroll and translucent, cutting the black of his sleep. He took a moment to study it and the details. System Info: Quest Completed. You finished your soul walk. You learned a little more about yourself. And you had a chat with the dead mind of Anazzi¡¯s daughter, and she thinks you¡¯re related. Still sure you don¡¯t believe in that destiny crap yet? System Info: Infusion gained. Air: Type Magic. +3 Aetherpool. Spells Learned. Air Bolt. Manifest Air. You¡¯re an Air mage now. Just be sure not to put your eye out on that sword, champ. System Info: Item gained. Air Crystal. The item glows with a pulse of bluish white wispy air magic. He frowned. These prompts sounded pretty cheeky. Was that intentional? Or just some kind of quirk he was dealing with exclusively? He took a moment to study the spells. He got a cheap ranged attack in the bolt spell, and the manifest air spell sounded pretty versatile. Whatever he could think up, the spell would conjure, provided he could pay the aetherpool cost. Satisfied, he closed down the menu boxes and resumed play. The following day, Akamori awoke feeling stiff. He sat up and rolled his shoulders. How long had been laying in bed for? Did he miss his soul walk? He turned to slide out of bed and felt his sword''s scabbard resist against the blankets on his bedding. And glanced down in mild surprise. A sword? His father must have given it to him. But when? They did that by tradition just before a soul walk. That way, the spell warrior could die a man even if the air goddess deemed them unworthy, so they could at least have that ultimate honor. Brushing long crimson bangs out of his eyes, he stood up, stretching out languidly. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he stumbled into the common area of his home. Something tingled in his senses and he whirled around as an air missile flew past him by mere centimeters before smashing into the nearby wall. Immediately, his sword drawn, and he assumed a combat posture. ¡°KALENZA!¡± Noriko shouted. ¡°What have I told you?¡± Air magic swirled violently around his mother. Her hair stood upright and whipped about like possessed vipers. She glared at Kalenza with pure malevolence. ¡°No magic attacks inside the house?¡± Kalenza said sheepishly. ¡°Take it outside if you¡¯re going to blast holes into the house,¡± his mother commanded. ¡°Or else I¡¯m making you.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes, dear,¡± Kalenza said, wearing an embarrassed grin as he gestured for Akamori to follow him outside. A quick glance down at himself and Akamori realized they had washed the paint off before they laid him down to sleep last night. He rubbed his head as he followed his father out of their home. Kalenza cut a direct path into the training plains, placed carefully away from where they conducted their farming and herding of grazing animals. ¡°Today, we begin your true training as a mage.¡± Akamori perked up. He could think of about a dozen other things he¡¯d wanted to do until he heard his father mention learning to be a spell warrior. ¡°With your blade now, and the gift of Anazzi¡¯s touch, you can now harness your air magic. So it¡¯s prime time you learned what you can do with it.¡± Kalenza led him to a small marked ring of stones on the ground, drew his large near axe like sword, and showed for Akamori to do so as well. ¡°Now then. You have your spell sword, finally. You have magic now. And you have your skill. It¡¯s time to combine them.¡± Akamori drew his blade and felt the hilt thrum in his grip. A greeting? He settled into his comfortable form of choice, drawing an approving nod from his father. Kalenza circled him for a moment, giving him an appraising look. ¡°Good, it looks like your grasp of the fundamentals remains strong.¡± He used his blade tip to nudge Akamori¡¯s more horizontal instead of the slight downward tilt it previously held, then nodded with approval once again. ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to practice channeling your magic. Your spell blade will help with this. Close your eyes and focus internally.¡± Akamori did so, reaching inwards. There it was. He could feel a swirling, always moving mass of energy in his chest. A mass of white airy aether that constantly blew around the center of his soul like an ever moving storm. ¡°I found it.¡± ¡°Good. Now, reach out and touch it.¡± ¡°Touch it?¡± Akamori asked, uncertainty in his voice. ¡°Yes. To sense it isn¡¯t enough. You must be able to seize it in order to pull what you need to execute spells. The common vernacular for this mass of energy is your Aetherpool. Starting out, you won¡¯t have much, but as you gain power and gain more infusions, your pool¡¯s size will grow larger, allowing you access to more demanding spells, as well as adding your own¡­ flourishes to them. For warrior¡¯s and soldiers, this is far simpler than weaving, as you won¡¯t need to learn to execute patterns with your hands or draw the runes, merely tap into it and pull what you need. The blade will act as the channel and focus for you. Your will dictates the manner in which your magic executes, and the blade will act as a channel or focus to facilitate this.¡± Akamori nodded with his eyes still closed, the mass of energy in his mind''s eye focus. He reached out and stroked the mass, and felt a thrill as it surged into him. The energy pulsed outward from him. ¡°Good. Now that you¡¯ve channeled some. Try to execute a spell. Launch a missile of air energy. You¡¯ve seen me do it several times.¡± In his mind, Akamori saw his father gathering air energy around his fist, creating a swirling torrent, and then literally punching it forward in a bolt of air. So Akamori tried to repeat the process himself. He scooped a portion of the energy from the large pool in his chest and felt it resonate and swirl up his shoulder and down his arm. ¡°Good, now shape it and launch it,¡± Kalenza said. Akamori reached back and pushed his hand forward, but the air simply fluttered and dispersed in a lackluster fashion. Akamori sighed, but Kalenza kept his voice supportive. ¡°It¡¯s ok, very few warriors get it on the first try. Again.¡± ¡°You did it the first time,¡± Akamori complained. ¡°But you aren¡¯t me. You¡¯re you.¡± But you won¡¯t let me be me. You want me to be you, Akamori groused mentally. Akamori could feel the energy in his chest tingle eagerly, and he scooped some more out. Again, it blew up his shoulder and down his hand, where it gathered, awaiting his next command. He thrust his hand out, and the spell fluttered out in a gasp again. Akamori shot his father a frustrated look. Kalenza remained supportive, ¡°It¡¯s ok. Not everyone masters their energy right out of the gate. It¡¯s why we have spell weapons. You¡¯re trying to control the spell too much while refusing to let go of the energy as well. An impossible feat without training as a weaver.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I know what I¡¯m doing¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s natural. Uncertainty is a large part of casting. Try again, but this time, try letting your sword take the energy this time, ok? Trust me. It¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Akamori pulled another chunk of energy from the pool in his chest, channeling it along his arm, and this time letting the blade claim the energy. The handoff felt natural, easy, and intuitive. The blade instinctively knew to take the energy and exactly what Akamori wanted to do with. He brought his sword around and hurled the gathered energy, which writhed along the length of the blade and projected outwards in a narrow band of air energy that sheered a log in two. Akamori opened his eyes and whooped excitedly when he reviewed his results. System Info: Unique Trait: Air Bolt. Rather than a normal cast ball of compressed air, your Bolt spell takes the form of a razor-sharp edge capable of slashing at range. Doing so costs 2 AP however. Kalenza for his part schooled his features into the best neutral expression he could, but Akamori saw the excited glint in the corner of his father''s eye. ¡°Well done. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve seen a bolt spell cast quite like that. Unique,¡± Kalenza said, scratching at his chin. Kalenza glanced up to the pink and orange sky with a frown. Dusk was setting in. ¡°Alright son, let¡¯s call it a day for now. You¡¯ve used a good deal of your energy up, so you¡¯ll need to rest a bit before we can continue your lessons, anyway.¡± Akamori bowed, sheathing his sword. ¡°Yes, father.¡± Kalenza started back to the village ahead of Akamori. As Akamori made his way back, he clasped his hands behind his head with a sigh. He was grappling with his frustration regarding the training. It wasn¡¯t like him to pick things up so slowly, and to be incapable of doing as his father asked. Kalenza had been extraordinarily patient with and he appreciated that, but it had mired the experience for Akamori. More time wasted doing something Kalenza wanted him to do rather than living the life he wanted. He stopped off at a nearby stream and reclined as the sun fell away completely, giving rise to the ghostly white moon as it climbed the sky in the eternal solar/lunar chase. Akamori sighed, laying down in the grass, looking up to the stars. He was just getting lost in his thoughts when foot steps pulled his awareness back to him. His blade was half drawn when Amara and Kusinaki emerged. Both held their hands up placatingly. ¡°Same team,¡± they said as they gathered around him and laid down too. ¡°Magic training today?¡± Amara asked, with a glance towards him. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said flatly back. ¡°Went that well, huh?¡± Kusinaki said. Akamori merely harrumphed. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you. The priests and priestess study magic most of our lives. As a warrior, there¡¯s so much more you have to learn besides just magic.¡± He didn¡¯t reply verbally, but he was definitely still pouting. Kusinaki whistled, ¡°Man, you¡¯re really beating yourself up.¡± Akamori shrugged. ¡°I guess it just drove home how I¡¯ve been feeling. I¡¯m not sure this is for me.¡± ¡°This being what?¡± Amara asked. ¡°This life. What my father wants me to become. Training to be a spell warrior. Leading the clan. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s what I want.¡± Akamori turned to look at the stream, wondering for a moment if the fish inside ever dreamed of leaving the water, or if they were content with their liquid cage. Kusinaki¡¯s head cocked to the side as he rolled a thought around. Akamori recognized the look, having seen it on his friend''s face several times. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure if anyone from the Order asked if I wanted to be an artificer. I was just raised to be one.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever wanted to do something else with your life?¡± Akamori said. Kusinaki puzzled over it for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m a very good artificer, so it never occurred to me to wonder about anything else.¡± Kusinaki offered Akamori an apologetic shrug. ¡°Hey speaking of, when are they coming back for you? Isn¡¯t your contract here almost done?¡± Amara asked. Kusinaki referred to the chrono on his wrist. It drew a miniscule amount of magic from him to power itself. ¡°Just a few weeks left, and then I¡¯ll return with more supplies.¡± ¡°Are you assigned to our colony? Or can you go anywhere else?¡± Akamori said. ¡°Assigned? No. I just like coming here because you guys are my friends, and the clan is so friendly to work with. I almost feel like one of you. And the extra money I make being a healer is nice for my pockets.¡± Kusinaki allowed himself a sheepish grin at that. Akamori pursed his lips thoughtfully. It must be nice to have options like that. But then, Kusinaki was still bound to the Order of Aeryn as much as they bound him to his clan. ¡°What is it like to travel the stars with the Order?¡± Kusinaki pieced his response together then looked to Akamori, ¡°Well, we get to see a lot of strange places and people. Sometimes its dangerous. We try to avoid regions the Suaridius are strong in. It can get really exciting, which is good or bad, depending on how you view excitement, I guess.¡± Amara glanced up at the moon, noting its position with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we should go home for the night. Catch up later?¡± ¡°Always.¡± Kusinaki and Akamori chorused. As the trio got up to return to their individual homes, they didn¡¯t notice the flicker of aetheric light high in the sky. It was barely larger than the twinkling of any star around it. Making it easily dismissible. Chapter 8: The Dread Lord Hoshun System Sauridius Teleportation Portal A massive circular portal of violet, blue and black energy burst into existence at the edge of the Honshu system in the shadow of the furthest planet where the light of its star dare not reach. Its edges cracked and jagged, like a glass window shattered. The portal swirled like inky water for a moment before the snout of a dark crimson Great Wyvern glided through it. Sickly green energy glowed and rippled in its eyes as it immediately sighted in on Hoshun. It swam through the black of space, dragging its body free of the portal, its tail ending in a wicked poisonous barbed tip. Several landing craft followed, more and still more trailed in its wake. The dread lord Ominek gracefully arced back above the convoy of landing craft. His reptilian eyes surveying the ship''s progress as they made their way to the isolated colony world. As tactical moves went, he understood the value of reducing a Federation world to ash, and harvesting its population as foot soldiers for the war effort. That said, he failed to understand his ¡°father¡¯s¡± vision or the strategic value of diverting so many resources this far out to this world. There were better targets to be hit than this planet. Ominek received a prompt for a spell missive and willed it to accept. You do not need to understand why you are there to do what I have assigned you to do, little one. You need only do as I say. Now go. Leviathos¡¯ voice rumbled in the back of Ominek¡¯s mind. It caused him to clench his jaw, gritting his fanged teeth. Pain exploded in the center of his forehead between his eyes like needles being jabbed past the bone. Once his ¡°father¡± had finished speaking, Ominek¡¯s form streaked down towards the blue green world of Hoshun. As the Dread lord descended, he quickly cast several defensive wards on the lead landing craft. If the world had surface-to-air defenses, this would blunt their attack. Amazingly enough, no fire was incoming. This puzzled Ominek. Normally, their arrival foretold the end of a world. Why was this one not defending itself? This felt like a customarily odd response, given his presence. Ominek held his suspicion close and orchestrated the landing with great haste. As each ship landed, it unloaded its contents cleanly. Orcs, Dragons, and twice as much undead from each vessel. The troops were quickly organized into manageable combat groups as several smaller dragon shacklers landed, then cast transmutation spells to morph into humanoid forms and assumed control of their pawns. Ominek¡¯s sleek form landed on the ground on its hind legs, then began his own morph spell. Quickly, the wings retracted into his body as his scales faded and shrank, recoloring from their natural crimson to a pinkish hue. Some of his pointy spines shrank completely until even the clothing appeared and Ominek was indistinguishable from other humans. He ran a hand through his platinum shortcut hair, enjoying the feeling of it between his fingers. It wasn¡¯t necessary for him to assume a human form. It just made infiltration easier. Being a 5th level spell meant it was difficult to learn, requiring a great deal of magic to even start, and centuries to perfect. His level of excellence was above the norm. There was a measure of pride he took in his ability to render his appearance this way. Like a master artisan¡¯s work on display. Compared to the others, his appearance was unrivaled. ¡°Position your forces for now, but don¡¯t strike. I want to know why the natives haven¡¯t attacked during our landing. This entire venture may prove either entirely worthless or exceedingly valuable. But I want to gauge which it is.¡± The 4 other shacklers all nodded, then stepped off in roughly the same direction, commanding through groups of orcs, hatchlings, and undead to follow them in formation. As Ominek strolled casually toward their targeted attack position, he could slowly detect some air magic strength. An air dragon died here some time ago. The magic was old, but pulsed evenly. It wasn¡¯t Anazzi. They buried her on Prime, so the rumors held. No, this was likely one of her children. That proved a tempting treat. Devouring a small air wellspring of magic wasn¡¯t why Leviathos had asked him to assault this world, though, so since it fell below Leviathos¡¯ gaze, Ominek was struggling to grasp why he was assaulting this world. It contained a small colony of air nomads. Knocking this world out meant little in the tactical long run. This only teased his curiosity further. ¡°What are you hiding, father¡­¡± he mused to himself as he walked, the ground crunched softly under his leather boots. In the distance, he could see the soft, warm glow of fires in and around a village through spare tree cover. Street torches and enchanted lamps showing the size of the village weren¡¯t a sprawling metropolis but a moderately sized agrarian town. Most of the architecture relied on local materials and simple designs that didn¡¯t get too complex or magic intensive. There were a few aether accumulators sponging up the ambient magic to fuel the lamps and so on, but the town fell below modern norms. It was also larger of a colony than he expected. They even had their own air temple. He recognized the architecture as being an Air Dragon aesthetic. Lifting his hand up, he drew several fire and mind runes with artful flourishes. The runes collided with each other and then swirled into a square shaped clear gem necklace. The link crystal glowed with swirling fire and mind aether, creating an ethereal illusion before him. The magic created a sort of screen or lens in font of him that enhanced his view, showing him what was happening in the village, without having to venture into it. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Interesting,¡± he mused to himself. There was quite an abundance of spell warriors with air magic. Typically, they¡¯d been focused on Anazzi Prime. Finding an air mage colony this far out in the middle of nowhere struck Ominek as peculiar. He scanned the village more and noted that his previous assumptions about it held true. They possessed no clear tactical or strategic advantage he could see. But his father¡¯s chilling warning rippled down deep into his bones. He had to eliminate this colony completely. Failure to do so meant that he was risking Leviathos¡¯ wrath. He closed his eyes before turning to walk back to his camp. It would take till morning for his troops to position themselves. They could easily teleport, but that would spend magic: his shacklers would need as much of their AP as possible to order their soul bound and undead armies. Better to spend time rather than magic. This wasn¡¯t Eryn after all. No need to be wasteful where he could avoid it. He wrote out several message spells coordinating his forces, ¡°Stage your troops in these positions. We¡¯ll strike at sunup.¡± With that taken care of, Ominek strolled the landscape looking for a suitable over watch position to view the battle from. He wasn¡¯t against being in the front, but, for a bunch of country air hillbillies and farmers, he didn¡¯t see the need. There wasn¡¯t anyone here of any value that would give his men that hard a time, besides perhaps the clan chieftain. He could cross that bridge when it came. All that remained now was to wait to conduct their ambush. Ominek didn¡¯t sleep through the rest of the night. Sleep was a habit lesser mortals engaged in. Instead, he entered a meditative trance where he traced every action and reaction to their eventual end state via divination spells. Initially, he¡¯d begun so as any other preparatory phase of an attack. Something soon piqued his interest when he ran into a blockage he couldn¡¯t see around. This caused him to dig in like a predator with a stubborn prey animal. He had to know where the blockage was coming from and why he couldn¡¯t see around it. During his divinations, where he plucked at the threads of destiny and time? He could see his attack proceeding as he expected it to until it reached a certain threshold, which usually involved the chieftain¡¯s son getting involved. In every possibility, in every potential thread, when this crimson haired man involved himself, Ominek¡¯s visions halted because of the blockage. Try as he might, no amount of scrying could cleanse the blockage, leaving him to conclude that whoever put the block there was at least a demi-god or a full god. This wasn¡¯t common magic stopping him, this was true divinity. That someone of that power scale would consider this worth intervening gave him great pause. Still, his curiosity about why his father was so motivated to invest a full strike force on a mere village of farmers and rural spell warriors still seemed odd when the broader scope of the sector lay at stake. ¡°Why indeed.¡± he said. On the one hand, he knew this would displease Leviathos. On the other, he suspected Leviathos was already aware of this potential reality. Therefore, Leviathos wanted him to assault this backwater world so vigorously. Logically, that would mean this was a provocation attack to draw out some benefactor seeking to stymie Sauridius¡¯ return. Possibly one of the very villagers here? If someone here was under divine protection, then it stood to reason that they¡¯d eventually run afoul of Leviathos¡¯ plans. Which meant that would have negative repercussions for himself. Still, if there was some agent of the gods here, then perhaps that would provide him the distraction to Leviathos he needed in order to complete his own plan to escape Leviathos¡¯ grasp. He would bind them, walk them back on a leash and make them tell Leviathos everything they knew. The sky colored itself in hues of orange, pink, and blue as the sun started its eventual ascent. It hadn¡¯t crested the horizon yet, so Ominek took the remaining few moments to gather himself from his attempts at divination to focus on the moment at hand. Let destiny and time play their games. He would remain rooted in the present. As the first hint of the planet¡¯s sun rose above the distant mountain ranges, Ominek gave the unspoken command and his forces marched into action. He watched from a distance on a small ridge as the undead lurched into motion ahead of the orcs and shacklers. The undead were cumbersome and lacked finesse, but they made up for that weakness in sheer volume. Harvesting the corpses of your enemies meant that you never lacked for a reliable source of personnel on the cheap. As his forces marched, the air grew thick with a brown haze of dust and cool morning fog, creating the perfect visible cover for his forces. It didn¡¯t take long for the undead forces to converge on the small, sleepy clan. Moments later, screams echoed out from several of the huts. Soon after, a warm glow surrounded the village as multiple fires bloomed into life. Bolts of lightning cracked out, slamming into the front ranks of undead as they carved their way through the outer periphery of the village. The advance blunted when the clan¡¯s spell warriors jumped into action, hurling spells, swords, and bodies alike as they crashed into the ranks of undead minions, chewing through them like human lawn mowers. Ominek rose from his observational position, straightening out the suit he was wearing. In his free hand, he summoned his obsidian spell staff. He took a moment to admire the design. A jet black oval onyx, a ghostly white pearl that radiated soul magic, and a fire ruby floated in orbit, equidistant to each other. ¡°Let¡¯s go have some fun, shall we?¡± His spell staff vibrated back eagerly to him. It was time to go on a harvest of bodies and souls. He strode off the cliff, the sound of the tune he was whistling carried out of hearing as he landed in the air rice fields below. Chapter 9: Siege Hoshun Hoshun Village Sleep gripped Akamori tightly until a blood-curdling scream tore him from his slumber. Eyes wide alert, he threw himself from his bed, spell blade clutched firmly in hand as he searched for his father. Kalenza wasted no time throwing on his spell armor. It was old, but serviceable. A throwback from their days as space riders with the Wing. Kalenza¡¯s set had been handed down from chief to chief. Akamori had never seen Kalenza wearing it before, but in that moment, it looked so right on the man. Like he¡¯d been born to wear it. ¡°Stay here and protect your mother. Do not go outside, do you understand? I need you here.¡± System Info: Survive the siege of Hoshun Akamori hastily swiped the notification missive aside. The fiery scroll burst into mana shards and motes of aether that faded. He protested weakly at his father''s back as the man stormed out the door into the early dawn chaos. Akamori debated chasing after his father when several zombies crashed into the house. Splintering wood and crushed stone heralded their intrusion. In a flash of motion, Akamori moved. He brought his sword down wildly, removing the first undead¡¯s arm at the elbow, then spun and stabbed the weapon into its head as it tried to lunge down and devour him. Hellish green soul magic flared in its eyes. He pinned its head to the wall with his blade. Congealed blood and saliva trickled out of its hanging jaw. Several blasts of air knocked the other undead off its feet. Akamori glanced up at his mother, who gave him a nod. He tore his blade from his current target and brought it down in a vicious slash that removed the head from the neck. ¡°Calm yourself, son. Your sword work is sloppy. If your father saw he¡¯d have you practicing it until you went to bed while he dealt with this. You mustn¡¯t let fear and despair take root. Be strong and have faith. Remember your basics. They will keep you alive.¡± He flicked his blade, and the rancid meat splatted against the floor. He gave his mother a nod. ¡°I understand.¡± She cradled his head appreciatively. ¡°Learn and adapt.¡± He was about to respond when something hard and fast slammed through the wall of the house and caught him in the side. A cold, numb pain raged through his side, and for a moment he was weightless, flying even. Then he crashed down through a roof next to his own home. He struggled to get to his feet, but his body responded sluggishly through the pain and numbness. Was he in shock? He clawed himself back to hands and knees in time to see a massive orc doing some wild renovation on his home. His mother fought back valiantly, but the Orc resisted her spells and slammed her down with its mace. System Info: Congratulations! You¡¯ve taken your first damage! Did you honestly think you could avoid it forever? Armor and spell shields will block or negate most damage. Try wearing some next time you try to tank an attack. Enjoy! He grimaced, swiping the missive aside into smoke. Convinced whatever or whoever was feeding him those were out to make people confused or miserable. Maybe both? Definitely both. He took solace in the message, though. He just needed to be better, both in equipment and skill. What he saw next made his blood run cold. Akamori could feel his heart pounding in his chest. No¡­ NO. He pushed through the pain, biting back an agonized howl as he tumbled through a hole in his house and rolled to a stop next to his mother. Her eyes were glassy and partially clouded. She smiled when she saw him. ¡°Mother¡­¡± She shushed him, cradling his cheek in her trembling hand. The side of his face was warm and wet from the blood at her touch. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you¡­¡± she said, wincing with the pain. ¡°Save your strength, I¡¯ll find help.¡± She gripped his arm like a predator, not letting go of prey. ¡°No,¡± she said, grimacing again. ¡°Hear this. You have a greater destiny than simply being a clan chief. Your father and I¡­ we hoped it would never come to pass.¡± She coughed, and blood sputtered free of her lips. She winced, regaining her composure. ¡°We only wanted to give you a normal life.¡± Her eyes weakly scanned around to gesticulate. ¡°Your place is beyond here. To stop¡­ them.¡± Tears fell down his cheeks. She wasn¡¯t making sense, and he figured this was her trying to get closure with him. Had he been so rebellious and stubborn? Guilt suddenly racked him. He sucked in a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± She smiled weakly, the light in her eyes fading. ¡°You will¡­ in time. You were¡­ the best gift¡­ I could¡­ have prayed for¡­¡± Her breathing came in more soft, shallow gasps. A soft bubbling sound hitched from her throat between her words, causing his stomach to fall away from him. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ stronger¡­ than you¡­ know. Spread your¡­ wings¡­ and fly¡­. my son.¡± She stopped breathing, and her head gently turned to the floor as the strength bled her body. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. He shook his head, sobbing. This couldn¡¯t be real. A deep-seated ache settled into his heart. Something cold shifted deep within him. His hands trembled and all sound seemed to pull away from him save for an unsettling ringing in his ears. Soon all he could hear was his own heartbeat, thick and heavy in his ears like a banging war drum. He rested his forehead against hers and whispered a silent apology. It was nearly impossible to shed the overwhelming grief that he¡¯d been an unappreciative son and had stubbornly squandered his time with his family, and now that time expired. Reduced to ash and cinders. He couldn¡¯t flee from this, and he couldn¡¯t fight it. Left with the choice to stand and face it, and meet his death on his feet as he took as many of these bastards down with him on his way out. Akamori stood slowly, limbs trembling. He wiped the tears from his face with his forearm, smearing dirt and blood across his cheeks and forehead. His long crimson hair clung to his sweaty face. Ignoring the pain in his side, he pulled a blanket from his bed and covered his mother''s body. He drew in as deep a breath as he could manage and tried to push aside the roiling emotions. There were still people out there that needed help, and he had one less reason to hold back. As the adrenaline and anger surged through him, his pain numbed. The air magic in his chest pulsed wildly, begging to burst free of restraints. He threw himself outside without another look back. An orc stepped in his way, sweeping a massive club at him. Akamori juked back and felt the wind gust in his face at the near miss. Wind. Wind. He could have hit himself. He was so dense. He was a mage. He had magic now. He could feel it sitting there within his soul. A part of him now. All the training and lessons his father had given him that he¡¯d struggled with and constantly failed at came flooding back to him. He had magic now. The Orc swung its massive weapon around again, and this time, Akamori summoned his magic. Spending one of his 11 AP points, he could feel a writhing current of air blow down his arm in tendrils and dance along his blade. The blade hummed with the vibration of the air wreathing it. He attacked, swinging the sword into the club. At the last moment, instead of firing a bolt of compressed air, the sword hurled a compressed line of air like a slash that extended from his blade. It cut cleanly through the club, throwing the orc off balance now that its center of mass had shifted. Toppling over, the jade giant threw up a massive cloud of dirt. Akamori sprinted after the orc, running up its torso and swinging his blade at the Orc¡¯s neck. Ichor spilled out as the head rolled away lazily. The adrenaline was fading, and the numbing pain returned to his side with each beat of his heart. It wouldn¡¯t be too much longer before it would become crippling for him. He had to do as much as he could before he became useless. Take as many as you can before they take you. It became his new mantra. He jumped off the dead orc¡¯s body and found himself face to face with a dragon hatchling. It had been nearly a thousand years since his people had seen a dragon, never mind seeing one of their broods. It was taller than he was by a full head. It snarled at him and then smirked with amusement at him. Rows of small pointed teeth lined its angular snout. Grey with darker ash-grey spots colored its scales. It wore a simple battered black cloak over leather fittings. ¡°You¡¯ll make a fun one to shackle,¡± it taunted him. ¡°You don¡¯t want me. I don¡¯t listen well, and I¡¯m a slow learner.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have a choice in the matter, I¡¯m afraid.¡± It raised its hand to cast a spell, but Akamori lunged after him. Sword swinging wildly. His technique was garbage, and any capable warrior might have handled him differently. His opponent wasn¡¯t martially inclined, however. Meaning this would boil down to magic and who could land a hit faster. He wasn¡¯t sure how many times he could cast his air attack spells, so he stuck to physical attacks. His father taught him to depend on his blade work skills first before depending on magic. ¡°It¡¯s an asset, not a crutch,¡± he heard in his father''s voice during their many training sessions. His blade hummed and sang as it swished through the air, nicking branches and catching the Hatchling¡¯s cloak a few times. He sidestepped, lunging back as a rock spike formed and fired for what would have been his chest. The spike stabbed into the side of a nearby wall and wobbled. He parried another down and away as he closed the gap, taking a wild swing that kept his opponent from casting safely more than anything else. He found himself at a stalemate. The Dragonborn hatchling was bigger and presented a larger target, but Akamori couldn¡¯t land a hit. Similarly, he was smaller and harder to hit, but he wouldn¡¯t take much punishment before being done in. He had to deal with the hatchling somehow. He took another swing, missed, and the hatchling pivoted to cast in his blind spot when a blast of golden plasma struck the hatchling square in the back and hurled it into a distant home on fire. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Kusinaki shouted above the fighting and screaming. Akamori let his guard down for a moment and caught his breath as Amara and Kusinaki rushed to his sides. ¡°Where¡¯s your mother?¡± Amara asked, concern in her eye. He shook his head grimly and looked away. ¡°She didn¡¯t make it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your plan, then?¡± ¡°Kill as many of them as I can before they kill us.¡± Amara¡¯s expression softened before she nodded. ¡°Very well. If we¡¯re to die, let it be a good death.¡± Blinding light and warmth filled his side, and he glanced over to see Kusinaki healing him. A moment later the warmth faded, and Kusinaki stumbled back, panting. ¡°That¡¯s all I can do for now. I took the worst of it from you, though.¡± ¡°Thank you, Kusi.¡± The Order of Aeryn artificer nodded, propping himself up against his golden staff. They formed a loose triangle back to back, fighting off threats from every side. For a stretch, it almost looked like they might be the last to survive when a bloodcurdling roar sounded in the distance, and a dark shadow swept the landscape just before the ground erupted in front of them in protest. When Akamori saw the red-scaled dragon before him, he went cold with fear. This is where I die. Chapter 10: Hubris Hoshun Hoshun Village The battle went well. The humans dealt with the undead well enough, but the Orcs stymied their resistance. Having several skilled melee-focused mages helped them where the Brotherhood of Man fell short with their inability to create mages. Ominek watched with patient confidence that a smug parent might as his children struggled against a bully before overwhelming them. Sure enough, the Orcs responded to the threat the air warriors provided. Even from as far back as he was, Ominek watched as the massive green-skinned brutes lumbered into the fray, trampling friend and foe alike. He grinned as the orcs proved themselves to be the perfect shock troops, crashing into the enemy lines and breaking them almost instantly. The Orcs lacked real magic training, but they made up for it with near-draconian levels of strength and toughness. Massive sweeps of emerald arms hurled Hoshuns into the air like cut grass. A massive bolt of lightning crackled in the distance, and an orc body plummeted from the sky, landing on its back several meters from where Ominek was observing the clash. His grin faded, along with some of his smugness. More bolts crackled, along with the sound of thunder. Ominek allowed his body to shift, as he morphed back into his draconic form, and took to the air on powerful wings. His red scales caught the morning sunlight just right. His yellow eyes narrowed to slits as he focused on the cause of the disruption down below. The clan chieftain was batting away threats as though they mattered little to him. Worse, he did so with an eagerness that showed he was a true warrior who enjoyed a good battle. Ominek sighed inwardly. Great. Another punch monkey. At least I¡¯ll get to play with my food first. He swooped down towards the battle, his wings splayed wide to catch the air. A moment of fear nearly paralyzed him until he realized he was well out of reach of the massive forest on the opposite side of the village. Had this been Anazzi Prime, he¡¯d have presented himself as a prime meal for the Amphipteridae dragons. He allowed smug satisfaction to chase the fear as his massive talons dug into the finely tilled farm soil. ¡°You might have stood a chance if your dragon mother or father yet still lived. But they stranded you here. Alone! You will make a fine offering to Saruidius!¡± Ominek bellowed, his deep voice echoing across the countryside spoken through magic. He inhaled deeply, his chest distending as his neck curved backward. Then he breathed out a fire that burned all in his wake in a massive cone before his toothy maw. Yet when he swiveled to catch the chieftain, a powerful blast of air struck him square in the snout, snapping several short sword-sized teeth in half. The clan chief has blasted him with a ball of concentrated air clean through his fire breath attack. Ominek lowered his head to the ground and snarled. Blood trickled from the fresh injury as the scales already began to slowly knit themselves back together. The broken fangs fell free of his snout with fresh replacements lined up behind them. ¡°I will pick my teeth clean with your bones!¡± ¡°Perhaps so, beast, but I will die protecting my people while you will remain a soul-shackled tool,¡± the large warrior said, squaring up to confront him. The hubris of this human, to think that he stood a match with him. It caught Ominek in a moment of temporary amusement, and a rippling chuckle shivered forth from his flexing jaw. ¡°You have given me a fleeting moment of amusement, human. For that, I will honor you with a swift warrior''s death.¡± The human smirked, ¡°Funny, here I was about to say the same thing to you.¡± Ominek surged forward, slashing out with a clawed hand. Sparks flew as his talon clashed with the human''s blade, an elder weapon in its own right. They spun around, and this time Ominek used his spiked tail to attack, its wicked spiked oozing venom that sizzled on the ground. Sparks flew as the chief blocked and parried the attacks. The two warriors gained some space from each other, circling, as the other spell warriors fought the orcs and shacklers around them. The others knew well enough to stay clear of the two apex combatants. Another brief flurry of exchanges happened in the blink of an eye, but the human was tiring. Ominek capitalized on the advantage and speared the human in the side with his barbed tail. The human howled in pain, and Ominek allowed himself a satisfied grin at his victory. The human chief stumbled drunkenly from the venomous barb as poison coursed through his body. Soon the human would find breathing difficult and suffocate, allowing him to devour him at his leisure. A blinding spark of concentrated lightning gathered in the human¡¯s cupped hands, prepared to fire down Ominek¡¯s gaping maw. Ominek turned his head at the last minute and took flight. A spear of lightning shot out at 435,000 meters per second. Scales boiled away and meat seared to a crisp on his neck as his body went rigid in the air. Every nerve activated and Ominek¡¯s entire body clenched and shook from the human¡¯s attack. Wings, talons, and tail tumbled in a heap as he crashed into the ground near the human and rolled into a nearby house. Stolen story; please report. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of torment, but in actuality only mere seconds, the attack abated. Relief flooded him as his heart thundered painfully in his chest. Had the blast caught him in the mouth, he wasn¡¯t confident he could have survived the attack had he taken the full brunt of it head-on. He had magical resistances, but not to such an extent that he was confident about eating a ball of concentrated lightning of that magnitude down the throat. Ominek roared in anger and burst free of the shattered hut. He could leave the chieftain to die slowly. He found a trio fending off his forces that would need to be dispatched. Several powerful flaps of his wings in tandem with a few spent AP in void magic and he vaulted into the sky, gaining altitude rapidly. Something tickled him as he gracefully banked to begin his dive, and he realized this was where his divinations went vague. From here forward, he was in uncharted waters. A nervous thrill raced through him. He let out an eager howl that shook the landscape, before coming in to land just shy of the surviving party. Cowering pathetic humans and an Eryn? That made him grin eagerly, sets of foot-long razor-sharp teeth encircling his maw. It wasn¡¯t often he devoured elves. The dust he¡¯d kicked up around him settled slowly, blowing away gently with the wind as he slowly loomed forward. The lead in the small trio was a grimy, sweaty, crimson-haired mage with a blade. A weaver priestess with black hair in white robes, and an elf dressed in the typical Order of Aeryn artificer¡¯s gear with a gold staff. He was going to enjoy digesting these morsels. He reared back to lunge, but before he could strike, the damnable chieftain jumped from out of view and struck his snout with a massive spell blade. Ominek recoiled with a pained howl. He spun and lashed out with his tail. Spearing the Chieftain and the red-haired man behind him together on a single barb of his tail. He grinned, eager to enjoy his prize when a magical pulse billowed outwards from the crimson-maned boy. Confusion set in immediately, and his scales crawled as something powerful loomed just ahead of him. Realization set in too late as he tried to withdraw his tail. Survival instincts kicked in and he suddenly realized he¡¯d miscalculated. He was in grave danger now. A brilliant violet light descended from the heavens and covered the man with red hair. Frost crept outwards around the boy as a menacing glow burst from his eyes. Ominek glimpsed a seal on the human, a seal that was cracking. A gold superhuman strength seal. One of the three most powerful divine shackles. A sound just beyond hearing of chains shifting echoed. A god shackled him? But who? It saturated the spell, covering the young warrior with void energy. Bahumet or Xanofex perhaps? But they were both dead. Then who else possessed that much void magic to fuel such a spell? Ominek watched rapt with confusion as the wound he¡¯d just inflicted on the younger spell soldier healed immediately. Steam hissed from the wound it¡¯d closed so quickly with speed that even a light god would blush. The surrounding ground cracked and erupted skyward. Ominek spotted various shields and wards rippling around the man. The complexity of them went well above and beyond what he was personally capable of. A cold shiver crept across Ominek¡¯s scales. Realization and fear set into him in equal measure. This was why his father sent him here. The mage floated up to Ominek¡¯s eye level. His long mane of red hair whipped about wildly in surging aether currents. Ominek developed a rapidly deepening sense of dread. Whatever he¡¯d triggered, it was too late to avoid it. Some kind of protective spell, no doubt. Three powerful thrusts of his wings and he¡¯d created enough stand-off distance between him and the young mage that he could comfortably cast a portal spell. He spent the 3 AP and waited as he slashed reality open. A ragged violet and black doorway opened before him. As the portal swallowed his massive draconic body, he watched as the spell soldier swiped his sword several times back and forth in rapid slashes. Ominek watched curiously as the warrior blasted several razor-thin blade projections of air that chopped the landscape up, chewing up orcs and shacklers alike as the human howled a vengeful and sorrow-filled cry. Several air blades hurled from the mage raced for him but the portal closed around him, sealing him off in the void realm. He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed himself a moment to catch his wits and breath. Most found the ¡°void realm¡± to be unnerving and dangerous. Devoid of light, and populated by creatures of undefinable age and danger. The Denizens of the Dark, or in some circles the Voidsent or Voidspawn as they were known. In comparison, the dragons were mere infants, if the rumors were to be believed. Wiser elder dragons feared whatever lurked in the umbral realm. Ominek was no different, but he also knew it took a fair bit of effort to catch the attention of anything dangerous enough to pose a threat to himself. Already his void wards triggered and wrapped him in a canceling field of void energy to nullify his presence. Ominek swam in the muted black of the plane, charting a course for Leviathan. He would have to report his actions to dragon''s father. There would be a reckoning of some sort. But he wasn¡¯t sure how or when Leviathos would exact his pound of scales. As he settled in for the long flight home, he allowed his mind to wander back to the glowing violet shields, the air warrior, his wound healing, and the pulsing power surging from the young man. Just what was he? His thoughts raced at the danger his father had sent him into without nary a warning. Vast power and intense danger lurked within that mage. Ominek was certain they would run into each other again and doubted he would enjoy the follow-up encounter any more than this one. A being like that was trouble, and being pitted against him meant bad things for Ominek¡¯s future. It was going to take a whole army to kill that one. And even then, Ominek wasn¡¯t certain the death would stick with the amount of power that seal was bottling up. Leviathos would have much to explain later when he could cast spells again. Chapter 11: Paresthesia Hoshun Hoshun Village Akamori blinked in surprise as his father leaped out of the smoke and fighting around them in front of him. Something large poked him in the back and he felt a hot, warm tingle in his midsection. He saw the tail barb embedded in his torso before he felt it. Subconsciously, he knew that meant he was in shock and likely near death. He giggled at the absurdity. He had a damned dragon tail in his gut. Awareness slowly took root, and he realized the dragon speared him into his father. Kalenza¡¯s expression was pained as he reached up and traced a bloody hand down the opposite cheek his mother had. Kalenza¡¯s mouth worked as he tried to speak, but his injuries stole his breath from him. His father slumped into his shoulder, dead, and he realized he wouldn¡¯t be long before he too suffered the same end. There was a shifting sensation as something buried deep within him loosened. A surge of cold and power erupted all around him. His awareness of the situation slipped away as his friends rushing towards him were blown clear of him. Violent currents of aether caused a maelstrom of energy that chewed up the landscape. The ground cracked, torn asunder by the tidal forces of gravity and void magic in a war for dominance. At the center of the storm, Akamori slowly rose in defiance of gravity¡¯s pull. The assertion of his will. No¡­ not his will. Someone else¡¯s? Or something? Confusion and fear gripped him as he felt less and less in control. Something else rose from deep within him. Another awareness, like a limb that had fallen asleep and was slowly waking up. The pins and needles in a sleepy consciousness. The other half of him, the waking conscious, knew the term was Paresthesia and mused at the irony. It pulsed reassurance to him as it warded Amara and Kusinaki in protective wards. Akamori could sense the other presence. It felt like a black well. A bottomless pit of power. Cold and strong. There was a pang of sadness too. A sense of regret. This was far sooner than it would have preferred. Perhaps they weren¡¯t so dissimilar. The more he touched it, the more he felt like a tiny drop in a massive ocean. A mere speck of sand in a great desert. It was vast and infinite. His only saving grace from getting lost in the abyss of the second presence was a sort of buffer between them. Like standing on opposite sides of a fence. Were it not for the buffer, he knew for certain the enormity of the other presence would have consumed him, even if accidentally. Beyond his mind, back outside, orcs, undead, and hatchling necromancers rushed Akamori¡¯s position. He fixed a baleful gaze on the red-scaled dragon as it fled from him. The wound it had given him already knit itself shut. An infinite well of void magic within him devoured the lingering earth magic of the poison and converted it into the raw void aether and consumed the points to heal his injury. All within a fraction of a second. Akamori knew from the other presence the feat was trivial for it, and near divine for himself. He also knew he¡¯d just spent more AP in that one act than he had possessed completely. Akamori wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to cower in fear or stand in awe. So he settled for somewhere in the middle. This amused his mental partner without an identity. Akamori flexed his hand experimentally a few times. Only it wasn¡¯t under his command. His body responded to the other presence within him now. He was conscious but unable to move. He thrashed within his tiny mental prison until the other presence pulsed reassurance again. It didn¡¯t intend to stay long or cause him harm. It was here to help? More than that, it was here to keep him safe. As he looked down at the orcs and necromancers and zombies arrayed against himself, he could almost see the taint in their souls. The binding of Sauridius. Like a mark not too unlike the one he was branded with himself. Whereas the gold mark prevented his soul from alteration or aetheric corruption, theirs had been completely warped. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. He stood within and out of its natural flow. Before him, He saw the enemies rush him, only to meet their deaths in a thousand different ways. A sea of actions and results splayed before his mind. His mental co-pilot patiently perused the possibilities, scanning for one that suited him best. There was deliberateness and patience throughout the whole process. His cranial dance partner settled on something suitably flashy and impressive. He watched himself flick his blade and hurl devastating torrents of power with ease. Power well beyond either his skill or rating. Akamori asked how. No answer provided itself. It was almost like the other entity wanted him to watch, and learn. Akamori had no idea what it was he was meant to be learning though. He was so far out of his element he wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Who was even going to believe any of this happened? A wordless roar of anger and loss erupted from his throat in real-time. Confusion colored his thoughts as he heard his own voice, but a second deeper and more menacing voice behind it. There was a primal danger to it, but also a very detectable human emotion. All the pain, loss, and agony manifest into his voice as he let it all out. Whoever these draconic invaders were, they didn¡¯t intend for their people to survive the encounter. His people lay everywhere in pools of blood or broken in heaps. Even his own father had fallen. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Just as he¡¯d seen, so he did. His arm casually swept the invaders¡¯ attack aside. He felt the expense of the attack: 5AP for a single slash. His sword unleashed powerful blasts that cleaved the horde down. Trees snapped like twigs and huts slashed in two. A second slash issued and 5 more AP were spent. A third, a fourth, and more. He was reshaping the landscape as casually as a hairstylist might rework hair. Not to mention the cost of power was staggering. Frightening even. Void and Air magic worked their hellish power on the lush green farmland and tropical forests of Honshu. Chaos savaged the land, and himself at its center. The invading armies were all dead as quickly as he¡¯d begun. The large red dragon that killed his father had escaped through a void portal into the umbral realm. To give chase would have been foolish. The other presence knew that much, and thus casually dismissed the cowardly escape. Akamori howled wordlessly in the back of his own mind. He wanted nothing more than to tear the dragon to pieces. A reassuring pulse issued from the other presence. He would get that chance eventually, but not this day. He was far from ready for that fight. The driver or pilot for want of a better word currently in charge of Akamori¡¯s body seemed more immediately concerned about his body¡¯s safety and that of his friends. The wrought carnage said as much. All around him, the terrain endured his wrath. Deep gouges that cut deep into the soil and through trees alike. Blood and gore from the invaders strewn all around like a storm of blades had settled down upon his position. With himself, Kusinaki and Amara all safely nested within the eye. Water, blood, and soil all churned around them, filling in the cuts he¡¯d carved into the landscape. Relief flooded Akamori, seeing the small island of safety from the chaos that he¡¯d ridden along to create. His friends lay unconscious beneath protective barriers. The complexity of the spells was far beyond his limited scope. He wanted nothing more than to rush out to them. Whoever was controlling him, however, did one last survey of the carnage. There was a pang of regret, a sense of a cycle on repeat. The mourning of all the loss, and of innocence itself, being stripped away in a war that endured far longer than any sentient memory could recall. While the power and presence faded, the feelings remained, like a bitter taste in his mouth. The void maelstrom he floated within abated, and he lowered to the ground. The small sheen of frost that had gathered on his skin chilled him even as it melted in the heat of Honshu¡¯s sun, and the fires of his village burning. Akamori¡¯s body felt like it weighed several magnitudes more than it did. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He¡¯d lost his parents, and most of his friends and family today. In many ways, he too died here today. Maybe not physically, but a large part of his former life lay dead on the soil with the others. Both he and whatever else dwelling within him were aware of this. A fact they both mourned equally. The instant his feet hit the sand, Akamori thought he saw a pattern burned into the ground he¡¯d floated above. There were a bunch of symbols on it. He recognized the air symbol from old carvings into the stone around his village and the old ruins of the wyrm mother¡¯s temple. What was it for? Consciousness slipped between his fingers, and the heavy press of exhaustion shut his eyes as his body slumped over in the sand. Amara was the first to awaken with a start. One moment she¡¯d seen Akamori and Kalenza speared by the dragon, then a blinding flash, and then boom. Here she was face down in the soil. She grunted in pain as she slowly pushed herself up. The landscape looked like an epic battle that had been waged by a very angry god with a very big stick. Deep furrows cut into the landscape in every direction. Trees were sheered apart or overturned. Much of the burning huts in the village had been reduced to smoking ash. Apart from Akamori and Kusinaki, she couldn¡¯t see any other survivors. She still remembered Priestess Imrae¡¯s pained look as a rock bolt punched through her chest like a spear. Amara couldn¡¯t see anyone else alive but them, and she suspected that Akamori was the prime reason for that. All around them runes were burned into the ground forming a ritual circle made with void magic. Some kind of protective ward? She pushed herself up from the ground and walked tentatively to the edge. If she could use her perception magic without the pain and side effects, she could see what was surrounding them. For now, she had to assume it was part of what saved them. She didn¡¯t take the big crimson dragon for the type to leave a job unfinished if he was certain of victory. That meant whatever happened had run him off. She limped over to Akamori falling to her knees. Her white priestess robes were soiled and had soot stains on them from the fires. She sat there by her friend numbly. Their whole lives had ended. Burned and murdered, just like that. They¡¯d heard rumors of war with the Sauridius for some time now. But to have it come and decimate their village like this was something else together. There was no recovery from this for the village. With no family, and no village, Akamori would leave. He¡¯d want revenge or absolution. She sighed and whispered a soft prayer of mercy to their goddess. They were going to need as much aid and guidance as the fates were comfortable lending them if they were going to get through this. She frowned, looking at all the damage. She didn¡¯t want to dare think about what happened to the other worlds they visited that lacked their own mages. She knew in that moment Akamori wouldn¡¯t stand for this. The dragons had drawn blood. Akamori was going to want it back somehow. He¡¯d come for his pound of flesh somehow. But they would pay. Chapter 12: Aftermath part 1 Hoshun System Cadaver Crasher Bridge Captain Morwen stood at the fore of the ship''s bridge, hands on the gold mirrorsteel controls as the ship cut a slow but steady path from the system''s edge. Morwen opted for a slow and cautious approach since the prophecy she¡¯d observed showed the planet besieged by Sauridius forces. She didn¡¯t want to jump from a portal right into an assault she lacked any way of dealing with. So she took the slow and steady approach. It gave Ominek more time to conduct whatever schemes he¡¯d developed, but there was nothing for it. Not if she wanted to leave the mess better than she¡¯d arrived for. That was just the grim math of war. She just had to hope that whomever she came here in search of survived the assault this long for her modest amount of forces to help. Morwen took a slow, quiet breath and rolled her shoulders to ease the aching tension that was slowly building. She summoned her mage company to the bridge as the ship passed the distant exo planets and asteroid belt of the system. By the time they all reported to the bridge, the Crasher had just come up in the far orbit of Hoshun. She waited for everyone to finish piling into the bridge before turning to face them after putting the ship in synchronous orbit with their target world, clear of any exit points for portals. When she turned around, she saw Rayshe standing at the lead of the small formation. Sgt. Sirsir to his immediate left, Corporal Yasiin and Private Salanaat at the end of the formation. All wore their aged federation spell armor as proudly as a unit could. They stood at attention, and she waved them at ease. ¡°Gentleman. Welcome to planet Hoshun. We received word this world was under attack by the Sauridius. Our mission is to land and determine the extent of the damage. Odds are we¡¯re too late, but I want to be thorough just in case. This world is on the opposite side of the sector for them, so it strikes me odd that they would launch an attack here given how off the path it is.¡± ¡°Respectfully, sir, this planet ain¡¯t off the path. It¡¯s off the charts. This is as backwater as it gets.¡± Sgt. Sirsir said. Morwen allowed him an acknowledging nod. ¡°Precisely. Which means they came here for a specific purpose. I intend to find that out if I can and rescue any survivors.¡± ¡°Survivors? You can¡¯t possibly be serious,¡± Rayshe said in near disbelief. Morwen debated her response, but bit back a pleased smirk when she saw the look Sgt. Sirsir shot the unruly Lieutenant. Morwen knew full well that Sirsir likely would have throttled Rayshe if it wouldn¡¯t have ended in the sum result of Sirsir being summarily executed. Though Sirsir did his best to contain his ire, but he still looked like he¡¯d popped a blood vessel in his eye from the restraint. ¡°Call it a hunch, Lt. At any rate, your mission is to get to the surface. Determine the situation and report in once you can.¡± ¡°Alright you useless meatsacks, you heard the lady, MOVE,¡± Sirsir bellowed as his chest heaved with each word. As the enlisted mages trotted off, Rayshe remained, giving Morwen a questioning glance. ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡± ¡°Granted.¡± Though she suspected he would make her soon regret the latitude. ¡°With so many other more valuable worlds at stake, tell me, Captain. The truth of it. Why are we really here?¡± Morwen turned to look at Hoshun¡¯s surface on the primary screen. ¡°We¡¯re here because we need to be. Because if we weren¡¯t here? Something terrible might happen and ruin us all later. We might be too late or just in time. I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Is this to do with your meeting with the ArchPriest just before we departed Eryn?¡± Rayshe asked curiously. Morwen nodded, ¡°Yes, I believe so. I just haven¡¯t been able to figure if what I did was the right move yet.¡± She had a sinking feeling that someone had tugged her out there to the middle of nowhere to leave the rest of the sector exposed to some other attack. Baited by some kind of feint. Ominek was a canny dragon and a feint attack to lure them out of the way so he could go to work elsewhere felt like a typical ploy. It was one she might have otherwise ignored, but this prophecy had told her she shouldn¡¯t ignore the cry from the fallen. It would seem this was a long game she was playing. Give up the short term to win the long. She sighed in frustration at not being able to soundly respond as she wanted to. Rayshe regarded the primary screen a moment longer, and she got the impression he was forming his own opinions. No doubt he was going to lodge a complaint with command later. Just one more thing she¡¯d have to wait to deal with until the nebulous later revealed itself. Morwen rubbed her temples and set the ship to remain in geosynchronous orbit as she stood by to await reports from the ground team. The Crasher¡¯s engines glowed to life with the channeled energy pushing the behemoth vessel closer to Hoshun. On an adjacent screen, she pulled up images of the enemy fleet exiting the system. The last of the Sauridius transport craft was slipping into the lunar shadow of the nearby moon. The Crasher¡¯s sensors registered a void portal cracking open reality as the transport ship spilled in. Then the crack fell shut. Morwen sighed as the enemy fleet fled, letting the ship¡¯s cannon relax the magic she¡¯d been building in its cannon. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Intuitively, she knew it wasn¡¯t Ominek¡¯s style to attack like this. He knew be looking to make as quick an escape as possible. Sticking around and getting hung up in the fight she was looking to have was tactically unviable for the enemy. Below her, the blue green jewel of Hoshun lay beneath the Crasher. The verdant world below reminded her of Eryn in a lot of ways. As an elf native to Eryn, she hoped the damage below wouldn¡¯t be as catastrophic as the captain half of her expected. She¡¯d seen enough battlefields by now to expect thoroughness to Sauridius destruction. Especially where Ominek was concerned. She fingered the golden bracelet on her wrist absent mindedly. The prophecy weighed heavily on her. Even with advanced notice, she¡¯d not been able to come fast enough. Her losses at Torun and Kofex were still heavy on her conscious and soul. Many good soldiers and innocent civilians didn¡¯t live beyond those conflicts. Some still walked among the Sauridius¡¯ forces as undead troops. Morwen took a deep breath, fighting the urge to fidget or pace her own bridge. She preferred to be on the ground, conducting the battles, not stuck waiting on her ship for a report. She hated being detached from things sometimes, even though she knew sometimes the best vantage point one could have was far enough back to view everything. She rallied the local Federation troops at Torun to hold off the Sauridius long enough for the few ships they could get airborne to leave. If the Sauridius were leaving already, it meant their dark work here was already done. ¡°There will be no evac for the dead today.¡± She mused darkly. Morwen frowned as a nagging feeling about ambush gripped her. She grumbled as she spent the pool to push the Crasher into motion. It broke orbit and lumbered into a slow-moving patrol through the system. She allowed her mind to subsume into the ship¡¯s senses. Her skin became the hull plating. Her eyes became dozens of magical sensory crystals. Her teeth became the massive spinal cannon around which they built the ship around. The Crasher was an old vessel. One of the very first generation spell ships, the Federation, rolled out of production. Its spell drive ran on Aureoliam, liquid magic most commonly found in magic wells. Some cultures referred to it as God¡¯s Blood. Realizing the value of Aureoliam, the Federation moved to quickly restrict access to the wells of magic it could control and patrol those in the sector it couldn¡¯t. She checked the fuel gauge, satisfied with their current levels and usage. She didn¡¯t have enough for joy rides, but could confidently conduct her quick patrol free of worries. The lumbering magitech craft rumbled back into Hoshun¡¯s orbit after conducting a thorough scan of the system and detecting nothing. She maneuvered the craft back into a holding pattern from where her troops had departed from. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but close enough to prevent major issues. Once the ship was stationary, she leaned back and heaved a relieved sigh. She wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d have done had she actually found trouble. ¡°Perhaps father was right. Maybe I should stop looking for trouble I can¡¯t afford.¡± But then, if she started doing that, who would run off on these fool¡¯s errand missions to save lives where no one else saw value? How long before people needing help were a valuable ally, and her people showed the same reluctance to help with them they had with all the fallen colonies? She wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew the Federation was failing itself. Formed on lofty ideas by her father, but corrupted from the inside out by a bureaucratic bloat. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if the only way to save it is to let it die and pick up the pieces. But what happens to the sector if that comes to pass?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Lt. Fennex¡¯s voice inquired from the mouth of the bridge¡¯s entrance. His blond high and tight a bold proclamation of New Eden descent. They would catch few mages dead with hair that boring. It just wasn¡¯t beautiful at all. ¡°Nothing, just musing to myself.¡± ¡°I caught that. ¡®Bout what? If ya don¡¯t mind my asking?¡± His Terran drawl pulled on certain words in a way she¡¯d yet to grow used to. It clearly showed he¡¯d come from a certain tribe of humans. His blue eyes studied her curiously, but with a measured discipline she appreciated from the Brotherhood of Man and their contribution to the Federation. With them onboard, the Federation had quickly become more of a functional military power and less of an ideal. Morwen thought to herself for a moment. Debating the merits of explaining. She accounted for the way Lt. Rayshe often looked down his nose at the Brotherhood soldiers. Fennex had proven himself at Torun and was one of the few who¡¯d survived. He was a fighter and had earned the right to make the request. She gave an assenting nod. ¡°You may,¡± she said finally. She shifted in the command chair to face him more fully. His uniform was patched in places to repair battle damage since they lacked replacement uniforms. ¡°I was just wondering about the future of the Federation and what impact its death might have on the Sector at large.¡± Fennex nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Well, ma¡¯am, considerin¡¯ we¡¯re the only ones out here fightin¡¯ and dyin? I dread to think what¡¯ll happen the day we stop.¡± Morwen smiled ruefully. ¡°Over my dead body.¡± ¡°Amen to that Captain. You¡¯ll always have my tank if¡¯n you¡¯ll need it.¡± ¡°Thank you Lieutenant. I know most of your peers have less ambivalent feelings about mine.¡± Fennex shrugged and ran a hand through his short hair. ¡°Most of the blow hards did not impress us playing at command in the Federation. Sittin¡¯ around and gettin into pissin¡¯ contents when there¡¯s a war to win seems like a tactical waste.¡± ¡°How right you are, Lieutenant.¡± Fennex¡¯s comm link chirped, and he drew it out, a magical hologram projected of Lt. Rayshe, her XO. ¡°Fennex. Inform the Captain we¡¯re coming back. There were a few unfortunates who survived that may yet be of use.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir.¡± Fennex gave Morwen a look over his comm that conveyed just how warmly he felt about Lt. Rayshe. She sighed inwardly and gave the Brotherhood LT. a nod. Now that the bridge was all hers, she slipped into the command chair wearily. Her XO was going to be the death of her. She just knew it. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the Sauridius left behind.¡± Chapter 13: Aftermath part 2 Hoshun Village Wreckage Sound and feeling were distant sensations to Akamori¡¯s mind as consciousness slowly ebbed back to him. He was faintly aware someone was shaking him and calling his name, but the words felt distant. Like he was hearing and feeling it from a vast gulf. He groaned softly, trying to form words. His eyes fluttered open. He sat forward with a grunt and took stock of the situation. He flicked a glance towards the bottom left of his vision and his HP bar went from opaque to fully visible. His health was maxed again. A system prompt exclamation point was also flashing. So he selected it. System Info: You have triggered a Latent Miracle: Broken Seal. Broken Seal: When your HP total is reduced to 0, The Broken Seal miracle is triggered granting a buff. The buff restores HP to max, preventing the character from regressing into unconsciousness. A 120 second invulnerability buff is added. All stats are doubled, and the racial limit of 5 is ignored. Aetherpool is unlimited. The effect of Broken Seal can only be triggered once per scene or day, whichever is longer. Temporary spell gained: Mass Disintegrate. Cost 10ap. Effect: AOE spell that attacks all enemies. Damage: 50. Mastery, Yes. +30 Bonus. To double check, he noted several cooldowns were ticking off. He sat upright slowly and glanced around to see Amara and Kusinaki, both wearing long expressions. He looked past them and saw the devastation. His dead father laid prone with a blanket placed over him. No¡­ nononono he crawled past Amara and Kusinaki next to his father. Kalenza¡¯s skin was cool to the touch. He¡¯d been dead for several hours now. Akamori looked up and noticed the sun was beginning its evening descent. He¡¯d been out since this morning. He turned back to Amara, who was giving him a moment. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Most of the day,¡± she whispered. He turned back to his father. ¡°I failed,¡± he said, sitting back. Both his mother and father were dead. He looked out to the village at the wreckage wrought by the battle. In the distance, several mountains lacked peaks. Neither Kusinaki nor Amara seemed to have anything to say about the wreckage. ¡°What happened?¡± They both shook their heads at him. ¡°There was a brightness, and then nothing. We woke up a while ago and you were at the bottom of this crater. Whatever happened, you were front and center for the worst of it,¡± Kusinaki said. Akamori stood up, and Amara gave him a pained look as she glanced at Kusinaki. ¡°Should we tell him?¡± she said. Kusinaki¡¯s expression sank. ¡°I would want to know if it were me.¡± Akamori waved his arms, feeling as though he were forgotten suddenly. ¡°Hellooo. Standing right here, thanks.¡± Amara smiled apologetically and rose. ¡°Sorry, Aka. It¡¯s just¡­¡± she paused, fidgeting with her robe. ¡°I noticed that after the battle, after the brilliant burst of light and power, that you bear a powerful gold binding. More complex and powerful than any I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°As an Artificer, I can also attest to its complexity. The elders in the Order can only create a 7th level seal and that¡¯s through a coordinated ritual.¡± ¡°What he¡¯s saying is that you¡¯ve been godtouched.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel godtouched. My head is splitting,¡± he complained, sitting back on his haunches and surveying the wreckage around. ¡°Are we the only survivors?¡± Amara nodded somberly, letting the silence linger respectfully for the dead. She exchanged a glance with Kusinaki as Akamori shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Amara said. ¡°Why attack us? We¡¯re not near any vital trade lanes, and we aren¡¯t even a major power. We¡¯re just a small, forgotten colony. Why would the dragon wings descend to attack us?¡± Neither Amara nor Kusinaki responded, as they didn¡¯t have any answers either. Akamori stood up, trying to push through his confusion and the haze of the morning. He spotted something glinting high in the sky and squinted to make it out clearly. He spotted a flash, and then a portal opened on the ground, small, circular and billowing radiant shadow and violet energies. A beat later, bodies began emerging from it. A small group of figures in high-tech military looking spell armor. It looked nothing like the style that Kalenza had worn. They held rifles, a cannon, and a staff. Amara and Kusinaki rose swiftly. They assumed ready postures. Poised like coiled vipers. Primed to strike, but not moving just yet. Akamori reached out and felt the pool of air energy swirling around his soul¡¯s core. It pulsed a ready eagerness. Ready to be unleashed. On touching it, he realized what he had access to while sizable was only a sliver. There was more, but it felt¡­ gated, locked away deeper within him, beyond his reach. Perhaps this was the gold seal Amara was talking about at work. It felt like a magical dam, holding back something immense and only allowing a small flow on its opposite side. Ahead of them, the small group of soldiers fanned out from the portal before it winked out. Several took knees, and the largest of them stood next to and at the side of what Akamori assumed was the group leader. ¡°Godsdamned¡­¡± the big guy muttered. ¡°Silence Sergeant,¡± the leader growled. He gave Akamori a nod. ¡°You there. Are you all that remains?¡± ¡°Looks that way,¡± Akamori said. ¡°An entire wing of orcs and undead descended on us, led by hatchlings and a large red dragon. Are you here to help or to fight?¡± The leader glanced around silently for a moment, surveying the landscape and the survivors as if weighing whether this was a worthwhile trip. He let out a put-upon sigh. ¡°Attacking country trash is not a tradition of the Federation.¡± He gestured to his men, who all relaxed their weapons and rose casually. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Akamori relaxed his muscles and let go of his grip on his air magic. A slow breath eased past his lips quietly as released the tension he¡¯d held firmly mere moments ago. Akamori fully prepared to die just then. On his feet and fighting. ¡°Now then, local, what happened? In as much detail as you can provide,¡± the leader said, looking down his nose at Akamori metaphorically. The leader actually had a helmet on with a dark tinted visor. He was certain this guy was looking down his nose at him, though. It was in the tone of his voice. As the trio approached the soldiers, Akamori noted there was a nameplate on the leader''s armor that read ¡°Rayshe¡±. Akamori ground his teeth, his jaw clenching. He was one of those kinds of people. Wonderful. ¡°The local has a name. I¡¯m Akamori. And this is Amara, and Kusinaki,¡± he said, gesturing to each in introduction. ¡°Noted,¡± Rayshe said impatiently. ¡°Now out with it.¡± ¡°Uh, Eltee , I don¡¯t know if we should provoke the locals. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯re the reason the place is thrashed or not,¡± the big man with the sergeant chevrons on his armored biceps said. ¡°To be honest, we aren¡¯t really sure what happened. The undead were first strike. The orcs and several hatchling shacklers lead them. There was¡­ there was a massive red scaled dragon that appeared. It was a large wyvern.¡± ¡°You seem to know a lot about draconic breeds for a country nomad,¡± Rayshe said, eying the survivors. ¡°We were once part of an air dragon wing. Our dragon mother died, stranding us here. We¡¯ve kept a village for the Air mother ever since. Maintaining our last mission.¡± ¡°And that mission was what?¡± ¡°To remain here and wait.¡± ¡°Wait for what?¡± Rayshe pressed. Akamori shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Not sure we were ever told that much. We¡¯ve been here for a long time, though. Keeping the faith. And this was our reward.¡± He gestured around at the devastation. Rayshe nodded and then wove a quick message spell. A moment later, an illusion of a woman in an ornate blue uniform materialized in front of the lieutenant. ¡°Captain. We¡¯ve found survivors. They claim to be survivors of an attack.¡± ¡°Do you believe them?¡± Rayshe remained silent. ¡°For now, yes. Though what they say adds up. Sauridius forces fell upon this world and eliminated the air clan. Like you, I remain skeptical, though. This attack serves no tactical value and feels out of place for Ominek. And we haven¡¯t scried their souls to see if they¡¯ve been shackled or not.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Very well. Bring them with you. I should like to speak to them.¡± Then the illusion spell fell to glittery pink aetheric dust, blown away in the wind. Rayshe glanced up at the trio. ¡°Come with us, please.¡± The request felt strained coming from Rayshe. Akamori got the sense the man didn¡¯t use the word please very often. ¡°Where to?¡± Akamori asked. Not quite agreeing, but not just blindly marching to their beat, either. Amara put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I want to fight for what¡¯s left too, but look around? There¡¯s nothing left for us here. We¡¯re all that¡¯s left, and if we want to protect that, it makes sense to go with them. They seem like they¡¯ve been fighting against whoever attacked us.¡± Akamori glanced down, then his gaze panned out to the ruined landscape. The houses, farmland, even the temple, all of it reduced to strewn rubble, like a giant hand swatted everything over. Small fires still smoldered throughout the hellscape. Bodies of kin and enemy alike were half buried everywhere. His gaze lifted to the mountain tops in the distance, the peaks of which looked evenly chopped off like a pruned house plant. This had been his home once, but no more. Now it was simply a chaotic grave marker for most of his clan. ¡°Take a moment to gather some things if you need. We¡¯ll wait by the portal,¡± the big man with the three chevrons on his armor next to Rayshe said. His nameplate read ¡°Sirsir.¡± Akamori¡¯s face scrunched at that. What an odd name. He turned and approached his father and took a knee. He lifted his father¡¯s heavy spell blade. He could remember as a child he could sense the air aether from it. Now there was nothing. He placed the blade up on the blanket covering his father and traced his hand along the side of his father¡¯s face. ¡°I see you, father. Chieftain of the Air Nomads of Hoshun. Leader. Warrior. Father. Safe journeys under the wing of our mother.¡± As Akamori rose, a strong wind blew through the village, teasing his hair from his face, and throwing it over his shoulders wildly. It was a warm wind, the kiss of the goddess, or so their local legends held. In a surreal sense, he felt an odd kinship with that wind. It spoke to him. Fly, it said. Fly to what, he wasn¡¯t sure. Fly on their spaceship? Or fly to war? Or fly to new stars? He glanced up at the darkening skies. He used to long for this freedom, and now that he had it? He wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it. The cost felt too high a price for it. Yet they paid it no thanks to that blood red dragon. He turned back to the ruined landscape of what had once been his home. He coughed out a short laugh, his eyes blurring with a held tear. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted this since I was old enough to run on my own, and now that I have it, I don¡¯t want it.¡± He felt Amara put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned to her. ¡°I never wanted to be clan chief. I just wanted to travel to the stars. I felt like a chain held me down to the planet. It made me miserable thinking about it. And now that destiny releases the chain¡­ I don¡¯t want to go.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing left for us here. The best thing we can do to honor them is to go. Live as best we can,¡± Amara urged. ¡°I know. I guess I¡¯m just scared,¡± he laughed softly with a shrug. ¡°This all feels so much bigger than me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I never wanted a crazy life. I just wanted to explore and be left alone. There¡¯s a part of me that burns at what happened. I want that fucking dragon to burn,¡± he said. ¡°But I look at those marines and I see the same chains I struggled against here. I don¡¯t know¡­ Father wouldn¡¯t have hesitated. He¡¯d charge right into it, embracing it every step of the way. Here I am, dragging my feet because I don¡¯t have my parents to hold their hand anymore. A scared boy trembling at a dragon¡¯s shadow.¡± Amara frowned, ¡°That¡¯s not true. You¡¯re a man now, and accepted by our wyrm mother. And your father always hesitated before acting.¡± Akamori¡¯s brow lifted curiously. Amara nodded. ¡°Kalenza measured every word, every step, every action he took with you in mind. If he doubted you would be there, or safe or happy, he hesitated until he was confident it would be alright by you. You were his life. Without you, I don¡¯t think Kalenza would have had the same decisiveness. And without your parents, maybe you need to find your own edge now, too.¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is this is normal?¡± She shrugged, ¡°Perhaps. Only that you¡¯re probably struggling to figure out who you are now that all of this has been crushed underfoot. Will you stay here in the ashes of the life you always longed to leave? Or go with them and face the unknown?¡± Akamori nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure who he was. He¡¯d always known this place wasn¡¯t quite where he felt he belonged. But leaving it always seemed like some far-off dream. Now he had to confront the reality. He remembered the words in the wind. He closed his eyes. ¡°Fly,¡± he whispered to himself. Then nodded. Much like the young Amphiptere dragon mother after its first molt, it was time for him to take flight. A gentle warm breeze gusted behind him, and he felt inwardly that it was the spirit of their guardian encouraging his choice. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go.¡± Amara nodded and followed him as Kusinaki fell in with them as they approached the soldiers near a freshly opened portal. It swirled and billowed in its unending spiraling spin. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re ready,¡± Akamori told the soldiers. ¡°Very well. Follow us.¡± The soldiers all filed into the portal one at a time. With each one, the portal¡¯s surface rippled like the surface of an inky black and violet pool. As everyone but himself stepped in, Akamori turned back at the ruined war-scape of his home. Whatever life he¡¯d had, worries and hopes. None of it survived. He sighed, biting back the sting of tears in his eyes before wiping them dry and stepping through the portal. Chapter 14: Futility Leviathan Saurian Nebula A portal snapped open in the umbral side of the planet Leviathan¡¯s orbit. As the large spiraling magic gateway wound itself open, massive red talons spilled from its surface, gripping the edge of the portal. A massive red scaled snout poured out as Ominek¡¯s crimson scaled form climbed out of the portal, then gestured to close it. He swam lazily in the high orbit of Leviathan, his binding father¡¯s home. Below him sprawled the massive magma seas of the planet. Ominek rolled slightly, tilting his wings to bask in the star''s warmth. Below the magma seas, a shadow slowly gathered as the massive bulk of Leviathos rose and erupted from the surface like a breaching whale. Only instead of tumbling back into the magma seas, the Fire Sea dragon rose, its limbless serpentine body perfect for traversing below water or, in this case, molten magma. Leviathos¡¯ massive form spiraled into orbit and coiled around his bound son. Ominek did his best to school his emotions to neutrality, trying not to tremble in the presence of his father''s massive toothed maw. It wasn¡¯t uncustomary for Leviathos to reward failure as his personal meal. But it was the blazing yellow and red eyes that burned right into him. Being eaten and his magic and soul reabsorbed back into Leviathos sent a chill down Ominek¡¯s back scales. ¡°Tell me what happened, my child,¡± Leviathos¡¯ voice rumbled in Ominek¡¯s mind. The magnitude of it made his teeth rattle. The intensity was so strong it almost caused him pain. Almost. ¡°I conducted your attack, just as you asked.¡± ¡°And what of your success?¡± Ominek¡¯s head lowered, exposing his long neck. ¡°I destroyed most of the village, but I think some remained. A divine presence interrupted the battle to support the survivors. I fled to avoid retribution.¡± Leviathos¡¯ massive head bobbed up and down in approval. ¡°Gooood. Your next task is to traverse to Hidros. There, you will ensnare as much of the humans as you can. Once you have accomplished this much, I will relay further orders. Do you understand?¡± Ominek hesitated, ¡°I-yes. But what about what happened to Hoshun?¡± ¡°A simple diversion, but also a potential end state solution. Time will tell, but it would appear that your success was never possible. So we accept the next best result. You have drawn the Federation¡¯s best response force as far as from their territory as possible, while you will begin your covert assault on their administration at Hidros.¡± ¡°What will we accomplish by hitting yet another obscure colony world?¡± ¡°There is a potential weapon to be secured deep within Hidros, but to do so you must be able to move without scrutiny, and to deploy the locals in your defense. Unlike the assault on Hoshun, this will be akin to a takeover. But make no mistake, my son, we are in a foot race, and while you will have a head start on the Federation, it will not be great. So waste no time. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°And one last thing. If done correctly, this will be the final blow to the Federation. Crush their morale. Secure the weapon. And we win the war.¡± ¡°As you command, father.¡± ¡°I will send you the relevant details when you arrive.¡± Leviathos turned and plunged himself back towards the magma oceans of his claimed world. Ominek noted that the entire length of the fire sea dragon never left the world. Just how long and how immense of a dragon was his father? It terrified him to ponder the power at his father¡¯s command. He gave one final bow of his head to his father, then turned and drew several runes to create another portal, waiting for the magic to resolve and spiral open the portal. As it did so, he darted into it quickly. Eager to begin what he hoped would be his last mission to destroy the Federation and take over the sector.
Hidros System Hidros Orbital Control Station In the shadow of Hidros¡¯ lone moon, a portal opened that disgorged Ominek¡¯s draconic figure. He swam lazily in the void, eying up the station. His first aim: to secure the skies of the planet. If he could control inbound and outbound traffic flow, that would allow him to perform his work uninterrupted. As the giant red wyvern glided through space towards the station, he began the morph spell, and reverted himself back to his dark-skinned humanoid form wearing a sleek black suit. Ominek took a short moment to admire himself in the station¡¯s reflection. His long black mane of hair remained combed back down his head. His dark brown eyes stared back at him, and he even flashed himself a toothy, smug grin. Many dragons weren¡¯t capable of mastering the humanoid morph very well. Failing at the smaller details like hair, skin texture, eyes, and teeth. Ominek however, took pride in his skill, no, his unmatched talent at morphing himself to appear like a human. He paused at the station''s airlock and drew a short augmented portal spell, mixing elements of shadow, mind, and earth together, then completed the spell. The runes mixed and shot into the airlock door, turning it translucent and glowing in lavender and pink. He drifted forward, floating through the door, which resolved itself once he passed. He clasped his hands behind his back and whistled softly as he walked, pausing at a map of the station''s interior posted on the bulkhead. He assumed it was to help its occupants navigate the massive metal can. He sensed no magic within the station at all and sighed at that. The Brotherhood of Man and their aversion to magic. They might have been better prepared for his incursion if they weren¡¯t so aetherphobic. He might have felt guilty about the chaos he was soon going to unleash on these poor fools. Not that they were ill prepared. They weren¡¯t even capable of fathoming the level of fucked they were about to be. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Rounding a corner, he came upon his first security checkpoint and found two uniformed guards who gave him suspicious looks. ¡°Who are you? Where¡¯s your boarding pass?¡± One guard said. ¡°I don¡¯t see any ships scheduled on the roster. Who are you? How did you get here?¡± The other admonished as they both drew pistols. Ominek smiled, holding both hands up and giving them a disarming smile. ¡°Gentlemen. Really. Is this how you want to greet an old friend?¡± The two exchanged confused looks. ¡°If you¡¯ll permit me a moment to explain.¡± He executed a quick series of hand gestures; he started with Mind, then added Soul and Earth, then repeated the spell for the second guard. When he finished, the executed spells launched two mind altering bindings into the guard''s foreheads with a small poof of aetheric soul magic. If the station had anyone with the magic ability to detect such shackles, they¡¯d see a wreathe of aetheric runes slowly spinning around the guards¡¯ foreheads. Their demeanors relaxed, and they holstered their guns. ¡°Sorry, Lord Ominek. We didn¡¯t realize it was you. How can we help?¡± ¡°I need to speak to whoever is in charge of this facility. Could you guys help me out?¡± ¡°Right away, Lord Ominek.¡± The two guards took the lead, and Ominek fell in behind them. Hands clasped behind his back again as he walked along, continuing to whistle his tune. The walk was actually shorter than he expected. They paged the administrator''s office, the name plaque read ¡°Alvin Patton¡±. A short, round man¡¯s face appeared on a small screen on the wall next to the door. He was balding but the bit of auburn hair he still had left appeared well groomed, with crow¡¯s feet rimming his eyes and those quaint little glass and plastic seeing devices perched atop the bridge of his nose. Glasses? Yes, glasses. He looked annoyed. ¡°What? I told you no guests while I¡¯m eating.¡± One guard cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry sir. But there¡¯s a VIP here you need to see.¡± Before Patton could protest, the guard keyed in the door key, and opened the office up to Ominek leaving Alvin Patton seated at his desk with a half eaten meal on his plate and a bewildered expression that quickly soured out. ¡°Have you lost your damn minds?¡± Alvin shouted, his jowls jiggling with rage. Ominek strode in casually, giving the guards a thankful nod. The door slid shut behind him as he entered the office. He quickly scanned around the office and again noted no magical defenses or detection devices. What a pity¡­ for him. Ominek turned his gaze to the man and sat on the edge of his desk, picking up a photograph of some landscape. ¡°Who are you? What is the meaning of this?¡± The man demanded, though he hadn¡¯t pushed his meal aside yet. That especially amused Ominek. ¡°Who am I? We can get to that in a moment. As to the meaning of this? Why, I¡¯m here to conduct some business. Important business, you see, and I need to make sure I have your undivided support and attention to see it through.¡± ¡°I rarely take bribes. I have all the money I need,¡± Alvin retorted indignantly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure of that. But unfortunately, I¡¯m not here to ask. I¡¯m here to take your support.¡± Alvin¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. His arm reached for a low drawer at his desk, and Ominek pounced upon the rotund administrator. He yelped weakly, pinned by the dragon in human form. Ominek allowed his eyes to shift temporarily to reptilian eyes and focus on the man before returning to humanoid again. Alvin¡¯s face lost all color. ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± Ominek rolled his head to the side. ¡°No. Not yet, anyway. But close,¡± he cooed softly with a grin. ¡°Now, I need you alive. So I¡¯m going to promise not to simply eat you as long as you promise not to do anything foolish. Is that a deal you can agree to?¡± Alvin¡¯s head bobbed up and down, crumbs of his meal tumbling away freely from his jowls with the movement. Ominek backed off of the man slowly, keeping himself positioned between Alvin and the offending drawer. ¡°Now then, be a good chap and hold still, hmm?¡± Ominek asked as he drew several complex spells next to each other. Each using several mind, soul, and earth runes. When he finished, Ominek allowed himself a moment to savor his craftmanship. Some of his finest soul shacklings. Only where with the Guards he simply rewrote some of their cognitive functioning. With this, he was leaving the Administrator''s mind completely alone, and instead, shackling Alvin¡¯s body to his will. The spells resolved and darted into Alvin¡¯s chest, one after the other. Ripples of mind, soul, and earth energy radiated from Alvin¡¯s heart. Alvin¡¯s face shifted into silent terror, and Ominek smiled. He leaned close to the short, round man and sniffed slowly. ¡°Nothing tops the smell of a freshly cast expert soul shackle. That¡¯s some of my finest work to date, but I think not for very much longer, hmm?¡± He circled Alvin, who appeared to struggle with himself. Like a man trapped inside his body. ¡°You¡¯re trying to fight it, I can tell. But unfortunately, it¡¯s not something you can simply overcome. No, I have full control of you. What I want, you will do. That is the only way you make it through this.¡± ¡°Then just kill me now.¡± Ominek¡¯s brow cocked upward as he turned to face Alvin. ¡°Is that resolve? And here I didn¡¯t think you had it in you,¡± Ominek said, shifting his gaze to the half eaten meal on the plate. Some kind of meat sandwich, by the look of it. But they had cooked the meat. A trait he never understood of humans. ¡°As I said previously, I need you alive. There are tasks I need you to do for me. And when you¡¯ve done them, I¡¯ll let you go. You won¡¯t have to share in the same grisly end I have planned for the poor wretches living below.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one of those evil dragons, aren¡¯t you? From that nebula.¡± Ominek turned and gave him a toothy smile, allowing his teeth to shift to points for a moment. ¡°Quite astute, but slow on the uptake. Now then. We¡¯ve covered why I¡¯m here, your soul shackle, and who I am. A Sauridian. Let¡¯s get to work, shall we?¡± He gestured for Alvin to sit, and the man sat down, looking as though he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°That¡¯s a good chap. Now, I need you to empty this station for me. Every man. Yourself included.¡± Alvin¡¯s face contorted with confusion. ¡°Why? and how?¡± Ominek smiled, waving his hand casually. ¡°Why? So I can control your orbital airspace. As for how? Tell them I¡¯ve come and devoured many of your people. That you heroically led an exodus to the surface and that you need rescue.¡± He paused when it seemed like Alvin might finally understand his task. ¡°You can do that for me, right?¡± Alvin finally nodded, and Ominek patted him on the cheek, ¡°Smashing. Now, chop chop. We¡¯re on a time crunch and I don¡¯t want to burn too much time unnecessarily.¡± He clapped his hands for emphasis, and Alvin sprung to action, reaching for a small device that he spoke into that projected his voice throughout the station''s interior. ¡°This is Administrator Patton. We¡¯re under attack by Sauridius forces. All occupants of the station are to proceed to evac points to exit the station. All ships will be re-tasked with evacuee procedures. Once all berths are occupied, the remained will use the escape pods. Patton out.¡± Ominek clapped enthusiastically for Alvin¡¯s performance. ¡°Well done. Keep that up and I may just keep you in my pocket. An inside agent in the Brotherhood of Man is always a good trump card to keep around,¡± Ominek said, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a nod. He delighted in the nonverbal horror that spread on the man¡¯s face. Sliding off the table, Ominek marched for the door, patting Alvin on the head. ¡°I¡¯ve work to do on my own. Notify me when the station is clear, and you¡¯re safe and sound on the surface, won¡¯t you?¡± Alvin nodded with a great deal of effort, and Ominek smirked at that. They all resisted at first, but regardless of how long it took, they all realized it was useless in the end. He always got what he wanted. Chapter 15: Writ of Conscription Hoshun Orbit The Cadaver Crasher Morwen marched the corridors of the Crasher at a clipped pace. Just faster than a walk, but slower than a run. She moved with purpose and direction. She held the principle of violence of action dearest to her heart, and employed it with virtually everything she did. Boarding a lift, she rode it down to the crew deck, where she marched towards the hanger bay. She found the mages standing around the survivors of Ominek¡¯s attack. They were clothed simply, and much of their clothing was battle worn. They looked like they¡¯d been through hell and back. They looked like those in the Prophecy. The two missing pieces she would need. ¡°Lt. Rayshe, report,¡± she said crisply. Folding her arms behind her back, she assumed her ¡°command¡± pose. Chin up, chest out, arms clasped behind her back and feet shoulder width apart. It gave her a prim and composed, if slightly severe, look. She didn¡¯t mind. It lent to the stature. ¡°They smashed the landscape into rubble. You wouldn¡¯t have known a village used to exist there if it weren¡¯t for the half buried bodies and small fires that were still burning. We found these three near the lip of a massive crater at the edge of the devastation. They claim a Sauridius strike force descended on the planet and destroyed everything.¡± Morwen frowned. She¡¯d been too late to help them. Though it occurred to her that perhaps she wasn¡¯t meant to help them. That still didn¡¯t stop her from taking on that burden herself, anyway. She gave Lt. Rayshe a bow of her head. ¡°And do you think they could be of service to the ship?¡± Rayshe turned to give them a withering look. ¡°They look like mongrels to me. One belongs to the Order and is therefore exempt from writ of conscription. The other two? Difficult to say if it¡¯s worth the time. Were it up to me, I¡¯d say no.¡± Morwen did her best not to chastize Rayshe for his casual racism. Though he was anything if consistent. Everyone knew how Rayshe felt about non-elves. Whether or not they actually wanted to. She gave him a crisp nod. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not up to you. Dismissed.¡± He eyed her suspiciously. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡± His voice shifted dangerously close to petulant. The indignation practically oozed from him. ¡°I am. Dismissed Lt. Or shall I have the Sergeant haul you to the brig?¡± Rayshe straightened and swallowed hard, before offering a reluctant shake of his head. ¡°No Sir.¡± His body snapped ramrod straight as and he offered her a salute with his spell rifle, before slinging the weapon and dismissing the troops. Everyone waited until he left the deck before heaving a sigh of relief. Morwen saw the tension level drop an octave in Rayshe¡¯s absence and wondered what she could do about that. His father sponsored their crew and vessel in name, but that didn¡¯t extend to flush financing. Blood from stone, that. She got the distinct impression that Rayshe was here as some kind of clout grab for the nobility dick measuring contests they frequently engaged in. She had to work around Rayshe and his obtuse personality for now. ¡°Stay close for now, Sergeant,¡± Morwen said to Sirsir who gave her an obedient nod and remained at her side. She knew he¡¯d have done so without being asked anyway, but she figured it was best to extend the request anyhow. She turned to face Akamori and the other two. ¡°Sergeant, please see that someone can escort the Artificer to some guest quarters.¡± ¡°Private Sala, you heard the Captain.¡± A massive soldier with red fur and jet black hair went to attention. She caught Sala¡¯s primal eyes, the yellow iris¡¯ rimmed by the red skin of his eyelids. When she¡¯d first met Sala, he had wild black hair, but he¡¯d cut it short so he could wear his spell armor more comfortably. His tail had taken a bit more work to get around, requiring an artificer to create a special set just for him. She endured a lot of ridicule for doting on the ¡°most expensive slave on Eryn¡±, but Sala was her charge. She would see to it they afforded him every chance to be the best soldier he could be. ¡°This way, please,¡± Sala said to the artificer in a soft voice. The artificer had leaned closer to hear him speak before nodding and then followed the primal out of the hangar deck, leaving just the red-haired nomad and his female counterpart. She studied them for a moment and realized why they looked so familiar. She felt a pang of sadness for all the poor souls lost in the attack, wishing there was something she could have done for them. These two Morwen would require for her success. Without a word, she went to work crafting the conscription spell. It was a unique shackling. It didn¡¯t bind one¡¯s soul as much as it marked them as Federation property. She executed the hand gestures and signed them with mind and soul runes, to mark the writ with her hand. This way, if anyone were to scry their souls and see the writ, it would bear Morwen¡¯s name along with the Federations. The spells darted silently into Akamori and Amara¡¯s chests. System Info: You have been soul shackled! Writ of Conscription. Your soul is bound to a three contract of service to the Federation by order of Captain Morwen enacting the Wartime Powers of Conscription Act. Hope you like Federation Service Uniforms (used, of course). This does not count as a standard binding and therefore is not cleansed by your Gold Seal. Akamori drew his blade, assuming a defensive stance. ¡°What did you just do to me?¡± he snarled. Amara did her best to calm him. Morwen understood the dynamic at play. She folded her arms behind her back. Striking the power pose again. ¡°I¡¯ve just marked you with the writ of conscription. You now belong to me, and by relation to the Federation. If you would seek to contest this conscription, you may file a protest with the Office of Personnel Affairs on Eryn when we return after our mission.¡± ¡°But not before, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± She assumed the red head was going to be trouble. She got the sense he didn¡¯t like to be told what to do. There was no mistaking that these two were from the prophecy she¡¯d received. She didn¡¯t know how or why these two mages were vital to her mission. Only that they were. She regretted having to resort to the Writ. While she was legally within her right to use it, there was still an underlying layer of scumminess to the ability to just enslave someone for war. Especially against his own desires. She¡¯d have to get Sirsir to break him of that, and fast if he was to be of any use by the time they carried out whatever save the day mission. It was that this prophecy expected of them. But it would be ideal if he saw and believed as she did. She suspected the massacre of his people would help convince him. She only needed to show him that what happened to his home was happening to countless others. His suffering was a shared pain. He didn¡¯t need to carry it alone. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Slowly, Akamori slid his blade back into his scabbard. His feet stayed shoulder width apart, poised like a viper still primed to strike. Morwen¡¯s brow lofted upwards. She got the impression he was a bundle of nerves. Always on the edge of a fight. But maybe he was just fiercely defensive of his personhood. Unfortunately for him then, that she had to deprive him of it. She needed him, and she couldn¡¯t risk anything to chance. Not when the future of the Sector was riding the outcome of their actions. Amara stepped forward, with a hand on Akamori¡¯s shoulder, to calm him, ¡°How long do these conscriptions last?¡± ¡°Three years is the average term of service, but they can be stretched longer if it¡¯s deemed that the writ is not being honored in good faith.¡± ¡°And who determines if that¡¯s the case?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Akamori scoffed, ¡°Wonderful. Not only does she enslave us, she gets to set the terms.¡± Morwen frowned. She hoped this would not have a negative impact on their performances. She¡¯d have to consider some way to smoothen this out in the future. ¡°I understand this may not be the most ideal outcome. But there is a war going on, as you¡¯re no doubt now aware. I need resources, and you¡¯re the best I can find on short notice. While this is legal, I appreciate it¡¯s not quite within the spirit of the law.¡± She had to at least verbally concede and acknowledge their misgivings if she wanted to win their trust. She understood that. It was a natural part of politics. Loathe as she was to admit it, right now she had to play the part. ¡°Fine. Guess I¡¯ve got no choice. For now.¡± Akamori folded his arms, and half turned his back. Morwen saw Sirsir¡¯s face go as red as the young air mage¡¯s hair, and Morwen stifled an amused smirk. The Sergeant was going to have a field day working this one into shape. But for now, the NCO behaved. Corporal Yasiin seemed to hold him back, whispering to him out of earshot. Good, Morwen mused. It was good to see her company gelling. Or at least parts of it. Rayshe needed addressing, but the enlisted corps seemed to progress well enough at least. What remained of it, at least? She was still upset with Rayshe¡¯s father for not funding replacements. What she had left now made little more than a squad, not a company. ¡°Agreed. Now then. I¡¯ve given you a moment to let the gravity sink in. From this moment forth, I am your commander. You are a soldier in the Federation, and we are at war. Is this clear?¡± ¡°Clear,¡± Akamori said. Morwen bit back the frown at the venom in his voice. She heard a hiss of air escape from Sirsir as he lost all ability to contain his bearing. She¡¯d effectively pulled the floodgates of restraint free for him. Yasiin quickly withdrew from his efforts to contain the man¡¯s ire. ¡°THAT IS SIR TO YOU, FUZZY!¡± Sirsir roared at Akamori. The big armored man wrapped a gorilla sized arm around the red-haired air nomad to aim his gaze at the Captain¡¯s rank on her tunic. ¡°Do you see the pair of gold diamonds on her collar? That means she¡¯s a godsdamned captain. Do you know what we call captains? SIR! We call them Sir. Now, so help me in the godsdamned five hells, if you address the Captain as anything other than Captain, Captain Morwen or Sir? I am going to crawl so far up your fourth point of contact, you¡¯ll have to open your mouth in a mirror to see me chew you out. AM I UNDERSTOOD?¡± ¡°SIR YES SIR!¡± Akamori shouted in response. Morwen bit back a chuckle as she about faced to return to the lift. That was a button. He¡¯d definitely pushed the button. She¡¯d let Sirsir have his fun with them. They¡¯d take time to whip into shape. In the meantime, she needed to tend to other duties. ¡°SIR? Do I look like a godsdamned Officer to you? No! I am a non-commissioned officer. Do you not see these finely crafted chevrons? They come in a trio. Not four because there¡¯s no such fucking thing, not two because I¡¯m not a godsdamned corporal, three. THREE. You will refer to me as Sergeant! Unlike officers, I work for a damned living.¡± He paused briefly to glance her way, ¡°Uh-No offense, sir.¡± She smiled and shook her head as she waited on the lift. ¡°None taken Sergeant. Carry on.¡± Sergeant Sirsir spun back on Akamori, ready to continue, but Akamori opened his mouth to speak, confusion etched on his features. ¡°Oh, you have a question, private?¡± Sirsir cooed. ¡°I do, Sergeant. If you¡¯re a sergeant, why is your name, Sirsir?¡± Sirsir¡¯s eyes narrowed to dangerously thin slits. He leaned so close that Akamori and he shared the same oxygen. They were nose to nose now. ¡°Are you trying to be funny, private?¡± ¡°No, Sergeant.¡± ¡°Good. Because I would hate to explain to the skipper why I just broke one of her newest tech warriors before he got his first uniform. Now, if we¡¯re done getting to know each other, follow me while I show you where you¡¯ll be bunking.¡± The quartet trotted off into the hanger deck towards the bay where the mage corps berthed. Morwen smiled proudly. Sirsir was a good soldier. Dedicated. She hoped she could make dedicated troops of Akamori and Amara. She suspected she was going to need that level of dedication if everyone¡¯s lives were counting on their actions. The only question was how to accomplish this? She entered the lift, chuckling softly at the way Sirsir¡¯s voice could carry through the entire ship over the day to day sounds like power tools working on marine¡¯s gear, and small arms going off at their firing ranges. Once the lift rose, she mulled over her other problem. Materiel. She might have the personnel she needed to prosecute a campaign against Ominek but she lacked for resources. Most of the non-magic weapons needed ammunition, the vehicles required fuel, food, potions, so on. She disliked how part of her job had become business manager, trying to solve problems no commander should have to face during a conflict of this type. But The Brotherhood lacked the knowledge, and The Federation lacked the fortitude to face the problem. Leaving Morwen smack in the middle, trying to save both sides with little but her own bare hands. She could probably pull a few favors from the artificer. Returning him to the Order after the attack on Hoshun should merit her some good will. But she doubted she¡¯d be able to finagle everything she required from them. If it were rations and potions, she¡¯d lack munitions and weapons. And vice versa. No, she would need to source multiple supply points. A yawn crept up her throat and past her lips slowly. She checked her chrono and realized it was time she get some sleep. But first she would need to chart a return course home first. She could use the travel time to plan how to approach the supply issue. The lift doors parted open, and she strolled onto the bridge, drawing in a slow, deep breath. Here she was supreme. She approached the controls of the ship and linked her energy with the ship. The shift in perspective was slow and clumsy. The Crasher was large and not built with the most advanced technology. A ship of Eryn¡¯s Line, it was not. But it was still her ship. She stroked the controls the way one might a pet. She positioned the ship to open a portal for the return journey, then pushed the magic to the ship, which translated the magic energies through specially crafted technologies to channel them into spells. Dark runes glowed on the console, and the system resolved the magic into a portal spell. She watched the small spiraling portal wink into existence, and then grow, billowing large enough to consume the entire ship. Once the vessel poured itself inside, the portal snapped shut behind them. She angled the ship and set the speed, then disconnected from the ship to set it in Shadow Mode. The external running lights deactivated, weapons, electronic, and magic warfare systems went down. The ship then auto cast an enveloping shield that reflected all emissions back internally, making the bubble of space it occupied appear as black and empty as the rest of the void in which it was traversing. Once the heading and speed were set, the engines disengaged, going cold as well. They had become the magic equivalency of a black hole in a magical landscape where any hint of magic might act as a beacon. A landscape where the locals would eager set upon them. Morwen had heard tell that the outcast Titans, former supreme beings of the galaxy, had been banished to the shadow plane they used to traverse the galaxy at FTL speeds. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was true or not, but she understood that even some myths held certain kernels of truth to them. It would explain why vessels that failed to go in dark never returned, and why no one ever truly felt comfortable here. You always felt as though something lurked at the edge of consciousness and that it was watching. Everything was prey here. But prey to what? Even former draconic gods foolish enough to challenge the Umbral realm disappeared to never return. Everyone, god and mortal alike, respected the power of the shadow plane and its unknown masters. Morwen patted the controls affectionally, ¡°See us through safely,¡± she cooed to the ship, and retired to sleep for the night. Putting off what she could deal with tomorrow to rest for now. Chapter 16: The Void Cadaver Crasher Bridge Morwen strode onto the bridge the following day, feeling slightly more rested. She found Lt. Rayshe manning the controls, even though engaging portals was a straightforward affair. Point the ship, open one up, and go to the end. Navigation was more an affair of timing your exit based on your desired exit point more than turns and course shifts. What few nav charts they possessed of the depths had come at the expense of many cartographers. Most of whom failed to return from the black. Rayshe snapped to attention, ¡°Sir. I was reviewing the system logs and noted that we¡¯d received a long distance spell missive just before entering the umbral realm.¡± ¡°Nature of the message?¡± Morwen requested in a clipped voice as Rayshe exited the command chair and gesturing for her to take the seat. She slid into the worn leather chair, the frame creaked a greeting under her body weight. It was as close to feeling at home as she could manage. Even Eryn lacked the same feeling as this old worn out command chair. ¡°Unknown, sir. I figured it was best to allow you to review it, since it had a command stamp on it.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow arched curiously. ¡°A message from Command? This should be good,¡± she mused dryly. Rayshe bristled at that. ¡°Sir, you should probably be less candid with your lack of approval of command.¡± She turned to Rayshe, noting it odd that she was being lectured about lack of approval from him, of all people. ¡°Why? Because your father is a member? Thank you for the recommendation Lt. I¡¯ll keep it under advisement. I have the bridge. If I were you, I¡¯d get some rest. I have a feeling we¡¯ve probably received our next hail marry mission.¡± Morwen was no stranger to the Federation lobbing her long shot assignments. Kofex, Tohruun, and even Hoshun. All worlds laid to waste by the Sauridius. She didn¡¯t understand why the Federation didn¡¯t deploy more forces and instead seemed to lean almost heavily on her ship and crew as a response force instead of facing the Sauridius threat head on. She couldn¡¯t keep trying to triage the problem. Eventually, they had to get out and get ahead of the problem if they ever expected to make it through. Lt. Rayshe excused himself off the bridge without replying to her comment, allowing her to settle in and summon the message spell on the primary screen. Her blood ran cold when she saw the face of the ArchPriest, looking concerned. ¡°Captain Morwen. The Federation command received a distress call from Hidros. Their orbital station came under siege by the Sauridius. The Brotherhood of Man forces have fallen back to the planet''s surface, but I suspect the Sauridius will hit the surface before long. I have ordered you to respond. See to what you need, then respond as swiftly as possible.¡± System Info: Stop the Sauridius invasion of Hidros Great. Gods forbid I get time to build my crew up and resupply first, she huffed. Morwen sighed and called up what the system library held for Hidros. A single orbital station to manage traffic and shipments to and from the planet. There was a local defense fleet of rather impressive numbers, considering Hidros¡¯ tactical value being less than what she felt it would warrant. Perhaps the Brotherhood took system security a bit more sternly than the Federation. What a welcome surprise that would be. She leaned back, tapping at her chin thoughtfully. This compounded her supply woes, but also presented her with some much needed weight for her asks. If she could point to a known attack as a reason for her haste, it might make the bargaining phase less painful. People dealt less viciously if it meant there might be rounds coming their way if you weren¡¯t able to stop a mutual threat. She had two viable sources of materiel. The Order of Aeryn, and the dwarven smiths in the Forge. She could get something out of the Order by returning one of their own to them as payment. Then she could barter something with the dwarves. She had several knowledge scrolls to start with. She fingered her bracelet idly. The gift from her father. It served as spell armor with a visual spell, camouflaging it to look like a regular gold bracelet. It was an elder piece, but would it be enough? The bracelet pulsed back to her. It too hoped to help however it could. She bowed her head in thanks. She knew it was cruel to trade a piece like this away so casually, but she knew the stakes, and so too did the armor, since it¡¯d been with her ever since she put it on. Summoning an illusion spell to project her a map of the sector, she scanned it thoughtfully. The Forge was deep in the opposite corner of the sector, though, and would take them past Xanofex Prime. She could take a brief detour there and expose her mage company to the wellspring there. With luck, she could equip them with void magic. The Federation usually frowned on to visit a wellspring unsanctioned, but this was a military operation. She could ask for forgiveness later rather than permission. After that, a stop to the Forge for supplies and rations. From there, she could then pick up the marines who¡¯d be reinforcing her company at Eryn when she returned the artificer they¡¯d rescued, and then travel to Hidros from there. Command wouldn¡¯t be happy about their tardiness, but she could pass the supply trips off as pre-planned, since they effectively were. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. That would only blunt their ire, however. She¡¯d have to pay for it somehow later, of that she was certain. Worse, she knew it would allow the Sauridius forces extra time to dig in on Hidros. She was certain that if she arrived without the personnel and resources she needed for the fight, that she would just be rushing to a premature defeat. Morwen prepared a portal to exit back to normal space. She would set the next jump vector and then put them enroute to Xanfex Prime soon. Once they committed to that path, they would cross a point of no return. In the empty obsidian expanse, a swirling portal blossomed open, showing a window to their native plane as the Crasher spilled through it in a cumbersome, slow fashion. Behind the ship, the portal snapped shut, like a door being slammed behind them. Lest they not invite anything from the void to pry them back in. Morwen had heard the legends and wasn¡¯t foolish enough to try her luck. She shivered with a sigh of relief once the ship settled to a stop in normal space. The Void always made her skin crawl. Like being trapped in a pen with a predator that was unaware of your presence, but you fully expected to devour you at the slightest provocation. That kind of vulnerability never sat well with her, but conventional FTL required use of the void for rapid sector transit by virtue of expedience. Sure enough, another spell missive pinged on the console. A follow up from Command urging her to travel to Hidros with haste. She quickly reviewed the message and tossed it aside. It crashed against another console, shattering into aether shards and dust before fading from sight. ¡°Like hell, I¡¯m rushing an entrenched enemy position with no intel, no weapons, no ammo, and a lack of personnel. I¡¯m no genius, but I¡¯m no fool either.¡± She gripped the ship''s controls, feeling it meld with her magically, a shallow gasp easing past her lips as her senses multiplied a thousand fold across the entire vessel. More than that, she didn¡¯t just see or hear as it did; she was the ship. Through her shared connection, she could guide the ship as naturally as she might her own body. Enchanted sensors embedded across the hull allowed her to feel the cold vacuum of space, see in the various spectra, and even control the ship¡¯s movement. The Crasher wasn¡¯t a top end fighter, so the input response had some delay. She did, however, have power. There was also supplemental intelligence. It wasn¡¯t sentient, but there was a base awareness present. She adjusted the ship''s pitch and yaw, placing it on a new vector and locking in the coordinates to plot a trip through the Void again. This time, their destination was Xanofex Prime. Once the imposing bulk of the craft was aimed at their new target, Morwen opened a new portal. The ship sounded the Black Alert, to let the crew know they were on the next leg of a series of jumps and to limit magic use until the void shields went back up. Alert klaxons sounded, and dark blue lights replaced normal run lights. She felt all non-essential systems powering down in the vessel as it ran dark in the Umbral realm. Once the protective ward was up, she rose. Her bridge watch was nearly done and Corporal Yasiin was due up soon. She¡¯d been slowly grooming him in use of the ship''s controls and its defensive assets since he was such a competent counter spell caster. She wanted to cultivate that skill, as she expected he would prove invaluable in the coming conflict against the Sauridius forces. He was the third and vital component of her prophecy¡¯s success. By the time the corporal marched up the gently sloping ramp onto the bridge, Morwen had been standing next to the command chair, waiting for him. She wanted to present the image that was expecting him. A commander in control meant a commander that could adapt to an ever-changing situation, and she saw the potential in Yasiin for much adaptation. He was flexible, inflexibly. Yasiin snapped off a crisp salute, and Morwen returned it before putting him at ease. ¡°The Chair, Corporal.¡± She said with a gesture for him to assume it. Yasiin bowed his head, taking his seat. He was a dark-skinned Nomad. They were famed for their ability to master both light and void magic, Counter Spell competency and enhancements. They were the ultimate support peoples. But because of this, they were also extremely sought after, with many being thrust into service against their will. Morwen was thankful that she hadn¡¯t been the one to conscript Yasiin. She wanted to assume that gave her a level of deference and respect, more than perhaps her situation with Akamori might have. Yasiin reached out slowly, gripping the unmoving gold control grips of the ship. There was no need for input, since the vessel linked directly to one''s soul and their magic. Something the Brotherhood studied and came up with no results, much to their frustration. Yasiin gasped for a moment as the ship and he became one entity. Then he glanced up at her, panting with a nod. ¡°I¡¯m linked.¡± Morwen nodded with a smile, ¡°Good. Now, we¡¯re in the void and en route, so there¡¯s not much you¡¯ll need to do. Monitor the sensor scans, and if you detect anything, report it directly to Sergeant Sirsir before acting.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Morwen nodded with a confident smile and patted his shoulders encouragingly. ¡°The ship is yours now, Corporal. Lt. Rayshe will be here at the end of your shift to relieve you.¡± And with that, Morwen returned to her chambers to do some digging through her sparse personal items to see if she could dig up anything else that might have barter value for their stop off at the Forge. As she strode into her room, she fought back the urge to shiver. She felt like her skin was crawling. She knew it was just her imagination, but it was difficult to keep at bay. That feeling that something unknowable was just beyond sight. Watching you. You couldn¡¯t see it, but it could see you. Some referred to them as denizens of the void. She¡¯d even spotted mentions of Titans. If that were true, something truly more powerful than even an elder god lurked here in the void. That meant she liked to keep as minimal a profile in the void as possible. Her fear melted away as her fingers found the aged leather spine of a book on her small shelf. She folded the book open and took a seat. The musty smell of aged paper greeted her. And before long, the book was her world. It was a small comfort, but an important one. She focused on the contents of the tome, intent on finding anything of value she could. Chapter 17: Welcome to Hell In Transit - The Void Plane The Cadaver Crasher ¡°WAKE UP FUZZIES! I wanna personally welcome you sorry zeros to hell. My hell. And I¡¯m the devil.¡± Sgt. Sirsir¡¯s voice bellowed through the mage bay. Akamori groaned in protest, wanting to tug his pillow over his head, but finding he lacked the strength to do it. The past few days of training blurred together in a smear of magical and physical exhaustion. The Sgt. called them fuzzies, because their uniforms lacked any rank on the fuzzy side of the velcro tape. That effectively meant they were next to nothing. Or as Sirsir liked to equate them; more worthless than zeros. Even Private Sala ranked above them, though the meek primal wasn¡¯t one to point it out. Akamori found he actually liked the quiet guy, even if he was standoffish. Slowly, Akamori pried himself from bed amidst the soreness of his body. His arms ached and his abdomen felt like a knot. He¡¯d done more pushups, situps and running than he ever thought was possible. He quickly understood why the Sgt. was such a big man. The Sgt. lacked any kind of imagination to do anything else with his time. Akamori got the distinct feeling this man filled every blank moment of his life with working out if allowed. Which made a certain sense, considering the size of weaponry the man typically hefted around. He¡¯d called it ¡°Big man shit¡± one time, saying that Akamori wouldn¡¯t know anything about it. He was right. Akamori stuffed his feet into his boots, lacing them up, and almost tying his finger into one of his boot knots, half asleep. He sighed, retying it, then rose and smoothening out his uniform. The supply issue was so bad they were recycling uniforms from previous soldiers. His fit, barely. His back and shoulders ached, but he was already noticing a change physically. His endurance was stretching further daily. The discipline was another thing all together. While he took the training, the military bearing clashed completely. But true to his word, the Sgt. did everything to whip him into shape. Reluctantly Akamori fell in line, if grudgingly. He¡¯d play their army games to make getting out of this outfit easier in the end. Assuming he lived that far. ¡°Yasiin, teach these fuzzies how to put their damn armor on.¡± ¡°Yes Sargeant.¡± Yasiin rose off his bunk and gestured for Akamori and Amara to join him. After getting dressed, the trio made their way to the armory. Yasiin pressed a mind sigil on the armor, and magic burst from the rune, coating the armor in pinkish purple mind magic, making it look like the surface of a soapy bubble. ¡°The rune technically transports the armor to the mind realm. It partially exists in two planes at once, in a phased state. Then you just step inside, and the spell completes like this.¡± Yasiin stepped into his armor, and the spell finished. The magic skin popped like a bubble and solidified around the dark-skinned corporal. ¡°Now you try,¡± the helmeted corporal said with a nod to them. Akamori found an unused armor suit and pressed the mind rune on the armor. The armor phased density, going ethereally translucent. He stepped inside it and it phased back solidly, conforming to him snugly. The helmet took getting used to at first. It was a little musty from a previous user. The soft tang of sweat stung at his nostrils. He sensed nothing from it, like he did from his sword. The Sgt. thundered in, wearing his massive assault armor, a heavy machine gun draped across his shoulder. The design echoed his own in many ways, just, well¡­ bigger. ¡°Alright Fuzzies. Today we¡¯re going to do some range practice. Akamori, you¡¯ve got air magic, and Amara, I understand you¡¯ve got access to air and mind magic. Fetch your rifles and get to the range. It¡¯s time we teach you how to be spell soldiers proper.¡± ¡°Rifles? Spell Soldiers?¡± Akamori asked, confused before adding a hasty ¡°er-Sergeant?¡± They weren¡¯t in a formal setting, so Sirsir was less stern. Thankfully. He swore he¡¯d find the stick that man had wedged up his ass and kick it loose someday. Maybe the big guy could sit down when it finally happened. Now that he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t actually recall Sgt. Sirsir actually sitting and that didn¡¯t feel like a coincidence. Sirsir paused, giving him an exhausted look. ¡°You know, I often forget how utterly worthless you two are. It can¡¯t be blamed completely on you since you¡¯re just a couple of country bumpkins from the ass end of the sector, though. Yes. Your spell rifles. Your Spell armor keeps all its items that aren¡¯t physically attached to it stored in its own micro void pocket. A unique enchantment provided care of the fine artificers of Aeryn, trademarked and copyrighted. Think of it like your own private pocket of space, as large as a storage tote. Your own hole in reality to dump whatever tools you need to carry. To access it, just use the armor''s tailored teleport spell while selecting the item and it¡¯ll materialize whatever you want. To store it, just perform the inverse. Got it?¡± Amara¡¯s spell rifle blinked into her hands with a puff of black smoke and violet motes of aether. She glanced up to the Sgt. with a nod. Akamori still didn¡¯t get it and the big sergeant huffed in annoyance, stomping over to him. ¡°In your heads up display, do you see the purple and black swirly icon next to your armor¡¯s damage status indicator?¡± Akamori blinked dumbly. That was a lot of jargon to digest, even if the bald non comm had tried to dumb it down for him. He went cross-eyed when the big man¡¯s armored finger poked his helmet¡¯s visor. ¡°The icon under my fingertip. Focus on that and the armor will activate your void storage access.¡± Akamori did so, and a followup prompt appeared. He selected the rifle from the list. Akamori¡¯s rifle followed a beat later, and he gave the Sgt. an awkward nod as well. The Sgt. hadn¡¯t answered his question about spell soldiers yet, though. ¡°What are spell soldiers?¡± Amara asked, giving Akamori an understanding look. That was a new term for them both. The Sgt. turned and sighed at Amara. ¡°Spell soldiers are basic mages. Y¡¯know those old goofy holo¡¯s the Brotherhood used to make about magic? The mages all using those little pointy sticks called wands? Think of your gear like a wand. It helps you cast. But some mages can cast magic using their hands, and others channel it through their body. There¡¯s more than one way to skin a wyrm when it comes to magic. Mostly just depends on who¡¯s doin¡¯ the castin.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I see¡­¡± Amara said. ¡°Good, now get your fuzzy asses on the firing line,¡± the Sgt. said. Sgt. Sirsir gestured to the chipped yellow line on the deck in front of a makeshift firing range behind a set of protective wards. The Sgt. stood at the line and waited for Amara and Akamori to take positions. Once they were on the line, he showed how to hold the rifle and then had them practice. Akamori felt adequately comfortable with it, even though he¡¯d never trained with a weapon like this. His comfort zone was fighting, since he¡¯d come from a long line of warriors. Amara had grown up a priestess. Theirs wasn¡¯t to fight, but to guide and lead. Weapons and direct combat were areas the priests and priestess received little focus, if any at all. But now she needed help, and it was his turn to help guide her. Akamori set his own rifle down and helped Amara with her grip, sliding the weapons buttstock more snugly into her shoulder so she could rest her cheek along the top. She gave him a thankful smile. ¡°That should help you aim better,¡± He said, nodding to her as he backed up to fetch his own weapon again. Amara gave him a thankful look before they both turned back to Sirsir. ¡°Alright Fuzzies. Now that you¡¯ve had some time to familiarize yourself with your rifles, I want you to take shots at the target now. They build the tech to do its thing, so there¡¯s no trick to it. Just pull the trigger and it¡¯ll do the rest.¡± Akamori aimed down the iron sights at the target roughly 10 meters down the bay. He pulled the trigger, and the weapon siphoned a small portion of his aether, converting into a concentrated bolt of compressed air. The act was effortless and remarkably easy now that he thought about it. What Kalenza struggled to teach him, he¡¯d just done without even thinking about it. He glanced up from his mental reverie to see if he¡¯d struck the target. To his dismay, he¡¯d missed by a large margin. ¡°Not bad for a first shot. But we¡¯ll talk your shot group in. Don¡¯t worry, fuzzies. By the end of this day, I¡¯ll have genuine marksmanship beaten into you yet!¡± That day Akamori learned that the Sgt. was a man of his word. They stayed at the range, firing air and dream bolts at the targets well beyond dinner chow. The Sgt. had said that if they wanted to eat, they¡¯d shoot accurately. It took a long time for them to get their shot groups tight enough for the big man¡¯s approval. Once they did, Sirsir cut them loose for the day and Akamori crashed to his rack in an exhausted heap. His body spent from aether depletion. ¡°You guys look like you just did your live fire training,¡± Yasiin said from his bunk. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°The Sgt. usually uses it to teach you about aether management and endurance at the same time. Basically, burning through your aetherpool is like running up a mountain. It takes everything from you, so spell use and pool management is important.¡± ¡°Odd. He didn¡¯t mention any of that,¡± Amara said from her bunk. Her hair spilled free of the knot she¡¯d tied, pulling Akamori¡¯s gaze longer than normal. ¡°Yeah. The Sgt. is a big fan on self-discovery. Some lessons don¡¯t stick with a lecture. Only through pain.¡± Akamori opened his mouth to reply, but paused. ¡°Huh. I guess he¡¯s kinda right.¡± He surmised that being a mage must mean capitalizing on a brute force alpha strike that your enemy couldn¡¯t counter. Protracted engagements wouldn¡¯t fare well for a mage with poor magical stamina. So knowing you could win meant tactical planning and being adaptable enough to roll with the changes. A skill he hoped he could cultivate in time to face the Sauridius. ¡°Hey Yasiin?¡± The dark-skinned Nomad glanced up from his spell rifle. It had a longer barrel than the standard rifle. A spell sniper rifle. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The Sgt. said something about spell soldiers earlier today and never got around to fully explaining it. What¡¯d he mean by that?¡± ¡°Ah. Right. There are a variety of different magic users. The most common ones fall into a few bigger categories. The first are Warriors like us. We cast our magic through a conversion. In our case? Technology. Magitech, to be precise. You still need your own latent magic, but the tech converts that aether into a spell so you don¡¯t have to know one. Makes the act of casting very quick. They usually enchant the Tech with the kinds of conversions it can execute, giving function to them. The spellship, for example, takes our magic and converts it into thrust, wards and shields, and offensive spells. If it helps, think of it like a big flying wand.¡± Akamori frowned. ¡°The sergeant made that reference.¡± Yasiin chuckled and waved dismissively. ¡°The next is Spell Warriors. Those are mages who cast spells with their bodies and usually rely on weapons.¡± ¡°Like my people¡­¡± Akamori said absently. Amara gave him a sympathetic look. ¡°Right. Then there is also Spell Weavers. These mages cast the magic directly by hand. They usually weave the runes or draw them and create elaborate and complicated spells. This can be extremely powerful magic, but it takes time to compose, and easy to interrupt. Weavers fight in the rear, where no one can interrupt them easily.¡± Amara glanced at her own hands and then to Akamori, ¡°I think I might be a weaver. The ritual for soul walking, it required elaborate hand gestures.¡± ¡°That checks out. More so if only certain people could make it work,¡± Yasiin said with a nod. ¡°There¡¯s also Artificers. They create and enchant objects with magic. Everything from Armor to weapons and ships. They handle a lot of the technology that mages use. Even the Brotherhood¡¯s magitech started out with roots to artificers from the Federation.¡± ¡°Spell soliders sound like they have an advantage with the hardware.¡± Yasiin shrugged. ¡°They can. If they¡¯re fighting inexperienced mages, then yeah. Most of this stuff is like training implements. Gets you used to casting. How it feels when aether is taken and converted into a spell. Once you¡¯re comfortable, you can then be evaluated and trained as a weaver or a warrior.¡± ¡°It sounds like there is a balance to it all. Spell soldiers are more capable than novice spell warriors or weavers. But capable weavers and warriors can eclipse what a spell soldier can do. Is that right?¡± ¡°Basically,¡± Yassin said. Akamori frowned, wondering why his people hadn¡¯t bothered training any spell soldiers. Eventually, he settled on the fact that maybe their tech had fallen into disrepair and it was easier to just keep trying to teach them as spell warriors. Or the occasional weaver. Before sleep threatened to overwhelm him, he glanced over at Yassin with one last question. ¡°Hey, the Sgt. said he had a special mission for us tomorrow. Any idea what that¡¯s about?¡± Pvt. Sala suddenly shrank smaller on his bunk, and Akamori worried at that. Like someone remembering abuse. Yasiin saw this and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s probably a detail you don¡¯t want chosen for. The Sgt. makes up some kind of excuse about needing supplies.¡± ¡°Which we never have,¡± Sala said softly. ¡°And he¡¯ll choose a new recruit to run through the marines to get it.¡± ¡°Blinker fluid,¡± Sala said. ¡°Blinker fluid,¡± Yasiin agreed. ¡°A. I don¡¯t see why that¡¯s so bad? And B. What is blinker fluid?¡± ¡°A. It¡¯s bad because the Marines and the mages are like oil and water. It doesn¡¯t help that Rayshe is an open asshole to them, and they die en masse when we mobilize. And B. blinker fluid doesn¡¯t exist, but it won¡¯t stop the marines from telling you to find it for them.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s hazing then,¡± Akamori said softly. ¡°Basically.¡± He gave Amara a worried look. He couldn¡¯t take the chance she¡¯d get picked. She was just a weaver. She was his friend. ¡°Tomorrow I want you to wait to head to chow until after me.¡± She gave him a solemn nod. ¡°Alright.¡± With that, he laid down to finally rest. Worried about what tomorrow would bring. Chapter 18: Milk Run Akamori woke up the following day feeling like he¡¯d slept for half a century. After getting himself presentable, he made his way towards morning chow. Or rather, he would have if the Sgt. hadn¡¯t been standing there waiting for him just in front of the doors. A slow, defeated sigh eased out of him and he deflated slightly. He knew deep down this would not be a good day. He halted at the sgt.¡¯s feet and snapped to attention. ¡°At ease, fuzzy. Your mission today is to fetch us some health potions from the supply storage. Do that, and you eat.¡± ¡°That simple? Just go fetch some potions and then I get chow?¡± ¡°That simple, Sergeant?¡± Sirsir said. His voice dripping with ire. Akamori fought the urge to roll his eyes. These guys were worse than his father¡¯s clan with the discipline and behavior. He amended his question for the Sgt¡¯s benefit, who then nodded approval grudgingly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s that simple. We¡¯ve got a mission of sorts, and we¡¯ll need those potions.¡± System Info: Quest Accepted. Milk Run. The Sergeant needs you to fetch some supplies for a mission coming up. Yasiin implied it¡¯s little more than a cover for some internal hazing, however. But you¡¯re a tough cookie. Good luck! He paused as the translucent missive hovered in his vision before he swiped it aside. ¡°A mission? In the void? I thought we were supposed to be running dark down here?¡± Sirsir gave him a reluctant nod. ¡°We are. I¡¯ll explain later. Get those potions, you eat and then we do the mission.¡± He recalled seeing how empty and poorly supplied the ship had been when they boarded it after leaving his home. The Captain had even mentioned it being a problem a few times. But the Sgt. wouldn¡¯t lie to him. Or at least that¡¯s what he wanted to think. The big non comm seemed like a simpleif honest guy. Simple and loud. Well, very loud, actually. This made him want to bring up the odds of not having the supplies. ¡°A question fuzzy?¡± Akamori, ¡°Yes, Sgt. I was just wondering, why request supplies we might not have?¡± Sirsir sighed, looking exasperated. ¡°Man, you fuzzies don¡¯t know shit, huh?¡± He said. A fact he loved to iterate often while spoon feeding them the barest of information. ¡°How can we know we don¡¯t have it if we don¡¯t do a proper inventory and check?¡± He leaned forward, clapping Akamori on the back as he redirected the crimson-haired man from the chow hall towards the opposite end of the bay at the supply section a hundred meters on the other side of the hangar section through the large cargo doors. It looked so far away to Akamori as he took the walk in with a put-upon sigh. Great. The situation just felt even worse as he started noticing all the sneers and scowls from the Brotherhood marines drilling and messing with their gear. He dropped his head to the ground as Sirsir shoved him off on his way. He started feeling like a cat surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves. ¡°Now go on and be a good little fuzzy and come back with my potions.¡± He noticed most of the marines glaring at him and felt the fight-or-flight need to slink along the bulkhead and out of direct view of the main through way. He stepped over the black and yellow tape markers on the decks, noting the workspaces for the tanks and armored troop carriers. He tiptoed along, trying to be quiet and unobtrusive. As he walked, he could hear occasional taunts from some marines chanting to him. ¡°Here fuzzie, fuzzie, fuzzie,¡± their voices laden with malice and drawing out the name. There was genuine menace in their eyes, and Akamori realized this was probably less about the potions and more about the hazing. He padded lightly around some mechanics under a four jet hover carrier when he accidentally kicked a wrench off a tool box. The sound it made as it clattered to the ground, and the way the sound seemed to bounce and echo off of every surface within the Crasher¡¯s hangar bay caused him to immediately freeze in place, teeth clenched. Oh boy¡­ Slowly, the mechanics wheeled themselves out from under the craft, as more marines began pooling in around him from every direction like a colony of ants converging on a hostile presence. He felt like a fish in a barrel. Frantically, he checked every direction and saw no possibility of escape. His shoulders sagged when he realized what was going to happen to him. He got the very real sense that resisting this was only going to make it worse. ¡°Well, well, well. Lookie here, boys. We¡¯ve got ourselves a lost little fuzzy.¡± A chorus of sneering followed the statement as the voice¡¯s owner slowly emerged through the wall of marines. He sported a gold bar, and his nametape read Fennex. He had one of the squarest jaws Akamori had ever seen. Platnium blond hair shorn close to the scalp in a crisp high, tight and piercing blue eyes that bored into him like a Hoshun brown eagle. ¡°You¡¯re a little off the beaten path there, mage. You lost?¡± Akamori held his hands up placatingly. ¡°Look guys. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. Why don¡¯t I just quietly slip out of this here mob, and you guys go back to drinking beer and banging your faces against your tanks?¡± System Info: Negotiation check Roll: Modifier: -1: 5, 1, 2 System Info: Negotiation Check results: Failed. Modifiers ¡°Bit of an Ass¡±. 1 success, 3 minimum requirement. +1 point of Luck. Well shit. Probabilities were a bitch. Fennex stepped forward, nearly looming over him. ¡°What makes you think we want to let you go? Fuzzy?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t really want to let me go, do you?¡± A defeated sigh eased past Akamori¡¯s lips. The sound of cracking knuckles heralded future pain, waiting to greet him. Fennex smirked, rolling his shoulders experimentally as he handed his beer to a junior enlisted. Focusing his full attention on Akamori he grinned. There was a lot of buried animosity bubbling up here. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Nope. Tell you what. Since you¡¯ve been such a good sport, and because you¡¯re so green, we¡¯ll take it easy on ya.¡± Akamori tensed up to prepare for the coming blows. He¡¯d take his beating so he could just move on with his day. Fennex advanced, rearing back to strike him. As the fist flew in for his jaw, though, something in Akamori sparked and he pivoted on his feet. He seized Fennex¡¯s outstretched arm by the wrist and torqued it so that Fennex flew over his shoulder. The Lt. slammed into the side of the armored hover carrier, then he drove a knee into Fennex¡¯s face, crushing his nose. ¡°Oh shit,¡± Akamori said in stunned shock. He¡¯d reacted so automatically it didn¡¯t even register until Fennex balled up in a heap. As the Lt. dragged himself together off the floor, the sinking pit of dread in Akamori¡¯s stomach widened to the size of a planetary body. Mistakes were definitely made. ¡°I regret my choices¡­¡± he muttered softly. ¡°Damn straight you do. Don¡¯t hold back boys. Teach this mage why our types don¡¯t mix.¡± Fists and feet came at him from every direction. The blows were too many to block, parry, or evade. Frozen spikes exploded in the back of his left knee as a wrench crashed into it, buckling his leg. Icy fire bloomed in his side as boots crashed into ribs. Fists slammed into his face, and he did his best to cover his head. An eye threated to swell shut. His skin turned bluish purple in several areas. They pummeled Akamori on the floor amidst a flurry of limbs that would have made his father blush if it weren¡¯t for the volume of bodies delivering them. The beating persisted until they¡¯d tired themselves out. Fennex wiped a small trickle of blood from his nose, then dismissed his marines. Akamori lay on the deck, bruised and bloodied. His hp hovered at 2. His vision was red and blurred at the edges. His HP Gauge flashed plaintively. Pain flared throughout his body in both dull aches and sharp pangs. Ok, so he was an asshole. He got that. But maybe there was something to this discipline and respect thing. Blasting their LT¡¯s face into their tank with his knee probably wasn¡¯t the best play. Note to self: Don¡¯t be such a dick. He also cursed all the damned training he went through with his father. Becoming near autonomic reflex got him the ass beating of a lifetime. But in the back of his head? He did kind of enjoy beating that prick. He hated bullies and making one bleed brought him a small measure of pleasure. A dick move, sure, but¡­ he had little to work with here. Slowly, he pressed himself up to his elbows, noting that the marines kept a wide berth away from him now. He felt like somehow this entire process was going backwards. He¡¯d have enjoyed avoiding them by a wide margin before the ass beating of a lifetime. He breathed shallowly as he stood up, his lungs burned with agony. Like he had a hedgehog stuck in his lungs. Akamori rose, using the side of the carrier to crawl upwards. Each movement was slow as a snail and shot daggers of ice through an ever present oppressively dull pain. His legs shook, and he saw black spots in his vision. He didn¡¯t dare look back towards the mage bay, but he was certain the Sgt. had been watching the whole thing. It was hard to miss the brotherhood company stomping a massive mudhole in his fourth point of contact. Limping the rest of the way, he finally reached the cargo section, and the quartermaster¡¯s office set up just in front of it. The supply sergeant glanced up at him from behind a desk. Then the man¡¯s graying eyebrow climbed curiously. ¡°The Medical bay is a deck up.¡± he said with an index finger pointing upwards. Akamori shook his head in the most motion economical way possible to avoid the piercing pain spike of movement. ¡°Sgt. Sirsir sent me to request a few health potions for a mission later.¡± Without placing the small spell tablet down, the man shook his head, not even offering to look at Akamori. ¡°Don¡¯t have any health potions. Dunno why he sent you for any, especially something in a spell like that.¡± ¡°Do you have anything I can take back?¡± A contemplative pause from the old man as he turned to review a rack. ¡°I suppose I can part with a few duplicate potions.¡± The supply sgt. placed a few orange bottles with cork stoppers on the counter. The bottles had ¡°CONJURATION¡± written on them. Then his gaze swept back over Akamori. ¡°Thanks,¡± Akamori said awkwardly. He reached out slowly to claim the bottles. Every nerve in his upper body protesting the action. He just wanted to be unconscious, so he didn¡¯t have to feel. In the past, he might have felt himself overcome with anger for the sergeant. But he just felt resignation. Fine. If that¡¯s how it had to be, then fine. He gave the supply sergeant a nod and wave as he turned to limp back. He didn¡¯t test his luck again and kept a wide berth around the Brotherhood marines, practically glueing his bruised and beaten form to the wall as he moved along. The marines studiously ignored his presence and focused purely on their hardware. They had sent the message. The marines and the mages mixed like water and oil. He got back to the mage bay and saw the Sgt. waiting for him with his massive arms crossed. The light glinted off of his bald head as he nodded to Akamori. Dark eyes narrowing as they studied Akamori intensely. ¡°Got my potions?¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Here, Sergeant.¡± Akamori produced the orange bottles and the burly sgt. took them and regarded his wounded private curiously. ¡°You look a little roughed up. Are you a little roughed up there fuzzy?¡± Had he not expected Akamori to be so composed? That just made him want to dig in more. He wasn¡¯t some backwater undisciplined hick. He was a Hoshun spell warrior. ¡°No Sgt. I just tripped and fell on a tool in the marine bay.¡± Sirsir leaned back to scrutinize him for a beat. ¡°Mmm. Tripped you say?¡± ¡°Yes, Sgt. It was a nasty fall. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Sirsir glanced over his shoulder, and Akamori turned to follow the gaze into the marine bay where they all glowered at him like hungry wolves. Fennex among them. This wasn¡¯t quite what he had in mind when he daydreamt of traveling the stars and having adventures. ¡°Make yourself some new friends?¡± Sirsir asked him. ¡°Yes Sgt. Lots.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the Sgt. cooed. ¡°Best get to know them well. They¡¯ll be dying for you someday.¡± That caught him unprepared, and he turned to face the Sgt. again. ¡°Say again, Sgt?¡± He winced and rubbed his swollen and bruised jaw. The Sgt. gave the Brotherhood marines another nod, but this one colored with an emotion that Akamori hadn¡¯t seen the big tech warrior wear yet. Pensiveness? Sadness? Respect? It was hard to tell. ¡°Those men out there? They don¡¯t have magic. They can¡¯t hear the aether. Can¡¯t use it like we do. All they have is thier non magitech. Some it¡¯s pretty impressive, but there¡¯s only so much a zero can do against magic and to it. That¡¯s why there¡¯s so many of them. Gotta offset the scales. For the Brotherhood, it¡¯s a game of attrition. Overwhelm the enemy with numbers and hope it¡¯s enough. For the brotherhood? This war is a meat grinder, and they know it.¡± Akamori blinked in shock from the one eye, not swollen enough to make it feel like he¡¯d just stabbed his face. ¡°An if that ain¡¯t enough, there¡¯re many officers in the Federation that don¡¯t value the Brotherhood as much as we should. They treat the zips like disposable pawns. Frankly, I¡¯m surprised the Federation hasn¡¯t unraveled yet as it is.¡± ¡°Kinda sounds like maybe it should.¡± Sirsir nodded quietly for a moment, his gaze still fixed down the bay at the Brotherhood marines as they worked on their tanks, armored personnel carriers and weapons. ¡°Maybe. But then who would stop the Sauridius?¡± Akamori had no answer to that. He¡¯d felt that threat first hand. Watched as it claimed his family and old life on Hoshun. It¡¯d happened to his world, and it would no doubt continue happening throughout the sector and beyond, if unchecked. ¡°I ain¡¯t saying shit¡¯s perfect here. But we serve a purpose. Without us, shit like what happened in your world would be everyone¡¯s story. Now then. You¡¯re looking a little rough. See Private Sala after you eat and then get suited up. We¡¯ve got a job.¡± Akamori nodded, noticing a look from the burly NCO. Something approaching respect? This was clearly some kind of shit test, and Akamori got the feeling he¡¯d passed. Personally, he would have preferred something a little less painful or life threatening. But the lesson sunk in. There was a divide between them and the marines. One that didn¡¯t sit well with him. If his lip wasn¡¯t swollen and bloodied, he might have chewed on it thoughtfully as he shuffled off. ¡°Understood, Sgt.¡± and dismissed himself. Chapter 19: Voidspawn Akamori, Amara, and Sgt. Sirsir stood in the Crasher''s airlock in their armor, fully sealed. Private Sala had been nice enough to heal the worst of Akamori¡¯s injuries. Meaning instead of feeling like the Brotherhood¡¯s tanks had run him over, he merely felt beaten up. The Sgt held a massive spell machinegun that looked a little different from the rest. Akamori had been inspecting the weapon, and the Sgt. caught the admiring gaze. ¡°Nice, ain¡¯t it? It got a bit of an upgrade when I visited the wellspring on Eryn.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t using that exhausting?¡± Amara said. The bulky Sgt. shrugged. The shoulder plates of his armor shifting slightly with the movement. ¡°Nah. With each wellspring it¡¯s visited, it¡¯s also picked up a reserve of its own magic. Those rifles you two are holding are just blank spell rifles. They ain¡¯t been infused by no magic yet. This heavy machine gun of mine touched both Air and Light magic. I can deal pain or health with it. And both it and I can pool our energies to last twice as long. Pretty handy, really. Maximum big man shit.¡± He wore that trademark self pleased grin. Akamori could even spot his teeth through the visor¡¯s tint. ¡°So exposing weapons to wellsprings can imbue them with better qualities, too?¡± ¡°Gods, you fuzzies. I swear I¡¯ma dump you off in the library for a whole damn day.¡± ¡°Sure wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­¡± Akamori muttered softly. ¡°Magic is just energy, yeah? And exposure to said energy can have a bonding effect. You either take on the magic itself or it imparts other qualities. Same applies to your gear. Your armor, rifle or blades can all take on magic as easily as you because it¡¯s just energy. I¡¯d wager that¡¯s why the Captain let ya keep that spell blade you brought. An air goddess¡¯ energy touched it. That aether can permeate and flow through and into anything. That¡¯s why it¡¯s virtually everywhere.¡± Akamori¡¯s brow crooked. He knew they had a mission, but this felt pertinent to ask. ¡°Then why don¡¯t the Brotherhood have mages?¡± Sirsir scoffed softly. ¡°Cuz they swore off magic when they took off to settle their own corner of the sector. But that¡¯s ancient history.¡± Akamori recoiled at the idea. Why would anyone swear off magic? That seemed like such an odd and arbitrary choice. He pocketed the questions for another time as the big sergeant turned to grip the airlock latch. ¡°Who the hell knows? Not me! Now. You fuzzies ready? We¡¯re about to go for a walk.¡± An unconscious fear immediately gripped Akamori, and he could tell by the way Amara had stiffened she wasn¡¯t terribly enthusiastic about the idea of stepping into the void, either. Something primal and ancient writhed deep within his soul. On an unconscious level, he knew what lay beyond the black. The feeling gave him goosebumps, even within the protective shell of his armor. ¡°Out there? But aren¡¯t we supposed to not use magic out there?¡± From everything Akamori understood, doing so would be very, well¡­ terrible. The Sergeant turned to grin at them through his faceplate on his helmet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The void shield we¡¯ve got up right now has a buffer area. It¡¯s about 3 meters away from the hull of the ship. Stick close to the ship and you¡¯ll stay inside the shield. And we¡¯ll attach these void tethers for safety. Think of ¡®em like gravity ropes. They¡¯ll anchor us down so the ship doesn¡¯t pull away from us and we fly off the hull. They should, in theory, prevent you from breaking the surface of the void shield, but no one¡¯s ever been brave enough to test it. Don¡¯t be that guy. For the love of the gods, please don¡¯t be that guy.¡± Unanimous nodding all around. Sirsir¡¯s hand tugged the airlock latch down. The light flashed red, and the air hissed away as the airlock depressurized and went dark before opening up. Sirsir connected his tether first, attaching a plug head with a dark rune on it to the hull. A violet rope of energy linked the Sergent to the hull. The process repeated with Amara and then Akamori. ¡°Alright, our objective is in the main gun.¡± ¡°Why the main gun?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Wait¡­ in the main gun?¡± Akamori said. ¡°Somethin¡¯s got it plugged up. We¡¯re gonna knock it loose.¡± Akamori gave Amara a concerned look. This sounded like a maintenance job, so why were they armed? Small jets of air puffed from the Sgt.¡¯s thrusters and the big man¡¯s body lifted away from the hull of the ship. He turned back to Akamori and Amara. ¡°Something?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°That¡¯s right. Something. We¡¯re gonna go find out what that is, and unseat its ass from our main gun. Alright, fall in. Just feed your armor a little energy, and it¡¯ll do the rest for ya.¡± A beat later, the two fuzzies floated up and behind the Sgt. They then moved for the main cannon of the ship. There was very little light to see the details of the ship and Akamori squinted, trying to see harder. ¡°It¡¯s so dark out here, I can barely see where I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Toggle on the night vision enhancement. Right side of your heads up display,¡± the sgt. said. He then followed with more indistinct muttering about how stupid and useless they were. Akamori willed the NVG system to activate, and the armor applied a small bit of stored fire magic to cast the spell. System Info: Spellarmor NVG system activated. Low Light Vision granted. Bonus +1 to Perception skill. The display in Akamori¡¯s helmet turned green and then resolved basic details, which improved an order of magnitude than it had been without. He sighed in relief and took in the Crasher¡¯s hull at such close range. He could see that they fixed the magic weapons¡¯ emplacements. The main gun was really just a long barrel that jutted out from the hull. Unlike the solid round point defense rail guns. They mounted those on swivel turrets. In their dormant state, they looked like praying mantis forelimbs folded up, waiting to snap out. ¡°Sgt. Why is the main cannon just a big barrel? How does it track its targets? Won¡¯t the spells just miss if we aren¡¯t pointed straight at the enemy target?¡± Sirsir shook his head as he traveled the length of the massive gun. ¡°Nah. The spells are like smart rounds in Brotherhood speak. They know their target. The barrel is a lot like your rifle or armor. You feed it the energy and intent, and it translates what to do with it and casts the spell. Or, well, projects it might be a better word. I dunno. Point is, it don¡¯t have to be aimed at your target for you to actually hit. The spell knows what it¡¯s supposed to do and acts.¡± The trio around the mouth of the mammoth barrel and Akamori noticed the interior of it lined with small tiles that had glowing runes on it. Amara squinted, and then her eye widened. ¡°Those are the runes of all the different magic aspects!¡± The sergeant nudged himself closer to the inside of the barrel, peering inside. Akamori drifted up next to the Noncom, his own armor puffing bursts of air to arrest his forward movement. Even with the night vision mode engaged on his helmet''s visor, his depth of view only went to about five to ten meters out before the darkness devoured all light. The faint glow of the runes even faded into the void. He felt like the pitch black was pressing in on him. He wasn¡¯t claustrophobic, but being out here made his skin crawl. He wanted to be anywhere but here right now. Amara glided up next to him, and she exchanged a look with him before they turned to the Sgt. ¡°So what now?¡± she asked with a nod into the barrel. ¡°Is that our mission?¡± The big man grunted, hefting his machine gun up. ¡°There¡¯s a blockage that needs cleared.¡± ¡°A blockage that needs shot?¡± Amara asked, confusion tinting her voice. Akamori just shrugged. He¡¯d learned not to question things and just go with it the hard way. The big sergeant turned back to look at them over his shoulder plate. ¡°In the void, not everything is as simple as it is outside. C¡¯mon. Stay behind me. You two will be clean up detail. Get what I don¡¯t put down. Stay calm. Remember, yer trainin¡¯ and the rest will sort itself out.¡± Before either could protest or question, the sergeant¡¯s armor boosted into the maw of the cannon. The thrusters on his back puffing occasionally to keep him oriented. Akamori watched the violet magic tether clipped to his armor¡¯s waist trail after him. He gave Amara a nod, then shouldered his rifle into what the Sgt. called a low ready stance, and floated after the big man a couple meters behind him. They drifted in cautiously, no faster than if they were moving on foot. Akamori assumed this was so they¡¯d have time to react instead of charging into whatever was lurking in the dark. They were half the length of the cannon¡¯s barrel when the sergeant held his fist up to halt their movement. Then he gestured ahead of him. Eyes up. Akamori searched ahead of them, but the darkness pressed in closer now that they were deeper in the cannon. He cursed the damned darkness. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The sergeant readied his heavy machine gun and opened fire, the big weapon belting out a flurry of light bolts into the darkness. His armor¡¯s optics automatically suppressed the flash of the pure light bolts down the cannon. The attack had two effects. The first being that everything he shot burned like he¡¯d shoved it into a fire. The second being that the passive light from his weapon fire helped add to the illumination even if it was flickering and had a strobe effect. Unfortunately, Akamori was pretty confident he¡¯d just wet himself. Thank gods for the armor to cover that up. He was pretty sure he preferred it better when he didn¡¯t know what was just in front of them. ¡°What the hells are those?¡± Amara gasped. ¡°Voidspawn. These are the little ones. Normally we¡¯d ignore them, but we don¡¯t want them damaging the runes in the cannon in case we actually need to use it.¡± Ahead of them sat a massive creature with an enormous circular mouth rimmed with fangs and teeth the size of machetes. The teeth flexed inward and outward, like the ebb and flow of the tide on a beach. Void magic radiated along its body, pulsing like blood. The creature had no eyes Akamori could identify. Clawed tentacles reached out that reminded him of the small cephalopods his people caught and fed on from the oceans back on Hoshun. Its slimy looking skin was black as the void, with no coloration and patterns. ¡°Leach!¡± Sgt. Sirsir shouted and directed his heavy machine gun fire into the leach¡¯s face. Akamori¡¯s armor cataloged and tagged the creature with an id putting releveant information up in his heads up optics. Creature: Voidspawn Leach HP: 14/20 Several of the clawed tentacles burst into flame and floated away from the main body as Sirsir continued to belt out heavy fire on the creature. Then Akamori noticed the smaller creatures clinging to it. Four long spiked legs and a large toothy maw with a long prehensile tongue. They jumped from the Leach and sprinted for the sergeant. Their legs glowing with void magic as they skittered along the concave surface of the barrel. Akamori snapped his rifle to his shoulder in response and fired off several rounds from his rifle. The near translucent air bolts shredding into the smaller hound like creatures as the big sergeant chuckled. Akamori regarded the man for a moment. Was he enjoying this? ¡°C¡¯mon you creepy sons of bitches! Daddy¡¯s got somethin¡¯ for ya! Get some big man shit!¡± Yep. He was definitely enjoying this. Amara did her best to take down the spike dogs, but Akamori was fast growing frustrated with the rifle and missing shots. He cursed and sent the weapon back into its storage, then drew his blade. The moment his hand contacted the hilt, it vibrated with eagerness. Recognition. It missed him, and more than that, it craved use. He knew all this instinctively, with no words being exchanged between them. He smirked, ¡°Good to see you, too. We¡¯ve got work to do.¡± ¡°Akamori, use one of those Duplicate potions,¡± the Sgt. ordered. He willed his armor to activate the potion and the orange fluid drained from the bottle into the armor, which channeled and cast the spell. On his left, a copy of himself materialized into view. ¡°Ok¡­ that¡¯s cool,¡± Akamori said softly. His twin gave him a thumb up, then gestured towards their opponents. He glanced up at the spiked hound like things. His father''s relentless training resonated in his mind. ¡°Akamori. Air is much like water. It thrives best when in motion. Fluid, but without mass. It always finds a way forward and never tolerates resistance. Always find your way forward. And never tolerate resistance.¡± The thrusters on their armor flared as they fed them more energy. He rushed slightly beyond the first hound as it was about to pounce on Sirsir and then brought his sword around. The blade hummed as air magic thrummed along it. Even through the void of space, the vibration resonating up his armored arms and into the helmet allowed him to hear the sword''s song. The magic launched itself, a thin stream of compressed air, and the creature''s head popped loose from its body soundlessly. Both the head and body tumbled by Amara, unbound by gravity as they continued towards the maw of the barrel. His twin fell on another spike dog, ramming the spell blade down into the creature¡¯s head. Ichor flowed from its toothy maw while it gnashed its teeth in a flailing death spasm until his twin twisted its blade. The creature jerked, then went limp. Its corpse tossed away as his twin yanked its blade free. Quickly twisting in place, he launched another diagonal slash, bisecting another beast and splashing the cannon wall with its entrails. A short boost and thrust of his blade saw Akamori feeding the last of the spike hounds his sword. Spike hounds? He nodded. Sure, sounded as good as any other name. Voidspawn felt too clinical and broad. He turned over his left shoulder to see the creature hurling more and more arms at the sergeant. He squinted at the inky, writhing darkness. Was it making more arms? The big noncom was frustrating its attempts to seize him, though. The machine gun chopped each arm to gory bits of blood and flesh under his blistering hail of light fire. Sirsir laughed all the while and continued to taunt the gigantic creature, but Akamori knew this would not be enough to finish it. They needed to deliver a decisive blow and soon or the sergeant would tire out. What would his father do? Kalenza was big on using his air blasts, yet the creature was large. It would take a considerable attack to knock this thing out of commission. There was such a technique, a spell so powerful they¡¯d nicknamed it the Dragon¡¯s Roar. Could Akamori do that here? Did he possess the strength? He felt an encouraging pulse from his blade. It was willing to try. He nodded with resolve and boosted himself to take a position up and next to the Sergeant. ¡°Private?¡± Sirsir questioned over his gunfire. Akamori didn¡¯t answer. He¡¯d need all of his concentration if he was going to pull this off. It occurred to him he was wearing a sealed helmet. There was every chance this might kill him. But if they didn¡¯t deal with the creature, that might still happen anyway. They couldn¡¯t just ignore this thing. He drew in a long deep breath, his chest distending as his stomach drew in close to his spine. He positioned his sword in front of him, and it thrummed with readiness. His twin rushed in and plunged his blade into the leach, pinning it in place. Here goes nothing¡­ Closing his eyes, he willed the faceplate on his armor to snap up, and he roared. He spent 2 points of AP, and sunk all the luck he¡¯d banked so far into the attack, taking his luck back to zero. He felt the magic stir and swell, and something else. It was beyond reach, but within him. System Info: New Ability Learned. Dragon¡¯s Roar: Variable Breath Weapon (learnable by humans) (Variable Breath Weapon) Dragon¡¯s Roar. Aetherpool base cost: 2, Range: 10 feet Cone, Damage: 10 , Attack Bonus: +7, Defense: Air Resistance. A conical blast of air slammed forward out of him. Even in the void of space, the volume of air he launched was so great that it created a micro-atmosphere inside the cannon. Both Amara and Sirsir could hear the roar. As the blast of air surged over his sword, it glowed white, bathed in the raw air magic. It pulsed, adding its own power to the attack and a brilliant blast of razor thin aether hurled itself into the leach, cleaving the beast in two cleanly. The duplicate twin evaporated into motes of aether as the spell wore off. Akamori¡¯s faceplate snapped down, and he gasped for air as he lazily floated backwards off axis until Amara stopped his spin and helped reorient him. The Sgt. drifted back to them and helped steady Akamori. He studied Akamori for a long moment. ¡°That attack just now, it almost looked like a Dragon¡¯s breath attack. Learn that move from back home?¡± ¡°Yeah. My father learned it from his. He told me they created it by studying how dragons breathed. I¡¯d never tried it before now,¡± he said. The Sgt. smirked approvingly. ¡°Well. Good job, then. C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get back inside. This damn place gives me the fuckin¡¯ heebie jeebies.¡± They each helped nudge Akamori back. On the way out of the cannon, Akamori felt something trickling from his nose and could taste the bitter metallic tinge of iron in his mouth. He didn¡¯t recall his father ever bleeding after using the attack. Maybe he¡¯d done it wrong? Amara noticed it first with a gasp. ¡°Gods, Akamori, your nose. You¡¯re bleeding.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t channel the air right. Cut my own lungs up,¡± he said in a raspy voice. He¡¯d be fine soon. He just need rest. He hoped. By the time the trio reached the airlock, he¡¯d passed out. His last thoughts were on his execution. Feeling the swell of magic pooling with and mixing with the air in his lungs. The rush as it poured out. The power. There was something deeper in those moments. Buried just beyond sense. It had resonated with the attack. More than that, it had helped him. What was it? Back in the barracks, Yasiin and Sala sat around Akamori and Amara. Yasiin finished wiping down his spell rifle and carefully placed it within his void bag. Akamori lay on his rack with his feet crossed, and Amara sat with her back against her locker. They all wore grins, a stark change over a few nights ago. ¡°Sarge says you guys went out and bagged a bunch of voidspawn in the main spellcannon?¡± Yasiin said. Amara snorted and pointed at Akamori. ¡°More like the sarge and him. I choked. Couldn¡¯t get a bead on any targets before him, or his duplicate was already chopping it up. And that¡¯s saying nothing about the terrifying storm the sarge created with that machine gun of his.¡± ¡°Duplicate?¡± Yasiin asked. ¡°Potion. I don¡¯t actually know the spell.¡± ¡°Ah. So that¡¯s what you brought back from supply. So voidspawn, eh?¡± Amara visibly shivered. ¡°I would give my other eye to never relive that again.¡± Akamori couldn¡¯t suppress his pleased grin. His throat was still sore, but a quick healing treatment from Sala had taken the brunt of the pain away. ¡°That duplicate was pretty handy.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better in some ways over an illusion because it copies the mass and aetherpool of the caster. Illusion magic just makes a non corporeal copy. Clones can actually attack. The draw back is that it consumes half your remaining AP when the spell finishes, so using it can be pretty costly.¡± Well, that definitely made it a double-edged sword. That explained the sudden onset of weariness he felt at the duplicate¡¯s conclusion, though. Akamori nodded. He¡¯d just learned something new. Again. That¡¯d been happening a lot in his time with the Federation¡¯s spell soldiers. This group of mages had shown him a lot in his short time with them. And while the training was probably different from his father¡¯s, he appreciated it all the same. He glanced over to Amara, a thought just hitting him. ¡°You know, you never worked with weapons back home. Maybe you should practice some of your hand weaving?¡± She pursed her lips thoughtfully. The doubt in her expression gave him a clue that she wasn¡¯t exactly buying the suggestion. ¡°I don¡¯t really know much that would help us in a fight unless I¡¯m trying to send our enemies on a soul walk. And our goddess is back home on Hoshun.¡± Amara bit her lip, thinking about the issue. ¡°I found the pistol more agreeable. Maybe I¡¯ll practice a bit with that.¡± Akamori smiled and gave her a thumb up. She returned the gesture. Sala strode back to them with a sweating can of beer in each hand. The two fuzzies gave him a confused look and Yasiin chuckled. ¡°You guys have come a long way since the day you first got on the ship. We thought you guys could use a little treat to celebrate. Good moments are rare in this line of work. If you don¡¯t take advantage of them as they come, well¡­ it can break a man. So drink up. Enjoy the victory, small as it may be. Because tomorrow we hit the Void well on Xanofex Prime.¡± ¡°That I can drink to,¡± Akamori said. Chapter 20: Xanofex part 1 System Info: Quest update: You¡¯re going to Xanofex Prime for void magic. Not exactly a top vacation spot in the Federation. Reasons why? Demons. Butt loads of angry and hyper-aggressive demons. But your CO has a plan to get in fast and get back out. But will it work? In the space near Xanofex Prime, a teleportation portal opened, disgorging the Cadaver Crasher into a near orbit of the moon. As the swirling violet and black energies collapsed, leaving the void behind it, the Crasher edged closer slowly. Xanofex Prime was a solitary celestial object. A bone white planetoid that resembled a large demonic skull with multiple asteroid rings circling it. An ominous black and purple glow flickered within the cranial cavity of the skull. The planet was notoriously cold, with no star to warm it. On the bridge, Morwen guided the vessel at a cautious pace. Coming to Xanofex was a dangerous affair. The demons were very territorial and extremely aggressive. The Crasher angled the drop bay over the desired landing zone and Morwen fed the drop pods the void magic necessary to conduct the drop. Orbital dropping troops in was a concept they¡¯d developed watching dragons dive a world from orbit. The technique was quite effective rapid insertions without alerting the enemy. But the demons? They always knew when you came to Xanofex Prime. Still, she would buy herself whatever precious few moments of advantage she could. ¡°May the lady watch over you.¡± She whispered in prayer to the spell screen. Willing her mage squad to survive the journey that usually claimed more lives than not. The demons lacked a reputation for their accommodating personalities and willingness to allow the Federation to pillage its magic as they pleased. Regardless, Morwen needed some of her squad empowered with battle magic. In the bowel of the ship Akamori stood on the blue barrier field watching the snow and dust covered planet loom beneath him. A loud thumping noise pulsed through the hull and into the walls of the drop tubes as he saw the others being deployed. Then a brilliant violet flash of dark energy and the sudden increase in reverse gravity propelled him to the surface like a magic rail gun slug. He let out a whoop of excitement as he hurtled down to the planet. To his surprise, there actually was an atmosphere on the planet, and it buffeted his armor. He fed it a small amount of air energy and his thrusters puffed several times, keeping his pitch, roll, and yaw steady as he plummeted towards the surface. The drop spell bled off as he got close enough to land. The ground rushed up to greet him; he pushed a greater pool of energy into the armor and the thrusters flared to life. His momentum canceled out, and he fell into a crouch. The classic superhero landing. That¡¯s what Sirsir called it. The others had already landed and were forming up. ¡°Let¡¯s double time. We don¡¯t want to be here when the Demons figure out where we touched down,¡± Sgt. Sirsir said. Lt. Rayshe took the center of the formation, with Sirsir at his side. Sala was on point, with Corporal Yasiin close behind, and Amara and Akamori brought up the rear. Everyone fed their armors enough of their various aspects of magic to fly, then rushed for the cave of Xanofex¡¯s mind. On the way in, a pair of demons dropped down from above the entrance, blocking the opening. They were easily three meters tall and packed with muscle. Dark lavender skin covered their bodies with large dark brownish black horns jutting from their heads that curved back forward like Ram¡¯s horns. They had black eyes that looked like shark eyes, void and lifeless. Their mouths were full of thin, pointed teeth as well. Spittle dripped from their lips as they curled, baring their teeth at the interloping mages. Both of them brandished massive crude axes fashioned from an off white material. Akamori¡¯s blade thrummed in his hand with eagerness for combat. He sprinted forward, using his air magic to push himself along faster. He fell in next to Sala, who was power sprinting ahead. Sala had no weapons because he was the weapon. Sala¡¯s skin rippled grey under his helmet visor, and his body glowed with a gold aura of light magic. It was a clever defense. Stone skin meant being virtually invulnerable and any damage he took would heal extremely quickly thanks to his healing aura. Strength and Stamina would also be limitless with the aura up. Akamori couldn¡¯t help but admire the spell warrior''s danger, even if he was a slave. Akamori whispered to his blade and felt the magic and the air vibrate along with the weapon. It strummed and sang like a tuning fork, and he flicked the weapon upwards in a diagonal slash. The blade flashed a pulse of energy and launched a blade of compressed air magic. The air slash caught the demon ahead of him square in the chest, but the attack only bit into its dense skin and muscles, leaving a bleeding furrow in its wake. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work like I expected,¡± Akamori complained. The Demon retaliated with a powerful chop of its axe down into the snow and dirt. Akamori skated around the attack nimbly, using air magic to power his thrusters, making him lighter and redirecting his movement to flow around the attack. Always move forward and find your path of least resistance. Rounding on the demon, it tugged at the axe buried into the white stone, but his own sword was already moving. The blade and axe clashed, sparks glittering in the air for a moment as it forced Akamori back. He darted forward, and used a burst of air to slip under the demon¡¯s strike, and brought his sword down, using his air blade to attack again. This time the attack passed clean through the demon, a sicking slipping sound issued from its stump as the head slid cleanly free of the body. Black ichor splashing into the snow as the severed head tumbled away. Landing in the snow next to the body, he sheathed the blade in its scabbard. Sala tackled the other demon head on and smashed his fists into its face again and again, not relenting until he¡¯d punched the demon''s face to mush. It flailed at the primal feebly until it lurched finally and then fell still. The limp body slid down the craggy rock wall next to the cave. As the rest of the squad filed into the cave, Akamori glanced over and gave the Primal a nod. Sala nodded back. Akamori made a mental note to never piss Sala off. Ever. Akamori clapped the panting primal on the shoulder and the golden aura faded as the rock skin spell dissipated and the two brought up the rear of the formation. Another cluster of demons fell on the squad from a different corner. Light bolts scorched the lead demon¡¯s skin before Akamori removed its head with his blade. He drew his slung spell rifle and ripped off a burst of level one bolts into its torso, staggering it. Sala punched its head into the wall, splattering it like a ripe gourd during harvest day. Amara fired off several mind spells at the demons, trying to slow or stagger them. Sirsir¡¯s heavy spell machine gun roared, forcing the demons to wade into enemy fire. ¡°Akamori, watch your back!¡± Yasiin called out. A ragged battle axe bit down into the back of his armor, buckling his knees and throwing him down violently. The demon holding said axe looked down at him, its mouth drooling slightly at the prospect of fresh meat. ¡°I always wondered what a ginger air mage would taste like.¡± The big brute crooned. ¡°Like wanderlust and whimsy with a pinch of rage. Trust me, stick with fat binders. Probably bit more up your alley.¡± Akamori shot back with a grunt. ¡°I will enjoy grinding the marrow from your bones and using it as soup stock.¡± the demon said. ¡°Graphic. And pass.¡± Akamori inhaled deeply, his chest distended and swelled like a balloon. He let out a roar that blasted the demon square in the face. The demon¡¯s ear drums popped even with their extra fortitude, and the air blast threw it from its feet and across the chamber. Sirsir laid down a layer of spell bolts on it, finishing it. ¡°Nice setup, private. But don¡¯t get cocky.¡± Sirsir said. Yasiin held a hand out for Akamori, helping him back to his feet. The two shared a nod, standing shoulder to shoulder as they laid down fire on the encroaching demonic lines. Akamori¡¯s attacks were less effective than Yasiin¡¯s or the others. He was understanding the need for their presence here more keenly than the others. These were tough foes. Without true destructive combat magic, there¡¯d be little hope of stopping them. Something pulsed within the mind of Xanofex that resonated within him like a beacon. It called out to him, to some dormant and buried part of him. The sensation was like having a limb that fell asleep wake slowly. All pins and needles. Curiously, the demons also fell back at the same time. Like someone had called off their attack. The squad regrouped, alert for a second surge. But none came. After a few long tense minutes of silence and inaction, Sirsir lowered his massive machine gun with a huff. ¡°Alright. Looks like we made the list. Let¡¯s get inside before the bouncers change their minds.¡± The squad pushed ahead a little further and finally found the opening to the magic. It roiled and rippled like a vibrating bowl of ink. But it seemed to move with a mind of its own. It overcame anyone peering too deeply into it with shivers and a feeling of being watched. Many superstitions flew around regarding void magic. Some said that it corrupted users into Voidspawn. Others said that it allowed Voidspawn control over you. Akamori wasn¡¯t sure where exactly the truth sat, but he knew if he wanted to help fight the power that destroyed his home, need more power himself. The mission was simple. Morwen needed to empower the squad with more magic before bringing them to fight the Sauridius forces again. And since The Forge was closest to Xanofex Prime, that offered them a chance at the void well where Xanofex¡¯s disembodied consciousness sat. Get in, get the magic, get out. Rayshe stood next to the swirling orb of violet and black aether, intending to be the last in after the lower ranked mages went first. Yasiin was the first in, but the Sgt pealed off to the side. The two light mages would struggle with the polar opposite aether. ¡°Someone¡¯s gotta hold this position. Go on in.¡± Sirsir said, as if to explain why he was stepping aside. Amara regarded the dark wellspring and wilted. ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± Akamori put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You stay here and back up the Sgt. then.¡± She regarded him for a moment, the light magic in her eye flashing an appreciation. Some elements didn¡¯t mesh well, and she was primarily of the light and air. Not of the darkness. He lacked the light, though, and saw no reason to say no to the wellspring¡¯s offering. Sheathing his blade, he took a calming breath and then advanced into the swirling orb. His entire body went cold as death as his vision faded to black. Chapter 21: Xanofex part 2 Akamori plummeted into a swirling void of energy. It bathed him, permeating his soul, and merged with him. It was cold and sent a shiver through him. He could feel the absence of warmth. The antithesis of Sala¡¯s golden aura. This was cold and foreboding, and it saturated his body. He breathed the energy in deeply, and it responded with eagerness. Pouring deep into the center of his essence. His veins turned violet and black, tracing him in dark lines that contrasted with his light skin easily. The roots of his hair darkened from red to black as the energy saturated his body and merged with his spirit. He was growing in power. Then all light faded. Akamori saw nothing but the black expanse of the void. No visible spectra existed. Then, just as suddenly, light and energy exploded into view of his consciousness. He knew intuitively that this was the creation of their reality. He also knew with certainty that he was present for this creation. That their reality was made for them by unfathomably powerful elder beings, and they created him for the sole purpose of changing this reality as needed. He knew their names somehow, and yet it slipped from his mind like water pouring out of his hand. He knew all things created eventually must be undone. That was his role, his purpose in reality. To unmake it. He was a Destroyer. No¡­ an agent of change. The first to touch this plane. His purpose was to return matter and energy and even souls back to the process. The cycle of life. He knew this, and more. He knew all. Time progressed at a sped up rate. Stars formed, and others died as they collapsed under their own mass. Millions and billions of years condensed into a span of moments. Worlds formed. Life developed. Ascended. Then collapsed. As civilizations hit their apex and fell into decline, he swept in to remove them, making room for others. The galaxy changed and shifted in this manner for eons. This somehow intrinsically made him feel lonely. He felt a presence with him. It was aware of him, but it did not address him. He felt a kinship with it, a familiarity he couldn¡¯t place. Like a sibling or long-time friend. He felt a resonance in himself. The presence was somber, and he detected anguish in the feelings. A reluctant acceptance. Arrayed before him were hordes of void dragons and undead. A great evil had consumed all life in the galaxy. Behind him remained the last vestiges of all civilized life that survived. A modest fleet of battered ships. He knew they would fall if he did nothing. But he also knew that acting would seal his doom. Faced with a damned choice and an inescapable destiny. Save all life and destroy the undead, and seal his own fate. The alternative was to watch callously as the undead snuffed out the remaining flame of life and continue his existence. It occurred to him in that moment that he was experiencing this moment as both himself and Xanofex. He pondered the ever changing multiverse of realities, and it fell neatly to two odds. The first being a galaxy of the undead, if completely unchecked, would consume. The fabric of the cycle broken because of energy that no longer returned to it. In the other, he saved the fleet, and gave his life in return for breaking the divine law. The other gods in the pantheon would pounce on him. His magic would be consumed, and eventually on down the line, the odds of Sauridius getting his retribution, though remote, remained possible. Xanofex would then have to put in place a contingency plan to ensure life would carry on in his stead. He placed his bets on that remote chance. It aligned most with his moral compass and it¡¯s what she would have wanted. He scoffed to himself, his lip curling into an amused smirk. So that was it then. He extended a hand, brilliant energies flaring in the enormous palm of his hand. Violet and black power pooled together, then mixed with red as he added fire to the mix. The energy swirled and roiled violently. Then, he fired the spell out, and swept his hand to the side. In his wake, the undead and void dragons were all erased from existence. Only swirling motes of matter and energy remained as evidence there had once been a civilization ending threat arrayed just before him. He turned behind him to watch as the refugee ships fled to opposite corners of space. His work finished, he allowed himself a moment to admire them. The tiny fires of life that burned within those vessels, defiant of the gods who would sit back idly and watch as they snuffed out the last lives in the galaxy. Not him, though. This war had cost much, up to and including his own existence. But it was worth it if this was how it had to be. Sure enough, reality warped in front of him, and the pantheon arrived. Grim expressions adorning their faces as they braced weapons for a battle. They came to fight him. To remove him from existence for violating the divine law of intervention for mortal benefit. It was sanctimonious bullshit since others were doing the same thing unpunished. But he knew that fighting them and removing even a single god would invariably tip the scales towards defeat well beyond his death. The best impact he could leave is to spare those would prove instrumental in ending this well after his own part resolved. Their part had yet to be played. So he spared them to do so. Accepting his fate openly. He cast away his sword, the Godslayer. He watched as the obsidian blade with its violet runes drifted away from him. It called to him, pleading for him not to make this choice. He gave it a sorrowful smile. Sometimes making the hard choices meant sacrificing the present to mortgage the future. They delivered a killing blow, and as his consciousness faded, the pantheon set upon his body, consuming it ravenously. His energies splitting up and becoming a part of the pantheon. Even the lesser creator gods took on enough destruction magic to become viable problems. Satisfied with his choices, he welcomed oblivion. His watch as a destroyer had ended finally. He realized that, for once, the first decision he¡¯d made of his own accord had been so powerful. He marveled at the sense of freedom he¡¯d felt in his choice. All to prevent the total collapse of existence. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He found himself back in the wellspring of energy. It continued to pour into him, swirling in and around him. As it did, though, an acute pain resonated throughout his body. The more he took on, the more it hurt. The magic continued growing more and more, and the more his power grew, the more tempting it was to remain. ¡°Wait! Before I go, I have questions!¡± ¡°There is no time for questions. For now. I am giving you the tools you¡¯ll need to succeed going forward.¡± A cold, sharp, piercing sensation punched into the very center of his soul, and he felt a shift. The seal on his back unlocked yet another small fragment. One more step closer. ¡°There. You are not yet whole, but you are closer than you were. There are still parts of you locked out of grasp, but I have at least lessened the Seal¡¯s grip on your soul.¡± Something pulsed, grabbing his attention. The blade. It was urgent with him. Perhaps it sensed his pain? The longer he remained here, the more the magic threatened to break him down, forever becoming a part of it. He was aware of how to leave the wellspring and pull himself in that direction. Eventually, he fell out of the wellspring, gasping and heaving. A dark violet aura ringed in void writhed around him for a moment before fading into the light. System Info: Infusion gained. Void Magic: +3 Aetherpool. +3 Void Resistance. You now have access to the cold expanse of the void. Gravity and disintegration magic at your fingertips. Just be careful where you point it, eh? System Info: Item gained. Void Crystal. As black as obsidian. It appears to drink in light around it. Cold, and yet familiar. This crystal belongs to you, and you alone. It pulses with a dark and cold magic native only to the void. Amara gasped and kneeled down to pick him up. ¡°Akamori, are you ok?¡± He gave her a weak nod. Her eye flashed white, pulsing its awareness of the dark magic that now stirred within his chest. Rising shakily, she helped steady him and squinted at him. His brow furrowed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just¡­ your eyes. They¡¯re darker than they used to be,¡± she frowned. He shrugged. ¡°Maybe just a side effect of the magic or something.¡± He glanced back at the swirling orb of energy. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± ¡°Just you so far,¡± Sirsir said. A moment later, Rayshe emerged wordlessly, though he looked like someone had walked across his grave. Sala was next, and Yasiin brought up the rear of the group. He looked at his hands ponderously, then to the others, and nodded. Sgt. Sirsir lugged his heavy machinegun up, ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, we should pull out before the Demons rally.¡± The squad gathered itself up, shaking off the magical sluggishness. After effects of saturation with aether, Akamori had heard his father talking about it once and called it languor. The magic saturation weakened the body as it struggled to adapt to the magic. Akamori likened it to feasting heavily. The body had to digest the magic and assimilate. The squad emerged from the cave in a tight wedge formation as it sprinted for the teleportation portal, waiting for them at the drop site. Akamori curiously noted that he could almost see the faint magic tether between the portal and the ship. The void magic link between the two portal ends. The magic resonated within him with a familiarity. As they neared the portal, the Sgt. posted up at the portal mouth and opened fire with the heavy machinegun laying down defensive fire for the squad to pour into the portal as the demonic army rumbled over the hillside. A billowing cloud of dust rose on the horizon at the approach. Akamori paused at the portal mouth, drawing his rifle from his personal portal pocket, and opened fire, this time feeding the rifle the dark magic he¡¯d just gained. Black bolts with violet cores launched from the muzzle into the demon hordes. Akamori frowned. His shots were having less effect than the Sgt¡¯s. Where the gold bolts burned and sizzled on the demons, his own black bolts were splashing against their thick skins and leaving behind only angry red marks. As the rest of the squad finished entering the portal, the Sgt. backed up to the portal, and nodded for Akamori to go first. Akamori dove into the portal and felt the cold of the dark magic wrap around him. Then, a moment later, he emerged from the opposite side of the portal in the Crasher¡¯s cargo bay. He kept his weapon trained on the portal¡¯s maw. A moment later, Sgt. Sirsir backed through, still firing into it. A beat later, a large black axe emerged with a lavender hand holding it. The portal winked off, severing the hand. It fell to the floor with a wet splat and a loud clash of metal as the blade bounced off the deck plate. Black ichor spilled out of the severed wrist. As soon as the Sgt. got accountability for everyone, he gave the Lt. a nod. Akamori noted he was looking a little less like he¡¯d just seen death up close. The Lt. sent a message spell to the captain on the bridge. ¡°All present and accounted for. We now have four void mages.¡± ¡°Excellent work, Lt. Casualties?¡± ¡°None, sir.¡± Morwen breathed out a sigh of relief. They could ill afford any casualties at this stage. Otherwise, they¡¯d risk losing the sector. Her gambit paid off, thankfully. This time. She doubted she could make that kind of risk repeatedly, though. ¡°Good. Report to the bridge and we¡¯ll make preparations to depart for the Forge.¡± The message spell canceled, and the fiery image of the captain¡¯s portrait extinguished into a few billowing embers that winked out. Lt. Rayshe sighed, ¡°Filthy dwarves,¡± he growled as he shoved his way through the squad for the ramp out of the bay. ¡°Someday he¡¯s gonna try to sit down, and that stick up his ass is gonna make him fall over.¡± Akamori said under his breath with a smirk. Amara giggled, but the two straightened out when they saw the Sgt. looming large next to them. ¡°Dismissed techs,¡± The Sgt. said. His voice dripped with warning, but the corner of his lip tugged ever so slightly upwards. Was that amusement on his face? Maybe there was an actual human under all those muscles after all. Chapter 22: The Arena pt.1 Wake up came at 0600 hundred on the Crasher as Sgt. Sirsir kicked Akamori¡¯s bunk and his loud voice boomed in the mage bay. ¡°Rise and shine, mages. It¡¯s another bright new day in the corps! Godsdamned, I love being a mage.¡± But since there was no star to centralize the Crasher¡¯s time around, the term day took on the figurative sense. Akamori groaned, trying to tug his blanket over his head for a moment as consciousness settled in and took root. He sighed when he was both too awake to get anymore rest, and aware of the fact that Sirsir was specifically watching his bunk. He threw the blanket off and sat up, rubbing his long crimson hair and brushing it from his face. The black roots were going to take getting used to thanks to his infusion of void magic. Even his eyes were darker, according to Amara. He glanced over and saw Amara sitting up in her own rack, along with Yasiin and Sala. Since there were so few mages, and so many empty beds in the bay, everyone had taken to using the empty beds as horizontal lockers. Armor, weapons, and few personal effects lay spread out around each mage. Tethered down by void magic, generating enough gravity to offset sudden changes in the ship, to prevent everyone''s gear being hurtled by weapon impacts or collisions. Kicking his feet off the bed, Akamori bent down to tie his boots up as he cleared the cobwebs of sleep from his mind. Lately, his dreams had taken on ethereal battles by gods from long ago, ever since he touched Xanofex¡¯s mind. They were more like nightmarish memories. A spreading, creeping darkness that felt cold, like death spread across the galaxy. It unsettled him, the way the shadows always seemed to watch him. Maybe he was just growing uncomfortable because of how much time they¡¯d spent in the shadows traversing from Hoshun to Xanofex and now to the Forge. He rubbed his arms after his skin sprouted goosebumps. Amara gave him a welcoming smile as she rose and stretched out like a cat. Her eye glowed with air magic this morning, and the air energy in his own body pulsed in response. As the junior enlisted mages made their way to the mess hall, the Brotherhood marines were just finishing up, giving them conspiratorial glances before emptying their trays and hustling out. Akamori paused, causing the rest to bump into his back. He turned back to Yasiin. ¡°What was that all about? They just dumped their trays out and bailed out as we came in like we were plague ridden.¡± Yasiin frowned. ¡°Try not to take it personally. The Brotherhood¡¯s all very distrusting of magic and mages. To add to the divisiveness, Lt. Rayshe has chased them out of the mess hall on multiple occasions. He says their kind have no business mixing with our own. He¡¯s even emptied the mess hall of their officers for Sala.¡± The primal nodded, his expression bordering a focused glare. ¡°And I¡¯m just a primal.¡± The last comment made him flinch. Talk about being beaten down and conditioned. There was a lot of that going around here. It was enough to make him grit his teeth. Akamori turned to Yasiin for clarification. ¡°He means he¡¯s little more than a glorified war slave. The Brotherhood feel like they are less than Sala, despite their accomplishments and sacrifices.¡± Yasiin frowned. ¡°How has this Federation not collapsed yet? You¡¯re all a bunch of assholes to each other,¡± Akamori said. He couldn¡¯t hide his disgusted scowl and shook his head as he made his way in to scoop portions of food onto a tray. The squad sat down and set about their meals. It wasn¡¯t breaking records for taste, that was certain. Yet, the chow was growing on him in its own way. Sirsir gave them time to get a long meal because he wanted them fueled and ready. ¡°It ain¡¯t perfect,¡± the sergeant admitted. He chewed his food thoughtfully. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen what letting the Sauridius run around without someone to check their sorry asses will do to the sector.¡± System Info: Welcome to the Arena. Home of competitive spell warfare in a controlled environment. Arena battling is one of the oldest magic traditions around. It¡¯s also one of the most dangerous. Don¡¯t screw it up too badly! Akamori sourly closed the system missive with a dismissive wave. Curiously, he opened his personal information. Today was mage combative training. Akamori and Sala would be sparring. A full on magic fight, no holds barred. The squad ate quietly, and Akamori noticed Sala didn¡¯t look up from his tray. Yasiin looked out for the Primal. He figured it was probably that same sort of connection he shared with Amara. Once they finished their meals and set their trays down on the reclamation racks, they proceeded to the bay where the Arena was. The Arena earned its nickname because it was an especially shielded cage that prevented spells from escaping. Akamori didn¡¯t need divine sight to see the spiraling translucent golden runes slowly swimming around the shield. He saw the Sgt. standing near a small golden rod with a blue gemstone that pulsed the runes out. He gestured for Sala and Akamori to step into the five by five meter arena when they were ready. The space they were using was one of the older bays of the Crasher, repurposed for mage training. Silver deck plating that was marked off with scuffed and chipping yellow and black lines. The ceiling above the arena sported uniform, rectangular fluorescent lights. The air inside the arena smelled of burned ozone and magical residue. They fired a large amount of spells off in here, Akamori thought to himself. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Akamori donned his armor and drew his sword. Sala stayed out of his armor, instead activating his stone skin and golden aura spell. Based on his basic knowledge of casting, that meant Sala was committing a portion of his available aetherpool to maintaining the spell effects. That meant an overall reduction in his available energy to cast. The warrior slave ahead of him rolled his head on a massive neck, pebbles, and dust sprinkling down as the stone skin cracked and ground with the movement. He was twice Akamori¡¯s size, just as if not faster, and twice as strong. But all that size and strength would come at a cost to his agility. No way he was that huge and turning on a dime, or dancing on a toe. That meant, while powerful, his attacks would be predictable. Akamori was not without his own power, now that he¡¯d consumed the void magic from the wellspring on Xanofex¡¯s mind. It was possible for him to harness second level spells now. His experience in the void had also altered him on a fundamental level. He put more thought into his future actions. His father would call that long game thinking. Sala may have had him beat for mass and power, Akamori knew he could move twice, if not three times, as fast if required. He could also fly now using either void or air magic. He knew that the two¡¯s power sets were polar opposite. That meant they would settle this in a few very decisive shots. But could he break Sala¡¯s defense? Somehow, he thought he¡¯d need his sharper intellect to think around the brute¡¯s raw power. ¡°Hey uh, Sala¡­ hope we have a good fight, eh?¡± The brute simply nodded and huffed. Gouts of light energy puffed from his nostrils. The Sgt. had them assume an opposite corner before beginning. He spent two of his own aetherpool to manifest his air sheathe on his sword. He watched two dots in his bar of 17 in the corner of his HUD go opaque, meaning they¡¯d been spent but not entirely consumed since it was a held spell. He didn¡¯t enjoy limiting his own pool, but it was less of a sunk cost than Sala¡¯s two spells. He had a feeling he was going to need any little edge he could get against those defenses. A second look at Sala and he figured he¡¯d try the same trick with void energy, too. Two more Aetherpool points used. Aetherpool Total: 17 Aetherpool Available: 13 Akamori lifted his blade to his mouth and whispered a silent prayer of air and darkness to his blade. The silver air magic and the violet dark magic swam along the blade. The sword thrummed with power. It was as ready as he could make it. Sala simply remained still, his combination of spells doing all the prep work for the war slave as needed. Sirsir lifted his hand. Ready. Then dropped it. Go! Sala charged, his feet thundering against the gunmetal grey deck plating. He pumped his massive arms for extra momentum as he rushed in on Akamori like a runaway rock in a landslide. Akamori wasn¡¯t sure how, but a fist as big as a tire rushed in at him. Sala had somehow increased his mass. A soft gust of air nudged Akamori¡¯s armor out of the way evasively, and the red-haired air mage spun on the current gracefully around Sala. Sala responded with a broad back handed sweep. Akamori ducked under the blow. He could feel his hair teasing along the war slave''s arm as he flowed under the strike. Sala threw another jab that slammed into the deck plate. Akamori hopped back to dodge the strike, small bits of stone breaking off of Sala¡¯s fist and ricocheting off Akamori¡¯s armor. The deck plating dented downward, and Akamori gulped. He felt the stinging bite of the pebbles pinging off the armor¡¯s skin. Landing on top of the stone arm, Akamori raced up it and delivered a kick into Sala¡¯s face. Even with the mythril steel of the armor, he could feel the refusal to give of Sala¡¯s stone skin. It sent throbbing, dull pain radiating outward from his foot that threatened to creep up his shin. Landing on his good leg behind Sala, he spun to face the stone skinned primal as it whirled about on him. Small beady yellow eyes glared down at him as the stone''s lips pulled back in a scowl. Akamori got the distinct impression he was in danger. Sala took a fresh approach now, hurling several golden spell bolts at him. Akamori responded by using just enough air magic to vault into the air and twist himself over and around the attacks. One of them glided just a little too close to his body and heated the armor a few shades as the golden missiles crashed into the containment shield. The shield discolored but then stabilized, drawing on more energy from the Sgt. HP Total: 35 Current HP: 31 His HP gauge flashed in complaint. The double damage against the opposite aspect just now sinking in. He¡¯d initially discounted that bolt spell salvo. But it was hard to argue the results. 4 damage for 1 aetherpoint? It was time to go on the offensive. He just hoped this would work. He used his air magic to propel himself upwards, then used his shadow magic to propel himself forwards. Violet energy billowed out of his armored thruster vents as he surged forward. He ducked around another of Sala¡¯s attacks and brought his blade down onto Sala¡¯s body. The blade, bathed in the dark energy, slammed into Sala¡¯s Radiant Auara and Stoneskin defenses. The two combined blunted his spell damage, almost negating it completely, but the sword still bit down. Sala¡¯s Hp dipped from 35 to 25. Tit for tat. Sala howled in pain as Akamori wrenched the blade free, using air magic to push his arms, and then rapidly chopped at the Primal. A flash of blinding golden light appeared in his face, and Akamori juked to avoid another golden missile attack. Only to be greeted by another massive fist that caught him square in the torso and sent him hurtling to the shield wall. HP Total: 35 Current HP: 25 The shields'' runes flashed as the color sagged from radiant gold to a muted white before returning. Akamori¡¯s armor lit up its damage indicator near the chest to reflect the damage in the heads up display. The wounds in the stone skin were already healing. Akamori could see as much through the spots in his vision, and he swayed drunkenly. Outside the shield, it looked like Yasiin, Amara, Lt. Rayshe, and a few of the Brotherhood had gathered to watch. Rayshe tolerated their presence for the sake of watching the fight. The one sign of solidarity they got. Though Akamori thought it was more just because Rayshe hated the thought of having a backwoods air nomad on his ship and relished the fight. Akamori peeled himself up off the floor and would have wiped his face, but his helmet prevented that. He struggled to his feet, fighting the sway and maintaining his stability. His face plate peeled apart, folding itself up into smaller pieces neatly at the top and sides of his helmet. Blood trickled from his nose, and something animal-like in Sala flashed in the war slave''s eyes. Akamori noticed the sudden shift in body posture in Sirsir and Yasiin. Concern etched their features. He lacked a hard enough hitting spell to punch through the primal''s defenses, and Sala knew it. The war slave closed in to continue Akamori''s lesson in pain. To be continued... Chapter 22: The Arena pt.2 ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Roar is a powerful spell, a move meant to be used when you¡¯re left with no further ground to fall back to and you must repulse your enemy¡¯s attack. Its power depends purely on you. On your ability to channel the power, and direct it at your target.¡± The Dragon¡¯s Roar wouldn¡¯t work well against Sala because of his magical resistance. Not as it was. He needed to juice it up somehow, to amplify it with more magic. He could add more points to increase its range, but he was thinking of something different. He focused on the pool of magic in his chest. Air and Void swam together in a pool. His father¡¯s words echoed in his mind. Akamori closed his eyes to take a deep breath. He was at the apex of the breath, when he felt the thunder of rapidly approaching footsteps. Sala crossed the expanse of the Arena in a near heart beat. A massive hand gripped his leg, and Akamori lost all sensation of gravity as the world swam around him in chaos until he slammed into the deck. He crashed down again and again. Each time he did, the armor pinged a warning to his consciousness as the damage mounted. When it reached its peak, the armor retracted fully, folding and telescoping back into a forearm bracer. He now lacked external protection, and Amara was struggling with the Sergeant to end the match. Pain and black spots surged into his vision when he crashed onto the deck plates again. Total HP: 35 Current HP: 18 Total AP: 17 Current AP: 11 Something deep within him stirred. It responded to the danger. It answered with power. He felt something shift, like a cracked door letting light spill into a dark room. He let that light shine and flow, that energy filled him up, swirling around within his body. Another fist crashed down to smash him, but his own hand snapped up to stop it firmly. Everyone stopped as confusion set in. Akamori slowly got to his feet as violet and silver energy swirled within his eyes as the golden super human strength seal on his back flickered wildly, the way a light did when its power source became erratic. Sala threw another haymaker, and Akamori nimbly dodged the attack as the air sensed his need and responded, lending him grace and speed. It billowed his hair and his uniform jacket floated in a half shredded cover around his waist. Violet dark energy covered his hands as he punched into the stone skin of Sala in quick rabbit strikes to throw the beast off. Sala¡¯s golden aura blunted the dark energy encased attacks, but the speed and power forced even the Primal to back peddle wearily. Sala¡¯s hp dropped from 25 to 21. The resistance on that radiant aura was pulling its work load. Akamori advanced slowly and calmly. Sala roared and advanced. A flurry of blows that Akamori moved through and around in a blur of motion. He held a hand open at his side, a wild ball of air spinning faster and faster, like a tornado or hurricane forming. The air ball darkened angrily until the micro storm turning into the raw plasma of lightning. Sala hurled another fist at Akamori who nimbly sidestepped it until delivering a final decisive strike, thrusting his palm forward and firing a bolt of wild lightening that throttled Sala across the Arena and shattered the light shield encasing the arena. The stone beast smashed into the bulkhead, leaving a sizable dent. Sala¡¯s Hp dipped to 14. A grunt and Sala rose to his feet and Akamori watched silently. The polar opposite to Sala¡¯s raging howls. The stone skinned people smasher marched right at Akamori, winding up for a brutal uppercut. Sala¡¯s name turned red, and his body picked up mass. He was getting bigger. That could be a problem. First things first. He slid around the uppercut, dancing on an air current he was channeling. He moved to bring his spell blade down for an attack, but caught a massive foot to the chest. Total HP: 35 Current HP: 11 Total AP: 17 Current AP: 11 Landing on and rolling off his back, Akamori swayed on his feet. He tried to ride that impact as much as he could. The cold crushing pain radiating in his chest showed he wasn¡¯t quite free on that number. Had that blow been real, he was certain half his rib cage would be caved in. Score one for fake digital pain, he supposed. Sala planted his feet and started charging up a bolt spell. He wasn¡¯t sure what, but it devoured the last of Sala¡¯s AP. Had he been in the open, he might have tried a combination of evading the attack and what it might do to protect him, just in case. He didn¡¯t know what the primal was priming, but he was pretty certain he had no interest in finding out how it felt. He was in motion before the attack finished charging. The concentrated beam of raw golden light slammed into the runes of the ward, sealing them in, discoloring and fading significantly. Light aether was raw power. A fact made self evident that even a grazing hit had reduced him down to no HP. He coughed up a bit of blood and studied it on his hand for a moment curiously. His vision swam, and he was sure he was about to pass out. HP Total: 35 Current HP: 0 * System Info: Alert This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. HP Total: 35 Current HP: 35 Then it happened. The super human strength seal on his back shattered. A sensation like chains holding him down deep within slackened. Unbound raw aether exploded from him. Lightning bolts and a menacing void aura spilled out of him. The Arena¡¯s alarms complained as the protective wards weakened and failed next to him. His long, red mane thrashed violently. Broken Seal effect triggered. Max HP restored. 120 sec Invul. All stats doubled The raging primal stacked against the unbound Akamori. The next hit would settle the match. A fact they both understood. Sala had no more AP left to use after his light beam. Akamori could hurl spells until they got to the Forge in his current state. Sala growled angrily and rushed at full speed. Hurling his massive bulk and strength, his blows crashed into Akamori¡¯s rejuvenated body. The rush and thrill of power. He recognized this feeling. It was like being inside Xanofex¡¯s mind. Or speaking with Anazzi¡¯s daughter. He felt like a god. Or maybe a demi-god might be more accurate. He had temporary power, but it matched nothing close to what he felt like he could tap into inside Xanofex¡¯s mind. He flexed his hands a few times, studying them, almost forgetting Sala¡¯s punches that crashed into his body ineffectually. Outside the arena, everyone stared in raw confusion. Some thought it was some kind of secret potion. No one understood. Even Amara, who could more keenly see what was happening with her all-seeing eye spell nicknamed the maitreyops on Hoshun, wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. It was like someone had placed an Akamori shaped cutout and placed it in the center of a god¡¯s aether. ¡°Is this what the seal contained?¡± she mused quietly. It both struck her with awe and left her secretly terrified. ¡°What¡­ the fu-¡± Sirsir started before Sala¡¯s massive fists drowned his words out, crashing into Akamori¡¯s body. Akamori for his part, appeared nonplussed about the affair. He looked more like a toddler trying to make sense of his surroundings. Was he even still in there? As if to answer the question, Akamori¡¯s hand snapped up to halt a punch. He held the massive fist for a moment, his head tilting curiously at Sala before shoving the brute away with an open palm. Sala crashed against the deck in a spray of sparks and gravel. Squaring his feet, Akamori inhaled deeply. He sunk 10 AP into his next attack. The Dragon¡¯s Roar. Aether writhed around him wildly, snapping and crackling. The deck plating around him heated and glowed. Slowly, Akamori drew in an extended and deep breath. His chest distended outwards. Everyone in the stands shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the buildup to the attack. They¡¯d all seen enough dragons doing this. Akamori let loose the spell. An ear-shattering roar spilled out of his throat with all the gale force air magic he¡¯d charged up mixed with void magic. Silver and violet energies crashed into Sala peeling away his radiant aura and stone skin and slamming him into the back wall of the protective ward. His body thrashed for a moment before succumbing to unconsciousness. After Sala fell over, the Broken Seal effects wore off, and everything went black for Akamori momentarily. System Info: Broken Seal expired. Stunned. All stats halved for 10 minutes. After a bit, he felt himself shaking and heard distant voices. ¡°Ugh. Did I lose that bad?¡± Amara shook her head, giving the Sgt. a concerned look who could only shrug as he struggled to contain his surprise. ¡°No¡­¡± She stepped out of the way and gestured to Sala¡¯s crumpled form on the deck as Yasiin was trotting over to look at him. ¡°You struck him clean out of the arena. Akamori, what happened just now?¡± He opened his mouth to talk about it and his brows furrowed when no words came. He couldn¡¯t explain the ability. Was there a barrier between what he could convey in character? The borderline look of concern and fear in her expression sent a chill up his spine. He didn¡¯t know. One moment, Sala was smashing him into the floor. Then his HP ran out, and the seal broke. And the next moment, here he was. He shook his head as an intense throbbing pain set up shop in his temples. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Will he be ok?¡± Yasiin turned back over his shoulder with a nod. ¡°Sala¡¯s tough. Just got his bell rung pretty good, that¡¯s all.¡± A golden light pulsed from Yasiin¡¯s hands for a few moments, and Sala¡¯s eyes fluttered open and locked onto Akamori. Hatred settled into them instantly. Akamori knew that look. It was the one he held for the Captain. But why was Sala giving him that look? He was just as stuck in this as Sala was. ¡°Sala?¡± Yasiin said, leaning in the way of the primal¡¯s vision. ¡°Keep him away from me,¡± the war slave said in a hushed tone. ¡°He smells like a dragon.¡± Akamori almost laughed. ¡°Hate to break it to ya, but I¡¯m not.¡± The primal got up and stormed away. Training was over for today, it would seem. Akamori watched him leave, knowing the feeling. His gaze drifted to the blue glowing barrier field of the hanger bay. In the shadows, there were no stars to see as the ship traversed the void plane, but he imagined them all the same. Wishing badly he could just freely travel among them, unshackled by any responsibilities or burdens. To do as he pleased, to go where he pleased. To experience that kind of freedom. He sighed. He was a war prisoner on this ship. No more free than Sala was. So why did the primal detest him? He looked at his hands for a moment, then noticed the ragged state of his uniform. ¡°Go ahead and get changed out of that. Looks like Sala really did a number on yours,¡± the Sgt. said. ¡°And when you do, put these on. You too Amara.¡± He handed Akamori and Amara a pair of brass chevrons. Sirsir just promoted them to private. They were no longer fuzzies. Akamori thumbed the rank in his hand for a moment and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Sergeant.¡± The Mage bay was quiet and Sala wasn¡¯t anywhere to be found. The air felt thicker here now. More tense. Akamori wasn¡¯t sure he was ok with that. He sat on his bed, tugging the ragged remains of his uniform jacket off, and looked to the lights on the ceiling since he couldn¡¯t see a sky. He longed for his father''s wisdom, and found himself trapped with only his thoughts, and the nightmares of gods embroiled in combat in an age that felt familiar, and yet so distant and alien to him. The glint of the light off the brass rank in his hand caught his eye, and he glanced down. A mark of accomplishment. Much like passing his Rite of Passage. His spirit march. He traced his thumb over the rank before pressing the pins into the fabric and the stoppers in place to keep it there. He was a true private now. For what good that did him. He still felt like a slave to the Federation, knowing the Captain had shackled his soul to it. He realized in that moment; he needed something familiar. Something from home. He needed Amara. He could confide in her. He lingered in the bay till she came back to put her rank on. Conflict warred in him, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. Was pride in his promotion turning his back on the life they had forced him to leave behind? Amara would know. System Info: Congrats on your first Arena match. You may challenge others as often as you like within the presence of an Arena. Arena victory¡¯s will award you merits that can be spent at select vendors. Chapter 23: The Forge pt.1 The Cadaver Crasher Mess hall Akamori and Amara sat at a bench between meal rotations. The Sgt. had given them some spare time following the mage fight with Sala. Naturally, Akamori felt filling the time by filling his belly was the best use of it. Amara just sat next to him for the company¡¯s sake as she nibbled at a bit of dried cake served up for chow. He¡¯d insisted she come along, the weight of his thoughts wearing down on him. He nibbled at a sweet roll, trying to manage his thoughts into something cohesive. ¡°Akamori, you¡¯ve been picking at that roll for a few minutes now. What¡¯s on your mind?¡± He opened his mouth to speak and felt crushed by the sheer volume of thoughts. What should come first? What was most important? Where to start? His mental train of confusion fell off the rails when she nudged him. ¡°Don¡¯t make it so complicated. Just pick something and go.¡± He pursed his lips and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m betraying my people.¡± ¡°What people?¡± ¡°Hoshun. The air mages?¡± He said, feeling a little confused by the question. ¡°Akamori, they¡¯re gone. All that remains are you and I. Anyhow, why do you feel you¡¯re betraying them?¡± ¡°My improvement and progress here. It feels like it¡¯s turning my back on them.¡± She nodded with a smile. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, I can just recall a time and a conversation where you were feeling so stuck with your life. Plagued by wanderlust. And now that you¡¯ve been able to get your dream of traveling the stars and living a life of your own free of your father¡¯s expectations? Here you are feeling guilty about it. I think he¡¯d appreciate that, but insist you forge ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hardly call this my dream. And you remember my father differently than I do.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Well, he wasn¡¯t my father, but I saw the extreme pride he always viewed you with. I think, above all, he wanted you to grow and become your own man. He would have been happy to see you carry on the clan¡¯s traditions. Since that¡¯s no longer possible? I believe it would please him to see you making the most for yourself.¡± Something tightened at the base of his throat, and tears rimmed his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks. He didn¡¯t realize just how badly he needed to hear that. Kalenza had always been supportive of him, regardless of his choices and accomplishments. So her words didn¡¯t feel like platitudes or hollow praise. More like an insight. ¡°What else is bothering you?¡± ¡°Sala,¡± he said flatly. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know where to start with that. Perhaps he¡¯s just rationalizing being beaten back as you being a dragon or something.¡± She shrugged, looking as defeated on that front as he felt. ¡°Give him time. A guy in his circumstance, I don¡¯t think pushing him will help.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. That stung a little. Sala had been helpful to them when they first joined the team, even in his own standoffish way. Akamori never felt like the primal would have become so antagonistic to him. He turned to Amara and saw her with a thoughtful expression. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how to bring this up honestly, and I wasn¡¯t sure I was even going to, but when you¡¯d asked to talk so urgently, I figured I might as well.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°During your fight with Sala, when it looked like he was about to beat you, something happened. During the time, you mentally blacked out. There¡¯s a gold seal on your soul. I wasn¡¯t able to see what its purpose was initially, but the enchantments on it were deeply intricate. Above 7th level spells and probably beyond ritual capabilities. If I had to guess? I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably somewhere in the neighborhood of divine. The amount of power needed to place it on you would have been immense. But then, I think that¡¯s why you bear it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°During your fight, I saw the seal, I don¡¯t know? Crack? And when it did, something happened to you. You moved and fought entirely differently. Power spilled out of you like a dam had burst.¡± Amara shuddered visibly. He frowned, only able to recall flashes of what happened. But it felt like he¡¯d been watching from a distance. In his mind''s eye, he could visibly see the cracked doorway and the light spilling in. The light that spilled into him. She nudged him out of his mind. ¡°You were gone again, somewhere else.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± he shook his head to clear his thoughts. ¡°I was trying to remember the tail end of the fight.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just bits of things that make little sense. Like I was watching it happen from far away.¡± He watched her as she nodded slowly. Now she was distant and lost in some thought, but she turned back to him, her dark almond eye fixing on him intently. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. I¡¯m still not sure.¡± ¡°Think my father and mother were aware of it?¡± ¡°If they were, they mentioned nothing to the air priests.¡± He wasn¡¯t a fan of secrets, and the idea his parents were keeping one from him didn¡¯t sit well with him. For now, he assumed they were unaware. He sighed heavily, setting the roll down on his tray. ¡°I miss them. My parents. My people. Our world. If it weren¡¯t for the fact the Sauridius destroyed everything, I¡¯d probably just run.¡± Amara nodded. ¡°At least with the Federation, we can prevent it from happening to anyone else.¡± That drew a choked laugh from him. ¡°Maybe. This federation is an absolute mess. They turn prisoners of survivors and conscript them to fight their war and then wonder why amidst all their casual racism why no one truly believes in what they¡¯re doing. I don¡¯t know if I could stay shackled to that kind of fate. It sounds like everything is just dying in slow motion and we¡¯re just waiting for it all to catch up.¡± Amara frowned. ¡°True. It isn¡¯t without fault and is far from ideal. But it¡¯s the best hope the sector has at the moment.¡± A moment later, a glowing orb of fire appeared in front of Akamori¡¯s face, pulsing with urgency. He blinked at it curiously. ¡°It¡¯s a messenger spell. They use them a lot in the Federation,¡± Amara explained. She tapped it, and the orb rolled open like a scroll. It resolved into a fiery portrait of the Captain. Her stern features always rankled Akamori. ¡°Private. Congratulations are in order, I hear.¡± ¡°uh, thanks, sir.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be opening an exit portal to enter Forge space soon. I would like you to accompany me.¡± His face contorted with confusion. ¡°Me? Why? uh, Sir.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a request, Private. It was an order. You¡¯ll find a dress uniform prepared for you already. Be at the airlock in twenty minutes. Morwen out.¡± The fire spell dissolved into motes of fire energy that all winked out, only a few embers stubbornly trying to cling to life as they too extinguished in a small flutter of wind he didn¡¯t feel. He turned to Amara with a ¡®what now?¡¯ look. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. She asked for you.¡± Amara said, standing up and stretching out. He slid off the table reluctantly. This felt like another trick. He just wasn¡¯t sure how or what. He marched back to his rack, silently trying to puzzle out what Morwen¡¯s game was. He threw on the uniform and squeezed his wrist to check the spell armor bracelet was there underneath. He turned to Amara with a sweeping gesture. ¡°How does it look?¡± ¡°Like they made it for you,¡± she said casually. She gave him an approving smile and thumbs up. ¡°Right. I¡¯m off. If I come back a drooling wreck, it was her fault, and I knew it was coming.¡± Amara rolled her eye as he turned to leave. Chapter 23: The Forge pt.2 The Forge The Crasher spilled out of its void portal like a metal ingot being poured out of a bucket. Against the star scape of the living realm, and with the Forge ahead of the Crasher, the sturdy battleship cut an imposing image. A mixture of hard angles of Brotherhood design, and barrels for turrets and spell cannons. The metal leviathan slowly lumbered towards the Forge. The Forge itself was part stellar station, part resource asteroid. Originally a resource asteroid with an outfacing facility built onto it, over time, the facility and its population grew. As the years and the output of its products grew, so too did the size of its needs, both in materials and forge smiths. The crasher drifted into docking position slowly, like a lumbering leviathan. A connecting collar slowly extended from the Forge and merged with the Crasher¡¯s hull. A ring of air and earth runes pulsed with magic energy, sealing the connection and filling the tube with air, then a third set of void runes glowed, providing stable gravity. Morwen stood before the airlock, reviewing her inventory. She sorted the goods she¡¯d planned to barter with at the top so she could quickly and easily access them. Her first few experiences with the dwarves at the Forge¡¯s marketplace had been a costly if enlightening experience. She didn¡¯t intend to repeat the same mistakes this time. Not with everything riding on her success or failure. She waited as Akamori rounded the corridor and joined her in the airlock, shifting uncomfortably in the dress uniform she¡¯d provided him. She gave him a sideways glance. ¡°It suits you, you know.¡± He grunted something inaudible, and she couldn¡¯t help a smirk. She understood his dislike and distrust of her. She found that were their roles reversed, she¡¯d have behaved much the same way. Unfortunately, they had to work with the roles fate had given them. Before she opened the airlock, she turned to face him. ¡°Private. Typically, I don¡¯t break with decorum and discipline. I¡¯ve found it always helps to maintain a healthy and functional climate. But in this rare instance, I want to dispense with the ranks and formalities. For the duration of this mission, I am simply Morwen until I say otherwise. Understood?¡± He eyed her wearily, waiting for the other shoe to drop. After an unbroken silence stretched on, he nodded to her. ¡°Ok. But why?¡± She turned back to the airlock. ¡°Put simply? Because I need your help.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got me shackled to this war of yours.¡± Morwen shook her head as she placed a hand on the T bar for the airlock. ¡°No. I¡¯ve conscripted you to a service term. But this fight ahead of us? It¡¯s going to be the kind I¡¯m unsure any of us will walk away from. But it¡¯s a fight we must face. Our failure will cause what happened to your world to sweep the sector. A fight like that is best won with everyone giving their all.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m damned if I do, damned if I don¡¯t?¡± Morwen frowned, ¡°Not quite. You have a choice in this, and while I may have involved you without your consent, I¡¯ve noticed that your free will matters to you.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll let me go?¡± Morwen¡¯s lips compressed as she tugged the lever down. The large circular toothed doors peeled apart, revealing a blue field. The blue field dropped, and they were free to advance into the Forge. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a promise. We¡¯ll revisit that request, but only after you¡¯ve seen what I wanted you to. Deal?¡± She held her hand out, pricking the palm, and then presented it to him. He looked at her awkwardly, and she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a dwarven tradition. Because most are born with earth magic and blood naturally resonates with earth magic, they see a blood bond as sacred. A way of establishing a trust that goes beyond words and transcends magic. To them, blood and stone are eternal, so too then should their promises be.¡± She held the small dagger out to him handle first if he accepted. He took the dagger and pricked his palm, wincing at the spike in pain, and then extended his hand. They shook on it. She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a deal then.¡± He studied his blood smeared palm, and she held her hand above his own and a faint golden light radiated out. As it seeped into his own hand, the minor wound closed. She offered him a cloth to wipe his hand clean on. ¡°I¡¯d prefer you didn¡¯t stain the uniform. We have so few to spare.¡± Once he gave her the cloth back, she folded it, tucking it into her pocket. She hoped she¡¯d have need of it again soon. She gestured for him to follow her and she took the lead, entering the Forge. The proportions inside were always a little hard to get used to since the dwarves built the place with the help of a god eons ago. She got over the feeling when she¡¯d begun visiting the Forge as a teen. Ever since they¡¯d, she¡¯d overlooked the proportion disparity. That most things came to waist high barely registered for her. The ceilings were still a few meters tall to allow for non dwarven guests. The walls of the facility were a contrast between glossy silver and gold. Veins layered throughout the walls, ceilings, and floors where pulses of aetheric energy passed. As they did, he could feel the air energy in them as it sang to the air energy in his own chest. Tugging at him like a small magnet with each passing pulse. Once they stepped out of the airlock docking collar, though, the Forge immediately looked different. Refugees clogged every free piece of square footage. The rest went to a stall or vendor selling goods. Most of them looked like humans, but he¡¯d spotted elves and dwarves in the mix, too. No Orcs, though. ¡°I see every race in the sector here, except for Orcs.¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Those not enslaved by Sauridius lurk at the fringe of the sector in a mobile fleet that avoids contact. They¡¯re a very private and reclusive people and very proud. Unshackled orcs are a rare sight, and the Forge hasn¡¯t had contact with any in quite a few solar cycles.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She watched him puzzle over that. ¡°My people used to have legends about green giants that attacked us many years ago. But it only happened once, and we never saw them again.¡± Morwen nodded as they slogged their way through the crowd. ¡°That would fit with orc migratory patterns for their fleet. Those enthralled by Sauridius move directly with his enslaved dragons. But the migrants, they only visit barely populated worlds long enough to hunt, gather what they need and then venture on.¡± She smiled at a vendor who offered her a pretty golden necklace and declined politely. She knew precisely who¡¯d she intended to visit. Sure enough, scrubbing his counter with a soapy rag was Pack. The dwarven enchanter¡¯s long scruffy dark beard had two braids tied along his jowls. He had small circular framed glasses that perched on the round tip of his nose. Pack wore his traditional apron over his plaid shirt, rolled up to his elbows. ¡°As I live and breath. If it isn¡¯t Morwen the tall.¡± ¡°Good to see you again, Pack.¡± ¡°So what brings you to my humble shop? Lookin to spend ye coin?¡± he said, rubbing his index finger and thumb together with a curious expression. She nodded, ¡°I¡¯d prefer to barter, since I learned too late last time that Federation coin isn¡¯t good enough here.¡± Pack waved the comment off with a scoff. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all rubbish if ye ask me. So, what did ye bring me?¡± ¡°Stuff off with yer ¡®me¡¯ Pack.¡± Morwen smiled, bowing slightly to the fiery red head pushing a mop half in the back of Pack¡¯s shop. ¡°Hello Tendra. Are you keeping him in line still?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a loosin¡¯ battle, mi¡¯lady. Is there anything specific ye be lookin foor?¡± Morwen nodded, having already decided on the best course to pursue supplying the ship. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve come for your potions. All of them, or as much as I can buy.¡± Pack¡¯s brows bounced eagerly at the news and started about the business of rounding up everything he had ready to sell. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Akamori started before she saw him mentally correct himself, ¡°Morwen, that sounds like it could get costly. Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°You better than anyone should appreciate our supply woes currently,¡± Morwen said. Akamori shifted at that. She was right; he was acutely aware of their supply woes. His face and ribs especially so. That said, he wasn¡¯t sure how a trip to the forge was going to fix their situation. He didn¡¯t imagine this tiny vendor being able to meet all their needs. ¡°I¡¯d read the incident report between the marines and you.¡± She didn¡¯t explain she¡¯d actually watched it happen since the brawl took place on her shift. Connected to the ship, she had access to every sensory process the vessel had. Its eyes and ears became her own. She took on the ships¡¯ senses. ¡°I¡¯m not saying they don¡¯t suck. I guess I¡¯m just questioning the process. Is this really the best way?¡± Morwen nodded, ¡°I find the dwarves are more reliable than the Federation is for being dependable. A sad fact, really.¡± Pack finally finished sorting and leaned against the countertop. ¡°Now let¡¯s be seein¡¯ what you¡¯ll be barterin¡¯ with?¡± Morwen fished several golden cards out, ¡°I have several enchanted cards containing knowledge and information about healing and light magic from my people.¡± System Info: Negotiation check: Fail Pack rolled his eyes dismissively. ¡°We both be knowin¡¯ ye didn¡¯t come all this way to waste our time with the petty baubles. Let¡¯s look at what ye really came to trade with, hmm?¡± Morwen smiled, ¡°Very well.¡± Akamori got the sense this was some kind of negotiation dance and Morwen was very comfortable with it. She lifted her uniform sleeve to reveal a golden bracelet with a ruby, and two emeralds on it. The gems swam across the bracelet''s surface like fish in water. ¡°It¡¯s a sentient, fully developed elder spell armor.¡± She drew a dark rune, and the bracelet unclasped from her wrist, and she gently deposited it into his hand. Pack eagerly inspected it, holding up to the light, and even going as far as biting it. She could practically see the money signs in his eyes. ¡°My father crafted it for me. He¡¯s the ArchPriest on Eryn.¡± System Info: Negotiation check: Success Pack¡¯s head snapped up, focused on her. ¡°By the ArchPriest ye say?¡± He blinked, his eyes unfocused for several moments. He almost stumbled into the back of his bar, but Tendra had caught him at the last moment. ¡°Now then. You¡¯ve seen what I have. What do you have for me?¡± Pack gestured to Tendra and nodded. She went to the back of the shop and returned with something in a gold and silver flask. ¡°This be my finest piece I created yet. I figure you might best be appreciatin¡¯ it since you come from Eryn.¡± He unscrewed the cap of the flask and held it out for Morwen to examine. Morwen leaned down and peered into the flask. She could sense the immense magic pooled in the flask. It was like peering into the heart of a star. A familiar light, like that from her home. She glanced up at him. ¡°Pack, what is this?¡± ¡°My granddaddy¡¯s secret brew. It¡¯s called the Tears of Eryn. When a goddess cries, a good dwarf¡¯s job is to bottle it an sell it. He used to say it could give ye the power of a god.¡± Morwen folded her arms and leaned back. Morwen set the bracelet down on the countertop, along with the info cards. ¡°I want all of it. You give me all your potions and enchantments currently available and the Tears of Eryn, and I¡¯ll give you the armor, plus the spell cards and credits.¡± She slid the cards and bracelet forward and held her hand out. Pack examined it for a moment, then glanced back at Tendra who gave him an approving nod. ¡°Ye always done right by us, Morwen. It¡¯s a deal!¡± He took his glove off, then pricked his palm and held it out. Morwen pricked her own palm, and the two shook. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Morwen repeated. She sent a message spell to the ship for the others to come and gather their supplies. On their way back to the ship, Akamori looked like something was bothering. ¡°What troubles you, private?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Get what?¡± ¡°The deal. I get we needed the supplies, but why bargain off the elder spell armor? If my father had given me something like that, I don¡¯t know that I could have parted with it so freely.¡± Morwen put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Sometimes an item¡¯s true purpose isn¡¯t quite what its intended use was. Take you, for example. Your father intended for you to carry on your clan¡¯s leadership, but here you are. I can say the same for the armor my father created. Besides, given what we¡¯re to face, I doubt a single set of armor is going to shift the balance of power. But a full stock of supplies? Now that? That just might do it.¡± Akamori looked as though he wanted to protest, but she gave him a squeeze. It wasn¡¯t a debate. ¡°But even still?¡± ¡°Private.¡± Morwen said, her voice cutting over the conversation like cold steel. ¡°I have settled the matter. We have our supplies. I¡¯ll hear no more of it. Understood?¡± Akamori clamped his mouth shut. ¡°I guess the peers'' conversation clause is done.¡± Morwen nodded stiffly. ¡°Yes. It is. Report back to the ship.¡± ¡°And our deal?¡± he asked. His hand held aloft for her to see. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it when time is available. I¡¯ve given my word.¡± She watched as he marched away and sighed mentally. She still felt like she was just flailing her arms in an information vacuum, hoping against the odds this all worked out somehow. She just hoped all the potions she¡¯d just purchased would be enough. Between this resupply, the Brotherhood¡¯s personnel, and what meager scraps she might get from her own people, she just might have enough to bet on hope. Chapter 24: Settled Debts The Forge Morwen had just finished supervising the last of the supply loading when she received a message spell. She tapped the fireball, and it unfurled into a scroll like screen that floated in front of her. It was Corporal Yasiin. ¡°Sir, you¡¯d asked to be notified when the Order¡¯s ship arrived. It just emerged on the far side of the moon. They¡¯ll be here shortly and they¡¯ve requested you make the artificer ready for handover.¡± Morwen groaned softly and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why her mother always insisted on exerting such power plays with her, she¡¯d never understand. Maybe it was because of her station within the Order. Being one of its more powerful artificers afforded her mother a great deal of influence. She schooled her features into something more disciplined before responding. Forcing the meeting here would only make Morwen look like a mongrel. Which felt fitting, since her mother always looked down on her for not being a pure elf. Perhaps it was some kind of social injury she was inflicting on her daughter. Surprise her while she was playing with the dwarves or something equally trivial. ¡°Thank you, Corporal. Have Private Akamori prepare the Artificer and report to the cargo bay. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± She wrapped up her work with Pack¡¯s stall and then cast a quick teleport spell. The surrounding air rippled with violet energies as reality fell in around her. An instant later it billowed back out, the contracting energies suddenly bursting back out and resolving into the cargo bay. She sucked in a deep breath to still the tumbling feeling in her stomach and remind her body she wasn¡¯t actually swaying. No matter how often she¡¯d done that, it still threatened to turn her stomach. She¡¯d always wondered if that resulted from the rapid transit, or the way the power manifested. She opened her eyes and allowed the last of the vertigo to settle out as she approached the cleared out quadrant of the cargo bay intended for the resupply. She was pleased to see the quartermaster at work sorting all the potions and elixirs she¡¯d just purchased. Turning towards Private Akamori who returned ahead of her and the artificer Kusinaki, she approached them at a steady pace. They hushed their conversation with each other as Akamori snapped to attention and rendered a salute. Kusinaki simply bowed politely. ¡°Akamori was just telling me about how you¡¯re planning to oppose the Sauridius, and how you¡¯d like to prevent what happened on Hoshun to transpire on other worlds. I regret that my commitments to the Order prevent me from lending further aid,¡± Kusinaki said. The young artificer brushed a long black strand of hair from his face. He was a young elf. She figured he couldn¡¯t have been out of his thirties yet, even though he looked as youthful as Akamori did. She gave Akamori an appraising look. ¡°He was, was he?¡± she asked with a raised brow. ¡°What else did he say?¡± Kusinaki glanced downward, ¡°Little else, I¡¯m afraid. We have had little time to catch up since we departed what remained of Hoshun. I understand your people have kept him very busy.¡± Kusinaki slapped Akamori in the tricep affectionately, with a warm smile. ¡°I approve, though. He¡¯s grown under your care. I believe his father would be extremely proud.¡± Akamori actually smiled at that, and in her presence at that. She fought hard to restrain the surprise and maintain a stern bearing, but the faintest hint of a pleased smile still cracked through. ¡°It pleases me to hear that. I knew little of his people, and I¡¯ve been told you¡¯ve spent a good deal of time with them as a local attach¨¦ to the order, so you¡¯re the next and best thing to a historian they now have.¡± She caught the movement outside as the Order¡¯s golden and silver shuttle maneuvered into place and then slowly phased through the blue barrier field of the cargo bay. They propelled it with light magic. The golden energy being funneled out of the thruster vents and engine verniers sang to the well of light energy within her own breast. Warm and welcoming, it represented life and purity. Raw energy at its finest. Akamori and Kusinaki turned to watch the shuttle land. The doors of the shuttle rippled and disassembled into particulate atoms as they folded away to reveal a large rectangular entrance. A moment later, several artificers exited the craft. They all wore white robes with gold trim and silver detailing. A woman with sterner features than she had stepped into the lead, a pure leadership and authority display. She held an ornate golden rod that had a quartet of blue gemstones that floated in a circle around the top of the rod. A lattice work of intricate runes kept them connected as four bands of blue energy pulsed into the goldenrod and back to the stones. ¡°Morwen,¡± her mother said with a stiff nod. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. I have important meetings to attend that this has delayed me from.¡± ¡°Arefhel,¡± Morwen said with no measure of pleasure. Clearly no love lost for her mother. Arefhel¡¯s eyes fluttered, a sign she was trying to resist rolling her eyes. ¡°What is it you want this time?¡± Morwen folded her arms and squared her shoulders. ¡°I need ammunition. The Brotherhood gets its munitions from your order, and I need to restock my armory. Capital and small arms alike. We¡¯ll be riding into battle soon and while I know you don¡¯t give a damn what happens to me, I¡¯d like to think you at least appreciate the possibility of extracting further financial revenue from me in the future to further enrich yourself.¡± Arefhel mirrored Morwen¡¯s posture, her brow arching upwards. She was as cold-hearted as the mythril steel she stood on. But she was clever and losing a long time buyer like Morwen would hurt the archon far worse than losing her only daughter would. ¡°Very well,¡± she said in a cultured voice. ¡°I trust you¡¯ve brought a list?¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I have.¡± Morwen said, and held out an information card. Arefhel extended a palm, and a small orb of dark energy glowed around the card as it floated up and then towards her palm, riding changing fields of gravity that she manipulated with precision. Once in her palm, Arefhel activated the card, and it displayed the list of items that Morwen needed. ¡°How do you plan to pay for all of this?¡± She asked, looking over the illusionary list. ¡°My salary with the Federation. Simply bill them and the gold will reroute to you.¡± Arefhel nodded, satisfied. ¡°Very well. If there¡¯s nothing else, then we¡¯ll be leaving.¡± She looked at Kusinaki expectantly. Kusinaki looked up after struggling internally with something. Morwen knew the look. He¡¯d just made a hard choice, and now he was riding it through. ¡°There is something else.¡± This time, Arefhel¡¯s cultured poise cracked, and she rolled her eyes with a put-upon sigh. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I want the best armor you make for my friend. If he¡¯s fighting a battle that could determine the fate of the sector, I want to know he¡¯s doing it with the best gear possible.¡± Akamori blinked in surprise, holding his hands up and waving dismissively. ¡°Huh? No, leave me out of whatever this is.¡± Morwen couldn¡¯t blame him. There was a lot of bad blood floating around suddenly, and he had no part in any of it. ¡°Do it or I don¡¯t go back with you. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t know that you were just dumping me off on Hoshun because no one else wanted such a prestige-less position. You left me there, forgotten! Do this? And your debt to me is repaid.¡± Arefhel looked at Kusinaki as though she were about to accost him, but Morwen saw something in her mother that looked like shame? Guilt, maybe? Whatever she¡¯d done to him, he¡¯d pinned her to the wall at this moment in a way she never could have. Well played, young one, she thought to herself with a wry smirk. It wasn¡¯t often she got to see her mother put in her place by such a young and novice artificer. No, this was definitely one of those things that happened that you had to be there to believe it happened. Arefhel deliberated for a moment, then waved a hand dismissively as she finally nodded curtly. ¡°Very well. Your terms are acceptable. The deal is decided. I only have enough to resupply you partially. I¡¯ll have the equipment delivered at once.¡± She signed her name on the information card, authorizing the transfer of goods as dictated. She then turned to Kusinaki expectantly. ¡°I settle our debt to each other.¡± Kusinaki bowed his head, satisfied with the transaction. He turned and gave Akamori one last smile. ¡°I¡¯m not a warrior. And I¡¯m only just learning my craft, but at least with this I can help you from a distance. Good luck out there.¡± With that said, Kusinaki gave his friend one last hug and then filed into the shuttle. Akamori stood next to the Captain, watching as the young elf boarded the gold and silver shuttle. Arefhel said nothing further and simply turned to file on board the shuttle as well. A moment later, all the munitions she¡¯d requested teleported into the cargo bay, arranged by the ship''s consciousness into their respective spots. A moment later, a large ornate case was the last item to teleport over. There was an indentation to place a hand into. ¡°That must be your armor, private.¡± By now the entire squad had filed in, even Lt. Rayshe thought he¡¯d kept some distance from Private Sala, who kept his distance from Akamori. ¡°Well, go on. Open it up,¡± Morwen said encouragingly. Akamori turned to Amara, who also nodded him forward. Morwen recognized the hesitation. He was still unsure of his role in everything. If he was just the last survivor of a nomadic clan of air mages, or if he was now a federation soldier. Akamori approached the case and placed his hand into the slot, and the case chimed. ¡°Palm print recognized. New owner access authorized. Biometrics imprinting. Standby,¡± the case said in a sing songy cultured female voice with an elvish accent. Akamori turned to look at Amara, who just shrugged. Sirsir whistled from behind and stood next to her. ¡°How¡¯d the newbie score a new set of plates?¡± he asked her softly. Morwen smirked, ¡°Apparently, all it takes is knowing someone with enough dirt on an Archon to blackmail them into it.¡± Sirsir turned to look at her with near shock in his eyes. He¡¯d met Arefhel frequently. If anyone knew how rotten her mother was, Sirsir did. He whistled softly again. ¡°Kid¡¯s pretty damn lucky.¡± Morwen nodded, chewing on the comment in a way she hadn¡¯t expected to. ¡°Yes. He rather is, isn¡¯t he?¡± A moment passed, and the box pulsed with aetheric energy. Then the case began cubically telescope into itself, revealing a set of armor that stood as tall as Akamori did. It was more ornate and had a blue gem stone mounted in the chest that pulsed a greeting in energy. Akamori touched the armor, and it reached out like it was alive and flowed along his arm, covering every inch of his body until after a few moments it had complete encased him within it. She had to admit, the new dragonmail series of armor designs were exceptionally artisanal. It was slender, curvy, and had a flow to it. It was one of the Order¡¯s finest designs she¡¯d seen them field. To boot, it was a tenth generation. Which meant it possessed all the latest bells and whistles. Including its own sentience. Seeing it made her miss the armor she¡¯d bartered for the potions. She rubbed her wrist absently; the bracelet was missing. It¡¯s warm, pulsing presence gone. She sighed softly. Her melancholy was interrupted when she heard Lt. Rayshe barking for the Brotherhood officer in charge. Lt. Fennex trotted over and saluted Rayshe, who ignored the salute. Morwen¡¯s brows furrowed, and she marched over. ¡°Return that man¡¯s salute, Lieutenant Rayshe. Now.¡± Her voice was stern and level, but it was the tone that carved through all other conversations like a fiery blade. Rayshe¡¯s face turned so red she was certain it matched his blood. But she didn¡¯t care about his fragile ego or feelings. ¡°But he¡¯s just a minion.¡± ¡°He still bears a rank the same as yours. He rendered you a salute.¡± ¡°As he should!¡± ¡°And you failed to return it.¡± Rayshe ground his teeth. Snapped to attention, his body going ramrod straight, and gave Fennex a crisp salute. Then turned to her, ¡°Satisfied?¡± Making this anymore of a scene would just cause problems she had no interest in facing right now. They needed to make all haste to get to Hidros, or she suspected she¡¯d show up with fewer crew than she started with. She saw Akamori watching the exchange. Concern gripped her that Rayshe¡¯s attitudes might imprint on the younger batch of enlisted mages. She¡¯d long neglected the weed that was Rayshe¡¯s casual hatred for all things that weren¡¯t elvish or revolved around him. ¡°For now.¡± She spun on her heels, executing a perfect about face, and marched for the deck to ascend into the ship. Instances like this made her actually long for battle. Everything was simpler in a fight. Chapter 25: Preparations Hidros Orbit Ominek floated in the void in his draconic form lazily, allowing himself a moment to bathe in the nearby star¡¯s light and drink the heat and energy in. The work of clearing the station of all living life was a trivial one for a dragon of his age, and while he didn¡¯t technically need the rest, he still indulged sleeping. Sleep for him was the rare act of silencing his mind to the whispers of his father¡¯s and Sauridius¡¯ voices. He took respite in the stillness of his mind in those moments, rejuvenating his resolve and defenses against their corrosive effects on the mind and soul. As the mighty red scaled dragon stirred back to consciousness, his eyes opened slowly, narrowing to small slits in the unblocked light of the nearby star. Ahead and below him sat the orbital station the Brotherhood had built above the world to manage traffic coming and going to the planet and to the system. Telmok his older brother, swam through the void as a small swarm of younger dragons moved with him, like smaller fish swimming in the wake of a large shark. They were but minnows to his size, yet still no less dangerous. Especially to the magic-less humans below. It brought a satisfied grin to Ominek¡¯s razor fanged mouth. ¡°Telmok. To me!¡± he bellowed. His voice carried across the aether as though space had air for the sound to travel and propagate. The larger wyrm¡¯s head snapped in his direction and swam his way over in the void, coming to a stop a respectable distance from him. ¡°I¡¯m going to descend to the planet¡¯s surface. Hold the skies. Do not let any humans reach the planet. I must perform the ritual spell father provided me.¡± Telmok bowed his head respectfully. ¡°The humans will not pass our defenses. They cower weakly among the asteroid field.¡± He swept his head towards the distance, where several small objects glinted off the light of the star. ¡°A few tried to probe our control and came up wanting.¡± Ominek nodded. ¡°Do not underestimate them. They can be dangerous and unpredictable when pushed. And make no mistake about it, we have definitely pushed them. But if we succeed here, it will matter little and we will have gained the ultimate weapon to prosecute the war.¡± Telmok nodded. His forked tongue shot out between fangs and flicked several times before returning to his mouth. ¡°I taste nothing but fear and victory today.¡± For once, even Ominek had a hard time arguing the feeling. All they needed was to execute the plan. ¡°I leave the rear guard to your talons, then. Don¡¯t screw it up, brother.¡± He turned and winged for the atmosphere. Even though his father had appointed him to run this mission, Telmok was larger and more powerful. It took a great deal of focus to beat down the fear of presenting his back and wings to a larger predator than himself. As he flew down past the station, he could already sense the lesser dragons going about the work of shackling all the dead on the station. They would use the undead as pawns should the humans actually board the station. While the Federation would expect it, there was no defense to stop it unless they possessed a mage powerful enough to cancel the shackling spell. He¡¯d already accounted for the few mages capable of doing so. Most sitting idly by in their golden towers on Eryn. The foolish bastards were going to sit out the most important siege conducted in the sector, secure in their ignorance. His wings flared out once he struck the upper atmosphere and bathed in the heat. The friction of reentry warming his scales and he rolled to spread the heat around. It drew a contented draconic pur from him as he flew. When the warm red glow around him faded and the air cooled, he morphed himself back into his human form. No reason to draw unwarranted attention before executing the plan. No, he had some prep work to do for the ritual spell. Using dark energy to manipulate gravity, a faint violet aura surrounded him as he flew straight for the center of a massive crater. He sensed nothing powerfully magic at the base of the crater, but there was an unnatural storm that roiled and spun above it. The only clue of something magic in this world. He¡¯d seen this kind of behavior at wellsprings as well. He recalled his father''s instructions. ¡°There is a powerful weapon on Hidros Ominek. One that, if we can secure, will win us victory for the rest of the war. But you must move quickly and quietly if we are to secure it. You will find it at the base of a massive crater. They shielded it from detection, so you won¡¯t sense it. Look for the storm, and travel to the eye. That is where your work must take place.¡± As he flew towards the storm, he warded himself with a shield of fire, and the magic induced rain hissed into steam around him. A short trip later and he burned his way through the eye of the storm easily. Dropping the shield, he landed at the base of the crater and scanned around at the eye of the storm, then skyward. He would need to cast an illusion spell to prevent prying eyes from spying on him here. He did the signs and gestures for both reality magic and cast several layered illusion spells, the pink energy billowing outwards from him in waves and the air above him rippled as it bent and refracted the light in such a way that it looked as though no one stood in the center. He clapped his hands together, satisfied. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Now, to get started setting the table for the party.¡± Placing a hand on the moist soil, he could feel the slightest trickle of aether seeping up from below. His father neglected to tell him what exactly he was pursuing, but he had several guesses. He drew in a slow breath, tasting the ambient aether. It reminded him of Aeryn sweet rolls. He might detest the elves, but he had to admit they had a knack for sweets. Ominek rose upright, ending his temporary reverie. He drew several void runes with his right hand, opening multiple small void portals. Small doorways into a tiny pocket, really. Like a self-contained pocket of the void about the size of a room. He reached in and slowly withdrew several specially crafted urns. Each urn had a rune carved on its face. There were eight total, one for the four elements and four planes. Accompanying the primary runes were small bands of enchantments for holding massive quantities of aether. They were power cells for fueling his ritual, essentially. Empty power cells at that. Ominek placed each urn carefully onto the moist soil, then closed the void portal. Channeling some void magic, he pressed back against gravity, prying himself free of Hidros¡¯ pull and floating up ten feet into the air. He drew and wove several runes, creating a complex spell frame work then cast it. Each urn floated into the air, then drifted into a position in an octagonal pattern. Lines of aether connecting them all together like a grid work. Now that the urns were all connected by the framework of the ritual¡¯s foundation, he just needed to gather his acolytes to begin the magic investitures. He quickly wove the portal spell and cast a glance skyward. Telmok had best hold the skies. He could ill afford setbacks during this phase of the plan. Once the aetheric seal was broken below, they¡¯d have the weapon. Until then, everything was far too vulnerable to his liking. ¡°Brother. I¡¯m departing to gather the others. The stage is yours for now. Do not disappoint me. Or father. I shall return swiftly.¡± With that said, he entered the portal. He emerged in orbit in the planet¡¯s shadow where its umbral void aether was strongest. Tapping into that vast pool of ambient energy, he wove the runes to open a portal to the void plane. Morphing his body back into his draconic form. It served little purpose, but the increase in body mass and size made him feel better about entering the void plane. As though his tiny insignificant gain in size meant anything to the Voidspawn. His jaunt through the void plane was blissfully brief. As he¡¯d pre staged several vessels with his troops and mages in waiting. He drifted through the lead craft¡¯s void shield, morphing into human form and entered the airlock. Awaiting him on the other side of the dual heavy mythril steel doors were his two most trusted shacklers, Fento and Akthanes. They were both in human forms. He inwardly scowled at the unrefined and unpracticed ugliness of the two. No hair, visible scales, pointed teeth, slitted eyes, visible wings and tail? It was like they didn¡¯t even care. ¡°Report,¡± he barked as he marched between the two, trying to maintain his composure before his disgust overwhelmed him. ¡°We have seen all preparations taken care of. We have a contingent of shacklers per your request. A company of hatchlings stands ready for combat.¡± ¡°The shacklers are all primary aspected to of each of the 8?¡± ¡°They are.¡± Ominek nodded, pleased with how things had proceeded thus far. If they could keep their edge, he was confident he could unearth the weapon Leviathos was after. He strode past Fento to inspect the others. They each swelled with potent magic. Each for a specific urn. They could expedite the ritual in this manner. He turned to the bridge of the ship, the younger hatchling at the controls turned back to face him. Ominek gave a nod forward into the Umbral void. ¡°Open a portal and take us into Hidros for reentry. We¡¯ll land at the coordinates my father provided.¡± The hatchling at the helm did as instructed, a small ripple of purplish black energy rolled down his arms into the golden control sticks and into the deck plating. The ship converted the void energy and channeled it into a portal spell ahead of the ship. As the vessel nosed through, it found itself in the shadow of Hidros. The mostly blue green orb sat oppressively above them, bathed in shadow from the system¡¯s star seated on the opposite side of the planet. ¡°ETA to LZ?¡± The hatchling glanced at the heads up display to check, then turned to Ominek who stood behind him. ¡°We¡¯ll reach the LZ coordinates in roughly 30 minutes.¡± Ominek allowed himself a pleased smile. Hoarding all these resources for this solitary venture had been time-consuming and costly. He was loath to part with it so easily, but when your wyrm father, the size of a planet, demanded you make sacrifices, you sacrifice. Lest you be the sacrifice. And he was far too canny to be put down so simply. Not after he¡¯d outlasted all but Telmok. ¡°Notify me when we¡¯re making our landing approach,¡± he turned and strode off the bridge towards a private set of quarters. He intended to do some more reading about the ritual. He¡¯d rehearsed the spells required for it endlessly, but what was one more time? He wanted to be absolutely ready, so that when the moment came, he could return to his father and finally prove he was the best of the brood. Chapter 26: One Helluva Big Dragon Hidros System The Cadaver Crasher opened its dimensional door out of the shadows, the swirling portal of violet dark energies disgorging the ship into the Hidros System at its terminus in the umbral shadow of a large gas giant. On the bridge, Captain Morwen took a moment to study the situation. She focused the view on the station and saw it swarmed in several dragons. Wyverns, by the look of them, with an extremely large wyvern lording over the rest. She found herself thankful for the caution the prophecy given to her had induced. Had she tried to open a portal directly in Hidros¡¯ shadow, she was confident the dragons would set upon the Crasher like rabid animals. ¡°That is one big scaley ass dragon,¡± Sirsir said from the offensive console. Morwen noted his uncomfortable shift in posture. They¡¯d never squared off against an adult dragon before, let alone so many. ¡°Agreed. It¡¯s likely he¡¯s in charge of spearheading the defense efforts, which means if we intend to reach the planet, we must deal with him first.¡± Morwen drew in a deep breath, confident in their cause. Someone or something had given the right tools and assets to accomplish this mission. They just had to find a smart way to do it. Besides, they built the Crasher for anti-dragon spell combat. ¡°Sir, it looks like there¡¯s a small fleet of Brotherhood ships lurking in the asteroid field.¡± Morwen leaned back in the leather command chair, contemplating her options. The logical step here was to secure the skies before moving on the planet. She disliked the idea of leaving enemies at her back, regardless of the circumstances. She had potential allies in the system, but they lacked the ability to cross communicate since the Brotherhood ships lacked a comm system that could use message spells and their hardware wouldn¡¯t be able to breach the localized jamming field the Sauridius set up. That meant a face-to-face meeting was necessary, which would consume time. While she didn¡¯t think the smaller dragons would chase them into the field, she felt certain the big one would. So he was her first problem. Then the station and smaller dragons. ¡°You got a plan, sir?¡± The Sgt. said, cutting into the silence she¡¯d let settle in. ¡°The beginnings of one, I believe. But we¡¯ll need to deal with him first,¡± she said, pointing at the largest wyvern. ¡°And uh, how do we do that?¡± Morwen tapped her cheek thoughtfully for a few more moments, then smiled. She used her warfare skill for strategy insights. System Info: Warfare check: Success. That¡¯s one helluva big dragon. Smaller level spells won¡¯t work on him. Only something in the tier 5 magnitude. Good luck! The entire sector is counting on you. No pressure. ¡°We¡¯re going to run right for him. There¡¯s only one spell I¡¯m confident in that will work against that dragon, but we¡¯ll need to ensure we have him in a position where he¡¯s unable to dodge the attack.¡± ¡°And Wyverns are notoriously evasive,¡± Yasiin finally said from the defensive console. Morwen gave him a short, approving nod. ¡°Yes. But as to how we can trap him, I don¡¯t have an answer. But since time is of the essence, I¡¯m going to bank on fate seeing us through, and trust that an answer makes itself possible.¡± She didn¡¯t have to look back to see the big Sgt. shifting about nervously again at his station. It was less of a plan and more of an idea, really. An aim or a goal, really. An intent? Intent seemed most accurate. She gave the ship void aether, which it converted into gravitic propulsion as the Crasher navigated the system and built speed on an intercept course with the largest Wyvern. As the ship pressed deeper and deeper into the system, the enormous dragon¡¯s wings flared in threatening challenge as it surged forward, swimming through the void of space after the federation ship. As the dragon closed the gap, it soon became apparent just how much larger it was than the Crasher. Morwen would guess he was easily a few centuries old. Which put him at excessively dangerous and powerful to square off against. She hoped the aggressive charge would spark the draconic insistence on dueling solo. She risked a quick glance at the station and noted the lesser dragons clung to the station¡¯s hull to watch their leader meet the opposition. Good, she thought to herself with a sigh of relief. One problem at a time. ¡°Sgt, give me your best solo offensive spell,¡± Morwen ordered, pointing the ship''s massive fixed spell cannon squarely at the offending dragon. Sirsir nodded, gripping the golden and silver control sticks at his station, and fed the ship several pulses of light energy into the cannon. The ship then spun that energy around in the barrel repeatedly, turning into a rod of pure radiant golden light. Morwen instantly recognized the spell. This wasn¡¯t a common missile spell, this was a guided bolt. It was a third level spell, but still powerful. The dragon saw the energy pooling in the barrel and flew erratically. ¡°Fire on your mark, Sgt,¡± Morwen ordered. A beat later, the muzzle flashed, and the golden missile streaked out of the cannon after the giant dragon. When the bolt tracked after the dragon, it roared in frustration, and flicked a counter attack spell after the missile, guiding a bolt of white energy into the offending bolt. Morwen watched as the attack splintered into aetheric shards, refusing to allow herself to grow frustrated. This was just the opening gambit, and she knew even had the spell struck it wouldn¡¯t defeat the beast. They were still feeling each other out. In response, the dragon''s counter attack comprised a fireball of considerable size. The orb of living fire energy rippled and billowed as the dragon finished growing the colossal ball of flame. It was now large enough it could have been mistaken for a star by those on the station. If Morwen let it connect with the ship, she knew it would bisect them easily. The dragon flicked a clawed digit down and the fireball moved after the Crasher. Morwen threw the ship into an evasive, spiraling dive. ¡°Corporal, counter spell on my mark,¡± Morwen barked as she gripped the control sticks tighter and tighter. The distance between the ship and the fireball shrank progressively more and more as the micro star closed the gap on their engines. ¡°Sgt., prepare a missile attack to fire on my second mark.¡± The fireball was now several hundred meters away. One hundred. Fifty. At twenty meters, she gave the order, ¡°Yasiin! Mark!¡± The counter spell left the aft spell cannon and blew the micro star wide open in a brilliant explosion of fire magic that radiated outwards. The ship''s shield barrier rippled and discolored for a moment. ¡°Sgt. Mark!¡± Sirsir¡¯s missile strike left the aft spell cannon a beat later. He¡¯d used Air this time, and the ship fired a blast of compressed air. She watched as the attack punched through the spreading fireball, picking up some of the ambient fire magic and slammed into the dragon¡¯s wing, spinning him around wildly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Nice work with the air bolt Sgt.¡± That bought her time to set a course for the asteroid field. She needed to constrict the area he could move in. That meant taking them into ground that wasn¡¯t open. He couldn¡¯t dodge without the space to do it. But then, neither could they. The massive solid ram at the front of the ship smashed through the corner of a large rock as the ship plowed its way into the field without adjusting course. The hull groaned in protest. Debris bounced and pinged off the hull as the ship lumbered its way out of the dragon¡¯s fire breath attack. Morwen grit her teeth as the Crasher¡¯s engines began to super heat. She didn¡¯t want to waste one of Yasiin¡¯s counters on an attack like the breath. The ship would hold. She patted the console to comfort herself as much as the ship. ¡°You¡¯ll hold, right?¡± The output dark aether from the engines flare intensely, warping the oncoming flow of fire like the hand of gravity pushing it aside in response to her question. ¡°I know I ain¡¯t never said this before¡­ but good ship,¡± the burly sergeant said softly with his face close to the console. He cast a conspiratorial glance around, noticing the amused looks, and immediately darkened. ¡°You heard and saw nuthin¡¯.¡± The dragon clawed at the space between them as it pursued them relentlessly. Its teeth gnashed as Morwen threw the ship onto a new evasive course towards another large rock. She had an idea. As the Crasher neared the next closet rock, she frowned. It wasn¡¯t near large enough to execute the move she wanted. She¡¯d need to cheat a little. She poured void energy into the spell cannon. The ship fired a gravity sphere at the asteroid. She watched as the dark purple sphere rippled and billowed like it was a ball of fluid. The sphere sank into the rock of the asteroid, and she hoped her trick would work. By increasing the gravity the rock exerted, she intended to slingshot the Crasher, using the rock like a rail gun, firing the ship via its inertia. ¡°Everyone, hang on!¡± The ship¡¯s hull groaned under the strain of the high-speed loop around the rock. She maintained the gravity sphere spell until the ship completed its circuit, facing down the dragon again. ¡°Yasiin, reinforce the forward shield. Sgt, give us extra speed. I¡¯m going to feed the Crasher¡¯s spell cannon right down that dragon¡¯s gullet.¡± A chorus of confirmations rippled across the bridge as the massive ship thundered across space towards the giant wyvern. The stern of the ship glowed in a rippling shield of protective runes fueled by Yasiin. The aft of the ship opened several afterburner exhausts that poured raw light magic from them. Where dark magic was precise, light magic was raw. Great for speed, less so for maneuvering. The Crasher slammed square into the Wyvern¡¯s chest. The large ram at the stern of the ship dug into the dragon¡¯s scales. Sparks sprayed off both sides in massive fountains. Morwen watched with a grim smile. Then the Dragon recovered as instantly as they struck it. Wicking talons sank into the protective wards. Several slashes later, the shields shattered into fractured motes of aether. The giant dragon raked its talons against the Crasher¡¯s hull as warning alarms blared. The ship''s hull shook and rattled with the blows as the dragon clawed and bit into the ship. Its head reared back, chest distending as it prepared to breathe a powerful spell on the ship. Several point defense cannons and smaller artillery turrets firing traditional slugs swiveled on the Dragon¡¯s maw, firing to dissuade further assault. The solid kinetic rounds just bounced and ricocheted harmlessly off the dragon¡¯s gleaming scales. ¡°Yasiin! Counter spell, now!¡± The main cannon glowed with a cool white spell that zipped out of the barrel into the dragon¡¯s maw, and down its throat. The Dragon coughed violently several times as aetheric smoke poured from its nostrils. It then snapped down at the ship, the hull grinding under its bite. Atmosphere and shrapnel burst into the void in pressurized jets, like arteries opened. The ship groaned as the hull twisted and bent under the draconic onslaught. Aether burst outwards from within the ship. Conduits and panels exploded in surges as enchanted fuses failed to hold feedback loops at bay. The lights flickered and went out completely as the dim red combat lighting kicked in as backup. Now¡¯s the time! Morwen poured as much magic into the cannon as she could, laying the groundwork for the spell. ¡°Everyone give the cannon as much dark magic as you can. If you hit your limit, someone else tap them out. Now!¡± She watched as her Aetherpool plummeted to 0. She¡¯d invested everything she had left. They had to make this shot count. Waves of void aether flowed from Yasiin into the ship¡¯s controls. Sirsir got up from his station, allowing Akamori to take a seat and add his own energy to the mix. Once the spell hit critical mass, Morwen fired. The violet energy spiraled around. A large circular pattern of runes appeared in front of the maw, then the beam was pressed through, accelerated and multiplied in power to a 4th level Void Ray. It was one of her most powerful spells she could use. The dragon¡¯s maw tried to fire off a counter, but it was pointless, and the beam of dark energy slammed into the back of its mouth and blasted out of the back side of its head with a violent jerk. Atomized particles drifted away as the dragon¡¯s head slowly disintegrated. Take that, wyrm, she thought to herself smugly. The dragon¡¯s eyes lulled upwards as its massive body released the death grip it had on the ship, drifting away from the ragged hull of the Crasher. A beat later, the top of the head lost its solid cohesion, billowing out into a dust cloud that hung around the stump of its neck. Morwen breathed a sigh of relief and patted the console affectionately. Thank you for holding out. It was more than she deserved. The ship was badly outclassed. She knew that, and she still had to press on. System Info: 1 XP for the defeat of the Big Ass Dragon. ¡°One down. A whole slimy wing to go,¡± the Sgt. said as he stood next to her. She pressed a message spell button to speak to the hanger bays. ¡°Lt. Rayshe, prepare the hanger bay to recieve guests. I¡¯m going to link us up with the Brotherhood forces in the system so we can coordinate the rest of our assault.¡± ¡°Yes Sir,¡± Rayshe replied tersely. She leaned back in the command chair; the leather creaking softly, and she exhaled deeply. The tension of the fight easing out of her gently. She rolled her head back to look at the ceiling of the Crasher. The silver plating crumpled, and its damaged running lights flickered and sparked. She eyed the dragons perched on the station protectively with a wary eye. The attack against the wings¡¯ lead dragon was a taxing battle, and everyone would need some recovery time. A costly delay as it allowed Ominek more time to move on the surface of the planet unchecked, but a necessary one. Every step was vital to winning the battle, she assured herself. Being too hasty would mean unnecessary sacrifices, and she needed to ensure she got to the ultimate stage of this battle with all of her pieces in play if she expected to prevent Ominek¡¯s victory. The victory gave them a foothold in the system now. The remaining wing of dragons now pinned between the station with the planet as their only point to fall back to. She¡¯d effectively cut them off from any reinforcements or resupply. She set the Crasher on a course to link up with the Brotherhood ships, using the wounded vessel¡¯s signal light to send a communication. ¡°REQUESTING MEETING TO REINFORCE POSITION AND RETAKE SYSTEM. MEET ABOARD THIS SHIP¡¯S HANGAR IN 20 MIKES.¡± Discretion and privacy were less of a concern now that the wings leader was dead and the ships aft facing the remaining dragons perched on the station like a flock of birds of prey waiting for their targets to spring from the tall grass. And using sector standard as the language ensured the Brotherhood could decipher the Morse Code. No one knew or even remembered who made Morse Code or how old it even was, but damn, was it handy in a pinch where more complex communication wasn¡¯t possible. Either spell or tech. ¡°The Brotherhood ships confirm and are moving to intercept, sir.¡± She turned back to Yasiin and nodded to him. Good. Now they could start fighting this war. The way she always meant to. She turned back to the primary screen, watching the gigantic dragon¡¯s lifeless body floating in the void. Small sparkling droplets of blood floating in the void like a blanket of glitter sprinkled around the stump of his neck. He¡¯d almost been the death of them. Just like that. And this war was only getting started. It was going to get a lot worse. She knew that much. She dismissed the rest of the crew to try and rest. They were going to need to recover their aetherpools so they could resume the conflict. Spent mages were as useless as zeros. She needed her company to recharge for the whole sector¡¯s sake. Chapter 27: The Path to Victory It was already getting worse. Not that she expected it to take very long when you tempted the fates with something so delicious like that. She just hadn¡¯t expected it to literally only take twenty minutes to get worse. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat as she formed the word salad in her head into a more cogent response to the Administrator¡¯s question of ¡°Federation Command said they ordered you here sooner. So why did it take you so long to show up?¡± ¡°Administrator Patton,¡± she began. The short man in his pristine suit shifted as she addressed him. ¡°As I just said, my delay was because of my lack of supplies. I acknowledged receipt of those orders. And I also informed command that I fully intended to respond to them once I had to materiel to prosecute this conflict. And make no mistake, administrator, we¡¯re going to need every round, every potion, and everybody to eke out a victory here.¡± Patton scowled. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware of your crushing defeats at Kofex and Tohruun. What guarantees do we have you won¡¯t fail miserably here either?¡± Morwen glanced down, a frown creasing her face as she shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t offer that. All I can do is offer to fight this battle to the fullest of my abilities. You would do well to temper expectations to the worst case. We are under gunned, out manned, and behind on time.¡± An admiral straightened this time, tugging his white and black uniform straight down his chest. His many bars of ribbons standing out as a mark of service and accomplishment among his people. His clean-shaven face was neutral, though Morwen caught the flashes of irritation whenever the Administrator spoke. Especially when he trampled the Admiral carelessly to do so. ¡°Administrator, I think it¡¯s best you return to solidifying our ground position. We¡¯ll do what we can here in the skies.¡± Patton huffed, ¡°I firmly refuse. The Captain is under firm orders to be taken into joint custody and command of the ship remanded to Lt. Rayshe who is to continue prosecution of combat missions.¡± ¡°Noted Administrator. Now, with all due respect, sir, let the soldiers fight. You go play bureaucrat.¡± The admiral pressed a button on his chair¡¯s console and the Administrator¡¯s face winked off of the small screen the Admiral had set up. He turned to Morwen and gave her a thankful nod. ¡°He¡¯s honestly a better man than this. These are just trying times. I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s coping with the stress terribly well, but I can¡¯t say I blame him.¡± He stood and shook her hand firmly with an appreciative nod. ¡°Now, I¡¯m just gonna pretend I wasn¡¯t here when he made those complaints. The Federation said to come support this fight, and here you are. I understand the delay and I don¡¯t hold it against ya one bit. Especially after the way you just ran rough-shod over that gigantic dragon out there. I¡¯m inclined to let ya fight this war, however you see fit to. But I feel the Administrator ain¡¯t gonna budge.¡± ¡°Is he always so prone to resisting solutions?¡± Morwen asked, honestly a little unsure of where all this sudden hostility towards her was coming from. The admiral shrugged, his massive broad shoulders tugging the jacket up and down gently. He sat down with a sigh. ¡°Not always. After he sent the emergency aid request, he¡¯s been different. Himself, but odd.¡± He shook his head, looking defeated, and glanced up to her, ¡°it¡¯s hard to describe honestly.¡± Morwen pursed her lips contemplatively. It wasn¡¯t uncharacteristic for people unaccustomed to war and violence to crack under the pressure. So it wasn¡¯t too out of bounds to rationalize the behavior, but something about it rubbed her wrong. She made a note to monitor it for now. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan, Captain?¡± the admiral asked, leaning back in the seat they had given him. She cast a small illusion spell, manufacturing the planet and the station. Then she manipulated the station to grow bigger, their focus shifting in closer. The dragons were now visible. ¡°We need to cement our control of the skies before we can move on the planet. Which means dealing with the rest of this dragon wing. This presents us with an attrition problem that I was hoping you could help me with.¡± ¡°You need some of my ships to help with the attack, don¡¯t you?¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°I do, but I don¡¯t want to uselessly waste your resources. Make no mistake, there will be losses either way. This just minimizes it to only those absolutely necessary. Here¡¯s my plan.¡± She laid out what she hoped was the strongest path to winning the skies of Hidros. And prayed that the Admiral didn¡¯t toss her in the brig and fetch Rayshe to assume command. She finished and held her breath anxiously as she eyed him for a response. After a long pause, the Admiral sighed and nodded. ¡°Alright Captain,¡± he said in a long drawl common to the Brotherhood. ¡°Let¡¯s make it happen.¡± The two stood and parted ways, the Admiral returning to his shuttle to rendezvous with his fleet, and Morwen to the Crasher¡¯s crew bays to link up with her mage company. Most were on their cots already in various states of rest. Akamori was fast asleep with his feet crossed and hands clasped, but he kept his spellarmor on. Amara too was fast asleep in her own. Yasiin sat on his cot with a rag and some oil cleaning his spell rifle quietly. Sala lay on his side with his back facing out. Sirsir sat on his rack with a rag cleaning his spell machinegun. When he saw Morwen¡¯s approach, he popped up and hustled out to head her off before she hit the bay. ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°At ease Sargeant. We have a plan. I want you to select a team to accompany Lt. Rayshe to retake the station.¡± Sirsir blinked, wondering how the hells she planned to get anyone past the blockage of adult dragons. His expression twisted up in preparation of asking and she arrested his progress with a hand to forestall the protest. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, Sergeant. For now, I just need you to select who will go.¡± He folded his arms. ¡°The new kids are ready. As ready as I can make them. Send everyone but Yasiin and I. He¡¯s got the most time on the bridge and he¡¯s the second best counter speller you¡¯ve got. Plus, he can lob his own share of void magic. The rest are well suited to the close in fighting we¡¯ll run into on the station.¡± Morwen nodded approvingly, appreciating the sergeant¡¯s appraisal of both of the mages and the tactical needs. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no chance I can¡¯t convince you to take a field grade promotion?¡± ¡°Fuck no ma¡¯am. Respectfully, I mean. My place is out there fighting. I can¡¯t be bothered with command¡¯s bureaucracies. Besides, I don¡¯t think Rayshe would let me live it down.¡± Morwen¡¯s lips quirked at that. ¡°No, I suppose he wouldn¡¯t. A pity, that. Regardless. Let your people rest for now. They¡¯ve earned it. Give them an hour, then we move. See to it, they are ready then.¡± Sgt. Sirsir clapped a fist into his palm with a broad grin. ¡°Count on it, ma¡¯am.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
In the Mage bay everyone was setting about ensuring their gear was ready to go. The insertion team had been chosen, comprising Lt. Rayshe, Akamori, Amara, and Sala. They¡¯d already formed the party and had an internal comm line set up. Of course, Rayshe had to be the first one to speak. ¡°Ensure your skills and gear are set before we depart,¡± Rayshe said. Akamori blinked. That was a good question. He turned to Yasiin, whispering, ¡°How do I make sure my skills are set?¡± Yasiin nodded understandingly. ¡°Rayshe?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The nomad sat down and withdrew his sniper rifle, dabbing a rag in oil and running the rag along the length of the barrel. ¡°So as you train and fight, you gain experience. You can exchange that for improvements to skills or even physical attributes. All that PT and magic training? That can apply. Marksmanship and sword training and voidspawn slaying? It all applies.¡± Akamori nodded with a frown. This felt like important information that no one had told him. Yasiin gave him a wry smirk, reading the confusion on his features. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not immediately obvious, so it¡¯s easy to miss. Most folks never put the work in improving enough to make sure of it. Summon up your status in your armor.¡± Akamori willed the armor to display his status. Name: Akamori Shinjo Race: Gold Seal Enchanted Human (Similar to a curse mark, gold seals are the highest and most powerful form of enchantment and usually used in binding and shackling. Often used on very powerful essences.) Class: Warrior Path: Spell Soldier Magic Rating: 2 Hit Point: 35 Aetherpool: 20 Initiative: +6 Attributes Agility:4 Fortitude:3 Strength:5 Intelligence:2 Intuition:4 Will:3 Appearance:2 Charisma:2 Defenses Resiliance:3 Resolve:3 Dodge:3 Armor:6 Resistance (Air):3 Resistance (Void):3 Skills Melee, Rank: 3, Mastery: Yes, +8 bonus Ranged, Rank 3, Mastery: Yes, +6 bonus Spellcasting, Rank: 3, Mastery: Yes, +7 bonus Perception, Rank: 2, Mastery: No, +6 bonus Athletics, Rank: 3, Mastery: No, +6 bonus Piloting, Rank: 1, Mastery: No, +5 bonus Infusions Magic Expression: Intuition Magic Infusion: Air Aspect: Air Magic Infusion: Void Aspect: Void Magic. Attacks/Combat Spells Void Bolt Manifest Void Air Bolt - Unique Trait: Air Bolt. Rather than a normal cast ball of compressed air, your Bolt spell takes the form of a razor-sharp edge capable of slashing at range. Manifest Air - Abilities Dragon¡¯s Roar: (learnable by humans) (Variable Breath Weapon) Dragon¡¯s Roar. Aetherpool base cost: 2, Range: 10 feet Cone, Damage: 10 , Attack Bonus: +7, Defense: Air Resistance. Bottomless Pool: Spell Soldiers may reduce the cost of their spells by 1 to a minimum of 0. Applies to spells cast through weapons and armor, and excludes invested point (constant cast) spells. Built like a Tank: All Spell soldiers gain defensive benefits through use of their armor. +1 to Resiliance, Resolve and Dodge. Perks & Flaws P is for Phobia ¨C Jonah Complex: Fear of Fate/Destiny. Bit of an Ass ¡ª 1 to all negotiation checks ¡°Show me that again?¡±¨CYou are the opposite of a savant. Learning takes twice of much effort or a good dose of luck. *Superhuman Strength Seal - Seals certain spells, abilities and attributes. One of the three gold seals of the All Mother. Float like a butterfly¡­.- +1 Agility Aetherically well endowed- +1 Aetherpool Not buying your bullshit - +1 Will Miracles Broken Seal: When your HP total is reduced to 0 The Broken Seal miracle is triggered granting a buff. The buff restores HP to max, preventing the character from regressing into unconsciousness. A 120 second invulnerability buff is added. All stats are doubled, and the racial limit of 5 is ignored. Aetherpool is unlimited. The effects of Broken Seal can only be triggered once per scene or day, whichever is longer. At the end of the buffs, a stat debuff is applied that halves all stats, and applies the Stunned debuff for 10 minutes. Temporary spell gained: Mass Disintegrate. Cost 10ap. Effect: AOE spell that attacks all enemies. Damage: 50. Mastery, Yes. +30 Bonus. PVP Merits: 1 Experience Points: 28 ¡°Says I¡¯ve got 28.¡± Yasiin nodded, ¡°Ok good, now you should be able to select any skill or attribute and increase it. If it doesn¡¯t increase, it¡¯s because you lack the required amount of points. You can also buy new skills or spells if you want to. It¡¯s all up to you.¡± Akamori folded his arms, studying the translucent scroll in front of him. Experimentally, he bumped his agility up from 4 to 5. His XP counter ticked down to 8. He moved it back and then tried to bump his will up, noting the change was slightly less, leaving him with 12. So changing his attributes cost him 4 times whatever the target number was. Good to know. He¡¯d spent most of his life training his body, but he lacked depth. He pursed his lips as he studied the information. He was pretty light on spells and figured that he should maximize his attributes before sinking into other areas. Hone his body first, then his mind. That was the approach his father had taken with his training. Sgt. Sirsir reinforced it with their pt and magic endurance training. That settled it then. He selected agility and bumped it up to 5. The boost to his dexterity and ranged capability get him farther for the cost. That still left him with 12 more points. With the remaining points, he gave himself a short range teleport, boost initiative to give him faster combat reflexes, and air whip, a spell that let him use shaped air to reach out and grip things. He completed his choices, and the armor pulsed with aether, finishing the process. Now all he needed was a target to hurl himself at. ¡°Assemble in the airlock,¡± Rayshe¡¯s voice said over the party line. Yasiin gave him a bro nod as Akamori rose from his bunk and. ¡°Good luck out there,¡± Yasiin said. ¡°Thanks. I have a feeling I¡¯m gonna need it,¡± Akamori said. Chapter 28: Insertion The Crasher¡¯s hanger Akamori snapped his helmet''s faceplate on, the small pieces all telescoping and falling into place. He could see the seams merging with small lines of aether, and then it was one solid plate. His heads up display winked into place. Small wedge-shaped markers pointed down at the Lieutenant, Amara, and Sala. His status marker was green. Peeking down at the heads up display in the bottom center of the hud he could see the damage status display which showed a small paper doll of the armor and it was all white. It also had five vials of potions stocked with the supplies the Captain got during the trip to the Forge. He moved his reticle over them for more information and saw that two of them were counter spells (Which was good because he had no idea how to do that without a potion), two healing potions, and a clear potion that had sparkling motes of light called The Tears of Eryn. He squinted and focused the reticle on it. The description simply read: ¡°A potion capable of warding off the sorrow of Eryn.¡± Any more than that, though, and he was completely clueless. He was about to ask if anyone knew about it when the eltee spoke up before him. ¡°I trust you trash know the mission? We¡¯re to infiltrate the station, secure a beachhead, and allow the movement of our marines to further take it completely. The first phase will be our movement to the station. Amara, do you have your potions of invisibility loaded, as I requested?¡± Amara nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She turned and showed him the pink fluid filled vials nested in the bandoleer on her armor. Rayshe nodded sharply, and gave the team a quick look, though Akamori noticed the look the Lt. gave passed over Sala quickly. In the distance, over the eltee¡¯s shoulder, Akamori could see the station. It was a large cylinder with a ring of smaller modules ringing it. He couldn¡¯t see any external defenses, but at the extreme range the Crasher was, the naked eye wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull any details out anyhow. ¡°The plan is simple. Private Amara will engage her first potion of invisibility once we assume formation, and we will spacewalk to the station. Once there, we will infiltrate the station and secure a beachhead for a full stage invasion to follow.¡± Everyone gave the eltee a north and south of the head. They were ready. Akamori¡¯s hand drifted to his blade, clipped to his belt. The consciousness there pulsed a greeting to him and he patted the hilt. He noted the sword felt different from before Xanofex. It felt bigger, or fuller? The pulse almost felt like a greeting, or an eagerness. The rifle slung on his back was slightly more primitive, but to his understanding it had touched less magic, so it wasn¡¯t as aware. Rayshe turned and faced the blue barrier. He turned to monitor the chrono on the wall. When it struck zero, he gestured with his hand forward, and the team stepped through the field one at a time. They all formed up and Akamori twisted to summon some air magic to shove them off. No heat, and since there was no resistance in space, there¡¯d be no residual magic to trace. Just letting inertia do its thing. The invisibility potion vial emptied as the rubber plunger pressed down, and a bubble of pink energy rippled out of Amara¡¯s armor. She disappeared at its center as it continued to expand and overtook the rest of the squad. The team understood that now that it encased them in the bubble; they were to go comm silent to prevent being detected. Akamori was just thankful that inside the sphere of the potion''s influence, they could at least see each other. In the distance, several of the dragons perched on the station perked up, then took off in a flurry of flapping leathery wings and talons. The dragons all sped past them in a muted rush, and Akamori quietly let out the tense breath he¡¯d held. Relieved, their ruse had worked so far. Some dragons had passed so closely that he felt like he could reach out and touch their scaled hides as they passed by him. By the time they reached the station¡¯s airlock, Amara¡¯s invisibility potion had worn off, and the translucent bubble around them dissolved away. Its pink edges burning away into aetheric crumbs. Rayshe drew his pistol from a thigh holster. Once the weapon''s grip was in his hands, tracks of aether pulsed along the weapon like magic arteries. It reminded him of the way the Forge looked inside, but in miniature. It wasn¡¯t superb craftsmanship, but it was above average, and very functional. Rayshe gripped the airlock and nodded to the squad. ¡°Private Akamori, you and Sala will take point. Amara, you¡¯re in the rear with me.¡± Akamori used some air to boost forward gently into the lead. Sala slid up alongside, though he could tell the Primal was still keeping some distance between them. Sala refused to look him in the eye and simply scowled ahead. Akamori sighed quietly. I guess he still won¡¯t let that go then. There was nothing for it, though. For now they needed to get in and take a foothold in the station so the Crasher could deploy the Brotherhood marines. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rayshe gripped the airlock lever and yanked down. The outer doors opened soundlessly, and the team filed into it. A moment later, they closed the exterior. As the outer airlock doors sealed shut again, clamping off the view from outside. Akamori noted to himself that Phase 1 was now complete. They would move into Phase 2 now. The interior of the station reminded Akamori of a haunted house from the old Brotherhood holos. The light was poor, with busted lighting flickering in spastic death throes. Nothing moved in the heavy silence that hung over the station¡¯s interior. All it lacked was sufficient jump scare material. For the time being. Unconsciously, his hand slid to his sword¡¯s hilt, and it pulsed to him eagerly. Akamori pulled his spell rifle tighter into his shoulder as he bit back against the anxiety that threatened to overtake him. Stay cool. Stay calm. He told himself. He could do this. When he envisioned tackling the war against the Sauridius mentally, he didn¡¯t expect it to go quite like this. ¡°Why can they never pick well-lit areas?¡± he whispered. Rayshe hissed in his ear through their comms. ¡°Silence!¡± There were no bodies. He just realized as they were walking into the station, he hadn¡¯t seen any bodies. ¡°It¡¯s like no one¡¯s home. You don¡¯t think they abandoned the station, do you?¡± Akamori said over the team net. Sala shook his head. ¡°No. The station reeks of death. That death is still here.¡± Sala tried to open a door, but it refused to yield. He turned to Rayshe for guidance. ¡°Go around. We don¡¯t want to alert the entire station we¡¯re here if we go ripping doors off hinges.¡± Everyone nodded and pressed on deeper. Exiting the narrow corridor that fed from the airlock into a wider reception area that spilled out into adjacent corridors that led to other airlocks, Akamori assumed they were in some kind of travel hub portion of the station. ¡°Eyes up everyone. If they were going to ambush us, this would be the spot,¡± Amara said. Sala rolled his shoulders in preparation. They got to the center of the hub area. Emergency evacuation notices flickered and flashed across every monitor and projected surface space. The area was a hexagonal lobby with an airlock corridor extending at each point. All were dark save one. Akamori gestured towards the only lit chamber slowly. As the team turned, his eyes took in the sight better. Light spilled into the empty hub over the heads and shoulders of dozens of people. They all stood motionless. Still as death. Then, as one, dozens of cloudy white eyes all lifted from the floor to focus on Akamori. Feck me¡­ Faces twisted and snarled as the undead horde shambled into motion like a rope holding them back at been cut. Akamori let loose several level one void bolts that punched tiny black holes into the foreheads of several of the undead. The reaction was so autonomous he marveled at his own reaction speed. He didn¡¯t have long to be pleased with himself, however, as Rayshe¡¯s voice cut in over the team net. ¡°Stop firing you trash. They¡¯re trying to bleed your aetherpool dry. If you deplete your spells before you encounter the genuine threats, how can you expect to defeat them?¡± Akamori grimaced as he noticed his AP gauge in his hud had dropped by 2. ¡°Sorry. force of habit. So we shouldn¡¯t use spells? What should we do?¡± ¡°Get creative,¡± Sala said as grabbed the nearest undead by the scruff of the neck and smashed its face down into the deck so hard, brown fluid splattered everywhere. ¡°Point taken,¡± Akamori mused. A dead Brotherhood marine shambled after him and Akamori fed his armor a quick boost of air, using his knee to rise forward and up. The undead¡¯s clicking jaw smashed into its mouth, teeth shattering, and the jawbone pulverized against the alloy of his spell armor. He then punched down using some void magic to increase the mass of his fist and pulped the marine¡¯s skull into rotten gore that splashed the deck. He turned, spinning the rifle and using the butt stock to strike down into an advancing zombie¡¯s knee. As the creature staggered clumsily, Akamori spun and clubbed the creature with his rifle butt in the back of its skull. Its head crunched with the sound of dry wood. Snatching the weapon that was dangling from its shoulders, he tugged the buttstock firmly into his shoulder, and sighted down the irons. The weapon kicked a little sharper than his spell rifle did. Little brass metal casings ejected from the side with each shot as a round slammed through the closest undead¡¯s forehead. The top of its skull falling in like a deflated balloon. Two others dropped after awkward shambling steps like their bodies stopped getting input and the delay was burning dry. Three slumped over and caused the trailing undead to stagger and trip over them. Sala advanced and smashed their heads in while they were down. The two exchanged looks and repeated the process. Akamori knocking down the front most zombies and allowing Sala to thunder through and smash the stragglers as they clumsily fought to rise back up. Eventually, they picked off the last of the undead, leaving them panting heavily. They traded AP for stamina in this case, but it meant they saved spells, at least. Dropping the depleted weapon, he drew his spell rifle back from its void portal. He was glad he did too because a short instant later; they heard a loud thudding. A large dark shadow spilled out from behind the back light of the exiting corridor. It was taller than they were by at least a head and a half. Coated in reptilian scales with a mouth full of small spiked teeth. Large wings spread out, and it hefted up a spell cannon as it leered at them. He¡¯d seen this sight before and his blood ran simultaneously cold with dread and hot with rage. Akamori retreated a few paces closer to the team. ¡°Things just got so much worse.¡± Chapter 29: Sacrifice Morwen held the command control sticks firmly as she waited for word that the strike team deployed. Her plan relied heavily on deception and baiting the dragons into an attack. The Brotherhood had given her some resources to work with. No, not resources, she corrected herself. Soldiers. Most of the Brotherhood¡¯s mortal wounded who could fight in some capacity. She just hoped the Crasher looked as beat up as their Brotherhood counter parts to sell the rouse. She trusted the thrashing the ship had taken under the gigantic dragon¡¯s attack would sufficiently serve the purpose. Her lips tugged into a frown. Spending unnamed grunts in a game was one thing, but arbitrarily deciding a character¡¯s fate like this? She pushed the thought down to focus on the task at hand. ¡°Strike team is away,¡± Yasiin said from the defensive console. A fiery message spell extinguishing itself next to him. Morwen nodded to herself. It was time. She eased the throttle forward, and the Crasher slowly responded with propulsion from the drive as it drew light magic from her, converting it into raw power. The lumbering magical battleship¡¯s spell drive flared to life as it pushed ahead, closing the gap to the planet. She hoped that if she could make it appear she was making a mad dash for the surface, the dragons would bite. She wanted to draw on that primal predatory instinct, and get them to pursue fleeing prey. If they were to defend the skies, they wouldn¡¯t allow an attempt to land. ¡°Brotherhood vessels falling into formation as best they can,¡± Yasiin said. A small illusion of the battle space called up next to him. Four dots showed their group. The Crasher and three of the Brotherhood¡¯s most damaged vessels when the dragons took the region. The ships, crewed by volunteers who knew that medical aid was too far off to save them. Or in one case a ship that was one bad hit away from suffering a core breach and no dock yards to repair the damage. They were willingly flying to their deaths. A sacrifice Morwen intended not to take lightly. She whispered a silent prayer for Aeryn to watch after their souls. Moments later, Yasiin glanced at his illusion and scanned a different region. ¡°Confirmed, many of the dragons are abandoning the station. I count ten in pursuit.¡± Morwen focused on flying to keep from shuddering at the genuine prospect of being overwhelmed by the dragons. She began feeding the cannon a large portion of void magic. Spending 3 points from her pool. The ship would amplify that, so she''d hit with a level 4 void spell. ¡°Corporal, I need as much void as you can provide.¡± The Corporal nodded, spending 2 AP to invest in the spell as well. Waves of violet and black energy rippled from Yasiin into the golden control sticks on his console. The ship intuitively took the magic and moved it to the cannon at the rear, building a massive orb of negative energy. Small motes of void aether falling into the ever swelling sphere of destructive magic. The aft spell cannon began priming a shot. Morwen¡¯s void ray slowly congealed within its maw. She took aim at the closest dragon as it flew in after the wounded vessels. She pulled the trigger and the void ray lanced out. Catching the offending dragon in the head. Scales, sinew, and bone just rippled away into nothingness as disentangled particles floated away, leaving only a stump where the neck had once been. The dragon¡¯s lifeless body tumbled away, magic blood trickling from wounds slowly. With the primary screen displaying the aft of the ship, Morwen watched the dragons rushing to catch them. The Brotherhood ships being so damaged meant that she didn¡¯t have to worry about pulling ahead of the dragons. She watched a trio of them pounce on the slowest ship, fires licked at her hull. A few of its point defense rail guns were still functional and moved to respond. Slugs lanced out and struck the dragons point blank. Several rounds belted a dragon, causing it to spin wildly out of control. The dragons regrouped, hurling breath attacks at the same time. Then the remaining turrets were disabled. ¡°Yasiin, strengthen our aft shields.¡± As ordered, the Corporal fed more energy to the rear shields and wards. She watched as extra bands of runes banded around the defensive layer protecting the ship. A moment later, the wounded Brotherhood ship detonated in a nuclear fireball. Morwen watched grimly as the dragons realized what had happened too late. Their looks of shock and surprise burned into her mind as the ship disappeared in a flash. Since there was no atmosphere in space, the explosion''s radius was much more compact. But the radius is relative when detonating a Brotherhood of Man mark 8 power core with a pack of dragons on the outside of the hull trying to tear their way in. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Damn,¡± Sirsir said softly. ¡°Did they do that intentionally?¡± Morwen gave a soft nod. ¡°The Admiral took volunteers to staff their most damaged ships for this diversionary ambush.¡± Her voice was heavy with respect, but there was a note of regret, too. Sirsir gave them a fist over his heart salute before resuming his control at his station. She noted the remaining dragons closing ranks with the rest of the ships. One of them was a damaged cruiser. Morwen watched the few of its main turrets swiveling to fire on the dragons. Electricity danced playfully along the rails before they hurled slugs at near light speeds into the dragon¡¯s chests. A few smaller dragons recoiled, clutching wounds and trying to staunch the bleeding. The few larger dragons among them pushed forward, pouncing on the ship, tearing and clawing. They were digging for the ship''s reactor. The biggest succeeded and tore the reactor free as it sputtered power before going dead. The ship then detonated in a spectacular flash as well. The detonation temporarily flash blinded her again leaving a black spot engrained in her vision. She smirked, taking what little satisfaction she could derive from the shocked last moments of the dragon as it thought it stole victory from the humans, only to be erased from existence in brilliant nuclear retribution. Only one ship remained and the dragons were keeping clear of it now, belting it with spells as it came apart at the keel and fell into a spray of debris and fire. Four dragons remained. ¡°On my mark, prepare to counter spell Yasiin. Sgt. I want as much power as you can provide to speed when I say so.¡± She cut the feed of light magic to the drive and instead started feeding void magic. She¡¯d need the precision for the next maneuver. She put the drive throttle in full reverse and yanked hard on the control stick. The ship groaned as it both reversed its speed and lifted its nose, fire and debris falling away from wounds of the last fight. Fighting both its own mass and the planet''s gravity well. Morwen fed the ship extra dark magic to lighten its mass, and the nose rose higher and higher. The primary screen''s view resolving to the ship''s stern now. Several magic missiles surged after the ship. Morwen could have ignored the attacks, but she needed the shields for longer than they would hold. ¡°Corporal, start counter measures.¡± Several smaller turrets on the ships began firing counter spells. The muted white bolts zipping out and crashing into the attacking missile spells, canceling each other out into shards of aether. ¡°Now Sergeant!¡± Morwen cut her feed off to the drive and allowed the burly Sgt. to feed the drive pure radiant light. Waves of brilliant golden energy poured from him, dissolving into the golden control sticks on his console while he bellowed a guttural howl. The ship sensed the urgency and need from Sirsir and poured the energy into the drive. The exhausts at the aft of the ship glowed with radiance as the golden light flared from the drives with a roar. The ship surged forward as Yasiin¡¯s counter spells cut down the magic missiles chasing the Crasher. A smaller dragon bounced off the massive solid armor ram scoop at the front of the ship. One of its wings shattered and broken as it yelped helplessly after the ship and tried to claw it. The Crasher thundered away higher and higher, and arched back towards the asteroid field, but the remaining dragons gave pursuit, unwilling to let the ship flee. Good, Morwen smiled. Let them give chase. The Crasher continued to rise and as it did so, the firing line of Brotherhood ships came into view. ¡°Let¡¯s hope our allies'' aim is as good as they claim,¡± Morwen said. A moment later, streaks of super accelerated slugs lanced by in a storm that caught the remaining dragons by surprise. Their panicked screeching wails carried in the void by magic. Several rounds slammed into the head of a larger dragon who¡¯d been trying to use his breath attack, but the slugs carved his head cleanly from his neck. Another two dragons riddled with so many rounds, Morwen would have been hard pressed to identify their breed. Several rounds skipped off the shields, and the runes discolored a few shades until Yasiin boosted them, pushing more energy to the forward shields now without even being ordered to. Morwen noted the tactical awareness and smiled. He was shaping up nicely into a fine pilot. She eased the throttle back, and the ship eased into a casual speed as it moved to join back up with the Brotherhood lines. As they moved, Morwen put the battle space up on the screen. She gave the fallen sailors and marines a salute, and the Sgt. and Corporal joined her. ¡°Our allies gave of themselves everything to buy us this chance. We stand in recognition of their bravery in duty and dedication. A price so ultimate that only the gods can cast judgement upon them. We pray they find peace in the afterlife, and the next.¡± Chapter 30: Assault Hidros Station Greenish brown bolts of acid shot past the strike team and hit the walls. Noxious gas filled the air as alloys broke down under the corrosive effects. Rayshe exclaimed the Sauridius hatchlings were using earth magic. Akamori drew his rifle and snapped off several air bolts at the undead, which blasted heads to gory matter. The defenders pinned the strike team down. More undead fell upon them. Akamori could feel his heart thundering in his chest. They needed to push somehow. He couldn¡¯t see how, though, not with the blistering fire they were under. Acrid smoke billowed as shots hit their cover and started dissolving it. The outer shell of a metal console discolored as it liquified, hissed, and bubbled. Sparks crackled out as electronics suffered under the acid. ¡°Private Sala. You¡¯re up. Rush the enemy lines,¡± Rayshe ordered. ¡°Sir?¡± Akamori said as Sala¡¯s expression went pale and the primal actually shrank smaller. ¡°You heard me, Private. Go!¡± Sala¡¯s gaze went distant, and Akamori wasn¡¯t sure if Sala would start rocking himself. Being a war slave had to suck. Go here, do this, and die now. Akamori put a hand on his shoulder, and Sala turned to him. Sala didn¡¯t glare, but there was fear in his expression. Akamori gave the primal his best reassuring squeeze he could. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± He saw Sala¡¯s cheek twitch with doubt and confusion, but they didn¡¯t have time for that. ¡°The Eltee is right. We have to push or we¡¯re just waiting to die on borrowed time. I¡¯ve seen you fight. You¡¯re a beast. We push together, ok?¡± Akamori slung the rifle over his back, preferring to keep it handy. He gripped the hilt of his blade, his thumb hitched behind the guard, ready to push it free of its scabbard. ¡°Let¡¯s go show these overgrown lizards what we can do, eh?¡± Sala drew in a deep breath and nodded. The faceplate of his helmet peeled back in small panels until his head was exposed and he triggered the armor to retract into storage mode. Akamori watched it retreat in progressively folding plates until it was the size of a bracer on his arm. Sala gave another anxious glance towards the shambling horde and the hatchlings pressing the attack. He glanced back at Akamori, the discomfort clear. ¡°It¡¯s ok. The captain needs us to pull this off,¡± Akamori said again. Sala turned to face back to the airlock, and Akamori wondered if he was looking for the ship for a moment. Sala always seemed to be protective of the Captain. The primal turned back to face him, nostrils flaring as he drew in a long steady breath. Then intense earth and light magic rippled out of the primal. His bulk increased, and his skin hardened to stone and mottled grey. It cracked and rumbled like a living rock sliding over gravel. His eyes flashed with radiant energy as the light magic poured from his body like stoked fire. There was the big rocky chaos monster that half beat the snot out of him. Akamori smirked, the anticipation of violence burning away all fear and doubt. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, drawing his blade. Akamori and Sala rushed to the right side of the room, trampling a massive trench through the undead after the rightmost hatchling. It snapped off several acid bolts at Sala, but the light barrier/stone skin combo blunted the attack naturally since the two earth magics canceled out. The radiant aura Sala wreathed himself in healed whatever damage the massive brute actually suffered after the resistance. Akamori raced along with a strong wind pressing against his back for speed via the armor, and came out from around Sala at the last moment, cutting at the Hatchling¡¯s leg. The blade stubbornly bit down into the scales and drew blood. He frowned at how shallow the wound was. His hud ran a quick perception check. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Dragonborn Hatchling Divinty: Mortal Challenge: Difficulty Threshold 3 DT3? That was the first time he¡¯d encountered something this tough, to his knowledge. He made a mental note to ask about all this later. That would no doubt draw forth some put upon a reply from the sergeant. Leaving the damage numbers and most notifications shut off had helped him really focus on the action so far. His blade¡¯s hilt shifted in the hatchling''s thigh, bringing his focus back to the present situation. In response, the Hatchling aimed its spell rifle at him from point-blank range. The barrel coughed a bolt of propelled acid in the shape of a spell bolt. Cursing himself for letting himself be distracted, Akamori jumped, using air to spin himself to avoid the attack. As he distracted the Hatchling, Sala slammed a massive fist into the hatchling, crushing its weapon against its body and smashing it into the wall. It opened its mouth to breathe in Sala¡¯s face, but Akamori spun, twirling his blade and ramming it down the Hatchlings¡¯ face, pinning his head to the wall. Gore dripped out of the hole in the back of its skull as its eyes lulled over into death. The other two hatchlings fired on Sala in retaliation, and the combined attack wore down his stone skin and a horrid sizzling noise sounded out. Pain howled from the wounded primal. Sala fell to a knee, clutching his other leg as it threatened to melt completely off. His light magic struggled to press the caustic acid back. Akamori swept around Sala, flicking his blade to cleave off the meat that was slowly being melted by the acid with an air slash. That kept his blade free of the corrosive magic. He advanced on the other two hatchlings as they shifted to aim at him, just as a hail of fire slammed down into them from Rayshe and Amara. The two young dragons used their wings as shields to weather the attack. Akamori took a deep breath and whispered a prayer to his weapon. It glowed for a moment in response to the prayer, coated in a soft silver-blue glow. He rammed the blade forward, punching through the wing as the hatchling shrieked. It tried to press the blade away from its chest, but Akamori howled a war cry, air magic blasting into his back at his summons, and the blade surged forward into the chest of his opponent. The scales offered only temporary resistance before giving way to the magic enchanted sword bathed in air magic. As he was withdrawing his blade, the last hatchling fired at him, so he used the body he¡¯d just killed to stop the attack. Cover fire from Amara and Rayshe caught the hatchling and overwhelmed it. A shot to the knee, and then the face finished it for good. Akamori turned and saw Lt. Rayshe¡¯s pistol smoking. Was he grinning? That made Akamori shiver internally. Amara was panting and gave him a nod. They¡¯d survived this far. He and Amara rushed over to Sala, who was channeling light magic to regrow the damage done to his leg. ¡°You ok?¡± The primal grunted, unable to speak without breaking his focus. Akamori took that as an ok, mostly. He glanced up and saw the Lt. surveying the area. ¡°This shall suffice,¡± he said. In the center of the room, Lt. Rayshe started kicking dead bodies to clear a space large enough to place the Void Gate assembly for the Marines to traverse through. Once the Lt. got the portal active, only then did it sink in that they¡¯d been victorious. It felt pretty touch and go after they almost lost Sala to the hatchling attacks. Akamori wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the young dragons. He knew the Sauridius used them as shock troops with terrible effectiveness, but he had a hard time imagining human soldiers with no magic against those. The scales were too imbalanced. ¡°We just took down several hatchling raiders,¡± Amara said. Disbelief and pride mixed simultaneously. Akamori could only nod, the shock still lingering in his mind. ¡°For a moment, I wasn¡¯t sure we were going to make it.¡± ¡°How many do we think are left?¡± Rayshe glanced deeper into the station. ¡°There were quite a few hatchlings in here, but they lacked the power to shackle so many undead on their own. There¡¯s likely still a shackler here lurking in the station along with whatever surprises it might have defending it.¡± ¡°So stopping them is key,¡± Amara said. ¡°Yes. Which is where our marines come into play. We¡¯ll use them to sweep and clear the station, and when they detect issues, we¡¯ll interdict.¡± ¡°But those creatures will slaughter them?¡± Akamori said, confused. ¡°So?¡± He blinked in numb shock at Amara. How did he respond to that? He had until the marines stopped filtering through the portal to find his answer. He just hoped it was a usable one because right now he wasn¡¯t confident he could do much to prove his point, never mind resist the eltee¡¯s urge to just order everyone to their death. Chapter 31: No Return Hidros Station The Brotherhood marines filed through the portal on the Crasher¡¯s side and entered the station. The acrid haze left over from the earth-based acid round spells cast by the hatchling raiders had cleared enough that Akamori could take his helmet off without choking. He stood back as Sala continued to use light magic to heal the wound in his leg; the strain showing as beads of sweat formed on Sala¡¯s temples. The primal¡¯s teeth clenched and Akamori rested a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. ¡°Hang in there, big guy.¡± The primal grunted in reply. Sala was the most diminutive of them, but when he channeled his magic and went on the attack, he truly lived up to his race¡¯s namesake. Akamori glanced up as the Brotherhood marines formed up. The senior nco¡¯s filed through, and then Lt. Fennex finished the flow. Then the doorway deactivated. The swirling violet energy fading out. He was still awestruck at the idea that they could make portals for traversing great distances instantly. From his limited training and understanding, it limited teleportation spells in range based on the casters¡¯ magical magnitude and the amount of pool invested. Once Lt. Fennex assumed control of his marines and got a head count, Lt. Rayshe strode over and Akamori tensed. Rayshe had never been one to communicate well between ranks, never mind with the Brotherhood. Amara gave him a nervous look, too. It was one thing to snip and bite at each other on the ship, but this was a combat situation and they couldn¡¯t afford infighting. Akamori spotted more than one uncertain look in the marines expressions. Some were even the ones who¡¯d introduced him to the business end of their fists. ¡°You. Take your men and clear the rest of the station.¡± Rayshe ordered. Akamori shook his head, stunned. He felt like someone had just tucked a brick into a glove and swung it across his face. He¡¯d crossed the distance between himself and Rayshe in an instant before he even realized it. The fact it was greater than three meters didn¡¯t sink in just yet. ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t order them to do that? There¡¯s still a shackler somewhere on the station, and that means there¡¯ll be more undead.¡± Rayshe turned to him with a contemptuous scowl. ¡°And who are you to question my orders?¡± Akamori ignored the question, pressing the point. ¡°You know they¡¯ll take losses. Why sacrifice an entire platoon before we even hit the surface of the world? Setting aside the tactical stupidity of the fact you¡¯d just be feeding their numbers and further exhausting us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the cold, ruthless calculus of war, Private. They are expendable assets. And they are being spent.¡± Akamori opened his mouth to speak again, but Amara put a hand on his shoulder. None of this made any sense. It was like they were actively trying to lose this war. The only one he saw doing anything collectively positive was Captain Morwen. Hell, even the sergeant for all his bluster and rough edges didn¡¯t seem this murder hungry. Lt. Fennex¡¯s face went pale, devoid of all color. The men in formation behind him exchanged nervous glances between each other. The drop in mood was obvious to Akamori, so why was this clown so oblivious to his own poor decision-making skills? Akamori¡¯s back went rigid. He felt like lightning had just shot through him. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. I refuse to accept the Captain would support this plan if she knew.¡± Rayshe leaned close to Akamori, his hand slid towards the pistol on his thigh. Tracers of aether flowed down the grooves in the weapon at his touch. The warmth of Rayshe¡¯s breath splashed against his cheek. ¡°I am in charge here. Placed here by the Captain. And you dare challenge my authority?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to make such a stupid order? Then yes.¡± Rayshe¡¯s hand seized his pistol. Akamori opened his left hand and pumped a raw amount of air magic into it. He compressed the swirling air so much that the violent friction created a spark that grew. As Rayshe drew his weapon, a bolt of raw plasmic lightning grew. The energy danced and played between his fingers as though it were alive. Rayshe aimed the weapon at Akamori in the same instant that he pointed his hand at Rayshe and loosed the bolt of lightning. The void bolt clipped the shoulder plate on Akamori¡¯s spell armor as his bolt caught Rayshe square in the torso, throwing him across the room into the far wall. Rayshe landed in a smoking heap with a groan as he struggled to get to his feet, lifting the pistol back at Akamori. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ll have your head on my desk for this,¡± he growled. Before Rayshe could do anything further, though, a bolt of pink energy crashed into his head, and Rayshe tumbled to the ground. Amara stood behind him with a stern expression, her single eye aimed down the sights of her pistol. Pink smoke rolling from the barrel. Silence fell upon everyone as the shock of the exchange gripped the marines and mages alike. Akamori cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in the silence. ¡°Well,¡± he started. ¡°At least your aim got better.¡± That cracked Amara¡¯s stern look as she gave him a nod and holstered the pistol, marching over next to him to look down at Rayshe¡¯s sleeping form. ¡°I hit him with a deep sleep spell. Think of it like a magic induced coma. He¡¯ll be out until we want him awakened.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t kidding,¡± Sala said in a solemn tone. He¡¯d paused his healing and the wound on his leg looked back, but it was slowly improving. ¡°He¡¯ll want you dead as soon as you wake him up.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we have a mission to finish.¡± Lt. Fennex scratched his head, ¡°I uh. I won¡¯t forget that. He¡¯s going to want retribution, but all of us appreciate you stickin¡¯ yer neck out for us like that. It¡¯s rare the Federation recognizes the Brotherhood¡¯s people like that. Hell, most of the time they use us just like he wanted to. Disposable troops.¡± Akamori nodded with a frown. ¡°We¡¯re all in this fight together, and no one is any more important or special than the next. We¡¯re all soldiers. It¡¯s high time the Federation started acting like it.¡± Fennex bit back a chuckle, ¡°Goodness yer a spitfire.¡± Akamori scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m just getting started.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got any advice or ideas on how to handle this?¡± Akamori glanced into the recesses of the station from their beach head position. He glanced back at Amara, recalling their stealth infiltration. ¡°I might. Your men lack magical defenses or weapons, so setting up a perimeter and holding this position feels like the best use of you for now. Hold this position. We¡¯ll go hunt down the shackler. They¡¯ll probably send their minions in a push, but your weapons are just fine for taking down the undead.¡± ¡°Destroy the head and those things turn into meaty rag dolls,¡± Fennex said confidently. ¡°If you¡¯re going after the shackler, they¡¯ll have a totem or relic they are using to control the soul bound. If you destroy the totem, you break the binder¡¯s hold over those it has shackled. Since most of them are already dead, it will mean a permanent death for them,¡± Sala said. Good to know¡­ ¡°Alright,¡± Akamori turned to Amara, who¡¯d been watching him expectantly. ¡°Still got that other invisibility potion?¡± She nodded, ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go hunting then.¡± The marines spread out, assuming covered positions, and set up a perimeter. Akamori wanted to wait, since losing the gate would mean losing their access to the ship. They had to protect their lifeline. As the marines barked orders and chanting affirmatives, Akamori took a moment to study the station¡¯s map. The arrivals and departures terminal was mostly a lot of corridors and airlocks. But the main area of the station was like an enclosed city in a glass and steel jar. The Necromancer would likely have the most access to places to hide and bodies to bind there. He charted a flight path that would see them patrol the districts in a manageable route. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Amara asked. ¡°We can reasonably expect the necromancer to be operating close to this area. So our patrol will allow us to search and scan it most effectively.¡± ¡°Ok, and what happens when we find it?¡± ¡°We kill them.¡± ¡°Think we even can?¡± He scoffed, ¡°Probably not no. But those marines would sell their lives to Rayshe for the Federation. We should be willing to risk our own necks, too.¡± Amara nodded. ¡°Fair enough. So two poorly trained privates are going to go attack a necromancer.¡± ¡°Could be worse.¡± He countered. ¡°What, like losing our home, worse?¡± ¡°Actually, yeah. We know more since then, and we have more magic too. We¡¯re in the best position to do this. Rayshe was never going to do it. And Sala is too wounded to come along. Besides, he can help in a pinch here if needed.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you were willing to challenge Rayshe like that.¡± Amara said. She glanced at Rayshe¡¯s prone form. His chest rode and fest in sleep. He sighed, pacing in a tight circle. The fight to ward off anxiety was becoming a losing battle. ¡°It wasn¡¯t right. Throwing away lives didn¡¯t feel right. If that¡¯s the Federation does things, then they need to change.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your father would agree.¡± ¡°Everything I¡¯ve seen from this federation is telling a bleak story. And it¡¯s no wonder. They lose personal like it¡¯s their job to, and they struggle with supply and personnel. Trapped in a war for survival and no one wants to fight to die a useless death. I¡¯m wondering if this is all worth it. I told the captain I was in, that I¡¯d fight. But like this?¡± He shook his head, unsure. ¡°Your father taught you to follow your heart and fight for those who couldn¡¯t. Maybe that¡¯s what this federation needs right now. A reminder of why it was formed. I have to suspect that this wasn¡¯t just some get rich quick scheme or an artificial glory machine for petulant nobles. Fight this war your way, and I¡¯m sure the winds of change will fill our sails.¡± Akamori groaned, hearing his father¡¯s words parroted by Amara. ¡°Okay. Okay. Just please stop quoting my old man.¡± ¡°Only if you promise to stop doubting yourself.¡± ¡°Fine. Deal.¡± The marines finished establishing their perimeter, maximumly using the second floor. Lanes of overlapping fire and covered positions meant they could defend the position as long as they needed. Chapter 32: Necromancer part 1 They each deployed their helmets and linked their internal comms up. Then Amara triggered the invisibility potion, and the pair rippled out of view to the marines. As they flew out of the beachhead position, Akamori visually scanned the station as it opened up in a large cylindrical area. It looked as though someone had taken a city and rolled it up like a pizza. All the building tops pointed to the center. ¡°This could take way too long. The spell won¡¯t last long enough to track the shackler down,¡± Amara said. They came to a halt as they searched the area. It was quiet in here. Devoid of all the sounds, one might expect a small floating city in space to have. ¡°It¡¯s quiet in here. You could hear a pin drop¡­¡± ¡°Sure, but how does that help us?¡± ¡°Well, Father used to take me hunting, and sometimes the manka cats were extra cagey. They would know we were hunting for them, so they would hide from us regardless of how well we stalked them.¡± ¡°So, how did you catch them?¡± ¡°We tricked them into attacking what they thought was us, then we capitalized on their mistake.¡± ¡°And since you¡¯re telling me this, I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s the plan here. So what do we do?¡± ¡°Can you make an illusion of us? Flying around and looking? They¡¯ll probably start flinging attack spells at the illusion and we¡¯ll spot our enemies¡¯ position.¡± Amara closed her eye and started executing the hand signs for weaving the spell. A moment later she finished, and aetheric energy rushed from her, resolving into exact replicas of themselves. She gestured with her hands, and the replicas turned and rose above the rooftops to an obvious height. Then she began a sweeping search pattern with them. Her eye glowed with pink energy as she moved them from channeling the spell. Akamori watched as she continued to make hand gestures and the Replicas¡¯ flight patterns would change. It reminded him of a puppeteer. The false pair of them flew into a lazy low orbit around the interior of the station, searching for the shackler. Akamori watched Amara¡¯s expression tighten and her eye glowed with pink energy. A flurry of sickly pale green soul missile spells shot out from the tallest building in the station. When the bolts hit Amara¡¯s replica¡¯s, she cursed, adjusting the spell on the fly to look as though the pair of them could barely defend and fell away from view. The shackler approached the edge to peer down and sneered, satisfied with his handiwork. The draconic necromancer returned to the building from which he¡¯d ambushed the spectral images. She turned to Akamori and gave him a nod as the motes of mind magic drifted from her eye. She gestured for him to follow her, and the pair made their way directly to the shackler. The shackler sat in a rather fancy office. Lots of dark wood book shelves packed side to side. It also held a wide old desk. It looked like the desk someone in an important position handed down would have. It reminded Akamori a lot of the Clan Chief¡¯s hut back home on Hoshun. Atop the desk, a pallid, ethereal glow surrounded it. The shackler didn¡¯t notice them outside so Akamori folded his arms, puzzling out how to approach this. Since they routed their comms through their helmets internally, they didn¡¯t have to worry about being heard. ¡°Well. We¡¯ve got the drop on him. Question is, what do we do with it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re best in your target''s face. I¡¯m better off at a short remove. You engage up close, and I¡¯ll provide support.¡± She withdrew her pistol for emphasis. In response, he drew his blade from its scabbard fastened to his armor¡¯s hip. The blade was silver, with two sets of runes etched into the base just above the guard. An Air and a darkness rune. They both glowed with their respective energies. The blade¡¯s uncomplicated mind pulsed an eager greeting to him. He squeezed it firmly hello back. It had grown slightly longer than he¡¯d initially been used to. Ever since the trip to Xanofex¡¯ mind, it¡¯d become a little more than it was. It had grown. Amara¡¯s pistol was a standard issue pistol that bore no special distinctions. Akamori appreciated that as well. The simplicity and effective craftsmanship. Built to purpose, and sturdy to boot. Yet it lacked the distinctiveness of his blade possessed. There was no consciousness to be sensed. Just the shell of a tool. They exchanged nods with each other when ready, then blasted forward. Akamori rode a surging wind as he fed his blade a portion of air energy and brought it down in a diagonal slash that hurled a nanometer thin blade of air that cut cleanly through the window. The shackler rippled away in a swirl of pink energy, leaving Akamori and Amara both staring blankly. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Did we just ambush an ambush?¡± he asked, reaching up to scratch his head, but stopping when he jammed his fingers into the armored helmet. Amara whirled in place and fell back as a series of spirit bolts slammed into the desk. Splinters and shredded bits of polymer from a keyboard flew into the air. Akamori fed his armor an extra bit of air magic, swiftly dodging the spell bolts. However, as he banked away and twisted, they swerved to match his movements. He felt them calling out to something deep within him, as though being tugged along by him. At an instinctual level, he felt them locked onto his soul. In a panic, he fed his blade dark energy, and it wreathed the sword in black energy. Akamori swung the blade, trying to chop through the bolts. His blade cut a tight arc across his torso, devouring the first, its ethereal green bolt dissolving into nothingness with a keening sound. Did that spell bolt just scream when he destroyed it? Figuratively flat footed by the sudden question, the other clipped his leg, bursting into a sickly green cloud that made something deep inside him cringe and go cold, like someone had walked over his grave and kicked over his headstone. Nausea overcame him, and he fell to the floor behind the desk. His helmet snapped back, and he threw up on the floor, ruining the plush crimson carpet. He doubted the owner would come back anyhow. Amara responded by returning fire with her pistol, the mind energy bolts, before darting down next to the desk for cover. Her helmet snapped back in a series of folding plates until her face was visible. Even with only one functional eye, she still managed a concerned expression. ¡°Are you ok?¡± He nodded, trying to steel his nerves. ¡°If I had to guess what death feels like? I¡¯d say it¡¯s getting hit by one of those. My stomach flipped upside down, and everything went cold, and it felt like that bolt dragged my soul out of my body for an instant.¡± She peeked over the desk until to duck back down behind cover again as more shards of wood and computer clattered off their armor. Beyond the broken window, they could hear the amused cackling of the shackler. ¡°Oh come now, surely you can¡¯t have expected it to be that easy?¡± Akamori shrugged with his back to the desk. ¡°I actually kind of did.¡± The laughter stopped for a moment, and Akamori allowed himself the stray thought to wonder if that caused the dragon confusion. ¡°No matter. Devouring, you will make a delicious end to an otherwise tragic day. Losing my older brother Tomek in orbit to your ship is an injustice that must be answered with your end.¡± Amara gave him a questioning look. He took a slow deep breath and felt his stomach slowly untangle itself and the feeling return to the center of his chest. He had no intention of ever being struck by one of those bolts ever again. ¡°I¡¯ll pin him down and keep his attention to get you time to close in,¡± Amara said, pink mind energy swirling in the barrel of her pistol. Her helmet faceplate rippled back into place, snapping shut at the eyes, which then illuminated. In a blur, she¡¯d popped up from behind cover. Her pistol belting out shot after shot of pink mind bolts. Akamori waited for a three count and then burst out of cover on a gust of wind that kicked up debris in his wake. He cut a wide path to close in the shackler¡¯s flanks. Amara¡¯s pink energy bolts slammed into the concrete and steel rooftop edge the shackler was using for cover. Once he¡¯d cut around wide enough, he aimed himself and fed the armor as much air magic as he could spare as he raced in for the attack. At the last minute, the shackler jumped up away from Akamori and flicked another spirit bolt at him. This time Akamori was ready, his blade bathed in a mix of air energy wrapped in a cover of dark energy, and he swung the blade in an arc that would have cut the dragon in human form in two from right shoulder to left hip. The Air slash attack launched from his blade, cutting a nanometer thick path through the distance between them. The spirit bolt crashed into the razor thin blade of dark and air magic, shattering into sickly green shards of wispy aether. Another keen cry, another tortured soul sent to the hereafter. At the last moment, the shackler teleported away from the attack. Popping back into existence on an adjacent rooftop to Akamori seated on a large piece of machinery. Some kind of device to move air, perhaps? ¡°Not bad for a wiry little air, mage. You¡¯re pretty good with a blade. But I don¡¯t think you¡¯re quite up to taking me down. Now, what say we dispense with the preamble and skip right to the part where I kill and bind you both, shall we?¡± The shackler¡¯s eyes narrowed to thin slits, and Akamori quickly understood he was squaring off against a full grown dragon in morphed human form. His armor zoomed in on the man enough so he didn¡¯t have to squint for details. The feat done with the armor''s small reserve of fire magic. The man¡¯s overall appearance was close enough to pass for a human. But the eyes were wrong. Sporting reptilian slitted pupils. His irises were a muted, sickly green and aether seemed to billow out of his eyes like lazy fog. He also had a mouth full of small pointed teeth instead of the mix of molars and incisors. The armor even opened a small inset zoom window that showed it pitted his skin, but by scales, not by pores. ¡°Admiring my work, are you?¡± The man smirked with a wink of the bald eyebrow. Akamori realized just then that the man¡¯s appearance had no hair. Either on his eyebrows or on his head. ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress. Your mammalian hair is such a fine and difficult detail to master. Only a few of us have really been able to master it. I¡¯m still learning.¡± Akamori understood the danger in a dragon who could shackle souls and wills able to freely walk amongst his prey. That kind of camouflage could end civilizations. He gripped his sword tighter. It¡¯s desire for combat resonating in his mind. He sensed its hunger for violence. Sauridius Necromancer Divinty: Mortal Challenge: Difficulty Threshold 4 To be continued... Chapter 32: Necromancer part 2 Great. He¡¯s a shackler, and capable spirit bolt weaver. Plus, he¡¯s a dragon, so he¡¯s probably able to use that as a breath weapon, which means getting in close to hurt him is both my best and worst bet. I¡¯ll have to feign an attack to provoke the breath attack, dodge it, then retaliate. No matter what, though it¡¯s doubtful I walk away from this. Oh well. That just means I don¡¯t have to put up with Rayshe later. ¡°Amara, on my mark, open fire. Keep him pinned if you can. Don¡¯t let him port away.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± He flicked his blade to the side, feeding it some dark energy. The blade glowed with swirling violet energy. On his mark, Amara unleashed hell as he blasted his back with a wall of air, hurtling his head on at the shackler. ¡°A hasty death it is then,¡± he said with a smile and an indifferent shrug. He blurred forward on a storm gale of wind, his blade sang with a high-pitched hum as it cut a path through the air. Air magic playing up and down the edges as he closed in. Flicking his wrist, he brought the blade up. The shackler blocked it with a finger and a wide, sharp-toothed grin before his body exploded in motion. The human form warped and melted away into the shape of a massive dragon. The finger elongated into a massive ivory talon that casually shed sparks against his blade in a struggle. Akamori was immediately thankful for the armor¡¯s water reclamation spell, as he may have peed a little in the armor then. Not that he¡¯d fully admit it to anyone, ever. ¡°Okay, how the hell am I supposed to beat that?¡± ¡°Get around his back?¡± He shrugged. It was the best he had to work with. ¡°Cover me.¡± In response, a flurry of pink bolts peppered the sickly green scales of the dragon as it roared, and breathed an off-green breath attack that looked half sickly fog, half spreading flame. Amara broke off her attack and broke into an evasive flight in retreat. The diverted attention gave him time to dance to the dragon. He pushed as much dark and air magic into the blade as it could. It vibrated in his grip, eagerly drinking up the magic. The air around the blade darkened with the absence of light as crackling violet bolts of energy danced up and down the blade''s length. Sweat dripped down his brow, stinging at his eyes. He poured air into the armor and at his back as much as he could to amplify his speed. This attack had to count. Akamori howled a wordless war cry and brought the blade down across the dragon''s back. The spell discharged into the bleeding groove it carved. Dark lightning danced into the dragon¡¯s body as the shadow-charged air slash dissolved scales and muscle down to the spinal column of the dragon. The last traces of dark lightning danced playfully between its wings as the beast sagged in the air, crushing several buildings beneath it with an angry glare at him as it snapped its jaws, nearly plucking him from the air. Retreat! Akamori felt a voice call and realized it was his blade''s consciousness. It was developing its own battle sense? He sheathed the blade and fell back to Amara. The dragon was already struggling for purchase to get its feet under it. It roared at them defiantly and then flapped its wings, rising for the transparent steel dome. ¡°Oh, fuck¡­¡± Akamori muttered. ¡°We need to anchor down, now!¡± He grabbed her shoulder armor, and flew as hard as his armor would allow for the ground, crashing through a glass door and bending the frame as he sought some kind of below-ground access. There! A metro-transit train (whatever those were?). He got them halfway down the tunneled stairway when a great crashing sound in the distance signaled the dragon¡¯s exit from the station. Immediately after, their forward momentum was arrested, and the vacuum pulled them backward. He kicked off Amara¡¯s back, aiming her at handrails along the wall. Unfortunately, the motion threw him off balance and he tumbled against the wall like a wildly tossed bounce ball. Pinging off objects painfully, the paper doll flashed multiple colors before settling on an angry red. If it were as sentient as his sword, he imagined it¡¯d have choice words for him. He reached out and used his air magic to grip a rail and tugged himself towards it. Relief flooded through him as his fingers wrapped around it even as he still bounced off the wall several times, grunting from the impact. Finally, the station¡¯s breach protocols kicked in and a quick deploying nano-gel membrane spread over the large break. Soon, the station resealed and repressurized. As it did, he felt the pull on him lessen. As gravity reclaimed him, he used the dark magic to counteract its effect on him long enough to reorient himself before setting his feet back down on the tiled floor with a thud. His knees shook, and he collapsed to his hands and knees for a moment, panting. After a beat, he got back to his feet with some unsteady effort. He leaned over to pant as Amara came back up the stairs, nursing what he figured was a bruised hip. She reached back and slapped his helmet, nearly knocking him over. ¡°Don¡¯t ever do something like that again! You could have been sucked out into the vacuum!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. He laughed as the helmet''s visor rippled back in layers of plates. ¡°Sealed armor? I¡¯d have been fine.¡± ¡°And fighting a dragon. Not ideal circumstances. You¡¯re lucky we survived this time.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get this totem so we can get back to the others.¡± He took a few moments more to get his wind back. The notion amused him given he was an air mage. He hated putting off battles to deal with later. In his experience, it only ever made them worse, but they had little choice here. Thankfully the dragon fled, likely fearing them far more since he could wound it. If only it¡¯d realized how much doing that had taken out of him. That was one bluff he was happy hadn¡¯t been called. Amara closed her eye and focused, allowing the sound and sight to fall away from her as she tapped into a sense she¡¯d been working to hone more since Hoshun. In her mind''s eye, she could sense magic elements. Next to her, Akamori stood as a luminous body of air and dark magic. Even his blade glowed faintly, touched by the two wellsprings. They were not alone, though, and it remained in the building they¡¯d launched their ambush on. A small urn that pulsed with waves of spirit energy stitched together by a latticework of runes. Magical instructions for defining the spell and holding it together, she realized. That was their target, the totem. She looked up in its direction. ¡°It¡¯s back in the room we first attacked the dragon in.¡± The pair lifted off and flew back to the office. She pointed out an unassuming globe on the desk that had curiously survived the spirit bolts flung at them earlier. Odd that she¡¯d missed that. She studied the small patchwork of pink runes. She executed several counter-mind signs and the illusion spell dissolved from the globe, revealing the totem for its true appearance. The totem was a swirling sphere of soul energy wrapped in a framework of runes that pulsed with earth, mind, and soul runes. The pair looked at the totem curiously for a moment. ¡°So we break this, and that sets free all the bound souls trapped in the undead?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as good a guess as any,¡± Amara said. She folded her arms, her eye narrowing as she scrutinized the rune work. ¡°If I hit it with mind bolts, that should crack the frame holding all the soul energy. Then, if you hit it with your powerful void spell, it should come apart.¡± ¡°Should?¡± he asked. She gave him an uncertain shrug. ¡°This is just all guesswork.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the best idea we¡¯ve got. Ready?¡± He tightened his grip on his sword. Amara leveled her pistol, swirling pink mind energy building within the barrel of the pistol. He knew little about the other magical aspects, but he knew mind energy could alter reality or how the mind perceived it, anyway. He was comfortable with his air magic, and the dark magic was becoming familiar enough to use more easily now, too. He focused a moment, following Amara¡¯s example, and channeled dark magic down the blade. The void wreathed the blade, devouring light and obscuring the blade. He nodded to Amara that he was ready, and she fired on the totem three times. Pink shards of energy fade away into the aether with each shot. When she¡¯d finished, the frame of runes had several large cracks in the mind runes. His turn now. His arms tensed as the muscles tightened for the swing, then he brought the blade crashing down on the sphere. The shadow blade crashed into the framework of runes. There was a high-pitched keening as the runes strained against the void spell before shattering into aether shards. As soon as the grid of runes shattered, the whirling, gaseous-looking globe of soul energy contracted before bursting out in a wave that dispersed. As the stored soul energy rippled through him, Akamori felt an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude as it pulsed through him. His eyes felt extra damp, and he blinked away the unshed tear, then turned back to Amara. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time to go back and face the music.¡± Back on the ship, marines all around him clapped and cheered, and he felt increasingly self-conscious. Akamori leaned close to Amara, his helmet retracted to the collar of the neck. ¡°Why are they clapping at us?¡± Lt. Fennex approached him from the left and fell in step with them as they strolled through the gunmetal grey hangar deck. ¡°It¡¯s because of how you stood up to Rayshe back at the station. We all knew the gig we signed up for when we joined the Federation. It¡¯s no secret most mages look down on normals with a bit of contempt, especially on Eryn. But Rayshe was the absolute worst for all of that classism shit.¡± Akamori frowned. ¡°Father always said that your clan¡¯s strength depended on your weakest man¡¯s commitment to the clan. If your clan crumbles in combat, it doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are on your own,¡± he mused. Fennex nodded, ¡°Your old man sounds pretty smart. Is he in the Federation, too?¡± Akamori shook his head. ¡°No, the Sauridius attacked my homeworld. He died in the fighting.¡± Fennex sighed as they passed by the munitions bay. Several large black and yellow striped lines marked off sections of ammo crates. ¡°Sounds like Tohruun and Kofex. We tried to defend those colonies, but they just overran us with undead and soul bound. Gods damned magic shit. Er..no offense.¡± Akamori eyed the eltee curiously, then gave him an indifferent shrug. ¡°None taken. So why do I feel like I¡¯m taking my last rites march?¡± Fennex stared at him blankly, then looked up and down the hangar bay before nodding. ¡°Because you probably are. Lt. Rayshe ain¡¯t gonna stand fer what you did to him back on the station. He¡¯s the worst kind of snobby aristocrat kid. Thinks the universe revolves around him and has absolutely no regard or value for those under him. The fact you knocked him out cold and kept him asleep? He¡¯ll want your heads.¡± Akamori sighed with a nod. ¡°Great.¡± Amara gripped his hand with a concerned squeeze. He turned to face her, and she gave him a nod. ¡°We¡¯re in this together.¡± That put some steel in his resolve. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, and faced the ramp rising into the ship. To his surprise, Fennex stayed at his side as well. Private Salanaat even fell in behind them, though he mostly looked at the floor until Amara wrapped an arm around his shoulder and tugged him side by side with her. Sala shrank under the gesture but eventually warmed into it. Akamori admired that about her and figured it was likely why she made such a good priestess. He paused at the top of the ramp and looked back into the hangar bay to see all the marines were still watching them. He wilted under the attention, unsure of how to react to it. ¡°They¡¯re still looking at us.¡± ¡°You put your necks on the line and risked your own lives in their stead. That look they¡¯re giving you? To them? You¡¯re their heroes.¡± Chapter 33: Reckoning The Cadaver Crasher sat parallel with Admiral Smits¡¯ Brotherhood cruiser connected via an umbilical tube. Morwen had insisted they meet face-to-face to rule out potential espionage and prying eyes. The next phase of the plan was too crucial. She wouldn¡¯t allow the dragons to compromise it. She¡¯d devoted a room, especially to that task. Embedding it with anti-scrying spells, and wards that would obstruct any attempts to see or hear inside with magic. They also swept it for electronic devices and signals per her request of the Admiral just to be safe. ¡°Well, here we are, where ever here is,¡± the Admiral said, breaking the silence. ¡°Why are we here?¡± ¡°To plan our next moves, Admiral.¡± ¡°I understand the precaution. I¡¯m just not sure it¡¯s necessary.¡± Morwen held her tongue and only offered a clipped nod. ¡°I have worries. But nothing actionable yet. Still, we¡¯re close to turning this in our favor, so I¡¯d rather not move over confidently if I can avoid it.¡± The admiral digested that for a moment, stroking his dark beard that would make even a dwarf jealous before giving her an approving look. ¡°Alright. So, what¡¯s next then?¡± Morwen cast a simple illusion spell, and a sphere appeared of the planet, projected by the small terminal in the center of the room. ¡°We hold the region''s air space. Which means we cut the forces on the ground off from reinforcements.¡± ¡°Which is a great thing tactically,¡± the admiral added. ¡°So why the concerned look?¡± Morwen frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve been puzzling over this incursion against recent attacks in memory. Kofex, Tohruun, and even Hoshun were all assaulted and any traces of resistance were annihilated. All the bodies were soul bound and extracted for the next campaign. In terms of attrition, it was impressive if wicked combat strategy that¡¯s paid off for them. The more we throw at them, the more we give them to work with.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sensing a ¡®but¡¯ in there.¡± She nodded with a half smile. ¡°But so far, we¡¯ve received no reports of activity from the populace on Hidros. They have restricted conflict to orbit with us.¡± The Admiral¡¯s bushy brows furrowed together as he sighed, realization dawning. ¡°It¡¯s been a game of keep away.¡± ¡°Which makes this phase that much more dangerous. We have to stop them, but with no sign of what they¡¯re up to, it means we must move with extra caution or risk them devastating us.¡± ¡°But if we move too slowly, we risk giving them the time they need to complete whatever it is they¡¯re up to.¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°I trust you¡¯ve got a plan with all this in mind, regardless?¡± ¡°I do. If it is a trap? Which, knowing Ominek, it is? Then we¡¯ll spring it.¡± The admiral gave her a confused look. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Morwen pulled up the Administrator¡¯s portrait, and the Admiral shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Because the Administrator requested aid immediately, as though an invasion on the scale of Kofex or Hoshun were underway, and yet from the local populations they are vastly unaware of what¡¯s happened in orbit save for the inconvenience of being planet locked for the time being.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Well, they pushed us off the station rather suddenly.¡± ¡°True. And they also had extra time because of our arrival delay. So why have we not seen the surface under siege yet? Because Ominek is staging forces in a staggered defensive pattern. I¡¯ll bet several gold dragon scales that, as soon as we land, they¡¯ll hit us, but only be enough to keep us bogged down. I don¡¯t know how, but I suspect the Administrator might play some role in that to come.¡± The admiral shifted, uncomfortable with the tonal shift in conversation. ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s a traitor?¡± ¡°Not definitively, no. I¡¯m erring on the side of caution.¡± The admiral gave her a curt nod and leaned back in his chair; the leather creaking under his broad-shouldered bulk. The olive-drab dress uniform he wore struggled to contain him. Morwen wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of a fabric shortage, or if they just didn¡¯t know how to tailor a jacket to fit the man. ¡°Since we¡¯re discussing the Administrator, I feel inclined to caution you he¡¯s requested your dismissal again. The Federation doesn¡¯t sound happy with your delay here. They¡¯re calling it a dereliction of duty and violating orders. I¡¯m perfectly happy to shield you as best I can. I think your results speak for themselves, but the Administrator seems keen on tearing you down politically.¡± Morwen sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose to stave off a headache that threatened to spread to her temples. Great, nothing like fighting multiple fronts at the same time. She¡¯d have to put off the political front for now and focus purely on Hidros. That was the priority, or nothing else would matter. She nodded, giving the admiral an appreciative smile. ¡°Thank you for the warning.¡± The Admiral nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve more than earned my respect, Captain. The Valkyrie of Tohruun¡¯s got my vote to do whatever the hell she damn well pleases. You prosecuted your battle exactly how you said you would. So I¡¯ll just pretend I didn¡¯t get the Administrator¡¯s warning because I¡¯ve been too busy defending Hidros for him.¡± She was certain she¡¯d face political fallout for the delay and refusal to cede command to Rayshe. The prophecy given by the ArchPriest, called for her to command the battle, not the lieutenant. The door behind her hissed open with the Lt. in the doorway and he had a wild look in his eye. Speak of the devil, she mused. ¡°Lt. I¡¯m in the middle of something. Can this not wait?¡± ¡°No,¡± he glowered. ¡°Those insubordinate currs assaulted me and disobeyed direct orders. The punishment can be nothing other than death.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow furrowed. Of all the times. She pinched the bridge of her nose again as the headache she¡¯d fought to keep at bay pushed from behind her eyes and bled into her temples. ¡°So you want to hamstring our combat forces by killing off most of our junior enlisted mage forces on the eve of an important battle in which we¡¯ll need every asset we can bring to bear?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I promise you as the commanding officer I will deal with this issue in the fairest and just way possible, but surely you can¡¯t expect me to summarily execute the bulk of my mage force before engaging the enemy in one of our largest fights yet.¡± Rayshe¡¯s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. ¡°They struck a commanding officer during a time of war. That¡¯s treason. They deserve no less than execution.¡± Morwen¡¯s back stiffened. The prophecy specifically called for her junior enlisted mages. If she appeased Rayshe and executed Akamori, Amara, and Sala, that would deprive her of the units needed to even hope to succeed. And that¡¯s setting aside the debt she owed Sala, who¡¯d effectively sworn his life in service of her own safety. Executing him would be the biggest dishonor she could do to him immediately before ending his life. Sala¡¯s soul would be denied entry to his people¡¯s afterlife. She just couldn¡¯t bring herself to entertain the thought. This command dumpster fire got more fuel dumped onto it when the doors parted open and Akamori, Amara, Sala, and Lt. Fennex stepped inside along with Sgt. Sirsir. It occurred to her that in conducting this secret command meeting, she probably should have magically secured the door to prevent so many interruptions. She filed the thought away as a mental note for review when they weren¡¯t facing down Ominek¡¯s mystery forces. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for what would inevitably come next. She was certain that regardless of what happened next; she would not enjoy dealing with the fallout later. Chapter 34: Execution Akamori and the others entered the briefing room, uncertain of what to expect. He expected Rayshe was already there, demanding blood based on what Sala and Lt. Fennex had said. So it came as little surprise when the door slid aside and revealed exactly that taking place. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Rayshe pointed a finger at him accusingly, demanding his death because he¡¯d struck Rayshe out cold. He¡¯s lucky that¡¯s all I did. Though it was too little, too late for Akamori to do any more than he had. Morwen folded her arms, giving them all an exhausted look. The situation was straightforward based on her expression that this was not the best use of their time and that she felt as much. ¡°You understand you¡¯re placing me in a hard position, Lt. I hear your concerns. However, summary executions are not something doled out lightly.¡± ¡°They committed treason during war!¡± ¡°And as I understand, their success helped to secure the station for our Brotherhood allies, was it not?¡± Rayshe¡¯s jaw snapped shut with nothing to say to that. Morwen pressed him, ¡°And am I not incorrect in understanding that your plan called for deployment of a complete platoon of marines into the station to combat a horde of undead and their shackler?¡± ¡°It was my mission! I was free to command it however I wanted!¡± ¡°To an extent Lt. and no farther than that. You might be a junior officer, but your orders still must adhere to the spirit of mine, and my orders during this mission have been to preserve all elements as long as possible for the ultimate battle. Your orders directly violated that mandate.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not here to bicker about the validity of my orders. We¡¯re here because that filthy air nomad struck me during war! That¡¯s high crimes and treason, and I demand blood in retribution.¡± Akamori took a deep breath, his father''s words about owning your actions ringing in his mind. ¡°Look. I get it. I screwed up. Rayshe¡¯s orders were shit and it would have gotten many people killed, sure. But I could have found a better way to handle the situation than striking a superior officer. If anyone must pay, if anyone must die? Then let it be me alone. Spare the others and take me alone if you must.¡± Morwen frowned, and it was difficult to read why. Maybe she actually valued his presence in the squad. She looked from him to Rayshe, with the unspoken question in her expression. ¡°Well, Lt. would that appease your blood lust?¡± Rayshe glanced back at Akamori, then to the others. Then back to Akamori again. That cold, seething hate never leaving his eye. He scowled as the hate bubbled in his eyes. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m afraid that includes me too. I was there as well, and I let the kid hit the Lt. without stopping him. Sure, I stood back because I knew not doing so would have meant ordering all my men to their death¡¯s. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not just as responsible,¡± Lt. Fennex said as he stepped side to side with Akamori. Amara stepped up next to him as well. ¡°I fired the sleep spell on the Lt. I kept him from resuming command. If they¡¯re guilty, then so am I.¡± Sala stepped forward next to Amara giving her a resolved look. ¡°I allowed it without interrupting. Even in my injured state, I could have tried to stop them. Then when they deployed in search of the Shackler, I left the Lt. asleep instead of waking him. I¡¯m guilty too.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t you? Taking a sacrifice for your insubordinate comrades. Well, I¡¯ll not let you all off that easy. No. They all die. If you won¡¯t do it, I will!¡± Everyone glanced down to Rayshe¡¯s side, and Akamori saw Morwen¡¯s expression harden immediately at the site of Rayshe¡¯s sidearm held firmly in hand. Whatever was to be decided in that moment, had happened immediately thanks to Rayshe¡¯s impulsiveness. Morwen drew her own weapon slowly. ¡°No. I¡¯m their commanding officer, and it falls to me to dispense with the punishments.¡± She leveled her pistol at Akamori. This is it I guess. It¡¯s been fun. Looks like I¡¯ll be joining you guys soon mom, dad. He stepped forward and dropped to his knees, chin slightly elevated, and closed his eyes. If he was to die, he wanted to remember his home the way it was when he was happy. Before the attack. Amara got down to her knees next to him and gripped his hand tight, closing her eye. Lt. Fennex and Sala did so as well. ¡°Sir. I know that striking an officer is out of line and all. But the punishment don¡¯t feel like it fits the crime. Especially not with the biggest battle we¡¯ve all yet to fight looming just over the horizon. Doesn¡¯t feel like the smartest play to me,¡± Sgt. Sirsir said in a small voice. ¡°I understand Sergeant.¡± He heard the pistol charge with energy, the whine of compressed aether growing in pitch. Akamori braced for the shot and allowed himself a smile as he could see his parents in his mind''s eye. He never expected waiting for oblivion to feel so peaceful. The pistol barked, and Akamori flinched, expecting to feel something. He would have expected it to hurt. Even just a little. Right? He cracked an eye open and glanced down at himself. No holes there. He glanced down, hearing Rayshe¡¯s body collapse to the deck. A quick look, and Akamori saw the smoking hole in his chest. The Captain had fired clean through his heart. He turned back to the Captain who wore a distant expression. System Info: Quest Update: You lived. Barely. Captain Morwen executed her second officer instead of you. Good thing you¡¯re more useful than he was or else that would have been your heart she cored out with a void spell. Talk about a close call. But the fight is only just getting started. You¡¯ve got a world to save, Mage. Reward, 1 XP for progress and RP. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Let the record note that I¡¯ve executed Lt. Rayshe for insubordination and threatening the success of the mission. I alone will bear the full brunt of the consequences for this after settling our business on Hidros and not a moment before.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± He stood up, ¡°Why?¡± She holstered the pistol. ¡°Don¡¯t take it so personally private. The prophecy given to me called for you three. Not the Lt. Had the situation called for different outcomes the other way, I¡¯d have acted accordingly.¡± He squinted, ¡°See¡­ just when I think you¡¯re not so bad you say something like that.¡± ¡°I just spared your life private. Don¡¯t make me regret doing so this soon.¡± Amara nudged him in the side, the armored elbow plate scraping against his own armor. She gave her a stern look that said shut up. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a dick,¡± she hissed quietly. He shrugged helplessly. Admiral Smits backed out of the meeting area. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve got your hands full here, so I¡¯ll return to my ship. Well, set up a perimeter around the planet. Nothing gets in or out without us greeting it first. Good luck down there, Captain.¡± ¡°Thank you admiral,¡± Morwen said with a departing salute before turning back to face them. ¡°Now then. Since I¡¯ve executed my second in command, I face a tough decision. I have a gap in my command structure. Normally a battlefield promotion requires that I promote you Sgt. as my next Second.¡± ¡°No offense Sir, but hard pass. I don¡¯t like being in charge. I¡¯m comfortable in my role and what I do.¡± Morwen looked genuinely rebuffed. ¡°Very well. Then who would you suggest?¡± Lt. Fennex clapped Akamori¡¯s shoulder plate, ¡°I¡¯d follow this man into battle any day. He may not know much about our decorum, but he¡¯s quick on is feet, and he respects his people.¡± He turned to face Fennex, and the blonde-haired man grinned at him. Fennex¡¯s tight cut military hair felt out of place with the rest of them. Akamori turned to face the others, suddenly uncomfortable with all the attention again. The big Sgt. scratched at his chin thoughtfully and then nodded, ¡°I could see it. Gimmie a few weeks and I¡¯ll have him whipped into shape,¡± he said to the Captain. Morwen nodded and flicked a finger. The rank pins on his uniform morphed from Private to Lieutenant diamonds. ¡°Very well. I promote and commission you to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Congratulations.¡± He blinked. This was all way too fast, even for him, and he liked speed. ¡°Hold on. Wait, time out. Pause. How did I go from almost being executed to being promoted? How does that even work?¡± The world was desperately racing along and he felt like his feet were stuck in mud. Morwen smiled, then leaned against the aether projector, gesturing to the illusory planet of Hidros. ¡°Everything we¡¯ve done so far has served a prophecy. It showed me a possibility in which if we failed to act and lose this world? We lose everything, period. Something powerful is waiting down there, and failure to act means sacrificing all life in the sector and possibly the galaxy. In that prophecy, you all were instrumental to the odds of succeeding. Since you¡¯re a prominent part of it, I believe this was the best possible decision to make. Had I executed all of you to appease Rayshe, it would have spelled the doom of the sector and I refuse to spit in the face of all our hard work and sacrifices.¡± ¡°Some might call that destiny.¡± Amara said with a cheerful tune next to him. She was looking far too amused with that thought. He huffed in disgust, reminded of how out of control his own life felt right now. He hated not feeling in control of his life and secretly, part of him wished she¡¯d just put him out of his misery. But then, wouldn¡¯t that mean lacking control? Gods, this stuff was so stupid. Here he was once again, nearly stuck in charge of something they had pushed him into. Just once he wanted to assume leadership of something he wanted from the start, or created on his own. He really hated inheriting command of other people¡¯s problems. He rubbed his gloved finger over the rank pin on his collar, and thought of what his father might say. Realizing Kalenza would have been extremely proud of him eased some tension in his back. Amara patted the back of his armor. She gave him an approving nod. ¡°Is this something I can decline?¡± he asked, cutting over everyone¡¯s approval, and the room went silent with confusion shared by all. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure this is something I want.¡± That wasn¡¯t technically correct though. Not completely. He also wasn¡¯t sure he was the right one for the job. Morwen¡¯s expression softened, ¡°Akamori, I understand the hesitation. We all have our reasons for wanting to avoid the crushing weight of responsibility that comes with Command. But I can see the beginnings of a great man in you. Your father taught you well. And I believe that teaching was preparation for the role you¡¯ll play below on the surface. There are thousands of lives depending on us and our choices. We all need you at your best. They need you. So go be your best and let that be enough.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t know that I¡¯m the best man for this.¡± ¡°Akamori, I¡¯ve known you since we were kids. So I understand your fear. But ask yourself this: Which is worse? Running from the inescapable? Or leaning into it and facing it down?¡± Amara said. Something in her words grabbed him. Was this running? Was he just dressing up his dislike of destiny as fear and running to avoid facing it? The idea of being a coward made his face twist in disgust. He wasn¡¯t sure it was completely one or the other. But he¡¯d known she was a priestess for a while and always appreciated when she gave him advice, even if he disliked what she had to say such as now. He sucked in a slow breath, letting it ease out of his nostrils. He was soul bound to his contract. So he couldn¡¯t avoid service for several years at least. There was also a war going on and innocent people stood to die or worse. The bastards who attacked his world would also likely be here too. Damnit. She was right. She usually was, and he quietly disliked that. ¡°Alright. Provisionally. The company has a need, and the people down there need us. So I¡¯ll do this fight and we¡¯ll see how it fits.¡± Captain Morwen actually smiled, and he felt like it was so rare he should have taken a screen cap with his armor. ¡°Good. I have a sinking feeling it¡¯ll grow on you all the same.¡± He quickly realized he had a part to play in this, whether he wanted to. The attack on Hoshun sucked him into this spiraling adventure, and ever since then, they had woven together his thread of destiny with the others, so he felt. He still wasn¡¯t comfortable with not feeling like he was in control of his own life, but he understood his individual value in helping the Captain and her prophecy out. He just hated feeling used like this. Like he had no really good choices. ¡°But that¡¯s just it isn¡¯t son?¡± his father would say. ¡°You can choose sit and stay behind. To not fight. To not defend your clan. But you know the road that choice will lead down. You know how it ends. It¡¯s easy to see. No, you find yourself instead not liking what your heart is telling you, vs what you know must be done. But then, that¡¯s the difficulty of choice. Having to make it, even while disliking the act of doing so. You may not enjoy the road you¡¯re walking, but you must walk it. You alone have the power to do so. It¡¯s why you face the choice, and not someone else. We fight, so others won¡¯t have to.¡± He lowered his gaze and smiled softly. ¡°I understand. Thank you father,¡± he whispered silently. Chapter 35: Cross Roads The Cadaver Crasher descended through the atmosphere at a slow, deliberate pace, care of the dark energy manipulating the ship''s mass and speed. The Administrator initially protested Morwen¡¯s request to land, citing that the Federation has removed her of command. It was only when she¡¯d communicated that she¡¯d executed LT. Rayshe for insubordination and treason that the Administrator relented. She was certain he would protest the matter with the Federation¡¯s command. She didn¡¯t want to imagine the backlash she¡¯d face over that decision, but she¡¯d make it again if she had to. The primary screen showed the cloud cover thickening suddenly, and she had to recheck to see if there was any storm activity. The systems showed all green. She sensed the cloud cover was magical, fueled by water energy nearby. That meant a potential wellspring, but if there was, it was being warded very well. Morwen tapped a finger to her cheek thoughtfully as the ship continued its slow, controlled descent. The locals apparently called the thick, near stormlike clouds over the Sorrow of Hidros. If it involved a god or goddess, they may not know how close to the truth they actually were. Perhaps Ominek had come for the well to siphon its power. Finding it and breaking through its shields would take time, and a ritual most likely that would consume yet more time given the multi-faceted magic required. Since she wasn¡¯t detecting the well of energy yet, she assumed that time was still on their side, but she didn¡¯t expect having much of it to spend. Ominek had a large head start on them. She located a small town outside of the capital city and set down there. She wanted to avoid landing in the Capital in case they bound the Administrator to Ominek. That meant landing amid an ambush. Setting down outside meant she¡¯d be choosing to engage the Sauridius on her own terms. A welcome change for a start. She staged her forces at the ready in the hangar bays. The Crasher could deploy spell fighters, but since she lacked trained mage pilots, it was just easier using the space to house the marines, armor, ammunition and the mages. The ship rocked violently, and she changed the view on the screen to display the ground below the ship. Sauridius forces were hurling heavy weapons fire up at the Crasher¡¯s belly. The ventral mounted point defense rail guns all swiveled into action. Thankful for the solid ammunition firing weapons gifted by the Brotherhood. The ammunition they were firing comprised enchanted ferrous slugs made of mythril steel that she¡¯d got from the Order of Aeryn via her transaction. She fed the ship the command, and the guns all opened fire. Below the Crasher, hell descended on the Sauridius forces. The terrain exploded upwards in clouds of debris strewn with crimson and black carnage. Some dragons took flight to avoid the salvos. She saw a few rounds make contact, and the dragons fell back, leaving their Hatchlings, Orcs and undead ground forces at the mercy of the ship as it descended to a landing. The Crasher rocked as it settled its bulk down on the massive landing struts. Morwen got up and made her way to the hangar bay where the mages stood at the front, the marines and tanks behind them. She took her position and Akamori fell in next to her. ¡°Sir, everyone¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go say hello then.¡± He gave her a firm nod as his body went rigid during a salute, then he flew off to the rest of the mages. Morwen turned and marched towards the command tank, LT. Fennex¡¯s. She executed several water and soul signs to trigger the abjuration spell to drop the barrier field of the hangar. Then gave the hand signal to advance. The Mages took off as the marines roared out of the hangar with the tanks moving along their flanks. She gave no orders and wasted no time on speeches. They all knew the stakes and the odds. It was simply time to act now. The marines opened fire as soon as they could, and the tank''s cannon bucked one at a time down the line. She watched the mages do a strafing run against the enemy ranks in the rear, pinching them between the assault. It wasn¡¯t enough to beat her forces. Just enough to slow them down, and she was keenly aware of the time they were having to waste in dealing with the threat. Ominek¡¯s delaying actions were proving both tedious and frustrating. But she had to deal with them unless she wanted to rush ahead blindly and leave a large enemy force at her back. Akamori flew wearing the specially crafted gold armor that Kusinaki had secured for him as part of their trade with the Order. She could make out his outline as he dashed into a crowd of Orcs. His blade danced from target to target, spilling black blood. It made Morwen think more of an artistic performance than a combat being played out. The thought crashed into shards as the rest of her mages swept through, supporting the spell warriors'' charge. Magic missiles being fired from rifles and pistols as they flew in a wedge formation at Akamori¡¯s six. ¡°Stay tight, company,¡± Akamori said over the mage''s channel. ¡°Understood,¡± Yasiin said. ¡°Understood, SIR.¡± The SGT. corrected sternly. ¡°I swear to all hells, I will break my foot off in all your asses if you don¡¯t start addressing him with the proper rank.¡± The chatter both amused and pleased Morwen. They were gelling as an accomplished fighting force. ¡°I¡¯m not calling him Sir, SGT.¡± Sirsir stopped his attack and turned to loom over Sala. In response, the primal retracted his armor to the hips, and the legs up to the knee. The plates of enchanted mythril steel all folding into each other until the primal¡¯s crimson haired torso, arms, and legs were bare. Then Sala¡¯s skin hardened and turned the color of shale. A brilliant golden aura then exploded from him and his size grew several times. He now loomed over the big SGT. But Sirsir didn¡¯t flinch, staring the primal down. ¡°Sala, go smash me some Orcs please,¡± Akamori said over the channel, and the primal nodded, then flew off to crash into a large green orc''s head on in an animal roar. ¡°It ain¡¯t good lettin¡¯ him be insubordinate, sir. Gotta maintain discipline.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine, SGT. Stay focused on the fight. We can drill comportment later.¡± ¡°Understood sir.¡± The battle wrapped up with Sala and Akamori, pinching the rear flank of the enemy as the Marines and tanks ground the front into corpses. The marines finished what remained of the broken undead forces. A crushed serpent here, or a wildcat there. Anything the shacklers could kill of the local flora and fauna to quickly bind. She looked on with admiration. If she¡¯d commanded a force like this on Kofex and Tohruun, she might have been able to turn the tide. But she didn¡¯t enjoy dwelling in the past. She gave the marines orders to secure the perimeter and conduct a rounds count and rearm. After that task completed, she ensured she left them orders to relax as best they could while maintaining guards. She was going to take Akamori with her and visit the nearby village. Akamori fell in next to her as she strolled casually to the village next to the battlefield. He gave her a few sidelong glances but said nothing. ¡°Speak your mind, Lt.¡± she said with a half-amused smile. He shook his head, uncertainty coloring his expression. ¡°It¡¯s just, you look bothered. I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be more pleased with how swiftly we secured the LZ.¡± She gave him an honest half smile. ¡°I am. But something troubles me.¡± ¡°How easy it was?¡± She nodded. ¡°So felt as much too then.¡± ¡°Yeah. There was just enough to slow us down, but not enough to overwhelm or defeat us. This wasn¡¯t like my homeworld. They¡¯re using a different playbook this time.¡± Her suspicion about the well and its warded shield came to mind. ¡°They¡¯re stalling. Ominek is after something that is going to take him time to gain and he¡¯s doing everything he can to milk as much time from us as possible.¡± ¡°So why not gun right for him, then?¡± She clutched her hands behind her back as they walked. ¡°And what do you suppose would happen then?¡± He frowned. ¡°Well, it would expose our rear, which isn¡¯t ideal. But if we know we¡¯re on a time crunch, isn¡¯t it worth the risk?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± She nodded, having come to the same puzzling cross roads herself. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, isn¡¯t it? To see your enemy''s strategy but not having an adequate response of your own.¡± He huffed, ¡°Yea. How do you get around that?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She pursed her lips thoughtfully as they traced a path along a worn stone sidewalk that led into the town. ¡°Well, there are few options. You could spend men and resources for time. Rush into Ominek¡¯s plans, leaving your rear flank exposed. But we both know realistically what happens there. What else does that leave us with?¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know enough about what he¡¯s up to. If we could do some recon and sniff out a more accurate idea of what he¡¯s doing, we might develop some straightforward method of fouling up his plans. But doing that could consume time we may not have.¡± ¡°So you have one choice that spends lives for time. And the other spends time for potentially saved lives. Which choice would you make?¡± He frowned. ¡°This sounds like a question my father would ask.¡± She nodded, the corner of her lip rising into a near smile. ¡°Your father sounds wise, then. So. Which¡¯ll it be?¡± She stopped to face him, putting him on the spot to answer. He pursed his lips, thinking on it for a moment. She watched his eyebrows move with his thoughts and moods. Shifting as they sorted data and ruled out conclusions. His father had groomed him well. Reflecting on that, it was almost like they had shaped him for this battle. Finally he spoke up, ¡°Well, if we rushed in, we¡¯d be going in tactically ignorant. The cost could be too steep, and we might give up any chance of victory hastily. So my vote goes to spending time to sniff out what it is he¡¯s up to or after. Then we might be better prepared to move on him.¡± She nodded and patted him on the shoulder plate approvingly. ¡°A wise call. And one I¡¯ve already made.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have just said that to begin with?¡± She shrugged, ¡°I could have. But you might not have learned a valuable lesson either. Part of being a leader is more than just giving commands in battle. It¡¯s being able to read a situation and see your actions playing out before you¡¯ve made them in order to make the best call you can. This is as much intellect as it is instinct. Your father gave you the core guidance on this. Which pleases me, as I don¡¯t have to groom you from nothing. Lt. Fennex and the Sgt. were right to choose you. Come, let¡¯s go reconnoiter the town and this world.¡± He fell in beside her as they entered the town. There was a very specific person she wanted to find. Most colonies like these kept a library of records. Their own histories. They usually found an elder as the guardian of such knowledge. That would be their best bet for gathering information. After asking around a bit, the locals directed them to the Archive building. It was an unassuming square shaped concrete structure that had a scroll logo next to the word ¡°Historian¡± on a sign. Stepping inside, Morwen found an elderly man in a plain white robe with blue stripes, and a pair of small circular lensed glasses perched on his nose. He had bushy grey eyebrows, and a bald scalp rimmed with wiry white hair. He glanced up from a parchment he¡¯d been reading to regard her and Akamori as they stepped inside. ¡°Well. It¡¯s rare we get visitors here. How can I help?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Captain Morwen of the Mage Federation, and this is my XO, Lt. Akamori. We¡¯ve come seeking knowledge and aid.¡± The man smiled, bowing his head in greeting to them, ¡°I¡¯m Perthran, the local historian for this world.¡± ¡°Why not stay in the capital?¡± Morwen asked. The old man offered a simple shrug with a smile. ¡°I like the quiet here. It makes reading easier.¡± He gestured for them to come inside, and the door shut, ringing a small bell placed above the door. It smelled of musty paper and old leather inside. Morwen immediately liked it in here. It reminded her of some older libraries on Eryn. Storing knowledge had long since shifted from writing on scrolls and books to using magic to enchant magical items, often on a dragon scale, though they¡¯d also have several Pheonix feathers and tons of Gryphon feathers as well. But here? This library contained nothing but ancient parchments and texts, and she relished the smell of the ancient tomes. There was no magic in these books and scrolls. Just the transcriptions of men and women from throughout the planet¡¯s history. She appreciated that simplicity, and it lent the library a quaint familiarity. ¡°You look like a kid in a candy shop.¡± She turned to face Akamori, who¡¯d given an amused sidelong glance. She shrugged indifferently. ¡°I actually prefer scholarly study over combat. Unfortunately, I¡¯m good at them both.¡± ¡°Well then, since you¡¯re an accomplished study, what can I help you learn today?¡± Perthran asked. Morwen nodded down to business then. ¡°We¡¯re here looking for legends, myths, and anything between alluding to a massive source of magical power or a powerful artifact of some type.¡± Perthran nodded, gesturing for them to follow him around several tables that had many opened books piled on them haphazardly. Dust had accumulated on the top layer on several tables, and Morwen smiled. Perthran led them into a large circular room with shelves that went right to the ceiling. Small lanterns rimmed large wooden frames, casting the room in a soft yellow glow. The light gleamed softly off of Perthran¡¯s bald pate and reflected gently in his spectacles. The elderly historian scanned over the shelves, muttering titles in a hushed whisper to himself. Morwen hung in the doorway with Akamori at her side, watching the old man search for his desired books. Finally Perthran jumped with excitement as he gently fished a leather-bound book from the shelf and turned to hand it off to her. ¡°This is a good place to start. When the colony was founded, the early settlers all reported finding cave paintings.¡± Perthran pulled a small table for two over from the center of the room, gesturing for Morwen to sit and open the book, so she did as instructed. Perthran gingerly leafed through the book, taking great care not to be too rough with each page. Morwen was certain a few might just crumble to dust in the old man¡¯s hands. But the way he moved, and the way he handled each page as though it were delicate pottery, reflected his skill at his job and just how long he¡¯d been the library''s ward. Finally, he reached a page that had several drawings and he pointed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know it to look at these,¡± he started, then stood up from the table to fish something else off the shelf and opened it up to leaf to a page that contained another drawing of the night sky. But this image didn¡¯t match the one in the first book. ¡°At first we thought maybe the constellations in these caves were just different because of stellar drift, but there''re no similarities at all. No anchor points.¡± ¡°They¡¯re two different skies.¡± Perthran nodded, pointing to the first image, ¡°These were found in the caves of this world and on some flat facing mountain sides.¡± Pointing to the second image, ¡°And this is what our historians observed their first night here.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow furrowed, ¡°So if the skies don¡¯t match the paintings, what does that mean?¡± Perthran smiled, ¡°Well, most of us have speculated that they are a different night sky the world used to occupy.¡± Morwen leaned back, blinking, ¡°You¡¯re saying someone moved a planet?¡± Perthran shrugged casually, ¡°Not with certainty. It¡¯s just a speculation. But it¡¯s a good guess to explain the differences. Why paint a sky that doesn¡¯t match your own?¡± A hidden world, with a hidden well. Someone went to great pains to keep someone from discovering this planet and its magic, but she still did not know where that magic was, or whom it belonged to. ¡°I¡¯m understanding a little more about this world, but I need more. Do you have anything regarding legends of great magic?¡± Perthran scanned through the book that held the mismatching night sky drawing in it. He paused on a drawing of a massive craggy ridge that fell down into a deep bowl. Above it a dark ominous cloud and torrential rain. ¡°It¡¯s the never ending storm. We call it the Sorrow of Hidros. Most of the cave paintings we could find all showed a grand tragedy took place on this world, and the storm defies all logic. The first settlers noted the storm ignored all other meteorological patterns. Even when the rest of the world bathed in sunlight and clear skies, the Sorrow still stormed. It was soon after named the Sorrow of Hidros because it reminded the early settlers of a weeping widow and ignored all reason.¡± ¡°How did it come to be called Hidros?¡± Perthran smiled and pointed at her proudly, ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question.¡± Perthran leafed through the text some more, settling on a drawing of a cave painting that had faded with time. ¡°Much of our technology during the early colonization was applied to life support and infrastructure so we didn¡¯t have something to photograph everything we found. The first historian used to be an artist with an eye for remembering things, so he¡¯d spend his days drawing what he found while everyone else went about their jobs. He felt it was important to catch everything he could before time claimed what little there was that remained of the first civilization here. This image here depicted what he thought was their deity.¡± Perthran pointed to the drawing. The faded image scrawled on the cave wall showed a dark blue beast that stood atop a world. The upper half of the artwork had eroded away or faded due to chip paint. It was difficult to say for certain the cause, but the result looked that way. Morwen squinted and leaned back. She turned to Akamori pointing to the drawing. ¡°Remind you of anything?¡± He flinched, clearly letting his mind wander as she busied herself with the academic work, ¡°uh..¡± He leaned down to squint at the drawing for a moment then shook his head, his long red mane shifting left and right. ¡°The rear looks like a dragon, maybe? Can¡¯t say for certain, though. The tops too faded.¡± ¡°A god then, like Sauridius perhaps. It died here?¡± Perthran nodded, ¡°That¡¯s the speculation. Those that worshiped him named the planet in his honor. They unfortunately died out because of cataclysmic planetary events. Eventually the world stabilized and then we settled here.¡± ¡°Cataclysmic?¡± Morwen asked, wondering if her goal was indeed a powerful artifact or weapon of some type. ¡°Very much so. The storm hovers above a massive wound in the planet''s surface. Something happened in there that uprooted the crust in such a way that only a detonation or collision could achieve. Violent catastrophic ecosystem collapse ensued in the aftermath.¡± Morwen frowned. Great. And this is exactly the kind of thing that Ominek would be after. ¡°We can¡¯t let whatever caused this to fall into the Sauridius¡¯ hands. If Ominek gets this weapon, history may wind up repeating itself yet again.¡± Perthran smiled, but looked tired. ¡°Then if that¡¯s the case, perhaps some future seekers of the truth may discover this library and pick through what survives, looking to glean something to prevent a similar calamity that we face now.¡± Morwen stood, tugging her jacket down tightly, smoothening it out. ¡°Not on my watch. Akamori, return to camp. Prep the troops to move. We¡¯ll need to pass through the capital before we hit the Sorrow. Ensure the marines have their wet weather gear packed and prepped.¡± ¡°Good luck Captain. Should you need me, you know where to find me.¡± Morwen offered the man a respectful bow. The gravity of the situation weighing down on her now that she had a better idea of what she was looking to prevent. This wasn¡¯t just a typical colony attack like the other raids. Ominek had to be stopped or Hidros would enter its second extinction cycle far sooner than it had any right to. ¡°Thank you, Perthran. We¡¯ll need all the luck we can manage.¡± Chapter 36: The Last Show Ominek placed the last talisman down on the soil and wove several runes to tie into the latticework of the master spell he¡¯d been building for the rest of the ritual. The magic would take time to settle in and mesh with his target, so he had some time to see to a few more last-minute preparations. Losing Telmok in orbit almost derailed everything, as he¡¯d expected to position his older sibling at his rear as a personal guard. Lacking that extra layer of security left him notably more vulnerable, but he was a dread lord. Vulnerability for him was nearly trivial. The Federation lacked anyone of sufficient power to challenge him, so he didn¡¯t fear death in a ground confrontation. Without their elder artifact spell ship, they couldn¡¯t cast anything of sufficient power to kill him. On the ground the Federation were pests or food, depending on his mood. He glanced skyward to the shield he¡¯d erected when he first arrived, watching the water and soul runes lingering paths along their frames. The torrential rain storm outside battered away at the shield to no effect. The walls of the shield became sloped waterfalls as the rain fell around it to the ground. He had to hand it to the planet; it provided him with the perfect cover to work with. A pleased smirk creased his features as he stepped out of the barrier, getting soaked. He brushed his long obsidian hair from his face and inhaled deeply. He could almost taste the water magic saturated air here. Something powerful was lurking nearby. He could feel it resonating in his bones, and soon he would claim it. He began his morph process once he passed free of the shield. His scales rippled out and upwards in a wave, like a bird taking a bath. As they did, his limbs enlarged and fell forward to all fours. Wings erupted from his back, and a long, wickedly barbed tail grew from his back. His neck lengthened and his head grew in size. His mouth filled with rows of long knife like teeth like a shark. His scales were a sickly green hue, and an ethereal light pulsed from his slitted pupils. In one powerful flap of his wings he was off, heading for the capital. He could have teleported there, but he treasured the chance to get out and stretch his true self. As much as he enjoyed his human form, this necessary as well. Below, his minions all looked skyward with awe as his massive form passed over them, providing a temporary respite from the falling rain. The flight back to the capital city of the human colony here would take him around the mountain range dividing the colony from the Sorrow. He stayed low to keep under the unnatural eternal cloud cover. His talons dragged along the soil and rock on the mountain surface, dragging deep furrows that caused a rockslide as he swept by. When he neared the city, he morphed back into his human form and used dark magic to lower himself down to the ground, where he strolled into the city limits at a casual pace. His target lay ahead of him, a large rectangular structure the humans called a skyscraper. He wasn¡¯t sure why it had that for a name, as he found scraping the sky to be one of the least efficient things the structure was capable of. For starters, it just sat there. It also possessed no sharp edges to speak of. He could find no blades anywhere upon its surfaces. He sighed away his irritation at the poorly chosen slang for the structure and focused on his target and teleported directly there. The air rippled, and an area twisted, warped and collapsed in before bursting out in a surge of violet dark energy, disgorging Ominek into Administrator Patton¡¯s office. Patton was midway through a meal, and would have lept from his skin if it weren¡¯t for all the seals he¡¯d placed on Patton¡¯s soul. Instead, Patton set the burger down and looked to him compliantly. It made him smile as the last of his teleport spell bled away. He flicked his hands in the pockets of his black suit jacket as he scanned around Patton¡¯s office. ¡°Alvin, my old friend. How are you today?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Ominek turned to Alvin with a wounded look, ¡°You wound me. Not even a how are you?¡± He sighed, waving the flopped greeting aside. ¡°No matter. You¡¯ve no doubt seen that Captain Morwen has landed her motley crew on your surface?¡± Patton struggled for a moment until finally nodding, and Ominek smiled at that. ¡°Still trying to resist? Good.¡± He patted Alvin on the cheek, then took a seat on the corner of the man¡¯s desk. ¡°I have another task for you. You¡¯re to delay the Captain. Claim that she¡¯s come as your saviors. She¡¯ll have defeated a small group of my minions to clear enough purchase for her landing site. Play footage of that victory and throw a parade in her honor. Lavish her with praise and offer to host her for a banquet feast for the entire city, because you¡¯ll be declaring it Liberation Day!¡± he said, throwing his arms wide for emphasis wearing a large predatory grin. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.¡°She won¡¯t fall for me suddenly becoming her number one fan after I¡¯ve been hounding for the Federation to remove her. What makes you think it¡¯ll work?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯ll have no choice but to do it. You¡¯re too much of an enigma to her. Are you cracking under pressure? A shitty leader? Or soul bound to follow my whims?¡± He leaned close and let the dark energy pulse from his eyes. The only reaction Patton offered was a look of panic in his eyes. The rest of Patton¡¯s body remained uncharacteristically neutral. ¡°Tell her you¡¯ve reconsidered after watching her many successes. Dress it up in some corporate speak about preferring action to words and so on. I don¡¯t much care how you sell it. She¡¯ll have little choice but to follow along and see what you¡¯re up to.¡± ¡°And what am I up to?¡± He leaned close enough to Alvin that if he were in his draconic form, he could have inhaled Patton¡¯s head and swallowed it without even noticing. It made him grin widely. ¡°Oh my dear Alvin, that¡¯s for me to know.¡± He patted the small round man on his head, like a mother might a child. ¡°Now. I must run along. There are yet other pieces to stand up before the last show can begin.¡± He spun on his heels and left Alvin¡¯s office as the rotund man quivered. Ominek knew he was struggling to protest. Alvin¡¯s feeble attempt at resistance left him amused. He was growing to like the small man as a pet. Perhaps he¡¯d spare him after all. After Alvin¡¯s office door whisked close behind him, he used his teleport spell and blinked outside the city center at the outskirts. He whistled a small upbeat tune to himself as he strolled out of the city and down the sloping hill that would take him to the marshlands and into the great swamp that bordered the mountain at the edge of the Sorrow. As the height of the grass grew marking the edge of the colony¡¯s limits he allowed himself to shift into his massive soul dragon form, his scales an off-white ghostly green shade glimmered off the partial overcast light of the day. He swam through the sky on lazy flaps of his wings before he settled down into the marshlands next to a small man. The man idly picked his teeth with a sharpened stick. The man¡¯s head was bald, his eyes slitted, and his teeth all small pointed fangs. A young dragon''s best approximation of a human morph. Ominek noted that unlike most young full dragons though, this one mastered the art of making one''s scales look so small they mimicked skin pores. He allowed himself a pleased smile, although the humans had forced him from the station. Normally, this kind of failure would be met with Ominek simply devouring the failure of a dragon. But this was a different mission, and he couldn¡¯t simply consume assets he would need to hurl at the Federation. It was still a sacrifice, just a more meaningful one. ¡°Pyre,¡± he purred slowly. His head lowered down to the morphed man. ¡°To make up for your failure at the station above, I am tasking you with a new mission.¡± The bald man bowed his head respectfully, speaking in a cultured tongue, ¡°What would you have me do, Lord Ominek?¡± He lifted his head and swept gaze across the whole marsh. ¡°I want you to kill and bind everything your eyes fall on. I will deploy a contingent of undead and several dragon kin hatchlings to you. Augment this force with your bound creatures and attack the capitol city of the human colony. Your mission is to harass and slow down. You won¡¯t have the numbers to take the city over. When you¡¯ve lost, fall back with what remains.¡± ¡°I understand, Lord Ominek.¡± ¡°One last thing,¡± Ominek crooned. ¡°Any new corpses your forces create, secretly bind and extract them, but not at the cost of losing focus on the fighting.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Pyre said and bowed deeply to his older brother. Ominek turned, regarding the city one last time. He contemplated dispatching the Orcs. They¡¯d been very patient, waiting for their turn to fight. He decided against it though when he weighed in their value against the undead and the creatures of the landscape. He would hold them in reserve. A personal bodyguard to watch over the ritual and guard his back. He smiled to himself as he flapped his powerful wings, sending a gust of wind blasting across the marshland. As he flew away, he saw Pyre getting to work. Good, he purred to himself. This would buy him more time and add to the Federation¡¯s problems. More fighting and more delays. The longer he kept them dancing to his whims, the closer he got to finishing the ritual and accomplishing his goals. Just a little more time, and it would all be his. Victory. This world. The sector. All of it. He would hold the ashen remains of the Federation in his talons. Chapter 37: The Charade Parade ¡°Just how far back do these histories extend?¡± Morwen asked. Perthran smiled, the wrinkles lining his forehead compressed softly. ¡°For many centuries. My predecessors have even ventured outside of our own archeological foot prints and documents instances of habitation by beings that predate this colony.¡± ¡°Predate it? By how long?¡± Perthran smiled, ¡°Roughly 149,000 to 150,000 years into the past easily.¡± Morwen gasped softly. ¡°Who inhabited this world previously?¡± ¡°The real question though, is what lived here first.¡± Perthran said, pushing an aged leather bound tome in front of her. The tomes yellowed pages had drawings of several constellations. It wasn¡¯t a night sky she was familiar with though. Her head canted to the side as she tried to recognize any of constellations and came up short. She glanced back up to him. ¡°Where did these come from?¡± Perthran flipped back a few pages to a drawing of a cave. ¡°This is in a mountain range on the opposite side of the world. The night sky wasn¡¯t the only art work we found in those caves. We think they belonged to a long extinct race of beings who went extinct after a great cataclysm.¡± Morwen studied the drawing eagerly, making note of the constellation, and several other drawings. Her blood ran cold when she stopped at the image of a large blue dragon larger than the planet itself. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°If I had to guess. I¡¯d say that¡¯s what gives Hidros its namesake.¡± ¡°A dragon?¡± ¡°If we understand correctly. Hidros was killed, and his corpse seeded the world with intense water magic. Another few thousand years and we might have seen naturally occurring drakes growing up in the wild. The large serpents are common enough as is.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow furrowed. That felt odd to hear, she¡¯d seen wild well springs before. This would should be swimming in growing wildlings. So what was stunting their growth so slowly? As if puzzling out what Morwen was thinking about Perthran nodded, ¡°Yes. Why are the wildlings so young and immature? Unfortunately, we have no answer to that question, but I suspect it lies within the mountains at the edge of the fertile lands near Hidros¡¯ Sorrow.¡± She secretly suspected that somehow someone or something had capped the wellspring. A ward or spell to dampen is magical output. Instead of a category 10 or 5 well, it registered as a 1. That would easily place it beneath the gaze of the likes of Ominek and the Sauridius. She opened her mouth to share the thought and paused. Perthran canted his head. ¡°You have the look of a researcher with an untested hypothesis.¡± She smiled, apologetically. ¡°I do. I think someone placed a ward or seal over Hidros¡¯ body. It would have to be demi-god level at a minimum to cause Ominek and the rest of Sauridius¡¯ spawn such a hard time accessing the magic. But who could have cast such a protection spell?¡± Some questions she was certain she wouldn¡¯t get the answer to. Not until after they¡¯d removed the threat that Ominek presented. Realizing she¡¯d gleaned as much as she could from here, she decided it was finally time to return to the team and get to work finishing the job. She gathered her things and hastily left the archives. The Crasher¡¯s cargo bay had been configured into a command war camp. As she debated their next move, she wanted to remain as close to the ground as possible in case Ominek ambushed their position. She¡¯d returned from her trip to the historian with a great deal more information than she had previously. Hidros was not just a name the humans had given the world, it belonged to a god. One whose life someone had claimed here. That lent Morwen to believe that Ominek was after what remained of the god''s power. A powerful well of water magic would have much use. Ominek was already a powerful shackler, and with a great deal of water magic, he could erect several shields and complex wards. Enough to cage a god, perhaps. This left her extremely concerned. Preventing Ominek from getting this magic was paramount. Which left her invariably pinched between her task and needing to be expedient. If she rushed in blindly, she¡¯d suffer great losses and potentially lose the overall outcome. It became a paced race, not a sprint. And she hated feeling uncertain if her pace was the correct one. She¡¯d allowed her forces a few hours to catch their breath, rearm, rest, and prepare to march. Her allotted time for that rest was nearing its end when she received a message on the communications device that Admiral Smits had given her. She pressed the green accept button, and the Administrator¡¯s round face appeared in the small screen. ¡°Captain Morwen. Good, I¡¯m glad you answered. I understand you¡¯ve been busy fighting off the last of the Sauridius forces on our surface, and I wanted to invite you to join us in the capital city for a celebration parade.¡± Confusion tackled Morwen. ¡°Celebration? Parade?¡± The administrator nodded, ¡°Yes, Captain. I realize there may have been some tension between us previously regarding your legitimacy here, but that doesn¡¯t matter now that you¡¯re the hero of Hidros as well.¡± She regarded him suspiciously for a moment. A parade would be the perfect opportunity to ambush them. And she profoundly disliked the idea of dangling herself in the open like bait, knowing full well Ominek was maneuvering for time. Still, it would get them into the capital city, and she might finally address the administrator. She still had her suspicions, but it was also just as possible he was this incompetent naturally. Military strategy wasn¡¯t exactly a necessary component for planetary administration on a mundane level. Still, she could turn this trap around on the Administrator and at least use the opportunity to remove him as a thorn in her side for the rest of the conflict here. She¡¯d need some help to set her trap, though. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Very well, Administrator, I¡¯ll provide you your victory parade. I¡¯ll even give a rousing speech to your populace.¡± The Administrator looked mildly perplexed but relented. She was still going along with his plan, so whatever she intended to do mattered little in the grand scheme, apparently. ¡°Very well, Captain. That will do.¡± Morwen hit the red end call button, and the screen went back to the default Brotherhood logo. She stuffed it back into her pocket and then tugged her navy blue uniform jacket straight. The medals on her left breast jingled slightly, and she smoothed them out. She channeled a little dark magic, and a nimbus of violet energy glowed around her feet as she floated off the deck of the ship and descended to the grass. She marched with her arms behind her back purposefully. A brief walk later, she neared the smaller portion of the camp where the mages camped. She found Akamori¡¯s newer spell armor and zeroed in on him. Amara gave her a welcoming nod, and Akamori turned to face her. They¡¯d agreed no salutes in the battlefield, so he simply offered a nod. ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°LT.¡± She offered back. She didn¡¯t wait for him to ask what brought her over, cutting right to it. ¡°The Administrator has requested our presence to throw a victory parade over the Sauridius forces on the surface.¡± Akamori and the rest of the mages all blinked. Akamori¡¯s professional shell cracked with a brief chuckle. ¡°He¡¯s joking, right? You told him that was just a stalling force, right?¡± She shook her head, and he gave her a confused look. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why not?¡± ¡°I have a hunch. But I need to play along a bit longer to figure if it¡¯s merited or not.¡± ¡°Surely you¡¯re counting on the obvious ambush this¡¯ll bring?¡± ¡°The Eltee¡¯s right, sir. Our asses¡¯ll be flappin¡¯ in the wind wide open for a fress shot,¡± Sirsir said. She nodded, already aware of the security issues involved. ¡°I¡¯ve accounted for this. It¡¯s highly likely the Sauridius will conduct an ambush on us while we¡¯re tied up with this. The Administrator sent me his proposed route, and it will take us straight through the city to amass in a large open park. The only area large enough to account for so many personnel and the tanks. That would be the most likely location for an attack.¡± Sirsir frowned, ¡°If yer expectin¡¯ an attack. Why go along with it?¡± She created an illusion of the administrator. ¡°Because I want to see if he truly is as incompetent as he appears, or if he¡¯s more cunning than I¡¯d like to give him credit for. And if he is, then I intend to flush him out for good so he can no longer remain a thorn in our side.¡± Akamori gave her a confused expression, and she could tell she¡¯d withheld information from him, but it was for the best. He didn¡¯t need to be aware of how mired the command environment was right now. He just needed to know who his next target was. ¡°Since your team represents our greatest offensive strength, I want you flying in a tight formation above the parade retinue. Amara, you¡¯ll run a cloaking spell to conceal the entire squad. Keep your eyes peeled. The moment you find trouble, end it. Clear?¡± Her XO nodded, ¡°Crystal sir.¡± He spun around. ¡°Alright, you heard the Captain, get your gear situated. I want pre combat checks done in five minutes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! You heard the Eltee. Form up in five.¡± Sirsir barked on the heels of the LT.¡¯s words. As the mages hustled about, checking their armor and weapons, Morwen turned to stroll over to the lead tank in the formation. She crawled up the side of the armor to find Lt. Fennex standing up in the turret¡¯s open hatch. He gave her a welcoming nod. ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°LT. Muster your men. Administrator Patton summoned us to a victory parade in the city.¡± Confusion knit across Fennex¡¯s expression. ¡°Sir?¡± She held up a hand, forestalling further protest. ¡°It¡¯s undoubtedly a Sauridius trap. Expect an ambush. I want your crews prepped and ready for a fight.¡± Fennex nodded, the soldier in him overcoming the officer. Having a mission plan always made it easier than trying to dissect a situation too much. Often the simplest plans were the easiest because they had fewer points of failure. She opened the Administrator''s attachment to her comm and flicked it to LT. Fennex¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ve forwarded the Administrator¡¯s parade route to you.¡± Fennex pulled the comm from his uniform pocket and opened it up with a concerned look. ¡°That open park would be the best potential place to hit us. We¡¯ll be bunched up and static. That¡¯s where I¡¯d hit if it were me.¡± Morwen nodded, ¡°Agreed. Which means I¡¯ll need your forces at their best.¡± ¡°Count on it, sir,¡± Fennex said. He threw his gunnery helmet on over his army cut sandy blonde hair and started issuing orders through the chin mic. As Fennex set to his work, Morwen stayed in place, anchored to the lead tank. She would lead the charge from here. She knew it would provide little protection from most spells, but it she could cast several shields to deal with that. It also gave her a direct line of communication with the Brotherhood units in Fennex¡¯s comm chain, and she would need that in the fights to come. Akamori was capable enough to run a fight without her holding his hand and Fennex could command his elements capably as well. This just gave her the most middle position she could achieve. Once all the elements of her unit reported green, she gave the order to step off. The armor trundled into motion, their treads tilling up the soft grass and soil under the weight of 60+ tons of reinforced armor. The tanks moved at a slow pace so the infantry could keep pace. She treated this more like a casual patrol with the civilian populace cheering them on more than a parade. A fact she¡¯d passed down to the rest of the unit as well. Stay alert, stay alive. She gripped the side of the tank as it lurched above a small concrete barrier before rolling onto the asphalt street. She saw rows of blinking lights along the edges flashing red, no doubt to keep pedestrians from crossing into their path inadvertently. Several sections had white dashes painted on them, and she saw ¡°DO NOT WALK¡± flashing along both sides of the dashes. Men, women, and children alike lined the streets, waving and cheering to them excitedly. She grimaced at the thought of an attack occurring here in the streets. She looked skyward. ¡°Roofs are clean, sir. No one¡¯s up to anything they shouldn¡¯t be so far,¡± Akamori¡¯s voice said over the aethercomm piece in her ear. She gave a stiff nod, then resumed looking ahead. The stretch of road was far shorter than her imagination was making it out to be. To her, every square inch was an infinitely long stretch of space an ambush could occur. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯ve got some real pucker factor going here. The sooner this kicks off, the better,¡± Sirsir¡¯s voice said over the comms. Morwen thought she heard some fear coating the big man''s voice. She couldn¡¯t blame him. Rolling into a situation they didn¡¯t control didn¡¯t make her any more enthusiastic about it than the rest. Block by block the company crept along. She knew her mage squad above could swoop down in an ambush on anything that looked at the parade company even remotely cross eyed. But it did little to burn away the anxiety she felt in preparation for that moment. Eventually, the convoy approached a small bridge large enough for civilians to cross above the street, and above it stood the Administrator, waving to the crowds. The convoy came to a halt and Patton came down to her tank. ¡°Captain. Thank you for coming. I can guide the parade the rest of the way to the park.¡± He struggled for a moment to climb the side of the tank until one marine approached and offered to help muscle him up the side. He gave the marine an appreciative smile while wiping away the small sheen of sweat he¡¯d worked up. ¡°Shall we?¡± he asked. Morwen gave him a curt nod. ¡°We shall.¡± Chapter 38: Contact As the Administrator lead the convoy on the last stretch of its parade, Morwen noticed an obstruction ahead. There. That¡¯s where it¡¯ll happen. She knew with certainty when the administrator shifted uncomfortably next to her, like he wanted to flee. Fennex halted the tank well clear of the red truck, blocking their path. She turned to glance at the Administrator. ¡°You led me to believe we¡¯d be doing this in your park?¡± ¡°Yes, that was the plan, but unfortunately the grass was too wet and we had concerns your tanks might sink into the soil too much. We felt it would be best to keep them here on the pavement instead.¡± Morwen nodded. Again, it made just enough sense to not be suspicious. Very well. She turned to LT. Fennex. ¡°Have your cannons pan left ninety degrees and max elevation.¡± If the Sauridius were going to hit them, it would be by the rooftops of those buildings. Fennex gave her an understanding look and then issued the order. The azimuth systems on the tanks whined a high pitch noise as they swiveled, and the barrels elevated as one group. The Administrator shifted nervously and offered a sheepish smile. ¡°Would you like to give a speech to the people?¡± Morwen frowned. Doing so would mean leaving the tank. She¡¯d expose herself to the attack. But it was necessary. She mentally sighed, then pushed off the ladder inside the turret and emerged from the hatch, gliding down to the ground on a small circular nimbus of violet dark magic that negated gravity. She used a bit of air magic and cast a sound projection spell that would carry her voice to all in attendance. ¡°People of Hidros. I am Captain Morwen of the Mage Federation. For some time now, your world has been in danger. It still is, in fact. Even now, forces arrayed against you work in secret to undermine and erode your safety.¡± The cheers died out, giving way to nervous looks that shifted from face to face. She pressed on, ¡°Your Administrator has summoned us here for a victory parade. He claims we¡¯ve defeated the enemy. But he miscalculates their true strength. What we defeated on the plains was merely a scout force. The enemy¡¯s true strength remains hidden, but I suspect we¡¯ll see it all too soon. For now, I ask that you seek cover. If you have shelter, get to it. Now. Do not delay as every second you waste now is a second you may preciously lose forever.¡± Nervous looks and glances gave way to full on fear and the Administrator turned to look at her, frustration etched on his face. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Being honest with them. Something you¡¯ve failed to do for me still.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Patton stammered nervously under Morwen¡¯s gaze and then glanced about wildly. On cue, Akamori¡¯s force snapped through the comm line. ¡°Contact. Nine o¡¯clock high. Two fireteams of dragonkin hatchlings sporting rifles and cannons. Earth magic, by the look of it.¡± On cue, hardened spikes of steel rained down from above. Cries rang out as Marines fell under the ferrous hailstorm of metal. Quickly Morwen, paralyzed Administrator Patton, he fell to the ground. The tanks all returned fire as one. Each barrel bucked as a twenty-foot fireball roared from each muzzle. A beat later, each rooftop exploded as the CQC shells burst open, blasting the rooftops with hundreds of small steel pellets that chewed up concrete, steel and dragonkin scale alike. She didn¡¯t want to burn their spells on the hatchlings yet. Not with Shacklers still out there. Akamori¡¯s team dove into action, strafing the roof top and laying down fire as he and Sala charged into action. It was a solid response until a sea of enormous serpents hit the rear flank. Morwen recognized them as underdeveloped wildlings. Magic creatures were too primal to have sentience yet. With enough time and exposure to the well, it was possible they would develop into Leviathan dragons someday, but only if Morwen could stop the attack. Half the tanks swiveled their turrets, the small crew served guns opening fire on the creatures since the main guns were too powerful to use with the crowds dispersing still. That didn¡¯t stop the creatures from crushing and biting anyone unfortunate enough caught in the way. Blood coated the sidewalks, benches, small trees and storefronts as the wildlings tore a path through the fleeing crowds, bee lining for the tanks and marines laying down fire. Earth magic bolt spells continued to pour down in the shape of dense, hardened spikes. Most skipped and bounced off the tanks, forcing the marines in the open to huddle up with the tanks for protection. Morwen¡¯s shields over Fennex¡¯s tank warped and discolored with each other strike, but held firm. Both the main gun and crew-served weapons fired upwards. Brass casings from the smaller machine gun trickled down the side of the tank and clattered on the pavement in a song of jingling metal drowned out by the heavy concussive banging of the shells. Debris rained down on the streets further ahead, causing panic in the chaos. Morwen lost track of the mage squad as the tank¡¯s main gun bucked again. Morwen drew on her fire magic, grabbing the massive fireball and coating it in fire magic to sustain it, then hurling it into another dragonkin. The small hatchling shrieked, then incinerated to ash. The weapons fire was getting less frequent for the attackers. ¡°Report!¡± she said, her voice booming with magic. It echoed off the walls of adjacent buildings, so everyone heard it. She commanded attention and respect. The sound wave hit the walls so hard dust rattled loose from some tall buildings. A few windows even cracked. ¡°The undead and shackled wildlings are down. Most of the surviving hatchlings are falling back. I¡¯m in pursuit to see if I can get their leader,¡± Akamori reported. Morwen nodded curtly, ¡°Good hunting LT.¡± With a Shackler so close to the city it wouldn¡¯t be wise to let the threat go unanswered. While she was fairly positive they¡¯d hurled everything they could have mustered as hastily as possible, she didn¡¯t like the idea of giving the enemy time to breathe. She wanted them as off balance as she was. From there, it would be a race to see who made the biggest mistake. Chapter 39: Counter Strike Akamori and his squad flew over the retreating dragonkin as they lobbed erratic fire up at the squad. Compressed earth magic formed into foot long condensed spikes of rock that tore into the sky. He spun, whipping his rifle up to his shoulder and snapping off several void bolts that evaporated large patches of scales in rapid succession.
Spell: Void Bolt Type: Evocation Damage: minor accuracy bonus to damage, moderate void damage, double damage to light, spirit, and mind resistances. Range: 15 Meters Defense: Dodge/Resolve
Reduction: Void Cost: 1 Aetherpoint The caster fires a bolt of negative energy that will erode anything it touches. Targets killed by a void bolt are unable to be resurrected. Requirements: Void Magic Enhancements: None.
The wounded dragonkin dropped to a knee as a headshot dismantled its head in a flurry of particles. Sirsir used one of his potion loaders that he¡¯d filled with his own brew. A glowing series of rings appeared in front of his spell machinegun, outlined by a series of enchantment runes that glowed in green and white and yellow. When he fired his gun again, the spell bolts it fired into the ringed grid in front of the muzzle amplified the size of the rounds. The Sgt. was firing a cannon with a machine gun¡¯s rate of fire. In seconds he shredded the rooftop and the remaining undead and dragonkin fell still. ¡°Hell yea! Now that¡¯s some big man shit,¡± the Sgt. said with a grin. Akamori looked at the devastation. ¡°Sgt. What the hell was that?¡± Sirsir lifted the spell machinegun up, resting it on his shoulder like a spell rifle at parade arms. ¡°Ya like that? It¡¯s an old potion brew my old man taught me. Spell amplification. Takes whatever spell ya feed it and the amplification gives it extra juice. Turns a spell rifle into a cannon in terms of power output, but doesn¡¯t lack for the rate of fire. Still working on conjuring up another one. Two of these would really change the field.¡±
Special Item: Sirsir Family Brew #6 Item Type: Consumable Crafted Potion Effects: Item gives Spell Enchantment to spells cast. Adds Moderate Damage and Cast Speed Bonuses. Effect lasts for one battle. Has a 30 minute cooldown.
As he spoke, the rings discolored and crumbled into evaporating aether along with the runes as they fused and hardened before fading out. ¡°Don¡¯t last long, but it¡¯s handy in a pinch. The only drawback is it still pulls the power from ya to fuel the spells. Not good if yer lookin¡¯ at a prolonged fight.¡± Akamori mentally filed that one away. ¡°Okay then. Good to know.¡± Yasiin drifted above the squad and to the rear, his rifle scope fixed to the helmet of his armor. The barrel of his rifle glowed dark violet with void energy before a thin beam of negative energy sizzled into a dragonkin hatchling¡¯s shoulder. It shrieked and scrambled for cover as its companions fired back. A loud roar echoed off the concrete jungle surrounding them. Sala landed in the middle of the hatchlings, stone skin, and gold aura flaring around him. The soul bolts the dragonkin fired at him just sizzled into nothingness against the radiance of his light aura. Two massive stony hands reached out, grabbing the nearest hatchlings to Sala, and he used them as drum sticks to put down a sick beat on the rooftop¡¯s surface. Akamori grimaced at the blood splatter on the rooftop. Screams below drew his attention, and he spotted civilians in danger of being hemmed in by the opfor. ¡°We need to get down to the streets, try to herd the survivors into cover!¡± Akamori shouted over the coms. ¡°Yasiin, Amara, Sirsir, lay down cover fire. Sala, you¡¯re with me. We¡¯re going to carve a path. Aim for the biggest structure you can find, and we¡¯ll open a path to get the civilians inside. Let¡¯s go people!¡± A chorus of affirmatives echoed out, and the squad flowed into action. Each mage performing their assigned task. He smiled to himself, allowing a glimmer of pride to take root at how well everyone was performing. He never expected to be in a situation like this, leading a team. Growing up on Hoshun had left him feeling like his father¡¯s wishes had trapped him in a life he didn¡¯t get to pick how he lived. And while training with the mages had been painful, he felt like he¡¯d come a long way. The weavers hung back as the two warriors plunged into the wildlings and undead creatures attacking the civilians. He and Sala moved in an artful dance of kinetic blows that saw undead and beasts being cleaved and smashed into gore. A massive serpent coiled up and whipped its tail at him. The tail cracked the air as it struck his armor, his hud flashing a yellow damage indicator on the chest piece. The actual damage came from his back, crashing into a car parked across the street. The glass shattered and the metal frame crumpled under his weight as he struggled back up with a groan. A storm of spell bolts covering his lethargic recovery. The wildling hissed and slid into an S curved retreat. The damage indicator showed his back was red, drawing a wince. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna buff out,¡± he muttered to the armor. He felt a sluggish magic pulse in response, and he got the impression it was feeling pain. He had to focus on getting the civilians inside safely. Securing the rest of the perimeter went smooth with Sirsir laying down heavy fire. Amara provided support while Yasiin called down larger targets of opportunity. That left the front door to Sala and himself. They made sure they kept a wide swath of land clear of hostiles so the frightened civilians could run inside freely. A large mob of panicked civies were rushing for the safety being broadcast by their position. But the incoming fire was intensifying, on top of the fact that they had a large group of wildlings and undead chasing close behind. Great. He didn¡¯t want to split his forces up in a fight like this because that would weaken their position, but if he did nothing, all those people would die. ¡°Do what you must in order to save all you can. That is the outrider¡¯s creed, son.¡± That¡¯s right, it was his job. He turned to Sala, hesitation giving him pause before he fully committed. This was something he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d have done in the past without his back being put to the wall. ¡°Sala, stay here and hold the position. Yasiin, Amara. Back him up. Sgt., you¡¯re with me. We¡¯re going to give those civies down the street some breathing room.¡± Sgt. Sirsir grinned as golden light energy pulsed in his eyes. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He fed his armor enough void magic to press down against gravity, exerting his will. Once airbourne he used air for a burst of speed to match pace with the Sgt. as they ripped by overhead of the civilians who gave panicked shouts as they continued to weave a flowing path in and around parked vehicles on the street side for cover. They were several blocks down from the tanks, so he couldn¡¯t expect much help from them without risking the burst rounds to just shred all the noncombatants. As they neared the rear of the group of locals, Akamori could make out in better detail the size of the force they were dealing with. Some of these wildlings were smaller, but much faster. In the time it took him to get down the street, they had plucked several slower civilians from the rear of the group, like sick herbivores in the wild. Undead marched along in their ranks. Chalky skin and milky eyes that stared vacantly ahead. He gripped the hilt of his blade tighter, and for an instant, he could have sworn he felt eagerness at the chance for a fight. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll get one,¡± he muttered, a silent promise. ¡°Let it rip, Sgt.¡± Sirsir posted up stationary orbit above the crowd as they surged continuously forward below him. His large spell machine gun opened fire. Golden bolts of radiant light energy lanced out, and every undead struck by the missiles cried out in raspy shouts of pain as the light energy caused injuries to the malicious spirits occupying the corpses.
Spell: Light Bolt Type: Evocation Damage: Moderate, double damage against void, soul, and mind. Range: 12 meters. Defense: Dodge / Resolve.
Reduction: Light Cost: 1 Aetherpoint. Description: Light bolts are the trademark of Eryn¡¯s mages thanks to their monopoly on one of the few light magic wells in the sector, and are widely feared by demons and void mages. Requirements: Light Magic. Enhancements: The spell can be enhanced into a cone.
Many of the wildlings hit by the fire had their bindings shattered. With their own faculties restored, they turned on their neighbors willingly. The pursuit stalled out as Akamori and Sirsir provided them with plenty of reasons to stop and focus on what was happening rather than the moving buffet that had just moved out of reach. He moved with the wind at his back, boosting both his speed and agility. This effect paired with a reduced mass thanks to dark magic, and he moved like a demon through the undead. He severed limbs, heads, and bisected torsos with ease, literally carving his way through. A wildling made a lunging grasp for him, seizing him by the forearm. The armor whined as the forearm icon flashed straight to red. He could feel the armor plating trying to resist as the bite force of the creature overtook the tensile strength of the gauntlet. Then a massive bolt of light magic slammed into the beast''s head, burning it away down to the first neck vertebrae. Cooked meat and ionized ozone filled the surrounding air. He set the armor to internal air scrubbers while fighting back his gag reflex. The rest of the serpentine body fell over, wiggling from muscle spasms. Sirsir landed next to him, inspecting the armor. ¡°You ok, sir?¡± Akamori nodded as his helmet peeled back, and his red mane spilled out. He¡¯d coiled most of it up into a topknot, but his bangs had been unruly, so he left them out to frame his face. ¡°Yea. Grabbed my sword arm, and this thing had me by the balls there for a minute.¡± Sirsir nodded, ¡°Good thing you got an NCO that don¡¯t take no shit like that layin¡¯ down then.¡± ¡°Good thing I do,¡± He clapped Sirsir¡¯s shoulder plate thankfully. ¡°Let¡¯s go baton down the hatches on these civies.¡± They made their way back to the building as Yasiin and Amara finished getting the last of the people inside the building. He and Sirsir made it back to the others just as they resumed guard over the doorway. Now that they had the area secured, it was time to start head hunting whoever was leading this ambush. ¡°That captain will want us to find the shackler running this op. Take a minute to check your gear and be ready.¡± Half his armor was in a critical state and would require attention to repair. His remaining aether pool was about half his capacity. He¡¯d need a good night¡¯s rest or a solid aether potion to recover the spent mana back. It was an expensive victory so far, but they¡¯d saved lives. That meant a lot to him. No more repeats of his home. Everyone did as told and in a minute, they were on the move, following the flow of combat under Amara¡¯s stealth spell. They circled around to the rear of what passed for the enemy formation. Yasiin had his eye to his scope, panning slowly across rooftops and windows. Akamori noticed Yasiin¡¯s barrel shift quickly, locking on suddenly, and his grip shifted on the rifle. ¡°Got one. Not sure if he¡¯s the ringleader, but he¡¯s definitely helped guide the circus.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go give him a show ourselves.¡± The squad moved into a better position in front of the shackler as he wove rune signs in front of his soul talisman. Everyone drew their weapons and aimed at their target, a young dragon in morphed human form, but the morph was off. The man had no hair; he sported slitted eyes, and Akamori could see rows of small sharp teeth in his mouth. Still, at a reasonable distance, he passed for human. He pulled the buttstock of his spell rifle tighter into the groove of where his chest and shoulder met, snugly holding the weapon in tight. He fed the rifle a sliver of dark magic, and it thrummed eagerly. His rifle was an Eryn Arms Mk. V. It showed its age plainly, having sat on a weapons rack for a while. But it was reliable and functional. He gave the signal, and the entire squad opened fire into the apartment. Concrete erupted into gravel. Glass shattered and slagged. Wooden window frames erupted into splinters. Debris flew in all directions as everyone¡¯s bolts tore into the interior, the talisman, and the dragon. Something rippled a moment later, and both the talisman and the dragon disappeared. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Sirsir said, the barrel of heavy spell machinegun dipping. Confusion struck Akamori until he realized. There was only one other dragon they¡¯d tried this on already, unless it was the same one and they¡¯d just stumbled into a trap. But the odds of this trick failing on two different targets felt slim at best. Did that make this a compound ambush? A nesting doll of deception and violence? Questions for later. ¡°Fan out and keep your eyes peeled. We just blew our stealth advantage and broadcasted our position. Expect retaliation.¡± A soul bolt flew for Akamori¡¯s back and crashed into his armor in a spray of off-white sickly green aether. Cold and pain stun at his back through the armor, and it felt like part of his soul plunged into icy water. He lost altitude and fell, but Amara caught him. ¡°Got you!¡± He looked at her and nodded thankfully. Her hands glowed a golden yellow, and warmth flooded into the cold area and he felt more himself again. Whatever injury he¡¯d taken, she¡¯d just healed it. She patted the back plating on his armor with a nod. ¡°Better?¡± ¡°Yea, thanks.¡± A massive explosion of debris threw them all to the rooftops as large dragon wings stretched out. A massive taloned hand clawed for purchase on a nearby rooftop, a hvac system crushing under its weight groaned and screeched. ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t expect that to work twice?¡± a deep rumbling voice purred. ¡°Well, I mean, I did if I¡¯m being honest,¡± Akamori shrugged. The full grown dragon settled down on the rooftops. Steel and concrete protesting under the Wyvern¡¯s weight. Based on its size and what Amara told him about their size being relative to their age and magic strength, this one was a runt compared to the one they killed in orbit. Amara¡¯s eye narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s him. The one from the station.¡± She pointed at the discolored patch of scales on its back. The wound they¡¯d given it early had healed. ¡°Yesss,¡± the dragon¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You killed my brother. For that I¡¯ll make you pay.¡± ¡°Sir, the streets,¡± Yasiin pointed at the ground at a large pack of fleeing dragonkin escorting a brood of undead fleeing from the city. He grit his teeth. Damnit. They had to deal with the dragon first. The minions would have to wait, even though he knew they¡¯d throw them back at his team later on. To emphasize the point, a massive set of tails lashed out like matching scaled whips screaming at him. Akamori canceled the feed to his magic and fell as the twin tails ripped through the air above him. Firing his dark magic back up, he pressed back down on gravity, canceling it out and then swung around, drawing his blade. He slammed his back with a blast of air magic as air and dark magic slid down his arm and played along the blade¡¯s surface. The sword hummed and sang as it cut through the air, thrumming with magic. Slashing the blade down through the twin tails offered less resistance than he¡¯d expected. The dark magic wreathed air slash cleaved the tails off with the cleanliness that only a surgeon could appreciate. The Dragon roared, its head rearing back as its chest distended with a massive inhale, then fired it¡¯d breath weapon. A palid fog of wraiths erupted from its gaping maw, and the air filled with the keening scream of the dead as the horde rushed the Akamori¡¯s mage squad. The mages responded in kind, by opening fire with everything they had. Spell rifles and pistols belched spell after spell as the Sgt¡¯s machine gun laid down suppressive fire. Spirits and spells collided in a storm of aether and soul chaos. A few got through and both Sala and Akamori put them down at close range with spell augmented melee strikes. As the aether cloud dissipated, they found the Dragon had fled. ¡°Damn dragon got away,¡± Sala growled, pounding the concrete rooftop he¡¯d landed on. His golden aura flared angrily with him. Akamori lessened the feed of dark magic and gravity casually reclaimed him, pulling him down to the rooftop with Sala. He laid a calming hand on the primal¡¯s shoulder, and Sala¡¯s stone skin spell released. The dark grey blending back into red fur, light skin, and dark hair tones. ¡°We¡¯ll get him. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Akamori said. Sala jerked his shoulder away and stomped off to his own corner of the rooftop. Akamori wanted to follow him. Lecture him on keeping his head in the game, but deep down? He felt like Sala pulled away because he was still putting Akamori in the same group he as the dragon. He glanced down at himself with a sigh and tried to smile beneath his helmet. Oh well. ¡°Let¡¯s regroup with the captain. Fall out.¡± Chapter 40: Regroup The mage squad fell back to the main street, drifting down to street level. It relieved him to find most of the marines had survived. A thick coating of brass shell casings and dead wildlings and undead lay strewn about the streets. There were fewer bodies than he expected, though. An attack this public should have seen so much more bodies clogging every square foot. But the city was amazingly empty. His brows scrunched as he tried to puzzle out why. ¡°It¡¯s because the shackler was binding them as fast as they died and then extracted them. This was a measured battle. They reclaimed about as much as they lost. So the net loss was more a drop in quality of soul bound, not so much available personnel.¡± This made him tense up even more. If the captain sensed this much, it was hard telling what else she¡¯d already been able to piece together about the battle. He watched as Morwen hopped off the side. The captain dropped to a crouch to peer under the tank. She reached in and fished out a small paralyzed man. ¡°There you are,¡± she crooned to the man. She set down the administrator on the edge of the tank, his legs hanging over the side skirt armor. Akamori could see the wild look in the man¡¯s eye, like someone trapped inside his body, and he couldn¡¯t do anything or say anything. Morwen cast a spell and a giant flaming square appeared in front of her. She gripped the edge and angled it to study the administrator for several moments. Nodding to herself, and Akamori drifted closer, curious what she was up to. An angry mob gathered, and Akamori¡¯s hand unconsciously drifted to his blade¡¯s hilt. It thrummed in his grip eagerly like a humming tuning fork. He gave Morwen¡¯s spell a stiff nod. ¡°What¡¯s that spell?¡± Morwen glanced over to him, as if noticing him just now. ¡°Hmm? Oh, it¡¯s a divination spell. I¡¯m studying the magic bound to his soul.¡± ¡°Bound. You¡¯re saying they shackled this man?¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Rather extensively, I might add. At a guess? I¡¯d say it was Ominek.¡± She waved a hand, and the flaming window rippled into motes of fading aether. Akamori felt his back stiffen immediately. Fire coursed through his veins and he couldn¡¯t hold back the scowl that dressed his features. ¡°How did you know?¡± She gave him a sidelong glance. ¡°Full disclosure? I didn¡¯t. Not completely. Though I had strong suspicions. Inviting us to this parade ambush was the clincher.¡± She stepped back and held a palm to Patton¡¯s forehead. Akamori watched as golden yellow light magic flowed into his forehead. Then, Patton suddenly slumped over, like Morwen had cut his strings. He gasped several times and glanced up in fear. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me,¡± he said. There was a genuine, pleading tone to his voice. Morwen frowned. ¡°I¡¯d not kill you. Not for that. I suspect having to live with what they forced you to do will be punishment enough for you.¡± Morwen turned to the gathering crowd of confused and wounded civilians. ¡°People of Hidros. Your leader was the victim of a dread lord¡¯s soul shackling. His will, his very soul, bound to Ominek, the Dread Lord. Trapped within his own skin and forced to dance to Ominek¡¯s will. I¡¯ve broken those bindings and freed him. Though he may be free of the Sauridius, I doubt very much he¡¯ll ever be truly free of the nightmares that will plague him as he carries the weight of what¡¯s happened recently with him forever.¡± She paused, as some angry faces lessened, and several grimaced. ¡°I leave him in your care.¡± She turned to Patton and nodded, and he eased himself off the tank slowly. As the man walked away, Akamori slid up next to the captain¡¯s side. ¡°Is this ok?¡± he said in a hushed voice. She nodded, gesturing to the crowd as many of the civilians welcomed him among them. ¡°They¡¯re not savages. Above all things, the Brotherhood values its freedom. What Patton went through is the grossest violation of freedom a man could endure. They¡¯ll overlook his role in all this for that alone.¡± She paused and turned to face him, and he realized in a way he empathized with the man. ¡°Yeah. Kind of like being soul bound to a military you didn¡¯t intend to join.¡± Her expression fell, and she offered a soft nod. ¡°Yes. Very much so, in fact.¡± ¡°Still. I can fight. And I should fight. Guys like him. Like them?¡± he gestured to the crowd. ¡°They can¡¯t fight back. Father would have insisted I do it for them. It¡¯s why he trained me, and it¡¯s why I¡¯m still here.¡± Morwen glanced back up to him and nodded, a little more steel in posture again. Her spirits had rallied at that. He actually caught himself being ok with that. Was he going soft on the Captain? ¡°Thank you, Lt. I¡¯m glad to hear you¡¯re committed to this fight.¡± It was Akamori¡¯s turn to look down. ¡°Yeah. After what they did to my family. To my home. And then here. I know what¡¯s at stake. I may not like the circumstances around how I got involved. But I¡¯m in this fight to the end.¡± ¡°Right then. Let¡¯s marshal our forces. It¡¯s going to be a long hike into the Sorrow, and I suspect Ominek is going to hit us with everything he can cobble together.¡± Something about the pained look on her expression gave him a chill. He had to ask, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask the survivors for volunteers to march into the Sorrow. We¡¯ll need every able body we can get. That said, it¡¯s likely they¡¯ll be facing those who died here today.¡± He shook his head, disbelief fighting with stunned shock for dominance. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? After what just happened? These people will probably be first in line.¡± Morwen nodded, a somber look on her features. She looked haunted. The long stare of a woman who was about to volunteer survivors to die. ¡°It¡¯s likely most of them won¡¯t survive. They didn¡¯t at Tohrun. I¡¯m running out of tricks, Lieutenant. Everything I do is a stalling action to buy us more time to stop Ominek, and the clock is running out.¡± He was understanding the futility of this fight. They couldn¡¯t beat an army that could make attrition a one sided game. Anything the Sauridius killed became theirs. It all boiled back down to time. It was in their interests to defeat Ominek as quickly as they could. A long, drawn out battle wasn¡¯t in their favor. He sighed, throwing his hands up in exasperation, then leaned against the side of the tank, shaking his head. He couldn¡¯t believe they were about to march these people into combat. It felt like sending them off to death. Morwen climbed back up from the tank and stood atop the turret. She wove an amplification enchantment using air and light magic. A small square and circle of white aether appeared in front of her mouth, ringed with its component runes. Her voice carried further and louder than talking through a speaker. ¡°People of Hidros. Please lend me your ears. Today you¡¯ve all suffered loss, and pain at the hands of our mortal enemies, the Sauridius. Some of you have lost loved ones or friends. Money or property. Whatever it is, you¡¯ve all lost something today. But the enemy is still out there, lurking in the Sorrow. I plan to march in there and confront them because I believe they are up to something truly nefarious. But I cannot do it alone. I need your help. If you¡¯ve lost something precious to you today? Then I ask you to fight, to protect what you have left. And if that isn¡¯t enough? Then I ask that you fight with me to make them pay. My marines down here will sort you out and help get you situation with Lt. Fennex here. Now, who will join me?¡± Silence hung over the crowd gathered before her. Then a young man stood up, dirt smudged across his face. An older woman. A man in a torn business suit. A young woman with cracked glasses. A girl with a bloody gash on her arm. A man with red eyes from crying and bloodstains on his shirt, his expression firm and cold. One by one, all the survivors rose to their feet. Morwen saluted the crowd. Akamori figured they deserved that much, at least. It was one thing to be forced into a fight. Volunteering, for one, was an entirely different matter. Especially when you could flee from the fighting. There would invariably be losses, of that she was sure. The odds were too stacked against them. But she knew to the survivors it mattered little. This was their home, and the Sauridius violated that safety. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!Akamori watched as the marines split the survivors up into mixed groups with the marines and made an extra company between the rookies and the vets. In the end, it was probably the best play as some would draw from the skill of their peers, where others¡¯ weaknesses would round out. It was the best method, and neither he nor Captain Morwen had to get involved. Lt. Fennex earned more and more of Akamori¡¯s respect with each minute the two men worked together. Funny that they introduced themselves to each other at fisticuffs. He rubbed the bridge of his nose absently, still remembering the ass beating that Fennex and his marines had given him. He still thought hazing sucked and doubted he was alone in that opinion. Turning away from the survivors, he saw Sala and Sirsir grabbing the bodies of the dead and tossing them into an enormous pile. He could see a lot of the Wildlings in the pile, and plenty of undead, along with a few dragonkin that fell prey to their attacks. They were extraordinarily resilient. He¡¯d seen a close quarters tank shell detonate and catch one square in the blast. It weathered the steel balls, peppering its scaled hide like a champ. That kinda durability really made you rethink your choices; like, why am I swinging this sword at this guy again? And why have I not run away yet? Questions unanswered like these reminded him that sometimes he probably wasn¡¯t as sane as he enjoyed thinking he was. Akamori walked over slowly, and the moment Sala saw him, the primal dumped the body he¡¯d lugged over his shoulder onto the pile and walked away. Sgt. Sirsir slid up next to him. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, sir. Somethin¡¯s eatin¡¯ at him, but I don¡¯t think he means it to ya personally. Kid¡¯s just workin¡¯ through something.¡± Akamori nodded, ¡°Yea. Plenty of that going around lately. Any hints on what?¡± Sirsir looked at him for a moment before sighing. ¡°Awe hell sir, I try not to get too knee deep in folks'' business, but here goes. Most of what I know about the kid is this: He¡¯s a primal. They ain¡¯t native to this sector. A long ass time ago, the primals and the dragons had a big beef about who¡¯d run the sectors. Eventually, the dragons won out here, and the primals won next door. They took the ones that got cut off here on as prisoners. War trophies for the dragons.¡± ¡°So how does that involve Sala?¡± ¡°His folks were prisoners of Fahnes. I heard tell on Eryn that Fahnes was pretty chill with primals. She gifted hers to Aeryn as wards. Aeryn treated them pretty good. Eventually the kid came along and the Captain took him on. She saved him from a pretty belligerent shit bag. Hells, you¡¯ve seen how Rayshe treated the kid.¡± Akamori shivered, ¡°Yeah. Meat grinder material.¡± The Sgt. nodded. ¡°Mhm. No respect. The Captain¡¯s the only one that treated him like a person.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Akamori asked. The Sgt. glanced down. Was that shame? Or guilt? ¡°It wasn¡¯t my job to treat him like a person. I needed him to fight. To be a soldier.¡± Akamori nodded. ¡°Uh, huh... And so now I get to untangle all this trauma you guys have been giving him. Outstanding. And everyone on Eryn wonders why people think Elves and the Federation are a bunch of stuck up dick bags.¡± The broad shouldered Sgt. could only offer a muted shrug. ¡°Don¡¯t make it right, I know. Just is what it is.¡± Akamori could only sigh, ¡°Yeah. Tell him that.¡± He fed his armor a bit of dark energy, and he felt gravity¡¯s grip on him slip as he rose into the air, then pushed himself forward. Once he¡¯d hovered over Sala, he cut the feed of magic and descended in front of the primal. When he wasn¡¯t channeling his spells, he was a pretty small guy. Hard to believe there was so much power crawling inside that tiny frame of his. ¡°Hey Sala. I wanted to talk.¡± The slave private snapped to attention. Akamori waved him at ease dismissively and gestured for them to take a seat atop a tank. Sala remained standing, which he couldn¡¯t fault the kid for. Kid. He referred to this being as a kid, even though, by right, Sala was probably older than everyone in the squad combined. ¡°You needed something, sir?¡± Akamori nodded, ¡°Yeah. I need you to take that stick out of your ass. I know you¡¯ve got a big chip on your shoulders with Dragons. And for some odd reason, you seem to think I¡¯m one of them. But I¡¯m not.¡± Sala¡¯s nostrils flared, and his eyes glowed with light magic. ¡°Funny. You sure smell like one.¡± Akamori shrugged. ¡°Look, I¡¯m just some hick air nomad from a fringe colony. I really don¡¯t know what else to tell you. Well, I do, so I will. Whatever you think I am? Whatever it is about me you detest? I¡¯m not here to tell you to forget it. I wouldn¡¯t know how to do it myself, so I can¡¯t ask you to. I¡¯m just letting you know that I¡¯m here for you, too. The same way as the Captain. When we¡¯re out there fighting? I¡¯ve got your back. We¡¯re a unit now. Back home, that¡¯d make you part of my clan.¡± Something flashed across Sala¡¯s face. A connection to something he¡¯d said. ¡°A clan. Is that like a pack?¡± Akamori nodded, ¡°If we¡¯re using the words in the same way I think we are? Yes.¡± Sala glanced down at the spell armor gauntlet. It had the single gold private chevron on it, his name stenciled in black. Akamori noted that the primal kept the armor retracted more. It made it easier to adjust to his massive bulk when he channeled his stone skin spell. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a pack since my parents died fighting the Sauridius. Captain Morwen has been the closest things since then. She¡¯s the first person to really look at me and see me, not just what I¡¯m capable of.¡± Akamori frowned. He imagined it was pretty easy to objectify a magic creature capable of smashing damn near anything in his way. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how hard that must have been for you. It¡¯s been tough enough adjusting to having my home stomped on by the Sauridius. Nevermind a blood feud with dragons. At any rate. I just wanted to make sure you understood that we¡¯re both on the same team here.¡± He stood up and backed away to give Sala his space. As he drifted back up into the air and turned to return to the sergeant, he heard Sala call out to him. He turned, pausing in the air to look back, and Sala executed a salute to him. He returned it to the primal. Then he landed next to the sergeant again. He caught Sirsir giving him an approving look from the corner of his eye. Corporal Yasiin moved to stand with them, his spell rifle cradled in his arms. ¡°Any idea when we¡¯ll move out?¡± ¡°Sir.¡± the sergeant insisted gruffly. ¡°So help me. I will choke you people if you can¡¯t get this shit right.¡± Akamori turned back to see Morwen and Fennex chatting together and gesturing out of the city in the Sorrow''s direction. He took a moment to school his features off of amused and back into neutral territory. ¡°I¡¯d put gold chips on soon.¡± Yasiin nodded. It occurred to him he didn¡¯t really have much time around the corporal. They¡¯d always been on opposite battlefields until now. He¡¯d have to remedy that sometime, and he had a hunch it¡¯d be soon. ¡°Yasiin, what¡¯s your specialty?¡± The nomad¡¯s head tilted like a curious animal inspecting an oddity. ¡°My magic is a mix of offensive and defensive spells. My people were masters of balance and counterbalance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And just recently he finally got himself some shadow magic,¡± the big sergeant said. Yasiin nodded. ¡°I¡¯m now capable of countering both light and dark magic, and fielding them offensively.¡± Akamori whistled, a touch impressed. That sounded handy. Akamori got the impression Yasiin was a thinker, especially given his magic. Come to think of it, the scope on that rifle looked pretty hefty for a standard spell rifle. He thought he caught some enchantment runes on it. Visual amplification made the most sense. He wasn¡¯t well versed in spell rifles, since he¡¯d grown up relatively far from the Federations'' reach. He¡¯d grown up with a sword in hand since childhood, and even he had to admit that Yasiin¡¯s rifle looked like something he didn¡¯t want to be on the business end of. Chapter 41: Amaterasus Fire Morwen stood atop Fennex¡¯s tank as she peered out at her forces, all geared up and in formation. They were as ready as they could be. As ready as she could make them. Everything she¡¯d done so far had served the prophecy the ArchPriest gave her. She just hoped she wasn¡¯t about to march to her men to their deaths, even though she felt pretty certain that was going to be the case. She¡¯d seen too many of these last stand battles against the Sauridius to trick herself into feeling confident about their odds. The best she could hope for being able to stop their plans. A warm, humid breeze gusted from the west. The scent of death hovered along, warning of the lurking pall that awaited her forces. Morwen drew in a long slow breath, ignoring the foreboding feeling in her gut and gestured for the convoy of tanks and troops to begin their march into the Sorrow. Hidros¡¯ star was at its zenith, giving them the best they could hope for battling off the spreading fog caused by the Sorrow. She¡¯d had misgivings about that storm since it was magical. That meant the Sauridius and Ominek could take advantage of it. A problem for her to address later. She pulled up her hud stats, noting that her aetherpool had recovered to full. Good, she was going to need all of those points for casting later. Ominek¡¯s defenses were only going to get thicker and more vicious the closer they pressed to his objective. Her hands ached for a staff or weapon. While she could perfectly cast by sketching and signing, she preferred the ease of a staff or weapon. In a simple spell fight, the speed advantage was vastly beneficial. But she knew they were mere crutches if she were to square off against someone as complex and skilled as Ominek. She settled for tightly gripping the tank¡¯s hatch as a happy middle ground. The march out of the capital was a quiet, punctuated only by the steady rumble of the tank engines and treads grinding over the terrain. The ride was smooth as the chassis wobbled forward and back on several points of sway. It allowed the craft to race over difficult ground. Coupled with the low center of gravity and it gave Morwen an extra appreciation for armor¡¯s place in the battlefield. She threw a quick glance back at the ground troops as they marched in formations of platoons trailing behind the vehicle column. You always wanted your slowest element to set the pace, but she wanted her armor up from in case they took fire so the infantry could pull up for cover. She could hear the marine vets singing cadence to get the civilians integrated and keep their motivation high. It was a work in progress in terms of quality, but she expected that of the uninitiated. She could just make out the Queen of Battle cadence, an old Teran war song from the closest formation over the steady rumble of the tank''s engine. Many of the newly conscripted recruits'' faces were hard. She didn¡¯t see unmitigated fear, though. These were the faces of grim determination. Much of the men and women marching behind her had lost a great deal, and this was a fight for them to protect and preserve what they had left. The entire city wasn¡¯t marching with her, but it was a good deal of the surviving population. Most of which owed their survival to Akamori and his mage squad for providing them with refuge during the ambush. She turned back to face forward at the rolling storm nicknamed the Sorrow. Looking above her, she saw Akamori and Yasiin flying above them as the others marched flanking the lead tank. Her strike team poised to strike on a moment''s notice. She caught several glances her way from Sala. She felt her lips crack upwards in the softest hint of a smile she dared allow. She wasn¡¯t certain, but she suspected the primal had feelings for her. He no doubt thought of her as some form of savior for her role in removing him from the torture he endured by the other elves. It was endearing of him to be attached to her. Truth told, she was rather fond of him herself. He had a quiet strength about him. Here he was, this tiny, fragile and wounded soul who endured so much. She knew he possessed a monstrous power that if he tapped into would make him nigh unstoppable. She¡¯d witnessed it once, and while it might have terrified her under any other means, she took immense comfort knowing that she had that power on her side. Sala was a warrior of unparalleled capability, and she pitied the poor soul who took up the cause of getting in his way when he had sufficient motivation to let go of his own self-control. She knew he constantly fought to restrain himself. He existed in a constant state of terror of losing it. He feared himself more than others. She leaned back in the turret hatch of the tank thoughtfully. Perhaps that was why he endured all that he had? He wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone else; he was afraid of himself. She frowned, a sudden surge of empathy welling within her. The storm drew nearer, and the deep rumble of thunder drew her from her thoughts. It pulled her attention squarely on the roiling clouds. The air temperature remained the same, but the pitter patter of rain heralded their approach of the storm. She glanced down the turret into the tank and gave Fennex a nod, who tapped his driver on the shoulder. The tank pressed forward at a slow, steady pace, and the rest of her forces followed her. The wind picked up, slowly at first, but steady and strong. Fueled by divine levels of water and air magic. She whispered a silent prayer to Aeryn for protection. She went for a perception check.
System Info:
Perception Results: Failure. As expected, the Storm of Sorrow is too thick with its miasma of wind and water magic to see clearly through. You lack the skill or magic necessary to pierce the stormy fog. Too bad you sunk those points into Piloting instead.
She cursed the Sorrow as the storm picked up in intensity and was thankful she¡¯d taken the unit in slowly. That meant they didn¡¯t lose any speed or momentum, regardless of the storm''s wrath. It also eliminated the chance for any collisions with the tanks and made it so the infantry formations could stay close. She valued that control, especially in uncertain conditions like these. It would be too easy for things to unravel, and she needed to wield everything at her fingertips as efficiently as possible. As the formation moved, she contemplated spending her earned XP to level up the perception skill. But that wouldn¡¯t be a very worthwhile expense of XP if the rest of her forces and squad still suffered the visual handicap of the storm. Reluctantly, she held her points for now. She had a suspicion they¡¯d need the boost, but not yet. She swiped the menu closed for now. Morwen held her arm up to shield her face from the intensifying rain. She could have cast a shield, but that felt like a waste of magic. She¡¯d need that AP and more in the battles to come. She had to be more frugal with her magic use. She could only rest and recharge so much. And she expected those opportunities would be fewer and fewer now that they¡¯d breached the wall of the Sorrow. Thankfully, she¡¯d had the forethought to store a few potions in her pack in the tank. Had she worn armor like the rest of her mages, she could have loaded the potion dispensers. She squinted as an enormous shadow loomed into the roiling wall of falling water. Was the storm playing tricks on her, or was that a dragon? She cursed the storm again, and Ominek for using it for cover. She was conscious of the fact that this would be the best place to ambush them. Reduced visibility and lack of cover and concealment made them standout sorely. Ideal conditions for one looking to cut down large swaths of his enemy. She pressed the Brotherhood comm piece in her ear to transmit. ¡°Stay alert. The storm is intensifying and conditions are worsening.¡± A chorus of affirmatives poured through as each unit in order chimed in. They pressed on another hundred feet when chaos erupted. Spell bolts poured in on the tanks from all angles. The storm made it impossible to discern locations to even return fire. For a fleeting moment, fear and panic gripped her heart in an iron vice grip and it briefly tempted her to just let the end come for them all. To stop the fight. To welcome the peaceful embrace of oblivion. For a fleeting microsecond, she longed for the peace that would bring. A roar of retaliation sounded from Sala as brilliant golden energy exploded from his body as his mass doubled from his stone skin spell. He looked like a massive, angry stone ape whose hands ended in gigantic maces. He squatted down, and then his powerful legs pressed off against the soft rain soaked terrain and he flew off into the storm. Just like that, steel returned to her resolve. She stood straighter, defiant against the pressing rain of the storm. Her initial misgivings about using the AP swept aside in a storm of spell fire. She wove several soul and water signs and cast several large shields to stop the rain in a massive sphere that encompassed all the tanks that formed a front line. The infantry units all poured into formation behind the tanks and set up a rear perimeter to fire from. Morwen checked her AP gauge. The costs of those spells took her AP from 19 to 16. She issued fire orders to the tanks and her marines, then watched. She cut her counter spelling to a minimum as they were just level 1 bolts and missiles. It was a waste to expel magic, stopping them based on the sheer volume of fire alone. Her few counters alone wouldn¡¯t stem the tide. She looked above and saw only Yasiin in position, face to scope. His sniper rifle belted out void bolts and where ever he fired, no soul bolts returned fire. On the ground, Sgt. Sirsir and Amara took covered positions and lobbed fire to the left and right of the tank line. Morwen allowed herself a moment to study the fire coming in at them. It was heaviest on the right flank where Sirsir was focusing fire. She issued fire control orders to Fennex. As one, all the turrets hummed with high-pitched whines as their servos rotated the turrets along their azimuths to aim where she wanted. A half beat later, every barrel fired. The amount of spells coming at them from that flank diminished significantly. She panned to the left flank that Amara was firing into, then issued the next fire order. Again, the tank turrets swiveled with a steady whine, settling in to face the next direction. The human marines were using enhanced optical technology that magic enhanced storm weather had no impact on. It was far easier to use them than her infantry and thus, why she¡¯d positioned them at the front of the formation. It was a curious thing to be a part of and see happen. Everything in front of the cannons was immediately propelled forward with the rounds. Mud, gravel and water all hurled along with the high-speed shells. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She held her breath as she waited for a response. It took longer than she¡¯d expected, but when it came, she felt no surprise. A small but loud roar sounded from a short remove in the storm. Her eyes narrowed. More wildlings. The mages had gone and shackled the remaining fauna. Great. She issued commands to the infantry to stay alert. More wild creatures would come for them and looking to take advantage of the rear of the formation. She heard several loud impacts in the distance. Like a massive beast banging on something unyielding. She thought she heard Sala roar, but it just as easily could have been the dull rumble of thunder, too. She heard the marines barking orders to her six and turned to see them shouldering rifles in the high ready. A beat later, several small drakes and wildlings darted into the dome of protection, pressing through a streaming wall of water. The marines and civilians all opened fire. She heard rounds slam into scales and the shrieks of pain and confusion from the beasts over the storm. She saw small spouts of water and mud kick up from ricochets as many of the rounds failed to pierce the scaled hides of the drakes and serpents. Her hands flew into motion, weaving void and fire signs. An orb of roiling violet energy that rippled like fire formed in her left hand, and she fired her Amaterasu spell into several of the advancing drakes. As each orb struck a drake, the orb burst into purple and black flames that dissolved and burned all it touched. Now she heard genuine pain from the beasts.
Spell: Amaterasu¡¯s Flames Type: Evocation Damage: High void and fire damage, double damage to light, spirit, and mind resistances. Range: 10 Meters Defense: Dodge/Resolve
Reduction: Void, Fire, Magic Cost: 5 Aetherpoint The caster creates black flames that burn away at their target and extinguish only when the target is reduced to ash. Targets afflicted with Amaterasu¡¯s Flames suffer the Cleansing Flame affliction and suffer additional void and fire damage over time. Effect is cumulative. Cannot be cleansed. Requirements: Void Magic, Fire Magic, Divination Magic. Enhancements: For additional AP, the spell can be shaped into Orbs for AOE explosive damage, or into a cone for fan coverage across a 15 meter long by 5 meter wide cone.
The void flames devoured their scales greedily and burned until the drakes fell to ash. The magic infused rain did nothing to deter the Amaterasu flames. Rumored to have been named after an elder goddess whose burning touch seared away everything unrelentingly. The few that didn¡¯t now had smoldering wounds the marines could exploit with their explosive ammo. The expense had been costly, but helped preserve her forces. She declared it a worthy expense, though only time would tell. More creatures poured into the dome shield, and she wove more Amaterasu spells. Morwen¡¯s AP gauge dropped from 16 to 9 alarmingly fast. She was about to hurl the next round when movement from the corner of her eye caused her to recoil from a lunging strike by a serpent that had come at her from her flank. Before it could seize her in its jaws, a spell bolt slammed into the side of its head, comprising air magic. A patch of crackling energy danced along its scales like localized lightning rippling in place. The creature twitched as muscles spasmed and it fell off the tank, writhing and in a flexing mess. Morwen dropped a charged Amaterasu spell directly on its head as Amara circled around and executed the paralyzed serpent. She gave the priestess private an approving nod. One day she¡¯d ask why the young woman was blind in one eye. As Amara soared off into other parts of the melee, Morwen felt the cold numbness settling into her hand and winced. The side effect of channeling the offensive spell so much.
System Info:
You are suffering the first level effects of the Curse of Amaterasu. Casting speed is doubled. AP cost is doubled. Effect lasts until a Long Rest.
Blast it, she cursed. Already the creeping black veins showed themselves. It was rumored that anyone who cast the spell too much would soon lose the ability to cast in their left hand. The curse said to mimic Amaterasu¡¯s retreat from the world and casting it into darkness. Yasiin spun in his static orbit and began directing fire down onto the encroaching beasts at the rear of the formation. His precision void bolts burning away scale and skull, killing each creature he hit with a single spell. The dead piled up, creating both cover and an obstacle to overcome. It offered no protection from Morwen or Yasiin as they continued to cut down beast after beast. The work becoming procedural now that a battle rhythm had settled in. The wildlings were just dangerous enough, she couldn¡¯t ignore. Forcing her unit to spend time and energy dealing with them. It both slowed them down and spent resources she could have applied to bigger targets. She found it maddening that they trapped her in a game that isolated her options and forced her into predictable choices. ¡°Everyone get inside the shield, that means you too Sala,¡± she heard Akamori say over the squad channel. A beat later, the massive primal fell from the sky on a Drake, crushing its skull with a sickening crunch underfoot. Yasiin drifted down next to an adjacent tank, acting as another mounted weapon, hurling void bolts into the gaping maws of incoming wildlings, and occasionally throwing spells into the flanks of the storm into unseen targets. Morwen knew he was the sharpest marksman of the group, but he appeared to be operating on a level independent of anyone else. ¡°Lt. I trust you have a plan?¡± she said into the comm. ¡°Yeah. Water is fueling this storm, right? And air magic is its opposite, so water is weak against air. Well, I¡¯ve got air. And I can make lightning.¡± ¡°And our enemy is outside¡­¡± Morwen mused, finishing his thought. The shape of his plan was clear now. Gather their forces inside her barrier and fry everything beyond its protection. ¡°Execute Lt.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Akamori replied. She could hear the grin on his lips. She could just barely make out his outline in the wall of water as it fell against the shield and rolled down like a glass dome. A moment later, something bright white flashed all around them as a bolt of lightning exploded in all directions. Writhing searching forks of energy that jumped from drop to drop of water, hunting for something to ground itself in. Much of the lightning found the shield and fell down its walls. The shield held, but Morwen saw the runes discoloring and she worried they¡¯d misjudged the move. That had a ripple effect, in that any creature crossing the shield caught the full brunt of the shed energy. Eyes sizzled and blackened. Muscles locked, and smoke billowed from snouts. But the effects of the spell were much more widespread than that. She wove a fire sign, enhancing her vision, her retina¡¯s coated with fire that burned away all lies, revealing pure truth. The rain faded to nothing, and she saw Akamori¡¯s lightning spreading out several hundred meters and cooking everything not inside the shield. Bodies went rigid, then fell lifeless to the ground in the rain. Ruined by the lightning he¡¯d unleashed. Slowly, Akamori¡¯s feet descended into the shield as he lowered himself down under its protection. Water dripped from him as he flicked his blade clean and then slid it back into its sheath. He spun in the air and drifted over, his armored thrusters puffing jets of air with the rotation and movement towards her. ¡°Lt. Good work out there.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Morwen appreciated him for stopping over. It spared her, needing to request him. ¡°Report?¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Another skirmish group hit us. A contingent of hatchlings, and a shackler that was puppeting a bunch of the local beasts. My lightning stunt got most of the hatchlings and beasts, but the shackler got away again.¡± She nodded, expecting as much. If the idea was to delay them as long as possible, then they would commit only the bare minimum of their forces needed for the attack, and used what was locally available to fill in the gaps. ¡°Should we expect a follow up attack?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Not immediately. They fell back, but I got what I could before that. It¡¯ll take them time to regroup, I think.¡± She nodded. They needed to regroup themselves. She leaned over the turret and saw the tanks were sinking into the loose soil. She didn¡¯t want to linger any longer than needed. ¡°Get everyone formed up and ready to move. We¡¯ll advance as much as we can, find a position, and then hunker down to recover a little. If we¡¯re going to march into the unknown, I¡¯d like to do a little recon, so we¡¯ll set up a perimeter where we can. A forward base camp, if you will.¡± She glanced down at the tank. ¡°Lt. Fennex, does anyone here have any terrain maps of the land inside the storm?¡± He repeated the request to his marines and nodded several times as responses poured back through his tank commander''s helmet. He finally glanced back up to her. ¡°One of them reports having seen some satellite lidar images that pierced the storm. It¡¯s mostly flatlands swamp out here until we hit the base of the gigantic mountain. Then the terrain slopes pretty dramatically.¡± She didn¡¯t know what a lidar was specifically, but figured it for Brotherhood tech of some type. She stood atop the tank and scanned around. They would need to track down where Ominek was working. That meant pushing into the storm deeper. ¡°Everyone¡¯s ready to roll, sir.¡± Morwen turned to see Akamori floating next to her. The young spell weaver was still very fresh, but he showed promise. Already, though, he was leaning on magic for things she personally wouldn¡¯t have. She could see him being drawn in by the allure of the power. ¡°Good. Give the order, then. We continue in. We¡¯ll march 300 more meters and then establish a base camp.¡± He gave her a stiff nod, then pressed his hand to the ear of his helmet as he spoke, issuing movement orders. Fennex rapped on the metal ladder inside the turret hatch, and she dropped in before the tank engine rumbled louder and slowly the patrol moved forward again. The platoons of infantry at the rear of formation falling in behind the tanks with their wet weather gear on. She wove the cancel sign when the last soldier left the spell shield she¡¯d cast and the runes collapsed, water splashing back to the drying ground they¡¯ve torn apart with combat. Chapter 42: Moment of Triumph Ominek released the spell he¡¯d been channeling for the past few hours. Opening his eyes took effort, and as they fluttered open, he saw the last vestiges of aetheric energy pouring from him into the last of the talisman¡¯s ringing the last ritual ring. This one took the form of the most vital component of the ritual. Soul magic. It teamed with the raw power of soul energy, and even from within the rune sealed talisman he could feel it pulse, and a resonate pulse echo back from within his chest. His father had supplied him with the magic necessary to execute the ritual, so he¡¯d lost nothing of his own. But the act of pouring the magic in the talisman had left him a little disappointed. Noting, he felt diminished for the task. He disliked not knowing what he was here to accomplish completely. He¡¯d merely given the location, and what to do, and the resources necessary to see the task finished. He wasn¡¯t sure why he was about to soul bind a massive water catalyst, but his father had told him it would create a most powerful weapon they could use to take over the sector in mere days. None would be capable of opposing them once he finished. He wove several earth signs to harden the talisman to contain the magic within, then stepped back to review his work objectively. He forged and fed each talisman. Then assigned the care of a lesser dragon. Allowing himself a moment to step back and review his craftsmanship with pride. Each piece artfully made, and the magic skillfully injected into each one. A level of care and attention to detail that few other dragons would have done, save perhaps the father of Transmutation magic and artificing. He allowed himself a passing moment of pride and smugness in the absence of his father¡¯s derisive comments about lacking finesse. He knew few could do better than what he¡¯d just accomplished. He stood without peer save for his father, who had him by several millennia easy to his mere couple of centuries. That diminished his self praise by little. His work was art manifest. Beautifully finely crafted, and difficult to top. Even those children on Eryn would cannot match. He glanced skyward to the small shield he¡¯d erected over the ritual site to keep the rain off. He needed his people to see each other. A necessary expenditure of power, since each talisman sat roughly a hundred meters apart, causing the assignment of a lesser dragon to guard each talisman. It made splitting his attention a nonproblem. He rose into the air on a gust of dark magic. Violet aether channeled from his feet as gravity struggled to keep its hold of him, yet he drifted freely away from the surface of his own will. At a high enough altitude, he checked each guardian. The Federation would attack eventually, and while he¡¯d done his best to stall for time and wear them down, he knew he lacked the resources to overwhelm them outright. He¡¯d hoped for a rushed confrontation that would have seen them hilariously mismatched and facilitating a rapid and humiliating defeat. But that had been the absolute opposite. Instead, this enemy commander had prepared marshaled forces, and recruited from the local populace to march on his position with everything she had. Her tenacity alone commanded his respect and admiration, but it ended there. If she got in his way and stopped him from meeting his goal, he would simply shackle everyone she ever loved, and kill them, one at a time, until her life held no more meaning and he could do whatever he wished. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. He set aside such negative thoughts. It tempted fate to dwell on what would happen should you fail. It invited that possibility in order to settle and take root. He had no such intention. His victory today remained certain. Once they removed the stain of humanity from the sector, his people would be free to spread out and flourish once again. A tug at his soul. A gentle one, but a reminder that he was not the master of his own destiny. He felt his father''s hand there, deep at his core. His firm scaled grasp clutching the center of his soul tightly. Do not grow distracted, my child. See your task done. Do not fail me. A deep humming voice said within his mind, and a trickle of blood eased down his nose from the mind tearing strain of the power. His father brooked no room for error, and the reminder was a not-so-subtle hint to keep control of the situation. He turned his attention to see Pyre limping back into his camp, and Ominek struggled to maintain his patience. Pyre was young and promising but never seemed to execute when it was crunch time. Ominek channeled his dark magic, and drifted over to descend before Pyre, who¡¯d sat down in his human form. His back was bleeding badly. Ominek took a moment to regard him. Had he sustained nasty burns on his arm now as well? ¡°Pyre,¡± he said, his irritation threatening to spill into violence. ¡°Why have you not eliminated the federations mages?¡± ¡°They vex me, my lord. They¡¯re no mere weavers or warriors. They are skilled and carry more power than they have a right to.¡± ¡°So kill them and devour them. Why is this so difficult for you?¡± An inhuman growl purred from Pyre¡¯s throat, and Ominek sighed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Please, are you trying to threaten me, of all people? You should be out growling at them.¡± The lesser dragon bowed his head submissively after Ominek pulsed a flash of his aetheric power. ¡°The troops I¡¯ve been bringing to bear against them, if you could use the term, have proven short of the task. Provide me with the orcs and remaining hatchlings, and I can take down their forces.¡± Ominek considered this for a moment. The Federation forces were trespassing dangerously close to interfering with his ritual. He¡¯d held them back long enough. Pyre was correct. If they were going to succeed, he would need to commit the rest of his forces to an assault to overtake the troops marshaled against him. He¡¯d bled the Federation for as long as he could afford. Now it was time to finish them while he still could. Ominek¡¯s massive draconic head bowed once in a nod of agreement. ¡°Very well,¡± he purred. ¡°Take half of what remains of each camp and march them against the Federation. Wait for an opportunity to strike, and when they show a moment of weakness, make them pay for it. The rest will remain here for me and the talisman guardians as an honor guard.¡± Pyre offered a deep bow. ¡°Thank you Dread Lord.¡± Ominek turned his attention from the small mage to the pulsing ritual ring as the guardians continued to inject magic and weave rune signs, writing the spell that could claim them victory. He oversaw the entire process, ensuring there were no errors and that the magic was sufficient. This was too big to afford mistakes. That unfortunately meant that because his attention had to be rooted here, that he could not deal with the Federation himself. Dispatching them would have been such a paltry affair for himself. He¡¯d single-handedly conquered many worlds. But their success didn¡¯t require that he perform that role. No, for this victory, he needed to finish this ritual. He had to trust his lesser brothers to carry the task and committed the rest of his attention to his task. Victory would come soon. Chapter 43: Pain in the Ass Morwen stood in the lead tank''s open turret hatch as the rain beat down on her. Her dark black hair lay pressed against her head as rain drained down around face, finding the path of least resistance down her. She squinted, struggling to see into the murky distance as the thick rain and rolling ground fog made seeing into the weather hell on the nerves. She wanted to tough it out as long as she could to conserve the aether. Wasteful magic expense at this point could cost them longevity for the battle to come, and she wanted to ensure she could weave as much as needed. Fighting a dread lord was going to be very taxing. Something bit at the back of her mind, though. The odds of rolling right into an ambush were very high, even though they were slowly marching into the position they suspected the Sauridius was using. At long last, her nerves gave out. At least she¡¯d be able to head off an ambush by doing this, she rationalized. She wove the signs for water and soul, casting another massive shield above the unit to shield them from the rainfall and fog. She watched as the dome of runes and magic grew outward from her position until it covered the company. The dome pushed out further and further, her magic expanded to reveal more of the water logged landscape that hadn¡¯t seen a moment¡¯s respite since the storm¡¯s birth. Her breath caught in her throat though when she saw the edge of the dome push past several hatchlings and orcs who¡¯d been shuffling into the position suddenly looking confused at the lack of fog and rainfall covering their movements. Gods¡­ it¡¯s begun already. The tank''s main cannon fired an anti-personnel shell into the nearest cluster of hatchlings, spraying them in a dense cloud of steel balls that tore up mud, waterlogged wood, and scale alike. The automated anti-personnel machine gun opened fire next to her, the rapid fire crack of gunfire almost ear-splitting, she quick wove a small shield spell to press out the sound of gunfire from her ears. She¡¯d need to hear for this battle. In response, the Hatchlings opened fire with spell rifles as the Orcs broke cover and charged. The rest of the tanks pulled up, forming a battle line, then the remaining six barrels opened fire as one. A massive plume of fire and smoke blasting outwards, ripping up soil and loose stone and hurling it along with the shells into the closing Orcs, knocking them all over in cries of agony drowned out over the sound of cannon fire. Most of them didn¡¯t get back up. The Infantry units fanned out alongside the tanks, using the armor for cover as they took shots at the hatchlings. She issued orders to the right and left flank to spread out and make a horseshoe formation to prevent them being flanked. As the infantry moved, they took fire from the hatchlings. That drew the attention of the tanks, who continued to blast apart cover and rip apart the landscape. She caught a small group of hatchlings moving to flank them and wove a series of quick shadow bolts that struck the young dragonkin all square in the chests, burrowing clean through them, leaving a trio of hollowed out torsos. She panned right and saw Akamori¡¯s squad fending off a strong Orc attack on the opposite flank. She wished she could move over to address the issue, but had to trust her XO could handle the task. She had to have faith in Akamori. The prophecy had called for his presence here. He was the key. She reluctantly nodded, uneasy at the thought of delegating the task out. She couldn¡¯t prosecute every fight, though, and she needed to learn to accept that. She was here to command, not to battle every enemy. That¡¯s why she had capable allies do that for her. She climbed out of the hatch stand atop the tank, hurling shadow bolts at every target she could find. A burst of gunfire cracked up from behind her. She missed because of the auditory sound dampening spell. It was only when her marines started calling for backup did she spin to see a group of orcs that had circled around the formation and attacked the rear in a pincer attack did her stomach fall to the top of the turret. She jumped to the ground and rolled, coming up in a sprint. She noted the absence of her spell armor¡¯s bracelet on her wrist. She had grown used to it sliding up and down her wrist whenever she¡¯d sprinted, and now it was gone. Bargained away for healing potions and ammunition for her forces to use. A spell staff materialized in her hand, summoned from a dimensional pocket created purely for its storage. She sprinted then fell to her knees, sliding under a massive orc as he brought a wicked axe back to cleave a group of soldiers with. She jerked the staff left and right, striking the inside of the orc''s thighs, then blasted it in the back at the base of its spine with a shadow bolt. The spell sizzled as it struck flesh, evaporating flesh and sinew into particles that billowed away on the wind. The large, dark green beast lumbered around painfully, his expression twisted in agony as large bony tusks jutted from his mouth in an angry scowl. Dark brown beady eyes zeroed in on her. Thick, corded muscles in his arms tightened and the enormous axe came about. Morwen sighed and closed her eyes. This was it. This was her end. A loud metallic clash rang out next to her, and she opened her eyes to see Akamori struggling against the orc¡¯s axe. He grunted as his armor¡¯s thrusters roared with air magic pushing against the beast''s attack. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there!¡± he grunted at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got a fight to run. We¡¯ll deal with this!¡± He brought his arms up, and the orc''s axe swung high into the air. Akamori spun in a blur, assisted by his magic as he made himself lighter, his blade heavier. He spiraled in place, opening the orc¡¯s abdomen, and entrails spilled out to the ground. The creature howled in pain as it tried to hold the contents of its insides in place, and Akamori brought the blade up quickly, cleaving its head down the middle. Its dead body fell over to the muddy rain soaked grass. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. She couldn¡¯t even respond before he was off to the next target. He was right. She¡¯d broken her faith in him and his team. She nodded, whispering a thankful prayer to any god listening, and turned to race back to Lt. Fennex¡¯s tank. She tried to keep from looking at the growing number of wounded and dead bodies around the infantry ranks. She needed to figure out how to turn things around and do it quickly. She used a bit of void and flew to the top of the tank, gliding over the heads of the infantry dug in around the tank. She slid into the top of the turret and wove a divination spell. Making fire and mind signs that resolved into true sight spell that pierced all deceptive magic. This included the obscuring storm and fog. The landscape sprawled out before her and she could see everything clearly now. They were several hundred meters from the ritual site. She could see an honor guard, likely comprising competent lesser dragons under Ominek¡¯s guidance. Then she saw what they were guarding. The enormity of what they were facing down struck her in full force. She spotted several talismans that appeared to be anchor points for a massive ritual. One that was well underway. She tried to study the ritual as best she could, examining the long scroll of runes as they pulsed with energy. Each guardian was weaving their own portion of the overall spell. Like middle management making their smaller contribution to the sum. At the lead, she found Ominek, weaving and adding runes and power to the overall spell. The talismans pulsed with every minute they allowed the spell to continue. She had to destroy that spell. She wasn¡¯t sure how, but they had to stop it. This was the time. Without looking away, she wove a spell to communicate with her XO. ¡°Lt. I need you to strike a target. There¡¯s a magical talisman a few hundred meters ahead of our positions. I need it destroyed. We have to do everything we can disrupt their ritual.¡± ¡°On it,¡± was his lone reply. She watched as the mage squad flew beyond the edge of her spell shield one at a time. A beat later, she saw Sala land in front of her tank. He turned back and gave her a nod. Come victory or defeat, he would greet their destiny at her side. She gave him a nod back, uncertain if it would be the last time they saw each other in this life. She half crawled down the turret ladder and stuck her head into the tank. ¡°Lt. Fennex, I need you to take us forward, into the storm. We¡¯re going to attack Ominek¡¯s position. Hopefully, we can distract him long enough to let the Mages do their job.¡± Fennex turned back to her with wild skepticism on his expression for a moment. She watched it harden into cold resolve before he finally nodded to her. She glanced down across the tank lines. ¡°Give the order for the rest of the tanks to follow. Leave the infantry here. Hopefully, they can hold the position and give us a rear fall back location.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Fennex asked. Her expression fell. ¡°Time is against us, and if we don¡¯t press our attack, it may not matter how many survive today.¡± Fennex fell silent, heaving a resigned sigh, and issued his orders through the comnet. The tanks pushed forward, using void batteries to lighten their mass to make traversal across the mud easier. Hover tanks would have been easier, but far more expensive. Her credit with the guild didn¡¯t go that far. She was counting on the tanks and mages pulling forward, drawing fire away from the marines. In an ideal battle that would allow her marines a chance to breathe and set up a secure perimeter for them to fall back to. She had to trust they could hold out, but she knew better than to have high expectations. She turned back to look at the marines one last time as the armor units surged forward. She watched as the marines dug into fighting positions and set up a perimeter as best as they could. As a favor, she left the shield spell rooted in place so they could at least see what they were attacking. The rational part of her realized this was probably the last time she¡¯d see them alive. She gave them a federation salute. They deserved that much honor. Far more than she could afford them in fact. She turned back to face forward, and took comfort in Sala¡¯s form, intimidating as it was with the cool grey stone skin, and ragged spikes protruding from his form. He kept pace ahead of Fennex tank easily. His golden aura burned away the magic induced rain as they pierced the outer wall of the shield she¡¯d erected. ¡°Use Private Sala as a beacon to guide you forward,¡± she ordered. Within fifty meters, though, the order felt redundant when they pushed through the eye of the Sorrow and then came to a halt on her command. Ahead lay the ritual, Ominek and the ritual guardians. The magical power pulsating here left her awestruck. An intense aetheric pressure, the magic pulsed like an invisible heartbeat just above the ritual¡¯s epicenter. ¡°My gods¡­¡± she knew it was immense, but being this close to it made her feel like a pebble before a tidal wave. The tanks all whined as their gyros leveled their barrels on Ominek. Slowly, the dread lord turned around with a put-upon sigh. He opened his eyes and locked gazes with her. An amused smile crept across his face. ¡°I¡¯d hoped for a grand demonstration of our power. A way to rub into the Federations face we endured. That today is the day that we won. In the future, we will crush every stain of a colony you have in this sector, and our dominion will be complete. What do I get?¡± He gestured to her tanks. ¡°A smattering of tanks and a single pain in the ass mage.¡± Sala growled as the light magic flared from his eyes. ¡°Yes, yes, and a slave dog on a long leash. It¡¯s not as grandiose as I¡¯d have liked, but it will have to suffice. We can¡¯t get everything we ask for, now can we? So little bug. Who might you be? Let me have your name, so I can savor how you taste when I devour you all.¡± Morwen firmed her resolve, ¡°I am Captain Morwen of the Mage Federation, and I¡¯m here to stop you.¡± Ominek clapped slowly, a sarcastically impressed look draped across his features. ¡°Well Captain. Come, stop me.¡± Morwen nodded, not one to look an invitation in the maw. ¡°Fire.¡± Chapter 44: Eye of Maetraya ¡°Amara, you¡¯re my eye. Find us the best target. We¡¯ll advance slowly.¡± She gave Akamori a nod, weaving a stealth spell, and went invisible as a sphere of light wrapped around her. Then she flew up to a higher elevation above the fighting so she wouldn¡¯t get struck by a stray missile spell. Then she channeled the light magic the Air goddess had gifted her in Hoshun, and the warm, comforting voice as she whispered a prayer. ¡°Mother of light, grant me the sight to see all truth. To find what I need to see.¡± Her AP gauge dropped by 2, and her health dipped by 1. System Info: Buff Triggered: Eye of Maetraya. You have prayed to your goddess and have been gifted the Eye of Maetraya. Maetrayops enable the user to view as a god would for a limited time period - At a cost. Use your time wisely, mortal. A gold aura billowed out from around her lone as she consumed a small portion of her magic, and when she opened her eye, it glowed with gold radiance. She could see through the magic rain and fog as though they didn¡¯t exist at all. Through the wards and shields cast by the talisman guardians. Amara saw everything. More than that, she could see beyond what was happening here. All the visible spectra and the enormity of it all overwhelmed her. Time and reality held no meaning. Every action and reaction played out before her. Each possible variation spun off into its own timeline. Every infinite possibility lay bare ahead of her. She cried out in pain and clutched her head; she tried to press her eye shut to keep the input from overwhelming her. It was too much for any mere mortal to glimpse. The next thing she knew, she crashed into the soft mud on the ground. She gasped air back into her lungs after having it violently evacuated on the landing. Slowly, she pressed herself up. The pain was lessening now, and she wasn¡¯t sure if that was more to do with the fact she¡¯d lost focus and fell out of the sky or if it was because she¡¯d grown used to it. Wearily she pressed herself up off the ground, hands on her knees and looked willed herself to look up again. Mud gurgled between her fingers as her weight pressed down into the muck. It took enormous effort to zero in on the things she wanted to focus on. There, the talismans. She wanted to see those. She could see the lattice of runes connecting each talisman together, and how they connected the entire ritual. She could even see their comparative strength. She saw countless threads spin out from each of them. All spurred on by cause and effect. She saw the ritual succeed. She saw the ritual fail. She focused on those threads. In those potential realities, she saw the team attack the various talismans with varying degrees of success. She zeroed in the ones with their best chance of ruining the ritual and found their best possible targets. It felt like an eternity for her to scrutinize each talisman and review the next, but eventually, she finished. Something trickled from her nose, and she tasted a metallic tang in her mouth. Amara marked the target talisman in her hud and shared it among the squad. ¡°That one. That¡¯s the one we should hit,¡± she said with strain between words. ¡°You mean the most heavily guarded one here that¡¯s hiding behind a line of orcs, dragon hatchlings, and undead?¡± She nodded weakly and instantly regretted the gesture after it sent pain spikes that echoed off the inside of her head. She winced in response. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°Well. Wouldn¡¯t be an average day for us if we didn¡¯t to do the impossible. Form up team.¡± Everyone fell into a tight formation, with her falling in last. Sirsir shot her a worried look. ¡°You ok kid? You¡¯ve got a little¡­¡± He trailed off, gesturing to her nose bleed, and she shook her head gently. She wobbled from side to side and the Sgt. braced her upright. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s get this done.¡± Her HP dropped another point, and she released the spell. She sniffed a small trickle of blood back up her nose and closed her eye. The toll of exertion weighing hard on her. The spectra faded quickly and the expansive tapestry of realities slowly collapsed down into one as her mortal perspective slowly took over from the god sight she¡¯d harnessed. Amara drew her rifle from her dimensional pocket and shouldered the weapon. The enemy outnumbered them easily with 2:1 odds. She was going to focus on putting targets down. Akamori stood up front, holding his blade in his right hand. She could tell by the way he stood, he was getting tired. The potions on his bandoleer were all empty save for the last one that resonated with the light energy inside her. She knew it was a gift from Kusinaki. Sirsir hefted his heavy spell machine gun with an eager grin. She gave him an odd look that he¡¯d caught. Shaking away her judgement, he nodded to the enemy. ¡°I joined up to stuff these scaley bastards in their place. After seeing what they¡¯ve done to so many worlds? I had to join, to do something. Sure beat stickin¡¯ around home. So here I am, the only line between them toppling the sector or failure. Shit¡¯s a rush, man.¡± She nodded slowly; she supposed from that kind of viewpoint it was exciting. Something about how he spoke about home stuck with her. Like he found the idea of home uncomfortable. Yasiin channeled void magic and flew up and to the rear of the group, drawing her attention with him. The end of his rifle glowed with gathering dark violet energy. Yasiin was still an enigma to her, but from what she knew of him, he was a marksman with no peer, and a superb counter magic user thanks to his people¡¯s mastery of light and dark magic. ¡°We move. Sarge, you¡¯re on suppressive fire. Amara and Yasiin pick off the strays. I¡¯ll charge up the middle. If they try to slip around? Turn them back, or turn them to ash. If you get hurt? Walk it off. If you die? Kill them harder.¡± Akamori said, sprinting ahead of the squad. She opened fire with her rifle, targeting every orc she could find. Light bolts roared from her rifle in a rapid fire staccato. Sgt. Sirsir next to her engaged, laying down a suppressive fire with his machinegun as Yasiin dropped high profile targets one at a time. She snapped several bolts into a towering orc. His dark green flesh burned and sizzled with each golden shot. Then a void missile fired by Yasiin cored through his forehead, leaving a smoking hole as the creature tumbled over. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ahead of them, the stream of spells being fired at the enemy and against them made the battlefield madness. She glimpsed Akamori deftly dodging a spell, spinning in place and blasting himself in the back with a clap of air and hurtling into the air. Incoming fire splashed harmlessly against the small circular blue spell shield he deployed just ahead of the torrent. She fired several bolts to distract his target. The spells smashed against the scales of a hatchling that howled in pain until its body jerked as Akamori¡¯s blade sank into its open mouth. A soft, weakening, gurgling sound bubbled up from its throat. The dead dragon youth¡¯s body went slack and fell to its knees. The fighting shifted from ranged attacks to up close now that Akamori was in their ranks. This made it easier for the squad to shift focus from suppressive fire to kill shots. Yasiin¡¯s spell rifle kicked another void bolt clean through an orc¡¯s head at range. Sirsir belted hatchlings with golden light bolts as Akamori continued to press the fight against them. She suddenly appreciated the Captain¡¯s conservative use of magic early on. The intensity in this battle was octaves above what they¡¯d previously experienced. Had they been any more tired, she could see the squad running out of energy and being overrun. Only Akamori might have had a chance, given his tendency to favor close range fighting. She watched as his blade bit through scale and flesh alike. She could visibly see the trail it cut cleanly through the air. She snapped off several shots to help support his attack as he tried to punch through their ranks to clear them a path. She wished they had Sala with them, but he was protecting the Captain. Those two were trying to buy the mage squad time to destroy that talisman. ¡°Hey sir, I¡¯m not trying to tell ya how to fight an all, but shouldn¡¯t ya use that special god potion?¡± ¡°The tears?¡± he shouted back to Sirsir as he yanked his blade free of an orc¡¯s chest cavity, then shook his head no. ¡°Too soon. These are just grunts. We can deal with grunts. We don¡¯t know if we have to deal with that,¡± he said, stabbing a thumb back at the talisman¡¯s guardian who¡¯d been watching them slowly carve into the forces arrayed against them. Amara¡¯s stomach clenched. Was that? No¡­ it couldn¡¯t be? She fought the urge to use her special power again so soon. The pain alone made it worth reconsidering. She had a feeling she¡¯d soon discover if her hunch was right. For now? She needed to focus on the threats in front of them. She advanced as she fired, dumping several shots into an advancing Orc¡¯s knee. The searing gold energy burning away flesh and bone, buckling his posture. She was about to followup with a shot to face, when a massive blast surged past her and detonated the creature''s head. Gore sprayed everywhere, and she turned back to Sirsir. ¡°Really, Sarge?¡± He shrugged, ¡°What? That¡¯s big man shit.¡± She rolled her eyes as she resumed the attack. They¡¯d quickly learned that the Orcs were just shock troops, but performed poorly against their squad, so downing them first was proving to be an effective strategy. The dragon hatchlings were the harder problem, thanks to how difficult it was to damage them. She sighted down the barrel, ready to fire another round, when something swept her off her feet. The world spun, and she slammed down on her back, thankful for the helmet protecting her head. Her damage indicator flashed yellow on the helmet and she groaned, trying to push away the threat of unconsciousness. Her attacker gave her no time to get her bearings as the dragon hatchling fell on top of her, trying to drive a spells word into her chest. Her arms shot protectively, catching the Hatchlings forearms and halting the blades descent into her chest. But the hatchling had weight and its strength going for it, and exhaustion clung to her like sweat. The tip wobbled against their struggles and it snapped its jaws eagerly for the kill that it sensed was coming soon. She summoned what remained of the light energy she had left, pulling deep at her reserves to scrape every shred she could find, and felt rejuvenation coursing through her body. She¡¯d bought herself some time, but she couldn¡¯t say how much. In that moment, she felt her anger writhe. She could feel the air goddess herself. The soft kiss of swirling air magics, coalescing around her and within. It coiled about within her, like a viper ready to strike. ¡°JUST GO AWAY!¡± she howled. A powerful air blast slammed into the hatchling, gusting the young dragon into the air. She watched as it traveled ten, no, twenty feet into the air! Time slowed down for her. She knew when it landed, her fight would end. They drained her. All she had left in her was missile spells at this point. She watched, waiting for it to descend on her and finish its task. As it fell, she watched as it angled its wings to help it glide down, sword ready to stab in a reverse grip. It fell a few feet, then exploded in a blast of light magic. Its HP bar tumbled in a free fall into the red till it struck 0. She watched confused as the scorched corpse tumbled uncontrolled and landed close by, scales still steaming. Heavy boots sank into the mud next to her, and she glanced up to see the Sergeant''s hand reaching out. ¡°C¡¯mon private. We¡¯ve got a mission to finish.¡± It took all of her effort to reach out and take the hand, and he pulled her up to her feet. She took the quick moment of respite to check her status for debuffs. Thankfully, the Eye of Maetraya debuff finished, but she had a new one. System Info: Magic Exhaustion: Your AP is below 3. Regen halted until you¡¯ve fully rested. Potions will refill your AP, but you will continue to not regen AP until a rest period or out of combat. Clearly you¡¯ve slacked off your magic training. Once she was on her feet, he fished a vial from his bandoleer and held it out to her. ¡°For you.¡± She took the vial and looked at it; it was an aether potion, to recharge her AP. She shook her head, pushing it back to him, but he refused. ¡°I insist. We¡¯re only as strong as our weakest link, and we need you strong. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Her brows furrowed, and she wanted to protest. It was the duty of a priestess to put her life before others. She couldn¡¯t reconcile his own act against her code. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what to say, Sergeant.¡± She glanced up from the vial, and this time he had a wry smirk on his face. Was that approval in his expression? She nodded and repeated with the correct honorific. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get back to kickin¡¯ some ass. The Eltee is puttin¡¯ on a clinic, an¡¯ I¡¯m feelin¡¯ thoroughly challenged here.¡± Amara plugged the vial into her armor¡¯s potion socket on the forearm, and she watched as the plunger injected the fluid into the armor. Strength came pouring back to her, and she gasped. She really hadn¡¯t realized how gassed out she¡¯d been. The socket ejected the empty glass vial and she unslung her rifle. ¡°Can¡¯t disappoint the XO, can we?¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± As the broad-shouldered sergeant trotted off in the wake of the carnage Akamori was carving into the enemy ranks, she brought her rifle up to the high ready and searched for targets. She couldn¡¯t help but recall how they¡¯d nearly been overwhelmed by a pair of hatchlings on the station, and now here they were fighting frantically against a whole horde. They¡¯d grown in skill and in power since then. Kalenza would have been proud of her, and his son both. She took pride in knowing they carried on the will of the people of Hoshun with honor. Chapter 45: The Valkyrie All the tanks in Morwen¡¯s armor column fired at once. Massive twenty foot fireballs roared out of each barrel and sent slugs screaming at Ominek who simply stood nonplussed about it. Soil and fire exploded where the Dread lord stood, and Morwen waited for the dust to settle. She didn¡¯t think seven tanks would be enough to topple the dragon, but then again, she¡¯d been wrong before. Unfortunately, as the smoke cleared, leaving Ominek hovering where he¡¯d stood in the center of a considerable crater, she fought the urge to deflate. This is just the opening act, she had to remind herself. Ominek dusted off his black suit coat, wiping away small clumps of dirt and rock, then glanced back at Morwen. She watched as the dread lord allowed himself an amused smirk. She desperately wished she could wipe that smirk off his face. She knew that while she was a powerful spell weaver; she lacked the power needed to top the dread lord who easily held centuries to her. The best she could hope for here was a stalemate until Akamori could disrupt the ritual enough to convince Ominek to disengage. He¡¯d committed his forces to a delaying action largely because it seemed he didn¡¯t have enough to prosecute a full battle. Ominek held most of his top end troops in reserve here to protect the ritual casters. Presumably so that they could spend the local wildlings first. ¡°Is it my turn now?¡± Ominek said. She watched as violet energy swirled and billowed around his hand until it compressed down to the size of a brotherhood ¡°golf ball¡± and then flew at blinding speed into the furthest tank on the flank. The instant the spell touched the armor, It¡¯s HP crashed to 0, and the tank dissolved into particles and blew away in the wind like dust. Morwen gasped, suddenly realizing that Ominek could cast a full powered Disintegration spell. She took a moment to recompose herself, and Ominek seemed all too willing to allow her the time. ¡°It¡¯s shocking, I know. By all means, take as long as you need to find that valiant steel that so firmly held your spine upright before. I¡¯ll wait.¡± She knew it was a fifth level spell, and that it couldn¡¯t be countered, it just dissolved any counterspells fired at it. Trying to stop it was a waste of aether. That left trying to avoid it, which she knew the tanks would not be accomplishing. Somehow she had to rattle Ominek. Spells like that took a lot of energy and discipline to cast. If she let him have those elements, he controlled this fight. The question was, how to do that? She needed to disrupt his casting process. She pressed a finger to the transmit button on the device in her ear. ¡°Corporal Yasiin, I need you here.¡± ¡°Yes sir, on my way.¡± She turned to Sala, who¡¯d turned to her for orders. She gave him a nod. She knew what he was asking, and he knew what she just allowed. She watched as the primal turned back to the dread lord. She didn¡¯t have to see Sala¡¯s face to see the hungry smirk on his expression. She could read the sudden confusion in Ominek¡¯s face instead. It told her all she needed, but she knew Sala wasn¡¯t enough. Not as he was. True, Primals had once been the chief rivals of the dragon wings for sector control in the past, and that the dragons had beaten them back, but the primal''s were the masters of the next sector over. They were renown warriors, and so their value as war slaves here made them nearly priceless. Ominek began the signs for another disintegrate, but Sala forced the dread lord to dodge away from several attacks, beginning a game of cat and mouse between the two. Sala pursuing like a blood thirsty cat, and Ominek nimbly dodging and evading. Good. She knew it would only serve as a temporary distraction, Ominek was a canny opponent, and Sala¡¯s relentlessness would only hold him at bay for so long. She tried to chip in with the tanks and fired off a void ray spell that Ominek casually countered at the expense of his disintegrate spell collapsing. But he easily restarted the process. This time the tanks fired, throwing him over. Sala fell on him immediately and reared back to grind the dread lord into the ground, but the air around the dread lord rippled and swirled with violet dark magic as he teleported out from under Sala who let out a frustrated roar, then searched and scanned for the disappearing dragon. This was bad. If Ominek could fire off a disintegrate on Sala uninterrupted, the primal might not have time to avoid the attack. Her heart jumped up her throat as she tracked a disintegrate missile hurtling towards Sala. She cried out wordlessly, and the beast hurled himself into the air with a powerful kick of his legs. The spell slammed into the soil just ahead of where he¡¯d been standing, dissolving a massive patch of earth and wetlands grass. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Sala fired off several light missiles during his descent, crashing down into the soil and kicking up a spray of mud that clapped back down on the soft top soil. Ominek stood some distance off, and Morwen noted the lack of a confident smirk. They¡¯d pissed him off now. They just needed a little extra pressure. His hands were smoking from countering the light blasts that Sala fired seconds ago. He straightened out a small cloth rope around his neck. Some kind of odd human fashion found in the Brotherhood colonies. Why they¡¯d willingly tie a noose up for their enemies to seize bewildered her, but Ominek apparently found it colorful enough to mimic. She watched the dread lord summon some earth magic and wiped the mud cleanly from his suit. His ebony skin hid his eyes as he closed them to draw in a slow breath. He regained that cocky composure again, and she felt herself tense up. She had no genuine hope of beating him in a straight up confrontation. The best she could expect was pissing him off long enough to forget about the ritual. If that¡¯s how I have to die to make this a victory, then so be it. Ominek began weaving several void signs she recognized as the preamble for a disintegration spell, when a light bolt crashed into his hands, canceling the signs out. Everyone just stared in muted shock at his smoking hands, Ominek most shocked of all as he quickly glanced around. A scowl dragged his lips downward and his forehead furrowed into canyons. ¡°WHO DID THAT?¡± he snarled. ¡°I did,¡± came a confident voice from behind and thirty feet above her. She turned to see Yasiin holding his spell rifle. The barrel still glowed with ambient magic. His eye still pressed to the scope. This might do, she thought. Finally, she might have enough of the right pieces to frustrate him long enough to allow the mages to do their job. She just hoped they could carry the fight with the teams split so evenly. She¡¯d hoped to leave Akamori enough that he could fight as his own overwhelming force, but pulling Yasiin proved vital to her efforts here. There was nothing for it, she¡¯d made the call and committed to the play. ¡°Welcome to the party, Corporal. I hope you came prepared,¡± she said, allowing a glimmer of hope to ignite in her chest. ¡°I always show up ready, sir.¡± ¡°Good, because the preamble is finished.¡± She wove several soul and water signs and cast an enclosure shield that trapped them inside. Her goal was to cut Ominek off from the ritual. As the runes spread out like a magic net that met the ground and solidified, he tested one lattice with a finger. The magic resisted his touch, pushing back. This drew up an amused chuckle from Ominek as he turned back to her. He clapped slowly. ¡°Bravo Captain. I have to say. You¡¯re either very brave, or idiotic. You see, you may have separated me from the ritual, but you¡¯ve only slowed me down. In time, I¡¯ll kill you all and break free and resume my work. Why? Because you haven¡¯t trapped me in here with you. No,¡± he cooed. ¡°You¡¯re trapped in here with me.¡± He stressed the ¡°me¡± emphatically and Morwen swore she felt a chill brush over her like someone had skipped atop her grave. She schooled herself into a disciplined posture and let no hint of fear or discomfort show. Sala and Yasiin both remained equally composed. This only seemed to please Ominek further. ¡°Good! What a delightful game this will be,¡± he clapped his hands together with finality. ¡°Who will live the longest?¡± he asked. There was an eager playfulness in his voice. It threatened to overwhelm her with abject terror. ¡°I have to say, when I heard you killed Telmok in orbit, I was curious who¡¯d done me the favor of finishing my eldest brother. He was rather ambitious, but a bit¡­ slow. His penchant for brute force made him less desirable as the lead for this mission. When I learned that you¡¯d landed here, curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to take my measure against the mages who killed my sibling.¡± His expression twisted suddenly, as though he¡¯d just eaten something foul. ¡°Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t as impressed as I would have hoped to be.¡± He paused, an index finger up. ¡°Then I realized something. You weren¡¯t just any bog standard federation captain after me. No, who but none other than the Valkyrie of Kofex, Tohruun and even that armpit of a world Hoshun.¡± He rubbed his hands together eagerly. ¡°Well, once I figured that out, then I knew I just had to see you. I wanted all this to be much more grand. I wanted your Federation to see it¡¯s end put on full display as we destroy everything you fight so vainly to protect and save. Disappointed as I was that a scant few brotherhood vessels and your own ship showed up to the defense left me rather deflated. Still¡­ knowing that you¡¯ll be here? The Federation¡¯s poster woman? Well¡­ that¡¯s just good enough for me.¡± Morwen gripped the top of the tank''s hatch until her hand turned white knuckled. Only then did she truly felt like a meal trapped in a predator''s cage. It took considerable willpower to set aside the need to run and lean into the need to fight. She drew on that. The anger and rage at all the atrocities committed in the name of the Sauridius. The countless colonies they¡¯d lost, that she¡¯d sacrificed so many young human marines to in order to save lives. She fed that feeling and felt her strength coming back to her in surges. She was the Federation¡¯s Valkyrie. Their battle angel that escorted the most valiant to the afterlife. And she had one last miracle to work. ¡°Sala. Yasiin. Lt. Fennex. We hold the line here. It¡¯s been a pleasure serving with all of you.¡± Chapter 46: The Dreadwyrm Risen pt. 1 Amara watched as an orc smashed Akamori square in the torso with a massive tree trunk sized club. Mud and water rooster tailed around him as he slid across the rain soaked top soil. A large rock exploded into gravel as he crashed to a stop against it letting out a groan. She rushed over to him and winced at the beating his armor was taking. ¡°You¡¯re a mess.¡± He looked up at her, dazed, his eyes unfocused for a moment. She watched him shake his head, and the sharpness returned. She helped him up to his feet, and he winced. ¡°Hows your armor holding up?¡± ¡°Pretty much red all over.¡± She could only nod at that. It definitely looked that bad on the outside. She tried to smile to give him confidence, but she was pretty certain it wasn¡¯t working. He held his hand out, using his air magic like a lasso to grab his sword by the hilt and yank it back to him. She could hear it clap into his palm as he gripped it tightly. At least his fighting spirit hadn¡¯t diminished. Based on how intensely he was eying the orc, she felt confident in assuming he was enjoying himself. She quickly eyed the rest of the opposition. Both sides had regrouped, with the Sauridius forming a column to block the mage''s advance. They snarled and growled, but it was all threats they¡¯d faced before. Though she noted the necromancer dragon behind the column looking as amused as ever, his arms folded while watching passively. She glanced at Akamori, trying to scry his aura. She was curious how much magic he¡¯d spent carving his way into the lines this far. She caught he was panting and wasn¡¯t sure if that was magic or physical exertion. She had to admit that the Sergeants hard physical training had helped get them into at least passing shape for this. They¡¯d trained on Hoshun, but what they¡¯d undergone with Sirsir had taken their bodies to a whole other level of fitness. She¡¯d never been much of a fighter and knew Akamori was skilled with a blade on a basic level. Now his increased physical endurance and strength made him dangerous. Added with his growing comfort with his magic and he was becoming difficult to keep track of in battle because of how quickly he flitted about from target to target. She pulled her spell rifle tighter into her arm, noting how rejuvenated she felt after taking the sergeant''s potion. The ache in her body had lessened, and she could feel her magic reserves brimming. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Sir? I will break my foot off in someone¡¯s ass if you pukes don¡¯t learn better.¡± Amara bit back a chuckle at the sergeants interjection. She noted he didn¡¯t call them fuzzies anymore. They¡¯d earned the respect of being more than that. She was a mage now. She turned to see him giving her a stern look, but the cracked smile on his lips showed he was enjoying himself while still disciplining them. ¡°She¡¯s right, tho Eltee. What¡¯s the play?¡± Akamori¡¯s lip twitched as he was about to respond, then deliberated his response. As he did, she took the moment to summon her visual power and examine his aura finally. Light energy flashed, and her eye turned golden as all lies and deceptive magics faded away as her eye revealed the truth as seen only by Maetreya. The HP debuff kicked back in, and her health leveled out at half. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She hissed at first as something almost blinded her, but then her power pressed through the ward. The strength of it was overwhelming, and she realized she¡¯d just burned through a ward meshed together by something with divine level strength. No one should see this. She doubted even she was. She had to squint to get a clean look, which struck her oddly. Akamori¡¯s body blurred and rippled, like a mirage in the desert. More prominently though, she noticed the Golden seals on his back. The marks of a god, or more likely goddess. Did the air goddess brand him during his soul march? She looked closer, examining the detail. There was a large golden circle that framed the seal. Some kind of barrier or seal. Inside it she could see runes or writing etched in a language she didn¡¯t understand, framed by another gold ring. Inside sat a large octogram, with a symbol in each point of the star. Outside of it sat the 8 magical aspects. The Air rune shone in a subdued glow though being less vibrant than its peers, and she wondered if that meant someone had canceled it out? The same for the Darkness Rune. Maybe the Air goddess had done something for him, unlocked something during his soul march. Something writhed beneath the seal. Something she could only sense for a faint moment, but it was immense. ¡°You ok?¡± The words were distant and echoed in her mind for a moment. She was aware she was being shaken and blinked, looking at the sergeant who had concern all over his face. ¡°Hey. This is no time to be spacin¡¯ out. What¡¯s up?¡± She shook her head, feeling the ache of the power in her eye fading. She gave the sergeant a weak smile. She¡¯d lost a few HP examining the seal in closer detail. Eventually they needed to figure out what it was, and why he was marked. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m fine. Are we ready?¡± she asked. Trying to redirect the focus off of herself. The sergeant nodded, though looked like he had more questions he wanted to ask. She watched him bite down and push the urge aside. Good. They needed to focus, and she needed time to digest what she¡¯d just seen. She wasn¡¯t sure what that even was. She filed it away for another time. Now they needed to destroy that talisman, and that meant getting through the rest of the enemy in front of them. ¡°They¡¯ve done a decent job of bleeding us of magic. They wanted us tired and weak by the time we hit the guardians.¡± Akamori said. ¡°They think they¡¯re on top of this fight because they haven¡¯t squared up against us until this planet. I¡¯ve been going about half speed to sell the idea I¡¯m flagging.¡± She knew he wasn¡¯t lying when he said this. He still had plenty of magic to spare. Even for the battered shape he was in. Was this the warrior his father trained? or was this the commander the Sergeant had forged? Or something somewhere in between? Perhaps this man had always just buried beneath the surface. Waiting for the right moment to cut loose. She couldn¡¯t be sure which. She tried to imagine this Akamori being the same young man who just wanted to travel the stars she knew from back home. He¡¯d changed so much. She saw that now. How much had she changed? She glanced down at her rifle, his voice cutting her drifting attention and pulling it back to him. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Sweep right and outside. Go for the hatchlings, avoiding the orc. They¡¯ll probably expect this and try to either bait me in or punish me hard. Depends on how they want to play it. Either way, I¡¯ll only feign weakness for an instant, then we lay into them.¡± He glanced back at her, then to the sergeant. ¡°Ready?¡± She nodded, ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°Ready.¡± Akamori turned back to the opposition, then crouched a little lower, his blade held out to the side. ¡°Follow my lead, and stay in my wake,¡± he said over his shoulder, and in that moment, she felt like she was hearing his father, more than the son. Chapter 46: The Dreadwyrm Risen pt. 2 He dipped low, his blade held out to the side. It resonated an eagerness for the coming fight. He could sense the sword¡¯s anticipation, and it fueled his own lust for combat. Normally this feeling might make him recoil, but here on the surface where one of the many hells played out all around them? He indulged in it, savored it even. It was kill or be killed, and he had a job to get them victory. That meant carving his way through the enemy. Including the big green bastard in front of them before he could face that necromantic dragon from the station. He had that asshole''s number. And it was time to pay up. Fight! The sword pulsed to him and he nodded. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s fight.¡± He broke into a dead sprint before the others could react confused to him. He went wide and to the right, just as he¡¯d said he would. Earth and soul missiles lancing out at them from the opposition. He flicked his wrist, triggering the activation of the armor¡¯s spell shield. Soul and water magic billowed out, forming a massive circular defensive barrier with rolling soul and water runes rotating within it like planets orbiting a sun. The shield blocked a rock spike that shattered against the rippling protective field. Shield up, he charged forward, dropping to a knee, and using air magic to shove himself around the hatchling firing at him to draw fire. As he slid by, he took a swing with his blade. It bit into the scales on the young dragon¡¯s knee. Follow up shots from the sergeant and Amara¡¯s rifles staggered the hatchling back as Akamori thrusted up to his feet, advancing with a horizontal air assisted chop that claimed the dragon¡¯s head. Riding his circular movement, he crouched low and boosted next to his newest target. A brown stripped earth hatchling that swing a massive rock axe that bit into the loose soil and stuck with a gurgling noise as it tried to pry the blade free. Akamori¡¯s spin brought his blade around across the dragon''s arms, cutting deeply into its biceps. The hatchling shrieked in pain as it reared its head back, chest distending. He knew that move. Breath weapon incoming. He boosted up into the air, riding an air gust. Acidic bile sprayed out of its mouth as it tracked him up and away from the others. That¡¯s right, you scaley bastard. Just follow the ginger mage. He twisted around in midair to dodge the rock missile it fired from a cannon at the hip. The shot went wide, dissolving in the acid breath attack. Akamori fell, canceling his weight out with void magic, hovering in midair, confusing the hatchling¡¯s aim. In that moment, several light bolts caught it in the face and chest before a powerful blast hurled it into the Orc. The Sergeant smirked with the spell amplification active at the muzzle of his weapon. Then gave Akamori a nod to his sword. He lowered himself to the ground by lessening the countering effect, his void magic had against gravity. He let his gaze fall to the hilt of his blade, which shared the spell amplification enchantment that the Sergeant¡¯s weapon had. Akamori smirked, ¡°You can share it?¡± The big man grinned, nodding excitedly. ¡°Yea, still getting my head around how it works, but so far I can link another mage into the effects.¡± Akamori regarded the sword, and the gold and white amplification enchantment circling the cross guard. ¡°Well, alright.¡± He flicked the blade and channeled air and void magic down the blade. The two energies crackled and snapped as they raced along the shaft of the blade, fueled by the extra aether of the enchantment. White and violet lightening crackled wildly along the blade, fueled additionally by the enchantment spell. Akamori grinned at the Orc who took a hesitant back step from him. It cost him two AP, but it was worth the expense. ¡°Ok, now that¡¯s cool.¡± He rushed forward as Amara, and the Sergeant laid down suppressive fire on the Orc. The big green brute used a massive metal shield that stopped the bolts with no effort at all. Each light round smashing into the rusty brown metal surface shattered into aether shards. That wouldn¡¯t do anything against his blade, though. He raced right up to the shield and swung the sword in an upward slash. He watched a groove in the soil carve out ahead of him in the same arc he¡¯d swung. The shield didn¡¯t seem phased at all, and was less so impressed when the massive metal wall crashed into him, lifting him up and hurling back the direction he¡¯d come. He watched with a held breath as the helmet visor cracked, and the heads up display winked out. He was going a little too hard on it, but he needed to look like he was in worse shape than he was. How much is too much for the armor? The thought had crossed his mind, but he¡¯d failed to determine the answer. At least until now, that is. The world tumbled and rolled, and his stomach caught in his throat as he felt like a tossed ball. He stabbed his sword down and eventually righted himself out as his momentum halted. ¡°You ok?¡± Amara asked. He gave her a nod. The damaged helmet telescoping back to allow his hair to spill out around his shoulders and down his back. The Sergeant insisted he cut it, but he was an air nomad first, and they held no such traditions or needs. Besides, he didn¡¯t worry about the armor crimping or pinching it. It somehow kept it all gathered up and out of his way for him. So he didn¡¯t bother with the fuss. He liked his hair the way it was. Although the black roots ever since he stopped at the void well concerned him. Had it had tainted him? He rose upright as the orc charged, massive metal wall of a shield in front of it. The brute let out a low guttural war cry as the ground thundered with each step. At the last moment he tumbled out of the way, offering a wide sweeping slash of his blade aimed for its hamstrings in response. The orc carried on before sliding to a halt and turned around, huffing as it built for another charge. He quick checked the blade, no blood. Damn. He failed to land the hit on his response. He needed to try something different. His father''s voice resonated in his mind. ¡°Focus Akamori. Reflect on what I¡¯ve taught you. How can you solve a problem?¡± ¡°Every obstacle has a path to address it. If you can¡¯t go through it, go above. If the high ground is denied to you, go around. If you cannot go around, go below it. If you go can¡¯t below it, come at it from behind.¡± He slapped his forehead. Thanks, father. Even dead, you¡¯re still taking me to training. He reversed the grip on his blade as he glared at the Orc. He focused, reaching deep into his core of magic. The cool dark pool of dark energy printed to his soul sat there, pulsing in anticipation of a need. As the orc charged in again, he visualized what he wanted to do and where he wanted to end up. Time crawled to a standstill for him as the surrounding air warped and rippled. Cracks of dark energy veined outward and wrapped around him. His stomach lurched and reality exploded back into focus around him as he landed on the brute''s back. He fought the urge to vomit as he rammed his blade down, tip first into the orc¡¯s back. It¡¯s corded muscles fighting as the blade fought for purchase and sent a blast of air magic down the shaft of the blade. The orc stiffened up and then fell over to its side as the lightening crackled down its body, cooking it internally. Smoke rolled lazily from every orifice of its face. The sergeant approached it, kicking the brute''s dead face hard. There was a loud crack, and Akamori was pretty sure that was the nasal bone caving in. Unnecessary but satisfying. He stood up, feeling his stomach lurch, and let it go into the grass. He finished coughing and dry heaving and glanced up to find an amused expression on the human shaped dragon. ¡°First time? Teleportation¡¯ll do that to ya if yer not careful.¡± Akamori wiped his mouth, trying not to feel like he¡¯d lost some of his dignity in the grass just a moment ago. He gave the necromancer an innocent shrug. ¡°Yeah, well, what can I say? I¡¯m pretty new to all this. Just a few weeks ago I was just farmer on Honshu.¡± The necromancer canted his head up, looking down his nose at Akamori. ¡°You¡¯d like me to think that, wouldn¡¯t ya? Let my guard down so ya could just stab me like that orc, eh? Well. I¡¯m here to tell ya this is as far as ya go. Here and no further. The boss wants ya all to see how well and truly fucked you are. So I¡¯m gonna grind you into dust and make you watch when the Ritual finishes. But first? A little fun. I¡¯ve been watching you fight, and I know you¡¯ve got quite a bit left in you yet. So how bout it? Up fer a duel? Just the two of us?¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Sir. He¡¯s playin games. Don¡¯t let him get to ya,¡± the sergeant said. ¡°He¡¯s right, Akamori. Stay focused.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Akamori said and took a step forward and ignoring the squad¡¯s advice to the contrary. ¡°Amara, you¡¯re on the talisman. Figure out how to break it. I¡¯ll deal with our friend from the station.¡± The necromancer grinned, ¡°So, ya do remember me. Good. Because I want ya to remember me as I strip your soul from that body of yours and bind it. I¡¯ll have ya marchin¡¯ in lock step to my will for eternity. You¡¯ll make a fun lil toy to play with.¡± Akamori gave his blade a flourish and assumed an offensive stance. ¡°Well then. Come and try.¡± The necromancer¡¯s sneer fell into a scowl. He cracked his knuckles and drew a rapier hanging at his side. That meant Scaley would favor lunging strikes and slashes. Good, he could deal with that. His blade was up to the task. Especially since it seemed to grow longer with each wellspring he visited. Akamori slid his back foot, dropping into a low, well-balanced stance like his training so often demanded. He debated on allowing the Necromancer to strike first, but figured given the dragon¡¯s relative strength, even in a polymorph''d form, it¡¯d be wise to go on the offensive, since his own style favored overwhelming attack. He advanced, using air magic to blast his armor¡¯s thrusters at full. His feet left the ground as he flew forward at the Necromancer. Their blades clashed, metal sang, and spark flew with each strike. Akamori used air magic to enhance his speed and agility to keep pace with the dragon. The necromancer gave him a hungry grin as aether flashed in his eyes. Akamori dropped low with a leg sweep and a follow up slash of his blade. The necromancer responded by jumping up and floated back some distance to put some ground between them. ¡°Not bad. As preamble goes, that was almost amusing. You have some potential. I might even puppet you on a few decades. Train your body proper and then use you to break the Brotherhood after we finish destroying the Federation.¡± Akamori didn¡¯t bother with a response. He focused in like a laser on the necromancer. This fight had his complete attention. He tried to master his breathing, but between the exertion and his excitement, he struggled. Adrenaline blasting through his veins made his body feel like pure energy. It also helped numb the pain. His armor was top end thanks to Kusinaki, but the damage he¡¯d sustained during this campaign was showing on the armor. His helmet was useless. Many gouges and deep slashes marred the sleek skin of the armor. He could sense the armor¡¯s pain, it resonated in the back of his mind like a dull buzzing sensation. ¡°What? No witty retorts? Or barbed jabs?¡± The necromancer looked genuinely upset. Akamori couldn¡¯t stop himself from rolling his eyes as he marched in to engage again. He led with a vicious diagonal slash the necromancer parried easily. Riding the change in momentum, Akamori spun and brought his blade around low for the necro¡¯s shins. As expected, the Necro blocked his blade before it could bite into flesh and bone. Now! He angled the blade up and brought it sliding along the necro¡¯s rapier towards his upper body. The Necro leaned back, the tip of Akamori¡¯s blade cutting the leather of his jacket with a whistle through the fabric. The necro back stepped, spun, and lunged forward with his rapier. Akamori frantically parried the thrust away, but the necro simply tugged his sword back and lunged again and again. Their blades sang with each crash against each other, the impacts signaled with flashing sparks. The necro had gotten inside his guard. He needed to gain some ground somehow. Akamori timed the thrusts and the speed the necromancer delivered his blows with. He knew on an instinctive level he could summon an air blast in between them and planned it out. On his mental mark, he clapped both hands together and channeled his air magic. A powerful gust of air blasting out from him omni-directionally. He watched as the Necro rode the wave of air in a twirling jump, landing gracefully a distance away with a flourish of his blade. ¡°Good. Good. Now let¡¯s try something harder now, shall we?¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s,¡± Akamori growled. He reached into his reserves of air and void magic, allowing the two to mix. White and black lightening crackled down the length of his blade, and it hummed eagerly with the micro-vibrations of the air currents blowing up and down the blade¡¯s length. The Necro smirked, his sharp draconic teeth lining his mouth on display. ¡°Tell me your name, boy, before I bind your soul to my will.¡± As the Necro spoke, soul magic flared around him and rippled. Massive ghostly white and green ethereal skeletal arms reached out and sank into his chest, gripping something there tight. Akamori twitched as something in his soul twisted uncomfortably. Against his control, he felt something rise in his throat, his body about to respond. What? I-I can¡¯t stop myself? Just as he took a breath to speak though, something cold and powerful shifted within. A sensation like heavy chains rattling aside as something restrained found momentary freedom. His irises narrowed, and baleful draconic energy flashed out of them as he spoke in a deep booming voice. ¡°I am Bahamut the Destroyer. The Dread Wyrm risen, and you will never claim my soul little child.¡± The skeletal arms pulsing with soul energy struggled, then slowly dissolved to the mid forearm. A cool chill rippled through his body on the invasive hands exit. Draconic arms covered in black scales dripping with void magic erupted from his chest and clutched the skeletal arms. It was clear they were completely in control. On close examination you could see the soul aether being slowly corroded and dissolved by the black hands. The smarmy cocksure expression on the Necro¡¯s face evaporated. Replaced by fear and uncertainty. The Necro took several hesitant steps back. ¡°Y-you couldn¡¯t be. The Dreadwyrm hasn¡¯t been seen since creation. Even Sauridius lacks an accurate account of him.¡± A deep rumbling laughter purred from Akamori, and he allowed himself a pleased smile. Yet the action felt strange. It was of him, but not by him. Something else within had control for now and that terrified him. His crystal amulet glowed with radiant void energy. Violet black aether billowed around him, taking the shape of a cloak, black wings, and a tail, giving him the appearance of a cloaked hatchling made entirely of void. ¡°And yet, you sense it, don¡¯t you? The truth in these words. Your fledgling little magic is nothing more than a nuisance.¡± A pulse of aether rippled from Akamori¡¯s body. The surrounding grass withered and caught fire as the ground dried, crumbling away in the aura''s force radiating off of him. He lurched suddenly, clutching his stomach and reaching for his back. As easily as the shift happened, something else slid back into place, and the ominous presence that dwelled deep within him slid away from consciousness. Pulled away by some unseen hand beyond his own control. He blinked momentarily, confusion setting in as he glanced around. So far whatever had happened it took place between just him and the Necro. Akamori could see Amara and the sergeant inspecting the Talisman over the Necro¡¯s shoulder. Good. They hadn¡¯t seen whatever that was. And they were still on task. A small measure of relief settled in at not having to explain what just happened to them. He wasn¡¯t sure he could. He liked even less the implications it made if he took it at face value. The Necro¡¯s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ¡°What was that? Some kind of conjuration spell? How do you know of the Dreadwyrm¡¯s soul?¡± The Necro stormed after him, blade swishing up to point at Akamori. ¡°Tell me!¡± he shouted. Akamori had to pack up all the confusion and fear about what just happened and set it aside. He¡¯d have to mortgage the future on the present and pray he had time later to address whatever just manifested within him. The word destroyer being uttered from his lips sent a rippling chill down his spine. He brought his blade up to swat the Necro¡¯s sword aside, who howled in rage at him before blasting him with a level 3 soul blast that sent him hurtling wordlessly away. He tumbled, rolled, and careened off the ground before sprawling out in a heap on his face. Groaning as the coldness left his body finally. He felt his soul almost leave his body, only to have it tugged back by something rooted to his body. More questions for later. He pushed himself up, feeling terribly outclassed here. He regarded the necromancer tiredly, his sword tip bobbing with his exhausted breathing. He needed a miracle. Only some kind of divine act would get him out of this mess. A chilling series of moans and the soft rumbling of marching behind him pulled his attention from the angered Necromancer and he felt his stomach fall away. ¡°No¡­ not now¡­.¡± The Necromancer¡¯s hands, wreathed in soul magic, reached up to beckon his minions to him. Akamori stood between the Necromancer, and an approaching undead horde that comprised all the enemies they¡¯d just killed, and the undead remains of the marines and civilians in uniform that Captain Morwen had left as a rear guard. Cut off and stuck between a rock and a hard place. He resigned himself to the notion of defeat. Taking pride because he¡¯d held out this long. NO. Something cold rumbled within him. It was familiar and yet distant, and it refused to accept defeat. Not here, not now, not like this. He glanced down at the ground tired, his chest plate heaving up and down. His armor was a mess, practically crumbling off of himself. And he had nothing left. A soft golden glow caught his gaze. He blinked, focusing on it, and realized he still had the Tears of Aeryn potion, strapped to his bandoleer. He narrowed his eyes, annoyed at himself. Then again, maybe it was best he hadn¡¯t used it yet. He looked over his shoulder at the approaching horde, then back to the Necromancer who¡¯s playful demeanor gone. Now he just glared at Akamori hatefully. Plucking the small bullet sized vial from his leather bandoleer, he inserted it carefully into the armor¡¯s potion loader, priming the plunger. Well, he thought to himself reluctantly. Here goes nothing. Chapter 47: Outclassed The air inside Morwen¡¯s shield grew thick with tension as she and the mages alongside the Brotherhood of Man¡¯s tank platoon stared down the dread lord Ominek. Morwen desperately wanted to check in with Akamori¡¯s squad to see how they were doing, but Ominek commanded absolute attention through his presence. She couldn¡¯t afford a distraction like that now. She¡¯d entrusted the mages with disrupting the ritual and destroying the talismans, and she had to trust they were up to the task. ¡°Lt. Fennex, I¡¯ll leave the commands of the tanks to you. Myself, Yasiin, and Sala will do what we can to deal with Ominek¡¯s magic. Provide fire and maneuver support as you see fit.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Fennex¡¯s gruff drawl said. Ominek took a step forward, and the tank column¡¯s bodies swiveled to face the rear, though the turrets all remained focused on him. He took another step and Sala took a step forward, his golden aura flaring a challenge. Morwen could see his hands clenching tightly, and the sound of stone and gravel crunching told her the primal was cracking his knuckles. ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± Ominek said with a scowl. The dread lord raced forward and clashed with Sala. The two locked in a struggle, hands locked as they grappled. Feet struggling for purchase in the slick topsoil. Peeling furrows into the grass and mud. The tanks ground into motion, running in a half circle to get a flanking shot on Ominek. As the column circled around, Morwen could see just how outclassed Ominek was in size against Sala¡¯s channeled form. His stone''s hands looked like they were eating Ominek¡¯s hands at the wrists. Hot lava dripped from Sala¡¯s mouth like drool. Where it struck the ground and burned at the vegetation, there was a subtle hiss and sizzle. Morwen could see the tightly corded muscles in Sala¡¯s back flexing and twitch as the two jockeyed for dominance. Even with his immense size and strength, the dread lord had matched him. Ominek for his part looked composed and simply glared at the primal, his lips drawn into a sneer, showing his teeth. Morwen hoped Yasiin had been drifting with them. She started weaving dark signs, channeling the aether to build a void ray spell. As she did, she could feel the surge in magic above her from Yasiin¡¯s spell rifle as well. The void in him called to the void in her. As one, the tanks, Morwen, and Yasiin¡¯s spells and shells all fired at once. At the last moment, Sala torqued Ominek from the ground, holding him up by the hands. The primal turned with his makeshift shield, putting Ominek directly in the line of fire. Sala and Ominek disappeared in a fireball mixed with dark magic. The tanks slowed to a halt, and Morwen and Yasiin searched for some sign of a success. The smoke cleared away slowly, almost painstakingly. She saw Sala¡¯s feet, wreathed in his golden aura. Then his waist and chest, which looked badly injured, and his arms. Two deep gouges in chest looked like cracked rocks, like someone just blew pieces out with explosives on a mining expedition. No Ominek though. The last wisps blew away to reveal Ominek perched on Sala¡¯s massive arms. He¡¯d jumped out of the way at the last possible moment, and the Primal staggered. His light aura had blunted most of the attacks and repaired the damage he took, but she could see the injuries. She could feel her heart twist into knots studying the damage. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Yasiin said. She glanced up to the airborne sniper. Yasiin had spent the most time with Sala aside from the sergeant. She trusted his opinion. Sala staggered off balance, though, and Ominek flipped back down onto the ground and kicked the primal away from him without looking. She gripped the rim of the turret as Sala carved a deep muddy groove into the soil from the force of the kick. ¡°Is this the best you can offer me? A filthy mongrel, and a pathetic nomad? This was supposed to be the Federations'' great fall and you muster children to fight me?¡± Not in the mood for another of Ominek¡¯s tantrums she wove another void ray spell, pulling deeply at the pool of dark aether in her reserves and blasted the spell out. Yasiin responded, and the tanks fired soon after. She missed having some kind of spell armor to check her AP count easily without having to pull up the in game displays. She resolved to just run on gut instinct for now. Ominek had no one to shield the attacks for him this time, so the dread lord just blocked the missiles with his own arms. As the smoke cleared, Morwen could see the damage to his arms. But his wounds quickly knit back together. She watched as bone, sinew and flesh all regrew back. The fabric of his clothing restitched itself back together and any evidence they¡¯d just injured the dread lord vanished without a trace. The small but not insignificant chip in Ominek¡¯s HP bar slowly refilled itself. Morwen could sense the magical expenditure to repair the damage, but she wasn¡¯t certain what cost it had taken. How often could he do that? And could they sustain a magical war of attrition against him? These questions and more fought for dominance as she tried to develop a plan from now on. All she could come up with at this point was simply surviving and bleeding him of magic. ¡°I¡¯m open to suggestions,¡± she said into the comm. The tank sped into motion as Ominek fired off a massive fire ball spell that slagged a tank on the outside of the column. She watched as the barrel sagged under the intense heat of the spell. Explosions ripped the tank to pieces soon after, while the fireball splashed into the rear of the shield. The runes lost vibrance, and the shield discolored as it weakened. They wouldn¡¯t be able to contain him for long, and she knew he was keenly aware of that, yet he still toyed with them, though only slightly less amused than he¡¯d been before. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The air in front of Ominek rippled, and a cold primal fear raced down the back of her spine. The fear encoded genetically into her nervous system through countless generations of survival instinct. Ominek rocked forward on all fours as his clothing ripped into pieces of aether. His flesh discolored to a dark red hue with violet highlights and its texture hardened into the grated pattern of scales. Ominek¡¯s pupils grew slitted and burned red. His snout lengthened and lined with rows of knifelike teeth. A pair of large wings rippled and stretched from his back as a long barbed tail swished behind him like an agitated cat. His neck stretched out and realized just how little room there was within her shield now. She watched in stunned silence as what had once been an advantage previously was now the liability Ominek had gloated about. She cursed under her breath as she wove the signs to break the shield spell. The wards and runes shattering and raining spent aether all around them like sparks of dying energy. With the shield collapsed now, the wyvern was free to stretch out freely now. Morwen¡¯s heart sank as she could finally view the rest of the battle now. She wished she hadn¡¯t. A horde of undead marched against the mages. Akamori stood between them and the guardian of the talisman. She could see Amara and the sergeant in the distance behind the fighting, studying the talisman, trying to break its power to shatter the spell Ominek had cast. A deep rumbling laughter echoed from the dread lord''s mouth, and he spoke in a deep gravely voice now in his authentic form. ¡°I enjoy an excellent game, but it should be plainly obvious now just how poorly outclassed you are.¡± At face value, he was right. But something nagged at her. Were that true, why were they still in this fight? Something didn¡¯t seem right. Morwen got the sense Ominek was posturing. She straightened her back, and her expression hardened. No. She wouldn¡¯t let him psyche her out of this fight. The dragon took on an amused look, ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? Has the little elven mage found her will to fight again? Good. I¡¯ll enjoy shattering you as often as I can before I devour you.¡± Ominek¡¯s head torqued backwards and Morwen saw an immense violet and black ball of dark energy grow, as smaller orbs of dark energy pooled and gathered in the dragon''s maw. Then she was motes of red energy pouring in the orb took on a totally void look. The absence of light, or rather, pure negative energy. Morwen¡¯s stomach tightened, ¡°Fennex, move!¡± The tanks lurched into motion, now that they had free run of the battlefield. The blast discharged, and she watched another tank burst into a flurry of particles in the spells wake. Where before the previous tank slagged into a smoldering heap, this one just ceased existence. Rendered into deconstructed atoms. The blast plowed through the tank unimpeded and blew away a massive rock formation nearby, carving a neat circular furrow into it, reshaping the land. The tanks returned fire, but the shells simply bounced off the hardened scales of the dragon and Morwen truly felt how outclassed they were now. Yasiin fired a void ball spell that struck scales on the dragon¡¯s snout, dissolving them and exposing the sinew and bone beneath the surface. Ominek lurched backward and howled in rage. A moment later, his tail lashed out, but Yasiin dodged it nimbly. The wyvern surged forward in pursuit, galloping now. The earth rumbled with each crashing step as the second largest dragon she¡¯d ever killed chased after them, and she wished to depths of her bones she had the Crasher to fight. The ship was enormous, cumbersome, and poorly matched for a battle like this, but it still would have given her a better chance than what she had at her disposal here. The dread lord surged forward and scooped up another tank in its gaping maw, sparks and screaming metal sounded from the doomed vehicle as the dragon¡¯s mouth crushed it between rows of spiked magical teeth that pierced the armored tub of the tank and mangled the vehicle under intense bite force pressures. Morwen struggled to not lose heart. To refuse to accept defeat. She¡¯d done everything she could to ensure they walked away with victory, but at every corner all she saw was their defeat looming. Ominek was right. He and his forces outclassed them in every way. They were children trying to fend off the inevitable. They were going to need some kind of divine miracle to pull this out. One she doubted was coming. She couldn¡¯t count on outside influence since they made up the outside influence. She and her forces were here at the behest of the gods. Given a prophecy to act on, they couldn¡¯t hope for any more help than they¡¯d received. They¡¯d have to make do with themselves. Outclassed as they were. She took a quick breath and nodded. Very well, then. She started weaving the signs for a void ray spell. If she was going to give up her life here, she¡¯d do it going out swinging. She felt a pulsing bloom of dark energy billowing above her from Yasiin¡¯s spell rifle. He¡¯d clearly felt the same. She could see Sala struggling to get back to his feet in the distance. Clearly he was still feeling his injuries, and she couldn¡¯t fault him for being out of the fight since he¡¯d taken two void spells to the chest. His tanky personal spells are probably the only reason they didn¡¯t core him through on the spot. She was going to apologize to him for that one later. He¡¯d protest, but she¡¯d insist. Ominek lunged, this time aiming for her own tank. She and Yasiin fired off their spells. Twin void spells smashing into the dragon¡¯s snout, boiling away scales and meat, leaving bone and a furious dread lord recoiling in pain. ¡°I AM GOING TO FINISH YOU NOW!¡± the dragon roared. Ominek stampeded forward, his lower jaw raking the loose top soil into his mouth until it spilled out of the sides as he cut a long canyon that pursued her fleeing tank. He closed so quickly Morwen could smell the death on its breath, and she knew in that instant how serious Ominek was. There was no outrunning him. No outfoxing him. No outgunning him. She had the curious sensation of someone tugging at her particular thread of fate. This is it. She thought to herself. This is how it ends. She closed her eyes, allowing a weak, exhausted smile to crest her lips, and waited for the peace and freedom that oblivion would bring. No more fighting. No more pointless struggling. Just peace. She could finally just stop. Chapter 48: Greater Primal Morwen felt a powerful thunderclap. A wave of radiant light and earth aether billowed out from ahead of her. The ground shuddered, and the tank veered hard to swerve something. When she peeled her eyes open to see what happened, she saw a massive form towering over the tank protectively. It looked roughly like Sala. But he¡¯d grown much taller. His face was different now, it looked more like the Primals of old. More ape like. The creature let out an ear-splitting roar that thundered across the landscape, blanketing everything with light magic. Undead staggered as their spirit anchor to the light realm flickered. The dreadlord winced with pain. The magnitude of Sala¡¯s aura rippled across the landscape like a detonated bomb, incapable of being contained. ¡°Did Sala just become a Greater Primal?¡± she asked. The question fell off her lips in time with the thought. A primal transforming into the beastial form they¡¯d first gained notoriety for was almost unheard of lately. Their control collars prevented the shift by managing their magic flows. Morwen had the runes on Sala¡¯s collar adjusted so that he could cast as freely as any other mage. She didn¡¯t even think he¡¯d ever gain enough power to trigger it. That they found the situation so dire that he triggered it didn¡¯t surprise her. ¡°That would appear to be the case.¡± Sala had not only increased his size and mass, but his speed too. Yet he still maintained his heavy defensive spells, like stone skin and the golden aura. But when she scried him, there was a new buff. Two, in fact. System Info: Greater Rage: Gain extra alacrity and strength. Greater Primal: The target of the spell assumes the form of the legendary Greater Primals. In this form, all stats are boosted for a short time limit. Morwen could see that Sala had punched Ominek in the wounded face so hard that he¡¯d shoved the dragon¡¯s snout into the ground, and trapped the head there with his other hand, gripping the dragon¡¯s neck in a powerful hold. Undead and other lesser dragons swarmed around them, battling the quickly folding ranks of marines. She wanted to chip in and help reinforce them, but she had her hands full enough with Ominek as it was countering his attacks. Morwen knew Primals were capable of the transformation when they hit maturity, but she¡¯d never seen Sala use it, so she¡¯d just assumed he was incapable of it. Everything about Sala had grown in intensity. His stone skin veined with hot magma that boiled free like bleeding wounds, and his eyes boiled with intensity like miniature stars. His golden aura now also writhed like a radiant wildfire around him. ¡°Fennex, back us off. Let¡¯s get some distance and give Sala support fire.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The surviving tanks peeled off, and Ominek struggled to free his head. Sala frustrated Ominek¡¯s efforts by maintaining his powerful hold and continued to pummel the dragon. Each strike smashing the dragon¡¯s skull into the mud another centimeter and boiling away red scales. He¡¯d punched Ominek rapidly and with so much power that it peeled away the scales around his eyes, revealing sinew and bone, and Ominek¡¯s eyes glowed with hatred. The wyverns¡¯s spiked tail lashed out, but Sala dodged the attack, freeing Ominek¡¯s head. The dragon reared up, wings flared out, head and tail coiled back to appear larger than the Greater Primal, but Sala showed no sign of being phased. He beat his stoney chest with his massive club shaped hands and roared defiantly. The howl echoing off the nearby massive mountain and rippling back into the valley they were fighting in. A surge of powerful light magic rippled outwards from the gold wreathed primal. Undead staggered under the oppressive force of Sala¡¯s aura. Like puppets with half their strings cut. Morwen¡¯s body shook with the power of his roar to her bones. She had to clench her teeth to fight off the pain in her mind. She felt like her head might split open. Whatever edge Ominek had possessed, Sala had just equalized things for them. Stopping the dread lord like this clearly wasn¡¯t something Ominek had accounted for. She saw a spell pooling in Ominek¡¯s maw. One she hadn¡¯t seen before. She saw a large pool of void, fire and soul. But a counter spell lanced directly into it from Yasiin¡¯s rifle, shattering it into aether shards and causing Ominek to cough on the magical backfire. The enraged dragon roared again. Aether motes drifted from his glistening, toothy maw. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Sala charged, grabbing Ominek by his long neck and torquing him upright into the air until Morwen was certain the dragon¡¯s tail was teasing the upper stratosphere, before bringing the massive dragon down to crash back into the surface. Mud and grass exploded in all directions, throwing the surviving tanks about like toys. Morwen quick wove a shield spell on Yasiin just in time to block several chunks of earth from smashing him out of the sky. The battlefield immediately took on a brown haze from all the displaced earth. Mud caked zombies stumbled about, with some of them buried under gobs of wet sod. Ominek scrambled up quickly and pounced on Sala, clamping his jaws down on Sala¡¯s forearm. She saw a dark, sickening glow building in his maw between the stony fur of Sala¡¯s arm. Magma boiled free from Sala¡¯s arm, Ominek¡¯s fangs slicing into the stone skin like hot knives through butter. He¡¯s bleeding, she thought. Then a more worrying realization settled in. ¡°He¡¯s going to fire a disintegration at point black range. Dump everything you have into his back now!¡± She started weaving the signs for a void ray, keenly aware that her reserves of void magic were dangerously low. She bit down and scraped every shred of magic free she had to spare. Letting out an inhuman howl of pain and determination as she fought to save her friend''s life. Above her, Yasiin had cast an enchantment on his rifle, the golden ring spiraling around the muzzle of the rifle in a series of constricting and smaller rings. All he could cast was a simple void ball. But the enchantment would add its own magic to the spell and boost it to several levels of magnitude. The tanks belched shells at Ominek¡¯s scaled back. Marking their target. Morwen saw his muscles twitch, and the scales shifted in irritation. Then she fired her spell at the same time Yasiin¡¯s enchantment sped up and increased his own spell. Both beams of dark energy slammed into Ominek¡¯s back, drilling a deep hole in the dragon¡¯s back that commanded attention. Blood drained free of the wound as the tissue that had been there moments ago just evaporated. Ominek let go of Sala¡¯s arm and howled in pain and rage. Before the dragon could retaliate, though, Sala seized Ominek by the throat. The dragon coughed several muffled spells, muted clouds of aether blurting out between gasping breaths. In a blur, the dragon¡¯s head slammed down into the ground as Sala roared again. Ominek¡¯s talons lanced out and raked deep furrows into Sala¡¯s stone skin. Three long slash marks etched the stone skinned primal¡¯s ape-like face. Fennex tank buffeted from the impact and the blonde lieutenant at the controls cursed in his New Eden drawl. The engine whined a high pitch as the hover drive pushed the vehicle away from the two titans battling. The main gun fired, giving them an additional bump backwards. Morwen emptied a mana potion, clawing for a desperate few more points of aether pool than she had. The need to keep up the attack loomed over her like a dreadful shadow she feared she¡¯d never escape. The dragon¡¯s wings pumped several times, and Ominek tried to take off before Sala gripped his tail and swung him back down into the surface. A geyser of mud and grass plumed into the sky, worsening the muddy haze. Ominek tried to scurry away and get some distance between him and the greater primal, but Sala was on top of him in an instant. Forcing the dread lord to choose between ignoring him or ignoring the smaller mages put the dragon in a precarious position. Either way, he lost. It just depended on the speed he lost and the cost of the victory that he exacted. Fennex¡¯s tank maneuvered around the two giants for a better firing position, and Morwen saw a powerful orb of golden light growing in Sala¡¯s maw. The raw power in it was staggering, and she wondered if Sala intended to burn the dread lord out of existence. Before she could see the answer, though, something else drew their attentions. Something powerful just flexed its magical muscles, leaving billowing ripples of aether that fanned out like waves in an ocean. The aura crashed over all of them. Undead collapsed and the few remaining marines not dead already fell to the ground whimpering, unable to fend off the assault. Sala and Ominek both turned back. All thoughts of their battle paused. In that instant, something greater had appeared. Something different. Something divine. All eyes turned to Akamori. Chapter 49: Pull the Trigger Akamori watched from the bottom corner of his eye as the plunger pushed forward and the vial of gold and silver fluid pressed into the armor. A warm tingling sensation billowed out all over him as the damage to the armor stitched itself back whole. Filled in by glowing lines of golden energy that radiated motes of light aether. Portions where the armor gouged away simply regrew back, filled in as the armor became whole again. That was only the first effect he noticed. His entire body suffused with a warm tingling glow. The all too familiar sensations of combat fatigue faded away. His magic reserves replenished instantly. Time slowed down to a near halt for him. The undead horde advanced inexorably slower. Even the dragon necromancer on the opposite side of him moved slower. He was aware of time on a whole different scale now. There was also something different, something present in his awareness. A muted awareness that resonated a little more clearly now. Like the tingling sensation you get when a foot or hand had fallen asleep and then woke back up. Akamori rolled his neck, popping the stiffness free. He wanted to test just how extensively he¡¯d awakened under this potion. Testing his full strength, he flexed his aura, and a rippling pulse billowed away from him like a wave, sending his hair beating around him wildling. He closed his eyes and sucked in a slow, measured breath. His enhanced awareness could absorb everything that was thrown at it. He had the time to burn. Ahead and to the right of his own battle, he noticed Sala had engaged Ominek in a Greater Primal form. The slave warrior had finally broken free of his own chains. Good, he mused to himself. They could deal with the dread lord and tie Ominek up long enough for him to finish the mission. Without looking at them, he knew Amara was studying the talisman as Sirsir laid down fire to cover her back. The bolts of light energy streaming by him moved so slowly he felt like he could reach out and nudge them away. To test it, he traced a finger along one as it moved by slowly. He felt the crackle and sizzle of magic on his fingertips, resonating lightly with the magic he¡¯d ingested. He could read Amara¡¯s thoughts. Frustration and worry permeated her mind as she desperately sought to understand the talisman enough to destroy it. She could see the deeply entrenched wards and shields protecting it, but lacked the power to break it. Akamori alone right now possessed the ability next to perhaps Sala. But Sala had his own fight to win. This task would fall to Akamori. His sword thrummed eagerly in his grip, and he looked up to study the undead horde. Fodder before his sword. He exhaled the breath he¡¯d been holding and crouched low, slowly. All of his limbs felt so amped and charged up with energy. Beyond that, he could see his path ahead clearly. The moves most necessary to accomplish his will. Action economy with time economy. He could see the way forward, but more than that, he could instinctively feel the resonant confirmation within himself. He knew to trust what he saw, even though he wasn¡¯t sure how or why that confidence was there. His legs twitched, and he was suddenly in front of the undead amassed before them. Heads flew skyward, hurled upwards by a wide and powerful slash of his blade. He twisted and pulled away from a lunging hand before it could seize his shoulder, then flicked his blade, projecting an air slash that cleaved through everything in front of him. Corpses were only just peeling apart from the second slash, everything moving in surreal slow motion compared to him. He surged forward, skewering several heads on the blade, then flicked it, twisting necks apart and tossing skulls at the ground to clean the blade. He blinked forward, spinning at waist height, bisecting everything around him effortlessly, before he appeared next to another group. This dance of destruction repeated until he¡¯d found his way at the rear of the undead an instant after beginning his attack. He glanced down at his hand, flexing it several times. His face scrunched in disapproval. They felt inadequate to test his power against right now. Something deep down knew that he was only a shade of himself, and even this was too much for the standard fare grunts his enemies hurled at him. His eyes looked up, and draconic slits narrowed on the necromancer. A ghost of a smile crested his lips. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. An instant later, he¡¯d crossed the battlefield in a peel of thunder, as he and the necromancer¡¯s blades sang against each other in a flurry of blows that echoed out across the landscape. Ominek and Sala punctuated the clash with the roars as the two giants battled each other. As he and the necromancer battled, he knew he was commanding the flow of the fight, but also aware that this lead was fading with each passing instant. He needed to end this fight, and swiftly. He fought on, studying the flow of movements and odds as he did. There! He saw a chance and angled reality in the direction he wanted. Executing moves and parries that would position the necromancer right where he wanted. As the battle unfolded around them, the moment of action drew closer. He disarmed the necromancer, batting his sword aside easily. Then spun and kicked the necromancer up into the air. At the apex of his rise, Ominek¡¯s massive jaws inhaled the necromancer. The gigantic dragon crashed into a rock wall nearby and roared as it scrabbled back to continue battling Sala. He¡¯d timed his attack so that the dread lord would inhale the smaller dragon effortlessly. He strode towards Amara and the Sergeant who simply dropped his heavy machine gun with a stunned look. ¡°Akamori?¡± He was faintly aware she¡¯d questioned him, ¡°are you ok¡± inscribed on her features. But time was running out. He stepped forward and seized the talisman. He sucked in a deep breath and squeezed. The runes in the shields and wards protecting the talisman discolored, and the magic whined as he exerted the last of his Demi-god like strength. The shell of the talisman cracked and then exploded in a violent burst of released magic that billowed out. He staggered as the last of the potion wore off, feeling the pressing weight of time and limited awareness seep back into him. He felt diminished, less than he had been. Amara reached out to stabilize him. He gave her a reassuring nod. ¡°I¡¯m good. We need to do something about this spell they were working with while Sala has Ominek busy.¡± Amara turned, shaking her head, unsure. ¡°I know little about what they were trying to do, but you crippled the spell by destroying that talisman. It had a tremendous amount of soul energy that was necessary for part of the spell.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that part of what they used to shackle people?¡± She nodded absently, and he knew she was chewing on a thought as she muttered silently to herself, working through the problem in her head. Akamori was only loosely familiar with all the magic and what they did. He just stuck to chopping stuff up and using magic to help with doing that. She¡¯d always been the superior academic. Golden magic flashed in her eye, the Eye of Maetraya spell triggered. She studied the spell as she continued to talk herself through the spell and a hypothesis. ¡°I can¡¯t stop it. It¡¯s too far along. You crippled the shackling aspect. The rest of it seems to lean pretty heavy on mind magic.¡± That seemed odd. Akamori''s knowledge of spells came up lacking, but he knew that mind magic was like a reality altering thing. He saw little how that would apply to a wellspring. He gave her a helpless shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s pull the trigger then? Whatever happens, it won¡¯t be stuck loyal to them, at least.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a big gamble to take,¡± she said. Her expression was uncertain. ¡°It¡¯s the best we have. We¡¯ll just have to hope it¡¯s enough. Do it.¡± She nodded, and turned to the spell, weaving several light signs to finish the spell and feed it the triggering energy. The runes gathered, and the magic swelled, billowing from the talismans until they cracked apart and blew away in the unfelt wind. The magic swirled around the glowing runes, coalescing into a rod of energy that jabbed down into the earth. For a moment, nothing happened, and Akamori hoped that was for the best. He clapped his hands, ¡°Welp, mission accom-¡± The earth trembled and quaked. He cursed silently at having spoken too soon as the spell crushed his hope under the rock. A crack split the earth at their feet and traced a path all the way up the nearby mountain. The air rumbled with thunder, and the eye of the storm rippled violently. ¡°I really hope this doesn¡¯t bite us in the ass.¡± Akamori muttered. The mountain exploded in a storm of rock and dust, and a pair of massive draconic wings unfurled. A tail emerged, swishing aside the dust cloud and a massive silver and blue dragon¡¯s head pressed out of the dust cloud, sky-blue eyes narrowing on all those present. ¡°My father will judge you. Should he find your existence wanting, I will devour you.¡± The voice was loud and thundered in his head soundlessly. It was so powerful he could have sworn his head split open as he fell to his knees, clutching at his ears, trying to shield them from the powerful dragon''s words. Because an ear shattering voice and exploding ground wasn''t ominous enough. A brilliant flash of white, and all sense of awareness vanished. Chapter 50: 10 Billion tons of Nope... Unadulterated rage flowed through Ominek. These damn pests had been there to stop his every move at every step of the way. They¡¯d destroyed the talisman necessary to complete the most vital part of the spell his father had instructed him to cast, and then they sped up the spell, forcing it to finish early. To add insult to injury, the pathetic spell warrior bested Pyre by kicking the young dragon down his gullet after the Greater Primal had hurled him by the fight. Now, as the spell coalesced into a neutered version of the greater ritual that Leviathos had given him to conduct, the shaft of raw aether analyzed the crust of Hidros. Boring down into the body of a huge dragon that previously lay hidden from his ability to sense. To his own horror, Ominek watched as the bolt of power traced its way up the tail of the enormous tail, aether sparking along every nerve fiber and muscle. The magic flowed up the tail, through the hips, past the lungs and heart, and up the spinal cord and into the mind where the aether exploded across the dragon¡¯s great mind canceling out a curse that it was sleeping under. As the azure leviathan¡¯s body twitched with movement, the earth and rock that had wrapped the massive beast in a stony slumber cracked and rumbled as the landscape quaked and shuddered. Ominek¡¯s wings beat, thrusting the dread lord into the air. Whatever his father had sent him to bind those damn mages had fucked the spell up and then cut it loose. Ominek watched as the mountain exploded, debris and dust billowing out as the enormous dragon shed its earthy coffin. ¡°That¡¯s 10 billion tons of nope in a 5 ton bag¡­¡± Ominek had no interest in loitering around long enough to find out what the massive dragon would do when it found out his plans. The immense wellspring of water magic lay below. This beast was its guardian. That easily put it in at demi-god level. Ominek¡¯s best hope for survival at this point was to flee. His eyes flared with dark violet energy as he used a quick teleportation spell, the air warping and folding in around him as he blinked out. Reappearing several thousand meters from his previous position, he snapped the spell off again, again, and again until he was in low orbit. ¡°Do not think that you can simply evade my gaze, little wyrm,¡± a powerful booming voice said from below and behind him. An instant later, thousands of swords and spears made of ice hurled themselves in his direction. It was all he could do to counter spell the near misses and evade the rest. Ominek flew for everything he could muster, racing for the distance so he could cast a dimensional doorway to flee into shadow space. Several ice blades clipping his body and wings drew a sharp hiss as the scales split and blood trickled out, freezing in the vacuum. The guardian didn¡¯t pursue but his weapons continued to form some distance away, that grew greater by the moment. Even the demi-god had his limits. After Ominek put enough space between himself and his attacker that he could open the doorway, he wove the signs for the spell, and a large rectangular crack formed in reality that he poured his bulk into then sealed behind him. Several of the ice blades and spears dissolving into motes of water magic once the doorway sealed. Pure void greeted him on the opposite side, and he hushed his magical signature to a black level in order to avoid detection. There were no real accounts or tomes of information about what existed in this reality. But he was aware of danger it presented, and the way ever fiber of his being warned him to avoid detection here. The humans and lesser races all had space faring legends of vessels too foolish enough to follow procedure and never heard or seen from again. Ominek aimed himself at his father''s world and made haste. He would have to report back on his failure. Hesitantly, his wings flapped as his body swam in the black absence of light and heat. He¡¯d made it a point when he was a hatchling to explore the bottom of an ocean once, to overcome his fear of the shadow realm. It didn¡¯t stop him from clenching his jaw tight as he swam his way home. Defeat rolling off of him in waves. The ever present fear that his father would simply devour him for this ultimate failure hung heavy in his mind. He¡¯d been the dutiful son. Always fighting for both himself and the cause. Only to have victory stolen from him at the very end by a rag-tag band of mages with the devil''s damned luck. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Morwen. He committed that name to memory. That one and Akamori. He would make them both pay dearly for their transgressions against himself and his father. This sector belonged to Sauridius. They just didn¡¯t damn well know it yet. But they would. And soon. Either by his own hand, or his father¡¯s.
The sensation of weightlessness was the first that Morwen could wrap her mind around. She had no mass. Though on closer inspection, she realized she also lacked a body. She found death to be a curious thing. She¡¯d expected more of it, the process, and the aftermath, that is. A slow rumbling laughter broke up her thoughts. It rolled along like a purr. ¡°No, little one. You are not dead. I am.¡± Ok. That was a lot to take in. ¡°Who are you?¡± she said. Only realizing afterward that she was speaking without a mouth. ¡°You are in my mind,¡± the voice replied. ¡°What remains of it at least.¡± There was a sadness that colored the words. A pain held onto for millennia. Light pierced the darkness and took the shape of a star. When the blindness wore off, she realized she was above a planet in a star system she didn¡¯t recognize. The world looked a lot like Hidros. ¡°This was once my world. I shepherded the life that grew here. My wards. They worshiped me, gave me power, and I gave them life and purpose.¡± The voice paused as if admiring the world again. ¡°You would come to know this world later as Hidros. It¡¯s correct name slips my memory. As a magical shade, my purpose was to guide events to this moment. A final retaliation to that betrayer, Sauridius.¡± She watched as a being made of pure energy with a powerful weapon appeared. It was clear that Hidros stood poorly matched for the fight. ¡°Why?¡± The trespasser asked. ¡°Why stay here and doom yourself? You could have fled?¡± ¡°Because fleeing would only prolong the inevitable, and I grow weary of Sauridius¡¯ meddling and puppeteering. Do you not tire of his manipulations?¡± The energy god glanced down at his weapon, a sword that devoured light and magic alike. As though someone had taken a black hole and shaped it into a blade. ¡°I¡¯ve been shackled to his will for so long that I fear I don¡¯t remember my freedom anymore. Only his insidious will. He demands you die. You risk so much by staying when you should have fled. Those possibilities existed. This confrontation should have taken centuries to play out.¡± Hidros glanced down at his world. He wanted to protect it, yet he knew the futility in doing so. He stopped weaving counter attacks and instead began weaving a deep and powerful curse. Hidros could see, in a long and distant future, a chance at getting back at Sauridius. He would have to sacrifice his present, on the possibility of defeating Sauridius in the future, in death. ¡°Why? Even now your spell is futile. Why cast it?¡± the energy god demanded, though he offered no attempt at stopping it. ¡°I do this for me. For you. For all that Sauridius has affected. This might even set you free of his shackling some day.¡± ¡°At the cost of your own life?¡± Hidros smiled, his wide silver head with white and blue highlights glinting in the nearby starlight. ¡°Yes, if that is the price that must be paid.¡± The enemy god could only nod afterward, as if to say very well. Then he reared back with the blade, and tackled Hidros as he finished his spell, casting it over the energy god''s shoulder. The spell left a small trail of motes of aether as it zipped off, lost to time. Hidros plummeted through the atmosphere as the energy god mounted him and thrust the blade down into his chest. Their titanic struggle destroyed so much of the landscape as the light left Hidros¡¯ eyes. His wings crashed down, flattening much of the terrain. The energy god tore the blade free of Hidros¡¯ chest, then disappeared instantly. ¡°As you can see, the cost of your victory was far steeper than just the lives of your own men, and your sacrifices. You are my instruments, put forth in the throes of my death, to do the one thing I failed to do in life.¡± ¡°Stop Sauridius.¡± ¡°Yes. With my son in his thrall, none of you could have stopped him. So I cast a curse to damn his progress and place you and your allies in the way of his success as much as I could. And now I gift you some of my power, because your task against his kin is not complete. There is much you must do yet.¡± Morwen felt coolness invade her essence as Hidros fed her some of his magic. It entwined with her, became one with her soul. This made the second water magic wellspring she¡¯d been touched by. Though this one represented the dead god''s mind itself. She could feel the imprint on her own mind. She¡¯d always been logical minded individual but now even more so, she was a compilation of Hidros¡¯ mind and her own. It made her wonder if this was the case for the dead draconic gods as well. If they¡¯d taken on aspects of their predecessors, too. With a gasp, she was back in the tank¡¯s turret. A massive silver and blue dragon stared down at them. It was smaller than Hidros had been and colored differently too. Was this the son he¡¯d mentioned? Chapter 51: Convergence Akamori fumbled in the weightless sensation, trying to find a grip on reality. Any hand hold at all. Only to find he lacked a body of any substance. Was he simply an awareness alone? One minute he¡¯d crushed the talisman and had Amara speed up the spell. What happened after was hazy for him. He remembered the ground splitting apart, and an exploding mountain. Maybe the debris had struck and killed him? A quick laugh slipped from his mind. He knew that since he knew he lacked a body here. How amusing was it to make it all this way just to die because a mountain blew up on his head? ¡°No, little one. You are not dead. You exist within the shade of my mind.¡± Who was talking to him? ¡°I am but a tiny spark left over from a massive flame. But you, are like looking at blazing wildfire seen through but a keyhole.¡± What? ¡°Uh, yeah. I get that a lot.¡± He really didn¡¯t. ¡°You bear the flame of Bahumet. The eldest wyrm, and son of Midgardsormr." He felt something cool shift deep in his soul pulsing acknowledgement and he shivered uncomfortably. Which only unsettled him further, since how the hell do you shiver without a body? Is this because he visited that dark wellspring? ¡°Your discomfort is understandable. Many hands are actively guiding your destiny. Yet you rage within, desiring to be the only one in control.¡± ¡°Huh. Somehow that actually feels like it makes sense.¡± ¡°The life you¡¯ve been living is, but a mere muted reflection of your soul life. You are nearing a key point in your soul cycle. A Convergence of many cycles is coming to pass. A new pantheon will rise. But the web of fate remains uncertain whether creation will survive or fall for it. That is why you are here, little one. Or should I say grandfather?¡± ¡°Hold on, what?¡± A deep rumbling laughter purred from all around him, resonating through him like rippling waves of sound. ¡°Listen. Think. Feel. Recall the convergences of your past self and your current self. You have been many things. Many beings. But your role is always the same. To save creation and to change it.¡± He had so many questions. Before he could ask anything, though, he experienced flash blindness. Suddenly there was light around him, and he stood in the center of a large circle. It was golden and familiar. There was an array of crystals around him, with a large one in the center. The exterior crystals sat at equidistant intervals. He drifted closer to inspect them. The crystals on the outside matched the different magical aspects. The one in the center, the large one, he felt something pulse resonantly from within it. Like a life or, more accurately, a soul? ¡°What am I saving creation from? The Sauridius can¡¯t be that bad, right?¡± ¡°Sauridius is among the eldest gods in creation. But he is but one of many threats you¡¯ll face.¡± Awareness awakened within him once more. He had a body here again. He looked at his hand, then reached out to touch the large crystal, and it thrummed under his touch. It felt familiar. Like a part of him. ¡°What other threats? And what is this?¡± ¡°Focus for now on the issue you face most directly. Any deviation of attention threatens all. This is a map of sorts. Most might view it and think of it as a seal or ward. A shackle in your soul. But they would only be partially right. The soul you possess is vastly powerful. Far too much for the fledgling body you posses. So she placed safeguards on you to prevent you from burning up. In time, as you gain strength, the seal will weaken. When the time is right, you¡¯ll merge with your true self, and become whole again in the eye of total darkness.¡± ¡°Wait, what? I have so many questions!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t enough time to address them all. Our time together is limited. So you must listen and focus. Your destiny is key to what will come to pass.¡± He looked around and noticed that the air crystal and the void crystal were both glowing. The rest floated in a muted dullness. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°So I have to grow stronger.¡± ¡°Yes. Or creation, as you know, it will fall.¡± He felt a powerful longing to flee, to be anywhere but here. With any other problems than this. Why was it always him? Someone putting his needs second to everyone else around him? When did he finally get to live his life for himself first? He sighed. This sounded exactly like the speech his father or the captain might give him. Finally, he shrugged, looking up with resignation in his features. ¡°Sure, why not? I¡¯ll play along. Doesn¡¯t sound like I have a lot of choice in the matter. So why all the games? Why all the nonsense with the seal and stuff? Seems like a lot of extra hoops to jump through if I¡¯m supposed to stop something big. Wouldn¡¯t it just be easier to give me the big stick I need and put me where I¡¯m supposed to be to whack whatever needs whacking?¡± A soft purring laughter rumbled around him. ¡°Because everything that is happening is following a plan laid out eons ago by wiser minds than mine. If the plan succeeds, then all of creation, not just Hidros may have a chance at survival. If it does not? Then we are doomed to darkness.¡± ¡°You mentioned that, my true self, this Bahumet? That he was some kind of dragon of change. What did you mean by that?¡± ¡°After the cycle was created and before humanity was walking upright, great titans managed creation. Supremely powerful beings that embodied single magical aspects who anchored creation and seeded creation with magic. In time though, their plans crossed each other. They brought conflict to reality. But they soon tired of their battles and created lesser divine beings to conduct their squabbles through. As time wore on, Most of the titans lights extinguished. The realm diminished, darkened. Conflict persisted across the ages, spurred on by Sauridius and his peers. And then, they were felled. Peace flourished. For a time¡± Hidros¡¯ voice grew wistful as he finished his sentence. ¡°But Sauridius struck back from beyond death, working through his enslaved children. They corrupted some gods, working through them. This angered Bahumet, and anytime a Titan or God threatened creation, he would rage. You are that rage. The ultimate deterrent to the destruction of the cycle.¡± ¡°Wait, destruction of the cycle?¡± ¡°Yes. There are powers at play that if unchecked could threaten to unravel everything. Many are aware of them but have taken less than ideal means of opposing them. You are one of many forms of opposition. A cycle contingency, created to bring about the safest insurance of survival.¡± His brows furrowed. ¡°What did they create? And how come it has to be me?¡± ¡°The cycle of creation. Aether transitions through three planes of existence. The material realm belongs to the living, to Light, or the Astral. As a being lives, their physical shell exists here. When they die, their body breaks down. The constituent aether returns to the soul plane. Here, a soul breaks down. It¡¯s memories shed. All its joy and all its grief and memories are unburdened, to prepare it for life anew. Once a soul is cleansed of its previous life, it transitions to the plane of possibility. It is known by many names. Some refer to it as the dream plane, or the imagination plane, or even the realm of the Mind. Regardless of how one references it, this is where a new soul ideates itself. To begin fresh and new. Once it is ready, it returns to the material plane, and takes form once again.¡± ¡°What about the void?¡± ¡°The void is the Umbral plane. Where all aether and energy go to die. It is also rumored to serve another, more insidious function, but such speculations were beyond me. Life. Soul. Mind. Void. This cycle has maintained the basic construction of creation. Servicing the energy that facilitates all life. And you serve as one of its prime guardians. Because you chose this path in the beginning. No other champion could take the mantle of responsibility you bear. It must be you.¡± ¡°Ok, and my soul-self? That I¡¯ll merge with to stop the darkness?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t privy to that information. After the Pantheon tore out the Dread Wyrm¡¯s soul from his body, his body went into a blind rage. Since they could not destroy it, they imprisoned it in the strongest prison the gods could create.¡± Hidros'' soul shade said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t help a lot.¡± ¡°You will know where to find your soul-self when the time comes. I know that is little help, but for now our time together draws closer to its end. I''d like to give you a gift as we part. The mark of my magic. It will help strengthen your body, enabling it to handle your soul.¡± System Info: Magic Infusion! You have gained magic from the dead god Hidros. Your magic rating is now 3. You may now cast spells with a magnitude rating of 3. You have gained water magic. You gain 3 AP. System Info: Item gained. Water Cystal. It¡¯s cool to the touch, but not frigid like the void. This crystal pulses with the soothing azure of water magic. Rejuvenating and patient. And it is yours. You now possess three magical aspect aether crystals. 3/8 collected. Blue cool energy flowed into his body in rolling waves. It wasn¡¯t like the frosty feeling of the dark aether; the blue was a comforting cool. Calming and mellow. Like resting in a cool stream on a blistering hot Honshu afternoon. He opened his eyes to see the blue aether stone floating above the golden seal glowing. Now he had access to three kinds of magic. His mind reeled from everything he''d just learned. On top of the heady high of ingesting more magic. He''d grown in power. He had access to new spells now. More strength to level against his enemies. With the water crystal he could feel the gold seal weaken ever so slightly. Like cracking open a door enough that the interior light could spill out into a dark hallway. Deep within his chest he could feel the new magic pooling around his soul. There was the air, and void. And now next to it water. In the distance he thought he could feel a faint melodic hum. The gentle notes of a woman''s voice singing a soft tune. He relaxed, easing into the tune, just as he might drifting off to sleep as a child while his mother hummed. The spell connecting him to Hidros'' mind drew near its end. Chapter 52: Big Blue Akamori woke with a gasp on the ground, slowly pushing him up to see a massive draconic head lower down to gaze at him. It was immense, easily the size of two large gunships wing to wing. He saw rows of razor-sharp teeth lining its mouth and instantly felt tiny. Azure scales glistened in the sunlight, the perpetual storm that had been blowing for as long as Hidros bore a colony now sputtering out. Akamori grunted while standing up, dusting off his armor, which looked a lot better for wear than it had before he¡¯d taken that god potion stuff. He noted that it took on a metallic blue sheen. The water magic''s doing? He also felt a lot better, too. Like a million credits or a couple of gold scales or discs even. He flexed his hand and the dragon¡¯s head loomed closer to him. Its scaled lips curling at the corners, giving it a very unsettling appearance. Primal prey reflexes screamed in his animal brain. "Wow, you''ve got some chompers." ¡°Sooo. You survived meeting my father. Good.¡± The voice rumbled, giving him an approving nod. There was a pleased and almost amused note to his voice. Something quickly grabbed the blue leviathan''s attention, and it whirled away from him, pulling the wind along with it. The gust forced Akamori to plant his feet and use his void magic to increase his mass so he didn¡¯t tumble away in the gale the dragon just created with such a simple movement. Then he saw what the dragon was looking at. Ominek¡¯s red and violet stripped form flying quickly in retreat. Hundreds of gigantic swords and spears made of ice formed from swirling icy clouds near the massive dragon. Then hurled after the fleeing Ominek. Akamori laughed. ¡°That¡¯s right, you overgrown lizard chicken. Run.¡± He watched the icy weapons cut clean curving paths after Ominek who was making some rather creative uses of the teleportation spell to blink away from attacks and gain distance from the enormous dragon until he could no longer track what was happening high in orbit. The weapons continued to stream into the air for several moments, and Akamori wondered if big blue had actually gotten Ominek. He got his answer to the question when several ice weapons halted mid formation and crumbled. The dragon¡¯s head lowered with a huffing snarl. A small rain cloud formed before it turned its attention back to Akamori. ¡°You¡¯re marked by my father. As is your companions. You are his instruments. I recognize his hand at work here. I will not devour you for waking me.¡± Big Blue looked skyward, towards the direction Ominek had fled. ¡°The scourge of Sauridius lingers in this sector. I smell the stink of his work on the surrounding soil. Slumber is no longer an option for me. With my protective shield down covering my father''s power, wildlings will come here in droves. I must guard his power. Shepard them, that a new dragon wing might emerge. One free of Sauridius¡¯ control and influence.¡± Akamori felt his brows knit, ¡°So you¡¯re just going to sit this out? You don¡¯t think they¡¯ll come back for you? This is already a war. Eventually, it¡¯s going to come back here.¡± The silver and blue streaked dragon leaned close to him. It¡¯s cool misty breath sending a faint chill down his back with each measured puff exhaled despite the armor he wore. The icy blue eyes scrutinized him, narrowing for a moment before the head pulled back slightly. When it did, Akamori let out the breath he¡¯d been holding tensely. Feeling returning to his hand, he realized he¡¯d been clenching the sword tight. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest. Genetic fight or flight had kicked in, but he stood his ground, overriding the instinct. ¡°Perhapsss.¡± The blue leviathan purred thoughtfully. ¡°But I must protect my father¡¯s power. Ensure something of his legacy endures. Your petty squabbles are meaningless to meeee.¡± ¡°For a guy who was almost someone else¡¯s war puppet, you¡¯re pretty flippant about it,¡± Akamori said dryly. ¡°When you¡¯ve fought in battles and wars for as long as I have, they lose their meaning. Conflict becomes cynical. Redundant. Pointless. Cyclical. Always an additional threat. Always a new bid for power.¡± The dragon heavily emphasized the last word, his voice nearly purring cat like. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°So you don¡¯t care what happens to anyone else?¡± Akamori said, glancing down. ¡°If you only care about what happens to you and yours, eventually when everyone falls, they¡¯ll come back here and no one will help you. This fight is bigger than any of us. Even you. And that''s saying something.¡± He was aware of the irony of mentioning relative size, given how enormous the dragon was. The dragon¡¯s head lowered, though this time it looked at him levelly, taking a less hostile posture with him. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right. For now, I must tend to this wellspring. My father¡¯s power was not insignificant. In time, if my responsibilities allow, I may yet join you, little one. But now is not that time.¡± Akamori ritually placed his sword back in its sheath. It thrummed, satisfied with the battle. Its blood lust sated for now. ¡°Fair enough. But I wouldn¡¯t delay too long. This might have been a win, but it was nearly a defeat. Stay on your toes-er talons.¡± The dragon chuckled, a throaty purring growl as its scaled lips curled in amusement slightly. The multiple rows of knife shaped teeth showing. It reminded him of a Hoshun deep shark¡¯s mouth. An assembly line of teeth that never stopped. ¡°Indeed, Little one. Indeeeed.¡± He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Amara rubbing her head. The sergeant stirred on the ground, consciousness coming back to the man in a rush with a gasp. ¡°That was¡­¡± Amara¡¯s gaze drifted as she stared off into the distance. She shook her head refocusing on him. ¡°Are you ok? Things got kind of crazy back there.¡± He gave her a nod, thankful she was ok too. ¡°Yeah. We pulled it off somehow.¡± He checked his armor to see if he¡¯d only been imagining it repairing itself. It looked as fine as he¡¯d remembered, but more than that. It took on a sleeker look, and accents of blue now highlighted the gold. The armor had adopted a smoother aesthetic now, and he could feel more of an awareness from it. He could feel his connection with it. The consciousness the armor possessed was more developed. Not fully sentient, but certainly aware of itself and him. It pulsed to him a simple greeting, and he returned the gesture. ¡°Your armor looks better than it did before you used it,¡± Amara said, regarding the Tears potion. He glanced down, recalling when Hidros had gifted him a portion of his power. Another of the crystals imbued with power on the seal in his soul. Another light to push back at the darkness. ¡°Actually, I think it happened when the seal on the wellspring broke. Hidros gave me some power, and the armor must have taken some too.¡± Amara nodded, glancing at her own armor, which had been a steel grey, but now it had a soft icy blue and white color on its skin. It was rounder in places, but not as much as the advanced armor he was using. ¡°Looks like mine did too,¡± she drew her pistol, and noted that it had blue runes ringing the barrel now. ¡°Even the pistol. Look,¡± she pointed at the cool blue water runes that glowed along the pistol''s muzzle. She gestured to his sword. ¡°Did your sword do it, too?¡± He blinked, having forgotten to even check. He drew the weapon, the metal singing evenly against the sheath as it exited. The blade thrummed in his hand. I grow! He flinched at that. It was forming more complex thoughts. Before, it had just been a raw feeling or thought or idea. Now it was building nuanced thoughts. He inspected the blade, noting that the length had grown many centimeters longer now. Its length nearly exceeded a fifth of the original length of the blade. Amara whistled at the blade. And he had to admit, it impressed him with the growth. ¡°That¡¯s definitely longer than it used to be.¡± The Sergeant had approached from behind them and sighed. ¡°You guys. I can¡¯t call you fuzzies anymore, but sometimes I still forget how new you are. Yea, Mage tech runs on magic. So if it¡¯s fed magic from a wellspring. It grows and takes on aspects of the well. The more it¡¯s fed, the more complex it grows.¡± Akamori and Amara both just nodded, absorbing the information, then put their weapons up. Akamori¡¯s blade in its sheath, and Amara¡¯s pistol in the armor¡¯s portal pocket. The Sergeant turned to walk back to the Captain and the others, but Akamori turned before leaving, looking at the gigantic dragon still watching them. ¡°Hey Big Blue, what¡¯s your name, anyway?¡± The dragon chuckled with amusement again, a cool mist billowing with each puff. ¡°Anorax,¡± the dragon said. Akamori bowed his head respectfully. ¡°Thanks for the save, Anorax.¡± The dragon bowed its own head, the massive tank sized eyes closing shut as it returned the gesture in kind. ¡°Thank you for the save as well. Stay strong, little red.¡± Akamori smirked at that, nodding approvingly. Fair was fair. ¡°I''m Akamori. See ya around.¡± He turned to trot back to catch up to the others. As he did, he didn¡¯t catch the dragon bowing to his departure, wing curving down gracefully, sheering the top of a nearby mountaintop loose. The rockslide inaudible this far out. ¡°You as well, Dread Wyrm.¡± Chapter 53: Triumph Morwen studied the aftermath of the battle. None of the other tanks survived, except the long tank she and Lt. Fennex sat in. She¡¯d gained water magic after her interaction with Hidros. So had Lt. Fennex, a fresh addition to the mages. This gave her some options now that they had a mage tank. She¡¯d observed the conversation between the well¡¯s guardian and Akamori. Hidros¡¯ son had taken a particular interest in the spell warrior. She filed that away for review later. She didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d discussed, but expected Akamori debriefing her on his return. She turned towards Sala, who¡¯d picked his massive form up off the ground. The stony spikes and growths that had enlarged his body were crumbling to dust and shrinking all along his body as the golden aura faded until the last of it sputtered out, blowing away in golden motes on the wind. His chest was heaving with deep breathing as he turned back to face her. His black and red eyes slowly melting to white and blue. She watched Sala practically drag himself back to the tank. He¡¯d spent a lot of magic fighting with Ominek, and this would likely mean lots of sleep to recover the spent magic, and then lots of eating to recover the spent calories. And maybe some heavy ingesting of magical food to spread the load out. Regardless of how he did it, she was glad he¡¯d survived the encounter to need a recovery. She¡¯d grown fond of him. She knew that thought, and the feelings attached to it were a red flag. Something she could ill afford in her position prosecuting this war. Though, wasn¡¯t she allowed her own small slice of happiness? Regardless of where she found it? She watched as his skin returned to a more healthy melanin compared to the stone gray pallor it¡¯d taken on earlier. His armor hung loosely from him, clawed and smashed, and she wondered if maybe it was time to make a protection talisman that could warp itself to suit his transformative needs. It would certainly make a more sensible investment than risking him trashing a new set of armor with each battle. She was having trouble rationalizing the expenses, even to her investors, the few that she had, anyway. As he approached the tank, his body snapped rigid, and she went tense. Then he rendered a snappy salute, and she silently exhaled. She¡¯d seen too many souls shackled not to worry at that kind of behaviour. Corporal Yasiin marched his way over, spell rifle slung across his back. The weapon had an icy blue shimmer to it, and the scope was larger, and the barrel slightly longer than was regulation. The weapon had infused thanks to Hidros. That would enhance Yasiin¡¯s abilities. Water and Light magic now gave him access to life and creation magic now. On top of his void magic. This would help diversify his capabilities now beyond his balance/counter balance abilities. She noted the icy blue air around the spell sniper. A moment later, the other three fell into formation, with Akamori at its head and the Sergeant on its right flank. They snapped to the position of attention and rendered a salute to her, which she returned. ¡°All mages present and accounted for Sir. Plus one.¡± Akamori said with a nod to Lt. Fennex who¡¯d fallen in at the end of the formation next to Amara. His tank situated behind them. ¡°Thank you XO. At ease.¡± ¡°We did it,¡± Morwen said, allowing a moment of silence to settle in. The gravity of their accomplishment still pressing down on her thoughts. ¡°We lost much. Many good men and women gave of themselves, the ultimate sacrifice. And for it, we could steal certain victory form Ominek¡¯s jaws. We¡¯ve gained an ally. And we¡¯ve grown stronger for our troubles.¡± She could see the pride in their expressions. They had every right to be. But they needed to temper that. Time for the bubble to pop. ¡°But we must stay vigilant. Today came at substantial cost. Much of which we¡¯ve yet to pay yet. I fear our return home will be a mixed reception. I may lose my post. But we shall cross that road as it comes to us. For now, savor your victory. Our fight is only just beginning and it will grow harder from here forward. But I have faith in all of you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll ready the Cadaver Crasher for flight, and return home. Once we do, enjoy your R&R. It¡¯s well deserved. Dismissed.¡± With that, the Mages began the march back to their ship, heroes triumphant.
Morwen struggled with the sensation of being bodyless. Weightlessness and a small amount of dread permeated her consciousness. If she had arms, she would have flailed them for stability. Then she sensed she wasn¡¯t alone. Light bloomed in the darkness and saw a small gathering of dragons. A large azure scaled dragon, flanked by a white dragon with feathers, a smaller golden scaled dragon, and a dragon made of living lava . Morwen mentally leaned forward in curiosity. She¡¯d never seen so many adult wyrms gathered like this in some kind of conference. The white feathered dragon raged. With a face that looked more like a wolf than what Morwen was used to seeing from dragons. ¡°Maleficus murdered our mother! This merits a response!¡± Lightning crackled and showered around her. The blue scaled dragon lowered its contemplatively, but Morwen could sense conflicted feelings. Their mother was the goddess of divination. She could have easily expected such a move. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Mother would have been felled easily. She is wise to everyone¡¯s actions before they even take them.¡± The golden chimed in. ¡°That leaves two distinct possibilities. Either she knew and allowed it. Or she knew, and what our sister murdered was not, in fact, our mother.¡± The larger blue dragon¡¯s head bobbed in agreement. ¡°Fahnes speaks the truth.¡± Fahnes, the golden dragon¡¯s head lowered, ¡°I wish Bahumet were here. He would have been able to handle Maleficus.¡± A pang of guilt slammed through Morwen and she realized it wasn¡¯t hers. She was feeling Hidros¡¯ guilt at ripping Bahumet¡¯s soul from his body and trapping the raging husk within a black hole. A celestial prison it wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. ¡°Her treachery bears fruit again. She fooled us into slaying him. It was her all along who¡¯d been plotting.¡± ¡°Hidros, what should we do? If we don¡¯t stop her, our sister will plunge the whole galaxy into darkness.¡± Hidros rumbled a thoughtful laugh. ¡°The whole galaxy might be a stretch. There are many gods, and skilled as she is, I¡¯m uncertain Maleficus could handle them all. That said, she is cunning, and skilled. She can¡¯t be left unchecked to pose that potential risk. She is our mess, and we must address it.¡± The white dragon clapped a clenched fist into an open palm. ¡°Finally. A language I speak.¡± The blue dragon smiled ruefully at the white dragon. ¡°If only it were so easy. We lack the strength to lay our sister low, and doing so will cost us just about everything. This compact will cause ripples in the web of fate that will echo out for thousands of years.¡± ¡°Anything to avenge our mother,¡± the white dragon growled. ¡°Anazi¡­ please.¡± Fahnes said, resting a dainty golden paw on the larger air dragon¡¯s shoulder. Hidros resumed control of the conversation. ¡°The pantheon is shattered. Whatever Bahumet was working at building us up for, we unfortunately cannot meet that task. A new pantheon must rise in our wake.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Anazi asked. ¡°I¡¯m saying our time is limited. We must make the best use of it. Already Sauridius is moving to consume the gaps our dark sister has created.¡± Anazi¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Meaning what exactly?¡± ¡°Meaning that soon it shall just be you, too. I¡¯ve examined all the possibilities. Morfayus comes for me, under Sauridius¡¯ control. He will come brandishing Star Slayer.¡± Anazi and Fahnes both remained silent for long moments, letting the gravity of their elder brother¡¯s words sink in. ¡°I never should have crafted such a weapon,¡± Fahnes said softly. Hidros smiled, patting the golden dragon on her head. ¡°Dear sister, you should know by now that Xanofex wouldn¡¯t have asked Mother and Father to craft the weapon if there wasn¡¯t some greater purpose intended for it, regardless of the short-term damage it causes.¡± ¡°Murdering you is not short-term harm!¡± Anazi roared. ¡°Our existences are but fleeting sparks in the flame of creation, dear sister. We must guide it even with the ends of our lives. My time comes soonest, but I fear you two have the worst of the fates.¡± Intense grief rippled through Hidros¡¯ mind. Morwen bit back a sob as it racked her. He didn¡¯t want them to suffer, but knew they would all the same. Anazi most of all. Losing their mother, regardless of the means, hit her hardest. She used her outrage and pain as a shield, but Hidros could sense the anguish underlying that through her aura. ¡°You can¡¯t just give up Hidros. We have to fight. We¡¯re gods!¡± Anazi¡¯s voice thundered across the vast expanse of space. A nearby moon shattered from the force, billowing into dust and debris. Hidros sighed softly, a small cloud of ice blew from his nostrils. He held a hand out to the debris field of the moon, and willed it to rebuild itself. A disgusting waste of magic. But then, that didn¡¯t matter anymore. He would be dead, and his magic would sit capped for thousands of years. His son would call it an indulgent waste, but Hidros didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Sister.¡± Hidros crooned softly to stem the tide of her rage. The raging storm of electricity around her subsided softly, and he resumed. ¡°I¡¯ve studied Fate¡¯s web. Every thread. No matter the choices I make, I will perish. I¡¯ve known this for some time now. It gave me an interesting question.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Fahnes asked. ¡°What choice could I make? That would have the most impact if I died in every outcome? And I realized something. My criteria for measuring that impact were flawed. My survival wasn¡¯t an adjustable factor. So then I looked at other choices I could make which might have other impacts.¡± ¡°Like?¡± Fahnes prodded again. Hidros chuckled. His astral aspected sister sometimes saw through his verbosity and knew he just liked to hear himself speak. ¡°Like, how can we defeat Maleficus, even if it¡¯s not us delivering the final blow?¡± ¡°Spit it out, Hidros.¡± Anazi snapped. ¡°Through the mortals. We raise up agents. Guide their lives to provide them with the power and tools necessary to stop her. Our fates may be decided, but not theirs. It¡¯s a long game, and not as satisfying as an epic clash of martial skills perhaps, but it will be vastly more effective.¡± ¡°Sounds like something mother and father would have argued for. I like it.¡± Fahnes said. ¡°I will share with you roughly what I¡¯ve devised so far. You two may add or subtract from it what you will. But know this. Whether you choose to take part is immaterial. Our fates have already been decided. We will die by Maleficus¡¯ hand. The only real choice that matters is how we meet that end, and what we legacy we leave behind.¡± Hidros paused, glancing up to Morwen directly and nodded. She startled, or at least, would have had she possessed a body. It felt eerie to watch a memory and yet, be a part of it even though she didn''t even exist yet. ¡°You¡¯re looking at me¡­¡± She said without a mouth. Or thought? Whatever the case was. ¡°Indeed.¡± Hidros¡¯ voice crooned softly around her. ¡°You and your squad are my agents. My chosen legacy. Not one of grandeur, but one of worth. I knew my sister and conspirator¡¯s assassin would come for the rest of us in time. Seeking to pillage our magic. I know not the why, as it isn¡¯t as important as ensuring we stop whatever longterm plans they have. Eventually she will be laid low, leaving just Suaridius behind. He will be diminished. Relegated to little more than a passive influence. But if he is allowed to regain strength, he will blight the sector for thousands of years. I have done what I can to ensure you the best measure of success. The rest is in your hands.¡± Chapter 54: Late Bloomer Akamori gasped as awareness jolted back into his body. Or what his mind mistook for his body within the context of the Dreamscape¡¯s neural architecture. He tried for a casual glance around. He was in the barracks of the Cadaver Crasher. No one else in sight. Good. ¡°What the depths damned hell are you doing, Eltee?¡± Crap. Correction: He was alone. He sighed. ¡°I guess I was dozing off.¡± ¡°Well, it was a long day. Didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d actually take the win on Hidros.¡± He paused, giving Akamori a perplexed look. Something else colored it, though, the same smoldering frustration and rage he¡¯d seen the Sargeant exhibit during their training. Sirsir took a long breath, trying to calm his nerves. The sergeant studied him with narrow eyes and then blinked incredulously. When he spoke, his voice was low and held a hint of awe and shock. ¡°Sir¡­ did you not apply any of your experience to your skills, spells or stats?¡± Akamori looked at him blankly. ¡°The what with the who?¡± ¡°Gods, my momma told me one day I¡¯d find my own personal crucible. Your experience sir. You earn it for doing just about anything. Every time you make a kill, or have an interaction, you¡¯re awarded a point.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I hid those notifications out of the way. I guess I kinda forgot about them. The whole fate of the world and the sector and all that.¡± Sirsir¡¯s eye twitched, and his expression took on one of great strain. Akamori hadn¡¯t seen that kind of look since he last saw the man in the gym area. The noncom pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger drawing in a protracted sigh. ¡°I guess this one¡¯s on me fer not checking in and making sure you understood it sooner. Your stats and abilities, who you are, essentially, are flexible. Malleable. Adaptable. To reflect your growth. If you want to enhance certain skills or abilities, spend your points to boost their values. All the training and practice you¡¯ve been doing awards you points to spend to reflect the payoff to that training. So you¡¯ve done all the work but haven¡¯t collected the rewards yet.¡± ¡°oh.¡± He felt insanely stupid now. Why had no one explained this sooner? He supposed it couldn¡¯t be helped. They had taken him from anignorant farm boy and shaped him into a spell soldier. A somewhat capable one, he admitted. Sirsir sat down on the bunk opposite Akamori, ¡°Come on sir, think of this as the last lesson I have to give. First things first. Open up your interface in the spell armor¡¯s hud.¡± Sirsir gave him a pause so he could catch up. Akamori did as he instructed and saw a list of all the stats he¡¯d nearly forgotten so far. Some values had changed over the course of his adventure. His magic rating had gone up, and his access to water magic and basic spells had been unlocked. He had more aetherpool points, which meant more to cast spells with, and he¡¯d also gained resistance to offensive water spells now. When what remained of the mind of Hidros infused him with water magic, the magic also touched his armor and weapons. Imbuing them with a cool blue coloring and a longer, more elegant design. Sirsir sighed when he studied Akamori¡¯s specs. ¡°Sir, you do realize you only made it through that mess on the merits of your gear, right?¡± Akamori shrugged, ¡°I guess? Some of this is still pretty new to me.¡± The sergeant rested a large hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok. Sometimes all this thinking crap don¡¯t sit well with me either. I like to keep things and simple. That¡¯s why I like my big man shit. Big defense. Big offense. Big man.¡± He gave Akamori a genuine grin. For his part, Akamori could only chuckle. ¡°At least you know what you want. Me? I¡¯m not even sure.¡± Sirsir nodded with a frown. ¡°You got some strange shit in your specs, eltee. Like you¡¯re cursed or somethin. I ain¡¯t ever seen this kinda stuff. You¡¯ve got infusions and magic, but some of it is grayed out, like you can¡¯t access it. And this Gold Seal business? Only the egg heads on Eryn might begin to understand what it means if they get over being too full of themselves long enough to explain it. But good luck with that.¡± He could only shrug. Nothing had made sense for him so far. Why should it start now. He wasn¡¯t sure he should mention the stuff about Bahumet or not. That kind of felt like more crazy talk. Best to keep that close to his chest for now. Being linked to something called a dread wyrm just felt like bad news. ¡°You ok?¡± Sirsir¡¯s voice cut through his mental brooding like a fiery blade. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. He forced himself to cut off the flinch before it completely manifest. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just got lost thinking about how easy it would be if I knew what I wanted to be.¡± Sirsir pursed his lips. His head tilted and the big guy genuinely looked contemplative. It was a new look on him, and one Akamori wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to process on him. He didn¡¯t take Sirsir to be the deep thinking type. Everything about him seemed loud and strong. Deep introspection didn¡¯t quite track. ¡°Well, you got solid moves with a sword, and you¡¯re a decent shot with a rifle. Think it¡¯s safe to say you¡¯re not a weaver. That¡¯d make you a warrior. For now? You¡¯re one helluva spell soldier. And that¡¯s good enough in my book.¡± Akamori smiled at that. The man had a point. There was a simplicity in the observation, and that felt liberating in contrast to all the looming unresolved elements that seemed to hover around him. Being a spell soldier gave him some kind of identity he could latch onto. A pillar to stand on and draw strength from. He finally gave Sirsir an approving nod. ¡°I like it. Works for me too.¡± Sirsir grinned. The gesture was so alien on the usually scowling big man¡¯s face that it almost unsettled Akamori. ¡°For someone who went from a know-nothing fuzzy to a spell soldier officer in a few weeks, you done pretty good sir. But don¡¯t let that shit go to your head. Now, we¡¯ve got a bucket load of experience to put to use. Let¡¯s fill in some of these holes you¡¯ve got.¡± The two men sat for some time reviewing his stats. After a while, they decided it was best to boost his basic attributes and skills. He also bought the piloting skill, which would help him be more maneuverable while flying his armor and even help with piloting ships. He¡¯d need to train with the skill, but he had the basic training for now. Once he applied the points, his usable xp number plummeted from 35 to 7 left. He opted to bank that for now instead of spending all of it. When he finished, a system missive slapped him in the face. System Info: Quest Update: Late Bloomer. You finally applied skill points¡­. several weeks later. Your character is finally reflecting the sum of the experience you¡¯ve accumulated. You¡¯re taking shape from a blank slate. But what will you become? The choice is yours. Akamori sighed at the prompt and swiped it aside, toggling off the notices again. He turned to Sirsir who gave him an appraising glance and nodded approvingly. ¡°So.¡± He said. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Now? We go home.¡± Sirsir almost shuddered at the thought. ¡°That bad, eh?¡± Sirsir frowned and glanced away. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that completely. It¡¯s just¡­ different. Some of us ain¡¯t quite wired for downtime.¡± Akamori smiled ruefully, leaning back on the bunk. His gaze went distant. His mind falling backward into memory. ¡°There was a time,¡± he started. ¡°I used to hate home. I hated what was expected of me because it meant having to be something I didn¡¯t even pick. Something I didn¡¯t even want. But that all changed when the Sauridius attacked our village.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well, I think it opened my eyes, really. Showed me that my own wants and needs were trivial compared to the entire sector. It showed me what was at stake. You¡¯re right. Hidros was just the start. Those bastards will keep hammering, and it feels like we¡¯re the only shield the Federation has to blunt the blows.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t be no peace in the sector till we put that bastard down.¡± ¡°He¡¯s destroyed my world, and almost destroyed Hidros. When you guys conscripted me, I wasn¡¯t a fan at all. And I¡¯m still not a fan of some aspects of this Federation. But I recognize we¡¯re the best hope the Federation has. I¡¯m committed to stopping them. I¡¯ll make that bastard pay for what he did to my world. To my family. To me.¡± The sergeant held a big fist out, and Akamori bumped it with his own. ¡°The Sauridius are a stain on the sector, and we¡¯re gonna do some housecleaning.¡± ¡°Truth.¡± Morwen sat in the command chair of the Cadaver Crasher as she plotted a course home through the Umbral plane. A reckoning awaited them when they got home. She had much to answer for and more. The loss of so many Brotherhood marines in the battle on Hidros. Disobeying direct order to return to base and surrender command over to Lt. Rayshe. Up to and including executing him for threatening the lives of her other troops. She believed in what the Federation could be if it truly tried. But she had to respect that in its current incarnation, it just wasn¡¯t working. Too few soldiers to deal with the genuine threat no one wanted to face. It was going to take something serious for her people to respect the threat Sauridius posed. She just dreaded that event with every fiber of her being. So she hurled herself from fight to fight to stop it. Vainly most times. She simply lacked the power and resources to make a difference. That was how she¡¯d earned her nickname: the Valkyrie of Tohrun. Leading a bunch of men to their deaths. But now she had a strong squad that actually stopped the tide of dragons washing over the sector. She knew it would count for very little in the long run. But for the sector to survive, she had to keep her soldiers in the fight for as long as possible. Morwen fed the spell drive a large dose of void magic. The ship took the magic and translated it into a portal spell that cracked open reality before the vessel in Hidros¡¯ shadow. The Crasher plunged into the black abyss. It was time to return home, and face up to the mess she¡¯d made while saving a world. It was going to be hard, but if the squad stuck together, she felt confident they could handle anything thrown their way. The only question was, could they stick together? And how would that look going forward? Lt. Fennex strode onto the bridge and took a seat in one of the control chairs circling her. A fresh layer of stubble lined his jaw in blonde hair. He sighed, and offered her a cup of coffee silently. No words passed between them. The weight of what they¡¯d just done still pressed down on them. The pair watched the dark void of the Umbral plane on the main screen as the ship¡¯s Umbral wards activated and non vital systems powered down to lower the Crasher¡¯s magical signature. As they made their way home, the two tired veterans sat quietly. Uncertain of what they would face on their return. But certain they¡¯d have done everything the same all over again if given the chance. Chapter 55: Leviathan Ominek emerged from the dimensional portal out of the void and into the shadow of a lifeless moon orbiting a large molten world. Fear shivered through him as he peered down. The enormity of the magic condensed below him swelled. A presence stirred. Two white hot eyes peered out at him below orange red magma oceans. ¡°I failed, father. Hidros was taken from us by the Federation. Their mage and tech warriors stopped my troops before we could claim the wellspring, which was protected by a massive guardian.¡± A deep purring laughter rumbled through his mind. The pressure was intense, and he clutched his temples. Droplets of blood shook loose from his nostrils, crystalizing in the vacuum of space. ¡°The Wellspring was never the intended objective. Rather, it was Anorax I sought. The wellspring would have simply been an additional boon. But I sense a god¡¯s hand at work. The possibility of your loss was very strong, and grew more likely as events proceeded, further confirming my suspicion. The gods are finally moving against us. Which means we are nearing the final stages of the war.¡± ¡°Father I don¡¯t understand. We lost much in that attack. Sure, we stood to gain a lot, but how can we recover from that?¡± Leviathos laughed again. Ominek felt like his brain was being scrubbed by a steel bristle brush. ¡°I have a new task for you. One I think you¡¯ll find you will enjoy. I want you to travel to elves precious forest home. Murder thier pathetic ArchPriest. Let them know their world is not as safe as they think it is. Let them know they can still die.¡± System Info: New Quest: A dish best served cold. Leviathos has given you a task you¡¯ll find most delicious. Following the wake of your humiliating defeat, your new mission is to punish the pesky elves and their Mage Federation by murdering their ArchPriest. Don¡¯t forget the party favors! Ominek blinked for several moments, still processing Leviathos¡¯ words. His casual dismissal at their loss on Hidros to the sudden shift in tactics for the war. He shook his head, trying to knock loose his confusion. The system pop up gave him pause. He blinked the box closed. ¡°I don¡¯t under-¡± ¡°SILENCE. Your understanding is not required for you to execute my will. If you feel this task is too difficult, then I shall find another who can carry it out.¡± ¡°No,¡± Ominek replied quickly. ¡°I can do it. I will do it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Leviathos crooned in return. Below Ominek, thick magma rolled back in congealed waves as a continent sized Dragon¡¯s head rose out. White hot eyes burning fiercely as they pierced into Ominek. Leviathos was not his birth father. Rather his enslaver. Leviathos was essentially a demigod in power. If not, one of the most powerful elder dragons still alive. Yet he worked almost exclusively through agents. Agents like Ominek. The most powerful of which the dragon labeled as his children. Ominek began as Leviathos¡¯ 9th son. Now he was the Only Son. Through guile, deception, treachery and cunning, Ominek had ensured his survival above all else. Where his adopted siblings had been stronger, faster, or more powerful, Ominek exercised the most important muscle a sentient being possessed. His mind. He¡¯d outwitted and outsmarted all of them, and maneuvered them to early deaths while positioning himself as the only one capable of succeeding. ¡°I have an asset on Eryn. You will seek them out. Find them and request the items I¡¯ve entrusted to them. They should accomplish your task. Provided you execute your mission correctly.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yes, father.¡± Ominek bit back the small tinge of revulsion that shivered in his stomach. He may not always be happy to be stuck in his position in life. Not that choice had any part to play in it. Being soul shackled meant his will belonged to Leviathos, regardless of how he felt. ¡°Possible realities are converging once again. No doubt the handiwork of a divine being. This opportunity will not present itself again. Do not screw this up or I will devour you myself.¡± Ominek bowed low, prostrating himself deeply. Magical pressure from Leviathos recessed back into the thick molten rock waves of the lava world he inhabited. Ominek glanced up and let out a short exhale of relief. The air crystalized into a frosty cloud that glittered away from him. Channeling his void aether, he floated backwards and spun to face away from Leviathos¡¯ world. As Ominek gained altitude, he missed the small red mask that stood out against the black velvet void of space. It was a simple thing, shaped to cover the eyes and nose of an average human¡¯s face, but the proportions were too large. Like they crafted it to fit a giant, not a man. Its design was simple, with minimal embellishments save the runes etched into its edge to prevent unwanted mortals scrying what lay behind. It watched his ascent until he wove a portal spell that opened a doorway into the umbral void. As the portal closed, it continued to track, as though it could see his progress even across dimensions. Void aether rippled like lavender and black fire and a hooded figure in the shape of a standard human melted out of the black of space. It was easily 3 meters tall. Garbed in a black robe with metal embellishments. It wore clawed gloves and rings, almost having a religious appearance. Its lower face was exposed, yet showed no sign of being affected by the cold vacuum of space. It turned casually to regard Leviathos¡¯ home with apathetic indifference. The elder wyrm was beneath the figure¡¯s gaze, rating just beneath a demigod. Possibilities were colliding at an astronomic rate. Much more rapidly than previously noted. As potential realities converged, they created curiosity about just how things would take shape for this particular shard. The violet void energy recessed around the figure, his exposed lips hooked into a smile. The possibility for a convergence of this shard was nearing. Whether it would be an Astral or Umbral convergence remained to be seen. Right now, the various threads are too random to predict. But time would correct that, and the figure had plenty of time. He regarded Leviathos¡¯ world, and the dim star at the center of the system. Even for as aged as the star was, it was but mere stellar dust to him. A blink¡¯s worth of time. For him, events would come and pass with little fanfare. None save convergences were worth his gaze. And yet, he grew tired of that. He held his hand out, channeling the galaxy wide pools of aether he held dominion over, and cast a complex spell that sank into the otherwise lifeless and dead moon nearby. An insurance policy against undesirable karmic deviations in the timeline. He needed a nearly precise series of events to transpire exactly as he¡¯d foreseen. Events he¡¯d chosen. Manipulated. And placed back into the time stream for the simpleton elder wyrm to grasp at like a toddler learning to use its hand. Better that Leviathos thinks he¡¯s moving of his own accord. And not to a design not of his own make. ¡°Soon, the serpent will wake. Darkness will spread. This sector will fall.¡± Before anyone could notice the figure¡¯s presence, roiling void flames swam around his figure, pulling him back into the Umbral void. As he slipped into the pitch black void plane, unseen denizens writhed and squirmed as some light spilled through his portal. The Umbral void was a realm of darkness and corruption. Devoid of astral aether. Devoid of light. Most magically inclined mortals in this sector used the realm as a sort of FTL method to get from planet to planet. A risky venture given the threat the local populace posed. He traveled through the void in a precise direction for a precise amount of time and neared a specific spot. Threads of fate were conspiring. A god had seen to that. No threat to him ultimately, but even gods could be troublesome opponents if one wasn¡¯t careful. Especially when orchestrating shard convergences usually meant the demise of all mortals and immortals within a shard. So gods opposed that kind of thing, even if they lacked the complete perspective to see the long term good it would bring. But this confluence of fate? He had to admit that his curiosity was getting the best of him, however. Perhaps it was boredom. Eons and eons of existence all toiling away for a near single-minded purpose. ¡°I think I can afford myself an idle distraction. After all, I have all the time I need.¡± Thus, he waited in the black for fate to bless him with something of interest. Something he suspected should arrive soon. Codex Arcanica There are many people to keep track of this book. At the expense of a small bit of Aether, I¡¯ve created this Codex Arcanica to track the key players and information for easy reference. Hope this helps - Kusinaki The Main Players are¡­ Mage Federation: Captain Morwen - Arefhel¡¯s daughter. Arefhel doesn¡¯t say much about her, but from what Akamori said, she¡¯s very capable on the battlefield. She also rarely smiles. Sgt. Sirsir - The Mage squad¡¯s non-commissioned officer in charge. He¡¯s a blunt and simple man, but he¡¯s good at his job. Akamori says he¡¯s fond of ¡°big man shit¡± whatever that is? Cpl. Yasiin - is a bit of an enigma. He doesn¡¯t really say much from what I understand. But I always get the feeling he¡¯s constantly watching everything. Like an Eryn Red Hawk. Pvt. Salanaat - Another quiet one. Seems nice enough, though. But don¡¯t get on his bad side. I doubt you¡¯d live long enough to regret the mistake. Pvt. Amara - One of my oldest friends. Amara is a priestess of Hoshun. Or at least she was until the Sauridius came and destroyed our home. Now she¡¯s a spell soldier with Akamori. PvtLt. Akamori - My other oldest friend. A bit of a dreamer. He always saw himself in the stars. After the Sauridius burned his village, he joined the Mage Federation to try to prevent more tragedies like Hoshun.* (I guess he got a promotion and forgot to tell me? At least Amara checks in¡­) Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ArchPriest Eaulmant - I¡¯ve only seen him in holos. Painfully handsome. And always busy. Lately though, he¡¯s had a sad look in his eye, like something big is coming and only he knows about. The Order of Aeryn Arefhel - My boss. She¡¯s cold, ruthless and unforgivingly greedy. She¡¯s why I was sent to Hoshun. But I¡¯m glad I went, because of the great friends I made while I was there. Kusinaki - yours truly. I¡¯m an artificer in training. A Light, Air and Water mage. The Brotherhood of Man: Lt. Fennex - A junior officer commanding the marines on loan from the Brotherhood. He takes good care of his men, and that¡¯s admirable. Admiral Smits - From what I understand, the Admiral is a very fair and reasonable officer. Not a judgemental or biased man. He takes the facts as they are, not as he wants them to be. Administrator (Alvin) Patton - A shrewd politician who becomes the unwitting victim of Ominek. I dread to see how his future plays out. The Sauridius: Ominek - A dread lord of notable infamy. He can often be found in front and behind most combat lines with the Sauridius. Where there is unrest, Ominek usually isn¡¯t far behind. Tomek - Not sure if he¡¯s a fellow dread lord, but I do think there¡¯s a familial connection between himself and Ominek. He attacks the Cadaver Crasher and nearly sinks the vessel. Leviathos - The draconic demigod husbanding Sauridius¡¯ power and ensuring that they brought new dragon born hatchlings under Sauridius soul shackling. Not much has been seen or heard from regarding Leviathos and I think he likes to keep it that way. Chapter 56: Homecoming Eryn Landing Pad 10A Akamori stepped into the Cadaver Crasher¡¯s troop barracks early. The gold trimmed uniform glinted in the harsh white deck lighting. The cool air of the deck teased at his neckline, which was now exposed. Under Yasiin¡¯s advice, he¡¯d paid the credits to trim his character¡¯s hair. Temporarily. If they were making a trip to Aeryn, he wanted to look as professional as possible. Captain Morwen had warned that the Federation brass would come for her, and that they might use any weak links to exploit. He now thoroughly felt the best place he could be was out on the front, fighting. Being shelved while command had some kind of tantrum didn¡¯t sit right with him. They had a war to win and lives to save. He tugged at his uniform collar with sat a little too snug on his neck line. The direct result of his weight training with the Sergeant. He figured PT was a good way to decompress and the stat improvements wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Looking good, sir. Almost professional like,¡± Sgt. Sirsir¡¯s voice said from behind him. The thickly muscled man approached his bunk and opened his locker to examine himself in the small mirror. The NCO ran a hand along his smooth scalp and nodded approvingly. Akamori turned to face him curiously. ¡°Sgt. You¡¯ve been to Aeryn before. What are we marching into?¡± Sirsir scowled and made a disgusted noise. ¡°A vipers¡¯ nest of politics. Most of them are too stuck on themselves to notice us, and the few that do? Well¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯d be better for everyone if they didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Is that how we wound up with Lt. Rayshe?¡± Sirsir nodded. ¡°The old Eltee wasn¡¯t bad. He just¡­ didn¡¯t have the best way with people or troop management.¡± ¡°Sounds kinda bad to me,¡± Akamori said. ¡°Yeah. S¡¯pose yer right. Listen. It¡¯s important to mind yourself out there. These guys fancy themselves rich nobles. If you go an piss one off, you¡¯ll be on the chopping block right next to the Captain, an we can¡¯t afford that.¡± Message received loud and clear. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll keep to the Crasher.¡± Sirsir bit back a laugh and concealed behind a cough. Akamori caught it, but said nothing about it. ¡°The irony is that¡¯s probably what I¡¯d do.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Me? Well, I got some banked leave. I¡¯ll probably burn that while this whole inquest business gets sorted.¡± The deck rumbled as the Cadaver Crasher settled down on a landing pad. The two men braced against Sirsir¡¯s locker. The artificial gravity of the ship gave way to the planet as the aether drive disengaged. The bulky warship sagged into its landing gear as the planet¡¯s gravity reclaimed the mass. Akamori and Sirsir let go of the nearby locker to resume their conversation. ¡°What about Sala and Yasiin?¡± ¡°Those two will probably head down to market quarter. Scuttlebutt has it that Sala¡¯s actually got himself a sweet tooth. And Yasiin fancies himself a good pint of beer.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t get those things here? Seems like the star port would be the best place for that kinda stuff.¡± ¡°Nah. The market quarter is as old as Aeryn itself. Before the Federation even.¡± ¡°Alright then. Guess Amara and I are on our own.¡± Sirsir threw a small backpack over his shoulder and clapped Akamori on the shoulder. The two men made their way to the cargo ramp. Repair techs were already scurrying up the ramp with carts of tools. Jets of air hissed from the ship at regular intervals. Standing at the foot of the ramp was a warrior in emerald armor with golden trim. A sheathed sword sat on the armor¡¯s waist, and the way the suit carried itself, Akamori got the impression it was nobility, or maybe someone who thought very highly of themselves. As Akamori and Sirsir descended the ramp, Amara slid in at his side from behind. She hummed a playful death march tune, and the two shared a mutual chuckle. The good mood turned to ash as soon as the regally armored warrior spoke. ¡°Lieutenant Akamori Shinjo,¡± the armor addressed him. A hint of distaste in the voice. Like someone bit off a mouthful of rotten food. ¡°You¡¯re to report with me.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Your training.¡± He sighed. He¡¯d already done this song and dance once. He was tired of having to play the punching bag for other people. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve already had my hazing. Can we just skip this part and get on with it?¡± The warrior¡¯s hand slid to the hilt of her blade and for an instant, Akamori tensed, ready for a fight. The warrior in gold snapped the faceplate back, revealing a tall woman with chestnut hair and almond skin. Her bold brown eyes issued a challenge. She wanted him to get out of line. He resisted the urge to give her what she wanted, for now. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No. Filthy air mage peasant. We have standards here. What may pass for field training on this rust bucket of a ship will not pass muster here on Eryn.¡± Wow. She was good at this insulting bitch routine. In one salvo, she¡¯d insulted his heritage. His training. His ship. And his rank. ¡°Wanna bag on my commander for the hat trick?¡± ¡°No. In fact. From this moment forth, you¡¯re to refrain from speaking unless requested to. And if you must address me, you will use my proper rank and title. I am Spell Warrior 2nd Caste Cenin.¡± ¡°Spell Warrior 2nd caste Cenin, I¡¯m Lieutenant Akamori. Glad we could get off on the right foot.¡± The way Cenin glared at him, Akamori knew he¡¯d made a grave mistake in pissing her off. One he was sure he¡¯d live to regret before the day¡¯s end if his luck held out. But it still felt good to put this snobby bitch in her place. He couldn¡¯t stand people who lacked respect for others, but demanded it in return. And rubbing her shiny armor¡¯s face in the fact she wasn¡¯t as high on the pecking order as she thought felt better than he¡¯d like to admit. Petty? Sure. But still damn good. ¡°Report to the Scions of the Light Spell Warrior college for your training at 0600 sharp.¡± ¡°Yeah, see, I¡¯d really love to, but I¡¯ve got a war to fight and all that. You know. Adult things.¡± ¡°Correction: You had a war to fight. You¡¯ve been reassigned. Turns out your commander is going to be tried for murdering a noble. That¡¯s usually a capital offense. Her forces have been placed on leave and are being reallocated. You begin your interview tomorrow at six sharp. Don¡¯t be late.¡± She spun on her armored heel and mounted her fighter. Radiant golden energy trickled throughout intricate patterns on the vessel like magic blood pumping through veins. The aether drive rumbled to life in a high-pitched whine, and the craft lifted. The profile of the fighter reminded him of a hawk¡¯s beak. Dual indentations on the side of the nose showed off the aether cannons. Twin jets of golden yellow plasma roared from vents that angled downward on the craft, pressing the green and gold craft into the sky. The fighter banked sharply and hurtled off into the forest canopy. A few leaves knocked loose swayed gently left and right on thier way to the ground. Akamori watched as the sleek emerald and gold fighter roared off into the distance. He smiled and nodded. ¡°She seemed¡­ nice.¡± Sirsir gave him a sideways look. ¡°She¡¯s going to give you hell. You know that, right, sir?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m getting kind of tired of people thinking they can give me hell. There¡¯s so much more important going on than posturing and pissing contests.¡± Sirsir grinned, clapping him on the back. ¡°That¡¯s why I follow your orders, sir. Even the crazy ones.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think.¡± Sirsir tugged his small bag higher on his shoulder and sniffed. ¡°Well, sir. I ain¡¯t one for speeches and goodbyes count as a speech. So¡­ watch your ass out there. Who knows how this will all settle out.¡± Sirsir started off, not offering much room for awkwardness to settle in. Akamori found himself thankful for that. As the burly noncom walked down the steps that led into the main path towards the city, Amara slid in next to him. ¡°Picking fights with the locals already? We¡¯ve been here less than a minute and you¡¯re already making enemies. Your father would be so proud,¡± she teased. ¡°Well, you know how it is. Land on a planet full of arrogant pricks and you just have to say hi in the local tongue.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what Kalenza taught you,¡± she said. ¡°Something like that,¡± he added with a mischievous grin. ¡°Private Amara?¡± A stately elf in a scholarly white robe with an impressive spell staff asked. He was handsome in that irritating elvish way. Smooth features, cheeks that could have been chiseled from stone, eyes that rivaled the most vibrant emeralds, and auburn hair styled in a vaguely metrosexual way. He could have been a clothing model advert walking by if it wasn¡¯t for the mage robes. The robes themselves showed stature and position. Ornate gold trimming and a satchel of books clipped to his waist showed the guy was well learned. The spell staff glinted nicely in the sun. It showed off a silver rod with a ring of octagonal amethyst gems that swam along the metal surface of the staff. The pulsed faintly and the void magic within his chest pulsed a resonant echo with them as it sang back. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± she said. The elder mage studied her for a moment and his expression twisted in mild disgust. ¡°They told me not to expect much. At least they weren¡¯t joking this time.¡± The elder mage gestured for Amara to join his side. She gave him a reassuring look. ¡°Go on and have fun with Captain snobfest down there. I¡¯ll be alright.¡± Amara bit back a laugh, and the elder mage stared daggers at him. ¡°Filthy soldiers,¡± the mage sneered. ¡°What¡¯s that? I couldn¡¯t hear you over the sound of your own self importance.¡± Dangerous power flared from the elder mage, and everything in Akamori suddenly screamed for him to run. But he was done running from problems. These snobs didn¡¯t have to like him, but they sure as hell would at least respect him. Even if it cost him blood. ¡°Elder Weaver Erlaut, pleased to meet you. I look forward to learning with your instruction,¡± Amara said. The elder mage sneered down at Akamori. ¡°At least some of you have a smattering of talent. Come along before it¡¯s tarnished.¡± Akamori watched Amara walk away with the white robed elder mage. His metallic staff clanking along with each step he took as the two left what passed for a star port. Now that everyone had left the ship, they left him to himself. With a sigh, he strode out. Whatever passed for command in the Federation ordered him to train at the war college. That sounded promising, at least. Maybe they could help him get a better handle on this whole magic thing. He knew they got really lucky at Hidros and he couldn¡¯t keep counting on that. Luck ran out eventually. He needed to develop his skills and magical prowess if he expected to live long enough to enjoy a retirement. He knew the stakes now. The crew needed him to fight. He fed his armor a point of AP, and the armors thrusters flared to life with gravity nullifying void energy. Soaring up, he took off for the war college Cenin had summoned him to. If he was going to go through more hazing, he may as well get it started. Best to dispense with the posturing as soon as possible so he could actually focus on his training. During his flight, he realized how sorely skilled he was at piloting, recounting several instances in which he¡¯d almost met his end while flying his armor. He had some xp banked, but not enough to make a manageable change. Not without additional training, which he was due for. So he held onto his points for now, but kept his skills in mind for his next expenditure. In the distance, the prime spell warrior college loomed large. A large wooden campus with gold trim and white marble accents. It looked as pompous as he¡¯d imagined it would. It was a large circular structure with several smaller pads to its right for parked golden arrowhead shaped spell fighters, and on the left sat several circular dueling arenas. Taking the last few moments left to him to steel his resolve, he adjusted his approach to come in to land. Fleeting trepidation creeping in. ¡°Here goes nothing¡­¡± Chapter 57: Debrief Morwen followed the gold armored guard detail as they escorted her through the grand hall. Her people didn¡¯t really have a justice system that made use of courtrooms. But the Brotherhood of Man did so heavily. And since they were part of this, their request had to be accommodated somehow. So they converted a large lecture room to the purpose. Below them, a long Federation colored rug adorned the floor. Ahead sat a small table with a podium atop it. Before that sat a long rectangular table with a single chair. Her chair, she realized. The guard captain gestured to the chair with her gold and silver spell rifle at parade arms. ¡°Your seat Captain.¡± Morwen nodded and took it. With their assigned task completed, the escort guard about faced and marched back out of the large lecture hall, leaving Morwen alone in the center. She fussed with her uniform in the silence. Straightening out the collar and smoothening out her sleeves. Making sure the brass rank and medals were all glossy and polished. It wouldn¡¯t do to present a shoddy image. She reached for her wrist for the bracelet her father had given her long ago and felt only the fabric of her uniform once again. She sighed, mentally scolding herself for having forgotten she¡¯d traded that away. It was a worthwhile trade, and she¡¯d gladly do it again, but she felt naked without it. A short time passed, and bodies began shuffling into the lecture hall. First among them was Allosius Rayshe. The noble who¡¯d sponsored her unit, and the father of the man she¡¯d murdered. Morwen frowned at his presence. Nothing good would come of him being present. He glared at her coldly, nothing but pure venom in his expression. She sighed, having expected that. She deserved it, after all. None of the accusations against her were false. They had given her orders she disobeyed. She murdered the XO. There was no factual obfuscation at play. Behind Rayshe strode in Admiral Brown from the Brotherhood of Man. His Royal Blue dress uniform adorned with a full rack of ribbons and medals. He was a man twice as decorated as she was. That kind of visible public service record commanded much respect from her. He assumed the center seat at the podium that was to serve as the judge¡¯s bench. Filling in the right seat was a man from the Artificers of Eryn. He was an unusual specimen. With a nasty burn scar covering the left side of his face. Some kind of explosive detonation at close range, perhaps? It was a trait that could easily have been healed and treated, but he wore it proudly, like some kind of badge of honor. Then it sunk in just who the man was, her mother¡¯s largest opponent within the Artificer¡¯s guild. Whether this was good or bad, she couldn¡¯t tell. It wasn¡¯t a secret there was no love lost between herself and her mother. However, going after her could score big points against her mother in a more political fashion. Given how cutthroat the politics in the Artificers guild could get? She drew no comfort in his presence here today. The Admiral took a moment to exchange glances left and right before rising to speak. He cleared his throat first, then leveled Morwen with his gaze. ¡°We¡¯re gathered here to conduct an inquiry into the events that took place pertaining to the attack on Hidros and how Captain Morwen handled the situation. Captain, can you please share with the panel your recollection of the events?¡± ¡°Surely you¡¯ve read my report?¡± ¡°Indeed, I have, and I have to say, Captain, I find the whole load of it to be pure bullshit. It wreaked of notions like honor and duty. And yet we¡¯re here because you disobeyed orders and executed a man in cold blood. So help me make sense of this, please.¡± ¡°Not just any man. She murdered my son!¡± ¡°Rayshe! So help me god if you act a damn fool like that again, I¡¯ll kick your ass off this bench and out of this building. Do I make myself clear? God damned elves. You all think you¡¯re so mighty important. Yet none of you lift a damn finger when it¡¯s hordes of humans dying at your dumbass decisions. Now sit down and shut the hell up. Do I make myself clear?¡± Morwen sat quietly and allowed Rayshe to his outburst. Rayshe withered momentarily under Admiral Brown¡¯s irritation. Once he¡¯d settled down under the Admiral¡¯s ire, she took an uncertain breath and continued. ¡°Fair enough Admiral. I received a prophecy spell from the ArchPriest. The prophecy required my corporal and two, as of then, unrecruited air nomads from Hoshun.¡± Admiral Brown rubbed the bridge of his nose. His face twisted in annoyance and disbelief. It was anyone¡¯s guess which side he¡¯d land on. ¡°Captain Morwen, do you mean to sit here and tell me that the reason we¡¯re all sitting here is that you received a dream?¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°No sir. Dreams are non-probabilistic. This was a spell cast by a long dead god to ensure we won the day against the Sauridius. It tracked an outcome and provided criteria for its success.¡± The admiral was about to protest again when the doors at the far end of the lecture hall flung open and her father and Lucinda stepped in. Morwen sighed as she slowly turned away to face the panel again. This was not going well. ¡°What Captain Morwen says is correct. I summoned her regarding a prophecy spell. I¡¯d been decoding it since receiving it before she was born. The foretold of great doom that befall the sector if we either failed to act, or acted out of concordance with the prophecy¡¯s possibility.¡± Admiral Brown¡¯s face scrunched up. ¡°Christ, you elves, and your absolute lack of decorum. Mr. ArchPriest, could you please sit down and abstain from speaking? This is an inquiry. Not an open trial.¡± Her father came up short and nodded with an apologetic smile. Both he and Lucinda took a seat, giving Morwen sympathetic looks. Admiral Brown refocused on Morwen before resuming his questioning. ¡°Now, Captain, there¡¯s one other bit of information I want to clarify before we decided on whether a trial is necessary.¡± ¡°Which it is!¡± Allosius shouted. The Admiral shot him a glare that would melt steel and Rayshe settled down. ¡°In your report, and they corroborated this with Admiral Smits¡¯ report, they informed you were being relieved of command before you reached Hidros, and that Lt. Rayshe was to assume command prior to. Is that right, Captain?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°So then, why in the seven hells did you not do that?¡± ¡°The Prophecy dictated I was to lead my forces into battle at Hidros. I couldn¡¯t do that if they sidelined me in the brig because I didn¡¯t arrive at your whims.¡± Admiral Brown¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°My. Whims? Captain, need I remind you wasted valuable time sacrificing ground to the enemy, and later lives, so you could fetch potions and guns?¡± Morwen met the Admiral¡¯s gaze, pound for pound. Chin up, back rigid, shoulders swept back. Perfect command posture. ¡°Perhaps I could have dispatched my forces in a more timely manner if my unit was better funded. I can¡¯t execute missions if I lack the materiel and resources to prosecute conflicts.¡± Admiral Brown opened his mouth to reply but the put upon look of Allosius slowed him. ¡°Well Allosius. Is that true?¡± Allosius simply looked away in casual disinterest. He might have even rolled his eyes. Admiral Brown took a slow, deep breath and refocused on Morwen. ¡°Alright then. With those answers, I feel we have enough grounds to move forward to trial. You¡¯ll be confined to quarters until the trial. I¡¯d advise you to get your affairs in order. This inquiry is dismissed.¡± Brown banged a makeshift gavel against the podium, dismissing the attendance. Morwen rose and quickly made for the exit opposite her father. Before she could reach it, Admiral Brown stopped her. ¡°Captain. A word.¡± She inclined her head for him to continue. ¡°Off the record, I back your play. And you¡¯ve got Admiral Smits singin¡¯ your praises back on New Terra. Between his report and yours, I don¡¯t doubt that we¡¯d have lost the colony if you¡¯d not played it how you had. Having said that. We both know that it violated lawful orders. And a man¡¯s blood is on your hands.¡± Morwen jostled as Allosius Rayshe shoved into her on his way towards the door. ¡°You¡¯re right. And while I take heart that we¡¯re here to rectify the violation of those orders, and find some justice for Lt. Rayshe, it saddens me that the issues that caused such events to become necessary won¡¯t be looked at.¡± ¡°Gods damnit Morwen. Do you even look yourself in the eyes in the mirror? Do you not even feel bad?¡± ¡°Everyday Admiral. And yes. But would I do it again if I had to? Absolutely, and I wouldn¡¯t have changed a single thing.¡± Brown huffed, shaking his head as he turned to leave. His medals jingled softly as he marched away. Her father approached her softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she gently tugged it free. ¡°Morwen¡­¡± He started falling short of her retreat. ¡°Not now, father. Whatever it is you want, can it not wait until this is all over, please?¡± The Archpriest nodded sadly. ¡°Of course.¡± With that he gave her a soft pat and the pair left Morwen there in the silence. Chapter 58: Manipulations Ominek swam lazily just outside the star¡¯s gravitic pull. He¡¯d arrived at this meeting a little early because he¡¯d always enjoyed sun bathing this star. The radiation and spectra it gave off always warmed his scales unlike any other. He rolled slightly, exposing his grey underbelly to the star. His guest would arrive shortly, and he wanted to make the most of what little spare time he could afford. The war against the Federation had proceeded apace. The loss on Hidros however, set them back frustratingly. Morwen and that damned sealed mage. Twice he¡¯d met defeat by the crimson-haired warrior. A thorn in his side, he intended to pluck free with the result of this meeting. A void portal opened in the shadow of a nearby planetoid, disgorging a massive white scaled air dragon. She stretched her impressive wings out and roared casually. Though space had no air to carry the sound, the ambient aether did so just as adequately. Ominek felt his own scales rattle, and the tingle of challenge gave him a thrill. The air dragon approached languidly, a hint of caution in her body language. Ominek tensed slightly. This meeting could go either way, and if it fell to violence? Well, he would be a fool to hold his ground. ¡°Ominek. I almost dismissed your request on principle,¡± she said, with no hint of disgust. ¡°Ashkatoph, you wound me. We are former mates, after all.¡± The white scaled dragon sniffed, small bolts of lightning huffed from her nostrils. Her sky-blue eyes narrowed, and electrical storms played across them. She pulled up just short of him. Not quite in melee striking range, but close enough he would be hard pressed to avoid any spells she cast. ¡°Make no mistake, slave. I¡¯m here because you mentioned the death of a dragon close to me.¡± Ashkatoph was old enough and powerful enough that he respected her as an imminent enough threat not to waste her time. There was no need for trickery or subterfuge, and in this case, honesty was his best weapon. He wasn¡¯t against letting the truth work for him when it could. Even though it was such a rare thing. ¡°The Federation has slain my brother Telmok, Ashkatoph.¡± System Info: Negotiation check: Fail Inwardly, he sighed, no matter. That was simply the opening gambit. He rolled over, sunning his backside and presenting her with his stomach and neck. A sign of submission. He was making himself vulnerable to her. If she decided to him here and now? She¡¯d have little difficulty succeeding. Ashkatoph¡¯s wings fluttered several times. She was getting annoyed with him. Her head lowered, and Ominek¡¯s stomach muscles tightened. He prayed she wasn¡¯t about to strike. ¡°I have little care for your brothers, Ominek. You¡¯re all just slaves and thieves, anyway.¡± He sniffed at the barbs. None of it was technically false, so he let the matter slide and pressed the only piece of information he knew she¡¯d care about. ¡°Not the mewling hatchlings or children. Your rival.¡± System Info: Negotiation check: Success Her eyes went wide with rage for a moment. A massive roar filled the solar system. Clouds shifted on planets. Dust stirred around them, slowly expanding in all directions. It blew a solar flare back into the sun. ¡°NO,¡± she bellowed. ¡°This cannot stand. We never settled our duel! I¡¯ll never know if I was truly stronger,¡± she mused, as she swam in agitated circles. It was like watching someone pace frantically. ¡°It was the Federation. A captain named Morwen of Aeryn, and her forces. And did you know there¡¯s even a dragon rider among them?¡± ¡°A WHAT?!¡± Ominek prostrated himself in as non-threatening a position as he could manage. Ashkatoph, however, rampaged. She writhed and howled. Lightning bolts the size of planets blew the entire solar system to dust and debris. He carefully positioned himself to avoid any of it. He allowed himself a discreet grin. He was banking the news of the kin slayer would be the final straw. ¡°This had best not be another of your deceptions, Ominek.¡± He held his hands up in a gesture of innocence. ¡°Scry me if you must. Enchant me to tell no lies if you like. But the news I give is nothing but truth.¡± Ashkatoph wasted no time in casting several spells. A truth shackle being the last of them. The silver and white spell punched through his chest scales in a cloud of aether. She¡¯d now bound him to only the truth. No deceptions or lies, lest he be seized in a storm of electricity. System Info: Debuf applied: Truth Shackle. Any information presented as a lie or falsehood must success a Difficulty Threshold 5 Negotiation Check. Duration lasts as long as the AP is committed to the spell. ¡°The federation forces on Hidros killed my brother, and a Kin slayer flies among them.¡± Ashkatoph¡¯s eyes narrowed to slits. Then she turned away in thought for a moment. Already he could see her mind working along with the possibilities his father predicted. And now the final piece to play. He cast the prophecy spell if father gave him; the images played out for Ashkatoph. The air dragon for her part looked deeply scandalized, as he¡¯d suspected she would. Kin slayers were more than just a taboo among dragonkin. They were abhorrent reminders of a dark past. One that even his father neglected to share with him. Still, if it enabled his schemes, he didn¡¯t need to know the history to benefit from it in the present. ¡°This cannot stand. We must bring the kinslayer to justice.¡± Ominek pointed a talon to the prophecy spell still playing. It showed Morwen and her troops on Aeryn before eventually taking off in a ship that looked barely capable of spaceflight. He attempted to not laugh at it. Being the second time he¡¯d viewed this, he managed greater success the second time. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°As you can see, they will remain on Aeryn for several months before finally departing aboard this craft.¡± Ashkatoph frowned. Her head leaned close to study the prophecy. She purred deeply in thought. Her arms folding, and a few talons tapping at her scales thoughtfully. ¡°I can¡¯t attack them on Aeryn. While the Elves are just insignificant tree huggers, it wouldn¡¯t do to upset the entire population.¡± ¡°Then perhaps an ambush in space. When they are departing. A craft such as that doesn¡¯t appear capable of offering you too much trouble. They¡¯ll lack the battleship that felled my brother.¡± She approached him, coiling around him in a show of dominance. A subconscious part of him wanted to panic, but he subdued the instinct. ¡°And killing these little mortals would help service you and your body jacking cohorts. Wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Ashkatoph crooned. ¡°This is true. Morwen and her people set us back deeply. A campaign for the sector that could have ended this year will now take decades.¡± The sun glinted off her snow white scales. There was even enough light to make out the light blue striped pattern along her back. Her wings fluttered several times as she stretched them out. It was, as always, a sight he took much pleasure in admiring. They were an odd pair. Occasionally Enemies. Occasionally mates. She knew he was a Sauridius. In another life, another time, perhaps they could have stayed mates and stayed happy. But the dragons didn¡¯t view the Sauridius any more favorably than they did kinslayers. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you,¡± he said. She eyed him curiously. Her truth shackling was still in effect. ¡°Have you now? And why is that Ominek?¡± ¡°There is little in my life that brings me any joy. Being a Sauridius, my life¡¯s purpose is to bring my god back into being. I am but a tool. But with you? I felt like I could be more than that. Perhaps was more than that.¡± He disliked being this vulnerable with anyone. But if he had to be vulnerable, he was glad it would be with her. There was even a part of him that felt bad about manipulating her into this attack. There was a level of risk it put her in. Possibilities existed where she failed her attack. ¡°Oh Ominek,¡± Ashkatoph sighed. A moment of silence settled in between them. Unspoken feelings lingering just at the edge of words. She settled in closer to him, getting more comfortable. They lay in stars¡¯ light, bathing in its radiation as the debris of a shattered solar system drifted around them. Aeryn Ominek and Ashkatoph parted ways in the umbral shadow of Aeryn¡¯s moon as Ominek soared into its astral side. He approached the planet on the opposite side of Aeryn¡¯s capital. This portion of the world is a stark contrast to the inhabited side. All rock, dust and barren wastes. It lay unprotected by the small life sustaining shield that protected the capital. As a result, it saw less activity and allowed him to stealth infiltrate the world far easier. ¡°For too long have you tree children existed unmolested,¡± he said as the atmosphere buffeted against his scales, super heating them and turning them a dull hot orange. He turned to give Ashkatoph one last look before the glow of reentry made her too hard to see. While he hoped to see her again, he knew putting her in play the way he had meant risking her loss. He questioned if that risk was truly worth it. Ultimately, his father demanded it though. Morwen had to be stopped, so all possible measures were being brought into play. His father had stressed that failure to succeed at this would mean placing his own life at great risk. The heat of reentry faded finally and wove a quick transformation spell, turning into a raven. He followed this with a quick invisibility spell and a portal spell. On the other side of the portal, he emerged in the skies above Aeryn¡¯s capital. Below him, the elves all went about their daily lives. Somewhere down below, his enemies were going about their tedious existences. He turned himself and swooped down on the ground. At the last possible moment, he released the raven spell and morphed into his human form. Straightening his suit and tidying up his hair. Satisfied his appearance was suitable, he emerged from the bushes onto a walking trail in a park area. Glancing up to the sun, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a good day,¡± he mused. As he strolled among the populace, a smug smile adorned his features. They did not know a dread worm was prowling among them. All these uptight nobles worried about themselves and nothing else. This planet was rotting, and he was going to end this world. He turned off another path and found himself on a barely used portion of the trail. The designated meeting point he¡¯d given his contact. He wove a few quick void runes and opened a portal large enough for a squad of hatchlings to emerge from. The hatchlings took up covering positions around him in the bushes and in the trees. A few minutes later, footsteps could be heard approaching. An elegantly dressed male elf emerged from the brush. His auburn hair was neatly parted, and his brown eyes and tan skin complimented the soft angles of his face. It made looking down his nose appear even easier than necessary. Ominek imagined he was the type to be insufferable around. Were it not for the soul shackling he¡¯d applied. ¡°Bold of you to come here again, Ominek. You risk much in potentially exposing me,¡± Allosius Rayshe said. Ominek sneered at the man. ¡°It must pain you so to see me here. Now then, let¡¯s get the formalities out of the way quickly, shall we?¡± He wove a quick scry spell and cast it to Rayshe. The Shackling runes glowed in the wispy soul aether above Rayshe¡¯s forehead. Ominek nodded approvingly. He could never take the chance that his best agent was discovered and freed without his knowledge. ¡°Satisfied?¡± Rayshe said haughtily. ¡°Not yet,¡± Ominek said. ¡°I have some tasks for you. First, there¡¯s a special item I need you to retrieve.¡± He smirked. ¡°A party favor. I believe it¡¯s locked away in your magical archives in the restricted access section. It¡¯s an amulet that nullifies spells cast by the wearer. Find it and bring it to me. Second, I want you to reach out to the ArchPriest¡¯s paramour and invite her to a party. I believe the two of you are familiar with each other, so the task shouldn¡¯t prove too difficult. Once you have her, do whatever you need to do in order to administer this.¡± He reached into a pocket and pulled a small vial out full of black liquid. Small green motes of aether drifted lethargically within. ¡°You mean to poison Lucinda,¡± Rayshe stated. Ominek couldn¡¯t stifle the grin at the irony. This was all too delicious. ¡°Yes! Precisely. Who better to deliver the coup de gras to my biggest threat here besides the ArchPriest himself than her former lover? Once you¡¯ve administered the poison, notify me at once.¡± If the idea caused Rayshe any discomfort, his expression didn¡¯t convey it. Perhaps the only act of defiance he could muster. Or perhaps that bridge had been so thoroughly burned that he was open to the idea. A flock of birds fluttered up through the trees and the two men went silent for a moment. Once no further sounds continued, their conversation resumed. Rayshe extended a hand, and Ominek gave him the poison. ¡°You risk much drawing me out like this. With Morwen¡¯s trial slated to begin soon, there are more eyes on me than normal.¡± Ominek smirked, ¡°About that. I¡¯m sure you would have anyway, but I want you to press for her execution during her trial. After all, she is a war criminal. Saving that pathetic little colony shouldn¡¯t be a reprieve for disobeying orders and murdering a noble son.¡± Rayshe¡¯s eye twitched at that, and Ominek swelled with amusement. If the Noble could have, Ominek was certain Rayshe would have thrashed about as violently as Ashkatoph did when he broke the news of his brother¡¯s murder to her. Rayshe¡¯s rage would have to settle for smoldering and subtle. ¡°Now go scurry along before your fellow tree people come looking for you,¡± Ominek said with a dismissive gesture. ¡°And do return when you¡¯ve got the amulet.¡± Rayshe spun on his heels and left without another word, leaving Ominek to himself with the hatchlings in the brush. A cold grin played at his lips. He was going to gut this world and bring it to its knees. And in doing so, he was going to take everything from Morwen. His pound of flesh would have interest attached. Chapter 59: Lesson one is free. He landed on the front lawn of the sprawling war college with way too pretentious to remember her name in a quick trot. He took a moment to drink in the exterior. The Scions of the First Light¡¯s Spell Warrior college certainly presented to impress. The front of the lawn held vibrant green grass, no doubt fed by the proximity to the wellspring of light. White marble steps lazily rose to grand gold trimmed doors at the front of the college. On closer inspection, the gold trim possessed light rune, water and spirit runes. The entrances were warded? They apparently took security seriously. It all reeked of pompous arrogance in the design elements, though. From the sprawl, and the way no one actively paid him any attention. As if he was below their gaze. Part of him railed against an invisible cage, wanting to show them why they should fear him. This place oppressively weighed down on his soul. He bit down on that desire, and chose instead to focus on his now assigned task of reporting to whomever these people were. Who were they to tell him how trained he was or not? It must be so nice to sit around in some plush college and play at swinging swords while other people are out bleeding and dying in battle. Or worse. Stepping into the war college, he saw small circular dueling arenas spread out in a massive circular pattern, with healing wards on all of them. Something cold inside him flashed. System Info: Perception Check: Results: +4 Successes. The wards are situational healing wards. They¡¯ll prevent you from dying if critically injured, but won¡¯t take effect until then. So don¡¯t get stabbed. ¡°Interesting,¡± he muttered to himself. Slowly, he walked onto the grand floor, noting that each arena was ringed by a gold ring with light runes etched into them. Warm glowing motes of light aether lazily floated up from each rune, powering the wards. Against the cold void that sat within his chest, the light magic made his skin feel slightly tingly. Blades clashed and hummed like music to his ears. For a brief instant, he almost felt like he was home. Maybe he¡¯d been too hasty to judge this place harshly? ¡°There you are, air peasant.¡± And just like that, he remembered why he hated this place. Reluctantly, an annoyed sigh eased past his lips. He turned and saw Cenin approaching like a charging cow protecting young from a predator. She wore what he was quickly coming to think of as her trademark sneer. Her eyes flowed up and down him, giving him an extremely judgemental once over. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d wear your gear in here like unrefined trash.¡± He noted she wore a simple tunic and slacks that closely resembled a uniform. She had a patch on the shoulder that bore the logo of the Emerald Watch, signifying she was one of Aeryn¡¯s elite troops. Her spell blade sat buckled at her hips. Her too perfect hair was pulled tightly back into a severe ponytail. She folded her arms and burned holes in him with her judgemental stare. ¡°Well,¡± she said finally. ¡°Take it off.¡± She pointed behind him towards a large sign against the wall. He suddenly felt like a heel. First impressions usually set the tone for how you could expect interactions to go. And he¡¯d just set his by saying he didn¡¯t pay attention and was entirely as stupid as she judged him to be. He didn¡¯t display any weakness in his response, however, and simply nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± He fed the armor some void magic and drifted back to the doorway, and then activated the mind rune. His armor went ethereal pinkish purple, and he phased out of it before solidifying it again. In his basic service uniform, he tugged the jacket down and then opened the equipment portal and withdrew his weapons, slinging the rifle and buckling his blade¡¯s hilt at his waist as Cenine wore hers. As he walked back, Cenine gave him a dismissive sneer. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, peasant? Afraid you won¡¯t be able to cast simple bolt spells? You won¡¯t need that rifle here.¡± ¡°With respect, spellmaster 2nd class, I was out fighting Sauridius while you were doing your hair and makeup. I¡¯ll carry whatever I feel like. Now, if we¡¯re done measuring dicks? Can we get started?¡± ¡°Why you filthy curr!¡± Her hand darted to the hilt of her blade, but it didn¡¯t draw. ¡°What? You¡¯ll draw on me? Go ahead. I¡¯ve been itching for a chance to wipe that stuck up look off your face from the instant I met you.¡± ¡°Well then, if it¡¯s a duel you¡¯d like, you¡¯re more than welcome to one,¡± a new voice said from behind his shoulder. A taller, slender woman with chestnut hair and the same uniform approached. She towled off a soft sheen of sweat and looked him over impassively. She, too, had a spell blade at her hip. But something in Akamori sensed the danger that lurked in her presence. ¡°Headmaster,¡± Cenin said with a supplicating bow. Akamori ignored the respectful gesture and remained facing Avreone. ¡°You¡¯re in charge here?¡± ¡°I am,¡± she replied simply. ¡°What am I to learn that I haven¡¯t already?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re about to find out,¡± Avreone said simply and nodded to the arena as Cenine rose back upright and marched stiffly towards the center. There were small moments in his life where Akamori wished his mouth hadn¡¯t just run off with whatever inane thought his brain came up with. This was one such moment. Often, training could be a painful affair, and he had the feeling he¡¯d just volunteered for the elite training difficulty. Well. He got himself into this. Time to see it through. He turned and made his way to the arena. Stepping through the safety ward, he could feel the warm tingly effect as the wards admitted him. His body bathed in the mitigating energies of the wards, infused with light aether. He felt the pool of void energy within him writhe, slightly uncomfortable. Cenine held her weapon of choice aloft. A simple spell blade haft. The mark IX gave itself away by the lack of a solid blade, and instead using shaping runes to forge a blade made of pure plasma. She ignited the weapon, feeding it a point of her pool, and the weapon converted the raw energy into the blade. It crackled and hummed, blazing like a rod-shaped star that burned shadows into his vision. The smug spell warrior smirked at him. ¡°First time seeing a superior weapon?¡± He snort laughed at the clumsy jab. ¡°Lady, I¡¯m a spell soldier in the Mage Federation. Everyone has superior weapons to me.¡± His own blade thrummed agitatedly. Had he just insulted it? Oops¡­ He drew his own spell blade. He had no clue what its quality was. He didn¡¯t expect it to be very high given where he grew up. Even with Kusinaki¡¯s help as the resident artificer. His own blade thrummed eagerly in his grasp. Like a leashed attack dog that smelled blood in the air. He wondered for a moment if there was some kind of psychosomatic bleed effect from user to weapon. If the sword took on characteristics from himself and he from it. He stopped the errant train of thought and forced himself to prepare. Cenine held out a taunting hand and gestured for him to attack in invitation. A smug smirk on her features. ¡°I¡¯m expecting you to disappoint me sorely, so I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to surprise me by attacking first. Prove you¡¯re not the peasant trash you appear to be,¡± she said. Peasant trash. He repeated the words in his mind. They tasted as sour as grapes that hadn¡¯t ripened yet. His face twisted into a bitter scowl. He knew she was baiting him. But gods damned, was he going to make her eat those words. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Pouncing forward, he opened with a sweeping slash. Cenine responded by evading his strike with a simple backwards hop. Her off-hand shot up, palm out, and glowed. Light aether pooled into a swirling, writhing mass. Something inside him and his sword responded equally. Danger! He dodged to the side just in time to see a few strands of his hair sizzle away in the blast of raw plasma that crashed into the arena barrier. He dashed laterally, moving to her side and threatening her rear flank. Channeling a point of AP he flicked an altered air bolt at Cenine. The feminine spell warrior nimbly dodged the attack and responded with a punishing flurry of blows. It took all his wits and training to parry and dodge the blows. Akamori reacted on pure instinct, spending 2 more points of AP and channeled air aether into a tendril of air that mimicked a long ropey air dragon. It sank its small fangs into the leather of Cenine¡¯s left boot near the ankle. Cenine¡¯s advancing strikes halted, and she glared down at the construct, flicking her blade at it. Before her spell blade could sever the air dragon in two, Akamori gave it a sharp tug. Cenine flew from her first point of contact to her fourth with a pained grunt. She flicked her blade through the air tendril. The plasma blade snapped as the energy sizzled through the air tendril. Motes of air aether glittered into the air like opened magical arteries from each end until it unraveled completely. Her feet spiraled in a figure eight and she was upright in the blink of an eye. She darted forward in a lunging stab. Her blade passed so close to him, the uniform jacket burst into flame and ash. The skin on his waist reddened and blistered with intense burns. He hissed. The pain lessened immediately as the light aether wards already went to work healing the worst of the damage to just excruciatingly painful instead of lethal. Akamori twisted into a spin, clenching his jaw to bite down on the pain. He felt like a white hot fire poker had been thrust into his ribs, and that was nearly the physical truth. Now that he was behind her sword arm, he hooked his own off arm under hers and leg swept her from behind. The two of them toppled forward, with him riding her like a Cenine shaped impact cushion. Cenine caught herself on her off arm in a pushup position with him on her back. Now that he had the advantage of the position, it was time to strike. Akamori dropped his spell blade to free up his hand. The instant the hilt left his hand, he summoned the void aether to his hand. Void manipulated gravity and mass and destroyed matter. Right now, he wanted to manipulate mass and gravity variably. He channeled three points of AP into the spell, increased the mass and gravity. At the apex of the spell, he let his metaphorical hammer drop. The spell enhanced blow caught Cenine in the back of the head with a sickening crunch. He watched with grim satisfaction as blood spurted out in a multidirectional spray as her nose shattered against the floor. His entire body clenched as her spell blade punched through her body and into his own. Cooked meat, burned fabric, and acrid ozone attacked his nostrils. He leaned close to her ear, his mass and gravity enhanced fist still weighing down on her head and whispered through clenched teeth. His vision went red, and he could see his HP counter in the corner of his vision drop to single digits. ¡°Look at what the filthy peasant did to your pretty little face.¡± Without his armor, that strike had been near lethal, and he had a feeling the only reason he could realize that was because of the mitigation wards. Without the health potions on his armor, though, he had no way of staying in the fight for much longer. The wards were good, but they wouldn¡¯t remove his damage fast enough to make a positive impact on him. She¡¯d gotten him good, and that was a bitter pill to swallow. He forced himself up, making a ragged mess of the stab wound as the blade withdrew. A few more HP fell away, leaving him with as many health points as he had digits on a single hand. Hot embers and ash drifting away even as the healing wards fought overtime against the injury. Bone, sinew, and flesh slowly knit back together under the healing power of the mitigation wards. His vision doubled and tripled and he swayed on his feet. On a basic level, he understood he was in shock. But there was nothing he could do for it now. His blood turned to ice when he watched Cenine rise to her feet and channeled light magic through her body. Repairing all the damage he¡¯d previously done. Even the smoking hole she¡¯d punched into her own body when she¡¯d turned her weapon on herself to spite him. The healing spell even reset her nose, leaving her hands free. ¡°Sonovabitch¡­ That is so not fair¡­¡± ¡°You said yourself, peasant. You¡¯re a spell soldier in the Federation. You should be used to unfair,¡± Cenine growled, then spat blood. Well shit. She had a point there. He had nothing to respond to that. ¡°That¡¯s enough. For now.¡± Avreone said as she strode into the wards and interposed herself between Cenine and Akamori. She gave Akamori a studious glance, with a cocked eyebrow. ¡°You may have won this match, but I suspect you¡¯ve only purchased more misery in the long haul.¡± Akamori¡¯s hands cupped the injury gingerly, even as the wound closed at a very painfully slow rate. The room spun, and he dropped to a knee. Propping himself up on a hand, he struggled to figure out which of the three Avreones he should focus on. His face was more pale than normal made him look almost ghostlike. He wanted to respond, but staying conscious was taking all of his focus. Avreone continued to speak as if sensing his current state. ¡°Your skills are¡­ basic at best. Your blade work has a foundation for want of better words. But it lacks experience and, refinement. Everything you do is purely impulse driven. But because you don¡¯t understand your own technique, you¡¯re incapable of doing little more than reacting and improvising.¡± ¡°My technique?¡± he said in a strained voice. ¡°More like lack thereof,¡± Cenine scoffed as she continued tending her own injuries. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. Avreone folded her arms, still studying him. ¡°I could tell you about the form you use. Where it¡¯s rumored to have originated. Famous practitioners. But first I need something from you. Train with Cenine. Master the basics. All the basics. If she feels you¡¯re making progress, and show promise? I¡¯ll tell you what I know.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The agreement had come so quickly from himself he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d actually made it. He never questioned his father¡¯s form during his short training at home. Learning more about it might help him learn more about his father and his people. Might make their loss feel less final. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see to that injury.¡± Avreone said. The headmaster circled around him and pressed a palm to his shoulder, and warmth flooded through him. Pain ebbed, a sense of comfort and ease settled in. He watched as his HP rose back to 15 and settled out. It wasn¡¯t much, but enough to keep him out of the red. He let out a relieved sigh, feeling much better than he had moments ago. ¡°Light mages make tough opponents,¡± he mused aloud. ¡°If you can¡¯t put them down for good, they just heal and get back up.¡± Avreone finished her work and circled back around him. Her composure was tight, measured. Like a jungle cat on the prowl. If Cenine was a threat, Avreone was fatally dangerous. He noted the spell blade hilt clipped at her waist. It was even more elaborate, inscribed with runes and glyphs than Cenine¡¯s. A mark XII? Regardless of its make, he didn¡¯t want to be on the business end of it. ¡°You will find that every mage has their own advantages and disadvantages. The trick is knowing how to adjust to them. Reaction will only get you so far, however. It relies too much on luck. It sacrifices momentum and initiative. You allow your opponent to dictate the terms of battle. Eventually, luck will fail you.¡± She gave the pink spot on his stomach an intentional glance. ¡°So, how do I take command of the fight if I don¡¯t even know my form?¡± ¡°By mastering all aspects of combat. You could have countered Cenine¡¯s spell bolt, instead you evaded. Had you been a fraction slower, it would have been a lot more than just a hole I was patching up. This shows you lack some aspects of spell combat. Your swordsmanship is barely adequate. Your physical condition needs work. We haven¡¯t touched on your piloting at all. To put it simply? You need more training. What have might suffice to throw yourself against poorly trained ground troops of the Sauridius, but against more capable opponents? You¡¯ll come up short. Lesson 1 is free. The rest will cost you in sweat and effort.¡± Ouch. She wasn¡¯t wrong, though. But why is it everyone always wanted to poke holes in his skills instead of teaching him how to fill those in? Ok, well up till now anyway. He hated feeling always behind the curve. But he was big enough to admit she was right. He got lucky on Hidros, and he couldn¡¯t always count on luck to carry him. ¡°Okay. There are gaps in my training. Even I recognize that. I¡¯ll put up with the hazing. I¡¯ll put up with the bullshit. I¡¯ll even let Cenine call me a peasant, if you can teach me.¡± ¡°The question isn¡¯t if we can teach you. It¡¯s are you capable of learning?¡± Avreone said. ¡°I am. And I will.¡± Avreone studied him silently for several moments. Sizing him up. Weighing his words. Everything seemed to be a matter of deliberation for her. He got the feeling she would be a terrible opponent to challenge at strategy games. ¡°Very well. Your mentor will Spell Warrior 2nd class Cenine will handle your training.¡± ¡°Headmaster Av-¡± Cenine protested. ¡°Catch him up to speed, Cenine.¡± Avreone gave Cenine a look that conveyed there was no arguing about the matter. Cenine relented with a huff, ¡°Come along, peasant. I¡¯ll show you to your dorm.¡± This would be fine. He could do this. Right? He¡¯d agreed to it, after all. With a quiet sigh, he fetched his armor, then followed Cenine to start his training. Chapter 60: Little Priestess Amara left Akamori to the hostile spell warrior reluctantly. She knew how little regard he had for arrogant people. This meant it was a near certainty he was going to piss them off and make his own life harder. He had a way of bringing out either the best or worst in people. Depending on which he wanted. But what did she want? She still wasn¡¯t sure how she fit into all this. She wanted to stop the Sauridius. She wanted to improve her own casting skills. To protect her friends. Save other worlds and spare them the fates Hoshun suffered. She wanted to become more than the slur she¡¯d inherited here. Little Priestess. Her face scrunched at the mere thought of the name. That¡¯s all she was to these people. She sighed, a little too loudly. The Elder Weaver glanced down at her with a curious expression as they strode along a stone path. ¡°What troubles you, little priestess?¡± ¡°Lots of things,¡± she said dryly as she brushed a lock of black hair from her face. The elder weaver seemed to puzzle on this for a moment before finally nodding. ¡°I see. Then perhaps I could trouble you with a distraction. Why do you keep your eye closed?¡± ¡°Habit, I guess? My family was poor, even for Hoshun. Even before I was recruited to learn as a priestess, we didn¡¯t have money for healing magic to restore the vision, or even a patch. We didn¡¯t have the magitech to create a false eye on Hoshun, so rather than distract people with a blind eye, I just kept it shut. Sometimes I¡¯ll wear a low hanging hood if I feel lazy.¡± She shrugged with a guilty smile. When she turned to face him again she¡¯d noticed he¡¯d leaned closer to examine her eye with some kind of scrying monocle. He mused at his chin thoughtfully. She wilted under the intense attention. ¡°Hmm. Your loss of vision wasn¡¯t natural. There¡¯s a magical footprint within your eye. It¡¯s small, clearly meant to be hidden. But there all the same. Someone intentionally blinded you in that eye.¡± She bit her lip, wondering if her Maetrayops ability and the blindness were connected somehow. She debated on telling him, but wasn¡¯t sure if that was something she should volunteer or not. ¡°It troubles you to learn this?¡± ¡°It does. Who could do such a thing?¡± He pursed his lips, squinting at her through the lens. ¡°It would take a powerful mage to have accomplished this. The complexity of this spell¡¯s rune work is impressive. It¡¯s not even something I could accomplish myself. And I¡¯ve several centuries of study under my belt.¡± The way he¡¯d made the comment almost a self-congratulatory compliment made Amara¡¯s skin crawl. She was seeing why Akamori disliked it here so much. Still, if he was to teach her, she couldn¡¯t find a better teacher. She clasped her arms behind her as they walked, slowly taking in the surroundings. Having a narrower field of view made her commit more things to memory. Or maybe her memory was sharper to compensate for the lack of sight? Either way, she¡¯d been making a mental map of their route from the ship in case the opportunity to flee arose and became necessary. ¡°Welcome to the Archons of the First Light Spell Weaver College.¡± They found their way into the college of weavers, passing through a great hall of bookshelves that rose for stories. She¡¯d seen just how far up they went, but cut herself short when she realized the weaver had continued without her. She jogged to catch back up him, weaving around various students reading at the shelves. ¡°This place is so vast!¡± she said, the wonder creeping out. Hoshun had nowhere near this level of archival. Just a few dusty scrolls and tomes. They were mostly a warrior peoples, and she ill fit in there. But here? She was in her element. She spun with an eager grin. If this was going to be the focal point of her time here, then she could easily put up with the arrogance of the locals. The elder weaver paused in an open arena outside his office and spun. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s have a good look at you. Ever living being¡¯s soul has their magic inscribed upon it.¡± He wove a few hand signs and cast the spell. The monocle was now ringed by complex divination runes that slowly circled that glass lense. ¡°Interesting. You possess Air, mind and water magic. As well as a few spells I can¡¯t identify. Very interesting indeed.¡± She shifted on her feet nervously. She should be more used to being the subject of someone¡¯s attention as a priestess, but she¡¯d spent most of her time sequestered away within the temple. She didn¡¯t enjoy feeling this exposed. She also wasn¡¯t sure what to make of Erlaut¡¯s inability to scry her Maetrayops ability. That meant whomever it had come from was stronger than even he was. She wasn¡¯t sure she was comfortable contemplating where that train of thought led. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see how much damage those clumsy soldiers have done. Draw whatever pathetic weapons they¡¯ve supplied to you and let¡¯s see what we¡¯re working then, hmm?¡± Amara¡¯s brows knit in confusion as she slowly drew the rifle from her armor¡¯s void storage. The small sheen of frost that accumulated on the armor¡¯s skin melting as soon as it met the war air of their realm again. Erlaut gestured for her to strike. Though his gaze never changed. He was studying everything about her movements. Of that much, she was certain. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She tried to snap the rifle to her shoulder, but Erlaut had already cast a light bolt that struck the weapon and her lead hand. She watched as it cartwheeled free of her grip and clattered to the floor outside the ring. She turned back to see Erlaut studying her. ¡°Ah, and so we¡¯ve come to our first teachable moment. Never become too dependent on one weapon, spell, technique, or style. Your first attack resulted in being disarmed. Now what do you do?¡± She spun, drew the sidearm from her holster, fell to a knee, then snapped off a mind bolt. Erlaut deftly wove a counter spell that crashed into it, causing a small mana shower of sparkling aether motes. ¡°Not bad. You counter attacked swiftly. But your enemy responded by negating your spell. Now what?¡± That was a good question. Normally, they just shot everything that got in their way. Erlaut picked up on this hesitation. ¡°I can see the Mage Federation Spell Soldier training falling short in your mind. You can¡¯t simply shoot me or overwhelm me with greater fire. It¡¯s just and me, so what will you do?¡± She took a moment to size him as well. He was a capable caster, and likely held a deep well of spells. Her simplistic approach wouldn¡¯t suffice without some way to level the odds. She banked on the chance she was better than he was at close quarters. She had spent time as a warrior priestess, after all. She dashed forward, her free hand whipped out in a knife handed chop aimed at his neck. Erlaut counted with a clumsy block. She¡¯d expected that. What hadn¡¯t expected was the short dagger that materialized in his hand made of compressed light aether. The blade dragged against her armor; the sparks falling against her face on her blind side. That betrayed two quick facts. One, the move was fast. Rehearsed. Muscle memory. So he¡¯d factored his weaknesses into his regimen. Second, the counter was so habitual he¡¯d forgotten to account for the fact she was blind on that side of her face, so the sparks weren¡¯t as distracting for her. She shoulder checked him, knocking the air from him momentarily, then snapped her pistol up to fire off two quick air bolts. Erlaut channeled a portal spell and allowed himself to fall in. Her air bolts splashed harmlessly against the arena¡¯s wards. Small ripples billowed out. Immediately she spun, weapon up and ready. In front of her, two large portals opened up. From the left emerged Erlaut. He quickly cast a light bolt into the portal next to him. It slammed her in the back and sent sprawling to the floor in the same instant. She flicked a glance behind her and saw a smaller portal closing. ¡°You¡¯ve a sharp mind. But your capabilities are limited. For now. In time, as you accrue more magic, you could become powerful enough to curry the favor of any house, of any nation or even world. After you complete my training, that is.¡± Erlaut held out his hand. She reached up hesitantly and accepted the help up. He looked at her armor disapprovingly. ¡°In time, I trust we¡¯ll build your confidence enough you can dispense with that moldy armor.¡± Amara shrugged doubtfully. ¡°Not likely. It affords several advantages. Being able to fly and free channel magic is handy. That would all cost me AP otherwise, and having the correct magic and spell knowledge.¡± Her utilitarian approach impressed him enough to warrant a begrudging nod of approval. ¡°Very well.¡± He said finally. He wove several mind runes to create an illusory scroll and scribbled a quick message on it, then rolled it up. Once the scroll was bound, it burst into a ball of aether and flew off into the nearest wall. A few moments later, a timid female primal entered the arena hall, her eyes glued to the floor. ¡°You sent for me, master Erlaut?¡± ¡°Yes, Luffa, meet Amara. She is to be your new dorm mate. Get her settled in and see to it. She gets her studies underway.¡± Without dismissing them, he spun on his heel and marched off into the depths of the college. The young women left to themselves just glanced around awkwardly for a moment. Once Erlaut was out of earshot, Luffa straightened a little more and actually brought her eyes up to meet Amara¡¯s gaze. ¡°Well. Come along then. Wouldn¡¯t want Erlaut to throw a fit and get that prissy robe of his messed up.¡± Amara choked out a laugh as she fell in at Luffa¡¯s side. The woman had a strong build to her, which was an odd thing to see in a weaver. Normally, spell warriors sported the bulky forms. She got the sense that Luffa¡¯s strength didn¡¯t stop at physical alone, though. Along with well-toned muscles, Luffa had jet black hair like Sala, and green eyes instead of blue. Her fur was darker red, almost rust colored. She wore a gold collar that glowed with a series of runes. It was beautiful and looked more like jewelry. ¡°I¡¯m a war slave. If that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering.¡± Luffa said coldly. ¡°Are all your people¡¯s war slaves?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Mostly, yes. The Aerynian¡¯s found that my people were strong, physically, and capable casters. That makes us a favorite among the noble houses. Now that you¡¯re here, he should fixate on you, until you¡¯re gone at least.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They generally consider primals difficult to train by the nobles, so they send them to the war colleges to be broken. You¡¯ll be in this dorm with me.¡± She gestured into an open doorway and Amara found a royal blue uniform that looked close to the Federation, but had a fuzzy spot for a patch to affix to. She frowned with a soft chuckle. ¡°Back to being a fuzzy again.¡± ¡°A fuzzy?¡± Luffa asked, her dark rusty brows knitting together in confusion. Amara shook her head, sitting down and tracing a gauntlet over the uniform intended for her. ¡°It¡¯s a soldier thing, I guess. I thought I¡¯d worked my way up a little. But now I¡¯m back at the basics again.¡± She sighed, then noticed that Luffa had a peculiar patch. ¡°What¡¯s that symbol mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a war slave. This is that all the Aerynian¡¯s know me for what I am. Even were I to cast a morph spell, the patch is warded. They would know no matter what. Worse. If we misbehave or try to flee, they hit us with these.¡± She gestured to the necklace. ¡°It¡¯s a special collar that binds to the wearer¡¯s soul. Who ever holds the control wand has control over the collar.¡± ¡°And Erlaut has yours, I¡¯m guessing?¡± Luffa nodded with a scowl. ¡°They¡¯ve ground our people under heel so well most just long for a good death anymore. All too happy to find it in battle.¡± ¡°And you?¡± Luffa shook her head, unsure. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want. But I know it isn¡¯t this much, at least.¡± Amara nodded, feeling very much like her and Luffa could become good friends. Arching a brow curiously, she glanced up with a playful smile. ¡°Do you like to read?¡± Luffa¡¯s lips quirked into a weary grin. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Show me this library, then. All of it.¡± Chapter 61: Court Martial Pt. 1 Morwen marched behind two emerald armored spell warriors with ornate spear rifles. It felt like a funerary procession for her career. She knew the all too real possibility existed that this might also be for the ultimate stakes. Her own potential execution as well. Federation law was a curious thing. Whoever had the most credits usually got the verdict, and Morwen did not have credits. Instead, she was gambling with a very volatile and oft unused currency. Service achievements. As the bastard daughter of a divorced noble house, and the oft unrecognized daughter of the ArchPriest? She had very little money to her name. She¡¯d financed most of her career off of donations and securing whatever she needed through barter and trade. That¡¯s probably why the dwarves liked her so much. She was easy to take advantage until she learned their rules. The double doors opened up to the familiar great hall that had been co-opted by the brass for the proceedings. Since there was no centralized command structure to the Federation, they had dispatched three representatives to oversee the proceedings. She recognized Rayshe, and Admiral Brown. The man in the sharp business suit, however, she wasn¡¯t familiar with. She knew he was in charge of a great proportion of the Order of Aeryn. ¡°Welcome everyone. I¡¯m Admiral Brown. This is Allosius Rayshe, and to my left is Mr. Ilmont of the Order of Aeryn. We¡¯re here because this tribunal has weighed the reports and information and has decided that there are merits worthy enough to conduct a formal court martial. The accused, Captain Morwen, sits before us. Would you like a defender appointed to you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Morwen said stoically as she sat down. Brown sighed in exasperation and shook his head. He struck Morwen as very disinterested in this entire process. ¡°Very well. The accused has waived her right to counsel. Would you like to make an opening statement, Captain?¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°This ought to be good,¡± Rayshe said with a scowl. ¡°I will have order in these proceedings. Y¡¯all asked me to come out here and officiate this hearing since you lack even a basic sense of military command decorum. You¡¯re wastin¡¯ my time, and I won¡¯t tolerate sideways comments like that. Make another an I¡¯ll knock your block off into next week my own self. Are we clear?¡± ¡°Crystal.¡± Rayshe said through narrowed eyes. He folded his arms and leaned back to resume looking down at her from his too perfect nose. Satisfied with Rayshe¡¯s submission to rule, Brown turned back to Morwen, ¡°Captain, please begin.¡± He tapped a little wooden hammer ceremoniously. It struck Morwen as too small and dainty to be a weapon of war. So it must have been an object of pure ceremony. Some kind of human tradition, no doubt. Morwen cleared her throat and stood up, taking a moment to smooth her uniform jacket. Her ribbon racks a colorful tapestry of stripes and patterns amidst several bronze colored medals made her swell with pride. She took a deep breath, chin up, chest out. She would go down nobly. ¡°Gentleman of this board. I stand accused of murder. A charge I won¡¯t deny. I made my decision because if I didn¡¯t, more lives would have been lost. The Federation would have lost Hidros. Possibly more, it¡¯s difficult to say for certain. He forced me to make a judgement call. One life for many. I didn¡¯t want to make that choice. Lt. Rayshe pressed it upon me. However, I would make the same choice again. The only regret I have is that Lt. Rayshe¡¯s pride blinded him to the greater picture.¡± ¡°My son was not prideful! You were simply a terrible captain and I¡¯ll see you executed the same way you murdered my boy!¡± ¡°ORDER!¡± Brown boomed, slamming his wooden hammer down on the podium multiple times. The fire in his eyes made him look like he was ready to smack Allosius upside the head with it instead. ¡°God damnit Rayshe, one more time. Please continue to piss me off and give me a reason.¡± Allosius¡¯s jaw clenched, but no further words issued forth. The weaselly mage scowled and looked away. ¡°Sit down, Captain.¡± Brown said, tapping the wooden mallet again. Brown took a deep breath, his barrel chested uniform jacket heaving. ¡°Prosecution. Do you have an opening statement to make?¡± Morwen finally took a moment to study the man sitting a few feet across from her at a small table. Her blood ran cold as she recognized who it was. Col. Castien. Castien was one of the few mages who excelled in law enough to practice it within the Federation. He¡¯d built a career on the backs of others. The perfect shrewd politician. Highly educated and grossly over-funded. Castien rose, smoothing out his own uniform jacket, which bore as much if not more decoration than Morwen¡¯s own. To the average person, it would have been easy to assume only Morwen and Castien had been fighting the war against the Sauridius. Morwen schooled her features neutral even as Castien¡¯s perfectly chiseled jaw made her want to wretch. His crisp high and tight haircut have his face a sharp and clean look. ¡°I do, Admiral. Distinguished gentleman of the board, we¡¯re here today because a mage was murdered. A noble. During a time of war by his own superior officer, who disobeyed multiple direct orders to surrender command over to him. She already debriefed you on her reports. We have the facts. And the defense has even admitted to guilt. So we aren¡¯t here to argue about whether the murder happened. Merely to determine what consequences are justified.¡± Rayshe glared at Morwen, where Ilmont looked on impassively. Admiral Brown just looked annoyed at having to be here at all. Admiral Brown tapped his little wooden mallet and Castien sat in his seat. Brown turned to Morwen, ¡°Captain. You have the opportunity to present your defense now.¡± Morwen nodded. Before she could speak, the large double doors creaked open loudly at the rear of the auditorium echoing loudly. Everyone shifted their attention as none other than the ArchPriest himself and Lucinda strode in. The ArchPriest clad in his regal gold armor and white robes. A green signet pinned to the emerald cloak that hung over his back. Elder spell staff clacked against the tiled floor as he strode in purposefully. ¡°I¡¯ve come to assist the Captain in the defense of her case.¡± ¡°Holy father¡­ you can¡¯t be serious!?¡± Morwen turned to see Rayshe standing and turning to the Admiral. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly allow this!¡± ¡°ORDER! I will have order in this sham of a proceeding. Shut the hell up, Rayshe.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Morwen¡¯s brows furrowed. She knew he would hate her for what she¡¯d done, but lashing out at her father like that? Everyone loved the ArchPriest as a matter of default. It seemed odd to her he¡¯d be so confrontationally rude to the holiest and most powerful person on Eryn. Rayshe hissed a protest but folded his arms and resumed glaring at Morwen, this time more covertly now that her father had come. After things had a chance to slow down a bit, only then did she shift uncomfortably. She didn¡¯t want her father here to defend her. She didn¡¯t need his protection. She¡¯d worked hard to claw her way free of his shadow, and the expectations of Eryn. ¡°Captain. Please. Make your defense before I call this whole thing off now and fly back to New Eden.¡± Morwen nodded sharply. She cleared her throat to speak, taking great pains not to watch her father and Lucinda take a seat at her table. She closed her eyes to refocus for a moment, and when they opened, she spoke. ¡°I shot Lt. Rayshe. Yes. I make no attempts to deny the fact. As I¡¯ve said. I had a tough choice to make. That¡¯s because I¡¯d been shown a prophecy.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. You want to enter prophecies into evidence now?¡± Rayshe demanded. ¡°She speaks the truth. I presented her with a prophecy. One that if left ignored or incorrectly followed, would spell the end of the Hidros colony, and potentially our entire sector. The Sauridius would have overrun us all.¡± Admiral Brown ran his hands through his short trimmed grey hair. He shook his head, struggling to make sense of the presentation. ¡°How am I supposed to weigh that as evidence?¡± The ArchPriest rose from his seat and wove several fire and mind signs. An illusory fiery scroll formed of aether, displaying the prophecy he¡¯d given Morwen played out. No one on the panel viewed the prophecy with any interest. Ilmont looked bored, as always. Brown remained annoyed, and Rayshe wore a scandalized expression. Morwen gave her father a pleading look to stop. He ended the spell and took a seat regally. She cleared her throat, wrestling for the courage to push forward. ¡°As I said. I didn¡¯t want to execute Rayshe. But his insistence that I execute the bulk of my remaining mages on the eve of one of our most difficult battles for the fate of the sector was uncalled for. The decision I had to make was one life, or several. I made the most calculated decision I could, given the circumstances. I wish it didn¡¯t need to be so. But here we are. I¡¯ve never acted in a manner I felt would threaten the Federation or our people. And I¡¯ve always put the overall mission above my personal feelings.¡± She gave a final nod and took a seat to show she was done. Admiral Brown sighed, looking put upon. The old human¡¯s mustache wiggled as his mouth twisted into a frown. He turned to Castien with a nod. ¡°Prosecution, what do you have?¡± Castien rose smoothly, giving Morwen a respectful look. He circled around his table to stand between the panel and herself. ¡°Gentlemen of this distinguished panel, we are here to determine the circumstances of Captain Morwen¡¯s guilt in the murder of Lt. Rayshe. She has submitted field reports and testified that she did so out of necessity. That the mission required it of her. She even had her the esteemed ArchPriest himself show us what compelled her to make the choice she did.¡± He regarded her for a moment, allowing the panel to hang on to his words. Morwen knew in that moment just how good an orator Castien was. And just how dangerous he was to her. Her fingers clutched the seams of her jacket, uncertainty and fear gripping her. ¡°However, I find it curious and odd that she didn¡¯t elaborate too greatly on just why exactly she was in this situation to begin with? It seems odd, doesn¡¯t it? To have your XO randomly call for the termination of most of your mage squad?¡± He turned to face Morwen. The question rhetorical, but the point sat. ¡°Captain, if you could, explain to us why exactly the Lt. was demanding the deaths of your mages?¡± ¡°In our orbital battle with the Sauridius,¡± she began. ¡°Which you were late in arriving to.¡± Castien added. Morwen ignored the interruption and continued. ¡°We deployed a squad to take the station. It was a two pronged attack. We needed to thin the dragons ranks above Hidros, and we needed to retake the station so the Brotherhood could regain control of the system.¡± ¡°And could you tell the panel who was on this strike team?¡± ¡°Lt. Rayshe, and Private Sala, Private Akamori, and Private Amara.¡± ¡°So you deployed this strike team and trusted them to take the station. What happened when they reached the station?¡± ¡°According to Lt. Rayshe¡¯s report, the strike team pressed into the station and encountered undead.¡± Morwen said. ¡°Those undead were the station¡¯s occupants, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Occupants that could have been saved if you had reported when ordered?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± Castien questioned. ¡°What makes you so certain?¡± ¡°Because the station had already fallen by the time they issued those orders. To complicate matters, my ship direly needed resupply from our previous engagements. Had we rushed in, we wouldn¡¯t have lasted a fraction as long as we had.¡± ¡°So command ordered you to report to Hidros and defend it, and you what? Told them to go space themselves?¡± ¡°No. I arranged for supplies so that I could prosecute an effective campaign.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sponsored here, are you not?¡± ¡°Technically, yes.¡± ¡°Technically? Care to elaborate?¡± ¡°Sponsors normally finance the captain and crew. They provide the credits to keep the operation moving. My sponsor has failed to do that much. In fact, I suspect my unit was little more than a box check for Lt. Rayshe¡¯s credentials.¡± ¡°So you think he was using his position in your crew as prestige?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s safe to assume you didn¡¯t think highly of him, then?¡± Morwen tensed. She should have been more careful with her words. He¡¯d walked her into that corner so easily. She took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s incorrect. Rayshe was an experienced mage, and when his callous disregard for brotherhood, marines could be kept in check, a capable leader. He always questioned me.¡± ¡°Always questioned your orders?¡± She had to approach this carefully, or he¡¯d wind up twisting this, too. But she felt it needed said. She owed him that much. ¡°Yes. I valued his perspective. Sometimes I got too focused on my perspective. Rayshe had a way of keeping me grounded and ensuring I could account for the whole picture. Losing him was costly.¡± ¡°But not too costly, right? Isn¡¯t it true you promoted Private Akamori to Lt. immediately after executing Lt. Rayshe?¡± Morwen wanted to wince. She knew that would look insensitive. She didn¡¯t have time to mourn. She had a battle against the Sauridius to win. ¡°Rayshe¡¯s execution had created a power vacuum. The squad discussed the issue and agreed that Akamori would be the best to step into the Lt.¡¯s role given his initiative and judgement. I agreed with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that was a difficult adjustment.¡± Castien said, giving her a casual glance sidelong. ¡°In some ways. Yes. I was a man short. And the experience gap left a lot to be desired. Lt. Akamori was instrumental in our victory, but he¡¯s a lot to learn. He¡¯s barely more than a boy with a sword and a sharp instinct. Given time and training I believe he could rival Rayshe, or perhaps excel beyond him.¡± ¡°Why was Lt. Rayshe so set on executing your mages?¡± Morwen bit her lip. She knew answering only upset Allosius, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to lie, either. ¡°The Lt. had a callous disregard for troops that weren¡¯t his own. He often spent the Brotherhood¡¯s marines like fodder. There was no love lost between the mages and the brotherhood, as Admiral Brown can confirm. They think we¡¯re snobby, stuck up, stupid, and selfish. Lt. Rayshe was living up to all of those stereotypes in as maximum a fashion as he could muster.¡± ¡°So he didn¡¯t like the Brotherhood¡¯s marines?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe so, no. We¡¯d just gotten a replacement battalion, and he was already willing to sacrifice all their lives in Hidros station to flush out one lowly Necromancer.¡± ¡°Seems like a tactical necessity, though, doesn¡¯t it? Take out the enemy¡¯s key power player so you could hold the station?¡± Castien said. Admiral Brown gave Castien a considerable look. Something between a glare and consideration. The Brotherhood lost men exponentially higher than the mages, but hearing about mages willingly hurling zeros to the slaughter was¡­ eye opening to a high-ranking officer in the Brotherhood. That was good, but Morwen couldn¡¯t leverage that right now. ¡°Yes. But it ran against the spirit of my orders. I specifically tasked him with taking the station while incurring as minimal losses as possible. Ordering men to unnecessary deaths when I would need them later was going to do no one any tactical favors. Between disobeying my orders and demanding unlawful executions of my mages for following my orders, I made the executive decision to execute Lt. Rayshe as I was within the spirit of the law.¡± Chapter 62: Court Martial pt 2 ¡°You¡¯re a decorated war hero, are you not, Captain?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a veteran officer, but decorated might be self aggrandizing.¡± ¡°No need to be modest here. It¡¯s no secret you¡¯ve earned the nickname the Valkyrie of Tohruun. Your men look up to you. Trust you to make the right choices.¡± Castien paused as if waiting for a response from her, but since he¡¯d posed no question, she opted to remain silent. Though she had the feeling, this was more for the panel¡¯s benefit than her own. She had the sinking feeling this is where he¡¯d build her up to tear her down. ¡°So it comes as a surprise to me you¡¯d betray that trust in you, the trust that Lt. Rayshe held in you, when you shot him through the heart with a void round.¡± Castien faced her now, his back to the panel. Her throat went dry. She maintained her composure, but the knot in her throat was tight. She didn¡¯t enjoy doing what she¡¯d done, and knew she¡¯d pay for it. But she saw no other route out of the situation. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have simply hit Lt. Rayshe with a dream bolt and thrown him in the brig for insubordination?¡± Castien finally asked. There it was. The line that painted her into the corner she¡¯d conveniently made for them. ¡°In fact, you¡¯ve even testified that you¡¯d do what you did again. It¡¯d be safe to assume that you harbored some kind of malice or ill intent with Lt. Rayshe.¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s a murderer!¡± Allosius shouted, half rising from his chair until Admiral Brown swatted him down. ¡°Allosius I will break this off your damn thick head. Just give me the reason.¡± Brown said, brandishing his wooden mallet. ¡°As my mission reports and own testimony have already stated. Lt. Rayshe was a solid executive officer. We may have had our disagreements, but I always valued his perspective and counsel. However, his casual disregard for the lives of anyone non-Aeryn, and his view that those beneath him were simply fodder, often ran afoul of my orders.¡± Castien nodded, clasping his hands behind his back, then sitting down. ¡°No further questions, gentlemen.¡± Brown eagerly banged his mallet twice. ¡°This panel will break to deliberate judgement. We will reconvene in 10 minutes.¡± Brown clapped the mallet ceremoniously twice more. Morwen watched Allosius rise from his seat. She was certain if the man could shoot lasers from his eyes, he would have cored her through the heart. Admiral Brown stepped back from the podium to leave. Ilmont rose to follow and still looked as bored as when he first came in. Castien rose from his seat to her left and approached the front of the plain, dark wood table in front of her. His hands remained clasped behind his back and his expression troubled. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Captain, I¡¯m sorry for going so hard on you. You¡¯re one of the few leaders in the Federation taking the fight to the Sauridius. Soldier to solider? This feels like a witch hunt.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what witches were, or why they used to be hunted, but she¡¯d assumed it was just one of the many animals the humans drove to extinction before leaving their homeworld. She nodded stiffly in reply, ¡°Thank you, Col. Coming from someone with your prestige, that¡¯s an honor.¡± Castien about faced crisply. The movement was so snappy, Sgt. Sirsir might have fangirl¡¯d had he witnessed it himself. She couldn¡¯t argue with Castien¡¯s professionalism. She felt certain Allosius arranged his being opposite her. There were so few actually doing any fighting against the Sauridius she sometimes wondered if it was just herself. With Castien gone, that left just her and her father. Archpriest Eaulmont rose from his chair, golden spell staff in one hand, Lucinda¡¯s hands draped across the opposite forearm. He approached slowly, as one might a wounded animal. She tried to read his expression but couldn¡¯t discern if he was feeling anguish or discomfort. ¡°I thought you could use some support.¡± he said finally. Her first instinct was incredulity. He¡¯d put her up to that mission, and now, now, he thought she could use some help? She had to take a deep breath to rein in her temper. She must maintain her poise. Comportment was absolute. A force only fought as disciplined as its commander was. When she¡¯d finally schooled her emotions into check, she understood his motives more. ¡°What do you want, father?¡± He wilted visibly under the question. A small frown tugging at his lips, and she noted the smallest crease of his brows. ¡°Ah, yes. Ever to business.¡± he said with disappointment. Not that he¡¯d ever given her much choice. He¡¯d never married his mother, who always seemed more invested in her work with the Artificing guild, than in any personal relationships. Eaulmont sighed softly and tried to raise his hand to shape several runes, but Lucinda stopped him. ¡°Sorry, dear, but the prophecy can wait longer, can it not? Morwen has a lot going on right now.¡± Eaulmont looked about to protest then caught himself, giving the all too beautiful gladiator a faint smile. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right.¡± Morwen caught the look he¡¯d given Lucinda when she¡¯d turned to smile back at Morwen. There was a sadness there. He knew something. But what? ¡°For now, Morwen needs our support with this trial.¡± Lucinda reached out to rest a hand on Morwen¡¯s shoulder. The retired duelist gave her a gentle squeeze. Morwen gave her a faint smile and a nod. Lucinda had never tried to replace her mother, and the two had always had an awkward relationship. Morwen never thought of her as a mother figure, but she appreciated the woman¡¯s impact on her father more of late. She gave him some stability when Morwen suspected he¡¯d needed it most. Even if she¡¯d driven a wedge between Eaulmont and Arefhel. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some wine while we wait for these unappreciative blow hards to decide Morwen¡¯s fate.¡± Lucinda wrapped a gentle arm around Morwen¡¯s shoulders and led her away from the lecture hall turned court room. ¡°You know they¡¯re debating whether to execute me, right?¡± Morwen asked, a small knot in her brows. Lucinda¡¯s eagerness to drink wine came a little too carefree for Morwen¡¯s tastes. Lucinda shrugged casually, giving Morwen a playful smile. ¡°All the more reason to have one last indulgence. You never know when it might be your last.¡± Morwen struggled not to frown, and Lucinda couldn¡¯t help an amused giggle for it. The two were opposites. Lucinda lived in the now. Understandable considering she fought in the Leagues. Having once been a war slave who¡¯d earned her freedom, she now lived out her retirement flitting from party to party. A well-earned retirement, in Morwen¡¯s opinion. It just ill suited Morwen¡¯s temperament. She found it difficult to relax and unwind like that when the Sauridius were out there still. The trio retreated to a small lounge area outside, under the shade of several aged redwoods and smaller ferns. Lucinda held a bottle of wine with golden runes etched into the bottom. After emptying the contents into her glass, she channeled a point of her magic into the bottle, and the runes converted the raw magic into more wine. She settled back, holding her glass by the stem, and eyed Morwen curiously. ¡°If they decide to execute you, will you protest?¡± Morwen puzzled over that for a long moment. After several long, silent minutes, she finally shook her head. ¡°No. It was my choice. I won¡¯t back down from it, or its consequences.¡± Lucinda smiled with approval and handed the glass to Morwen. ¡°Well then, can¡¯t have you traipsing off to the realm of the dead sober now, can we?¡± Morwen looked at Lucinda as though the woman had just defiled the Grand Temple and invited her to participate. ¡°Oh, loosen up! You¡¯re too bloody stiff. What else have you got to lose? You did the best you could and came out on top. If that¡¯s that the note you punch out on, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a bloody good note!¡± Morwen¡¯s head swam as she sipped at the golden fluid. If she examined the glass closely, she could see sparkling motes of aether in the wine. Her lip curled into a smile of its own accord. Lucinda was right. That was a bloody good note to go out on. If she was to face down her death? She¡¯d enjoy herself on the way out. Someone cleared their throat, and she turned to find a gold and emerald armored spell warrior. It was one of her father¡¯s escorts. ¡°The panel has decided and is requesting the captain¡¯s presence to render judgement now.¡± ¡°Of course. Tell them we¡¯ll be right along.¡± Eaulmont offered with a subdued smile. Her father rose from his seat on the couch with a slow, measured grace. He helped Lucinda up to her feet, she then channeled a little light magic. Her eyes glowed for a moment and, just like that, she was sober again. Morwen recognized the healing spell, and used it herself. 18/19 AP The toxins in her liver and the damage done repaired at the expense of a simple point of pool. It felt so trivial and easy, causing her to reflect on the casual ease that magic had on life compared to nulls. Nulls like all the Brotherhood marines she¡¯d lost on Hidros. Such a large and expensive sacrifice for victory. The cost left a sour taste in her mouth and she suddenly wished she hadn¡¯t used her magic to heal off the soft buzz she¡¯d drank up. Inside the makeshift courtroom, Ilmont, Brown, and Allosius sat at their panel¡¯s table. Morwen took her assigned seat. Her father and Lucinda taking up the two spare chairs next to her table. Brown tapped his little wooden mallet twice, puffing with ceremony. He really liked that thing. ¡°The panel has reached a decision. It renders its judgement as thus. In recognition of her rescue efforts for the people of Hidros, all unit awards issued to the mages Private Akamori, Private Amara, and Private Sala are to be posthumously given to Lt. Rayshe. He is to be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain. You will amend your reports to reflect that Captain Rayshe died on Hidros in service of the Federation. You will be demoted to the rank of lieutenant and re-assigned when a position can be found for you. Do you accept this judgement? Forfeiture of the judgement renders an automatic execution judgement.¡± Morwen swayed on her feet. She braced herself against the tabletop for support. Demoted? Lose the Crasher? Lose her mages? How was she going to continue fighting like that? Whether she chose execution or this judgement, either way led to death. She was not conceited or egotistical, but she felt certain that without her opposing the Sauridius, the Federation¡¯s time was limited. Brown eyed her expectantly. Allosius glared imperiously. Ilmont seemed marginally intrigued. Morwen swallowed hard, offering a faint nod. ¡°I accept the panel¡¯s judgement.¡± She tasted bile in the back of her throat. This was a betrayal to her people. Akamori and Amara, most of all, whom she¡¯d fought to get and nurture to win that battle. It made her feel as though she¡¯d used them up and allowed the political machine to devour them and spit them out. Her shoulders sagged as she deflated under the judgement. Allosius preened victoriously in his seat. Brown banged his mallet twice officiously, then declared they concluded the panel. Allosius rose from his chair, looked at Morwen with satisfaction at his work, and departed. Morwen remained at her table a moment longer as Ilmont rose and left, studying the ceiling as he strode to the exit. When all that remained behind was the Admiral, she approached. ¡°Admiral, a question, if I might impose?¡± He sighed, removing his hat and offering her a nod. ¡°You¡¯ve earned that much.¡± He suddenly looked about 10 years older as a weariness settled in he¡¯d somehow suppressed during the proceedings. ¡°My demotion. I understand the impact on myself. But what of my team? My crew?¡± Brown frowned, shaking his head. ¡°Reassignment as well. Likely by whoever buys up their contracts.¡± She folded her arms, more confused than agast. ¡°So¡­ the panel decided it made more sense to break up one of its most successful units against its single largest threat?¡± Brown pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Most of this was Allosius¡¯ doing. Personally, I don¡¯t have time for your politics here. You pointy¡¯s like to sit around and talk too much. I don¡¯t have time for that. I¡¯ve read your reports. You do decent work, but, well?¡± He paused, searching for the words. ¡°You¡¯re full of yourself, too. All this talk of prophecies?¡± He sighed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Is that all?¡± She frowned and shook her head. ¡°Sorry, one last question. You mentioned most of this was Allosius¡¯ doing. I¡¯d have thought he¡¯d call for execution?¡± ¡°Oh, he did. It was Ilmont that saved your bacon. He¡¯s the one who suggested the demotion, reassignment and awards. He convinced Allosius it would be an emotional execution. One you¡¯d have to live with and carry around.¡± Brown eyed her up. ¡°Seems he was right.¡± Morwen muttered a muted agreement, and the Admiral excused himself. A soft pressure on her shoulder squeezed, and she turned to see her father. Had he known about the judgement beforehand? ¡°Come with me.¡± he said. There was a softness in his voice she¡¯d only just heard now. He¡¯d never spoken to her like that and she¡¯d not realized how badly she needed to hear that. The corners of her eyes shone as her career crashed and burned all around her. Slowly he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her in to his side. She drifted along numbly. If her life was to end, then she could humor her father if he wanted to be a parent late in life. Chapter 63: No Fight Left Akamori jolted awake after his alarm tore violently into the silence of his sleep. Flailing for the device, he slapped at it until the chirping wail itself silenced. Rising slowly, he ran a hand through his short, cropped crimson stubble. At the beginning of his training, Cenine demanded he cut his hair. He protested, but it was hard to argue the benefit of having to maintain and deal with it. He squinted blearily at his comm, and his brain struggled to make sense of the numbers through his grogginess. He fumbled his way into his uniform as his body struggled to wake back up after only getting less than five hours of sleep. He desperately needed rest, calories, and energy. He just shrugged into his uniform when his attention was torn to the door by a loud banging. ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming,¡± he muttered curses about Cenine under his breath. When he opened the door, though, he blinked through his weariness and saw Amara looking at him with an urgent look on her face. She forced her way in through the door and he gestured to it with a half wave. ¡°Come in,¡± he said dryly. Amara marched into the center of the room and about faced. Taking a moment to study the area. He hadn¡¯t picked up in days. Doing that would imply he¡¯d had the time. His uniform was a ragged mess. Several edges were frayed, and he didn¡¯t have time to get it washed because of the constant high tempo training. ¡°You look like hell,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks?¡± he replied, trying to make sense of what was so important she¡¯d marched down here before he even got started with his day. As if reading his mind, she wove an illusion spell, and cast the replay of the captain¡¯s court martial. His focus was just returning as the panel read the verdict. He watched as they posthumously awarded Lt. Rayshe with all of their accomplishments and awards, as if he¡¯d been a part of it, instead of working against it. All because he had some kind of weird hate fetish with nulls. Racist, elitist classist bullshit, in his opinion. Akamori didn¡¯t have time for that kind of bullshit. He only cared about if people could fight, and if they would. Nothing else was important. Still, it stung harder than he cared to admit that all of his own accolades were being stripped from him and given to someone else. Something cold and powerful seethed deep within him. He marched for his armor, slapping the mind rune, and stepping into the armor, allowing it to harden around him. Akamori blasted off into the air on a wave of void energy. Akamori¡¯s AP gauge ticked down by one. Miniscule to his 20 AP so far. The trees sliced past him as he roared through the air as fast as the armor would propel him. His hud damage icon showed he was taking damage from collisions with branches, but he ignored anything less than a red. He didn¡¯t know what they fed the trees here, but some of them grew as hard as steel. Crashing down into the ground just shy of the Grand Temple where the ArchPriest and, by effect, Morwen would be staying. He marched up the concrete walkway only to find himself intercepted by gold and emerald armored body guards armed with spell staves tipped with spear points. Two of them crossed their spears, barring him entry. ¡°Sorry sir. You¡¯re not on the list.¡± ¡°Check it again.¡± Akamori growled. ¡°Look at that. You¡¯re not on it. Still.¡± The taller one replied. Akamori was fed up with this world, and the way they looked down their noses at non-natives. He was ashamed to admit the thought crossed his mind to force his way in, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t be winning himself any favor doing that. The shorter guard pressed a hand to the side of their helmet and nodded a moment later. ¡°You¡¯ve been requested. This way, please.¡± A feminine voice said. ¡°Well, wouldja look at that. Guess I¡¯m on the list, after all.¡± Akamori teased, raping the golden bicep armor of the taller guard as he entered the temple. He allowed himself a pleased smirk as he passed. His escort left him in the entryway to what appeared to be personal quarters nested within the temple. A beat later, Morwen swayed into view, holding a bottle of wine. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Her normally severely groomed hair lay slack around her shoulders and for a moment, she looked almost like one of the gang. Less like a stern officer and more than just someone he¡¯d hang out with. It caught him off guard for a moment until he absorbed how badly she must be taking it. Then the fire was stoked again. ¡°Captain.¡± he said. The word came out more clipped than he would have liked, and he secretly wished he could take it back and redo it. ¡°It¡¯s lieutenant now.¡± She said, swaying into a thick wooden column. ¡°I expected you¡¯d come when you found out. As was your right.¡± She swished her goblet of wine, peering down at it with a beaten expression. ¡°Why let them undo all our work like that?¡± he asked. The faceplate of his armor telescoped back, and the armor retreated into the collar. ¡°They didn¡¯t give me much choice. I believe Admiral Brown said it was this, or death. I can¡¯t exactly remember. Lucinda and I have been playing some god awful drinking game for the past few hours.¡± She blinked and refocused, as if remembering she was in a conversation, then her gaze went unfocused again. ¡°That woman has the drinking stamina of a dwarf.¡± Morwen said conspiratorially. On queue, a tall, slender woman rounded the corner. Her cheeks were flushed rosy pink. Dark chestnut hair swam around her shoulders in lazy waves. Almond eyes framed by nearly perfect eyebrows, and a wry smile rounded out her features. She noticed Akamori and gave him a lazy once over before offering her free hand. The wine sloshed in her goblet and dripped to the floor with the gesture. ¡°Name¡¯s Lucinda. Pleasure.¡± Morwen¡¯s expression twisted between annoyed and amused. It was strange seeing the confusion on her play out so visibly. Akamori was used to her being so reserved and hard to read. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Lt. This is Lucinda. She¡¯s my father¡¯s¡­ partner.¡± ¡°A pleasure, ma¡¯am.¡± He extended a hand, and she gave him a firm grip. ¡°She¡¯s a three time Arena champion here on Aeryn.¡± Morwen said between sips of her own glass. ¡°Though you wouldn¡¯t guess it for as well as she drinks.¡± Lucinda smiled warmly at Morwen, patting his former commander on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Morwen. She¡¯s just letting loose a little. Too much pent up stress and not enough outlets to release. Have you fought in the Arena?¡± ¡°Just some sparring matches on the ship. Nothing professional.¡± Lucinda frowned, eying him through her glass. Her expression told him she was sizing him up for a fight. ¡°Pity. You might enjoy it. Worse, you might even be capable of taking the cup.¡± ¡°In another life, perhaps.¡± He admitted. While he wasn¡¯t against the prospect, there was too much at stake with the war to just turn his back on it and indulge in idle debauchery. ¡°This one is much too stiff for it I¡¯m afraid. And this whole business with the Federation demoting her and taking her ship is settling a little worse for the wear, I¡¯m afraid.¡± He looked at Morwen in disbelief. ¡°Uh, huh? So you¡¯re ok with this? We have to fight it.¡± ¡°Oh, of course I¡¯m not ok with it. But what choice have I got? If I fight the judgement, then Allosius gets his execution. Otherwise, they kill me slowly with a pencil pusher job.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cutting off their nose to smite their face, sir, and you know it.¡± Akamori insisted. ¡°I¡¯ll let you kids hash this out.¡± Lucinda said, taking a step back and turning to head back into the living quarters. Akamori caught the wicked-looking spell blade hitched to her belt. It was a solid blade type. None of that newer Artificer guild mark series crap. And it oozed power, too. His own blade thrummed eagerly at his side, sensing a strong opponent. We fight! The blade urged. He patted it disarmingly. Not right now. I¡¯m sure Cenine will give us a chance to workout soon though. The blade issued a disgruntled shiver. He likened the gesture to a dog huffing and walking away. Morwen shrugged, the gesture looked so alien on her. ¡°You and I both know it, Lt. But I¡¯m not in a position to do anything about it now. I told you when I shot him, there would be fallout for my actions. This is it.¡± ¡°Look, I let you rope me into this war because of what happened to my home. You promised we¡¯d stop it from happening again. You didn¡¯t say it was a one and done deal, though. Make this right.¡± ¡°Or what, LT? I have no authority. In fact, I have as much as you now. You¡¯re all to be reassigned, and I¡¯m being taken off the Crasher. Allosius destroyed any chance of me having any more effectiveness in the war.¡± Akamori glared at her, an aura of void magic billowing out around him as he seethed in cold anger. As some of the cold violet energy licked at the enchanted wood of the temple, it casually regrew back the damage. His AP gauge dropped another tic, and he hated the wasteful use of the magic under normal circumstances, but he didn¡¯t have time for her pity party. ¡°You sound pathetic. And maybe you have a right to. But I hope you kick this new side of yourself loose and soon. Because I don¡¯t even recognize you. It¡¯s pathetic. The Captain would have adjusted and reacted. You look like you¡¯ve given up. When you find your fight, you¡¯ll know where to find me.¡± Akamori¡¯s helmet snapped back into place, and he spun. The last of the void field dissipating. Morwen watched from inside as he blasted off in a burst of void magic from inside the temple. Akamori watched as she shrank in the small inset window in his hud. Maybe she just needed time. Or something new to fight for. Whatever the case was, there wasn¡¯t any fight left in her, which meant for now he had to focus on himself. He cut a straight path through the thick tree trunks on his way back. Disappointment and anger boiled in his gut. He landed in a plume of void energy. Blackened marks marring the pristine clean white granite surfaces. He activated the mind rune and stepped free of the armor as it went pink and translucent. ¡°You¡¯re late peasant.¡± Cenine¡¯s irritated voice cut through the silence and pierced his patience like a void bolt. Akamori needed several extra seconds to get a grip on his frayed nerves. His control was tenuous, though. He turned and saw her casually leaning against the wall of his dorm. She scowled at his uniform and the state of disarray his quarters were in. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why I expected better from you,¡± she said. ¡°Not now Cenine. I¡¯m not in the mood.¡± ¡°Oh? Have you just heard about your captain finally getting what she deserves?¡± He rounded on Cenine before she could react, stopping within blade reach. Her hand darted for her spell blade hilt. ¡°That Captain sacrificed everything to keep the Sauridius from coming to your world and trashing it the way they did mine.¡± She narrowed her eyes, looking down her nose at him. ¡°Clearly she wasted her time bothering with you. Perhaps I should return and tell the Headmaster what a waste of time this has been.¡± Part of him wanted to her to go space herself. The other part knew he needed to play ball if he was going to learn anymore about his people. The Headmaster knew something. The only way he was going to get that was if he toed the line and did as Cenine asked. Fine. He sucked in a slow measured breath through his nostrils and exhaled it quietly and shook his head. ¡°No. That won¡¯t be necessary. Sorry I lost my temper. It¡¯s been a shitty day. I guess losing the new life I started building hit me harder than I thought. I¡¯ll put more effort into my training.¡± Cenine¡¯s expression softened a level. ¡°Yes, well, life can be chaotic for a mage. Try and keep your things in a more cleanly state.¡± That said, she turned for his door to stand next to her parked vehicle on the large porch outside the dorm area. He followed her out, and she held a hand out. ¡°No. You take your armor. You¡¯ll learn to pilot in my fighter soon, but for now, I want you to get used to what you¡¯re most likely to see in a tactical situation.¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a fighter, to be honest.¡± ¡°No, but you have flown against dragons before. And they¡¯re roughly the same flight behavior and capabilities as this fighter.¡± She had a point there. He¡¯d flown against several dragons on and above Hidros. The scope of the training intent finally sinking in. He blinked in realization and did a double take. ¡°Wait, hold on. You want to fight me in your spell fighter?¡± She nodded. ¡°Your reports showed squaring off against several larger, powerful and agile foes. I promise that by the end of my training you¡¯ll have the wits and skill necessary to ensure you succeed when next you challenge one.¡± Her words sank in slowly, like a large mammal trapped in a tar pit. She read his After-action reports? The act surprised him, since he assumed that she felt herself above him. Maybe he¡¯d misjudged her. He finally offered a reluctant nod. If she will put in the effort, then he should get over himself, too. ¡°I¡¯ll get my armor on.¡± Cenine nodded crisply. ¡°I¡¯ll forward to waypoint to your armor¡¯s navcomp.¡± She then retreated into the bowels of her craft. The metal ramp melted and returned to the side of the fighter, hardening, into the plate on the skin fighter¡¯s lower right flank. The spell drive whined to life as potent, powerful plasma scorched the granite, and the fighter was airborne. Akamori watched as it jerked skyward quickly. His lips curled into an eager grin of their own accord. He threw himself into his armor, willing it solid. He jogged out to the front area of the dorm where Cenine¡¯s fighter had sat a few moments ago and launched himself into the air. Feeding the armor at another point of his magic, he watched his AP gauge drop another tic down to 17. Normally he¡¯d have frowned at the heavy usage in a short period of time, but he had a duel to look forward to. And more importantly, training. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready Cenine, because I¡¯m coming for ya.¡± he said. An eager grin spread across his lips. Chapter 64: Sisters Amara watched as Akamori stormed off into the air on a plum of void energy and sighed softly. Well, that escalated quickly, she thought to herself. Finding herself standing around alone in his dorm, she picked her way to the exit and slowly made her way back to the Weaver college. Captain Morwen¡¯s demotion wasn¡¯t a surprise, considering what the captain had done. How she was handling it, however, was. Morwen didn¡¯t strike Amara as the sort to collapse. Then again, she didn¡¯t know the woman for very long. Amara got the impression that the Federation and her career meant a lot to Morwen. Losing them both must have been a crippling blow. Especially with the war against the Sauridius far from over. That left the question of what would Morwen do next? What would Akamori do next? And most importantly, what would she do next? She owed nothing to these people. She¡¯d done them a favor in leaving the ashes of her home and helping save Hidros. Her reward had been to suffer at the hands of a bunch of arrogant snobs who seldom left their own world. The ¡°tree people¡± as she¡¯d heard some of the Brotherhood marines sarcastically comment from the mess when they were eating. She understood why the people of Aeryn earned their nicknames. They were comedically slow to take action, embroiled in petty house politics, and seemed to enjoy an unhealthy amount of social preening. It wasn¡¯t really a wonder why they were losing this war. Too many damn generals and not enough grunts. This was the only reason she held even a micron of respect for Rayshe. The man was an arrogant, bloodthirsty bastard, but he was at least out there on the front. Though how much of that had been his choice, Amara would never know. Part of her felt that had Rayshe not been posted to Morwen, he¡¯d have been comfortable living an opulent and ignorant life here all the same. Bossing some poor Primal around. ¡°Stuffy blowhard,¡± she muttered, passing into her dorm. A stifling giggle from the opposite side of the room drew her attention, and she found Luffa studying a tome on her bed. Her tail swishing idly side to side. Amara squinted, scanning the title. Enhancing your Spell Bolts. Luffa caught Amara¡¯s gaze and allowed herself a pleased smile. ¡°Master Erlaut thinks I have the potential to become the Sectors most powerful blaster.¡± Amara looked at Luffa and struggled to keep her jaw from hitting the floor in shock. ¡°He praises nobody. Not that I¡¯ve seen, at least.¡± Luffa smirked, ¡°I know. I¡¯m trying not to let it go to my head. Trying.¡± Luffa said again with emphasis. The two enjoyed a happy laugh. Amara enjoyed seeing Luffa in good spirits. And Erlaut wasn¡¯t wrong about her. Amara had quickly made the same guess about her roommate. She¡¯d watched Luffa melt down spell fighters for target practice. Amara¡¯s smiled faded quickly though as the heaviness of the news with Morwen and their betrayal by command soured her mood. Luffa caught the change, her dark brow creasing the red skin around her brilliant emerald eyes. Luffa set her book down, folding her arms. ¡°Alright then. Out with it. Who¡¯s spit in your cheerios?¡± Amara bit back a laugh. ¡°What are cheerios? And why would someone spit in them?¡± Luffa shrugged helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s an old human expression, or so I¡¯m told. I heard the marines down in the star port saying it a few times. That and pissing in cheerios. Between you and me, I''m not sure humans very much like cheerios. Anyway, don¡¯t think you can avoid answering me with questions of your own. Let¡¯s hear it.¡± Amara sighed, dropping down heavily on her bed. The servos of her armor whirring as she did. She shook her head, still trying to figure out just exactly how she felt about it. About all of this. Eventually, she sighed softly when Luffa stood. The thickly corded muscles rippling under her rusty red coat of fur. The dark blue uniform jacket she wore covering her, mostly. Amara had seen her without it on enough by now to know what she looked like without. ¡°The Federation demoted my captain. Ordered all our awards given to a pompous dead jerk who would have gotten a lot of people killed because he was a snobby murderhobo. They also want to break up our squad just to spite the captain.¡± Luffa scoffed, her face wrinkling in disgust like she¡¯d just smelled something foul. ¡°Damn fools. They wouldn¡¯t know competent leadership if it kicked them in the ass.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re more right than you know. I¡¯m worried what we did on Hidros will only have delayed the inevitable now.¡± Luffa¡¯s face hardened, but the corner of her lip curled eagerly. ¡°You think they¡¯ll come here for a fight?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯d do if I were in their shoes. They have to know how complacent Eryn is with the war effort. Especially since it¡¯s mostly the Brotherhood who do all the dying and colonial fighting.¡± ¡°That would be a difficult to miss fact to any half capable commander.¡± Luffa agreed. Amara frowned, folding her arms. ¡°Not much I can do about it now. Were you able to dig up that book Erlaut wanted me to read?¡± Luffa scooped a thick leather-bound book and gently tossed it to her. Amara gently opened the cover, tracing a finger over the aged yellow page gently reverently. Erlaut had disregarded the book as beneath his gaze, but this tome held many insights into casting and weaving she could use. She felt a tingle of aether as she brushed the page. The book was old and held a good deal of power. Luffa gave her an amused smile from across their dorm. Tilting her nose up to Amara, the primal addressed her. ¡°You look as though you¡¯ve just taken the prize of the litter.¡± Amara grinned, cradling the book in her hands as she crossed her legs on top of her bed. ¡°I really have. This book holds most of the common and advanced casting techniques. My people could have learned a lot from this. If there were any left, that is.¡± She finished her statement in a more somber tone. Amara¡¯s family passed away when she was young. So she didn¡¯t remember them as sharply as Akamori recalled his own. The loss felt more distant. More numb. But she missed the priests and Lord Shinjo. Luffa nodded with a soft expression. The primal¡¯s gaze fell to the whorls on the floorboards. ¡°It must be hard to remember what your people were life before they were destroyed.¡± Amara glanced up, her brows furrowed with curiosity. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Primals exist on Eryn as war slaves. They steal us from our world, collared and then brought back to be auctioned to whichever noble house wins us. Most are children. I can¡¯t even recall what my parents look like.¡± Amara frowned, finding kinship in that lack of memory. ¡°Me either. Mine died shortly after I was born. After that, the temple took me in, trained me as a priest.¡± The two of them shared a look. Connecting with that similarity. The two of them quickly realizing how alike they were. Luffa was fast becoming like a sister to Luffa. A confidant she could share things with. She slipped a bookmark into the tome and gently closed the book. A fireball streaked into the room, resolving into a scroll that unfurled in front of Luffa. Amara had been about to suggest they do something but held her words. Luffa¡¯s eyes rolled when she finished scanning. ¡°Erlaut wants you for training. I¡¯m to fetch more books.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Amara could see the borderline contempt. ¡°You really don¡¯t like Erlaut do you?¡± Luffa frowned. ¡°He¡¯s been the only thing close enough to a father to me. He doesn¡¯t treat me poorly necessarily. But likewise, he makes it clear I¡¯m still just one of his playthings. My worth to him measures up to how effective a caster I am. How much prestige I can earn him in the Arena. Everyone on Eryn serves a purpose in someone''s game.¡± Amara frowned. She wished there was something she could do to make it better. ¡°If I could, I¡¯d free you myself.¡± Luffa shook her head ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure we should be, honestly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand?¡± Amara said. Luffa rose gracefully, patting Amara¡¯s armored thigh. ¡°A story for another time, perhaps. Come, we have tasks to be about before Erlaut pops a blood vessel.¡± Amara rose with a sigh, scooping up the casting book. She wanted to do some quick reading as she walked. Luffa peeled off, disappearing into the library¡¯s twisting turns and winding corners, leaving Amara to skirt the outside and head for Erlaut¡¯s office. She found Erlaut seated in his office drinking some kind of steaming tea from his mug. Judging by the partially glazed expression on his face, it was some kind of narcotic tea. ¡°Ah, little priestess. You¡¯ve come. I wanted to see how your progress was coming with the casting book.¡± Amara shrank, tugging the book close. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to really pour over it yet. This morning was a little distracting.¡± Erlaut frowned. ¡°Ah. Yes. Your former captain¡¯s court martial, no doubt. A real pity that.¡± Amara straightened some and stepped into Erlaut¡¯s office. ¡°You know Captain Morwen?¡± ¡°Know her? Well, yes, of course I do. I trained her. She was quite skilled. The best I¡¯ve seen. A sad waste of good talent.¡± Erlaut sipped at his tea slowly. ¡°A sad waste? What do you mean?¡± ¡°She was so focused on her studies initially. And then the war began. The ArchPriest announced Kofex was under assault and would be lost within the month. He created this Federation of Mages and roped us all into the war to stop the Sauridius. As soon as Morwen heard the call to arms, she was off. Eager for glory.¡± Amara¡¯s back stiffened at that. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. The Captain¡¯s not after glory. She fights because she¡¯s good at it, and not many are, or will.¡± Her tone dropped to ice as she stared down Erlaut. She didn¡¯t catch the slight twitch of his lips at the corner, threatening to rise into a smirk. Erlaut allowed himself another long sip of his herbal tea. Erlaut eyed Amara appraisingly. Maybe it was the herbal tea, or maybe it was because Amara reminded the man so much of Morwen when she¡¯d passed through his college. She had potential and passion. ¡°She always was a bold one. Not too unlike yourself, I think you¡¯ll find. You must be wary not let your zeal for war to impede your training and progress, lest you find yourself stunted as she is. A shadow of her full potential.¡± Amara¡¯s brows furrowed at the sudden change in Erlaut¡¯s tone. She was putting it together. He hinted at a future Morwen could have enjoyed, colored by his own culture¡¯s idea of prosperity and success. He didn¡¯t know what life was like beyond Eryn¡¯s comfortable arboreal shroud. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Amara said coldly. Erlaut didn¡¯t seem phased, continuing to sip at his tea. When he finished, he set the white porcelain cup down and spent a point of his magic undo the effects in a passing wave of golden energy. When the spell finished, he laced his hands together. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve made any improvement, priestess.¡± Amara rose, and Erlaut followed behind her to a dueling ring. He spun casually and gestured for her to assume the initiative. She drew her pistol, snapping off an air round that shattered into shards against a light bolt. A follow-up shot streaked in on its tail. She tumbled out of the way, popping up on a knee to fire again. A third bolt crashed into the pistol, sending it sliding free of her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve disarmed you. Taken your measure and read your moves. Now what?¡± His tone was matter of fact, and his delivery was blunt. He wasn¡¯t here to pad her feelings. This was about patching the holes in her skills and mindset. She cast with both hands, hurling a pair of level 1 spell bolts. A mind and air bolt each. A pair of counter spells flew out, meeting each half way. Amara wove a pair of air signs and hurled a bolt of lightning at the Elder Mage. Erlaut caught the bolts leading edge and spun with it. Weaving his arms in a showy, almost watery fashion before discharging the bolt from his other hand into the shield harmlessly. The ward¡¯s runes discolored for a second before regaining their luster. Amara¡¯s brow rose curiously. That was new. Erlaut smiled, pleased. ¡°Not bad. The question is, what will you do now?¡± Amara wanted to know what he¡¯d just done to counter the attack. It went far beyond a simple counter spell. But she suspected he wouldn¡¯t just simply tell her. If she wanted to know, she¡¯d have to ferret the secret out for herself. His words of caution echoing in her mind. ¡°You must be wary not let your zeal for war to impede your training and progress.¡± She needed to constantly learn and improve. Akamori always pushed himself to be better, even if he didn¡¯t always understand what he was trying to learn. She needed to be like that. In that moment, she resolved to do exactly that. I will always strive to be better than I am. To push beyond current understanding. Amara could easily recall Erlaut¡¯s movements with her eidetic memory. But that would only give her the physical. She needed to know what he was doing magically as well. To do that, she¡¯d have to replicate the situation. She whispered a soft prayer to the goddess. ¡°My goddess. Reveal to me all truth. To know the unknowable. Grant me the gift of your sight.¡± System Info: Success! You have prayed to your goddess and have been gifted the Eye of Maetraya. Maetrayops enable the user to view as a god would for a limited time period - At a cost. Use your time wisely mortal. System Info: New Optional Quest: [Discover the secrets of Maetraya]. The matron of divination has blessed you with the Maetrayops ability. Further research could lead to further abilities. *Objective: 1/0 Learn who Maetraya was. *Reward: 5 xp Accept Quest? Yes/No She mentally accepted and the translucent fiery scroll blew away into fading motes of aether. She felt magic swell within her eye, and her cloudy, blind left eye flashed with a golden radiance. When she opened the eye, time and possibility stretched out before her like a tree that grew limbs into infinity. This time she was slightly less unprepared for the overwhelming amount of input and processed it with a heavy breath in and out of her nose. A rainbow shimmered above her golden iris. Erlaut¡¯s head tilted with curiosity as the elder mage pondered what the little princess was up to. He made no move to stop her, however, instead holding fast. Preparing to react. That suited Amara fine. She needed him ready to enact his counter. She burned another AP, channeling her ability to manifest air. Her pony tail lashed wildly behind her even as her bangs whipped at her cheeks and ears. Finally, she locked eyes with Erlaut. Her hands immediately began casting air signs. 2 more AP spent taking her down to 16. She used the air burst she¡¯d manifested to boost her movement, and formed the ball of lightning in her hands. It writhed and crackled like a caged viper, striking for freedom. Propelled forward, she hurled the ball of lightning at Erlaut. He intercepted it at the same time. She watched as he absorbed the energy and then redirected the bolt of energy into the wards again. This time, she could see the water magic at play. Her hunch was right, the wavy flowy movements had been water style after all. She studied the spell details. The runes cast, and how Erlaut channeled the magic. She committed everything to memory. System Info: New Ability Learned! Spell Riposte. When a spell attack is made against you, you may attempt to parry a spell that directly targets you. Then make a free spell casting + agility test to parry a spell. Each success is subtracted from your opponent¡¯s successes. If your enemy¡¯s successes are reduced to zero, then the spell is parried. However, if you roll enough extra success to beat the target¡¯s resolve, then the spell is reflected back at the caster. That was her first ability learned outside of training with Sgt. Sirsir. She smirked. Erlaut caught the pleased look and understanding colored his expression. He clapped his hands together. ¡°Well done. I was beginning to wonder why you¡¯d tried the same attack twice. But judging from your pleased look and the glowing Maetraya, you copied my spell riposte.¡± Amara beamed proudly and nodded. ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen that ability used before and it seemed pretty handy in a situation against two casters.¡± Erlaut looked even more smug and proud than she thought possible. ¡°That¡¯s good, because most casters can only block or counter spell. Parrying spells is an art that only most Spell Warriors learn.¡± ¡°So, how did you learn it?¡± ¡°A traveling warrior taught it to me. He was a water mage, and a skilled one at that. It was a principle and movement I wouldn¡¯t have thought to use. He showed me how to adapt, to take on the energy of another attack, and then to redirect it through my body back out in an attack of my own.¡± Amara realized now that she could take on the new ability so swiftly because she¡¯d already been gifted with water magic and understood the basic principles and mentalities in manifesting it. She was adding to her basic knowledge. She stretched out and assumed a ready stance, leaving her pistol on the ground. ¡°One more round?¡± Erlaut smirked. ¡°Indeed. Show me more of that sharp wit of yours.¡± Then the two clashed again. Chapter 65: Cat and Mouse Akamori launched his armor into the atmosphere, opening the throttle on his thrusters to full bore. Clouds raced by and birds grew to faint dots on the horizon as he continued his ascent. The distance between himself and the waypoint Cenine had sent him shrinking in a rapid countdown. He let out a whoop at the thrill. This definitely beat racing away from the maw of a hungry dragon. He corkscrewed and rolled as the armor poured on the speed. The dragonmail¡¯s hud continued to count down the distance to the waypoint. Akamori¡¯s focus, however, was just on relaxing and cutting loose a little. All the stress, exhaustion, and tension from his training. He wanted to just stay within this moment, if it were possible. The clouds fell away, blue gave way to black and soon, he left the upper atmosphere of the planet. Before he could continue to marvel at that super human accomplishment, the HUD chirped. He¡¯d reached the waypoint. ¡°About time, peasant.¡± And just like that, she ruined the mood. He sighed, sweeping the area for the golden fighter. The sleek gold and emerald arrowhead shaped fighter shimmered into view with the sun behind it, illuminated by its golden drive and thrusters. She¡¯d powered it down to mask herself on his approach and used the sun to help stay in a blind spot. Clever. ¡°You¡¯ve fought dragons before. This fighter packs about the same punch of a light dragon. The goal is simple. Survive.¡± A glow built in the underslung cannon barrel on the sleek, claw shaped fighter. Akamori tensed, feathering his thrusters as motes of void aether pulsed out, putting some distance between himself, the golden fighter. His stat bar on the bottom left of his hud blinked as the armor spent a point of magic for the thrust. **LT. Akamori Shinjo MR:3 Human Spell Soldier 16/21 AP / 35/35 HP** ¡°Oh. Shit. So we¡¯re doing this. Okay!¡± He tried not to panic as the fighter surged forward after him. Instinctively, Akamori corkscrewed his way after a formation of lazy, drifting debris. Being smaller, he knifed his way through the debris field that clung nearby to the ruined remains of Eryn¡¯s moon. ¡°Must go faster. Must go faster.¡± A brilliant beam of raw concentrated plasma tore its way through space, evaporating rock and cooking dust in a chunk of space Akamori had just narrowly evacuated. The Spell Fighter took five seconds to charge for its attack. He had that much time to get some room to think. Cenine¡¯s laughter sang through the comm line. He could hear the haughty sneer in the noble¡¯s voice as she hunted him. ¡°I¡¯m coming for you.¡± The fighter was on top of him in seconds. The barrel glowed with menacing white and gold energy. Cenine had no effort at keeping him in her sights. He poured on the speed, reaching the armor¡¯s max speeds, but the well-engineered fighter had no issues keeping pace. ¡°You won¡¯t win by running. So what will you do? Think Peasant. Use that terribly undersized brain of yours.¡± Cenine taunted him. The fighter loosed another bolt again. This time catching him firmly in the back. He¡¯d raised a makeshift barrier field of Void magic at the last second. The Cannon blast had no problems devouring the blackish lavender aether and slamming into him. The kinetic transfer sent him pinwheeling into several nearby chunks of rock. Cenine laughed at him some more. ¡°If the plan is to use your body to block my shots, you may want to revise!¡± **LT. Akamori Shinjo MR:3 Human Spell Soldier 14/21 AP / 28/35 HP** Akamori cursed as his HP took a dive. The barrier had helped in some small measure, but he decided it would be best to conserve his resources. He focused on the spell fighter using his perception skill. System Info: Eryn Arms Talon Spell Fighter Mk IX. 40/40 HP The information chilled his blood as rapidly as decompression. The engagement had only lasted roughly a minute now, and she¡¯d already made a few attacks against him. All he¡¯d managed in response was evasion and injury. He needed to counter while he tried to figure something out. He ported his rifle from its pocket, seizing the floating weapon in both hands and snapping off a salvo of cheap shots. As the spell fighter closed the level 1 void bolts splashed harmlessly against the fighter¡¯s barrier field. He¡¯d figured as much. If he wanted to get anywhere, he was going to have to spend resources. That meant he¡¯d only have a few shots. ¡°I need to make these count, then.¡± Akamori surged into high speed again, flying so close to the surface of a piece of rock he could make out the details of smaller bits of debris along its ragged surface. Cenine¡¯s fighter continued to gain as she charged the weapon. He risked a quick glance back. He needed to kill off some of her speed. Ahead, he spotted a cluster of smaller rocks. He fed his rifle a couple points of magic and channeled the void into the weapon, firing off a small micro gravity well. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. **LT. Akamori Shinjo MR:3 Human Spell Soldier 12/21 AP / 28/35 HP** He tugged the singularity with its captured rock field and hurled the conflagration into Cenine¡¯s fighter. Before impact, though, the brilliant glow of the plasma beam melted everything in its path. ¡°Points for improvisation, but you¡¯ll have to do better than that, peasant.¡± While she took a moment to gloat about how his diversion hadn¡¯t damaged her, Akamori took the chance to get into a covered position on her flight path. He¡¯d only be able to charge the attack up to his maximum magic rating, but that still meant he might deal with her wards. Unlike Cenine¡¯s fighter, he didn¡¯t need 5 seconds to charge an attack. As soon as the golden frame of her Talon soared into view, he fired the level 3 void bolt. It discharged in a pure black and lavender trimmed beam that savaged the fighters¡¯ wards, discoloring them. **LT. Akamori Shinjo MR:3 Human Spell Soldier 8/21 AP / 28/35 HP** ¡°Damn.¡± He silently hoped they would drop on the first shot. Though he knew enough to be certain they wouldn¡¯t. The fighter whipped around in a tight arc and fired off another shot at him. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± he threw himself down into a rocky depression and pressed himself as flat as possible as the golden beam of plasma roared by in the soundless void. He popped up and snapped off a series of cheap lvl 1 bolts that didn¡¯t cost him anything as the rifle supplied the magic itself. The rounds splashed harmlessly against the fighters¡¯ wards. ¡°There you are!¡± Cenine shouted eagerly. The fighter roared after him and Akamori fell back and dove below a ledge, twisting to thrust into a field of smaller rocks. He crashed through the debris hastily and twisted to fire off another full power shot at the fighter carving a deep groove in its wards. The runes and glyphs unraveled on that side of the fighter. The underslung cannon fired, a beam of brilliant white hot star matter streaked at him. Akamori¡¯s limbs flailed momentarily until he remembered how to pilot the armor and boosted hard to evade. The debris he¡¯d been hiding in evaporated away, leaving specks of molten rock that rapidly cooled. **LT. Akamori Shinjo MR:3 Human Spell Soldier 4/21 AP / 26/35 HP** The fighter poured on the thrust and Akamori ducked and wove his way through a patch of rocks. The fighter just crashed through them. He glanced back to see Cenine bearing down on him with a determined look on her face in her cockpit. The golden fighter¡¯s skin discoloring as rocks crashed against it in multiple places, scuffing the polish. The fighter was no longer beautiful, and Akamori found its own sort of beauty in that blemish. ¡°Awe, lookit that. Your shiny toys paint job ain¡¯t perfect anymore.¡± He sensed the mistake almost as soon as he made it. Her fighter smashed clean through the rocks, attempting to spear him into the nose. Physical memory kicked in from years of training under his father. His hands shot out, and using both air and void magic, he vaulted over the fighter. His left hand shot to his sword hilt and plunged the blade down into the skin of the fighter. The blade punched deep into the polished golden hull. Sparks sprayed out of the surface as his spell blade carved a vicious groove along the smooth curve. Cenine howled inside the fighter. The Talon jerked left and right repeatedly trying to dislodge him. Planting his feet on the hull, he kicked off and tore the blade free, snapping off a hip shot from his rifle into the breach. Normally, the level one bolt shot wouldn¡¯t do much. Against a gash in the damaged hull, though, the void magic devoured the metal greedily. The shot reduced a circular portion of the hull in the middle of the slash into a vapor of matter. A blue barrier ward like the kind used in landing bays deployed a second later staunching the bleed of atmosphere. The wounded talon cut a tight turn, banking hard to bring its cannon down on him. He instantly realized his situation was not good when the golden stream of plasma rushed out to greet him. Akamori kicked off a nearby rock and punched his thrusters heavily to evade. It melted the rock down into particles in the stream of raw energy. ¡°I will teach you pain, you backwoods farm peasant. Now dodge!¡± The fighter hurled another column of plasma at him. Using the last of his magic, he formed a shield of void magic while jerking his armor hard to the left. The shield cracked against the edge of the beam. He let out a wordless scream of defiance as he continued to block the attack. The fractures snaked and creaked out further along the shield until it shattered into shards and motes of dissipating energy. He drifted in the vacuum of space limply. His AP indicator blinked alarmingly at a red 1. His HP sat at 10. His armor had several scorch marks on it from stray bits of energy that cut through his shield and from crashing into the rock field. All he could hear was his heavy breathing in his helmet. In and out, in and out. He closed his eyes and got control of his respiration, then straightened out. Cenine¡¯s Talon maneuvered directly in front of Akamori. She ensured she was close enough that when he saw her in the cockpit, he could see just how pissed she was. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s mad.¡± he muttered. Cenine¡¯s lip curled into a snarl and she throttled the Talon forward hard, slamming into him on her way back down to the surface. ¡°Get your rest. Training resumes tomorrow.¡± She said into the comms. He sighed, gathering his strength for the descent. His body ached and having spent all of his aether left him feeling extra tired. He hadn¡¯t been pushed this hard since the Sgt. was breaking him and Amara in. He fed the armor his last point of magic, fueling the thrusters, and brought himself in for a controlled descent. Landing could have taken him a lot less time if he had the magic to bleed off the speed more. As it stood, he didn¡¯t want to take chances in his current condition. The fight replaying in his head. She¡¯d used the sun as a blind spot. Maybe he could replicate the trick somehow? Mask his approach somehow. Akamori¡¯s eyelids felt heavy, and the strain of concentrating on his altitude while landing took its toll. By the time his boots touched down, his knees wobbled, threating to give out on him. Pressing the mind rune, the armor went translucent pink, and he fell free of the armor like an untethered soul being kicked free of its physical shell. His bed was just close enough he could crawl into it from the floor. So he did. Sleep came for his weary body with a vengeance, and he was unconscious before he knew it. The aching sensation in his chest being the last conscious thought his mind had before he succumbed to the black of sleep. He¡¯d been so tired he didn¡¯t notice the man lurking at the edge of the campus, casually smelling some flowers on his way back to his dorm. The man with fierce red eyes like that of a dragon. Chapter 66: Fall from Grace Morwen lay on her bed watching the ceiling warp and twist together amidst her wine and herb filled haze. She saw no point in bothering anymore. Allosius had won. Stripped of her command and her team, she no longer possessed the tools to fight the Sauridius. All she could do now was make sure she was drunk enough so that when Ominek and his horde came for Eryn, she wasn¡¯t conscious during the end. Her father had stayed notably out of her way during this time. Opting to stay busy with his work as the ArchPriest. Leaving Morwen with Lucinda. Lucinda wasn¡¯t bad, and in a lot of ways, was much warmer to her than her mother had been. Morwen just didn¡¯t like how carefree the former gladiator was. Morwen figured being a reigning champion of the games engendered itself to a little shameless debauchery in retirement. She clumsily grabbed for the nearest bottle and knocked it over. Grunting, she leaned over to examine it. Empty. Just like her life now. How typical. She waved her hand and cast a spell to refill the bottle. Golden white fluid rose from the base of the bottle and she sighed with a half smile. Several times decorated battle commander reduced to using magic to get drunk. ¡°Not quite how I imagined I¡¯d fall from grace.¡± ¡°You imagined you¡¯d fall from grace?¡± Lucinda said. Morwen shifted her gaze from the bottle and found Lucinda leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed. Lucinda had a bottle of her own that was about half full. The former gladiator wore her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she wore the trademark tank top and black slacks. Much to the chagrin of the upper class nobles on Eryn, Lucinda still dressed like a commoner. One that could cut them down before they blinked at her wrong. Morwen shook her head after some laborious thought. The foggy haze the wine created made it a more intensive effort than it might have been normal. ¡°Not originally, but I knew. After I killed Rayshe¡¯s son, I knew I¡¯d pay for it.¡± ¡°Was it worth it?¡± Morwen frowned. ¡°I wish I could say yes. I want to. But losing everything?¡± Lucinda smiled warmly. ¡°Everything might be a little much. You still have your life. Can¡¯t do anything if yer dead.¡± Morwen blinked. She supposed that much was true. She¡¯d gotten so wrapped up in the bureaucracies of the Federation she¡¯d forgotten that ultimately she¡¯d taken a commission to get out and fight. Not to wring her wrists about troops, supplies and ships. She lifted her bottle in salute before sipping from it. ¡°Fair enough. What else haven¡¯t I lost?¡± ¡°Is this a game now?¡± Lucinda asked with a grin. Morwen puzzled over the question. Normally she¡¯d have responded no, but the subdued giggle in the back of her throat shook loose and she nodded. ¡°Sure. It is now.¡± Lucinda¡¯s eyes lit up. She always loved games. Especially drinking games. She counted off on fingers. ¡°Well, you still have your family, your old man and me. You still have your friends you came back with.¡± ¡°The Lt. and his squad?¡± Lucinda nodded, brows furrowed. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been so stuffy you¡¯ve kept them at arm¡¯s length again, haven¡¯t you?¡± Morwen shifted uncomfortably. She preferred when Lucinda wasn¡¯t picking at scabs. Did she just enjoy making her feel put on the spot? ¡°They were my crew. I didn¡¯t have the luxury of friends.¡± ¡°Luxury? Are you sure you didn¡¯t mean to say you didn¡¯t want to be vulnerable enough to allow yourself to have friends?¡± Morwen pushed herself up so she could drink her wine without choking. Taking a lazy long pull. She figured she¡¯d lost a few questions by now no matter who¡¯s count you went by. ¡°We had a battle to win. I wasn¡¯t even sure we¡¯d be coming back home afterwards.¡± ¡°Sounds like an excuse to me. Wanna know what I think?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡± Morwen started. ¡°I think you¡¯re wallowing in this pity party because some petty prick has made it harder for you to do what you love.¡± ¡°What I love?¡± Morwen asked. Lucinda pushed off the door frame and sat down next to Morwen. The gladiator tapped her bottle against Morwen¡¯s. Morwen eyed her own bottle as Lucinda drank from hers. ¡°They demoted you. They took your ship and crew from you. It¡¯s no secret Allosius hit you where you¡¯re most vulnerable. You just need a reason to fight again. Something to fight for. A mission or something. Find that, and you¡¯ll find what you need to get back on track.¡± Morwen scoffed. ¡°Fat chance of that. Allosius is going to see to it I get posted on the ashes of Hoshun most likely. When Ominek comes for Eryn, I won¡¯t be in any position to help. All because I killed his petulant blood thirsty son.¡± ¡°Did this bottle worm earn his death?¡± Morwen frowned, the murder replaying in her mind endlessly since it happened. Bile crept up the back of her throat, but she took another pull from her wine to push it down, along with her guilt. She¡¯d offered him several chances to back down. But his pride kept forcing the issue, and her hand. Eventually leaving her no choice but to act. Lucinda gently squeezed her opposite arm, and only then did Morwen noticed that Lucinda had draped it across her back. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to. I gave him several opportunities to let the matter go. He insisted on clinging to his wounded pride, and the regulations that let him vent his rage. He was within his right to demand the deaths of my squad, technically. But in spirit, he was wrong.¡± Lucinda nodded sagely. ¡°Those are always the hardest. A clean kill leaves an easy conscious. It¡¯s the dirty ones that stay with you. They imprint on you. Little puzzle pieces of guilt you can¡¯t quite shake loose.¡± Morwen blinked. She didn¡¯t expect something that wise from Lucinda. In that rare moment, she sounded less like the full-time party animal, and more like a war-weary general might. It took her by surprise sometimes just how diametrically opposite Lucinda¡¯s life was in a way. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be rid of this feeling.¡± ¡°Good. It means you¡¯re walking the right path. When you stop caring about which lives you end, you¡¯ve become the enemy, and someone else with a more virtuous heart than yours will have to put you down.¡± Morwen leaned into Lucinda for a moment. It was a moment of weakness she let herself indulge in. She¡¯d had a few of those of late. Maybe she was getting soft? Not soft enough to be this weak near her father, though. She was far too prideful to do this with him. That tasted bitter, but she knew it was the truth. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, kid.¡± Morwen shot Lucinda an annoyed look. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m no kid.¡± Lucinda¡¯s musical chuckle grated on Morwen¡¯s nerves. More than the patronizing head pat the former arena champion gave her. That reminded her she¡¯d let her hair go and needed to rectify that. Scooping it back to pull back into a ponytail. Lucinda halted her gently. ¡°Don¡¯t. It suits you down.¡± Morwen fussed at the hem of her shirt. She preferred it back and tight. With it laying loose, she felt messy. She needed to get out and get some fresh air. Eventually, she pushed herself upright. ¡°I want some fresh air.¡± Morwen wobbled as she circled around the pile of bottles for the door, leaving Lucinda to watch her leave from her bed. Morwen paused as the sounds and sights of outside the grand temple crashed into her senses. The air smelled of honey. Flocks of colored birds sang as they swerved through the trees. The sun sprinkled down through the leaves of the trees. Coffee. She needed coffee. She spent a point of her magic to heal the toxin effect of the wine. Instant sobriety crashed into her fuzzy mind like a strong wind blowing away the clouds. Morwen drew in a deep breath and made her way down the white marble path towards the markets. A sweet, warm breeze danced through the green canopy as she walked. It helped to take the sting out of the loss of everything but her physical life. She needed a distraction that wasn¡¯t over medicating. Akamori¡¯s words hung in the back of her mind, more clearly now that she¡¯d stopped drinking. Morwen disliked how right he was. She also disliked feeling like the only one who gave a damn about how the war turned out. Her people¡¯s apathy toward the conflict made her sick. All around her, Aeryn Nobility casually ignored the suffering of the outer colonies in the sector. Someone else¡¯s problems. She refused to accept that¡¯s how their own goddess would have behaved. Ignorant and indifferent to the pain and agony incurred by the other innocents of the realm. Morwen remembered the deep shame she felt watching the humans broadcast tragedy after tragedy when the Sauridius first began their aggressive push beyond their home in the Gaian Nebula. There was almost an entire sector between the Nebula and Eryn, but Morwen knew it was only a matter of time before the wryms descended on their world. She passed through the markets smiling as various vendors made offers to her. Emerging into the residential quarters stretched and took a seat on the white stone steps fed down into the various quarters. The richest nobles lived closest to the markets, with the further residential quarter housing the poorest of Eryn¡¯s society; namely the dwarves and halflings. Eventually, someone sat down next to her. A man with long white hair swept back into a ponytail. Morwen tensed initially, thinking it might have been Allosius come to gloat about cannibalizing her life. Morwen risked a polite glance and studied the man intensely. He wore a fashionable suit that spoke both to his affluence and artistic sense. What caught her most was the fierce intensity in his eyes. ¡°Sorry if I¡¯ve made you uncomfortable. It was just such a nice view. I thought I¡¯d come share it with you.¡± He said. Morwen inclined her head slowly, accepting his presence after an initial pause. ¡°I come here often to think. When life makes little sense, which seems to occur more often than not lately.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± the man said inquisitively. She wasn¡¯t normally one to share and had initially cut herself short. But he was offering her his attention and ear. She inwardly sighed and continued. She gave a small shrug, her gaze drifting from the residential quarters down to the stone stairs. ¡°Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m being tugged along to someone else¡¯s tune. Namely my father.¡± Her thoughts instantly went to her father and his damned prophecies. ¡°I know how that feels.¡± The man next to her said, suddenly looking wistful. There was an agonized look behind his eyes before he blinked, and the mask of politeness was back up. ¡°Now that tugging has resulted in everything I¡¯ve devoted my life to being reduced to ash. I have nothing left.¡± The man turned to regard her curiously, as if only just taking her in for the first time. He studied her for a long moment, and she shifted, resisting the urge to redirect the conversation. ¡°There¡¯s always something to lose. It just depends on how badly you want to keep it.¡± It felt a lot like what Lucinda had said. Ok, maybe twice in one day was finally the kick in the rear she needed to finish her pouting. She sighed and threw her hands up with a reluctant sigh, and chuckled. ¡°Ok. I give up. No more pouting. Back on the horse I go.¡± He smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. Best get to it then. I¡¯ll see you around?¡± Morwen rose, patting the dust off her slacks. ¡°I expect I¡¯ll probably be very busy. Saving the sector is exhaustingly tedious and time-consuming, but someone has to do it.¡± The man smiled, a rather handsome smile, if she let herself covertly admit. He rose and offered a hand. ¡°Yes, I suppose it must be. Well then. Good luck with saving the sector.¡± She took it and pumped his hand a few times politely before turning to leave. She gave him a departing wave and left the quarters to go back to the markets. As she left, she could swear she heard his parting words whisper along the breeze. ¡°Face your destiny bravely.¡± When she turned to see him, he was gone. Leaving her with only confusion and more unanswered questions. Who was he? And what did he want? ? Chapter 67: Maetraya’s Master Amara clapped the 10th book in her stack shut. The dust cloud kicked up from old pages crashing back together tickled her nostrils and the back of her throat. She bit back a few choked coughs and struggled to hold back the inevitable sneeze. When she finally did sneeze, Luffa entered their dorm. The primal patted her on the shoulder and folded her arm. ¡°Nothing in the histories section then? It¡¯s almost as if whoever Maetraya was connected to was scrubbed from the records.¡± Luffa said. The red skin around her eyes scrunching together as her face wrinkled in consternation. Amara appreciated her room mate¡¯s desire to help her study and learn more about this gift she inherited. She wanted to know who Maetraya was. Why she was gifted with her sight? How was she meant to use it? She couldn¡¯t help her curiosity, considering the incredible power it gave her. Setting aside the magic and health drawbacks when she finished with it. She was comfortable that set back could be mitigated with training. Right now she was a child swinging a claymore. She needed to train and learn. ¡°You¡¯ve got that faraway look again. What are you thinking?¡± Amara blinked and returned her focus to Luffa, who looked at her with a wry grin. ¡°You¡¯ve got an idea, haven¡¯t you?¡± the primal said, leaning back with a pleased look. ¡°Well, go on! Spill!¡± Amara blushed and shifted in her chair. It was a really stupid idea. But Luffa was right. It was an idea, at least. Luffa proded her some teasingly and she eventually relented. ¡°Alright, okay, okay. It¡¯s not the best idea, but it is an idea at least. So I think you¡¯re right. No one¡¯s recorded histories have any records of Maetraya, or her benefactors. Which means it was more than likely intentional. Since there are gaps in many of the histories where she¡¯d easily fit in. It¡¯s obvious, but effective.¡± ¡°Agreed. Your idea?¡± Luffa said with a huff. The primal was easily impatient. Amara couldn¡¯t help but smile, enjoying stretching it out just for Luffa¡¯s annoyance¡¯s sake. ¡°My idea is that we should scour the mythologies and legends sections. Most historians will discount them out of hand. Stories aren¡¯t permissible as fact. But there¡¯s usually some truth to myths and legends, right?¡± Luffa lit up grinning, ¡°Gods, you¡¯re right. So where do we start?¡± ¡°As far as back as we can go.¡± Luffa snapped her fingers eagerly, ¡°I know the spot, then. Let¡¯s go!¡± she snatched Amara by the hand and practically dragged her from the dorm. Amara did all she could not to be towed along the floor on her face, giggling as they went. In the library halls, the peeled hard right, flowing along a set of shelves holding memory discs that transitioned into old scrolls and tomes the further back they went. Luffa stopped as far back as they could go and pointed to a particular book. It was a dusty old leatherbound book covered in a solid layer of dust. Amara leaned closer to peer at the cover. The title read Aeryn¡¯s Personal Records and Musings on the Sector¡¯s History . It was a curiously odd and long title. ¡°Certainly a mouthful as titles go.¡± she said. A set of eyes opened up on title text where the o¡¯s of personal and records sat. They blinked. Amara blinked. There was an odd moment where the two just looked at each other, each uncertain of the other. ¡°Well.¡± The book said dryly. A mouth forming at the bottom curve of a drawn image of the planet Eryn. ¡°I assume you¡¯ve got questions?¡± Amara half jumped out of her skin and she could hear Luffa snickering next to her. She shot her friend a stern look before returning to the book. ¡°Erm, yes. You see, I¡¯m looking for someone who doesn¡¯t want to be found.¡± ¡°Ohhh. A mystery. Interesting. I¡¯ve been bored for so long, I could use a good mystery. Alright mortal. Entertain me.¡± She looked to Luffa for help, who only shrugged. Luffa was clearly out of her depth here. Amara sighed and turned back to the book. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m very boring. How should I entertain you?¡± The book rolled its eyes. ¡°With your mystery. I¡¯m not asking you to juggle. Wait¡­ can you juggle? Because I¡¯ve never actually seen anyone juggle.¡± Amara clapped her hands when the book explained itself before shaking her head. ¡°oh! okay then. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t juggle.¡± ¡°She¡¯s looking for someone called Maetraya. We know she¡¯s a goddess with visual prowess.¡± ¡°The all-seeing eyes of the Maetrayopts. Anyone who possessed them could pierce even the strongest of privacy wards and veils. Incredibly gifted.¡± The book mused thoughtfully before peering at her. ¡°Wait. You have the gift too, don¡¯t you? Yes, I see it now in that eye of yours. But the gift is still new yet. You¡¯ve only just manifest haven¡¯t you?¡± Amara nodded, slightly embarrassed at her novice rank with the ability. ¡°Yes, um¡­ sir? I¡¯m sorry. What do I call you?¡± The book¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°My¡­ name? I haven¡¯t used that in so long. What was it again?¡± The book paused, its gaze going vacant, and features slackened before it blinked, and refocused. ¡°My name used to be Rozien. I was a captain. Of a spell ship when we traversed more than just this sector. I traded my body for this tome, so that I could serve as historical witness to prevent our fall. She knew we would rebuild. She saw to it.¡± Amara glanced at Luffa, who shrugged again, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m usually forbidden from coming back here alone. This is the first I¡¯ve heard of this. Never even see a talking tome before.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Amara¡¯s mind was racing. So much new information. So many questions! It was all she could do to keep from bursting at the seams with them. She wanted to yank this book from the shelf, clean it off and learn all she could from it. What secrets would it hold? What warnings could it give? ¡°We have to take this with us.¡± She said without looking at Luffa. Luffa retreated a step back. ¡°I¡¯d lose my head. We can¡¯t.¡± She turned to the primal with pleading eyes. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him here. Setting aside the fact it¡¯s sentient, who knows what it could tell us? And we don¡¯t have time to sit around the library until we figure it out.¡± ¡°Hello? I¡¯m right here.¡± The book said, annoyed. Amara winced, ¡°Right. Sorry.¡± ¡°I can tell you what I know about Maetraya. Since you¡¯re willing to get me out of this dungeon of words.¡± Rozen said. Amara thought she detected a small glimmer of hope in the tome¡¯s words. Luffa buried her face in her palm. ¡°I knew this was a bad idea.¡± She grumbled. Amara prodded her friend playfully. ¡°C¡¯mon, this was your idea. Besides, you know you want to. If nothing else than to snub Erlaut.¡± Luffa huffed and folded her arms. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m not watching. I know nothing.¡± She waved a hand at Amara, gesturing to take the book.¡± Amara¡¯s fist pumped as she lifted the old book and tucked it into a pack gently. ¡°Now be quiet in here. Most books don¡¯t talk, and too many would raise questions we can¡¯t answer if stopped.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The book said, and the next thing Amara knew, the eyes and mouth shut, and she¡¯d have never known it was alive. She glanced at Luffa. He stuck a finger out to poke its cover. ¡°Still here guys.¡± Rozien said with a sigh. ¡°So strange.¡± Luffa mouthed. The two secreted the ancient tome back to their dorm and she wiped it off with a towel before placing on the table propped up. She glanced around and cast a basic privacy ward. It wouldn¡¯t stop anyone walking in, but it would at least trap sound inside unless someone cast a more invasive spell. ¡°Ok, we should be clear from most of the other faculty and staff. What can you tell us about Maetraya?¡± ¡°Not too much officially. Even though I¡¯ve been tethered to this tome, my memory has gaps where Maetraya¡¯s master should be. That said, there were some rumors about her that might be illuminating.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± The book snapped open on her table, pages blurring by showing an image like a flipbook. This one moved. It showed a woman with a face shrouded in shadow. A result of Rozien¡¯s memories of Maetraya being altered, Amara suspected. One thing Amara noted, however, was that Maetraya¡¯s eyes always appeared to glow. ¡°One legend reads that in the final era¡­¡± As Rozien spoke, magic welled up from his pages, and it swept away Luffa and Amara in a magical storm. She recognized elements of dream and air magic, not too unlike her own. When the storm settled, it deposited the pair onto the bridge of a massive spell ship. The bridge sat a few kilometers away from the tip of the stern. She knew from her training with the Sgt. that was the front of the ship. Sides swept away into downward curves. A lone figure stood at the fore of the vessel. A woman bathed in light with golden hair. A magical illusion of the ship floating beside her. It looked like a solar system sized spell staff. She assumed that was the captain. ¡°Indeed, it is. That is Captain Aeryn. A demigod, but ships captain all the same.¡± ¡°Where are we?¡± Luffa asked. Amara caught the hint of wonder in her voice. ¡°This is the Asclepius. The first great Spell ship.¡± Rozien¡¯s voice intoned all around them. Amara could no longer see the sentient book. It included them within its illusory spell. Part of the story, so to speak. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Luffa muttered, glancing around. Amara couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the radiant woman in the center of the bridge. The ship¡¯s captain and eventual goddess of the planet to adopt her namesake. ¡°Mae. I told you not to stay. It¡¯s not safe with us. Sauridius is coming for us.¡± Aeryn turned to face Maetraya. The radiant woman wore a simple blue combat uniform. Some kind of naval fatigues? Aeryn¡¯s soft features warmed into a smile as she and Maetraya hugged each other. ¡°I wanted to say goodbye. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I let you meet this fate without trying to apologize for giving you the news of it.¡± ¡°Mae. How often have I warned you not to fret over your visions? How often did they save us from certain doom at Maleficus¡¯ hands? or Sauridius? You don¡¯t decide fate. You only see it. Don¡¯t confuse the two together.¡± Maetraya nodded, her head dropped to the deck. Amara got the impression there was a storied friendship that went deep here. Aeryn clapped Mae on the shoulders. ¡°So, don¡¯t suppose you can share where you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. Sorry. If I¡¯m to pierce the darkness of the future Maleifcus left us, I¡¯ll need to plunge deep into it myself.¡± Aeryn rolled her eyes. The glowing azure jewels reminded Amara of Akamori¡¯s eyes. ¡°You always speak so cryptically. Anyway. I¡¯ve positioned the rest of the fleet for our feint. If we pull this off? We might yet purchase a future yet.¡± ¡°If anyone can do it, it will be you. Die well, Aeryn. I hope our souls meet again.¡± Aeryn grinned broadly, fishing a beer bottle from a small slash in reality. She tore the metal cap off in a swift motion, then enjoyed a long pull of the bottle. She finished the bottle and chased it with a loud belch. Mae sighed, and Aeryn simply grinned. Amara got the impression the people of Eryn had an entirely incorrect view of their goddess. The illusion flickered, then shattered. Motes of magic twinkling all around Luffa and Amara. The two glanced around mid panic before a large figure blocked out the light of the doorway. ¡°It is illegal to steal artifacts from the forbidden section of the Library.¡± Erlaut said. He raised his hands to weave and Amara knew if she didn¡¯t act quickly, she and Luffa may not live to see the end of the day. ? Chapter 68: The Bait Ominek eyed the slowly cooling cup of coffee that steamed in front of him. Eating had no purpose for one such as himself, but food prep was an art, and enjoyed all art. Especially the sweet tasty roll on the small plate next to his coffee. Melting vanilla glaze trickled down the curvy sides of the roll like melting candle wax. Idly, he triggered his perception skill again. System Info: Cinnamon Roll. A pastry with a sweet taste. Incredible addictive if one lacks self-control. Gain +1 bonus to Aetherpool regen. He scoffed at the missive and waved it away. ¡°Thankfully, something I don¡¯t want for.¡± As if to punctuate the system missive, a green +2 appeared over his AP gauge. It didn¡¯t move because it was full. He knew it would refill twice as fast if he needed the refill from spelling use, though. One thing these tree people knew well? Making sweet confections. Something he could appreciably miss back on Gaia. Ominek glanced casually at the magical clock on the wall. It was about time for his meeting. A few minutes later, Allosius Rayshe took a seat, looking less than pleased. ¡°You risk much doing this so brazenly in the public.¡± Ominek rolled his eyes. ¡°You worry too much. We¡¯re just two patrons among many here. Watch.¡± He stood gesturing to Allosius wildly, ¡°Look everyone! Allosius Rayshe is here! We have Allosius Rayshe!¡± Not a single head turned. Not even one casually interested person. Ominek sat down, looking mildly pleased that he¡¯d wounded Allosius¡¯ pride. Allosius smoldered in indignation and bottled rage. ¡°See? Nobody cares. You¡¯re just another rich, petty noble to them. Now then. Have you brought it?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Allosius said haughtily. Ominek took great pleasure in watching Rayshe¡¯s hand quake with tremors as the man feebly tried to resist. Slowly the dreadlord reached out to take the amulet and lifted it up to inspect it. He could see the runes and glyphs magically inscribed along its surface, and the small gem stones, mathematically aligned to perfection. This amulet was almost as powerful as an elder spell weapon. ¡°You¡¯re certain it will work?¡± Allosius looked offended at the question. ¡°Of course it will work. We used it to great success against your shacklers.¡± Ominek smiled, his eyes flashed, and their draconic nature showed momentarily. He watched Allosius stiffen. Good. Even soul bound, he could still know fear. It was an important lesson for Allosius to realize the futility of his plight. A lesson Ominek was all too happy to impart. ¡°Good. I would hate to visit the consequences of failure upon you, should it not.¡± Allosius¡¯ jaw muscles flexed and Ominek allowed himself a pleased smile. He was enjoying watching the impotent slave struggle against his chains. The power he commanded over Rayshe. It was intoxicating. He twirled the amulet dangling from his fingers on its golden chain a few times and then returned his attention to Allosius. ¡°All preparations are finished. It¡¯s time to move. Our first target will be the ArchPriests paramour, Lucinda. You¡¯re to invite her to a party as we discussed. You will give her this poison. Notify me when it¡¯s been in her system for 6 hours precisely. Not a second sooner. Then I shall come finish my work. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Begin now.¡± Allosius rose with no further word or preamble. Jerked upright by invisible strings threaded into his soul. Ominek watched him leave, almost melancholy. He couldn¡¯t be there for the setup. He enjoyed laying a good trap, though, and this would have to be among his best work if he hoped to ensnare the reigning arena champion unaware. Thankfully, her penchant for vices and debauchery made it easier. Lucinda mistakenly lived by over celebrating her life, thinking her hardship had ended with her exit from the fighting pits. But there was no true safety to be had. Anywhere. He would teach the entire world this lesson. He finished his sweet roll and left a dragon¡¯s scale as payment. These people would all be dead in the next five solar cycles. Making some servers¡¯ day was inconsequential. Leaving the small cafe, he strode off the path into a heavily secluded area and wove a morph spell, turning himself into a black raven. He took to the air and winged his way towards where Rayshe would set the trap for Lucinda. Now all he had to do was wait. The intervening six hours passed without issue as Ominek sat perched on a tree branch near the Rayshe estate. He could have cast a scrying spell to observe, but he wasn¡¯t that interested in the sordid details enough to do so. By now the sun was well on its way to setting, the last of its curved surface retreating beneath the tall canopy of the verdant world. His patience with Allosius was about to wear out when a fiery cricket flew up to his raven form. It unfurled into a small illusory scroll. System Info: Spell Missive sent by Allosius Rayshe: Ready. The raven cawed eagerly, his eyes glowed with channeled void magic. A small circular umbral portal spiraled open in front of and beneath his perch like a tiny black wormhole. He hopped free of the branch and folded his wings back to dart into the portal like a feathered black arrow. He briefly knew a moment of absolute cold. A soft sheen of frost grew along his body as ambient moisture snap froze. Once inside the Umbral realm, Ominek could sense he was being watched, and did all he could to remain unnoticeable in the frigid black. Inside Allosius Rayshe¡¯s estate, he and Lucinda lay in bed. Lucinda stirred with a moan as he rose from the satin white sheets to clothe himself. Lucinda finally sat forward and looked at Rayshe. There was no shame here. Her relationship with the ArchPriest was such that the two could never officially be together. Eaulmant wasn¡¯t the possessive sort, and Lucinda wasn¡¯t the clingy type. The bounds of that relationship enjoyed a fluid nature. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. She rubbed her head with a grunt. A pile of bottle lay in the corner, along with various used herbs. The result of a long night of partying. She saw Rayshe getting himself situated quickly, misreading him. ¡°One of those kinds of parties, then. Right. I¡¯ll get myself sorted.¡± An umbral portal spiraled open in Rayshe¡¯s bedroom at the foot of the bed. It bloomed large enough to allow Ominek through in his adult human form. Once he passed the portal¡¯s threshold, he snapped it closed. Dusting the frost off the sleeves of his black suit. Lucinda¡¯s instincts served her well. She was upright, blade in hand, without a thread to cover her. Ominek had to admit, she was attractive, as she was dangerous. He knew if she brought that sword to bear on him, there was a very real chance of him being killed. She brought the blade around in a wicked slash. Ominek blocked with his obsidian spell stave. Sparks danced from the impact of mythril against dragonsteel. Lucinda lifted a half, her expression flexed. Then relaxed into confusion as she examined her hand. ¡°What? What have you done?¡± ¡°Poisoned you. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t kill you. It targets your aether. In 24 hours, you¡¯ll have regenerated your magic back. Far too late for it save you I¡¯m afraid.¡± Quickly, he wove a set of shackling spells and fired them both off with each hand. They plunged into Lucinda¡¯s chest near the heart, whipping her head back against the wall. Had he not taken the proper precautions, the spell warrior would have made short work of him. Finally, she drew herself up off the floor. The horror was visible only in her eyes. System Info: Thrall Gained. Lucinda is now a part of your party. Her icon and name appeared in his group. she had two soul runes on her avatar portrait. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± she asked. Her voice muted and quavering. ¡°Nothing less than you poisoning your partner and helping me destroy this planet.¡± Lucinda¡¯s face fell, the gravity of her defeat settling in. She let out an amused chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s funny. I survived the arena for countless seasons. Became the closest thing to a celebrity this planet has. And I¡¯m undone by a traitor, and booze.¡± Rayshe said nothing, throwing her clothes at her before extracting himself from the room. Ominek remained. If she wanted to unburden herself or lament regrets, he¡¯d oblige her that. She¡¯d certainly earned it in his esteem. Where he¡¯d purchased his survival on guile and cunning, she¡¯d done so sheer skill and prowess. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, you would have made a fine dragon in a different life.¡± She put her clothes on stiffly. Like a puppet with a novice puppeteer at the strings. She was trying to resist, but he had her in a powerful set of interlocking soul shackles. She belonged to his will. ¡°It¡¯s not, and it is. I grew up in the slums. Thought I¡¯d starve. Got offered a chance to fight in the arena and never looked back. No one taught me.¡± Lucinda pointed to a myriad of scars. The sort that light magic could have easily healed. ¡°I had to learn the hard way. So I did. I fought my way out. And then I promised to live it up. I spent so long at death¡¯s door I got cold. So I used anything I could to forget that feeling.¡± ¡°And did you?¡± he asked. She smiled softly, a small tear streaking down her face before shrugging. ¡°No. It¡¯s not something you just forget. It¡¯s always there. It becomes a part of you. It lives in you. You can numb it occasionally, but eventually, when you¡¯re sober again? You find it right where you left it.¡± He folded his arms, studying her. The blood-soaked survivor in him recognized the same shock in her. The same shock in Morwen. They were all kindred of the battlefield. He had to admit, he actually liked the introspective side of her. ¡°I have to confess, I had you pegged as a party animal. I didn¡¯t think about why you were medicating.¡± ¡°It matters little now. You¡¯re going to force me to destroy the final remnants of happiness I have left.¡± He frowned. That was true. She was his prisoner, just like he was a prisoner to Leviathos. He didn¡¯t want to dwell on it. A small voice in the back of his head demanded he drop the shackling spells. But he couldn¡¯t do that. His father would flay him alive. He¡¯d accomplished the first leg of his mission. But this was the easiest part. Confronting his next two targets would require much greater skill, and much more luck. ¡°Unfortunately yes. You were a powerful and skilled warrior. Had we faced in battle, this contest would have assuredly gone different. But I haven¡¯t survived this long without being the one with a plan.¡± ¡°And what is your plan?¡± she asked. He contemplated telling her. But quickly dismissed any worries. She was soul bound. Even knowing what he wanted to do, she couldn¡¯t resist. She could take no action that would threaten him or his designs. So long as she did so, she was free to act on her own, within reason. ¡°I¡¯m going to blow up a corruption ritual above the Light Well.¡± ¡°And poison Eryn, like you did me.¡± Lucinda concluded. ¡°Exactly. I am going to reduce this world to a lifeless husk of rock. Just like it originally was.¡± ¡°Morwen will stop you. She¡¯ll find a way.¡± Ominek smiled. His crimson draconic eyes flashed menacingly. He shook his head no in response. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t. I¡¯ve arranged for a special dance partner for her and her friends.¡± Pity he had to. It would be bittersweet, knowing she was just being jerked around by her father exactly like he was. They were alarmingly similar in that respect. Initially, he thought it a waste of time getting to know his prey, but he was fast approving of this method and approach. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She¡¯s stubborn, that one. Her friends too. They won¡¯t take your schemes laying down.¡± He gestured for her to leave Rayshe¡¯s bedroom. He was fast growing bored with her defiant comments. She was probably just trying to get a rise out of him. It wouldn¡¯t get her what she wanted, though. And it would just make his satisfaction watching this world shrivel to dust even more satisfying. A knock sounded at the door, and the pair of them froze. He gestured her towards the door. ¡°Answer it.¡± Lucinda finished dressing herself, and buckled her blade to her hip, then crossed the distance to the door in purposeful measured strides. She opened the door, choking out a surprised, ¡°Morwen. Hello.¡± ? Chapter 69: The Second Prophecy Morwen made her way back home after the short conversation with the strange man with the platinum white hair. She walked the white stone sidewalk thoughtfully. Something about the way he responded to her made her feel like he shared some idea of what she was going through. An odd notion for such an absolute stranger. Still, she¡¯d always been a disconnected sort here in her home. With her mother being an atypical mage working for the Guild, Arefhel left Morwen and her father when she was very young. Her father never was very capable as a parent. He did what he could, but she spent more time with the guard as a child. In retrospect, that was the source of her desire to join the Federation when she came of age. She headed back home, curious about where Lucinda was. She felt bad about how they¡¯d left things between them and wanted to make an attempt at awkwardly apologizing. However, when she reached their estate inside the grand temple, she found it empty. ¡°Bars.¡± she mused aloud. So she began her rounds. The entertainment quarter was mercifully close by. Morwen suspected Lucinda had some hand in that. Because of her celebrity status or the amount of money she dumped into the establishments. Within a few hours, though, she grew concerned when she turned up no sign of Lucinda. Pursing her lips, sat down on a bench mulling over how to find the elusive champion. It wasn¡¯t like Lucinda to be so difficult to pin down unless she¡¯d found a really lively party. When she¡¯d checked and cleared the last bar, she knew Lucinda to have frequented; she gave up with a sigh and began weaving a seeker spell. It was a simple divination spell at its base. It sent a basic greeting missive from the caster. She watched as the amber red fire runes collided with the pinkish lavender mind runes warping into a flaming sparrow. The sparrow hovered in front of her, flapping its wings as it chirped a few times before taking off towards Lucinda. Morwen stood up and raced after it, chasing the ember trails. The flaming sparrow flew fast enough that it forced Morwen into a jog to keep pace. She tracked the bird as it wove through streets until crashed into the wards of a large noble estate and her boost ground to a halt. ¡°Allosius Rayshe?¡± she asked. What was Lucinda doing here? Those two were done weren¡¯t they? She reached out and knocked, still unsure why she was doing this. All doubts were dispelled when Lucinda opened the door and her expression fell. ¡°Lucinda?¡± ¡°Morwen.¡± ¡°What are you doing here? Does father know you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry. I got carried away last night.¡± ¡°Clearly. I have to go.¡± She turned and stormed off before Lucinda defended herself. She marched back into the street so hard she almost crashed right into her father. He caught her in his arms with a surprised look. His eyes were red, like he¡¯d been crying. The dread about Lucinda formed a heavy weight in her gut that dragged down her will to say something. ¡°I¡¯d ask what¡¯s wrong, but doing so would be pointless.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow furrowed before she shook her head. ¡°No. Nope. Huh uh. I¡¯m not doing this again.¡± Eaulmant¡¯s mouth tilted downwards into a frown. ¡°Come with me, child.¡± She wanted to pout. To dig in and protest. The last time he sent out on some quest, she lost just about everything she cared about. Her father took several steps and turned expectantly. She huffed in protest, rolling her eyes as she stormed off after him. The disciplined veneer she¡¯d cultivated as a commanding officer slipping as she fell into the role of put upon daughter. Eaulmant led her back to the grand temple into his personal divination chamber. She could almost see the multilayered complex series of wards shielding the room. The security prevented unwanted scrying or divining. The CIC in the Crasher didn¡¯t have wards as complex unless she wove them herself. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you here because the circle of people I can trust has now dwindled to just to you.¡± Morwen frowned her thoughts returned to Lucinda. She opened her mouth to speak, but her father interrupted her. His hands flew into a flurry of fire and mind signs, augmented by sketched glyphs and runes. The spell coalesced into a flaming window. She saw Eryn. Verdant and lush with life. The Light well below the pristine Grand Temple pulsed brightly. Astral aether shining like a beacon into the void. ¡°This is the thing you needed to come to about, isn¡¯t it? Your second prophecy?¡± Eaulmant nodded solemnly, pointing to the spell as it continued. ¡°I poured over it for weeks deciphering it. I needed to be sure it was meant for you.¡± Morwen watched as an explosion rocked the temple, at the same time several smaller explosions detonated around the capital. The ground below the market quarter darkened with corruption. The lush green life of Eryn shriveled and died. The world became a husk. Morwen gasped, backing into her father. He rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± he said softly. The vision followed a vessel in the Umbral abyss through a portal beneath Eryn¡¯s moon.The vision went black and she didn¡¯t understand until she saw the outline of a planet in the void. Back lit by a dull lavender glow. She turned, confused to her father. ¡°I don¡¯t understand?¡± The divine glow in Eaulmant¡¯s eyes faded, and he looked less like a powerful gatekeeper and more like her father. His expression was somber, and even a little pained. He took her hands in his. The gesture caught her off guard and she realized the gravity of his prophecy. Their home world was being targeted, and it and her father would perish if no one acted. ¡°Our world is in danger. I¡¯m sure that much is plain. To defeat the threat, you must venture into the Umbral Realm. The answer to our salvation lies within. On a world at these coordinates.¡± He wove several mind runes and a few soul. The spell darted into her breast, and she instantly knew where to go as though she always had. Her father smiled. There was pride in his expression. ¡°Now go, and do what you do best.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°How? I have no crew. No ship even. How am I going to reach the Umbral realm without the Crasher?¡± Eaulmant frowned. His puzzled expression made it plainly clear he hadn¡¯t considered the problem till now. ¡°You¡¯ll figure something, I¡¯m sure. Now go, time isn¡¯t on our side.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to see what I can do to prepare our world for this attack and set up some contingencies.¡± Morwen nodded. That would have to do for now. Eaulmant gently pushed her towards the door. ¡°Now go. And may the light favor you.¡± As soon as he pushed her past the edge of the doorway, she couldn¡¯t see her father, or even see inside. She gently brushed the wards and could feel the crackling power that lay within. She knew if she pressed even a fraction harder, the doorway would fry her where she stood. She turned on her heel, her military bearing returning with each step. Now that she had a mission again, everything else was just an obstacle and a detail to be overcome. She needed a ship, otherwise a crew would be useless. That meant she¡¯d need financing. Something she¡¯d sorely lacked. Then an idea hit her. She found it detestable. A plan of action she found lacking in any morality. Thankfully, her chose victim was worthy of it. She wove any simple missive and followed the flaming sparrow. She followed her magical sniffing bird to the markets. The sun was in its late afternoon zenith and most merchants were doing their best to move the last of their wares. One vendor offered her a golden mythril staff. Another held out a pretty amulet with intricate glyphs and runes. Several made competing attempts to offer her food. Morwen politely declined all of them. Morwen found Lucinda in a potions store after braving the gauntlet of market stalls and vendors. The former champion was just wrapping up a purchase and tucked a vial of something into her jacket as she turned to face Morwen. The color drained from Lucindas face and Morwen enjoyed every second of it. Her relationship with her father was strained at best, but he was still her father all the same. Lucinda¡¯s casual disregard for his emotions burned Morwen in a way that made her quietly seethe. ¡°Morwen.¡± she said softly. ¡°Lucinda.¡± Morwen replied. ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the heart of it then. I know you were at Allosius Rayshe¡¯s. I know you were likely indulging your whims. And you probably don¡¯t want my father to find out what you¡¯ve been doing behind his back.¡± Lucinda¡¯s eyes pleaded with Morwen, but she caught the former champions body posture adjust to her thinly veild threat. Lucinda¡¯s hand rested on the hilt of her spell blade. Not menacingly. Just a statement. After a tense moment, Lucinda nodded. ¡°That would be correct. What do you have in mind.¡± Morwen blinked. Lucinda¡¯s casual business like demeanor caught her off guard. She¡¯d expected some measure of pleading or at the minimum a request for understanding. But there was none of that here. Lucinda shifted smoothly into a transaction mentality. Guarded and seeking the quick out. ¡°Your lack of shame is vile.¡± Morwen said. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew she couldn¡¯t beat Lucinda. But she¡¯d sure like to try. Lucinda¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Name your price Morwen.¡± ¡°I need a ship. One with a spell drive, preferably.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Lucinda asked. Was that hope in her voice? ¡°For a short spell. I¡¯ve some leave banked from my various campaigns, and since I lack a ship or crew in the Federation, I have no pending assignments. Figured I¡¯d go explore. Find myself.¡± It was a loose lie based mostly on the truth. Lucinda¡¯s brow arched, but the champion focused on her unnaturally. Morwen had never seen Lucinda eye her like this. It was like watching someone else walk around in her skin. ¡°Well. I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for. Does your father know you¡¯re leaving?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Does he know where to?¡± ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s about the journey, not the destination kind of thing.¡± Lucinda nodded, an empty half smile of understanding. ¡°Ah. So. What do you need from me before your sojourn?¡± ¡°Money. Enough to afford a vessel. The Crasher is inaccessible to me.¡± Lucinda nodded stiffly. ¡°That seems fair. I¡¯ll arrange for something to be delivered on my way home. You¡¯ll have your vessel.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°When do you leave?¡± ¡°As soon as I put my crew together.¡± Lucinda nodded a little too eagerly, and Morwen challenged her on it. ¡°Eager to see me leave?¡± She shook her head, a genuine expression of grief passing her features. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I just think you could use some time out to let your hair down. You¡¯ve spent so much of your life in service to the Federation. Go. Explore. Find yourself. Truly. Forget this place and its troubles for a while.¡± For a moment, Morwen almost let the speech fool her. It sounded just like Lucinda used to. But the last bit sounded off. Maybe it was the prophecy. Maybe she was too untrusting. Both? Both. Morwen nodded crisply. ¡°That¡¯s the plan. Thank you for patronage.¡± She turned to leave Lucinda still in the potion shop. Strange that she would come to the exotic potion shop and not the regular vendor further up the market, closer to the Arena. What could she have purchased from here? She couldn¡¯t get there? She shook the worry free of her mind when the warm summer air kissed her skin outside. Now that she had a ship in theory, she needed a crew to run it. And she had a list of names. She began with her XO, seeing him as the lynchpin of this little adventure. His word would determine if the others came with him. If she couldn¡¯t win him over, the rest would be futile to try. Gathering up her resolve, she redirected herself to the campus quarter. This mission had to be done, and she was confident Akamori would feel the same way. None of them may have strong feelings for Eryn, but they all valued protecting innocent people from Sauridius onslaught. She paused at the mouth of the campus quarter. The marble sidewalk taking a winding path as it looped in front of all the magic schools. Akamori¡¯s scorn over her earlier behavior still burned at her. She¡¯d finally come out of her stupor, as he¡¯d said she should. He deserved to be the first to know. ¡°You were right after all.¡± She mused aloud. The warm summer air teased at her cheeks, knocking look at some stray strands of hair. She diligently replaced them within her severe pony tail. Preferring to keep her hair clear of her face. Her shoulders arched back, spine ramrod straight. She marched ahead to meet the next step of her destiny. Whatever that may be. She just hoped she hadn¡¯t soured Akamori off of serving with her so badly that he¡¯d reject her request outright. He was a reluctant ally. Making clear how poorly he felt about the Federation¡¯s conscription process. Yet it was his heart that kept him in the fight. The need to protect was a powerful one when properly motivated. All she needed to do was cater to that need. ? Chapter 70: The Next Mission Akamori¡¯s nose stung from the smoke of his burning village. His lungs ached for clean air. He and his friends were making their last stand. Embers and ash coated the air all around Hoshun. Amara and Kusinaki at his back hurled spells as his blade cut a clean arc through the air. He remained in motion like the wind of a tornado. Undead shamblers and runners alike fell to his blade as the three of them turned and adjusted to face each new threat. All around them, villagers fell victim to the attack. Homes lit up in flames. Acid ruined stone structures. Akamori¡¯s entire life was in the process of eradication. His blade cut a tight arc through the air, cleaving a decomposing head open. Rotten black brain matter dripped free of the skull as the body pitched over. He brought his arms up; the blade hummed as it severed the arms free of another corpse at the elbows. Chop, slash, stab. He moved through the katas his father had drilled into him as clumsily as he could. Fear seized his heart when he realized no matter how quickly he dealt with the enemy, their position was a loss. They were being overwhelmed. A war cry sounded through the air as his father crashed free of the forest growth, bringing his massive spell blade down. Earth erupted into the air as an invisible force tore the ground apart ahead of Kalenza. Undead and a few dragonkin hatchlings tumbled about like toys thrown by a child. Hope teased him as he and his father met each other¡¯s gaze. His breath left him as something punched through his body between the shoulders. Blood trickled down his nose and from his mouth. His gaze fell to the end of a wickedly barbed tail shaped like a massive spear tip that had punched clean through his chest. The barb connected him and his father. He watched the life leave his father¡¯s eyes. Kalenza slumped over, his jet black hair falling limply around his head. Akamori felt something cold uncoil within him. Chains snapped in the distance beyond hearing. For a brief instant, he was both here and everywhere. Akamori awoke with a start, snapping up and hurling a bolt of void energy into the wall. His chest heaved as he gulped in lung fulls of air. A cold sweat coating his upper body. Across from him, the target he¡¯d reluctantly hung after blasting his wall the first time smoked in the third ring. At least his unconscious aim was improving. He checked his chrono and sighed. He didn¡¯t have to be up yet, but he would have rather slept. He climbed out and bed and shrugged into his uniform before stopping next to the target. He reached down and fished a sponge out and scrubbed the burn marks off the target board. He¡¯d touch the ring up later with a new coat of paint. A knock at the door drew his attention. His free hand darted to the hilt of his spell blade, firmly buckled at his waist. Cracking the door open, expecting Cenine¡¯s sneering face, it honestly surprised him to see Morwen. She stood ramrod straight with her hands clasped behind her back, chin up and out. Well, so she¡¯d finally found herself again. Took her long enough. While she¡¯d been wallowing in self pity, he¡¯d been having his ass beaten and drilling to exhaustion daily. He opened the door the rest of the way and gave her a crisp salute. ¡°Captain.¡± Morwen¡¯s eye twitched, and she corrected him, reminding him of her demotion to Lt. A temporary silence settled between them as he beat himself up mentally about the lapse before she cut into it again. ¡°I have our next mission.¡± ¡°Our? Why should I take it? You sold all of us out, after all.¡± The words flew out of his mouth so swiftly. A brief flare of regret flashed through him before he reined it in. He supposed if he were being honest with himself, it was the truth. He still hadn¡¯t gotten over how the Federation was happy with just screwing them all over. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair. But it¡¯s also irrelevant. I know you didn¡¯t join the fight for praise and adoration.¡± Morwen eyed him searchingly. ¡°No. No I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I was in a tough situation. I could hold on to my pride and ego, force their hand and be executed. Or I could have suffered whatever indignation they felt like visiting upon me. Like you, I didn¡¯t join this fight for praise or glory. I do because I can where others won¡¯t.¡± Damn. He couldn¡¯t argue with that. He wanted to, but there wasn¡¯t a way to do it without sounding petulant. He sighed deeply with a nod. Resignation washing through him like a cleansing wave. ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s hear this mission of yours.¡± ¡°May I?¡± she asked. Akamori stepped out of the way, letting her into his room. Had she come by a few weeks ago, she might have been upset or put off by how messy it was. But he was forcing himself to care more about things looked. Morwen leaned closer to the target hanging in front of his bed. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting way to drill your marksmanship, Lt.¡± He ran a hand through his shortcut red hair. ¡°Ah. Yeah. Haven¡¯t been sleeping well.¡± ¡°Nightmares?¡± He paused before reluctantly nodding. ¡°Yeah. I find myself back on Hoshun as its being burned down.¡± Morwen frowned, clasping her hands behind her back. ¡°They¡¯ll pass. In time. For now, embrace them. There¡¯s much we can learn about ourselves from our pasts.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Your mission, ma¡¯am?¡± Morwen smiled. ¡°My apologies. I¡¯ve been given a new prophecy.¡± Akamori cursed under his breath. That didn¡¯t end so well for him last time. ¡°Ok. What¡¯s the sitch this time?¡± ¡°This world is in danger. From what or who I don¡¯t know. Only that if we don¡¯t want it to perish, we need to leave.¡± ¡°To leave?¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°I believe because there is training to be had.¡± ¡°Oh joy, more training.¡± Akamori grumbled just loud enough for Morwen to hear. ¡°I take it spell warrior training isn¡¯t favoring you?¡± Stolen novel; please report. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m getting it. Slowly. But it¡¯s definitely not what I expected. Everyone talks down at me because I¡¯m not some elvish noble.¡± Morwen¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Wasn¡¯t your father the clan chieftain?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°And wasn¡¯t he grooming you to take his place?¡± ¡°Eventually.¡± ¡°Sounds to me you¡¯re more noble than they are.¡± She may as well have just slapped him across the jaw. He¡¯d never considered it from that angle before. He couldn¡¯t help smile at the realization. Here she was, helping him again. ¡°Thanks Captain.¡± She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. ¡°No. You¡¯re the captain. That¡¯s how it was. How it is, and how it will be. Damn what the Federation thinks.¡± Her brows furrowed a moment as she chewed on his own statement before finally nodding. She was all business as usual. ¡°Very well then.¡± ¡°So. Eryn¡¯s in trouble. We need to go somewhere to train. Do we even have a ride?¡± ¡°That¡¯s being worked on.¡± ¡°Ok. Who¡¯s going?¡± ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d help see to that. They might be my crew, but I suspect you¡¯ll have more leverage than I.¡± He blinked and almost laughed, but her seriousness kept it trapped in the back of his throat. ¡°You really think so, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do. They listen to you and respond to you. In a way that they don¡¯t for me. Plead my case to them. For me, please.¡± System Info: New Quest: Second Verse, Same as the First. A new planet is facing peril at the hands of the Sauridius. This time it is Eryn itself. The very heart and soul (shriveled and decrepit as it is) of the Mage Federation. As before, the planet falls unless some daring heroes venture into the unknown to find the means to save the world (that¡¯s you). Happy Trails! Akamori blinked and quickly scrolled through the system missive before swiping it aside. It puffed away into motes of fire and smoke, leaving Morwen standing before him. ¡°Okay. I will.¡± He said, half dumbstruck. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d made half that much progress with the others. That was all just a ¡®let¡¯s not die in the swamp¡¯ thing. ¡°What are you going to be doing next?¡± Morwen glanced skyward. ¡°I¡¯m calling in a favor and inspecting our new ship.¡± ¡°I never figured you had enough to afford a ship.¡± Morwen turned back to him and her mask slipped enough that she allowed a faint ghost of a smile. ¡°Oh, make no mistake, I don¡¯t. This is¡­ unfortunate circumstance, being mildly fortuitous.¡± She replied. Her brows pressed closer together. Threatening to darken her face into a frown. ¡°The way our luck turned after coming home, we¡¯ll need every bit we can get.¡± ¡°Go speak to the others. See what you can do about getting them onboard. My world hinges on our success. More so, I think we might just find the weapons we need to put an end to this war. Or at the very least, begin walking the path necessary.¡± He gave her a confident nod. When she was in her element, the Captain could find a way through any problem. He was just glad to see she wasn¡¯t wallowing in self pity anymore. Maybe it was a little escape for her. Fate, however, always had better ideas. A small shiver crept up his back at the mere thought of the dreaded F word. ¡°I¡¯ll go find them as soon as I figure out a way to put this training on pause.¡± ¡°How goes it, by the way?¡± He sighed. Were they in a less professional relationship, he might have shown her the bruises that Cenine was constantly issuing him? Or the healed or stab and slash wounds from sparring. Instead, he settled for a halfhearted shrug. ¡°They¡¯re really taught me how to get my ass kicked well. Beyond that? I¡¯m not sure. The lessons aren¡¯t exactly lessons as much as don¡¯t die and take from this what you can exercises.¡± Morwen folded her arms, the thinking commander look on her face. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve a sharp wit for combat and an instinct I haven¡¯t seen rivaled yet. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re learning in your own way.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think. I have a review shortly to see if I¡¯m making any progress. The headmaster thinks she might have some ideas about where the techniques my people used originated from.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow arched upwards. ¡°Oh? That would be useful indeed. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to it then. Good luck Lieutenant. I¡¯ll contact you after I¡¯ve confirmed our vessel.¡± He nodded and awkwardly saluted her with a fist over his breast, forearm parallel to the ground. ¡°Peasant! You¡¯re late .¡± Cenine¡¯s voice issued from behind Morwen. The Captain patted him on the shoulder before turning to leave. Yes, he knew they demoted her, but he didn¡¯t care. She¡¯d earned that rank. She¡¯d always be the captain. Cenine gave Morwen a contemptuous glare as she passed the Captain. Morwen disappeared around a corner, leaving him facing Cenine. She folded her arms, looking down her too perfect nose at him. ¡°You would do well to distance yourself from her.¡± ¡°And what? Get wrapped in my own vanity and social standing? Hard pass.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll watch your tone, peasant. Or I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°What? Kick my ass some more?¡± Akamori asked. He was beyond over this. He was glad the captain came with a new mission. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just take this to the ring and have a rematch?¡± Cenine¡¯s brow lifted. The elvish noble couldn¡¯t resist a sneer at his expense. Good, he thought. Let her cling to that noble sense of superiority. ¡°Perhaps we should.¡± Cenine said, sizing him up. ¡°It would do the Headmaster good to see how little progress you¡¯ve made in your training so we can finally expel you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡± Akamori said through clenched teeth. Cenine about faced to board her golden spell fighter. He noted the minor bits of damage he could inflict on the Talon had already been repaired. All blemishes removed as if never having existed. A perfect weapon for a perfect noble. Yet, despite her looks, he found Cenine ugly. He turned back into his dorm to his spell armor that hovered in the corner. He sucked in a long slow breath and let it out through his nose slowly. It was time to see whether all the pain and suffering over the past few weeks had been enough to buy his answers. Or if he¡¯d have to suffer in ignorance. ¡°No.¡± He told himself. ¡°I¡¯m gonna beat Cenine¡¯s face into the dirt. Prove that I¡¯m worth being here. And learn where my people learned to fight.¡± He approached the armor, fully committed now. All that remained was to see to his test with Cenine and face the one thing he dreaded most in this life. Fate. ? Chapter 71: A Price Paid Heavily Erlaut fired several light bolts wreathed in fire into the room, forcing Amara into a roll. She seized Rozen from the table, clapping the book shut. She stuffed the book into her Spell Weaver¡¯s robe she wore over her armor. Luffa shook her head, muttering something as she clutched at the golden collar. The fight left Luffa as soon as Erlaut¡¯s aura flared powerfully. She backpedaled until her back met the wall and she slid down. Certain of her own death. Amara wove several void blasts in return. She hissed a muffled curse as the bolts crashed into Erlaut¡¯s radiantly flaring aura. She wasn¡¯t going to punch through that with a weak shot. She¡¯d have to focus him down if she wanted a chance of making it out of this. ¡°Luffa!¡± she barked over her armored shoulder. The green eyed primal¡¯s red eyelids blinked through a fear filled fog. Her master was displeased, and she had no intention of incurring his wrath. Amara was on her own, which suited her fine. She¡¯d been in those kinds of scenarios before. ¡°You disobeyed me!¡± Erlaut roared. More fire shrouded light bolts zipped into the room. Amara¡¯s eyes flashed gold. Time slowed perceptibly. She blinked several times. A fiery missive popped up in her vision and she recognized it as a system prompt. System Info: Maetrayopts Active. Cost 1 AetherPoint. An icon of a golden eye appeared next to her HP and AP bars. Her visual divination spell buff. Now that she had time, she studied her master¡¯s spell bolts more closely. They were level 2 spells, but still just basic bolts spells. He also wasn¡¯t aiming the bolts too carefully. Now that she had the benefit of knowledge, she felt better armed to handle the situation. She sprinted forward and tumbled over the first bolt. She watched it splash against the wall of the dorm as she tucked herself into a ball. The instant her feet hit the floor again, she sprang up and twisted with a dancer¡¯s grace. A second and third bolt flew under and over her as she twisted in the air. She hit the ground running, cutting a path diagonally across the room. Three more bolts crashed into the floor in her wake. Her right hand quickly wove a series of air signs forming compressed air bolts that snapped in off rapid succession. They crashed against his personal wards. The impact points shimmered, discoloring a wounded pink, then returning to silver. Another fire laced golden bolt streaked out in response and she twisted to avoid it. She maintained momentum and wove another air bolt, this time adding another air rune to the spell. Lightening crackled around her hand as ionized air compressed into a lightening bolt and surged out, dancing along Erlaut¡¯s ward. Wherever the bolt made contact, the runes of his ward soured from silver to pink to red. He changed tactic and held a palm out to her as his off-hand wove a series of fire runes and mixed in a light rune. Amara¡¯s Maetrayopts fed her data input based on the spell casting. System Input: Cone of Plasma. Level 3 Spell. At that level, the spell would fill the whole room with a cone of plasma that would scour everything to ash. She watched as the fire runes formed before his palm, awaiting the light rune. She quickly snapped off a pair of void bolts. One crashed into the light rune and the other dissolved most of his fire runes, effectively neutering the spell down to a level 1 fire bolt that she effortlessly evaded. ¡°Not bad, little priestess . But a true spell weaver would have simply counter spelled. Do you not know how?¡± ¡°I would.¡± She growled. ¡°If someone would teach me instead of preening in front of the students all day,¡± Amara snapped. Her casting was getting faster than it had been, though. And her dueling techniques had improved since the first time she fought with him. She relied on weapons less and thought on her feet faster. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. She knew that. Amara stopped. Folding her arms. She narrowed her eyes at him. Her golden irises shimmered with faint rainbows of reflected light. ¡°You were just testing me again, weren¡¯t you?¡± Erlaut¡¯s defensive wards dissolved and folded his arms, smiling broadly. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be the sharpest one Morwen brought back. Well done. You faced a superior threat. You thought on your feet. Improvised. You cast your spells swiftly. You didn¡¯t rely on your weapons. Remember, a mage¡¯s greatest weapon is himself foremost. Anyone who leans on baubles and trinkets is using crutches. I believe you are closer to being ready.¡± Luffa still sobbed and cowered in the corner. She clutched at the golden necklace around her neck. Erlaut regarded her for a moment and frowned. For an instant Amara thought he might actually show some compassion for the primal girl, but huffed and departed without a further word. Amara rolled her eyes and kneeled down next to her friend. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°He could have executed me.¡± ¡°It was just another stupid test.¡± She turned to look at Amara, tears clinging to her eyes. ¡°For you.¡± Amara regarded their room for a moment. Most of the scorch marks were already fading. The enchanted wood in their dorm already healing away any damage the arch mage had done. She felt like a fool now, for not having seen the test for what it was. She¡¯d been too caught up in the combat. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I should have known he¡¯d do something like this.¡± ¡°You performed admirably.¡± Rozien¡¯s muffled voice said. She blinked, startled, and they both glanced down at the enchanted tome tucked into her armor. She withdrew the dark brown leather-bound book, and it glanced up at them with an appreciative. ¡°Thank you. Had an errant spell struck me, that would have been the end of me.¡± Amara shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would have happened.¡± She glanced back at the doorway with a frown. She wasn¡¯t sure she agreed with Aerynian training method so far. It seemed very sink or swim and didn¡¯t really impart proper lessons. She only hoped Akamori was faring better than she feared. He¡¯d always been slow to learn, but his sharp intuition made it difficult to tell how and when he picked something up. She returned her gaze to Luffa, who still absently clutched at the gold rune etched collar. Her friend¡¯s stare was vacant, and Erlaut wrapped her mind in fear. In that moment, all she could do was wrap a comforting arm around Luffa¡¯s shoulder and just be there for her. That¡¯s all she knew how to do. After a long moment, Luffa finally shrugged free of Amara¡¯s hug. She rose, cleared her throat, and rubbed her cheeks dry. When she looked back down, she gave Amara a stiff nod. She didn¡¯t vocalize her thanks, but Amara could see it in her eyes. ¡°You may have passed his test, but he¡¯ll expect answers for removing the tome.¡± Luffa said stoically. Amara stood with Rozien tucked under arm. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to put me back on that dusty shelf, are you?¡± Rozien asked. ¡°No. I suspect we¡¯re far from done with you yet.¡± she said. Amara left the room, leaving Luffa behind. Her friend clearly needed some space to recompose herself. She knew Luffa was a war slave, but she wasn¡¯t sure if Luffa had actually seen any fighting. Come to think of it, she¡¯d only seen Sala on the front and that was because they directly attached him to Captain Morwen¡¯s unit. She reached Erlaut¡¯s office after padding silently through several open lectures in the main hall area. She saw younger mages learning their basic hand signs, and how to weave runes together with verb commands to execute simple spells. Most just wasted aether in fizzled attempts. A few cast a simple bolt in various elements. The bulk of successes were light aether. Erlaut glanced up from his desk with a smug look of satisfaction. He puffed on a pipe lazily. The earthy herbs snapped in embers at the small bowl at the end, a hazy cloud wafted out. ¡°Little Priestess. Excellent performance today in your pop evaluation. I was especially pleased to see an improvement in your battle sense. It brings me great pride to say you¡¯re closer to what you¡¯re becoming than what you were when you first arrived.¡± Amara sighed, trying to mask the disgust at his praise. Even when complimenting her, he still somehow put her down in the same sentence. ¡°I came to make a request.¡± Erlaut¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You seek to keep the tome.¡± Amara nodded eagerly. She studied his reaction as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. She noticed his index finger tapping the pipe in a measured beat. A song perhaps? Was he toying with her? Or mulling over the risks of letting an elder magic artifact go. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it. On one condition.¡± ¡°Name it.¡± She blurted out. ¡°I want a full report on the contents. A comprehensive one. With citations. It¡¯s been far too long since the beginning histories have been reviewed in any detail. Something I think we could all benefit from. See to that? And the tome is yours to keep.¡± Amara blinked. Rozien was a powerful artifact. To entrust it to her like that was a huge gesture of trust. She stammered for words, but none came readily. She shook her head. This couldn¡¯t be real. She waited for someone to pinch her and wake her up. She remained right here, and oh gods, she was gaping, too. Her mouth clapped shut before Erlaut commented on it. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± she bowed deeply. ¡°Yeah! Thanks!¡± Rozien said from under her arm. Erlaut waved them away dismissively. ¡°See that I¡¯m not disappointed.¡± Amara clutched Rozien tightly as she backed out of the arch mage¡¯s office. She felt the invisible tingle of the wards affixed to his door way wash over her like a magical membrane. Someday she¡¯d have to use her maetrayopts ability to puzzle out what those wards were and how they worked. It seemed a prudent measure to take, placing safeguards in one¡¯s office. She¡¯d have to study a few of her own if today was any sign. ¡°Amara, was it?¡± the tome clutched under arm asked. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You appeared to have purchased my freedom, after all. I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± She smiled softly at the tome, slipping it a friendly glance. ¡°A price paid heavily. But paid happily. A dusty shelf is no place for knowledge to sit. Besides, I¡¯m bound to find myself in some kind of trouble, eventually. So if adventures are your thing? You¡¯re in good company.¡± Amara spent the rest of the day studying the tome in her free time. Luffa kept to herself, slipping away to go do some casting training in the range. She figured the primal girl probably just needed to blow off some steam. Not that she could blame Luffa. She¡¯d never grown up a true slave as Luffa had, but Amara understood fear intimately ever since the Sauridius reduced Hoshun to ash. ¡°So,¡± she said, breaking the silence of leafing through Rozien¡¯s ancient yellowed pages. ¡°What else can you tell me about Maetraya¡¯s legends?¡± The Rozien¡¯s face pursed into a thoughtful expression. The dark leather creasing as one¡¯s eyebrows would furrow. ¡°Well, there is a legend that she saw all of creation. All of existence. All of life, and that it was so bright, and so great, that it burned her eye color away, leaving only the golden glow of light aether.¡± Amara grinned and leaned forward, looking as though she¡¯d just won a prize. ¡°Tell it to me.¡± ? Chapter 72: Is it safe? Morwen blinked incredulously. Initially, she thought Lucinda was joking, but the lack of punchline quickly made it clear this was serious. She swept her gaze from left to right and back, taking in every inch of her new ship. Ship felt like a generous word. What was she was looking at was perhaps more accurately described as the detritus of a junkyard welded together with a spell drive slapped in for added laughs? This was an exaggeration, of course, but only just. She tilted her head to the side, an eyebrow cocked upwards. ¡°Is it safe?¡± Lucinda simply nodded. Absent were the usual jokes and casual flippancy about her mortality. ¡°It is. It cost far more than it¡¯s worth, but it¡¯ll get you off world. It¡¯s the best I could do on such short notice.¡± Morwen nodded, folding her arms as she studied the vessel. Afraid that a stiff breeze may blow through and reduce the vessel to a cloud of rust billowing away. ¡°I could probably do better if I knew where you were going? What your needs were.¡± Morwen shook her head with a thin but polite smile. ¡°It¡¯s purely personal. This should suffice. I¡¯m sure if I close my eyes and think hard enough, it should pass for the Crasher. So tell me. What am I working with?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a medium-sized freighter. I had the plasma reactor gutted and threw in a second hand spell drive. I¡¯ve got a technician inside the ship now handling the retrofit.¡± ¡°How long will he need?¡± ¡°Not too long. He¡¯s an efficient worker. He¡¯s mousey, but reliable.¡± ¡°Weapons? Shields?¡± Lucinda frowned. ¡°That will cost extra, as they weren¡¯t standard.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need basic defense and offenses.¡± Lucinda gave an economic nod. The barest minimum of effort needed to convey the gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it.¡± Morwen frowned. Something in Lucinda had changed. Maybe she¡¯d gotten into a fight with her father again? She recalled her father mentioning something about not being able to trust anyone with the prophecy, and Lucinda wasn¡¯t present for any of it. Maybe she was giving away too much already. She hated not knowing for certain where the arena champion¡¯s intentions lay. Still, Lucinda had done her the favor of finding a ship. It wasn¡¯t exactly setting records as the most fanciful thing she¡¯d ever laid eyes on. She studied the hull, a dusky grey coated in vast swatches of dark crimson rust. Multiple dark stains heralded fluid leaks of all types. Morwen cautiously stepped forward, extending a finger to poke at an aged oil stain. She half expected the ship to collapse to pieces. Lucinda approached from an arm¡¯s length away. She stayed a healthy distance back and Morwen wasn¡¯t sure if it was the ship, or her father¡¯s paramour treading lightly around her. She had threatened to confront him about Lucinda¡¯s behavior. She planted a hand against the hull of the ship and sighed, turning to face Lucinda. ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°I¡¯d assumed we settled whatever transgressions existed with this.¡± Lucinda said flatly. Morwen¡¯s brows furrowed. Her head cocked to the side and Lucinda¡¯s blank expression shifted into an embarrassment and humiliation. ¡°Sorry. This is just more difficult than I thought it would be. I didn¡¯t mean for my lapse to cause you harm.¡± Morwen turned to regard Lucinda. A warm breeze teased the arena champion¡¯s bangs across her brows. There was a suppressed pain in Lucinda¡¯s eyes. Like she¡¯d been emotionally stabbed but was doing her best to put on a mask about it. That made her feel guilty about the extortion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about blackmailing you into this.¡± Lucinda shook her head. ¡°No, you deserve much more than this.¡± Lucinda¡¯s eyes glistened, but no tears fell. The retired champion maintained a stoic composure and Morwen realized that it there might be more turmoil going on beneath her exterior than she felt comfortable showing. That maybe all the drinking was to simply numb her pain. ¡°It will be enough. Thank you. Now I just need to find a technician.¡± ¡°I contracted one for you. He understands the Brotherhood¡¯s non magitech. A friend of mine from the Artificer¡¯s guild is coordinating the refit with him. Once it¡¯s finished, he¡¯ll stay on with the ship.¡± Morwen blinked. ¡°Oh. I can¡¯t imagine anyone wanting to stay shackled to this vessel. No offense.¡± Morwen didn¡¯t want to seem like she didn¡¯t appreciate the gift. But the vessel was extremely hard on the eyes. Even for someone who preferred a more rustic and military vibe than most the nobles from Aeryn. ¡°None taken. And I got the impression this was a home for him. When you¡¯ve a chance, I suggest you get acquainted with him.¡± ¡°I see. And I¡¯ve just purchased his home. Oh gods, he¡¯s not a slave, is he?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°No, would you wish him to be?¡± Morwen recoiled and shook her head. ¡°No. No, that¡¯s alright. Thank you.¡± She already had to deal with Sala looking up to her like she was some kind of savior. She wasn¡¯t sure she could handle that from anyone else. A flaming missive unfurled before Lucinda, who quickly scanned and swiped it aside. The flaming illusory scroll broke down into motes of fire aether. Small glowing embers of magic energy that cooled and winked out. Lucinda¡¯s face twisted, agony etched on her features. ¡°I have to go.¡± ¡°Of course. And thank you again.¡± Morwen wasn¡¯t sure if she should let Lucinda go so easily. Maybe if she just sat her down, and the two had a talk, they could hash out whatever was going on with her. It didn¡¯t strike Morwen as a phase. Whatever it was, it was hitting her hard. She¡¯d never seen her father¡¯s paramour so¡­ muted. She watched Lucinda leave for a few heartbeats longer before turning back to the ship. The registry laser etched into the grey hull read ¡°Rusty Raven¡± and Morwen couldn¡¯t stop the snicker. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯ve got personality.¡± She mused. She walked a perimeter around the ship. It was squat and wide. They mounted the cockpit to the right of the center. A curious design choice in her own opinion. The underside of the vessel was black with carbon scouring from so much re-entry runs, giving the ship a grey and black color scheme. It kind of reminded her of a negative of a shark. Her fingers traced rough paths across the pitted and dented hull. That implied a far greater sturdiness than its otherwise faded, rusty, and scorched appearance suggested. She caught herself wondering if the decrepit exterior was for show. That faint ember of hope extinguished as soon as she ascended the cargo ramp into the hold. Only to find it in just the same shape. It reeked of old oil stains and carbon. She sighed. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s not too dissimilar from the Crasher.¡± The air inside had a tangy taste to it, like the recyclers weren¡¯t quite fully charged. She wondered for a moment if that system would run on magic, or be powered by whatever system the Brotherhood built. She knew their vessels were primarily non magic powered. Knowing Arefhel, that wouldn¡¯t remain the case for much longer, though. The further into the vessel she strode, the less sunlight spilled into the ship from the open bay. A short corridor led straight from the aft storage bay and split left and right. She assumed going right would take her to the bridge, so she cut that direction. As she approached the bridge, she noted it lacked a bulkhead to seal it off. She frowned at the obvious safety concern. Stepping into the cockpit area, she frowned at how much smaller it was than the Crasher. This was more like an oversized fighter cockpit with a large chair in front of the primary spell drive controls that appeared to be haphazardly bolted onto the console in front of the chair. She noted there were additional controls mounted to the left and right of the pilot to facilitate additional spell functions. ¡°Well, at least we can erect wards or fire a spell cannon, eventually.¡± She mused. Just then, a pair of short legs shot out from an exposed panel in the wall. Eventually, a small mousey man wiggled out of the wall. It covered his face in grease and smudge fluids she didn¡¯t recognize. He had light strawberry blonde hair that twisted into short curls tucked under a stained cap turned backwards on his head. He pushed a pair of glasses up his nose and squinted, finally seeing her clearly. ¡°Actually, ma¡¯am, the Raven won¡¯t be able to make use of those stations until they install the cannon and I get everything all wired up.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow quirked upward, and she realized Lucinda had made mention that the other supplies would need to be installed afterwards. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am, you must be the new skipper. I¡¯m Arjun. the mechanic, technician, and everything in between.¡± Arjun¡¯s hand shot out, and she eyed it curiously. It took her an embarrassingly longer stretch of time than she¡¯d care to admit he was greeting her with a handshake. It was a mostly human custom and one rarely practiced here on Eryn. ¡°Please, call me more Morwen. And well met.¡± She extended her hand, and he pumped her hand several times with an eager gentleness. Afterwards, she studied her hand and wiped the excess lubrication fluid on the back of the seat. Arjun beamed a bright smile as he looked up at her. ¡°I have to confess, you¡¯re the first mage captain I¡¯ve had the pleasure to work with.¡± ¡°Are you familiar enough with the principles to make sure the ship stays functional?¡± That was the last thing she needed. Getting into the abyssal realm and losing power. Or certain systems giving out in critical moments. ¡°Well, I confess I don¡¯t understand all the details about magic, but on a basic level, it¡¯s essentially just energy moving from one point to another. Not too different from electricity, really.¡± Arjun shrugged, and his work overalls shifted around his small frame. ¡°I¡¯ve already handled most of the retrofits. Seems those Artificer Guild folks weren¡¯t¡¯ too keen on touching the Raven. Something about it might be cursed? Whatever that¡¯s about.¡± Morwen stifled a smirk that threatened to form. The way he casually recalled their indignant attitude towards the ship. He was oblivious or simply didn¡¯t understand enough to get the slight they¡¯d offered. Regardless, he simply didn¡¯t care. ¡°Well, if anything, I¡¯d say the curse is a good thing. What we¡¯re about to undertake will go smoother with the less attention and fanfare we can manage.¡± Arjun brightened up. ¡°Oh, the Raven can manage that in spades, ma¡¯am. In fact, she¡¯s sore on the eyes, sure. But she¡¯s got heart. I¡¯ve flown this ship for years and while I¡¯ve had some close scrapes, I¡¯ve never been worried she¡¯d let me down. Like my old man always told me. Take good care of your bird, and she¡¯ll take care of you when you need it.¡± Morwen smiled at his enthusiasm. She¡¯d been lacking that lately. Getting it from the mousey tech was a nice boon. She gave him a polite bow in thanks. ¡°I appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for the ship, and by extension, for me.¡± ¡°Are you a pilot as well?¡± ¡°Who me? No Ma¡¯am. I keep ¡®em space worthy. Flyin em is for someone better suited than I. I just get how technology works, that¡¯s all. Never been one for a fight.¡± She frowned and the small tech shifted uncomfortably, sensing he may have made a misstep. ¡°That¡¯s not to say I wouldn¡¯t. Just that I¡¯m a much better support guy than I am a direct fighter like yourself, of course.¡± Morwen¡¯s lips cracked into a smile. ¡°Flattery is a dangerous weapon, but you needn¡¯t wield it in my company, Arjun.¡± ¡°Oh, no ma¡¯am. I¡¯m just stating the obvious. Everyone knows about the Valkyrie of Tohruun.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just Morwen now. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t you show me around the ship?¡± ¡°Right this way.¡± ? Chapter 73: The Boys Akamori shifted anxiously as he strode in the 7th quarter. It wasn¡¯t the poorest on Aeryn. Somewhere above starving, and just beneath, adequately fed. Sirsir never spoke much about his family. The only reason Akamori even knew where to go was because the Sgt. had to provide a home of address for next of kin. Which also told him that the Sgt. was visiting his mother. He wore his blue gi today. His armor would not have made the best presentation. And he was starting to get used to moving without it. He still recognized the great advantages it provided, but there was something to be said for the agility he could maintain outside of it. Occasionally, during his bouts with Cenin, he allowed himself to entertain the notion of no longer donning it. Then he remembered there were things like space. And bad smells. No thanks. Akamori shrugged in his blue and gold gi. It fit a little smaller than he last remembered. He frowned, fussing at the undershirt. His mother would have made a comment about needing to get him something new made but lacking the proper silks, if she were still alive. ¡°Do it, you coward.¡± He whispered to himself. Akamori was the sergeant¡¯s commanding officer. He could do this. It was a simple task. Hand to door. Words to ears. Easy peasy. Whatever a peasy was. He rapped on the sturdy wooden door three times. There was a shuffling from within. A loud elderly woman shouted, and he heard Sgt. Sirsir¡¯s voice came much softer a beat after. The door opened an instant later and Sirsir peeked through the cracked door with a curious look on his face. He looked at Akamori and both relief and surprise flashed through his expression. ¡°WHO IS IT?¡± an elderly woman asked. ¡°IT¡¯S NO ONE MA!¡± Sirsir shouted back into the dwelling. Sirsir turned back to Akamori and slipped outside, shutting the door behind himself. Akamori needed to double take for a moment. Seeing the well banded muscled body of the Sergeant in plain clothing was weird. The two men shifted uncomfortably. Neither one of them was at ease on their leave. ¡°Alright, spill it, sir. What¡¯s the situation?¡± Akamori blinked. ¡°How did you know something was up?¡± The sgt. gave him a knowing look. ¡°Because you¡¯re like me, sir. You don¡¯t bother people on their downtime. But you¡¯re here. Which means something¡¯s up. So what is it? Out with it¡­ sir.¡± he added after a pause. ¡°Oh. Uh, fair point, I guess. Morwen¡¯s got a new prophecy. Needs our help. Says if we don¡¯t, the planet could be destroyed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Akamori blinked, the sgt. replied so quickly he wasn¡¯t sure the big guy had heard all of it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± ¡°I said. I¡¯m in. Where we going and on what? I¡¯m guessing we won¡¯t be using the Crasher right. Which means we¡¯ll need a different ride.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sorting our ride right now. I¡¯m on recruitment duty.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m your first stop? Are you tryin¡¯ to flatter me, sir? Because it¡¯s workin.¡± Akamori bit down a laugh and shook his head. ¡°No, but you¡¯re my second. I¡¯d rather know if I¡¯ve got you at my back first.¡± Sirsir nodded, more pleased with the answer, and nodded. ¡°Mmm. Yeah. Can¡¯t have my wet nosed Lt. making a mess of everything.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re in?¡± ¡°Is a dread lord a dragon?¡± ¡°The few I¡¯ve met so far, yeah?¡± ¡°Ok, good. Let me go get my stuff. And set my mama¡¯s light wine up on the stove.¡± Akamori¡¯s face twisted into an unvocalized wretch. Sirsir held up a hand, forestalling any comment. ¡°I know, I know. I told her that ain¡¯t how yer s¡¯posed to drink it, too. But she don¡¯t listen. She likes it hot.¡± ¡°What mama wants, mama gets?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The burly dark skinned NCO stepped back into the dwelling, leaving Akamori at the front door again. Sirsir¡¯s mother lived at the base of a super massive redwood. The home carved right into the wood. The tree was so massive he felt more like an ant than a human compared to it. In the distance, some chittering birds chirped a song that brought a faint smile to his face. A short wait later, Sirsir emerged with a black leather jacket on top of his white t-shirt and jeans. The non comm caught Akamori¡¯s look and paused. ¡°What?¡± Akamori could only shake his head half embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m still just trying to get used to seeing you outside your armor.¡± Sirsir leaned so close Akamori could feel the sergeant¡¯s breath against his cheek. ¡°You didn¡¯t see nothin. Are we clear?¡± Akamori laughed and nodded as the two strode off. ¡°We¡¯re clear.¡± ¡°So who¡¯s next then?¡± ¡°Well, I know Yasiin¡¯s got a place near here, right?¡± Sirsir nodded. ¡°He¡¯s never said much about it. Keeps it mostly for his people. They pass through to resupply and visit.¡± ¡°You know where it¡¯s at?¡± Sirsir gave him a put upon look, offended at the mere suggestion that his non-commissioned officer wouldn¡¯t know where everyone could be found. He wrapped a big arm around Akamori steering him towards the proper district of the quarter. ¡°C¡¯mon sir. I¡¯ll make you not completely useless. Someday.¡± He added after a pause. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Gee. Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Thank your recruiter.¡± The two shared a look and a laugh. The walk through the residential district of the quarter to reach Yasiin¡¯s apartment didn¡¯t take as long as Akamori feared. He needed to wrap all this up soon so he could take his final test before the headmaster. ¡°Stuck up nobles busted your ass around the floor in training, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± He glanced over, wondering if Sirsir had cast a scrying spell on him. ¡°Because when the captain picked you up, you were a wiry little guy. Now you¡¯re fillin¡¯ out your clothes, and you walk taller. They might be assholes, but I can¡¯t argue the results.¡± He sighed, unable to help but agreeing with the sgt. ¡°Yeah. They lack for empathy in spades. But I¡¯ve been through the ringer.¡± ¡°And looking better for it. You look like you could take on a hatchling now.¡± Sirsir play punched his shoulder. He absorbed the blow in stride as they strode through an area flush with dwarves and halflings. This was the outcast district. The walkways were a little dirtier. The shops were a little less shiny. Life here felt a little more grounded. It reminded him of home. And he realized to him that meant this place looked poorer even though one shop¡¯s worth of goods here would probably equate all of Honshu¡¯s harvests. A warm breeze carried with it the scents of cooking meat. His stomach groaned and in that moment he realized Honshu had nothing on the food these people were fixing. Sirsir heard his stomach and laughed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that good down here. I think Sala keeps most of the vendor¡¯s flush with coin.¡± ¡°He does?¡± ¡°Yeah. I think he spends most of his coin into the food shops. His way of helping.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen him eat. That guy can put food away.¡± Akamori chuckled at that, heartened to hear that his team was socially and civically involved. Sirsir led them to a ramshackle apartment. They built it from ironwood planks, scraps of bronze and ironwood sap. It reminded him of freight containers stacked side by side and covered in planks. Sirsir stuffed his massive hands into pockets just barely large enough to contain them. He glanced over to Akamori, gesturing up to the three story dwelling. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. Not sure which one specifically, though.¡± Akamori spotted some kids running about, playing tag. He stepped over into the group and kneeled down. They scattered like weary stray cats. Cautious, but curious. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden apple. He had everyone¡¯s attention now. The children crept a few tentative feet closer. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a friend of mine. A couple, actually. One has dark skin and braided hair. The other has red fur and black hair.¡± Several pairs of eyes lit up in recognition and grins all around. ¡°The first one one that shows me which of these doors is theirs gets the apple.¡± The children burst into motion in a blur. Sure enough, a fleet footed little girl reached the door first and pointed. ¡°Here!¡± Sirsir chuckled softly next to him as they strode up a set of stairs, making for the third floor. Akamori crouched and handed the little girl the apple, and pulled a few more from his gi. ¡°Here ya go. Be sure to share with your friends, eh?¡± The little girl nodded, cradling the magic fruit, and scampered off once he stood. He knocked on the door several times and Yasiin opened the door. Sala had several Nomad children hanging from his arms inside the apartment, laughing. ¡°Sir. I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d be coming.¡± Yasiin said, stepping outside. ¡°It wasn¡¯t planned.¡± ¡°Got a new mission.¡± Sirsir said. Akamori glanced inside and saw several Nomad men and women with the children. Yasiin followed his gaze in and back. ¡°My family and my partner.¡± ¡°I had no idea,¡± Akamori said, smiling at Yasiin. The soft-spoken spell sniper shrugged. ¡°To be fair, I don¡¯t say much. You mentioned a mission?¡± Akamori frowned. He¡¯d thrust himself into this crusade with the Captain because he had nothing left but his revenge for his people. Protecting Amara and Kusinaki and now his new friends. He watched Sala stand in as a playground for the Nomad children inside. The giggling and smiles were like a knife in his heart, being twisted slowly. He sighed, hating himself for what he was about to say. ¡°Yeah. The Captain is putting a team together to go save the world. Again.¡± ¡°Yeah? Which one?¡± ¡°This one.¡± ¡°So, when do we leave?¡± Yasiin said, glancing back inside again. ¡°We don¡¯t. At least, what I want to say is I don¡¯t think you guys should go. You¡¯ve got people here. And this war isn¡¯t going to slow down soon. Take the time. Spend it with your people. We may not get to again for quite some time.¡± ¡°Sergeant?¡± Yasiin said with a confused look. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me. I just stand around and make sure he doesn¡¯t get lost or drool on himself.¡± Akamori rolled his eyes, and the three of them exchanged a short laugh at his own expense. Yasiin went silent, brows furrowed in thought. It was a tough decision; he knew. The Captain needed help. But Yasiin would know he had a point. Finally, the Nomad glanced up and bowed his head. ¡°Thanks. After consideration, Sala and I will stay here. If anything, it might help to have a few of us left back in case whatever hair-brained scheme the Captain¡¯s new mission needs doesn¡¯t pan out.¡± ¡°A rear guard. I like it.¡± Sirsir nodded his approval. ¡°It¡¯s agreed then. Hold down the fort while we go try to save it. Good luck and enjoy your family time, Corporal.¡± ¡°Thanks, sir. Good luck out there.¡± ¡°Luck? I don¡¯t need luck. I have the Sergeant.¡± ¡°No one likes a kissass sir.¡± Akamori shoved Sirsir as they made their goodbyes and turned to leave. Sirsir gave him a sideways look while they walked. ¡°That was a good thing you did. He don¡¯t talk much about his people, but I think this is the first time he¡¯s seen them since he joined up with our outfit.¡± ¡°I saw his family in there and all I could think about was how much I missed my own. That I¡¯d give anything to see them again, even for a little. What about you? No pressing need to stay with your family?¡± ¡°Nah. Service is my life. Ma¡¯s got my sisters to keep her company. I was always the invisible middle child. My big sis? She got a fancy job in the Brotherhood. Keeps the family flush with enough coin to afford her place here. Little slice of paradise. Me? I couldn¡¯t just sit back and live like a fattened pig. Needed to get out. When Morwen asked for volunteers? I was first in line.¡± ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I really appreciate you offering to come along.¡± Akamori said. ¡°It¡¯s like the Captain said. We¡¯ve got leave to spend as we will. If that means we have to save these stuck up snobs from themselves? All the better. So! What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Pack your things and find the Captain at the docks. She¡¯s seeing to our ride right now. I¡¯m going to go pitch Amara.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Akamori chuckled, ¡°Thanks, I think I¡¯ll need it.¡± The two gave each other parting waves and split up. Akamori moving towards the 1rst Quarter where the Spell Warrior campus was. Sirsir heading lazily in the opposite direction as he cast a missive spell to link up with Morwen. Akamori wrote his own missive summoning Amara. He needed to get ready for his match soon. ? Chapter 74: A SpellWeaver, if barely ArchMage Erlaut deftly wove several signs before his only student Amara. She studied the speed with which he cast. The precision of his gestures. His curves were elegant, and she noticed subtle flourishes in both his wrist and index finger movements. Magic trailed and flowed from each sign to the next, responding to their appropriate signs and commands. It occurred to Amara that weaving signs was very similar to sector standard sign language in many regards. Floating in an orderly pattern next to his signs were several sketches, runes, and glyphs. Each adding additional instructions to his spell. She noted a variety of mind, fire, and a few light runes as well. When he finished, he wove the ¡°complete¡± sign, and the runes glowed with magic as they compressed and swirled into a focal point just before his hands. As soon as the spell actuated, Erlaut quickly wove a cancel sign, and the spell shattered to mana shards. He tucked his hands into the gold banded sleeves that flowed loosely from his robe. He eyed her intently. ¡°Now then, what spell did I cast?¡± ¡°A divination spell of some type. Or illusion? I can¡¯t tell. The complexity became confusing after the third order of runes.¡± Erlaut beamed proudly, giving her an enthusiastic nod. ¡°You were right both times. I was casting a divination illusion. It combines aspects and elements of each. A greater spell, if you will. The light runes weave the two together and help power the spell.¡± Amara nodded intently as he explained. She¡¯d suspected as much regarding his spell, but kept her opinions to herself on the off chance of being incorrect. While she¡¯d initially felt luke warm about his praise, she was appreciating it. Erlaut studied her for a moment and grinned. ¡°But you¡¯d already suspected, haven¡¯t you?¡± She blinked, ¡°I-what? N-no.¡± she stammered. Erlaut folded his arms imperiously. The full elven snob was on display, but he tinted it with a proud tone. ¡°Don¡¯t play coy with me. I can tell by your reaction, or rather, lack thereof.¡± She sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Sometimes he proved he was a capable instructor that paid attention. That made it much harder to fully resent him in the way Luffa did. She disliked his casual classism and even occasional racism. But she couldn¡¯t argue he was a skilled mage and a competent instructor. ¡°It irks you I know this?¡± he asked. Though it may as well have been a statement. She¡¯d noticed he had a habit of asking obvious questions simply to place himself in a conversationally superior tone. As though he deserved extra credit for the realization. She shook her head. The action stiff with denial. ¡°No. Not completely. I just wasn¡¯t aware I¡¯d broadcast my self loudly.¡± She would have to work on that in private. ¡°You¡¯ve made great progress in the short time you¡¯ve trained here. You learn quickly and with your natural gifts, I feel safe in addressing you as a proper mage. You are a full-fledged SpellWeaver, if just barely. Take pride in coming so far for a mere backwoods priestess of an agrarian world. You¡¯ve progressed more than even Luffa, limited though she is by her blood.¡± A soft-spoken ¡°Congratulations!¡± came from Rozien tucked within her armor beneath the white mage¡¯s robe atop it. Amara allowed herself a small smile, touching a hand to the book¡¯s cover beneath the robe. She felt like she¡¯d come a long way since the first time she¡¯d trained with Akamori on Morwen¡¯s ship. For once, she finally had a sense of purpose and belonging that went beyond a daily routine. Erlaut was right. She was a spellweaver now. ¡°Now go, little priestess. Take the rest of your day. Go study with the time if you like. Return tomorrow for a special gift.¡± Amara quickly rose, bowing to Erlaut before excusing herself. As she raced through the lecture halls full of younger mages she wondered where Luffa was. She wanted to celebrate and having something sweet sounded ideal. She got back to their dorm and found the primal girl holding an orb of light floating in her hands. It was so bright it almost hurt to look at. Amara knocked at the doorway before coming in. ¡°It¡¯s just me. Erlaut granted me the title of spellweaver.¡± Luffa¡¯s expression lit up as brilliantly as her wisp of light. ¡°Amara, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Amara grinned as her friend rushed forward, wrapping her strong arms around her. Amara couldn¡¯t stifle a giggle as her feet left the ground. Luffa¡¯s near draconic strength threatened to squeeze the air free of her lungs, even while in her armor. ¡°So what now?¡± Luffa asked as she set Amara down. ¡°Sweet cakes. Or whatever passes for them on this snobby world.¡± Luffa grinned and Amara was thankful their prey was a sweet confection. Guilt for cutting Luffa loose on anything sentient wasn¡¯t something she was in the mood for. The primal¡¯s eye twinkled for a moment. ¡°I know just the place. Normally I¡¯m not allowed to go on my own, but occasionally, Erlaut would bring me back something. I¡¯ve never gone there myself. His lordship would never allow it.¡± Luffa said. She rubbed at the golden rune etched collar on her neck. It glowed with pallid white runes that Amara recognized as soul runes. ¡°Well, you can go with me. Now.¡± Amara said with a grin. She wanted to steer Luffa¡¯s mood away from her servitude. She supposed Luffa was more resentful of it than Sala was. Perhaps a side effect of the hero worship he heaped on Morwen? She grabbed Luffa¡¯s hand and jogged out of the dorm, half dragging the wild-haired primal behind her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Slow down!¡± Luffa said, chuckling. Once her friend got her feet under her, the pair slowed to a more casual pace. Amara reached the market quarter with Luffa in tow. The duo did their best to ignore the withering looks from the other Aeryn citizens, but Amara secretly worried about being confronted. She wanted this to be a fun little outing. She didn¡¯t consider the social ramifications of taking a primal into the markets. Trying to enjoy herself and mentally acosting herself created an awkward body language that Luffa picked up on. ¡°You¡¯re worrying again.¡± Amara blinked and glanced at Luffa. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just concerned.¡± Luffa squeezed her across the shoulder. A gesture Amara felt even through her armor. She smiled and leaned into her friend. Luck was on their side as they made it to a small cafe that smelled of cookies, pastries, and many brewed drinks. Luffa halted in her tracks, nose working furiously. ¡°My gods, this smells heavenly.¡± Amara grinned, tugging the primal to the door. Her grin faded when they entered, and an Aeryn waitress intercepted them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss. Warslaves aren¡¯t permitted inside without their collar masters.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ArchMage Erlaut¡¯s student. He entrusted her to me and asked that I tend to her as a reward for good marks. Should I tell him you denied us?¡± The waitress shook her head as recognition sank in. ¡°Ah no! ArchMage Erlaut and his confidants are always welcome here. Please come have a seat.¡± Amara tugged Luffa along before anyone else protested. The withering gazes was enough to wilt. Doubt seeped into her positive mood. The server showed them to a booth with a series of wards on them. She channeled her Maetrayopts and scanned them. System Info: Privacy Wards. Magnitude 5. Whomever wove these together had some extreme skill and power. No mortal ears or eyes will hear what¡¯s transpires inside. The perfect place for underhanded deals and business in a society flush with riches and loose with morality. Both Amara and Luffa grinned excitedly as they took their seat in the booth. A strange sensation pouring over them as they passed within the ward¡¯s field of effect. As they did, all the outside sounds pulled away from them. No one looked their way anymore. It was like falling into a void portal. Luffa peered and whispered conspiratorially. ¡°It¡¯s so strange that we just sat down and no one even cares after a few moments ago. I thought they were going to throw us out. You were amazing, by the way. I¡¯ve seen no one use the nobility to make someone nearly wet themselves like that.¡± Amara blushed, half burying her face in her hands. ¡°Noooo.¡± She said through a half chuckle. She finally relaxed and sighed. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t stomach them treating you like that.¡± Luffa¡¯s mischievous smile faded a few levels. The light in her eyes dimmed and Amara saw genuine sadness there. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is here,¡± Luffa said. The primal girl¡¯s gaze was off in the distance. She caught movement from the corner of her eye and saw a server approaching them. ¡°May I get you two¡­ ladies anything?¡± The server asked after an awkward pause when she spotted Luffa within the privacy booth¡¯s ward. ¡°Two sweet rolls and two honey teas with boba.¡± Amara said. The server retreated to fetch their orders. Amara and Luffa settled into comfortable, idle conversation. Amara sharing tales of her time as a priestess. Luffa of her scant few memories of her home world. A short period later, the server returned with a tray, ferrying the rolls and tea. Cinnamon, honey, and sugar teased at their nostrils in a tag team of flavors. Both of their stomachs growled in anticipation. The two glanced down and then back up and shared a brief chuckle before digging in. Amara couldn¡¯t stifle the moan as her tastebuds fell under assault from the roll. After wolfing down the pastry, she rinsed her pallet with the tea. When they finished, they each wiped off their mouths with napkins, leaned back and sighed almost in unison. Amara shook her head in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever eat anything better than that.¡± Luffa smiled, but it barely concealed the pain that welled up beneath her mask. ¡°It was good that I¡¯ll grant. But I often wonder if my people made food like this. What they must have been like.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read they were proud warriors. They probably didn¡¯t excel in culinary art too much.¡± Amara noted softly. ¡°True. You have little time to spend in a kitchen when you¡¯re practicing your blade work.¡± Amara paid for the meal, then slipped free of the privacy barrier in the booth. As she did, a fiery sparrow hovered in flight before her. She blinked with a start and reached out for it to land. As it did, it transformed into a flaming missive. ¡°We need to talk. - AS¡± She rolled the missive up and tucked it into her armor next to Rozien. ¡°I have to go meet with Akamori. I¡¯ll catch up, ok?¡± Luffa nodded, and the two parted ways at the cafe entrance. Luffa returning to the spell weaver college, and Amara venturing towards the spell warrior college. Amara approached the warrior campus and the artful shrubbery and pools gave way to marble statues of great warriors long past in various heroic poses. She continued her contemplative walk towards the dorms. Golden spell fighters rose and landed in the quad. The soft metallic song of blades clashing in the distance added to the melodic hum of musical birds. She knocked at Akamori¡¯s door twice and it opened swiftly to reveal him out of his armor in his training gi from Honshu. Her brow¡¯s furrowed. She hadn¡¯t seen him wear his clothing from home since they¡¯d been conscripted. She touched her breastplate contemplatively. The Captain¡¯s conscription spell written across her soul. ¡°Good, you came. Cap¡¯s got a new mission.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± With that, he invited her in. ? Chapter 75: Amara Amara stepped tentatively into his dorm. It looked better than she¡¯d last seen. The slightly disheveled look to his room was gone. The place was tidy now. His armor floated in the corner, gently spinning in a slow circle in place. Curiously, the target in front of his bed was still there. She needed to ask him about that. ¡°Hey.¡± He said, breaking the silence. Akamori took her in and gave her a nod. ¡°You look good. The robe over the armor suits you. Even the book.¡± ¡°The book has a name.¡± Rozien groused. Akamori blinked, laughed, and gestured for her to take a seat. He turned to pluck a towel from a rack and wiped his face with his back to her. She couldn¡¯t help noticing the scars from the injuries he¡¯d sustained over the past few months. It was like his whole body had callused over. She only hoped his heart wouldn¡¯t. ¡°The Captain has a new mission for us.¡± She blinked in shock. ¡°And you want to go?¡± She privately had doubts about charging back into the thick of it for the Federation. She¡¯d seen a lot of ugliness here on Eryn. She got the impression the nobility had mistreated the legacy they¡¯d been given. It was hard to want to honor her initial commitment after having seen what she had so far. And yet, his body language told a different story. He sighed, shoulders and head both drooping in reluctance before he finally nodded. ¡°Yeah. Something big is going to happen here. Something stronger than we are now. If we don¡¯t go into the Abyss looking for some planet in the dark for mysterious power. This place dies.¡± Amara shook her head, stunned. So many questions. So little time. ¡°We can¡¯t stop it?¡± ¡°Not at our current strength. The prophecy was pretty clear on that. Failure to leave meant the death of this world.¡± ¡°And if Aeryn falls, the Federation will crumble. The Brotherhood of Man has no love for mages. Honshu would just be the start¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d be a little ass mad about not having mages either, in an all magic war.¡± Akamori said. She smiled at that. He always tried to see things from a different perspective. It¡¯s what made him so cunning on the battlefield. He fought with a kind of focus most would envy. ¡°And the Captain wants to take us into the Abyss to find this mystery world so we can return and save the planet.¡± He shrugged and nodded. ¡°Worked for Hidros.¡± He had a point there; she had to admit. ¡°True. It sounds easy enough. I just wonder at the cost.¡± ¡°All I know is the cost of inaction is far greater than acting.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯m in. Though I¡¯m not happy with how Command wants to just rob us of our awards and shovel them at Rayshe as if he were there.¡± Akamori sat down on his bed heavily. The springs and frame of the mattress creaked under his weight. He heaved a short sigh. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not happy with it either. But she¡¯s committed to doing this on our own. They¡¯ve made it clear they want to split us all up and play slap ass political games in the middle of a war. I¡¯m just here to make sure the bastards that flattened my home don¡¯t get a chance to do it again to any other world. Including this one.¡± She noted the hesitation before he added Eryn to the list. She, too, had developed some doubts about society here. The treatment of non nobility, and the war slaves being prime issues. She wondered if Aeryn had intended for things to go like this. If Maetraya would have been ok with it. Her thoughts returned to Luffa. The one real friend she¡¯d made in her time here. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Get your gear and meet the Captain. She¡¯s sorting our ride out. Once everyone is ready, we take off.¡± Akamori said. He marched over to his armor and pressed the mind rune. The armor going pink and translucent as it partially phased out of reality before hardening around him. She canted her head at him, curious about what he was suiting up for so soon. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± He rolled his arms, windmilling them and limbering up. She¡¯d recognized the routine, but it was more detailed now than it had been previously. He was definitely stepping up his physical fitness routine. ¡°Me? I¡¯ve gotta go take an assessment test to gauge what I¡¯ve picked up.¡± ¡°You have to go fight the head master don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She giggled softly at the frankness of his affirmation. ¡°They¡¯re consistent at least. Hopefully, you¡¯ve been learning something.¡± He frowned and offered an uncertain shrug. He wore the armor well. He filled it out differently than she¡¯d remembered. Funny how just a few months of effort could change things. ¡°I guess so. How to get stabbed and not bleed out so much?¡± Amara winced at that. ¡°Ouch. That good, huh?¡± Akamori sighed, leaning back on the bed, propping himself up. He kicked his feet back and forth the way he used to idly in the streams back on Honshu. ¡°There just haven¡¯t been a lot of lessons, really. It¡¯s frustrating that I¡¯ve got all these gaps in my knowledge, but I don¡¯t feel like they¡¯re being addressed. Most of what I¡¯ve been training is my body.¡± ¡°Surely that can¡¯t be all of it?¡± ¡°Small stuff I guess. Cenin took me out and taught me piloting. Sort of.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Oh? That sounds fun.¡± ¡°It was more, more painful than it sounds.¡± Amara¡¯s brow furrowed, trying to imagine how learning to pilot could be painful. He held a hand up, stopping her from asking. ¡°It¡¯d take too long to explain. I need to get going to my review. We can catch up then, okay?¡± She nodded, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll let you know which pad to be at once I find the captain.¡± Akamori gave her a thumbs up, and she returned it. She headed for the door to excuse herself when he called out to her. ¡°Oh, and Amara? It¡¯ll just be you, me, the sarge, and Captain Morwen.¡± ¡°What about Sala and Yasiin?¡± ¡°Yasiin¡¯s family is visiting. I thought it was best if he stayed with them. I have nothing left, but if I did? I¡¯d want to spend more time with them than I did.¡± She gave him a pained smile. She understood his feeling there. She wished she could see the temple priests just one more time. It didn¡¯t feel right going about her day without them in her life. ¡°Well, all the more reason for us to pull off another save, then.¡± ¡°For Yasiin¡¯s family,¡± Akamori agreed. ¡°For Yasiin¡¯s family.¡± With that, she let herself out, and back into the pleasantly warm summer afternoon outside. Singing birds and a faint buzzing of insects filled the air. She paused and took a deep breath, drawing it in through her nose and letting it out slowly through her mouth. The soft warm breeze tasted of honey. She needed to let Erlaut know she¡¯d be leaving. She wasn¡¯t sure how he would take the news and wasn¡¯t sure how to bring the topic up with him. She needed help. It was time to link back up with the captain. She looked at the horizon towards the star port in the adjacent quarter. Weaving a few simple fire and mind signs, she cast a seeker spell. The magic swirled into the form of a small songbird with long feathers breaking away from its tail, making it look like it had two long tails. It flapped its glowing fiery wings and chirped merrily at her. A beat later, it spun and flew off to find the Captain. A short walk later, Amara found herself at the star port feeling lost. Her seeker spell had taken her to a landing pad with a rusting freighter parked at it. Unease set in as she feared she¡¯d taken a wrong turn, or maybe she¡¯d been misdirected. She nervously chewed at her bottom lip, debating about turning back. ¡°Ah, Amara, welcome. I take it Akamori sent you?¡± ¡°Captain?¡± Amara said. She spun and saw the Captain wearing her Federation dark blues. Less the full captain¡¯s rank following her demotion. She quickly averted her eyes trying not to make it obvious she¡¯d been staring. ¡°It¡¯s ok Amara. There¡¯s no use in beating around the subject. Yes, I¡¯ve been demoted.¡± Several things hit Amara all at once. First, she¡¯d addressed her by name and not rank. Second, she wore her demotion proudly. Like a badge of honor. Amara wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d expected that. ¡°You¡¯re proud of it?¡± Amara asked with a nod towards the gold bar on Morwen¡¯s uniform collar. Morwen brushed a few fingers over the rank as she glanced down. When she looked back up at Amara, there was something there in her eyes. A wistful look she hadn¡¯t seen from the normally stoic Cap-er lieutenant. ¡°It¡¯s a reminder that this war has costs. Every action a price. Some are small, some large, but there is always a cost. It simply falls to us to decide what we¡¯re willing to pay. I sacrificed my pride and ego to win us the battle. Though I fear it may have cost us the war.¡± Morwen¡¯s lips twisted into a slight frown as she finished her thoughts. Amara placed a comforting hand on the beleaguered commander¡¯s shoulder. It was strange the captain never wore armor. Amara found the benefits absolutely outweighed the deficits. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what we¡¯re here to prevent, right?¡± Morwen refocused on Amara and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. If what I¡¯ve seen is any sign, we¡¯ll have our work cut out for us yet again.¡± ¡°Another vague prophecy with few clues pitting us against an impossible situation to overcome with few resources at hand to do it with?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Akamori said you were the sharp one. I¡¯m pleased to see how sharp. Yes. Quite so.¡± ¡°I cheated.¡± She admitted sheepishly. ¡°He told me about what we¡¯re up against and what the odds were.¡± Morwen waved the thought away dismissively. ¡°He was only doing what any good commander should. Prepping his team.¡± Amara thought it was odd that she designated the mages to Akamori and not herself. Maybe the Ca-er¡­ lieutenant felt herself outside of that group. Or above it? She made a mental note to ask about that when things seemed less life and death. The idea the commander was under some burden only she intended to carry worried Amara. ¡°Speaking of preparations, I trust your training in the Weaver school has progressed?¡± ¡°Oh! Yes. Elder Weaver Erlaut felt confident in referring to me as a Spell Weaver finally. He said it was a momentous achievement for a lowly priestess.¡± Amara said dryly. ¡°Yes, he always was one to cut you down while praising you. It appears to be a talent many learn here. Come along then. I¡¯ve been trying to build a library to study while we chart our course into the unknown.¡± ¡°A library, you say?¡± Rozien floated free of Amara¡¯s robe, blinking up at Morwen owlishly. Morwen did her best to stifle her curiosity, Amara could tell from the slight twitch of her left eyebrow up. ¡°I see you¡¯ve gotten a head start.¡± Amara retrieved Rozien, wrapping a protective arm around the enchanted tome as she laughed nervously. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a long story.¡± She did her best to bite down the panic, but she trusted Morwen. And Erlaut had given his blessing to take Rozien free of the library. Deep breaths. ¡°A story I¡¯d be interested in hearing. Come, let¡¯s see what we can find out.¡± Morwen ascended the loading ramp, and Amara followed her. The tangy smell of lubricants and the acrid bite of charged ozone tickling her nose as she stepped into the ship. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but welcome to the Rusty Raven.¡± ¡°Is this safe?¡± Amara asked, clutching Rozien a little tighter who gave disgruntled muffles beneath her arms. Morwen chuckled, ¡°As safe as we¡¯ll get. I¡¯ve no promises. No debts to call in. No secret resources or trump cards. We¡¯re at rock bottom here, facing an absolute mountain of a challenge. I wouldn¡¯t begrudge you wanting to back out.¡± Amara shook her head steadfastly. ¡°No. I want to help.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Morwen said, stepping beyond a doorway into the ship. ? Chapter 76: The Golden Well System Info: Test time: Headmaster Avreone has requested your presence to test the improvement you¡¯ve made during your training. Don¡¯t screw it up. Akamori stood before the empty barrier of the arena, bouncing on the toes of his boots to bleed off excess nervous energy. He needed to shake the restless feeling that had been building up in anticipation of his review fight with the Headmaster. He windmilled his arms several times. An exercise to loosen up and bring his heart rate under control by redirecting tension. Avreone looked bored and disinterested. Her apparent apathy with him stoked his anger deep down. Anger was useful and fast becoming a comfortable emotion. Anger at the destruction of his village. At the deaths of his family and friends. Anger with the bastards who thought they could do whatever they wanted without caring for the others. Anger at every asshole on this too perfect world with thier too perfect attitudes. Avreone stepped into the arena, ring all grace and lethality. She drew her spellblade hilt and fed it with some magic. A compressed blade of pure aether ignited with a soft hun. The blade looked like a solid crystal that glowed with feathered edges. She finally lifted her gaze to regard him, pinning him in a place like a hawk staring down a field mouse. Only this time, the field mouse had spent the last few months getting its ass kicked repeatedly. He was tougher now than he had been, and while there may not have been many combat specific lessons, he¡¯d paid attention and picked up a few tricks. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see how far you¡¯ve come.¡± Akamori strode forward with a hand on the hilt of his blade. It vibrated in his hand eagerly. His armored boots struck the stone floor heavily as he stepped towards the gold rune etched ring at the base of the arena¡¯s perimeter. His skin tingled beneath his armor as he passed through the protective and nullifying wards. He drew his blade free of its scabbard. The Honshu mythril steel had gleamed darkly in the war college¡¯s ambient gold light. He assumed a ready position, his feet shoulder width apart and blade tip facing Avreone. His gaze sat at her waist so he could watch her feet. ¡°Always watch your opponent¡¯s feet. The eyes, the face and waist can always move or face deceptively. But a man¡¯s feet will always betray the truth of his intent.¡± His father¡¯s words echoed in the back of his mind. He took a moment to scry her base stats. System Info: Perception Check Results: Name: Avreone Divinity Rank: Mortal Magic Rank: 4 Avreone studied him silently. A polar contrast to the sneering jests of Celine. Like two weary jungle cats, the pair began circling each other. Akamori¡¯s body remained tense, like a drawn bowstring. Avreone¡¯s movement slowed. She¡¯d finished taking her measure of him. Time slowed, like being trapped in the maw of a black hole. The elvan spell warrior blurred forward with her blade lunging for him. He brought his blade up to parry, but she flowed around his clumsy attempt like water. She slid below his blade and into his guard. She knifed out a palm strike for his kidneys and stabbing pain lanced into his side. A pained grunt hissed through his clenched teeth. Akamori twisted, the pain in his side flaring like a hot fire poker stuck between his ribs. He slashed out with an awkward backhanded sweep that Avreone effortlessly evaded before drawing her own blade across his shoulder. Blood trickled freely from the shallow wound. In response, Akamori did the only thing he could think to, channeling his air magic through his arms and hands. His AP gauge dropped a point as the magic flowed from him to blade. He whispered a soft prayer to the air mother, and his blade thrummed and vibrated like a struck tuning fork. ¡°You¡¯ve shown that spell often.¡± Avreone said. Akamori didn¡¯t reply with words. Instead, he launched into a flurry of blows. His blade drew sparks each time it crashed into the headmasters blade. He responded with an open palm strike to his stomach and followed with a light bolt spell at point blank. His armor blunted most of it, but he was still forced back to the edge of the arena. Avreone studied her blade for a moment and found its edge riddled with notches and dents from his strikes. A few cracks threatened to spider web out on the blade. Avreone¡¯s eyes glowed with white and gold magic as he trailed a hand along her blade several times like a wet stone. When she finished, he noted her sword had returned to its previous luster. The act cost her aether points, which he felt a better trade. She eyed him with casual interest now. Was that the beginning of a grin? ¡°Fascinating tactic. You either ruin my blade, or cost me points to mend the damage. And now you know I can repair it as well.¡± Akamori maintained his stance and resumed his slow circling of his headmaster. She was giving him way too much credit, but his father had counseled him against giving away free intelligence. If she felt she was underestimating him, then doing away with the idea he was as good as the now thought wouldn¡¯t help him. A heartbeat extra passed, and the two crossed blades again. Avreone opened with a conservative slash. Akamori parried the strike away and rebounded with a followup slash that threatened her torso. She casually sidestepped the attack, flicking her blade out in an improvised stab. Akamori twirled his blade, a small gust of air assisting the reaction as his sword knocked the aether blade away. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He needed to be faster than her. Instinctively, he knew his void magic could allow him to teleport, using the umbral plane to change his geo-spatial position. That would have to do, he mentally decided. Her blade flashed in for his chest. Now! He spent the aether points feeding the magic into his armor. His skin tingled as the spell opened a body sized hole in reality that he fell into. The Umbral Plane wrapped him in cold, dark silence. He immediately felt uncomfortable in the dark as a primal fear took root. He was being watched. Light blinded him as an Akamori shaped hole appeared made of pure light. He emerged in the light plane behind her. Avreone responded with a reverse stab of her blade. An instant before impact, he channeled another blink spell and fell back into the dark. This time, he popped back into existence to her flank and two spells. A lightning bolt head on, and a void bolt to his side. Avreone squared her shoulders and blocked the lightning strike head on. Defensive wards flared to life and discolored under the frontal assault. She withstood the frontal attack no worse for the wear until she cried out in pain as a blast caught her in the back. Behind her, a small portal stitched itself shut. She turned back to him and channeled more magic to heal the wound on her back that dissolved flesh down to bone and sinew. She let the rags of her shirt fall free and his cheeks flushed as he immediately glanced away. She studied hun for a moment, but confusion was evident. ¡°While it was an interesting tactic, you burned a lot of magic in a very short span. Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only advantage I have right now. Pound for pound, you¡¯re the better one with a blade. My only advantage is surprise and magic. Does me not good if I don¡¯t make use of it.¡± She pieced together his plan and nodded approvingly. Her spellblade hissed and drew itself back into the hilt. His own weapon thrummed in disappointment. He sheathed the blade with a pat on the hilt. There¡¯s always be more fights. ¡°That will do, I think. When you came to us, you were little more than a child with a blade. Fighting on pure instinct. Over the course of a few months, you¡¯ve grown. Your strategies are more aware, less reactive, and show the makings of a great warrior. You¡¯re not there yet, but you can be if you stay the course.¡± He blinked. Her assessment carried none of the usual demeaning he¡¯d grown used to. She spoke to him almost like his father might. He felt his throat tighten at the thought and swallowed the grief down hard. ¡°Thank you. Does this mean you¡¯ll tell me more about my style?¡± She smirked and nodded reluctantly. ¡°If you could string such a word to it. But a promise is a promise. Yes. Cenine, could you grab my spare top from my office, please?¡± ¡°At once.¡± He sighed at the reaction. Ah well. Guess there was no use in getting bent out of shape about it. She did try it seemed. ¡°The stance you use looks a lot like Bahumet¡¯s stance, but it¡¯s sloppy. Unrefined. It comes from the dragon wings. Bahumet was revered as the greatest warrior the dragons ever produced. He was called the Destroyer on many occasions.¡± He set aside how the originator of the form was called the destroyer. Again, the name bounced around his mind. Familiar and distant, like a locked away memory. ¡°Ok. So I¡¯m rusty. What makes it so special?¡± ¡°It favors aggression. Power, speed, and offense. But you lack a firm enough grasp of it to full use it. You still largely react to your opponents. Your wit has served you well, but if you give up the initiative to your enemy, you allow them to dictate the terms of the engagement.¡± ¡°So once I fully understand the stance, I can be a more capable swordsman.¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± He frowned. His mission with Morwen weighed heavily on his mind. How could he ever improve if he never had the time to? He supposed it was asking the galaxy too much to hold itself together long enough to give him 6 good months to train. ¡°Speak your mind, apprentice.¡± ¡°I have to leave. Soon. It¡¯s¡­ important. But I¡¯ll finish my training when I return. I swear it.¡± ¡°I believe you.¡± She said finally, after a long moment. ¡°And just to make sure, there¡¯s something else I want to give you.¡± She turned and took a replacement top from Cenine mid stride. He followed her out of the arena. The pair made their way to the grand temple. Past a contingent of golden armored knights. Down a winding marble staircase deep into a cavern that glowed the deeper they progressed. Akamori stood at the foot of the stairs, blinking. A large golden pool sat before him. This close to the pool, he felt peaceful, serene. He turned to Avreone curiously, and she gestured for him to advance on the pool. ¡°Go. Drink. This is the golden well. We give few permission to allow access to the pool, but as a light wellspring, death is rare. Seeing as in one such individual with permission to allow access, I¡¯m giving you permission to drink. Go.¡± He turned back to the golden pool, or felt welcoming, like a warm fireplace in the cold. He approached and kneeled down. It was thicker than water, white and golden, with motes of gold winking here and there. Both his armor and blade felt anxious. This was the polar opposite of the void. He reached down with gauntleted hands into the wellspring. His hands tingled from the raw magical power contained in the pool. Slowly, he brought a handful to his lips and drank. Unlike the void, this was warm, welcoming, and sweet. He quickly went after a second and third scoop. He drank eagerly and suddenly he wasn¡¯t in his own body anymore, but the mind of a god. ? Chapter 77: Hope of the future Smoke stung his, no, her nose as she looked at the scry screen directly at the fire of the ship. Damage icons sprinkled the massive kilometers long ship. Officers all around her barked reports to each other, but she stood firm, like the eye of a hurricane. The calm in her storm. Below her lay the chunk of rock that would eventually become the world known as Eryn, the smaller consciousness of Akamori realized. Another explosion rocked the ship hard, and she staggered, gripping the golden control sticks tightly for support. The ship¡¯s orbit was decaying, and if she didn¡¯t act soon, it would be lost forever. She channeled a spell that allowed her to roll out the flow of time and actions. The accompanying consciousness of Akamori recognized it somehow. This was true godsight. Aeryn unraveled the flow of time in all directions, looking for any way to make the best of this. The war was lost. She would die this day. Those two elements were certain. The void armies had seen to their task well. But perhaps she could give the future a fighting chance. She touched a hand to her chest, where all her magic would have swelled. The drawback of maintaining a body into godhood, but it made interaction with the plane easier. That and she¡¯d begun as a mortal with a body and couldn¡¯t see a more fitting way to end. In the distance, all existence buzzed. The keening approach of a god. Aeryn rose and placed a hand on her best friend¡¯s shoulder. She fought back the moisture building up in her eyes. ¡°Order all survivors to the escape pods.¡± ¡°But Aeryn¡­ we¡¯ll die down there. There¡¯s nothing but rock.¡± She gave Rozien a lopsided smile. She¡¯d settled on a plan of action. Sacrifice now to invest in a thread of the future. The future was fluid, but the threads of now were all but certain. ¡°Everything will be alright. Now go. Before I stuff my boot up your rear.¡± Rozien snapped off a crisp salute that looked vaguely Federation like to Akamori as he watched through Aeryn¡¯s eyes. Rozien¡¯s eyes glistened with unshed tears. He nodded stiffly to her and took a step back. ¡°I won¡¯t let them forget. I¡¯ll make sure we stay prepared.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the end.¡± she said. ¡°Simply the dawn of a new epic.¡± Rozien finished. And then he was off. She turned and faced the scry display again. Once the last escape pod ejected, she summoned her divinity about her. Sheer willpower made manifest. A blink of the eye later, she was in space. As large as a star. She rested a continent sized hand on the damaged spell ship she¡¯d dedicated her life and godhood to. This war hd taken so much from the fleet. From her people. From her. She wove an elaborate series of runes and attached a final spell to the ship. And then it was off, to safely rest until it was needed once again. ¡°Goodbye, old friend.¡± She whispered softly. Behind her, the glittering specks of light that were the escape pods descended below to the surface. The keening buzz of reality grew until it finally ceased and a man shaped nebula appeared before her with a sword so black it devoured all light. The Godslayer. An ancient weapon. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the man shaped nebula cried in a magical voice that defied physics. ¡°This confrontation shouldn¡¯t be taking place for centuries. You could have run. Hid. Anything!¡± Morfayus was confused and shocked. Good. Maybe the idea of finally confronting her destiny made him uncomfortable. She wasn¡¯t sure how much of him was still in there after Sauridius latched his claws into him. ¡°Yeah, well, I never enjoyed farting about. So let¡¯s get this over with, yeah?¡± Akamori liked her attitude. She reminded him of Morwen. Thanks. I think? Aeryn thought back to the small presence riding shotgun in her mind. Akamori abruptly ceased all thought like prey in the light. Oh, don¡¯t be shy. You¡¯re just along for the ride. So see what you need to see, and enjoy the show. Akamori¡¯s disembodied consciousness nodded, he thought, and Aeryn¡¯s focus returned to her spell weaving. On and on she wove. Air, Water, Earth, Light, Void, Fire, Soul, and Mind. The spell was so complex Akamori couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Though he felt confident Amara could figure it out if she were watching. He also got the impression this was something she could have easily handled by just channeling the magic with her will. Oh, I could. But hardcasting is still fun. And besides, it reminds me I used to be mortal ; she thought to him. ¡°What are you doing, little godling?¡± Morfayus asked, his arm holding Godslayer firmly, but relaxed. ¡°Simply placing my bet on the future. That¡¯s all. A present sacrificed for the hope of a future.¡± The dream lord stayed his executioner¡¯s hand. He allowed Aeryn to finish weaving her spell, and then she finished. ¡°It is done.¡± She said with a pleased smile, looking at her chest. In the exact spot Godslayer plunged the very next instant. She grunted as the blade carried her down to the soil. She crashed into the barren rock of the world. Then her hands reached up to grip the blade, even as it sank down into the soil. All the aspects and planes of magic rippled out of her body and out to the barren rock behind and around her. The magic washed out over the landscape, terraforming it. Massive trees sprang up from the soil along with rolling grasslands. Rivers, lakes, and oceans bubbled up. Clouds and clear blue skies emerged. In a few minutes, the moon was a habitable lush world, creating a new home for her crew. The scene and light faded, leaving himself there before a glowing orb in a blank void. Aeryn then appeared, holding a crystal. It glowed a soft, whitish yellow, and she held it out to him. ¡°You¡¯ll know what to do with this later.¡± He took the crystal and something within in clicked into place. A missing piece that had finally been restored. Within him he could see a grid of 8 laid out in a circle, with himself standing in the center. Glowing crystals floated in the locations he¡¯d infused with magic. Air. Water. Void. Light. That left 4 more. He could feel tremendous power swell within himself. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yes, you can feel it, can¡¯t you? That¡¯s good kid. And unfortunate.¡± Aeryn frowned. ¡°Unfortunate?¡± Aeryn nodded solemnly. The glow she emanated subdued, like her tone and mood. ¡°Fate has a way of grinding us down. Stepping on our dreams and planting itself like a weed in the garden. Only it can¡¯t be pruned. It grows larger and wilder. Incapable of being ignored. Already it has left its mark on you. No doubt as she¡¯d intended. But you¡¯re no standard mortal, are you?¡± Aeryn folded her arms and drifted closer to him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, and he felt himself wither under her gaze. It was like having a parent scrutinize you after coming in dirty from playing outside. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it, haven¡¯t you? Whispers of what was and what will be. You have the stink of prophecy all about you. Her doing, no doubt. I can¡¯t say the name, but this smacks of her handiwork. Keep your wits about you, and you may yet see another sun.¡± He had so many questions, but before he could ask any of them, it was over. He blinked his vision back into focus. He¡¯d been seated in a lotus position by the pool. He pressed a hand to his chest to see what magic he¡¯d been infused with. System Info: Magic gained. Blessing of Light. This will prevent your soul from being bound or your aether from being corrupted. This makes you immune to a number of binding and magical corruption attacks. He frowned as he studied the system missive. He understood the basic benefits of the magic, but he was a little disappointed he didn¡¯t get more magic. Being able to heal injuries would have been nice without depending on potions. Beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers, though. He inspected his gear, noting the whitish golden streaks in his azure armor, and the extra few inches his blade had grown. Empowered , the blade thrummed. As you grow¡­ I do too. ¡°Oh. Interesting. So uh¡­ what do I call you? Sword or blade just feels clumsy.¡± Thanaton . Simple enough. ¡°I¡¯m Akamori. Looks like we¡¯re partners.¡± Soulbound , the sword thrummed back. Was the blade annoyed? ¡° Yes !¡± it hissed back. He could actually feel the agitation in the blade. Er-Thanaton. Gain more magic, grow in strength, and I, too, grow. He examined the blade, and a number of runes and etchings were highlighted. The air infusion had enhanced its ability to channel air magic. The void infusion had given it 1 point of armor piercing and the water infusion had given it 1 point of defense to apply to his total. He whistled softly, pleased. Initially, he¡¯d worried about the blade growing longer and making it unwieldy. However, he found the weapons¡¯ balance and handling comfortable, almost like a memory. You remember your previous incarnations. Like me, you have traversed the realm many times in the past. Like me, you will grow in your power. Akamori peered down at his blade curiously, contemplating the words but quickly dismissing them. ¡°That¡¯s a lot to process from a talking sword. So I¡¯m gonna carry on. We¡¯ll revisit that idea later.¡± Or never. He stood up, noting that the headmaster was no longer here with him. He wondered how long he¡¯d been in his trance. His scabbard clacked against the floor as he went to stand and he had to shift it from his belt to mounting on his back. He tested the draw on it several times, taking the opportunity to get familiar with the changes in his equipment. As he drew the blade and assumed his stance, the blade thrummed its approval. Each time he drew the blade and took up his combat stance, he could see the air magic dancing up and down the blade freely now. Clumsy, but you will grow. We will grow. He concluded his practice after several more iterations, confident the action wouldn¡¯t feel too clumsy when he needed it to count. ¡°Are you casting that air magic yourself or is that your innate stats kicking in?¡± My own magic. My own store of magic. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve got your own AP now?¡± Yes. I can add my aetherpoints to your spells. He liked the sound of that. ¡°So strikes and spells can hit harder? I like it.¡± The sword thrummed its pleasure and excitement about the increased potential. He looked up the winding stairway and began his ascent. A few months ago, he might have fed the armor some magic and just flew up. Maybe it was reverence for what he¡¯d just been through, or maybe it was just his increased endurance paying off, but he didn¡¯t feel tired making the climb back up. The headmaster had been waiting for him at the top of the stairs and gave him a nod. ¡°I can¡¯t speak to what trials you¡¯ll face when you leave. But know you go as prepared as I can make you. The rest will fall to you.¡± Akamori bowed to the headmaster. ¡°Thank you. And let Cenine know I¡¯ll be back to finish my training. I promise.¡± ¡°See that you do, peasant. I¡¯ll not have it said that I leave my prot¨¦g¨¦¡¯s ill trained.¡± He sighed, swallowing down the urge to give her some kind of biting retort. He knew in her own pompous way that was her expressing concern. So her social skills needed work. It wasn¡¯t exactly like he was the easiest to get along with, either. Reluctantly, he stuck a hand out for her to shake. A peace offering. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone to besmirch your reputation.¡± She glanced down at his hand before looking away. ¡°Don¡¯t die,¡± she said stiffly as she walked away. He ran a gloved hand through his hair. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get on her good side.¡± ¡°That would assume she has one to get on. But such as it is. She¡¯s not happy you¡¯re leaving. She sees promise in you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Avreone nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s difficult for her not to restrain her disappointment in you abandoning your training mid way through.¡± Damned if I do. Damned if I don¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯d love to stay if I could. But I have to go.¡± Avreone gave him a ghost of a smile. ¡°I know that. To some extent, so does she. That doesn¡¯t mean she has to like it. No master ever likes to leave their work unfinished. Now go on then. Return, so that we might finish what you¡¯ve begun.¡± He bowed one final time and spun to leave. He boosted high into the air and angled off towards the star port. ? Chapter 78: Into the void Morwen stood in the small bridge area of the tramp freighter Rusty Raven. It reeked of oil, musty air, and charged ozone. Somewhere a live wire was sparking. She bit back the urge to fuss with her uniform, instead pulling her dark hair back into a severe ponytail. Now that she¡¯d brought herself out of her personal torment, it was time to get back to business. Tedious as it was, she was thankful to her father for issuing this second prophecy. She had her purpose back. Details be damned. And honestly? That suited her just fine. Arjun rounded the corner behind her, wiping his hands off on a dirty rag before stuffing it into a pocket in his coveralls. ¡°I¡¯ve done the work that needs doin¡¯ to see to it we get airborne, ma¡¯am. The rest is up to you mages.¡± Arjun gave her a friendly salute. She responded in kind and nodded, thankful for his casual friendliness. It was a refreshing change of interaction compared to her own people. ¡°Thank you Arjun. Best find yourself a place to buckle in. The take off could get bumpy.¡± Akamori, Sirsir, and Amara flowed into the bridge, and it became very cramped, very quickly. She longed for the Cadaver Crasher¡¯s bridge. Spacious, efficient, and mage friendly. There was far too much tech on this bridge that she neither understood nor knew how to manage. Thankfully, Arjun kept most of it under control. They all took seats, and Morwen¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Where is Corporal Yasiin and Private Sala?¡± Sirsir and Amara exchanged deferential looks to Akamori. The crimson haired warrior sucked a breath in slowly and let it out through his nose. ¡°They won¡¯t be joining us. They opted to stay back in case we failed. We thought it¡¯d be better to post a rear guard just in case.¡± Morwen swallowed hard, trying not to let the sting of hearing her two eldest mages wouldn¡¯t be joining them. She sniffed and nodded. ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll carry on without them as the mission needs. Are preparations completed?¡± Akamori glanced at Arjun, who nodded. ¡°She¡¯s as ready to fly as I can make her, ma¡¯am.¡± Morwen turned back to the scry screen and tried to focus on orbit, but it remained static, staring straight ahead. After a moment of confusion, she turned back to Arjun. ¡°How do I adjust the scry screen display¡¯s angle?¡± The mousy ship technician shrank in his harness and blinked. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s because it¡¯s not a scry screen. It¡¯s powered by cameras placed on the hull across various sensor banks. You just select which sensor pack you want and it¡¯ll show what it¡¯s looking at up there.¡± He reached down and pushed a series of buttons on a console in front of him, and the view obligingly changed. Morwen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She would not dismiss this kindness. They had a job to do, and she¡¯d just have to adapt. She gripped the control stills and felt the ship and her magic link. Then the engines rumbled to life with a slow whine that grew into thunder. The cumbersome craft rocked from side to side as the spell drive whined to full power. She fed the controls void magic, and the turbulence smoothed out. She let out the tense breath she¡¯d held and shook her head. Resolve poured through her, white hot like molten steel, and she rode the controls forward. The boxy engines at the front and rear sides of the ship angled skyward and then nuzzled open completed as the Raven blasted off in plumes of lavender and black exhaust. A loud whine issued from behind them, and Arjun sprang up free of his restraint harness. ¡°I got it!¡± The technician scurried off with a tool in each hand around the corner. Several moments later, the whine stopped, and he came back and took his seat. He took his seat casually and smiled as a few of the crew gave him concerned glances. ¡°Oh, the fluid pressure builds up a bit high on take off because of the extra g¡¯s. I just shunt it into a bleed chamber till the pressure equalizes.¡± Morwen felt comforted by the blank nods the others gave Arjun, following his explanation. At least she wasn¡¯t the only one who didn¡¯t really understand any of what he¡¯d just told them. Shrugging the idea off, she turned her attention back to the takeoff procedures. The last white wisps of the upper atmosphere blew by, revealing the unsurrendering void beyond. She banked the ship gently, setting a course for the planet¡¯s shadow where the light wouldn¡¯t touch. The Raven had just pried itself free of Eryn¡¯s gravity well when a powerful white bolt of electricity lanced out and smashed into the ship¡¯s shield. Wards discolored and flickered under the brunt of the spell. Morwen gripped the control sticks tightly as the ship rocked violently. Their course shifted horizontally several meters before the reaction control thrusters flared to compensate. Sparks rained down from a console that blew out behind her shoulder. The smoke that followed filled the room with an acrid stench. Melting plastic, rubber, and metal stung at her nostrils. She flicked a quick glance back at Arjun to gauge his reaction. ¡°We should hold.¡± He stated hesitantly. ¡°I think.¡± Arjun patted the armrest of his chair encouragingly. ¡°You¡¯ll hold. Wontcha girl?¡± Morwen turned back to the main screen. ¡°Can you focus the cameras on the source of the attack?¡± Arjun input a few commands behind her into a nearby console. The main screen adjusted its view to the starboard side sensor suite and there, looming large enough to fill up the entire view, sat an enormous white dragon with crackling bolts of lightning for eyes. Arjun squeaked and shifted in his harness. ¡°I think I might have just peed a little.¡± ¡°Get used to the feeling. It¡¯ll come a lot with this group.¡± Sirsir said. Akamori raced to an adjacent set of controls. The metallic sticks were silver, and etched with runes, though less decorated than the controls on the Crasher . ¡°The dragon is using air magic, which I think I can help the ship resist. But I can¡¯t ward us.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Amara said, snapping up out of her restraints and settling down into the empty chair on Morwen¡¯s left. She missed Yasiin¡¯s absence keenly right now. His ability to counter spell could have been very handy right now. Instead, she had to count on the ship being able to take the punishment, and she wasn¡¯t confident of that at all. Amara fed the bronze controls magic and directed the spell drive to reinforce the wards using Akamori¡¯s air magic. A second bolt of lightning lanced out of the dragon¡¯s maw. The width of the bolt was almost as large as the ship itself. The attack crashed into the reinforced wards Amara and Akamori had helped to erect. Wall after wall collapsed until the final ward remained and it too discolored before fading. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to last another strike. I need options and I need them now.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we make a run for the shadow so we can open a portal?¡± Akamori asked. She shook her head. ¡°This ship is too slow.¡± ¡°Shoot back?¡± Sirsir asked. Morwen couldn¡¯t help the amused smirk despite the situation. Leave it to the sergeant to suggest violence. Again, she shook her head. ¡°This ship isn¡¯t strong enough to do any reasonable damage. We¡¯d just be wasting aether points.¡± ¡°What about stealth, then?¡± Morwen frowned, ¡°A good suggestion, but that¡¯s an elder dragon. There¡¯s a strong possibility it could see right through any illusions.¡± ¡°Then we run without running.¡± Akamori said. All eyes turned to him slowly. ¡°Explain quickly.¡± ¡°No time. I just need everyone to follow my lead.¡± Morwen reluctantly nodded. She stood, and he slid into the command seat and took his previous spot at the second control matrix. She watched, her body growing more tense as the dragon¡¯s maw opened and glowed with the pooling raw aether. Then the spell was released. Morwen¡¯s dread deepened as the arc of raw electricity lanced out for the ship. The temperature dropped sharply and then the ship was a solid 150 meters ahead of its previous position. ¡°You jumped the ship,¡± she said in realization. Akamori fed the ship raw void and the engine nacelles all opened to full exhaust. He gripped the controls tightly as void magic rolled down his arms into the golden control matrix base. The dragon snaked closer, wings flared to help maneuver. It opened its maw and fired off a quick spell, prompting Akamori to jump again. As soon as the ship finished its improvised teleport, it was struck by a follow-up shot. Several panels surged out and a few surge fires boiled out of blown out wall panels, spurring Arjun to action. ¡°Awe gods damnit, I better not buy it on this rusty bucket!¡± Sirsir shouted over the chaos. Arjun shot the sergeant a wounded look. ¡°She ain¡¯t easy on the eyes, but she¡¯ll get us where we need to go.¡± Akamori glanced back at the sergeant who had himself braced in his seat with both hands and feet splayed out like a spider trying to secure itself in an unstable area. He would have chuckled if he wasn¡¯t trying to dodge powerful kill spells with cheap tricks. Damage indicators were still springing up and blocking his view and he smashed the small display console at his side so he could focus on his flight. The Raven bled debris, fire, and smoke from the puncture wound in its flank. The front left nacelle all but stopped function. The remaining three struggled and threatened to lose all power completely. ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t die on me now.¡± Akamori whispered in a silent prayer to whatever god may be listening. Morwen fed the ship a large quantity of void magic and opened a massive portal in space to the Umbral Plane. The ship tumbled through end over end, all control lost as Akamori continued to fight for control. ¡°Close it!¡± he shouted over his shoulder. With no light in the void, all the sensor units became useless save for the light that spilled in through the portal from the side they¡¯d just came from. He couldn¡¯t tell, but he was sure the dragon had spilled in through the portal before Morwen could seal it. The ship lurched violently hard to port, confirming that suspicion. Alert klaxons wailed in protest as Akamori struggled to straighten the ship. The titanium hide of the Raven groaned as the massive white dragon coiled around the ship like a massive boa constrictor, tightening its grip. Alert warning popped up all over every available control surface. ¡°Arjun, deal with these warnings!¡± Akamori shouted. Frustration mounting over being unable to focus on piloting. They had an immediate threat to deal with, and they were in the umbral realm. All conventional thinking said not to create a commotion here, lest one tempt the Voidspawn. ¡°Screw it,¡± Akamori growled. ¡°Sirsir, get on the bronze controls. Throw as much light magic as you can into the spell cannon.¡± Morwen gave Akamori a scandalized look. ¡°You¡¯re going to fire off light magic in the void?¡± ¡°Why not? We¡¯ve got a big problem. So I¡¯m going to make a bigger problem for that dragon.¡± Morwen paused, considering, and nodded. ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll contribute. I think I know just the spell.¡± Through the spell drive, Akamori could feel light and fire magic being pooled together and taking shape. Morwen molded the magic into a massive incendiary detonating shell that fired into the dragon¡¯s face. The intense light forced the dragon to blink and rub its eyes, irritatedly. The dragon¡¯s grip on the Raven loosened and Akamori could slip free. The Dragon roared, ignorant of its position in the Realm, and lunged again. Before it could pounce on them, though, a figure steeped in void magic flew into its path, drawing a large scythe in challenge and allowing the Raven to power away. The dragon and the voidspawn exchanged blows. Sparks flashing off of blade and claws. Each flash of contact growing more distant the further the Raven traversed from the conflict. After several minutes of no further contact, Akamori finally sighed, tension bleeding free of his shoulders. ¡°I think we¡¯re clear.¡± He said in a hushed voice, not daring to tempt fate. He plotted the course that Morwen provided and turned around. The ship was a mess and Arjun was scurrying about patching up damage like a hyper active squirrel. ¡°Best settle in folks, we¡¯ve got about a week of travel ahead of us.¡± ¡°Suits me fine. Been meaning to hit the rack and push some iron anyway.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Think I might join ya, if that¡¯s ok?¡± The ebon skinned NCO shrugged his broad shoulders. ¡°Always happy to have a spotter.¡± ¡°Amara, if you¡¯re interested, I¡¯d like to do some more studying and see what we¡¯re up against. Who we¡¯re visiting and what might better prepare us.¡± Morwen said as everyone rose from their harnesses. ¡°I¡¯d love to. Mess hall?¡± Morwen nodded, and the two left, leaving Akamori and Sirsir to follow along in their wake. The Bridge cleared out when Arjun returned. ¡°I¡¯ll keep-oh. They all left already.¡± Arjun said, deflating a little. The little technician shrugged, fishing a tool from his coveralls and took a seat near a damaged panel and got to work humming a tune from New Tera. ? Chapter 79: Viper Strike Ominek stood outside of the foremost ranking Spell Weaver college on Eryn. In his black suit, he looked out of place on the college grounds. Like a Brotherhood business executive who¡¯d taken a wrong turn and landed himself here instead of a New Terra mega tower or Dome. He idly toyed with the amulet he¡¯d requested Allosius remove from the Emerald Guard¡¯s armory of banned magitech. He could see the lattice work of runes and glyphs that created the complex absorption and diffusion spell contained within the amulet and the binding linked to it. Whomever wore it would have their spells sucked in and dispersed into useless aether shards. A magical castration. ¡°A handy toy for using against a powerful elder mage.¡± He mused aloud. Even if someone had suspected his true nature, he wore a powerful illusion spell that would make him slip off of anyone¡¯s notice. He was invisible. No, he was forgettable here, and that raised far fewer suspicions. No one cared about a person of no consequence. But an invisible person raised questions and tripped wards. Glamors? Different story. And today he would test his skills against the very best mage this planet had produced next to its demi-god guardian. Ominek was stalling, and he knew it. Ahead of him lay an immense challenge. Facing off against one of the top elder weavers here made him anxious. He was a powerful dread lord and was the most primed for this mission. But even he was canny enough to know he was flirting with death. Any mistake could cost him not only his life, but his father¡¯s legacy. Standing at the precipice of fate was a humbling prospect. It made him realize how truly small and insignificant he was. Ominek drew a deep breath in slowly, letting it out of his nose. He forced some steel into his spine and walked. Win or lose, he would meet his fate today. Defiant if he must. Stepping inside the college, the smell of vanilla, musty tomes, and honey filled his nose. A small smile cracked his expression. These tree folk were truly something special. His prey lay within the college, and doubt threatened to seize his stride. He woves a few mind and soul signs and his current quest information unfurled in a flaming illusory scroll. System Info : The Quest Info missive has been updated for ease of use. Enjoy! Quest: [Hammerfall] Cripple the heart of the Mage Federation. * Objective : 1 Poison the Champion - Completed. 2 Bind the Elder Weaver. 3 Destroy the Golden Well and the ArchPriest. * Reward : Unknown. He waved a dismissive hand, and the scroll broke down into motes of pink and red aether that winked out after the spell sustaining them collapsed. He knew his task, and checking it again was simply an act of emphasis. This had to be done. Bind the weaver. He¡¯d spent centuries attacking the weak humans and their pathetic attempts at pushing the Sauridius back. Never again, though. Dragon kind would rise resurgent. They would show those opulent fools on Anazi Prime what the Wings were truly capable of. They¡¯d grown too full of themselves, too complacent as dominant creatures. The Sauridius were going to grab the food chain and violently shake it. But for all that to happen, though, first, he had to bind the weaver. He pushed deeper into the college. Beyond the stacks in the library, through the training rings, where junior mages ineptly sketched or wove runes and glyphs, and passed the classrooms before slipping into a restroom. Personal wards on his person rendered him uninteresting to any students. Any gazes that fell on him slid off without a care. Otherwise, a tall man in a dark suit in the girl¡¯s room would probably raise a great deal of protest and concerns. Inside a closed stall, he wove an elaborate illusion spell. He sank additional aetherpoints into it for added flourishes, costing him 6AP. When it finished, pink magic spiraled out around him and slowly cascaded all around him. He lost a few feet, his hair color changed as well as his eyes. Even his clothing had morphed. When it finished, he released the obfuscation ward and emerged from the stall slowly to study his glamor. A young feminine face met his gaze. Green eyes like glowing jade held his own. A soft rounded face smiled softly and shook locks of blonde hair free. Ominek smiled, practicing the look. A true artist dedicated themselves to the craft of creation, and beauty itself was a craft. Be it masculine or feminine. The young student smiled again and twirled in her apprentice robes. ¡°I always knew I¡¯d be pretty.¡± He said in a young woman¡¯s voice. It was strange, hearing his words from another¡¯s lips. Ominek cleared her throat and produced a tome to read aloud. She needed to get used to hearing her voice in order to speak as confidently as its natural owner might. The looks alone would only fool a weaver as powerful as Erlaut for so long if Ominek stumbled over every other word like a clumsy child. The door opened. A few second-year apprentices came in laughing softly with each other before smiling at Ominek and nodding. Ominek returned the smile. ¡°Just practicing before a report I have to give.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do great.¡± The first girl said. ¡°Go knock ¡®em dead.¡± the other said. Ominek grinned. Well, now. What a delicious idea that would be , she thought to herself. But no. She needed the Elder Weaver alive. For now, at least. Ominek practiced the reading several more times and finally nodded her approval when finished. Opening a void portal, she withdrew a long obsidian spell staff coated in frost. She then wove an elaborate glamor on the staff, changing its appearance to look like a simple tome. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Satisfied with her preparations, Ominek strode towards Elder Weaver Erlaut¡¯s office with her weapon tucked under arm like a natural book. Ominek passed through Erlaut¡¯s doorway and crackling, crippling pain cascaded down every muscle fiber and cell. Ominek let out a shriek of pain as he crashed to his knees. The glamor spell collapsed as motes of pink and white fell away from him, and he reverted to his usual masculine morph. Smoke rolled off his body in wispy waves. Powerful intrusion prevention wards seared away layers of flesh, exposing sinew and bone in many places. The agony served like a focusing rod, returning his mind to the task. His staff reappeared in a flash of light, clutched firmly in cooked fingers. ¡°Well now. It¡¯s not every day a dread lord strolls into my office. Unfortunately, admissions are down the hall, and I believe there¡¯s a firm ban on Sauridius from attendance. I¡¯m terribly sorry about that.¡± Erlaut said smugly as he rose from his desk and placed his pipe on a holder. Ominek knew time was running out and rose through the pain, spinning the staff. He brought the black mythril rod down into Erlaut¡¯s hands as the man wove, shattering his opponent¡¯s spell and focus. Erlaut howled in pain. His hands trembled with pain as gold magic washed down his arms into his hands. Bones and tendons snapped and popped as the Elder Weaver¡¯s hands reset themselves. Ominek snarled, leg sweeping Erlaut as the mage snapped off a quick pair of basic light bolts. The magic splashed painfully into Ominek¡¯s exposed shoulder, cooking muscle and filling the air with the stench of burned flesh. The dreadlord spun, avoiding another hasty bolt spell, and brought his staff down to smash Erlaut in the throat. The mage was a big man, but his body was soft and weak. With the Elder Weaver¡¯s hands occupied, Ominek seized the opportunity to clap the amulet to Erlaut¡¯s chest. The crystal glowed a ghostly white as an enchanted chain wrapped around the back of his neck. Ominek backed up, panting heavily, giving Erlaut the opportunity to weave a disintegration spell. Ominek tensed as a sliver of doubt crept into his confidence. Nothing happened. Void magic swirled within the amulet¡¯s crystal and nothing else. Erlaut looked at his hands curiously, fear creeping into the corners of his eyes. Rapidly, he cast another simple bolt spell. Brilliant white gold flashed and swirled within the amulet, then nothing else. Horror dawned on Erlaut¡¯s face as he realized what Ominek had accomplished. Wasting no time, Ominek¡¯s hands flew into a series of signs and sketched several additional overlapping runes as he wove a complex three-level soul shackling. Onion skinning the effect so that even if he were discovered, only the uppermost layers of the shackling would be discovered and undone. The bottom layer was more of a compulsion, really. A slight personality modification should the upper bindings be undone. Erlaut¡¯s shoulders sagged as the pallid white spell sank into his chest forcefully, throwing the elder weaver into the wall. He crashed to the ground in a heap with a pained groan and slowly stood. ¡°What have you wrought, dreadlord?¡± the elder weaver asked in a shaky voice. ¡°I¡¯ve sown the seeds of the end of your world as you know it.¡± Ominek said through grit teeth. Ominek¡¯s adrenaline ebbed, the pain becoming more pronounced. He turned his attention to Erlaut. Ominek allowed himself a smug sneer, even through his pain. Strain etching lines near his eyes as he struggled to contain his pain. ¡°Now, be a good mage and heal what your intrusion wards have wrought.¡± He approached the Elder Weaver and unclasped the amulet. Erlaut straightened visibly, a heavy burden lifted free of his shoulders. ¡°How long have you planned this?¡± The elder weaver held his hands out and golden magic pulsed from his palms into Ominek¡¯s wrecked body. Ominek smiled as burned flesh slowly knit itself back together. Like watching time in reverse. And to think it¡¯d cost him nothing but some pain to experience. After the mage healed his injuries, he glanced up, seeing no harm in sharing now. ¡°Actively? For decades at least. Since before the war. But we planted the seeds centuries in advance.¡± That wasn¡¯t entirely the truth, though. His shackle father, Leviathos was actually the brains behind this operation. He simply entrusted Ominek with the execution and finer details. Erlaut stood upright, a tight expression covering his features. An underlying strain. He was resisting, uselessly, but resisting all the same. Ominek savored the defiance and inhaled deeply, as though it were a sweet aroma. His moment was nigh. The second major hurtle had been crossed. From here, he simply needed to maneuver his pawns into position before he could execute the final stages of the plan. ¡°You¡¯ve won my will dreadlord. What now I wonder?¡± Ominek smiled coldly at Erlaut. ¡°Now I¡¯ll have you and the champion murder your precious golden well. You¡¯ll poison your world and your Federation with chaos and atrophy. What¡¯s the saying your Brotherhood of Man goons are so fond of saying? Cut the head off the wyrm and the body will wither? Fitting, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ominek savored the glare in Erlaut¡¯s eyes as he sneered at the mage coldly. The Elder weaver¡¯s body belonged to him now. A moment later, Lucinda stepped into the room mechanically and her features fell. ¡°So. He defeated you too.¡± There was resignation in Lucinda¡¯s voice. As the prospect of his victory over Eryn grew, her resistance faltered progressively more. The ever present March of fate. ¡°Far easier than my pride would like.¡± Erlaut offered with comfort. ¡°Likewise.¡± She said, clutching the hem of her black leather jacket and glanced down. ¡°To be fair, you two both had such glaringly obvious and exploitable weaknesses and flaws. You were practically begging for it. Now then, let¡¯s be on our way. We have much to prepare for our big fireworks session.¡± The two shackled mages fell in behind him as he approached the doorway. Reality cracked and dark purple and black magic formed a portal into the umbral plane. As the trio stepped through and the portal snapped shut, the only hints of a scuffle were some knocked over decorations. The only sign of the coming doom. ? Chapter 80: The Wyrm Mother of Fate Morwen¡¯s eyes burned from lack of sleep as she continued to study a scroll and tone at the same time. Her and Amara¡¯s research efforts had yielded little beyond what they already speculated. Her eyes darted back and forth, glowing with pink energy as she read both items simultaneously using a mind spell. It was a cheat, but what good was magic if it didn¡¯t help her with vital world dependent research? So far, she felt like she was on a good lead, though. It spoke of a nameless goddess who wielded fate like some wielded swords. Capable of manipulating the very fabric of reality and possibility itself. No records of what she looked like or even a name. Curiously, it was like someone scrubbed her from existence. And that implied a great deal of power, lending credence to the possibility of being able to manipulate fate. She pursed her lips, wondering how Akamori might digest this. She knew he wasn¡¯t a fan of the idea of fate or destiny. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± Amara asked. Morwen blinked and looked up with bleary eyes. ¡°Please do. A second set of eyes could help.¡± Amara¡¯s brow arched as her eyes flashed iridescent gold for an instant. ¡°With a reading spell like that? I¡¯m not so sure.¡± Morwen smiled. The exhaustion threatened to set in and she went back to reading. ¡°It has a high cost, unfortunately. It taxes the stamina badly.¡± Amara slid down onto the bench opposite to her and pushed a steaming cup of coffee forward. Morwen eyed it suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s called coffee. It¡¯s kind of bitter, but the marines got me started on it on the Crasher. Said it would put hair on my chest, but I¡¯ve yet to see any.¡± Amara finished with a shrug. Morwen lifted the white mug and sipped cautiously. It was hot, but not unbearably. True to Amara¡¯s words, it was bitter. But it had a way of winning you over she couldn¡¯t describe if asked to. She cast a quick scry spell to see if it was poisoned which caused Amara to giggle. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I had almost the same reaction.¡± ¡°Who put you into it?¡± ¡°Akamori.¡± Amara said with a nod. Morwen smiled. She should have known. Already she could feel the fringes of her fatigue giving way. Being pushed to the edge of her perception and grant a second wind of clarity. She smiled thankfully to Amara. ¡°So, where are we?¡± Amara asked in relation to the search. Morwen almost wished she¡¯d asked about their geospatial position. At least that Morwen knew an answer for. Morwen sighed, pointing at the scroll and tome. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m searching for hints for a Wyrm Mother of Fate.¡± Amara frowned, and her brows furrowed. ¡°This makes two gods I¡¯ve been looking for recently with little mention. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t want to be found.¡± Morwen nodded. The assessment made sense, but why? ¡°What compelled them to expunge any mention of their existence from record?¡± Amara shook her head, taking in a worried expression that Morwen was all too familiar with. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to open that can of wyrms.¡± ¡°Nor I.¡± Morwen said, omitting Amara¡¯s rank. A sign of respect for the woman¡¯s growth as a spell weaver. The younger Hoshun weaver brightened. ¡°Tell me more of this other god?¡± ¡°Maetraya. It was said she could see the future, as well as divine the true nature of spells and magic. She was also a mentor and friend to Aeryn. What little I could find I was able to discover with the help of a friend.¡± At that point, Rozien flew up from her mage¡¯s robes, floating on motes of void magic. The text of his cover making his face. ¡°Greetings. I am Rozien, the first chronicle of Aeryn.¡± Morwen blinked at the floating tome as it introduced itself. ¡°Oh. Well, hello there. I¡¯m Morwen. I lead this little outfit of misfits.¡± Amara chuckled at her response. In the distance, loud metal clanging issued up the corridor and Morwen thought she heard the Sgt. cheering Akamori through some manner of weight lifting. She didn¡¯t envy Akamori. She knew the Sirsir enjoyed physical workouts a great deal, and if he¡¯d got Akamori into it, then the young man¡¯s fate was already sealed. ¡°The captain!¡± The tome said in realization and turned a haughty glance on Amara, ¡°Youd din¡¯t mention she was pretty in a stern way. Like a librarian or school teacher or something.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow lifted of its own accord, and she noticed all the color drain out of Amara¡¯s face. She would have allowed herself a laugh if she wasn¡¯t too caught up in the moment. Just who was this book? ¡°Amara, where exactly did you find this¡­?¡± ¡°Rozien.¡± Amara supplied eagerly. Morwen inclined her head to the name. It¡¯d been sometime since she¡¯d seen magitech so old and steeped in magic as this. It made the armor she¡¯d bartered away seem infantile. She wondered who¡¯d crafted the ancient tome and bonded Rozien¡¯s soul to it. More over, what would have driven Rozien to make such a sacrifice? That seemed like a line of questioning for another time when they had less urgent matters to tend to Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. . ¡°So Maetraya ran in close circles with the goddess of my world, and with our mystery god, hmm? This is feeling less like coincidence and more like design.¡± Morwen said. ¡°I find myself agreeing.¡± Amara rose to get a cup of steaming water from a pot on the counter in the ship¡¯s small mess. She added a packet of brown powder and then two white packets, stirred them together and rejoined Morwen at the table. ¡°Also, I can¡¯t help but feel like this was all set up only for us to find.¡± ¡°Again, we agree.¡± Morwen pointed out something in the scroll she knew would catch Amara¡¯s eye. ¡°I believe whomever is hiding here in the Umbral realm did so specifically so only we could find them. There¡¯s only a few reasons I can think of that would cause a god to go to ground.¡± ¡°They were being hunted.¡± Amara said, a distant look in her eyes as Morwen assumed she wrestled down memories of her world being laid to siege. ¡°It¡¯s the most logical conclusion. Someone or something was out there hunting for them.¡± ¡°That fits well with my own memories. They chased the Great Fleet from one sector to the last of the galaxy.¡± Rozien said somberly. ¡°Who did?¡± ¡°Soul Shackled under Sauridius¡¯ thrall. It was difficult to tell who friend or foe was.¡± ¡°That explains why Maetraya was so reclusive. With her ability to divine any magic, even soul shackled couldn¡¯t hide from her sight.¡± Amara mused. ¡°Making her a prime target.¡± Morwen added. ¡°How do you hide a god, though?¡± Amara asked. Morwen turned to the view port at the far end of the galley. The interior shutter was drawn down and latched shut, preventing any light from escaping the ship into the Umbral Plane. It was a travel precaution they didn¡¯t need to make on the Crasher since it lacked windows. But the Brotherhood ships seemed to enjoy peppering their vessels with tiny design flaws. She found it odd why one would design their vessels with structural weak points baked in already. ¡°You go to the one place no one can see,¡± Morwen said softly. Not daring to invoke the Voidspawn. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which prospect frightens me more. Poking around the void blind hoping we don¡¯t stumble upon the voidspawn, or being expected to meet with a god whose remained hidden for longer than recorded time.¡± ¡°I wonder, though, at the cause of our journey. Sure, we¡¯re on a prophecy, but the fate of one small world feels insignificant for a god.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the butter knife effect?¡± Morwen glanced up uncertainly. She never understood that human idiom. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow?¡± ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s important because it starts out small like a butter knife, and then that leads to a bigger problem later.¡± Morwen steepled her fingers together thoughtfully. The thought had merit. If Eryn fell, it was likely the Federation would collapse, leaving the Brotherhood defenseless against the Sauridius and the threat of magic. The sector¡¯s collapse would be all but guaranteed in the lack of a unified presence. ¡°Looking back, perhaps the butter knife scenario proves most plausible.¡± Morwen said after a contemplative silence. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll know for sure once we get to our destination, huh?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Indeed. Thankfully, the ship has held together thanks to Arjun¡¯s frantic repairs. Though I doubt our chances of returning while the air wyrm is after us.¡± She schooled the frown off her face at Amara¡¯s concerned expression and forced a soft smile. ¡°Though, as always, we will prevail.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we do.¡± Amara said. Morwen yawned, and Amara¡¯s brows quirked. ¡°How long since you¡¯ve slept last?¡± Morwen shrugged, her blue uniform shifting as she did. ¡°Too long, most like.¡± ¡°Go get some sleep. I¡¯ll take watch. There isn¡¯t much to do as we continue on, anyway. It¡¯ll give me a chance to do some more reading.¡± Morwen nodded, thankful for the former priestess¡¯ initiative. She gathered the scroll together gently and closed the companion tome she¡¯d been browsing. Time blurred as she drifted to her quarters and went through her nightly wind down routine. Shedding the uniform and combing her hair before bed. Sleep soon overcame her but a curious sensation drifted over her mind. It tingled and unconsciously she knew the sensation was some kind of spell. Mind magic? Yesss. A deep, thrumming voice crooned. Of a divine variety. I am the one you seek. I couldn¡¯t risk reaching out to you until you were so close as to stumble upon my feet. The denizens beyond would sense anything else, leaving only this tertiary means of communication open to us. The time draws near when events will soon converge. Many threads will become one. Destinies will be chosen and unmade. Fates decided and lives unmade. ¡°What is my role in all this?¡± She asked with no mouth. Only then realizing her lack of body. Ahead of her, a swirling thread of aether reminding her of a rope twisted and writhed as though it had a life all its own. Many strands all coming together. Threads formed strands. Strands formed fibers. Fibers formed the ropey mass. The Current of Destiny. Domain of the Wyrm Mother of Fate. Few have seen this linkage. It connects all the planes of existence. Anchors all reality. Normally, souls pass through the soul and mind realms where they are broken down. Cleansed. They then reconstitute themselves and emerge as new beings. The Current of Destiny chooses those souls who yet need to fulfill their purpose and ensures they return with the memories or power they need. The Current serves as the guardian of fate. Entrusting the system to those who were carry forth the light. Morwen felt overwhelmed. Some of this she understood from her instruction as a mage. Much of it, however, she got the impression was a basic tutorial on the foundation of existence and a god had given her the lesson. She couldn¡¯t explain how she knew this was the case. It was just something she could sense. She¡¯d just been entrusted with so much information. Normally, awe and wonder would be her first two reactions, but the overwhelming pressure of the other presence nearly set her into a panic. Be at ease, little one. All will be made clear soon. But your journey. You have yet begun your true journey. These are the opening steps of the prologue to a new epic. Another verse in the long opera of the system. One which draws nearer to the final act. For now. Sleep. For you will need your strength for the trials to come. Sleeeeeeep And then, in the snap of a metaphorical finger, all conscious thought ceased and a heavy sleep fell over her. Her last remaining thoughts were how to break the news to her crew. Surely this was something they would all need to know. The question was how? ? Chapter 81: Goodbyes Akamori lay on his back in the soft grass of the fields on Hoshun. The night was just taking over the sun¡¯s charge. The moon was nearly finishing its slow and steady climb. It filled the air with the peaceful chirping of the bugs. A warm breeze teased the skin, and he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m dreaming again, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± the strong baritone voice of his father replied. A voice he¡¯d not heard with his ears since the massive crimson tail spike had plunged through his chest and impaled his father. The scene of his father¡¯s pained face reaching out to caress his face as he fell away dead flashed through his mind. He hated these weird, lucid conversations with his subconscious. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m just a figment of your mind? How do you know you¡¯re not actually talking to me?¡± Kalenza asked. He opened his eyes and saw his father sitting next to him. Chin lifted to the sky as he looked at the moon. His father had loved the stars, and he¡¯d inherited that love from him. He finally allowed himself a shrug, not bothering to get up. ¡°Ghost or imagination. Neither prospect really strikes me as appealing. You¡¯re still dead, and I¡¯m still talking to myself either way. Worse, when I wake up, you¡¯ll be gone.¡± ¡°Ouch. See how fast he is to forget us?¡± ¡°He¡¯s carrying a great burden, Kel. Have some mercy.¡± His mother said, and he shot upright, looking for her. Sure enough, she was sitting right next to his father, their hands laced together. ¡°We should have joined you in the fields more often. But¡­we wanted to give you your space. We knew your soul needed to be on the move. In the stars. It was just hard to let you go.¡± His mother said. ¡°We thought, the more we tried to pretend it wouldn¡¯t happen someday, the more we could just go on like a regular family. We knew the mundane life would have suffocated you. You¡¯ve got the heart of an adventurer. Dashing out headfirst into trouble and stopping it. Being a simple farmer wasn¡¯t a life for you.¡± Kalenza said. ¡°I was an ungrateful brat.¡± Akamori said with a tight voice. His eyes burned, and he felt like an invisible hand was threatening to choke him. ¡°For nights your deaths, and everyone in Hoshun¡­ it¡¯s haunted me. How can I forgive myself?¡± ¡°For what?¡± Kalenza asked. A dark black bushy brow raised curiously. ¡°For not being able to save everyone?¡± A large arm wrapped around him and pulled him close to his father. ¡°Oh son. You can¡¯t save everyone. Gods know you¡¯ll try. As you should. But some fates can¡¯t be stopped. The best we can hope for is to enjoy the opportunities we¡¯re given. Live son. Don¡¯t dwell in the shadows of death. Carry on the light of Hoshun. Fight with the void. Use its destructive power to propel you forward if you must, but always carry the light. Become a Warrior of Light.¡± ¡°Morality lectures by my imagination.¡± he groused. His father chuckled and nudged his mother gently. ¡°He thinks we¡¯re his imagination.¡± ¡°We never taught him about what happens in death, sweetie. He¡¯s been through a lot.¡± Kalenza nodded with a soft frown. ¡°A final lesson then.¡± Kalenza rose, brushing off his pants. ¡°We¡¯re no imagination or hallucination. We¡¯re souls. When we died, we already committed our souls to Anazi because of our worship and prayers. The dread lords weren¡¯t able to shackle a single soul from Hoshun, because the instant we died, our souls were gone.¡± Akamori blinked as stunned realization settled in. It was a miracle. He wasn¡¯t sure how or why he¡¯d been gifted such a boon. ¡°I was certain I¡¯d never get to see or speak to you ever again. But why?¡± Kalenza shrugged. ¡°We thought you might need a swift kick in the ass. You¡¯ve been through the thick of it. But it¡¯s only going to get worse. Worse things will happen. But don¡¯t let them bog you down. Get back up. Keep up the fight.¡± His father and mother began to fade, going semi translucent. He pushed off the ground and his father and mother each put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Yours is a heavy burden to bear. But you must be carry it. You will grow weary. You will lose friends and allies. You¡¯ll stumble. Question yourself, and fall. But always get back up. Promise me.¡± He nodded to his father. Unable to speak as his throat constricted in grief. His vision grew blurry knowing that when he woke up, they would be gone. This truly would be the last time his family was whole again. ¡°Do not mourn us. We are at peace and happy to see the strong young man you¡¯ve grown into. We¡¯ll always be watching you from beyond.¡± His body wracked with sobs as he tried to fight back the tears and couldn¡¯t. Falling to his knees, he cried. All the pain came flooding out. Losing his village. His home. His family. No more harvests, no more festivals, no more celebrations. His old life had well and truly died then. He stayed doubled out on his knees in the grass as he continued to grieve. Eventually, his mind faded to unconsciousness. Wakefulness came slowly. His awareness slowly asserting itself. Rising slowly from the bed, he shut off his alarm before it went off. He buckled his sword belt on and strode out of his personal quarters, which reeked too much of old oil. Shuffling through the corridor, he passed Arjun, who was bent over welding something along the wall. The acrid stench of burned plastics and ionized ozone tinged the air, teasing at his nose and sinuses, drawing a sudden sneeze as he passed by. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He found Amara in the mess hall early, with a cup of coffee in hand and a floating book next to her as she read from a different one. Ever since they got back from Hidros and she¡¯d gone to that Weaver spell college, she¡¯d become quite the book wyrm. He wondered how much that translated into her ability to fight. More importantly she was exactly the person he needed to speak to. She turned and gave him a welcoming wave and smile, gesturing for him to take a seat at the table opposite her. ¡°Oof. You look like shit. Nightmares again? You didn¡¯t blast the bulkhead with a void bolt, did you?¡± He slid down onto the bench with a grunt and shook his head. ¡°Nah. Nothin¡¯ like that. Maybe the opposite, actually. I¡­ I saw my parents.¡± Amara¡¯s gaze fell somber, and she nodded. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Not like normal. This wasn¡¯t so much nightmare torture fuel as it was heart string tugging torture fuel.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°They came to see me one last time and say goodbye.¡± ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t Hoshun sacked by shacklers and necromancers?¡± Akamori nodded with a grim smile. ¡°It was.¡± He said. Almost smug about it. ¡°But they hadn¡¯t counted on nearly everyone there being a devotee of Anazi.¡± Realization swept Amara¡¯s expression, and she clapped, ¡°Meaning they committed their souls to the Air Mother. They can¡¯t shackle what isn¡¯t there!¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Amara smiled as she glanced back down at the book she¡¯d been reading. Her expression was sad. ¡°That¡¯s good. It was hard for me to accept the possibility they might have bound the priests¡¯ souls.¡± Akamori shook his head. ¡°I got the impression everyone from the village that didn¡¯t make it physically, made it there spiritually.¡± Amara placed a hand to her chest above her heart and whispered a soft prayer of thanks to the Air Mother. When she finished, she glanced up at him curiously. ¡°So what dragged you out of bed and tugged you hear before me? Surely not to tell me that.¡± Akamori shook his head. ¡°No, I came because¡­ I didn¡¯t really know who else to go. I find my heart is too heavy. I don¡¯t really know how to go forward from here.¡± Amara rested her chin on her palm. Her elbow planted firmly on the table. He studied the runes on her armor for a moment, noting that they seemed a bit more developed than he remembered from Hidros when they left. She studied him with those golden eyes she¡¯d first manifested on Hidros. ¡°Something is different about you. Did you get more magic?¡± He shifted on the bench, partially thankful that she¡¯d redirected his mind while also having matured enough to realize that she was actively doing it this time. He gave her a pleased nod. ¡°I impressed my head master enough that she saw fit to take me to the golden pool. I¡¯ve got a new ability.¡± ¡°The Blessing of light. Wards against aetheric corruption and soul shackling? Interesting. Seems to make your will as a higher value than any incoming attack belonging to those two origins.¡± ¡°I have to admit, I was a little deflated at it. But¡­ not being soul shackled or aetherically corrupted sounds nice, too.¡± Amara¡¯s head canted. ¡°You mean you haven¡¯t noticed? Check your stats.¡± He willed the fiery translucent scroll to appear. Casually scrolling down, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Not until Amara reached over and pointed to where an entry used to exist. ¡°Your Blessing of Light nullified the shackling the Captain cast on you. Your conscription is over.¡± He blinked. He was officially a free man again. Albeit by the strangest of methods. ¡°So¡­. I¡¯m not a lieutenant anymore?¡± Amara shrugged. ¡°Not as far as the Federation cares. Not that they ever cared to begin with.¡± He blinked again. This was a lot to process. He was still waking up after all. This was usually one of those revelations he liked to deal with after a full breakfast and a few hours to shake loose the cobwebs. Before, coffee was the worst time for heady stuff. ¡°Um. So¡­ what am I now?¡± Amara pursed her lips thoughtfully, lifting her other hand up to rest her chin on both palms now. It made her look cute in the girl next door kind of way. A refreshing change from the obnoxiously beautiful Aerynians. ¡°At a guess? I¡¯d say an Adventurer now? Congrats. You finally made it. Now you can travel the stars and do whatever you¡¯ve always wanted to.¡± His smile faltered when he realized the war with the Sauridius would chase him no matter where he went. Even if it didn¡¯t, the memories would. He shook his head. ¡°Not really. I can¡¯t turn my back on the fight against the Sauridius. Not after what they did to our home.¡± ¡°Then perhaps it¡¯s time we started taking the fight to them on our own?¡± Morwen said from behind him, sliding down onto the bench at the table next to him. She slid a steaming mug of coffee over next to him. Her own glass was full of golden and white sparkling motes. Light wine. An old vintage by the sweet scent rolling free of her glass. ¡°What about everyone else¡¯s contracts? You, I could see them letting go happily. But everyone else?¡± Akamori asked. He was worried about potential slapassery from the Federation brass. He knew they were capable of startingly immense stupidity. ¡°A bridge we¡¯ll have to cross for later. For now, let¡¯s just focus on the immediate problem. Like stopping whatever plot the Sauridius has in store for our world.¡± Akamori nodded, then allowed himself several silent moments to sip half the cooling coffee mug before letting out a pleased sigh. No hot bean water makes Akamori extra murdery. ¡°Speaking of, what¡¯s our sitrep?¡± ¡°We should be on target to arrive soon. Everybody gear up.¡± Sirsir said from the corridor that led to the cockpit. SirSir¡¯s shift was nearly up. Akamori could see the nights strain of staying awake leaving its mark on him. Sirsir spent a point of magic and cast a hasty heal spell, and all signs of exhaustion faded instantly. Akamori sighed in magic envy and Amara chuckled softly at him. Sure, having a permablock against soul shackling was cool, but light magic would have been much nicer. ¡°Stupid magic ability. Should have gotten light magic.¡± He grumbled as he stood up with everyone else and shuffled back to his quarters to gear up. ? Chapter 82: Shit? Meet Fan He was the last one to the cockpit, having spent a little extra time making sure all his gear was secure. Ready! His blade pulsed to his mind. He patted the hilt affectionately over his shoulder. He¡¯d gone from using a scabbard for it to just using the armor¡¯s void magic to anchor the blade in place with gravity. His boots sounded loudly as he marched up the old metal interior through the mess towards the cockpit. As he strode, he could feel the ship slowing down. They must be on their final approach. By the time he got to the cockpit, the others were already seated and strapped in, even Arjun, who¡¯d abandoned his mechanical ministrations in favor of safety. ¡°So. Are we there yet?¡± he asked with a grin. ¡°Stow that shit. Sir.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Actually, I guess I¡¯m no longer a lieutenant, thanks to my newest infusion.¡± Sirsir shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t mean shit to me. You were the XO then, and ain¡¯t nothin happened to change that.¡± He shrugged, ¡°Fair enough,¡± and sat down. He winced when he realized he had a really long sword magnetically clinging to his back. Yet when he glanced back, he saw the blade had phased itself so it simply passed clean through the seat. ¡°Huh. Neat.¡± Space and room, no issue. Where you go, I go. He fastened his safety harness down and gave Arjun a confident smile. The small technician tried to return the gesture, but Akamori could see the panic just behind his little eyes. If given the chance, he was certain Arjun might have bolted for safer ground. Not that any were to be found yet. ¡°So uh, seriously though, are we there yet? I can¡¯t tell.¡± he said with a gesture at the black screen. Morwen was seated in the command seat, watching several screens intently. Her focus never left the bright green screens. ¡°So it would seem. Yet, nothing is here. We¡¯ve arrived at the exact coordinates the prophecy provided, but I fear we may be in error.¡± Morwen leaned back with an exasperated sigh. Akamori canted his head. He recalled scavenger hunts as a kid. His father was always asking him to find random, odd little things. Or deliver stuff. Lots of delivering stuff. He somehow always just found things. Absently, he clicked out of his harness, having only sat down a grand total of a few seconds, and drifted next to Morwen. He glanced down at the sensor screens and back up to the main. Then down again, and back up. Before they could decide on what to do next, fate chose for them. The ship lurched hard as warning klaxons howled in protest. Morwen growled at the controls as she fought to correct the ship¡¯s sudden change of position. Electricity poured into the ship, leaping from smoking consoles and burning out avionics. Burned plastic and ionized ozone filled the air, along with acrid smoke that stung the back of his throat and lungs to breathe. ¡°We¡¯re under attack, but by what?¡± Morwen growled. ¡°Its gotta be that dragon.¡± Akamori said, clenching his arm rests tightly. Arjun rapidly tapped several commands into a surviving console, and a large draconic outline appeared on top of the ship. The large air wyrm reared back massive front talons and brought them down in raking slashes across the ship¡¯s body. Metal shrieked and groaned as the dragon gutted the doomed freighter. Morwen struggled to throttle the ship ahead, struggling to pry the freighter free of the dragon¡¯s talons. The deck plating rumbled as the ship powered forward. As it did so, they passed through a magical barrier. A wall of wards washed over them like water. Akamori¡¯s skin tingled from the enormity of the magic. Those were divine level wards for sure. Below the ship, the ground now appeared. The ship lost altitude and parts as the Dragon continued to tear and rend the aged freighter. Akamori¡¯s stomach fell free of his body as the ship tumbled end over end. The dragon roared outside, causing the hull to vibrate from the sound. Breathing became extremely troublesome as the ship¡¯s lumbering spin-generated more g¡¯s than normal. Metal creaked and groaned as the ship threatened to tear itself apart at the seams. They had to get the dragon off if they were going to land whatever survived this attack. Even though he knew going out, there would be the equivalence to suicide. Magic use in the void was asking for trouble from the voidspawn. And he doubted he had the swordsmanship skills to deal with a seasoned adult dragon. You don¡¯t. His sword hissed in reply to his thoughts. He tried to roll his eyes in reply, but the strain of the roll almost made him pass out, even as splitting pain lanced into his head. ¡°Really could have used some of that light magic,¡± he grumbled. Don¡¯t need it. Have void! ¡°Not sure how that¡¯s going to help here.¡± Ship spinning. Not you. Get free of ship, stop spinning. He blinked. That actually made sense. He could technically fly. In fact, he probably ought to go do something about that dragon. ¡°Oh. Well, when you put it like that.¡± He replied. He turned to face the others, ¡°I¡¯m going to do something really stupid!¡± He shouted over the chaos and unclipped his shoulder harnesses. His crew seat spat him out into the center of the ship and he used his magic to float in the center. Vertigo threatened to overtake him as the ship spun around him. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Morwen shouted. ¡°I can either tell you, or do it. You pick!¡± ¡°Go!¡± she assented after a quick pause. He feathered his thrusters and turned to head towards the access hatch to get outside. This definitely rated among his more poorly thought out plans. As he went, Amara caught up to him. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re planning, you¡¯ll need help.¡± Too late to argue with her now, as he rolled the access wheel on the hatch and popped the seal on the airlock. His helmet snaked up over his head and hissed as it sealed him in. He could have flown out, but he clung to the ladder. He used his armor¡¯s night vision systems and squinted in the green darkness. Few light sources shed enough ambient light and what bit there was made the blood drain from his face. The air wyrm was having its way with the Raven¡¯s hull. Flecks of metal glittered in small fires that whipped out of the hull of the ship. Raw primal electricity crackled out of the dragon¡¯s mouth and nearly cleaved the ship into two. His blade was in his hands and he braced a foot against the hull to rise and confront the dragon. Something tingled within him, like soft ripples on the surface of a calm pond, when something black and fast crashed into the dragon, striking it repeatedly. It gnashed teeth and slashed wildly with claws, but struck nothing. ¡°Was that a voidspawn?¡± Akamori nodded slowly. ¡°I think so?¡± The dragon and its dance party faded into the black as the ship tumbled away. Amara patted his shoulder armor, and he turned. Of course, they were going to crash on the only planet in the void. He re-sheathed his blade, which pulsed in quiet dejection at being stolen a chance at the great white wyrm. The ship bucked as it struck the atmosphere fully now. Akamori and Amara launched free of the deck and it took all the modest skills he gained evading Cenin¡¯s attacks to not eat a piece of debris smack in the face. Amara flew competently in his wake, mirroring each move as though he¡¯d executed it himself. The aft half of the Raven tore itself free of the front. Akamori grabbed Amara¡¯s wrist and angled his flight path straight up. The two of them narrowly clearing the tumbling half of the ship as the front half glowed a dull angry red. ¡°They¡¯re gonna crash down there.¡± Akamori said, and quickly tried to survey the area. In the distance, a black crystal palace that drank in all light sat ominously on the face of a large cliff side. It was the only structure he could find. ¡°That must be our aim.¡± He placed a waypoint marker on it. System Info: New Quest: [Void Diver] Ambushed by the Air Wyrm again, your ship is crashing. But a downed vessel is the least of your worries. Hint: Locals. It¡¯s the locals. Second Hint: If you have issues with Bats, you¡¯d best pray to whatever god you place your faith in. * Objective : Survive The Void World * Reward : Unknown. Accept Quest? Yes/No He auto accepted it. What choice did he have? Declining it would either lead to death or being stranded. And based on the mission prompt, he wasn¡¯t sure this place was all that friendly to outsiders. Also, he really needed to speak to somebody about the system prompts. It was always so snarky. Was that by design? or flaw? The pair of mages flew in relative silence as they followed the crashing front half of the ship. While Akamori was confident the captain could help them survive the initial crash, it was what followed that had him worried. The skyline lit up bright gold and orange for a moment as the freighter collided with pitch black soil and carved a deep furrow into the landscape until the wreckage came to a stop. His helmet¡¯s visor washed out in a light haze of green smoke and soot kicked up from the crash. Bright spots bloomed all around as molten magma boiled up from the soil, taking the shape of bats and spiders. His weapons bristled with eagerness, like attack dogs zeroing in on prey. His armor pulsed in resignation. ¡°Looks like the locals heard us knock,¡± Akamori said dryly. ¡°Of course, it had to be spiders.¡± Amara said, fighting off a shiver. He drew his blade and pulsed his armored thrusters, angling him forward towards the cockpit. Since time was essential, he landed in a crouch, not bothering to soften his descent. He held his blade ready in his weapon hand. ¡°Alright¡­ sword.¡± he started awkwardly. ¡°Let¡¯s cut our friends out.¡± It thrummed with eagerness and he channeled some void and air magic, merging to the two into an experimental spell his blade took to like an expert. Whipping the blade into several tight slashes, pulses of air and void mixed to make whip like blade extension that snapped out into the hull from the blade. Where the blade tendril cracked, the metallic hull dissolved into particles. He spent a few more AP and a few non void shrouded air tendrils whipped out from his free hand snaking into the hole he¡¯d just carved into the hull. Morwen, Arjun, and Sirsir¡¯s forms drifted up in various states of unconscious recovery. Akamori turned to Amara, who pointed towards a cave set into the black stone a few hundred meters away. ¡°You take point. I¡¯ll carry them.¡± As she spoke, she was already weaving the air signs. An instant later, air magic swam from her breast towards her hands and pooled together, forming her own air tendrils which reached out and took the other three. Free of his burden, Akamori drifted ahead of her, blade at the ready as they pushed forward for cover. By now, the Magma bats and spiders were free of the ground and swarming over the shipwreck. Curiously, Akamori noted they were converging on the core of the ship. Were they hunting it because of its magical signature? Questions for later when he had someone who could actually answer them. They¡¯d almost reached the cave when a few lesser magma spiders and bats intercepted their progress. Akamori cursed under his breath and gestured for Amara to hold up. She seemed all too happy to hang back and let him advance into the monsters. ¡°Well, this sucks.¡± He groused. ¡°What is it Sirsir would say? Something about shit meeting a fan?¡± Amara said wryly. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather meet the shit.¡± She shuddered in disgust at the spiders. ¡°Yeah, that tracks.¡± The monsters surged forward, fangs, and teeth gnashing eagerly to devour them. ? Chapter 83: Kaiju Throwdown System Info: Quest Updated: [Void Diver] You landed. Sort of. Fell with style? Still counts. Now the locals are eying up you like their next meal. * Objective : Survive The Void World * Optional Objective : Slay 10 Lesser Void-Fire Wildlings Akamori held his blade ready as a lesser voidfire bat wildling flew at him at full speed. His armor struggled to pull details, but what little he saw of it was enough to reside in his nightmares firmly for decades. Obsidian leather like flesh and bits of spiny hair. It lacked eyes, instead it possessed glowing orbs of void magic. Hilariously large ears crowned each side of its head. Its salivating maw opened wide to tear a chunk out of him, and he knew from the size of its stomach churningly large teeth it possessed that it could do that easily. At the last instant, he evaded with the most minimal of effort and whipped his blade. An AP spent, and a razor thin whip of void and air magic lanced through the wildling. It shrieked a death call even as it split down the middle, the two halves toppling away in a messy tumble of gore and magic. A stampede of feet behind him caused him to spin in place and his sword arm came alive. Possessed of a mind all its own. His body moved purely on instincts that didn¡¯t belong to him. The movements owed themselves to the sword. He instantly regretted neglecting naming it as long as he had. Air magic sizzled along the blade as a lure and a warning to the wildlings. He had magic, but he was also dangerous. More than that, the void magic within his breast pulsed a warning as well. He might pose a tempting target, but everything with magic senses knew on a basic level he owned destructive magic. Death walking. Several lesser wildling voidfire spiders pounced. A tangle of limbs all crashed down at him. Again, his sword arm flew into motion. A conductor leading its own symphony of death. Air and void magic blades flew free, projected from his blade that dissolved carapaces and removed twitching legs free of bodies. One particularly zealous spider needed its fangs trimmed down to nubs. It squealed in pain as it coughed viscous black fluid and tried to retreat before it too was sawed in half. His thrusters flared, and he propelled himself into the air just as the talons of a lesser voidfire bat crashed into the glassy obsidian and stone where he¡¯d once stood. Spinning in the air, he drew up his spell rifle and loosed several blasts that caught the bat in the wings. His shots all converged on the tissue, joining the wings to the body. Flesh, muscle, and bone dissolved until nothing connected the wings and body together. It screeched helplessly as it gnashed its teeth at the air, trying defiantly to devour him until it crashed into the ground, lifeless. Another pack of spiders slowly prowled on Amara, whose expression grew into one of revulsion and uncertainty. Allowing the moment to develop no further, he channeled several short burst teleports and closed the gap until it landed on the lead spider. His blade plunged down into its carapace between the row of circular, black eyeballs adorning its head. Fangs worked as venom dribbled free of their pointy ends, eagerly awaiting a victim. He poured on more AP and electricity laced with void magic crackled around his arm. It began a brilliant blue that discolored into a sinister violet black, then plunged down his blade and crashed into the spider¡¯s body, stunning it even as it devoured it. Akamori¡¯s boots crunched into the ground as smoke and motes of magic billowed away, forced aside by his magical aura which he¡¯d now allowed to flow unrestrained. His lips curled into a grin at the hesitation the lesser wildlings now displayed. Seizing on the hesitation, he channeled void magic into the end of his sword, layering it on thick like an onion skin with each progressive layer of aether. When the spell finished, he hurled it into the mass of creatures and watched as they chittered and screeched. Legs and claws dug deep into the stone for purchase. But his spell offered none. Having developed into a micro singularity, it devoured everything greedily as bats, spiders, and stone alike tumbled into its maw. System Info: Quest Update: [Void Diver] Ambushed by the Air Wyrm again, your ship is crashing. But a downed vessel is the least of your worries. Hint: Locals. It¡¯s the locals. Second Hint: If you have issues with bats, you¡¯d best pray to whatever god you place your faith in. * Objective : Survive The Void World * Optional Objective : Slay 10 Lesser Void-Fire Wildlings 10/10 He fell to a knee, panting heavily from the exertion. Turning over his shoulder, he saw Amara head for the cave. With a grunt, he forced himself to rise enough to stagger to the mouth of the cave. Once he was inside, Amara cast an illusion spell to conceal their hiding place. Free of eyes and magical scrying. They had a safe space to catch their breath and take stock of the situation. For now. He placed his blade back on its magical tether at the rear of his armor. It purred, pleased with the violence wrought as he stumbled exhaustedly into an open chamber where Amara had laid the others down. She sighed and wiped sweat free of her brow. ¡°I¡¯ve healed the worst of their injuries. They should recover shortly, but we¡¯re going to need a plan if we want to reach that black tower without the little critters trying to eat us.¡± A blood curdling roar shook the cave so hard it made Akamori¡¯s teeth rattle. He and Amara shared a look of worry as the others stirred softly. All save Arjun, who¡¯d taken the worst of the crash, poor guy. Amara spoke first. ¡°There was magic in that roar.¡± ¡°Our scaley friend with a bone to pick with us?¡± Amara frowned, folding her arms and adopting what Akamori had come to think of as her thinking face. Morwen groaned as Sirsir helped her up. ¡°Sitrep,¡± she¡¯d ordered. ¡°We¡¯re holed up in a cave. The planet has void and flame wildlings. The ship is dead on arrival. And there¡¯s something enormous out there.¡± Morwen frowned and nodded, rubbing a bruise on her head that had been a nasty gash prior to their entrance to the cave. ¡°That tracks.¡± Morwen assumed the thinking face too and at this point Akamori was certain it was some kind of spell weaver pose. Maybe it was some kind of prank everyone couldn¡¯t outgrow? Maybe that was like his constant beatings by Cenin? Just magical hazing? He shivered at the potential revelation. ¡°If there are wildlings here, then it stands to reason there might be a full grown void flame dragon out there,¡± Morwen finally postulated. Stolen story; please report. That made his own blood go icy. The prospect of having to deal with two full-blown dragons was unsettling. But, it wasn¡¯t exactly two on one as much as a three way free for all. But maybe they could stack the odds in their favor? ¡°We know the dragon that¡¯s been hunting us is here somewhere. What if we drew it out and pit the two against each other?¡± Amara glanced up and nodded enthusiastically. ¡°All we¡¯d need to do is make a big enough commotion to get their attention.¡± ¡°And fade into the darkness when they both notice each other.¡± Akamori finished. ¡°Divide and Conquer? I like it.¡± Sirsir said. Akamori noted the lack of sir. Guess the uniforms really were off. So why was he so comfortable following orders and leading fights? Had he truly become so subservient? Or did he take to authority better than he realized? ¡°It¡¯s as good a plan as any we have now.¡± Morwen said, ending the conversation and approaching Arjun¡¯s unconscious form. ¡°We¡¯ll need someone to carry him.¡± ¡°I can see to the tech.¡± Sirsir said. The bulky sergeant stepped forward and gently lifted Arjun up, and draped him gently over his armor. He gave Morwen a confident nod. ¡°Now, the distraction.¡± Morwen said, gesturing to the mouth of the cave. Amara strode forward this time, her hands already flying through a series of gestures, signs, and sketching glyphs and runes as needed to supplement the spell. With a flourish, the spell finished, and motes of golden and pink light coalesced into Big Blue. The massive leviathan of Hidros reared back his head and roared. It wasn¡¯t as ear shattering as real life, but Akamori had to appreciate Amara¡¯s craftsmanship. A pair of answering roars issued from the distance. ¡°We¡¯re gonna need to give Big Blue some bite or they¡¯ll see through the illusion.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Then you¡¯ll provide the dragon its bite.¡± Morwen said, nodding to Amara, who already launched into a flurry of illusion spell signs. An instant later, Akamori bubbled out of sight. ¡°Right. Heading out.¡± A disembodied Akamori¡¯s voice said. He rippled through the illusion of Anorax and navigated to the dragon¡¯s jaw. He drew his spell rifle and aimed down the sights at the two targets incoming. The first was a massive white scaled dragon muted to a dull grey. As it drew closer, he could see blue stripes patterning its hide. To the right of it in the opposite direction was a black and red scaled dragon with a crown of horns and fire. ¡°Just what I need. Sandwiched in the middle of a kaiju throw down.¡± He smirked and fed the rifle some magic. Well, if he was going to get flattened? He may as well see just how high up the food chain he could go. He fired off a gravity bomb spell that mirrored the one he used earlier. No¡­ Singularity bomb? He¡¯d have to figure out a name later. He watched as the negative light orb slung out at the white dragon. He pivoted to fire at the void flame wyrm, but something intercepted again it. Judging by the black-wings, it was the Void Spawn that had now twice saved his life. This was past becoming a habit. He was going to have to buy it a drink at this rate. He chanced a quick perception spell on it. System Info: Perception Check Results: Mysterious VoidSpawn Divinity: ??? Challenge: ??? Opting to trust the void fire wyrm to it, he refocused on the air wyrm. One last spell should do it. He saw a mass of white and blue scales boil away under the crushing power of his gravibomb spell. His sword hissed in disapproval. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t like it either.¡± He mused softly. He aimed for the weak point he¡¯d created and pooled water magic into the rifle, making a bullet of ice. Then he wrapped it in a skin of void magic, and channeled air, sparking a wreath of lightning. Akamori held the round a little longer and then fired, adding some extra AP to the spell for damage. He watched the round slam into the weak point he carved into the air wyrms chest. Blood gushed freely and the dragon¡¯s advance halted. He watched as it clawed at the wound, desperately trying to extract the ice spike. Satisfied the lesser creatures would respect Amara¡¯s illusion, he channeled some void magic and teleported several times until he was trailing behind the squad as they made a dash for the black palace. Sweat beaded down his brow, and his chest aches from the heavy spell use. He schooled his breathing under control and pushed harder against gravity to fall in stride with the others. Akamori glanced back over his shoulder sucking in breaths as he watched Amara¡¯s illusion spell collapse just as the void fire wyrm and the air wyrm crash into each other. The air wyrm snarled angrily and raked massive claws across the void fire wyrms chest. The black and red dragon spun, whipping its tail around into the air wyrm, but the white dragon evaded easily. Satisfied they would keep each other busy, he caught up with the others as they rose towards the large front doors of the black palace. The path narrowed ahead of them. Walls of jagged rock rose from the ground, channeling the group towards a stone cut stair way that ended at a massive set of doors. The group slowed their frantic retreat and Akamori allowed his boots to contact the ground, slowing to a slow jog. The black palace came into slightly better relief as they neared it. It looked like a typical castle with many spires and a sprawling foot print. Squinting, Akamori thought the surface texture appeared like crystal. Was it built of void glass and elemental fire? They made the five meter high double doors from jet black metal. An elaborate series of runes ringed the doors. ¡°You could buy half a galaxy with that castle¡­¡± Akamori mused. ¡°I suspect its financial footprint is incalculable.¡± Morwen said. ¡°Shall we see what¡¯s behind door number one?¡± Akamori said, reaching for the doors. There was a flash of magic, and it plunged the squad into sudden cold before the sensation washed off of them, and they stood before a second set of doors. He glanced back and saw the exterior doors still shut and then looked ahead to a set of smaller. Some kind of magic airlock? Silver mythril steel doors with ornately carved golden knobs stood in their path. Akamori reached for the large golden knobs, but the doors cracked open, allowing light to spill out. The sudden illumination blinding everyone as the sky blue metallic doors split open, swinging wide. Standing inside the doorway was an adult void fire spider with bats¡¯ wings stood at the entrance of the palace with a golden staff. It adorned one end of the staff with a blue gem in a tear drop cut. ¡°Greetings. We¡¯ve been expecting you for some time,¡± the creature chittered to them. ? Chapter 84: The Librarians The squad blinked away spots as everyone squinted to their greeter, who simply looked on patiently. Akamori rubbed at his eyes vigorously several times before finally trying to adjust to the ambient light levels. He turned back to the main doors, pointing with a thumb. ¡°Some kind of airlock?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The greeter intoned. He had no obvious mouth. A pair of massive fangs quivered above a smaller mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. As Akamori¡¯s eyes adjusted, he could make out the finer details of the creature. He stood at 2 meters tall easily. With black skin coated in fine hairs. Four legs braced the creature on the ground, and it clasped together a pair of smaller humanoid arms in front of what would pass for his abdomen, and the main arms held the staff. His head was as large as a watermelon. Bald in the sense that it lacked longer hair like humans possessed. Multiple sets of eyes facing multiple directions ringed the top of his head like an all seeing crown. As Akamori¡¯s vision cleared and adjusted completely, he could even make out the faintly glowing smaller swirls of fire on the creature¡¯s skin. Like birthmarks made of magma. ¡°So, uh, what¡¯s your name?¡± Akamori ventured hesitantly. ¡°Our language is unusable by your tongue and I lack an individual identifier such as yourselves. However, if you must refer to me as anything, Librarian would be the best use of your own tongue to my designation.¡± Morwen cleared her throat, casting an uncertain glance back at the doors it had teleported them to the other side of. ¡°Right then. We¡¯ve come for a reason. What exactly? We aren¡¯t sure.¡± ¡°Of course. Right this way. You¡¯ve been expected. Please, follow me, and please touch nothing.¡± The Spider Bat pivoted on its legs and strode deeper into the palace, leaving the squad at the mouth of the interior doorway. As it gained distance on them, it ruffled its wings, scratching its back. They all exchanged reluctant looks before fully committing and stepping inside. The chamber they emerged into was large, almost unfathomably. Akamori almost wondered if the interior was a dimension of its own. ¡°Bigger on the inside.¡± he mused softly. ¡°Indeed. You are walking within the focal point of all knowledge. Anything that was ever learned, is known, or ever will be known, is cataloged here for curation.¡± Instinctively, Akamori turned to see Morwen and Amara¡¯s faces both light up like children on gift day in winter harvest. ¡°That must be a lot of information to organize.¡± Akamori said, swatting at Amara¡¯s hand as it strayed to touch the shelves. Adoring them was everything from books, scrolls, knowledge discs and scales, and even recording gems. Akamori even thought he saw the surreal pink of mind magic as memories. ¡°This place is immense!¡± Amara said, with no attempt at hiding her excitement. The Spider Bat Librarian chittered a laughter. ¡°Indeed. The Library of Knowledge has existed before time was recorded.¡± ¡°That sounds like a long time. Don¡¯t you get bored? What does a librarian do for fun?¡± Sirsir asked. ¡°We have been known to engage in games from time to time. It helps to exercise what we learn.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°Often we¡¯ll play Darstrix Aryte.¡± The Librarian replied as it escorted the squad down an aisle way set between large shelves that climbed into what Akamori quickly thought of as the sky in here. He looked up and could see the multi-limbed librarians clinging to shelves, or flying across aisles to other shelves, with arms full of items. When his gaze fell back to the Librarian, he frowned at the response. ¡°Board games? More like Bore-ing.¡± Akamori sighed. Amara elbowed his armored ribs. ¡°Board games are good at stimulating the mind. Something you might try from time to time.¡± The rib shot took him by surprise, since she had to step deeper into the group to do it. At least she wasn¡¯t cowering in the back of the group from the librarian. ¡°Ugh. Now you sound like Avreone.¡± ¡°Then perhaps this Avreone speaks with merit.¡± The Librarian added politely. After walking through the grand library, they escorted the squad into a large sitting room with several comfortable looking chairs. Enough for each of them to take with chairs to spare. Amara and Morwen each took one of their own, close together. Akamori ejected himself from his armor and then flopped down on his chosen seat, sighing contentedly as the cushion hugged him. Sirsir laid down Arjun on a chair, then took its neighbor for himself. They gave the squad time to relax and recover, lounging around and even catching some sleep for some of them. Akamori was too stir crazy to relax. They were in the void. Everything he¡¯d learned about this place ran counter to what he understood to be sane or good. He felt like his skin was crawling. After some rough attempts at meditating, he understood the feeling. It was pure distilled fear. His right foot fidgeted, rapidly tapping at the tiled floor. He needed an outlet to burn off the anxious energy that was building up. The sound of the doors creaking open made him flinch as he jolted up right off the over cushiony chair. In the entrance, a librarian stood. This one wasn¡¯t holding a spell staff the way the first one was. ¡°Akamori. Your presence has been requested.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He rose with a stretch and stepped into his armor, allowing it to solidify around him, and then marched forward. His sword pulsed an eager greeting. The armor and spell rifle both thrummed a welcome as well. Akamori was quickly coming to think of all the items as a set that made a whole. He felt complete with them. ¡°That is more true than you know.¡± The sword hissed. The librarian¡¯s oversized spider like head bobbed downward on his approach, mimicking something like a greeting or a wave. The talons were massive. He estimated they were about as big as his forearm if you stretched them out. The fangs quivered as it spoke, covering a smaller mouth set under them. ¡°Is Guest-Akamori ready?¡± ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll get. Let¡¯s do this.¡± The librarian took him on a guided walk through the stacks towards a looming set of doors covered in sigils and runes. There was no way to judge how old they were. The elegance of the carvings was top tier, even to his unexperienced eye. His weapons and armor all trembled at the door. Like attack dogs weary of a larger predator. Not scared, but definitely concerned. The librarian broke off to the right as the doors rumbled open. Darkness spilled out of the crack along with a musty smoke that crept along the floor, snaking around his calves and covering his feet. He cast an uncertain glance at the librarian, who gestured in with both of his right arms. Akamori sighed and nodded. He willed his armor to deploy his helmet. The plates slid up from the collar and wrapped around his head, hardening into place. He waited for the hud to wink on and examined the paper doll and stats. His HP and AP bars were full, and his armor was showing all white, and no status ailments. He was as ready as he could get to meet a whatever he was here to meet. He turned back to ask the librarian that escorted him in just who he was going to see, but the doors clapped shut in his face loudly. He sighed loudly, head dropping. ¡°Of course.¡± Ahead of him lay a spiraling stone staircase. The lighting was very poor. There weren¡¯t even torches to light the way. They were really nailing the whole mysterious and gloomy vibe. With a resigned shrug, he started his way down the stairs. Akamori strode deeper into the chamber with a far more casual demeanor than he probably should have. But being cautious and a wound up bottle of nerves didn¡¯t sit well with him. If he was descending to his death, there was probably very little he could do to alter the outcome, current circumstances considered. ¡°Of that, you are correct.¡± A disembodied voice rumbled through his mind like gravel grinding his ear drums. The force of it was so powerful the pressure pushed him to a knee. He was suddenly thankful he¡¯d left his helmet up, as he felt something warm and wet trickling free of his ear, like he¡¯d just taken a hot shower and washed his hair. He glanced up, triggering his perception skill. ??? Divinity: ??? Challenge: ??? He sighed, annoyed that the skill wasn¡¯t much help. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve conversed with such a weak mortal. I¡¯d forgotten being near our very aura can be crippling.¡± The voice crooned. ¡°Ouch. Not big on humility are ya?¡± He asked through grit teeth. ¡°My apologies. I¡¯ve spent a long time away from the cycle and away from sentient beings. The niceties of conversation may be slightly beyond my grasp.¡± ¡°In other words, you won¡¯t be responsible for any bruised egos.¡± The voice chittered a laugh that sounded like an older feminine version of the librarians. ¡°Quite so I¡¯m afraid.¡± He found if he clenched his teeth and focused, the overwhelming pressure was easier to bare. Akamori took a deep breath, then pushed up off the steps and forced himself to finish the descent. He didn¡¯t dare risk flying out of fear the oppressive voice and presence would simply swat him out of the air. Taking a slide down these stairs even in his armor didn¡¯t strike him as a situation with a positive outcome. High above and some distance away from him, several small orbs of fire winked alive. A heavy presence settled over him, like a thick wool blanket being thrown over his head. He felt so much smaller than he really did. Like bug sized smaller. A massive silhouette of a large spider with draconic wings appeared in the darkness. It lumbered forward, emerging from the darkness as though it were a waterfall of black ink. Akamori swallowed hard and stood his ground. It stood an easy 20 meters tall. The main body reminded him of a ground spider. A thick arachnid body and legs covered in hairs. It reminded him of the Hoshun Tarantulas. Massive thick fangs and a ring of fiery eyes. On its back were a pair of massive leathery draconic wings folded up and draped over the legs at its sides. A large twin tail writhed lazily behind it that ended in arachnid spinerets. It wasn¡¯t near as large as Big Blue was, but he got the sense that was just so she didn¡¯t bring the massive palace down around them. ¡°So, what comes next?¡± ¡°You have questions. I have answers. Ask, that so you may be left here better than you came. However, I must impose a solitary stipulation. I will only answer those questions that I may deem worthy of answer. Some information you are not yet ready for at this stage of your journey.¡± ¡°So I can ask you anything I want and you¡¯ll answer as long as it isn¡¯t something that might paradoxically destroy the universe or something. Is that it?¡± The massive spider bat thing chuckled. Its voice rumbling in deep resonance. A large hair shook free of its legs, clattering to the stone floor like falling sticks. Dust and small rocks shook free of the chamber they were in. Every so often, something would ping off a plate of his spell armor. It was like standing next to a struck bell. He could feel the sound. The massive creature bobbed its head in an exaggerated nod as its huge fangs quivered with speech. ¡°Something like that, yes.¡± The beast¡¯s head canted to the side curiously as it observed him. ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s get started.¡± He said after a deep inhale. He was partially stalling. This whole situation was so far out of his norm, he was struggling to put it all together in his head. Context. He needed context. He could wrap his head around all this if it made sense. He took another deep breath and nodded resolute. That gave him mission parameters to work within. A framework to build his questions around. Who was he speaking with? Why did other beings refer to him as though they knew or recognized him? What was he? What would they need to win? And how? ? Chapter 85: Sashlu ¡°First things first. Who are you?¡± The massive creature chuckled, and the rumbling shook more dust free of the chamber¡¯s high ceiling. The fangs quivered as it spoke. ¡°Curious that you asked who, rather than what, I am. However, since we are safe within the black palace, I can tell you. I am Sashlu. The goddess of fate. I have had many names and worn many faces. But my function has always been the same. To serve as the thread that holds existence together and gives it meaning.¡± Akamori blinked, trying to process that. He was just expecting a name. But this goddess had just slapped him across the fate with everything else. His mouth worked, but it produced no sound while his brain reeled from so many revelations back to back. He cleared his throat, realizing that this was the literal divine embodiment of the very thing he¡¯d grown to dislike so much. ¡°Oh. Great. Fate. I had to meet the literal divine representation of the very thing I hate the most. I make my own decisions and decide my own life.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if disliking fate would be seen as blasphemous or not. The creature loomed closer and he could make out details more clearly. Its cluster of eyes formed a circle. Eight in total, and they all looked like small stars set against the black of night. As she exhaled at him, her breath actually smelled like raspberries. The contrast was so heel turn he almost thought he was hallucinating. Again, that thunderous wave of soft laughter. Sashlu had a really mild personality so far. That or she thought he was hilarious. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go with that. Whatever gets you to sleep, cupcake.¡± He stared blankly. All his bluster bled out of him like an animal trussed up to be skinned. He narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief, ¡°Did you just call me cupcake?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± A moment passed and the massive creature rumbled another laugh. Even as soft and subdued as it was, it still made his teeth rattle. He braced his feet as though he were leaning into a storm gale. ¡°To answer your first question, yes. I¡¯m aware. Fate is not a concept many find easy to accept or make peace with. Some over dedicate themselves to the concept of what they think their destiny is while being fully ignorant of what their threads actually hold for them. While others are happily and blissfully ignorant. Content to walk their paths wherever it may lead without a care for how they got there. And then there are those who fight desperately to avoid it, while still walking to its beat. And yes, I find you funny, but also I¡¯m very mild-mannered. When you are the divine manifestation of the web of fate, you learn to take things in stride.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Akamori started. ¡°At least you¡¯re a good sport about it.¡± Sashlu bowed her head in agreement. A couple more hairs toppled loose and clattered on the stone floor. ¡°Time has a way of taming one¡¯s personality. In most cases. But I suspect we¡¯ve spoken enough about myself, and now you¡¯re wanting to know more about you?¡± She¡¯d framed it like a question, but he got the sense she was also shifting the conversation. The frustrating part was that she was right. He sighed. This stuff was so confusing and such a chore. But also something that had to be faced. Alright then, on to the next question. ¡°What is with everyone speaking to me like they know me? And what is Bahumet¡¯s stance?¡± Sashlu¡¯s wings fluffed, one scratching the other. A few glittering, dark burgundy dragon scales bounced to the ground. They sounded like coins jingling off the stone floor of what he was coming to think of as the spiderbat cave. Sashlu¡¯s fangs quivered and Akamori¡¯s skin contracted into goosebumps as something primal quaked with fear deep within. Sashlu¡¯s head canted as though reading his emotions and the beast winked out of existence. From the darkness strode a woman wearing a white dress. She had dark skin, dark red hair, and had more eyes than a human shaped had looked designed to house. Two smaller eyes sat beneath the two normal eyes one would associate with a humanoid. Then another pair sat just above those occupying her forehead. Her eyes were jet black, with glowing hints of fire in them. Her dress was an off white and looked woven from spider silk. Despite the creepiness, she somehow pulled off beautiful in a divine way. A small smile creased her lips, and she inclined her head. ¡°I assumed you might find this form less unsettling. Now, to your questions.¡± Compared to the way her voice had been thunderous and oppressive, now she was more muted. Like a spotlight viewed from behind a keyhole. Pinhole of light that shone through a humanoid shape. She walked around him as she spoke, and though he left the helmet on. His ears still ached, and he was pretty confident they¡¯d been bleeding from their initial exchange. ¡°The latter first. Bahumet¡¯s stance is a combat style designed by the first and most powerful brood of Kronis.¡± ¡°Kronis?¡± ¡°The god of time. Though, it might be easier to think of him by the name given to him by humankind, Midgardzormer. He was a powerful elder dragon who brought his children to the stars. His own world fell into conflict. Bahumet, the first son of Kronis was the most powerful of his brood. A god of the void, Bahumet was a destroyer. But he swore to be more than that. And so he became an agent of change. His stance was a combat style that favored power and speed. It is rarely taught, as few remember it well enough to instruct in it however some of its principles live on in lesser forms and styles used by living dragons. But you possess something unique no one else does.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°His soul and memories.¡± He reached out a hand that glowed with a rainbow of color and touched his forehead. The magic poured through his body like water. Spreading movements and skill into every muscle from head to toe. Everything tingled, like an oxygen starved limb waking up. He gasped at the sensation, the sudden influx overwhelming him for a moment as he fell to his knees, panting heavily. The sound of his breathing was loud and raspy inside his helmet. Everything made sense now. The way his father was teaching him, the forms and katas. It was the foundation of Bahumet¡¯s Stance. But he didn¡¯t just possess the basics and fundamentals now. He was a master. The master. He knew it as intimately as two elder lovers. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Sashlu smiled as she stood back to regard him. ¡°Whoa indeed.¡± He looked up at her, slowly pulling himself back up to his feet. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°I reconnected a few strands of your soul to your body. The first of a few gifts.¡± ¡°Why?¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She gave him a knowing look. ¡°For the trials to come. I must make you ready to face your current enemies so that when the time comes, you are ready for the real fights.¡± His brows furrowed, ¡°Real fights? Then what have I been doing up to now?¡± ¡°Training and growing.¡± He pouted at the thought that nearly dying on Hidros was simply just another day in the gym for him, as far as she was concerned. ¡°Sure hasn¡¯t felt that way.¡± ¡°Not every hero comes from humble beginnings. But the best ones usually do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He asked again at the risk of sounding like a broken record. ¡°Sauridius is a threat, yes. But what lays beyond him and his children¡¯s schemes is nothing but darkness and despair. Threats in the void that would undo all of creation. A fate that has fallen to other shards of existence.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to be a lack of abundance for assholes looking to ruin other people¡¯s day.¡± Akamori groused. ¡°And thankfully I have my chosen champions ready to see they don¡¯t get their way.¡± Sashlu extended her other hand, and magic poured into him. Raw, hot, unfiltered flame roared into his body. It burned away weakness, doubt, and strengthened him. His body went rigid, unable to resist the flow. Every cell became energized. Every muscle fiber thickened. Fire roared from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Eventually, the glow of the magic faded within him. His armor had grown with him. The dark blue alloy now had streaks of red in it. His blade had also grown again. Now several centimeters longer than it had been previously. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± He gasped again. ¡°I¡¯ve made you truly a destroyer.¡± His helmet peeled back, and he rested his head on the cold stone floor. ¡°I don¡¯t want to destroy anything.¡± ¡°For some things to change. Others must end. That is the path you walk. You will determine when things must end and then end them.¡± Deep within his chest, he could feel the hot, angry magic resting next to the cool and patient water, the dark and cold void, and the light and whimsical air. He could also feel the gold marks on his soul and body. And deep beneath all of that. The dark presence of¡­ him. Accepting that it was attached to him and the legacy it carried was something he¡¯d tried to forget and push out of his mind. But if he looked deep enough inside himself, it was there. And the stronger he grew, the weaker the barrier between them became. He shivered under the chill, and Sashlu gave him a comforting smile. ¡°Be at ease, my child. What you fear now is simply a lack of information. But all will be clear when the time is right.¡± ¡°Yeah, easy for you to say, hiding out in your black palace in the armpit of the void.¡± ¡°Interstice.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is the interstice. The juncture between aether, soul, and dream. Not a true plane, but more of an intersection of all of them. But not just the planes, but also the shards. The home of the web of fate. I am¡­ unable to depart this place.¡± ¡°The shards?¡± ¡°Yes. Your reality is not the only one. In the beginning, there was a singular world whereupon creation was made. But events transpired that split that world. It now exists as anchored shards of a whole. Like pieces of a broken mirror. Reflections of the same reality, viewed with different perspectives, times, and rules. We dwell within the Prime shard. The Interstice was created when the first shard was truly destroyed.¡± ¡°Who destroyed it?¡± Sashlu gave him a wry smile. ¡°That¡­ can wait for another time. You have more immediate threats to focus on.¡± ¡°Fair enough then.¡± Akamori¡¯s brows furrowed as thought about her own fate. ¡°Did you know you¡¯d be stuck here?¡± ¡°Not initially. Once my ability to touch the web of fate manifested, yes.¡± ¡°And you still came?¡± ¡°Indeed. It was the only way.¡± ¡°Only way for what?¡± ¡°To buy enough time.¡± ¡°Is it like a failing of gods to be cryptic and talk sideways?¡± Sashlu chuckled again, her voice more melodic than the rumbling thunder of her previous form. ¡°I sometimes forget how fleeting the mortal perspective can be. I suppose that¡¯s why your soul is shaped the way it is. Something I¡¯ve always pondered. Perhaps this cycle will reveal the answer to that question.¡± She turned and looked over her shoulder as a doorway opened at the top of a staircase on the opposite side of the spiderbat cave. He looked at the stairs that climbed to the exit and sighed. ¡°More stairs.¡± ¡°Yes, well, can¡¯t skip leg day now, can we?¡± Sashlu teased. ¡°Wait, have you spoken to Sirsir?¡± ¡°Not yet. Soon. But now our time has ended. You have what you need and events conspire to force your exit. Go in confidence. And remember, you are my chosen. A member of my hand of fate. There is naught you can¡¯t accomplish.¡± Sashlu offered him a sad smile. Like a mother seeing away her first born as he left the home for the first time. His sword thrummed pleased behind him on his back. Our enemies will soon come to know their folly. ¡°Oh, uh. Yeah.¡± You are distracted by what lays within you. Don¡¯t. Focus on the task ahead. ¡°Easy for you to say. You don¡¯t have a dark dragon¡¯s spirit inside you and people calling you a destroyer.¡± What is one being¡¯s act of creation is an act of destruction to another? In order to make anything, something must first be changed. This act just as easily constitutes destruction, even though the end result is for the better. ¡°You¡¯re trying to convince me with a semantic argument? You really have grown.¡± As your power grows, so too does mine. We are soul linked. This is just one of my cycles we¡¯ve walked. Though I daresay this may be the last. It is too early to tell yet. Akamori frowned, climbing the stairs and unable to shake the feeling of an unbearable weight that grew heavier with each step. With each revelation he received, more and more he felt like he was both standing in a massive shadow, and constantly being ensnared in chains, holding him down to a destiny he didn¡¯t want. Well, not completely anyway. He wanted to stop Sauridius, but everything after that felt like vague ideas he wanted nothing to do with. The light at the top of the stairs washed over him. A small headache blooming behind his eyes after having adjusted to the darkness. He turned back to regard Sashlu with a frown. As the massive rune and glyph etched double doors shut, the goddess turned to wink at him teasingly. ¡°Fuck fate,¡± he said. ? Chapter 86: Queen of Possibilities The doors cracked open some time after Akamori had descended inside. The librarian once again standing before its dark entrance. It pointed to Morwen and spoke, those horrifyingly large fangs quivering with each forced word of standard spoken. ¡°Lt. Morwen. Your presence has been requested. This way, please.¡± Morwen pushed herself up from the extra plush chair she¡¯d been sitting on and bowed to Amara politely from behind a game of Darstrix Aryte. The two had played each other to a comfortable stalemate. With both of them playing bold strategies that countered the other¡¯s moves nicely. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t be able to finish. You were keeping me on my toes rather nicely. Thank you.¡± Amara smiled and shook her head before looking towards the door. ¡°Good luck, and be careful.¡± Morwen nodded firmly and gave a concerned look at Sirsir and Arjun¡¯s unconscious form. Sirsir gave her an affirming nod. Go ahead. I¡¯ve got this , his look told her. She faced the librarian and proceeded towards the darkened room inside the double doors. She peered back to ask what was inside, but the doors closed, leaving her with just her thoughts. She cast a small globe of light that floated above her head, casting a soft warm glow to light her way down. While Morwen descended the stone stairs, her boots echoed loudly off the walls. Eventually she found the bottom and a soft woman¡¯s voice greeted her. ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way Morwen. Thank you for finally making it.¡± ¡°I believe you have me at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°A state of being you¡¯ll quickly grow used to I¡¯m afraid.¡± Morwen frowned. That wasn¡¯t terribly comforting. ¡°Dark words coming from the goddess of fate.¡± Sashlu grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. ¡°I knew you¡¯d figured it out.¡± ¡°It took little to guess once we starting connecting dots. Much harder with some kind of magical spell that ran around creation hiding you. But easy enough to establish once we got here.¡± ¡°What gave it away?¡± Sashlu asked eagerly. ¡°The spiders.¡± Sashlu smiled like a proud mother. ¡°Very observant. And sharp.¡± ¡°So.¡± Morwen said, getting down to business. Sashlu chuckled melodiously, and Morwen paused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing. I just love how you are always so swift to get to the heart of the matter.¡± Morwen tugged her uniform jacket down tightly. ¡°You¡¯ve summoned us all here. For what purpose?¡± Sashlu¡¯s eyes shone with magic as she smiled. ¡°To forge you.¡± ¡°You say that as if we¡¯re tools.¡± ¡°But you are.¡± Morwen folded her arms. ¡°To you perhaps. But we are still mortals with lives.¡± ¡°Lives that would be snuffed out very quickly if I had not deigned to interfere. Would you prefer I allow Sauridius and his designs to come to pass? That would mean the subjugation of the sector and a lot of unnecessary deaths.¡± Sashlu held a hand up to snap her finger. ¡°In an instant, I could revert time, choices, victories, and sacrifices. If that¡¯s what you choose.¡± Morwen shook her head stiffly, ¡°No. You¡¯ve made your point. We¡¯d just appreciate being handled with a little more compassion.¡± Sashlu chuckled softly, ¡°My dear child. I¡¯m the goddess of fate. Not compassion. Shall we begin?¡± Morwen nodded her ascent, and Sashlu held out a hand to her chest. Magic glowed with golden, brilliant light, which turned a bright crimson as it plunged into Morwen¡¯s chest. She clenched her teeth as fire poured behind her eyes and mind. ¡°If your prophecy was any sign, time is of the essence. Please.¡± Morwen said. Sashlu held both hands to the Morwen¡¯s temples. Warmth flooded into her head. Her skin tingled as the aether flowed into her, flooding her body and merging with her soul. She was forever changed now. More than she¡¯d been. Sashlu had gifted her something beyond simple magic and additional pool. Morwen received an ability. She could feel it now, as much a part of her as if she¡¯d been born with it. ¡°I have given you the ability to touch the Web of Fate. With it, all choices and consequence from the smallest to the largest actions lay bare before you. Your skill with it will be infantile at first, but the more you use the ability, the better you¡¯ll be at being able to read your opponents¡¯ actions or lack thereof.¡± Sashlu went silent, allowing Morwen a moment to channel the ability. It used its own magic, needing none of her own aether. That alone won it praise from her. Her expression went vacant as she stared into the distance as possible actions unraveled before her like threads of a web. Each branch spun off into yet more. She could focus on the big picture or zero down to singular actions and follow specific odds. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°If I¡¯d possessed even a fraction of this ability in some of my past campaigns, the outcome of the war would be a vastly different affair.¡± Morwen mused with awe. Sashlu nodded sagely. ¡°The ability to and predict future events is powerful. But it¡¯s only part of the equation. You must also be able to act on what you divine. Which is why you and squad have been chosen to act as my hand of fate.¡± Morwen¡¯s focus sharpened, and she blinked several times until Sashlu¡¯s surreal face came into sharp relief. She was both beautiful and horrifying in equal measure. Was it the fangs or the eyes? Maybe both? No one should look like that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hand of Fate? My squad?¡± Sashlu nodded, and Morwen could tell this was the part where she finally got some answers. She was ready for this. ¡°You, Akamori, Amara, Sirsir, and Yasiin. You each share a divine destiny. A golden thread in my web you each walk. Each of you are necessary components to a plan older than the notion of time itself.¡± Morwen frowned, her brows cinching together. Her mind went to Yasiin, the absentee member of her squad. Sashlu smiled and shook her head. ¡°Be at ease. Yasiin¡¯s absence has been accounted for in this potential thread. It became a necessary end to buy enough time for all this to be possible.¡± ¡°You planned for him to be absent?¡± Sashlu frowned, each of her eight eyebrows pressed downwards in her jet-black eyes. ¡°More that I foresaw the likelihood that he would dismiss Akamori¡¯s invitation and heed the Lt.¡¯s advice to remain behind. External factors like his family turning up on Aeryn coincidentally strengthened the possibility of selecting that choice.¡± ¡°I see. So we can¡¯t force outcomes, but can steer them towards more desirable positions.¡± ¡°Within reason.¡± Sashlu cautioned. ¡°There¡¯s always an air of chance, regardless of how well you account for external factors. Take your crimson haired friend, for example. He abhors fate, and yet I could still navigate him into circumstances by which I would position him to meet with me.¡± ¡°Had he known we¡¯d journey¡¯d through the void all that way to meet you, he¡¯d have stayed back with Yasiin.¡± Sashlu nodded with the pleased smile of a mentor having imparted a lesson to her pupil. ¡°The odds of that outcome were close. It was anyone¡¯s guess if he¡¯d have actually come. Thankfully, you have. That puts us in a more favorable position for the steps to follow.¡± ¡°What comes next?¡± Morwen asked, curiosity tinted her voice. Sashlu frowned, having to select her next words carefully. ¡°You face the first of many crucibles. Already, events are in motion that puts Aeryn in critical danger. I¡¯ve moved the pieces as best as I can, but the best solution was removing you from play in order to make you better suited to the task when I finally put you back in play.¡± ¡°Which is when?¡± ¡°Soon. Our time draws short. I¡¯ve enjoyed our chat. You¡¯re much less resistant to me than Akamori, though his soul is tired and understandably short on patience with the path he walks. Go in strength Morwen, steel yourself. Dark times loom ahead, which will sorely test your resolve.¡± Morwen wanted to stay longer. She had so many questions, both about the future and her ability, but she recognized that she¡¯d been given everything she needed already. The rest was up to her now. A set of doors opened at the top of a long, winding stone staircase that rose into the gloom, ending at the brightly lit exit. She let out a deep breath and took the staircase one step at a time. She knew the prophecy well enough to know what came next. The Sauridius was moving in the shadows on Aeryn. She feared for just how deeply they could sink their claws. Her people could be arrogant, foolish and quick to dismiss warnings. Too sure of themselves and their safety. She tried to think through the pluses to having an assault take place on her homeworld. The upper class was too trapped in playing games with the families and houses to recognize the danger that was already threatening them. As usual, it would take blood, innocent blood, before action would be taken to defend the world. She feared by then it would be too late. Petty differences and power moves would keep them too distracted. Morwen frowned as her thoughts strode into dark territories. At the peak of the stairs a large chamber stood before her with Akamori standing inside, arms folded and looking on the verge of a vigorous pace. She caught the toe of his boot tapping impatiently. Anxious energy looking for a way to vent. She fell in next to him, following his gaze off into the distance. Before them sat a massive flat space that rather looked like a hangar area. Room enough for a corvette by her estimation. Too small for something as massive as the Crasher , but small enough to make for a small, fast capital ship. Around them, the rocky interior swept inwards towards the massive double doors that deposited them here. She scanned around some more, noticing the faint warm glow of lighting crystals floating in place at even intervals. ¡°Relax, or you¡¯ll tap a dent in the stone floor. Last thing we need is someone tumbling over and suffering an injury.¡± Akamori bit back a laugh, unable to hold back a sigh, before looking at her. ¡°How do we get home? I feel like we were in such a rush to get here that we might have overlooked the most vital part. Getting back.¡± ¡°A fair point. Things have moved according to the prophecy so far. So I have to trust that there is a plan.¡± ¡°Almost as if you should have faith in fate.¡± A soft melodious voice said from behind and all around them at the same time. ¡°Get bent.¡± Akamori grumbled. Morwen punched him in the shoulder armor. ¡°Akamori!¡± she hissed. ¡°Please do not blaspheme fate in her own temple.¡± A soft chuckle faded from hearing as Morwen pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. A beat passed before she broke the silence. ¡°So. What did you get?¡± ¡°Some memories, and fire magic. You?¡± ¡°Divine foresight if I had to boil it down. Tell me about these memories?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fighting style. My body and soul knew different parts of the same whole. She mashed them together.¡± Akamori said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at the doorway. ¡°What about your foresight? How does that work?¡± ¡°I can see the web of fate. Any and every choice and result. All possibilities laid bare. With time and practice, it could become nearly impossible to move, in a way I can¡¯t predict.¡± ¡°The queen of possibilities, then.¡± Akamori said with a nod. ¡°The what?¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s an old fairy tale from home.¡± Morwen¡¯s expression shifted to one of thoughtfulness. She could see elements loosely coming together from a great distance. Coming together into what, however, she wasn¡¯t sure. This had Fate¡¯s fingerprints all over it, however. She resolved to keep her suspicions silent for the time being until she could better determine how things were designed to take shape. Doing so now would only make Akamori harder to motivate into action. For now, she only had his sense of altruism. The doors cracked open behind them, and soft boot steps echoed up from inside until Amara emerged, blinking the sudden blindness away. ¡°I can see everything now¡­¡± she said in awe. ? Chapter 87: Maetrayops Amara moved the pieces on the Aryte board. When Morwen got up, Amara figured she¡¯d play on both sides of the board. It allowed her to experiment with different strategies and tactics. Something Morwen had been trying to coach her on. She sighed, trying to fight off boredom. The massive rune etched double doors opened wide and the Librarian attendant pointed directly to her. ¡°Priestess Amara. Your audience has been requested.¡± She glanced over from the board for a moment as the Librarian¡¯s words sunk in. She sprang up quickly and squeaked softly as she stretched out. Sitting for so long had left her feeling bunched up. She strode to the edge of the darkened stairway and looked into the dark gloom. Glancing back at the Librarian, she tried to study its arachnine features for any hint of what she could expect. Should she be worried? Afraid? Trepidatious? Eventually, she settled on optimistically cautious. She snapped her helmet up, sealed it, then drew her white hood over it. She slowly made her way to the bottom of the dark stone chamber and turned in a slow circle, studying the interior with her maetrayops. When she finished her revolution, she recoiled as intense light nearly blinded her, and she fell to the ground clutching at her helmet, trying to keep her head from exploding. Massive spikes of pain pressed slowly into her temples, threatening to punch through the other side, making her head feel about ten sizes too small. An instant later, she felt something warm on her shoulder. A soothing warmth, like sitting next to a fireplace in the dead of the cold season, draped in a fur blanket. The tension bled away from her muscles as she relaxed under the warmth. Even the intense pounding in her eyes and head lessened. She sighed as all hints of injury melted away from her. She looked up and saw a woman crouched down next to her, hand on her shoulder. She was beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Sporting more eyes than any humanoid had a right to own. Dark lips cover long fangs. But it was the jet-black eyes that seemed to pick up the light of a fire, despite there being none present, that caught Amara¡¯s gaze. The woman smiled apologetically. ¡°Forgive me. It¡¯s rare that I meet a child with your particular gift set.¡± When Amara¡¯s face twisted in confusion, the woman smiled again, like a patient teacher realizing she would need to re-explain something. ¡°Your eyes. You possess the ocular magic Maetrayops. When you saw me with them, it overwhelmed you. I should have warned you.¡± Amara shook her head in defference. ¡°You¡¯re the great weaver. The error was all mine.¡± ¡°Please, just call me Sashlu.¡± Amara¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°You¡¯re quite different from your friend. He was strong willed. And strong souled. Not the type of man you¡¯d expect subservience from. But you¡¯re the exact opposite. You respect authority and look to it for guidance. So much like her.¡± Amara wasn¡¯t sure if she was meant to understand this part of the conversation or not, so she kept silent and let it proceed naturally. The furrow in her brows gave Sashlu another soft chuckle. ¡°You remind me of a young woman from eons past. She, too, possessed the same ocular magic you do. She could divine nearly all magics. See it gather and move. Even alter its performance in others by striking them precisely where it converged. That is a long-lost art now. But perhaps that is precisely what this epic needs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re speaking of Maetraya, your prot¨¦g¨¦, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed. She was insightful and could see much, just like you. A skill you will come to rely on more and more in the days to come.¡± ¡°There¡¯s so much about it I don¡¯t yet understand.¡± Sashlu sat down on the stone and patted the space in front of her for Amara to sit. ¡°Come. I have stopped time for a short period that I might train you then. Unlike the others, yours is a power I created directly, and thus am in the best position to give you aid.¡± Amara was immediately seated before Sashlu. ¡°Now then, when you channel your power, you are immediately fed a dirge of information. To a mind as inexperienced as yours, it can help to filter what your mind processes so you don¡¯t get overwhelmed. Being able to see everything will only do you so much good if it can¡¯t be used to help. I want you to train your mind to focus only on what you need and allow the rest to fade into the background.¡± Amara practiced this with Sashlu, using her ability to read magic on Sashlu, who as a goddess was a beacon of magic with a soul anchoring all of it together. She practiced on focusing on aspects of the goddess¡¯s magic. Fire and mind magic were her two largest chunks. The fire burned so strong, and so hot, Amara felt like it might burn her just sitting next to the goddess. The Mind magic felt elusive and slippery. Like it could become whatever she wanted it to be. Mixed in among the rest were smaller portions of the other magical aspects and realms. Amara felt like a drop in the ocean of power that lived within Sashlu. Training with her to focus on a smaller element took more effort than she would have initially imagined. After spending the great part of a half would peering at different pieces of Sashlu¡¯s aura, Amara¡¯s mind was now thoroughly blown. ¡°And now, for your gift. Take my hand.¡± Amara reached out tentatively before withdrawing it. Sashlu offered a comforting smile. Amara wasn¡¯t sure if this was some kind of trick or not. The whole spider motiff wasn¡¯t landing well with her but she thought she did a good job of keeping that in check so far. Sashlu chuckled softly, ¡°Child, you¡¯ve nothing to fear. You¡¯re of far greater use to me, empowered and free to act as you will. You¡¯d serve as a disappointing snack if I really wanted to feed on you.¡± The color drained from Amara¡¯s face as horror bloomed, but Sashlu simply chuckled softly. ¡°My apologies. I couldn¡¯t help that last joke. Your fear is practically tangible. Please, take my hand. Our time is drawing short.¡± Tentatively, Amara reached out and took Sashlu¡¯s hand. At first nothing happened, and she wondered what manner of trap this was. Then the magic flowed. Raw, undistilled aether roared into her body. Permeating every cell and saturating her soul as it rewrote her very existence. Heat and warmth filtered out through every fiber of her body. And it finished before she even realized it began. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. System Info: You have received Strength of Ifrit. Recieve +1 bonus to your strength attribute. Stackable. May exceed racial maximum. Gain +3 AP and +3 Fire Resistance. ¡°For you, I have gifted you with enhanced physical strength. While you may excel at spell weaving, the maetrayops are a powerful weapon in your arsenal and using them against your enemies will prove vital to your success in the battles to come.¡± Amara blinked. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s a mouthful. Also, I¡¯m not really sure how I¡¯d go about doing that?¡± Amusement swept across Sashlu¡¯s features again. ¡°Use them on your friends. Study how the aether flows among their body. Do this daily. Soon, once you¡¯ve grown to understand how aether flows throughout the body, you¡¯ll be able to manipulate it.¡± ¡°Manipulate it?¡± Sashlu nodded encouragingly. ¡°You could block it, or redirect it. Altering a beings flow of aether could incapacitate them or even render them unable to cast magic or even move.¡± Amara marveled at the possibilities. She possessed the same martial skill Akamori did, though she rarely employed it given her proclivity for spell casting. She had fast hands, and a faster mind. Now she possessed the ability to back up her speed with the strength to make a difference. She channeled her ability, and she could see the aether flowing through her hand. Guided along through channels like veins for magic. She turned her hand over, watching the aether pulse through her body and marveling at the cutaway view she now had. She compared her own hand to Sashlus. But she couldn¡¯t see any aether veins or channels. Instead, Sashlu just glowed brilliantly, as though she were composed entirely of aether. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± The goddess said. ¡°After you ascend to godhood, your body becomes completely magic, after you purge your impurities at demigodhood of course.¡± ¡°Purge my impurities?¡± Sashlu gave Amara her patient teacher¡¯s smile. ¡°Indeed. After you¡¯ve infused with enough magic, your body becomes more magic than flesh. When you become a demigod, the magic purges your body of all physical impurities. The result can be¡­ gross.¡± Amara bit back a laugh at the goddess¡¯s sudden frankness. ¡°Gross?¡± Sashlu nodded. ¡°There¡¯s usually lots of vomiting. Defecating. And puss.¡± Amara blanched, the color draining from her face. ¡°That is gross.¡± She shivered at the thought and didn¡¯t want to imagine any further. ¡°I¡¯m fine without going through that.¡± ¡°Becoming a demigod is a rare occurrence. Most beings die before they accrue enough magic to reach the tipping point. Others choose not, content with being the peak of mortal condition. There¡¯s also the worship element that can become tedious.¡± ¡°Worship?¡± ¡°Mhm. A vital component of godhood. First is Aether, your core component of magic. The other is worship. As a god, casting magic for you would simply be an effort of will. What you want to happen is what happens. No more weaving or channeling. Over time, the gods discovered that worship and veneration served as an additional feed or power. Weak gods could grow strong on worship.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°It functions as an exchange. You gift your god a bit of your own aether. In return, they may give you something in return. Access to some magic or ability they know or possess.¡± ¡°Like my eyes¡­¡± she realized. ¡°Indeed. Maetraya has recognized you as a priestess. A warrior priestess, much like she used to be. She has gifted you with her vision so that you may see through the fog of war and cut a path to the future.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve never prayed to her? I only just started to learn about her.¡± ¡°For some gods, exemplifying their ideals, and embodying their beliefs if worship enough. Having known Maetraya, I believe she gifted you her sight because she recognized her younger self in you.¡± ¡°oh.¡± Amara¡¯s mind raced, and a beat passed silently as Sashlu gave her space to process that. If her actions were venerating the ideals of Maetraya, she wondered what Akamori and the others might be venerating. When she finally looked back at Sashlu, there was a knowing look. She found the goddess to be very coy and a very nurturing mentor. She wondered how much of that was because she was pursuing a similar path as one Sashlu had once pursued. Sashlu stood and helped Amara rise with her. She turned to the top of the stone staircase and gestured for Amara to leave. The two exchanged parting words, and Amara drifted up the staircase in a haze. The magic Sashlu had gifted her was heady. She felt like she was walking on air. The armor had been heavy before, but she¡¯d grown used to it. Now that she was naturally stronger, and paired that with the spell armor¡¯s own strength boosting aspect, she was pretty sure she was on par with Akamori or Sirsir now. As she walked, her ability showed her the way the aether flowed up and down the stairs. Within the black palace, the aether moved differently than it did in the normal world. It had a more ambient flow to it. In what she was coming to know as the light realm or life plane, aether had a more directed flow to it. More systematic. Like it was programmed. ¡°You¡¯re more right than you know.¡± A melodic voice said from behind and all around her softly. She halted her ascent up the stairs and glanced back down at Sashlu, who simply watched her passively with only a slight turn of her head. It wasn¡¯t Sashlu who¡¯d spoken to her, though. This was a new voice. Maetraya? ¡°No.¡± the voice replied before the sensation of a presence faded. It felt warm. Bright. It reminded her almost of Eryn, but¡­. more. Like floating in the center of a star that couldn¡¯t hurt you. Warm, but not painfully so. At the top of the stairs she found Morwen and Akamori who¡¯d been speaking to each other as she passed through the doorway. ¡°I can see everything now.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Akamori asked. An eager grin crossed her features as she prepared to explain. ? Chapter 88: A Reductive Perspective Sirsir strode into the darkened chamber and peered over the edge into the black abyss below. He huffed, golden plasma puffing from his nostrils like a dragon snorting flame. Without a care, he stepped off the top of the stairs and fell. Just before he hit the ground, he flared his thrusters. Raw plasmic thrust roared from vents on his back, feet, and hands as he landed into a crouch. The momentary burst of light also helped to illuminate the dark. He¡¯d spotted a freaky-looking woman with more eyes than she had a right to owning. She chuckled as she looked him over the same way he studied her. A silent standoff settled in between them. Shifting uncomfortably he blinked first as a courtesy. Didn¡¯t want to go pissing off a goddess or anything. ¡°So uh, here I am. As requested.¡± ¡°So you are.¡± the goddess said with a pleased smile. He noted the fangs at the edges of her smile. ¡°Can I be honest with you?¡± He shrugged, ¡°Sure. Why not?¡± ¡°I usually only take this form to make mortals feel less ill at ease. You know¡­ the whole spider thing doesn¡¯t exactly sell well. Especially with women. But I personally find my natural form more comfortable. Would you mind terribly if I shifted back?¡± ¡°Lady, this is your house. I¡¯m not here to tell ya how to dress.¡± ¡°You may regret those words shortly.¡± Her voice mused with mirth as she faded into the darkness of the large stone chamber. He felt something shift. Like an oncoming storm changing directions. A switch in pressure. Multiple long hairy spider legs crept forward from the dark, and a large set of fangs quivered in front of him, crowned by a ring of jet-black eyes. Large scaled wings unfurled behind the spider bat lady¡¯s body, and Sirsir suddenly felt tiny. ¡°Gods damn¡­ we sure as shit could have used you on Hidros.¡± A deep rumbling laugh issued from the massive creature that shook the walls and ceiling. The pressure from her aura alone was enough to almost bring him to his knees, but he was strong. He could take it. ¡°I suspect you could have. But my sister¡¯s spell gave you all exactly the right tools you needed to handle the task. And now, here you are. About to recieve yet more tools so that you might act as arbiters of will. My Hand of Fate. My weapons of prophecy.¡± ¡°That sounds amazing and all. And I¡¯m sure the others were very curious about all of¡­ that.¡± He said, waving his hand in a broad gesture to her words. ¡°But I¡¯m really only interested in kicking those shacklers scaley asses. Got anything for that?¡± Another deep rumbling laugh issued from the spider bat goddess. Hells she was huge. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to understand how you process such horrors as the battlefield in stride so easily.¡± ¡°Sayin¡¯ I¡¯m stupid or something?¡± ¡°Never. Merely that you are a man of focus on the things that matter most. Which, ironically, are very few. You¡¯re not one for details and nonsense. You leave that to more capable and interested minds. Freeing your own up for the necessities. It¡¯s a very reductive perspective, but an effective one in the light of so much chaos.¡± Sirsir squinted at her response, still unsure if she¡¯d insulted or complimented him or not. ¡°Mhm. So how about we take me and my reductive perspective and get this show on the road? I¡¯ve got assholes to kick.¡± ¡°Indeed you do.¡± One of the long thick tarantula looking legs reached out and ever so gently touched the chest of his spell armor. As she did, raw magic poured into him like an uncorked dam. Fire raged within him. More than just magic, it was fusing with his soul. He was more for the experience now. System Info: You have gained Magic Infusion: Greater Fire Magic. To prepare you for the battles to come, you¡¯ve gifted two Fire Magic infusions enabled greater fire magic. Gain +6 AP and +6 Fire resistance. When the flow of magic slowed to a trickle before finally ceasing. Sirsir fell to his knees, gasping. He felt like he¡¯d just taken a bath in the middle of a ship¡¯s exhaust. And yet, the heat didn¡¯t bother him. Not like he¡¯d expected it to. Slowly, he pushed himself back up to his feet. The effort was less than it would have been previously. He unslung his machine gun and let off a controlled burst. Softball sized orbs of explosive fire poured from the muzzle like a firehose on full blast. He lit the large chamber in shades of red and orange as his stream of explosive firebolts splashed against the far stone wall. His attacks did nothing, as though the wall had been tempered against his magic. That was good. He could push himself hard without worrying about being disrespectful. Satisfied with the demo of his power, he slung the spell machinegun back over his shoulder and turned back to the spider bat lady. ¡°You¡¯re alright. Wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but you definitely didn¡¯t fit the bill of stuffy god expecting worship.¡± ¡°Times like these, I¡¯ve learned that being non-traditional is what is best served. Often, what is old doesn¡¯t serve the new. My time as an active agent of the light had long come to a close. But I can empower others to do so in my stead.¡± Sirsir folded his arms. A no bullshit approach that kept the big picture clear. He liked that. ¡°You leave the bullshit for more interested minds, too. I respect that.¡± He held his fist and out the Spider bat lady actually fist bumped him. Yeah, she was alright. It turned its body to face up the stairs. His time was up. He gave her an understanding nod. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.? ¡°Time to go. It was nice chattin¡¯ with ya spider bat lady.¡± The Goddess¡¯ rumbling laugh shook the chamber and he had to channel his newly aquired fire magic into his limbs to keep himself from trembling to the ground before he hit the stairs. ¡°You as well Mortal. Upon your exit, your means of conveyance shall make itself known.¡± ¡°Good lookin out.¡± He turned to face the climb of stairs ahead of him and grinned. Good thing he wasn¡¯t a chump that skipped on PT. With an eager vigor, he raced up the steps. Of the entire squad, he¡¯d been in the best shape until the LT started working out with him. Now it was more a matter of his rough brawn canceling out the LT¡¯s rough speed. They made a good pair in combat. The thought of how well the fuzzies had progressed and grown gave him a proud smile. Some of that had been his own handiwork, after all. Granted, he¡¯d only pulled the best bits they already possessed forward and gave them definition. Blew some of the dust out of the cracks and made a good foundation for them to build on. But even the strongest house fell to a weak foundation. Something he didn¡¯t want to see happen to the LT or Amara. His heart rate rose to a steady rhythm, matching his strides as he took the stairs two and three at a time. Finally, at the top, he slowed down and let himself catch his breath, which didn¡¯t take as long as he¡¯d expected. ¡°Not bad.¡± he said to himself. ¡°This new magic is pretty solid shit.¡± Sure, he could have channeled his light magic to repair the damage and ease his exhaustion, but that felt like cheating if he wasn¡¯t pushing iron. He was an old-fashioned guy. Big man shit only came from good hard effort. He strode into the chamber at the top of the stairs the others stood on. ¡°Sgt.¡± Morwen greeted him. ¡°Sirsir.¡± Akamori said. Amara said nothing, simply giving him a wave. It was gods damned good to see the gang again. Spider bat lady was cool, but she had that creepy oppressive aura thing going. And the darkness. Way too much darkness. He glanced around, noting there was a distinct lack of anything ship like. ¡°So uh, not to interrupt, but has anyone else noticed we¡¯re short a ship?¡± Akamori turned and nodded with a broody frown. His time with those elves at the war college did not do well for him. The LT was still the same guy, but something had changed. He could tell. It was in the way he looked at everyone. Like he had the eyes of a hawk. Sizing everyone up for a fight. Something about that unsettled him deep down. Could he still trust the LT? ¡°Yeah, we were just discussing that lightly. We¡¯ve managed to get ourselves here, but the way back seems to be obscured for now.¡± ¡°We were just about to take bets on how we¡¯re sent back. My money is on a portal of some type.¡± Amara said. ¡°Ship.¡± Akamori said. ¡°I¡¯m for portal as well.¡± Morwen said. Sirsir folded his armored arms for a moment, thinking about it. They were in a pretty large chamber. Large enough to fit a starship of reasonable size. A corvette could squeeze in here easily. ¡°My credits are on a ship, too.¡± ¡°Great. So now we just wait I guess.¡± Akamori said. Sirsir caught the toe of his boot, tapping impatiently on the stone floor. That was just like him, always on the move, in action. Couldn¡¯t blame Akamori, really. He wanted to get out there and smash some heads, too. They waited in relative quiet for some time until the double doors opened behind them and Arjun stumbled through looking equal parts confused and awed. He pointed back into the darkness and then towards the space behind them. His mouth worked, but no words came out. Sirsir sighed. ¡°Out with it already.¡± ¡°Sashlu said I should direct your attention to the space behind you. I didn¡¯t understand why at first, but well¡­ I guess now I do.¡± Sirsir studied the dark-skinned man. Arjun¡¯s eyes locked on something, and Sirsir turned to follow where he was looking. Sure enough, behind them sat a large ship sitting on the stone floor. It was long and sleek, with sweeping curves and smooth design language. There were no markings on the hull to designate it. And it sure didn¡¯t look like it belonged to any of the major powers in the sector. Whoever built it did so out of system or long ago. Possibly both for all the squad knew. Sirsir whistled, impressed at the foreboding armaments. The ship sported 4 spell cannons. The Cadaver Crasher was a threat, as it was. Having three more cannons meant this little ship could punch well above its weight class. ¡°Oh, hells yeah. I cannot wait to see what kinda spells we can hurl from this thing.¡± The LT¡¯s jaw fell to the floor until Amara elbowed him. Sirsir took a few steps forward to stand at the crimson-haired spell warrior¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Whatcha think, sir?¡± ¡°I wish we had this at Hidros.¡± Akamori said, awestruck. ¡°Yeah. Me too. Woulda meant a lot of those marines didn¡¯t have to die.¡± ¡°Yes. As well as the wounded naval vessels.¡± Morwen said. Her gaze was dark with reverie. He clapped a comforting hand on Morwen¡¯s shoulder. The Captain always wore loss hard. The LT too. That was part of why he¡¯d been so comfortable putting the man up for the job. He cared, and he used his head. This wasn¡¯t a stat padding gig for him. He was in it to win it. When Arjun rejoined the group, everyone exchanged what they¡¯d gained from Sashlu. That was the spider bat lady¡¯s name, apparently. He supposed he probably should have asked for that in retrospect. His mama always said his manners could get a little slack sometimes. He just wasn¡¯t very interested in a lot of this social nicety bullshit. Too much slap ass, and not enough ass kicking for his tastes. Once everyone shared, they approached the ship as a group. Akamori linked up with the ship and lowered the boarding ramp. As the ramp drew down from the skin of the ship, Everyone drew weapons hesitantly but him. He had so much damn power now he was his own weapon. ¡°I am so ready to flex on some stupid, scaley bastards.¡± ? Chapter 89: The Indra The squad circled around the silver ship, admiring their new vessel in equal parts awe and excitement. Finally, they collectively felt like they had the weapons to handle the fight. No more Federation hand-me-downs. Now they had a proper ship, and the powers to make it punch. Akamori folded his arms thoughtfully. ¡°We can¡¯t get board it without a name.¡± ¡°Maybe it already has one?¡± Amara suggested. ¡°Good point. I guess we can check.¡± Akamori reached out and laid a hand on the hull for a moment. A faint glow of magic pulsed, and he bonded with the ship. Immediately, a second set of senses, thoughts, and feelings overlaid his own. There was a consciousness to the ship, too. Like his spells word, but less developed. Less complex. ¡°Hey ship. I¡¯m Akamori. What should we call you?¡± Uncertainty pulsed back to him for a moment. He felt the ship puzzle over the question. Then, finally, Indra appeared in his mind¡¯s eye. Not bad, he thought. ¡°Indra it is.¡± Sirsir punched his fist into his palm with a broad grin. ¡°Alright! Ship¡¯s got a name. Welcome to the team, Indra.¡± The squad filed up the ramp one at a time behind Akamori. He strode slowly, taking in everything. The interior was pristine and clean. It looked as though it¡¯d just finished construction to his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s so new.¡± Amara said. They reached the galley area, a smaller version of the one in the Crasher. This one had two tables. A large magic item on a countertop. He tapped it a few times, and it glowed in anticipation. A moment later, a few lights blinked and flashed in a pattern and a Honshu sweet roll materialized right in front of it. He reached out slowly and picked the roll up. He cautiously sniffed it before giving it a bite. The warm flaky sweetness tasted like home. He moaned softly and turned to Amara. ¡°Try this. It¡¯s just like back home.¡± Amara took an experimental nibble and her eyes went wide before she too shared a moment of bliss with herself. ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯re just like what Mrs. Shiro would make for the temple priests.¡± ¡°That food thingy is the best food thingy I¡¯ve had food from.¡± Sirsir¡¯s dark brow arched curiously. ¡°Just how many food thingys have you eaten from?¡± ¡°Three.¡± Akamori said self consciously. The big man shrugged, the large shoulder pauldrons scraped softly as he did. ¡°Eh. About all I¡¯ve had. But I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Morwen strode past them slowly. A ghost of a smile creased her lips and Akamori thought for a fraction of a second that might be genuine amusement in her expression. The way to the bridge was a straightforward walk. They all spilled onto the bridge, looking around in wonder. The bridge area held 3 seats, all with gold control sticks. ¡°By the stars¡­. are we? It can¡¯t be!¡± Rozien, Amara¡¯s book-familiar, said as he flew free of her robe. ¡°What?¡± Amara asked. ¡°This ship, it¡¯s a ship of legend. Of prophecy. In the previous epic, when the war ended, Theferis was moved. Even Aeryn didn¡¯t tell us where it went.¡± ¡°Theferis? What¡¯s that?¡± Morwen asked. ¡°It¡¯s only the first great ship. Imagine a super massive spell ship with unimaginable power. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Sounds handy. Where¡¯d ya say it was parked again?¡± ¡°No one knows. They hid it from Sauridius before the war ended. I think, because they meant us to find it.¡± Rozien said. ¡°Why us?¡± Akamori finally cut in. This had Sashlu¡¯s grubby fingerprints all over it. ¡°Because this ship? The Indra? It¡¯s the key to unlocking Theferis. I wasn¡¯t certain this was it until we¡¯d boarded it. But now I¡¯m certain. Gods, I¡¯m so stupid. This is what happens when you sit on a dusty shelf for millions of years.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re losing sight of more immediate issues. We can worry about this bigger ship later. For now, we need to get back and evict the shacklers in Morwen¡¯s home.¡± Akamori said. He was trying to head off the scholarly interest before they got too spun up in it. Morwen nodded appreciatively as she cleared her throat. She tugged her jacket down smoothly. Her dark royal blue uniform made her appear regal, though he¡¯d never consider her anything of the sort. She was too practical for the trappings of nobility. ¡°We know there is a threat on Aeryn, and that it will be entrenched. The prophecy showed an end to my world if we failed to act. Let¡¯s stay focused on that and move accordingly.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Agreed. So whose scaley ass are we kicking first, then?¡± ¡°If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it was the one that we stopped on Hidros.¡± Amara said with a thoughtful look. ¡°What about that air dragon that¡¯s been harassing us since we left Aeryn? It¡¯s a good bet that thing is still out there waiting for us to stick our heads up out of cover.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to blast it¡¯s scaley ass off with the Indra.¡± Sirsir said, patting the console affectionately. Morwen frowned. She wanted something more nuanced, but in the face of haste it would have to suffice. ¡°That will need to be enough. Make ready for takeoff.¡± Akamori happily slid down into control console. He took a moment to admire the quality of craftsmanship invested in the controls. The Crasher¡¯s golden control sticks were a basic design with only rudimentary runes and glyphs etched into their surfaces. The Indra¡¯s controls by contrast were themselves a rare display of art. The runes were engraved with care and effort, and sported a creative curved slant to them. Something akin to a handwriting style. At the barest of touches, the controls sparked beneath his hand as magic snapped out and bonded to them. His consciousness swam and the seat deployed a restraining harness so he wouldn¡¯t flop out and bash his head open on the corner. The disorienting nausea faded, and then he acclimated to the sensation of having the sleek new spellship¡¯s senses overlaid on top of his own. Underlying that, the ships own basic consciousness was there as well. ¡°Ok, link is good. Let¡¯s see what it can do.¡± Confidently gripping the two golden controls, the rune glowed with void magic, lines of dark purple glowing aether tracing out various runes as he fed the ship void magic. Outside, the engine nacelles lit up with a dull rumble as the magic roared through the craft, negating gravity and pushing the ship vertically off the landing pad while simultaneously reducing the ships total mass. Above the ship, a pair of retractable hanger doors slid open. Unnoticeable with the naked eye, Akamori could see the retraction by the faint glow of the ambient magic imbued in the palace roof parting open to allow the ship exit. As he angled them for an exit, he felt an eager pulse ripple through the ship. It too, like himself, was ready to leave and go find what Fate had in store for it. Too much of his conversation with Sashlu was rattling around in his mind and he needed to meditate to sort all of it out. For now? He had the mission. The Indra roared into the air, and no doubt stood out like a glowing magical flare. The void fire dragon was on the ground with the lesser wildlings. They would saturate in this worlds magic and mature into full fledged magical beasts over time given the chance. In the distance, the snow scaled air dragon took flight and angled into pursuit. Immediately the craft sensed the danger it posed. But this ship was ready for a fight. More than that, it was built to fight. All four spell cannons swiveled to face the dragon as it closed in rapidly. No longer flying a rusty box with a spell drive and cannon bolted on, the squad now possessed tools more than capable of dealing with the opponent. Akamori watched as the dragon¡¯s maw opened and raw undiluted magic pooled together forming a writhing bolt of air magic. Now not only could Akamori fight, but the others could as well with the additional control consoles. All four cannons on the Indra came about to face the Dragon. The air wyrm hesitated reflexively for a moment, finally realizing the danger it had placed itself into. But rage won out and it pressed on, overcoming survival instincts and wisdom. This was a fight it wanted. A fight Akamori was more than happy to provide. ¡°Our friend is back and looking for round three.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s not disappoint. Sergeant. Give me all the fire you can muster in every cannon. Akamori, all the void you can spare.¡± Morwen ordered. ¡°Hell yes.¡± Sirsir cooed as waves of rippling red and orange magic poured down his arms into the golden control sticks. The runes glowed with the fire magic as the ship routed the magic to all the weapons. On the outside, orbs of fire aether coalesced in the maw of each barrel. Recognizing the threat it was in, the dragon fired its breath attack. A bolt of raw lightening as thick as its neck blasted out. The bolt narrowly missed the the new ship, some of the raw energy arc¡¯d onto the ship by virtue of proximity. The dragon watched with increasing dread as void magic began mixing with the fire magic in the spell cannon barrels. Ignorance wasn¡¯t a factor, it knew the human kinslayers were planning to fire off disintegrates. It¡¯s only hope was being able to dodge the attacks. One disintegrate was dangerous. Four was very nearly a death sentence. The spells fired, larger than they had any right to be. The ship must have amplified the attacks. Quickly the dragon morphed from full wyrm to a small human. The smaller target easily evaded the attacks and morphed back into full form. The humans possessed power and tools but she had years of experience being one of Anazi Prime¡¯s most capable warriors. In the Indra¡¯s cockpit, Akamori torqued the ship into a sharp banking turn looping back to face the dragon. He had to admit, it handled their opening attack very well. Facing the attack and exploiting it¡¯s lack of tracking with a quick shift to reduce size and mass. He only regretted lacking any way to make use of the tactic himself. The ship bore down on the dragon as the two raced at each other in the near total black gloom of the world. Whatever shielding magic Sashlu had cast upon the world kept it isolated from the rest of the Umbral plane. Meaning no light or magic escaped or penetrated the field. The Indra could see without light anyway, its magical senses capable of discerning the white and blue beacon of light that was the dragon. How it fended off the voidspawn was another question entirely. Akamori tacked it up to raw power and the knowledge of how to fight. ¡°Amara, think you can teleport the ship a short distance?¡± Akamori asked, focused on flying and evading as he and the dragon traded basic spell bolts with each other, probing reactions and defenses. ¡°I think so. Best I can do is 50 meters though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. The tighter the better. Sgt, take two turrets and start filling them with fire and face them aft.¡± ¡°What are you planning Lt?¡± ¡°I can explain or do. Pick.¡± Akamori growled avoiding several blasts. ¡°Carry on.¡± He appreciated that Morwen liked to have information to make decisions, but sometimes you only had seconds to decide and time was a luxury they had little of. Instinct and reflex took over as he faced down the dragon again hurling distractionary rapid fire base spells at the dragon. The dragon evaded and shielded where necessary, not noticing the aft cannons charging a pair of disintegrates. It unleashed a powerful cone attack of lightning that threatened to overtake the ship. ¡°Now!¡± At the last possible instant, the ship winked out of reality. The magical electrical storm tore violently through the airspace the Indra previously occupied. A second later the ship reappeared behind the dragon as a pair of black and purple beams of destructive magic slammed into the glittering scales on the air wyrms back. Scales, sinew and bone evaporated away. Broken down into constituent atoms, their bonds severed by raw deconstructive energy. The joints anchoring the wings to the dragons back dissolved into motes of void magic. The dragon roared powerfully, channeling strong air magic to keep itself aloft due to the loss of wings in atmo. Akamori powered the Indra hard ahead and banked around again, priming all four cannons to fire one last time. He glanced back at the others to gauge their conditions. Sirsir had a sheen of sweat glistening on his bald pate. A stern glare focused ahead on the spell screen. Akamori could see the drain the few salvos of disintegrate had exacted on the burly dark skinned man already. Morwen and Amara equally shared determined expressions though seemed less for the wear since they weren¡¯t directly tapped for the spells. Akamori also noticed that Amara¡¯s eyes blazed iridescent gold, a shimmer of rainbow glistened on her eyes as light reflected off of them like a prism. Morwen gaze seemed distance, like she wasn¡¯t staring at the main spell screen but through it and off about a thousand meters. ? Chapter 90: The Dragonslayer Now that he¡¯d robbed the air dragon of it¡¯s mobility and forced it into a disadvantage, he¡¯d moved the fight into a stage that favored him. In a straight up fight he had no doubt it would have beaten him. But as he was quickly learning? Life was anything but fair. He tried to keep an open mind but he was getting really sick of having to fight dragons. This made the what? Third now? Fourth? Who even knew. He figured he should probably sit down and tally these things up at some point. The dragon wobbled in the air as it struggled to stabilize itself. As the Wyvern bore down on it, the air wyrm found as good an equilibrium as possible. Akamori brought three spell cannons to bear, hurling powerful void bolts amplified by the ship. Three massive violet beams of negative energy crashed into the dragon as it flung a defiant bolt of raw lightning that snaked through the night sky, casting it in dark shades of blue lining a brilliant white. At the last moment, Morwen snapped off a counter spell from the fourth cannon. The bolt of grayish white splashed into the head of the lightning bolt, and the attack shattered into aether shards and motes of fading sparkling energy. The void bolts crashed into the dragon throwing it into an uncontrolled spinning fall. The spells left deep wounds blasted into its otherwise pristine snowy white scales. Eventually it righted itself out and flashed a defiant glare, teeth bared. Akamori had no sympathy for the wyrm. It chose this fight. He didn¡¯t even know who it was. As far as he was concerned. This was just self defense. Blood dripped from the deep impact wounds of his spells on the dragons chest and back alike. Small red rivers breaking up the pure white of its body. Both Akamori and the dragon knew the fight was decided. Akamori grimly accepted it, but the dragon did not. It roared defiantly and fired off several powerful spells it wove with its claws. The spells crashed harmlessly into a light barrier powered by Sirsir who grunted against each impact. A crack formed on the first that spider webbed before the field shattered on the final strike. The Wyvern crashed through the shattered fragments of their shield as the pieces broke down into motes of dissipating aether. Akamori let out a warcry from the cockpit and all four cannons fired raw beams of void. The ship tore huge chunks of magic from his chest, like diving into a freezing cold lake. He felt drained and numb. He watched with grim satisfaction as the snow white dragon that had been hounding them since they left was gored through the chest. The air dragons body fell limply to the ground without further protest to the Wyvern as it roared by victoriously. The squad let out a few grunts of cheer. Poor Arjun still gripped the arm rests of his seat in the aft of the cockpit, wide eyed. As the small corvette tore free of the planets gravity well, it transitioned into the vast emptiness of the Umbral plane. Akamori had traversed the realm enough to have grown used to the vast emptiness it exuded, but some still felt weary of it. Sirsir undid his harness with a heavy sigh. ¡°I¡¯m gonna hit the rack.¡± ¡°Bit early for you to be sleeping isn¡¯t it?¡± Akamori turned to ask. ¡°Nah sir. Not the rack rack. The squat rack.¡± Realization dawned on Akamori and nodded. ¡°Ohhh. Right. I knew that. Give me a few to plot our course and I¡¯ll join you shortly.¡± The big man grunted and marched out, the heavy thumping of his armored boots signaling his departure from the bridge. After that, the dam broke and the others soon too unbuckled safety harnesses and rose. Eventually poor Arjun was left behind with Akamori who rose to pat the man on his shoulder. ¡°Take a few and process. It¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± Arjun nodded meekly, glancing around. The mousey technician looked severely out of place. Glancing around, Akamori mentally asked the ship if there was some kind of instruction manual for it¡¯s maintenance and the ship guided him to the fore console. Beneath it was a small slot with a knowledge crystal slot. He withdrew it and handed it over to Arjun. ¡°Here, give this a look. Should explain how to fix and handle everything. I know it¡¯s not technology, but it should be up your alley enough to get your head around.¡± Knowledge crystals were basically small repository¡¯s of vast amounts of knowledge and skills, compiled within the small crystal latticework and held together with a tiny amount of magic. The almond skinned man took the crystal and held onto it like a life raft to sanity. He nodded shakily and made his way off the bridge looking like he¡¯d just been told up was down and then shown it was true. Akamori gave him a sympathetic smile. Arjun would be fine once he could sit down and cut into the contents of the crystal. Now that the ship¡¯s course was locked in, there was little else to do but prepare for the inevitable fight that loomed beyond their return. So he took the sergeant up on the squat rack. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He¡¯d never been big on working out when he was younger. Now that he¡¯d been forced to constantly push his body beyond what he¡¯d previously been able to achieve, he valued it immensely. More than that, he also found it to be heavily meditative. The strain and focus oddly counter balanced each other, pushing out all other concerns. He felt a deep rumbling purr of content deep within his soul. Something dark and cold shifted, like a boa constrictor made of ice coiling around him tighter. It was pleased he was improving himself physically. He knew it was the other presence, Bahumet. The destroyer, nested alongside his soul. A piece of a soul both familiar and not. As he worked on a bench press set, he could sense the satisfaction from the void wyrm¡¯s soul shard. He¡¯d spent so long pushing its presence from his mind, that now that there was no immediate emergency or obstacle and he had the downtime to focus internally, he found the cold aura of the soul of Bahumet waiting there. Patiently observing his progress and always judging him. Thus far, that judgement had been abysmally displeased. With his progress on Eryn, and the training he received under Cenine and Avreone however, that had gradually begun to shift. The void shard¡¯s displeasure slowly shifting towards begrudgingly satisfied. All of his progress so far was just the beginning though. In the end he needed to be leagues from his current status. To reach that pinnacle he¡¯d need tons more training. Retiring to his quarters he mused on his battles to date. Most of them had been against dragons. Excluding training battles against Cenine, He was about half and half on wins to losses. Still, his wins had been big wins. Until he¡¯d med Sashlu he¡¯d credited sheer luck and just enough training to know what he was doing for the wins. Now though, he began to wonder if being a dragonslayer was artificially engineered. His frustration with his meeting with the divine incarnation of fate left him unsettled and feeling like the control he¡¯d struggled so hard to retain was just stolen from him. It made him all the more determined to make his own decisions and act free of influence. He¡¯d go back to Eryn, and stop the Sauridius. But not because Fate was pushing him to do so, but because he chose to. If the two happened to coincide, then so be it. He laid down on his rack in his own quarters. That was something he was still trying to get used to having spent most of his time on the Crasher in the mage bay. Now he had his own private room. The bed felt a little too comfortable. He assumed it would be like what laying on a cloud would feel like, if clouds could support mass. He flashed one last look at his armor which hovered silently in the corner of the room. His personal gift from Kusinaki. He wondered what his friend was up to. Probably making some new spell weapon or armor for him. Kusinaki never liked missing out, even though he was woefully skilled for a standup fight. The care and attention paid to the crafting of the armor shone through in its performance. Sleep overtook him slowly. His tired and sore body slowly pulling his consciousness into rest. As rest took root, his mind drifted back to his home village. His people. It was pleasant enough at first. Fondness and warmth filled him, at least temporarily. Until the fires burned and the undead walked free. Shacklers and orcs assaulted his home. Murdered friends and family. Snuffing out the life he once struggled to escape free of. He snapped awake, gasping and heaving from a hypnic jerk. He could still taste the smoke in the wind. His skin felt like it¡¯d been coated in ash just seconds ago. He wrapped his arms around his torso, as much for warmth as comfort. He kept it together in front of the squad about as well as anyone could ask for on the best of days. But at night it was hard not to just let himself unravel a little. To expose the hurt core behind his mask. One horrible night changed his life forever. He¡¯d transitioned from being a wistful farmboy and hair to a village, to being a spell soldier. Training in a mage college. Learning about fighting and magic. He¡¯d become a dragonslayer. The perfect weapon forged by gods and pointed at their enemies. A divine blade, or spear. His body stopped trembling when a seeping cold spread beneath his skin. It sapped the warmth from around him. It numbed all pain that lingered, physical and emotional. Like a frozen blanket of apathy. It spread out, and the urge to cry lessened. His thoughts were torn away from the unfortunate demise of his family, to how good it was going to feel, carving his enemies down. A sentiment his sword shared eagerly. The cool air dancing along his sweat damp skin teased a soft shiver free. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he¡¯d been asleep, if he¡¯d even truly drifted off all together. He pushed himself out of bed, drawing his blade which he needed to name eventually. After several minutes of controlled slow breathing, his body eased into an artistic flowing kata. His ever lengthening blade hummed around him as he gracefully transitioned from pose to pose. His heart rate slowed to match his breathing. His eyes closed, feeling the blade thrum like a struck tuning fork from the air magic humming up and down the blade. It sang melodically as the blade cut arcs through the air. He finished his final kata and placed his blade back in its sheath. It thrummed pleased in his grip. He knew it was partially languishing while they trudged the unlit depths of the Umbral realm. With no enemies to fight, the blade felt like a pacing tiger in a cage. Laying down he sighed softly as the bed wrapped him in its soft embrace. Sleep came to him once again. The second time was the charm as his mind, body, and soul put to ease by his meditation eased into restfulness. And this time, the nightmares didn¡¯t come. The dragonslayer found some measure of peace in the abyssal hell of the Umbral plane. There was one noticeable aspect of his sleep that was different from the first time. As his mind and body eased over, something in his soul shifted softly. The constricting cold a little less tight, a little less frigid. There was a kinship in the feeling. A commiserate sense of loss and mourning. Deep down, the destroyer felt his own saddness as its own. ? Chapter 91: Brown Pants Time ¡°So you were there on Hidros when they attacked?¡± Yasiin¡¯s mother asked. ¡°Yeah. It was a little touch and go there for a bit, but we pulled it off thanks to the LT.¡± ¡°Rayshe? I thought you hated that fop.¡± Yasiin grimaced. ¡°No. He was¡­replaced.¡± He replied as diplomatically as possible. ¡°The new lieutenant is actually quite capable in a fight. Without him I don¡¯t think we¡¯d have come back.¡± Sala said from the wooden kitchen table. His bowl of soup still steamed softly. Yasiin gave a thoughtful nod. ¡°The sarge definitely whipped him and the weaver, Amara into shape. Those two were clutch in the final battle. For a stretch I wasn¡¯t sure we¡¯d all be walking away, even though we went in pretty certain we wouldn¡¯t.¡± Yasiin¡¯s mother sat in silence as the two spell soldiers recounted the tale of fending off the dread lord and how Akamori¡¯s team managed to ruin the ritual. At the mention of seeing a super massive leviathan and having lived to tell the tale, Yasiin was swept up into an emotional hug. Sala smiled wistfully until he was pulled in to join them. ¡°It always terrifies me when you boys leave to fight. The bits you lose, and don¡¯t come back with. The cost it exerts on you.¡± Yasiin gave his mother a sad smile. There wasn¡¯t a way to really tell one¡¯s mother that war was safe, because it just wasn¡¯t. He disliked feeling like he was keeping something from her, though he knew her heart was in the right place. He ultimately settled on reassuring. They exchanged a round of hugs once more but halted at the sound of multiple explosions in the city. They all three pushed apart. Yasiin exchanged a look with Sala, and he could already see the magic swelling within the Primal¡¯s chest. ¡°We should go check that out, Mom, take the family and get to the edge of the city. Avoid the Starport. There may be an ambush waiting for fleeing civilians.¡± His mother looked stunned, then she quickly schooled her features neutral and nodded. She took it all in stride with practiced ease. Then immediately whirled around to do as he¡¯d asked. That left Yasiin free to don his spell armor. The black plates turned translucent at the press of the mind rune. Stepping inside, he felt the magic deactivate and the armor allowed itself to harden around him. He opened his void pouch and drew his spell rifle free. He¡¯d taken his earnings to the markets and purchased a longer barrel to give himself better range. Sala for his part was already prepared for battle at the expense of his clothing. Burned away as he¡¯d channeled his light magic, his golden Audra flared in a controlled fashion. The bottom haf of heavy spell armor covering his waist and legs now revealed. Some towels blew off the table and he bent down to pick them up before he was stopped by Yasiin. ¡°Leave them, let¡¯s go.¡± The two mages barreled out of Yasiin¡¯s home in the rural district in time to see a plume of flame and smoke rolling into the sky from the downtown district. There was some very powerful magic being thrown around. Cries from the civilians echoed down the streets. Yasiin frowned as the scenario began to unfold. He recalled the lieutenant¡¯s invitation and subsequent suggestion to remain behind and wondered if he¡¯d made the wrong choice. He gave a nod to the chaos in the heart of the white, gold and green city. ¡°At a guess, how bad do you think it is in there?¡± ¡°Hmm. Definitely a code brown.¡± ¡°That bad?¡± Sala nodded. ¡°Bad enough the Lt and the rest dove into the depths on some crazy fool¡¯s errand to stop? Trouble follows that guy like a shadow.¡± ¡°Brown it is then.¡± Yasiin agreed tugging the rifle up into the familiar spot of his shoulder where the buttstock met the arm. He started to advance, but Sala¡¯s stillness halted him. He turned back to find the primal chewing on something mentally. His dark brows were knit as his eyes panned at the ground. ¡°What is it?¡± Yasiin prompted. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­why did we decide on pants?¡± ¡°Pants?¡± ¡°Yeah, for our codes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t wear them. Since you¡¯re in your armor. And mine are more like the bottom half of a spell armor. So technically neither of us could piss or shit our pants because we don¡¯t wear pants.¡± Yasiin¡¯s eyes narrowed as his mood oscillated from confusion to annoyance and back. ¡°The city is literally blowing up and this what you get stuck on?¡± Sala shrugged innocently. ¡°It just didn¡¯t make sense, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°We agreed on pants because Pissing your pants is what you do when you¡¯re scared. Shitting your pants is what you do when you¡¯re outright terrified or already dead.¡± Sala was nodding as he followed along with Yasiin¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Right. But neither of us has on pants.¡± Stolen novel; please report. Yasiin growled in frustration, slapping the primal on his crimson fur. ¡°Let¡¯s go you big oaf.¡± Sala placed a hand on Yasiin¡¯s shoulder plate, an easy going but faint smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯m terrified too. But the others are coming. So we have to hold out till then, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Sala¡¯s aura erupted like a dormant super volcano that just awoke. Violent and powerful. The white stone beneath their feet cracked. Gravity was reversed near him as small stones and flecks of the pavement lifted up in Sala¡¯s immediate orbit. Of the squad, Sala had the best aura control because it was how he shielded and healed himself. A stone sleeve crawled over his body like liquid rock, hardening solid. ¡°Then let¡¯s get to work.¡± Sala said. Chaos had broken loose on Eryn. As Yasiin and Sala strode against the tide of bodies pushing away from the action, they caught several gold spell fighters racing ahead. Acid bolts occasionally flew into the sky and explosions detonated with enough frequency to indicate a hot zone in the city¡¯s heart. Yasiin tried to pick his pace up but the throng of panicked civilians fleeing blunted any potential momentum he could gain like wading through cooling tree sap. Sala gently pushed ahead of him and flared his aura, frightening all the zeros around them. Anyone with no magical infusions or fewer than two felt the crushing push of his aura and instinctually fell away giving him room to move like a stream flowing around a rock. Pressing in close to the primal¡¯s back, Yasiin helped push even as the press of bodies swelled in tight on them. They continued like this for a hundred slow meters until the pair stumbled through a wall of bodies into a mostly abandoned space. Litter fluttered away on the winds as the markets area lay clear. Stepping around Sala, Yasiin could spot the telltale scars of battle on the architecture. Burn marks, and partially liquified materials like metal and stone. Dead Emerald Guard and Sauridius minions lay strewn about intermittently. Whatever the shacklers had launched had started here, but moved on. ¡°Looks like this is where the fighting started.¡± Sala said. ¡°Yeah, moved off that way, likely as they city guards responded. Let¡¯s go.¡± Yasiin fed equal measures of light and void magic into his rifle. Being a Nomad on the path of Balance meant that he was one of few who could possess and wield both magics with full competency. The two alignments tended to clash aversely within the soul, forcing a mage to choose which side they most wished to use. It was why void magic users were so rare on Eryn, setting aside the prohibition emplaced by the Federation. Being a spell soldier in the Federation¡¯s army exempted him from the prohibition, but it didn¡¯t mean he walked away from it without persecution. He refocused his mind on the present when they rounded a corner and took in the raw carnage before them. Emerald Guard bodies lay strewn all over the place. Sala¡¯s advance halted slowly, and even Yasiin was forced to take in the battlefield with awe filled fear and respect in equal measures. He¡¯d been fighting with Captain Morwen for several campaigns so this wasn¡¯t a sight he was unused to seeing. The fact that it was laid before them on Eryn of all places though? That hit home hard. Golden spell armor smoked and smoldered from acid bolt impacts. Other guards were locked in the rictus of death, agony etched on their expressions. More than a few limbs lay about the scene. The lack of accompanying bio mass suggested disintegration or void spell use. This was the work of a dread lord easily. But there was more than one powerful ambient magical signature. ¡°There¡¯s more than one player.¡± Yasiin said warily, drawing his weapon up into the high ready. He only made two cautious steps advancing in before a small squad of dragonborn hatchlings sprang up from covered positions and opened fire. Unfortunately for them, their practiced cohesion meant squat in the face of Yasiin and Sala¡¯s years of teamwork. The Primal stepped in front of Yasiin. The acid bolts sizzled as they splashed against his aura harmlessly. The few that punched through too weak to breach his stone skin spell. The acid hissed and bubbled feebly. He rubbed a gob of it between his index finger and thumb, and sniffed it dismissively. ¡°These hatchlings aren¡¯t even tier two.¡± Sala said. He flicked the acid from his fingers onto the ground where it hissed and smoked as it slowly ate away at the ground leaving a small crater in its wake. ¡°Good. Then we bowl them over. You lead. I¡¯ll follow.¡± Sala clapped a fist into his palm as his aura erupted outwards to fill the entire battle space. The hatchlings flared their own in response. The clash of magic lasted a moment as Sala was only seeking to distract them before launching himself at them while they struggled to fend off his oppressive aura projection. In contrast, Yasiin¡¯s aura was the exact opposite. Tight and minimized, it barely extended beyond his skin. Against the contrasting sun of Sala, Yasiin¡¯s aura looked like a tiny speck of dust. Exactly how he liked it. Out of sight, Out of mind, he mused to himself as he sidestepped free of Sala¡¯s body long enough to snap off a precision void bolt that caught his first target in the head, dissolving scales, bone, and brain evenly. He spun snapped off another shot on the furthest target on the right as Sala pounced and tackled the hatchling in the middle. His round catching his target clean center mass, coring out the young dragon¡¯s heart. Sala had his victim smashed into the stone screeching before his peers hit the ground dead. Yasiin strode forward, and Sala stepped off of his kill and the two marched deeper into the fighting. They didn¡¯t move long before the sounds of active fighting could be heard. The pair picked up the pace and slid into cover behind a segment of column that had fallen over. Yasiin risked a quick peek over the top. An acid bolt splashed against the grooved surface of the white stone and forced Yasiin back into cover quickly. The stone sizzled and popped as the acid hissed its way down the opposite side. ¡°I count three tangos. Two right, One left. Tier 2 hatchlings.¡± Sala frowned, which dragged an inevitable ¡°What?¡± from Yasiin. The primal shrugged, his wild mop of black spilling down around his shoulders and back. He looked like he played with balloons too much then went to bed. Maybe something about the way air became electrically charged around him while he channeled his aura? Something to look into later. ¡°I don¡¯t know. This just feels like a delaying tactic. They made all this noise and then we rush in here and find a bunch of goons?¡± Yasiin couldn¡¯t help but agree, despite the threat of a smirk that tried to form. ¡°Yeah, well, just remember these goons almost handed us our asses a few months ago.¡± Sala¡¯s eyes pulsed and his voice dropped several octaves in a way that made Yasiin¡¯s blood cool. ¡°Perhaps. But not this time.¡± Sala stood, and a hail of acid fire zipped towards him, splashing off his aura. His fists clenched, and the aura billowed out, expanding to cover more ground. Yasiin could sense the extra magic he was feeding it. The volume of fire intensified, but because of Sala¡¯s aura projection, he couldn¡¯t shoot through his friends defense. This was all the primal¡¯s show now. An eerie calm settled over the area as the Hatchlings ceased fire, uncertain of how to handle the primal tank. Then he vaulted forward in an explosion of movement and magic. His first victim was punched from his covered position, most of the hatchlings body evaporated where the rest splattered the ground. Sala was channeling his light magic to enhance his body now as well as his aura. This would tax his stamina, but the primal had practice with the technique. In a blur of gold energy he moved from hatchling to hatchling followed by satisfying snaps or cracks. Dead dragonborn children littered the area and Sala ceased his aura. Yasiin was about to sigh in relief, when a sword erupted through Sala¡¯s chest like a metal stinger. Behind him was a beautiful woman that he¡¯d recognized as Morwen¡¯s father¡¯s paramour. She tsked reluctantly and shook her head, still pushing the blade through Sala¡¯s chest as he roared in pain. ¡°You boys might have stood a chance with your meat shield in play. Or rather¡­ stone shield? Aura shield?¡± She glanced at Sala¡¯s grimacing expression, blood trickling free of his nose and mouth as he struggled to breath with her weapon buried in his torso. ¡°Now what will you do? You face a true champion now. Not some goon. Can you entertain me? Make this worth the agony of suffering through it?¡± She eyed Yasiin curiously. ¡°Or maybe even end me all together and stop this farce?¡± Yasiin steeled himself. He was facing the champion of the arena. The champion of Eryn herself. This was not going to end well. ? Chapter 92: Objectively Screwed The Indra emerged from the Umbral plane in the lunar shadow drifting slowly as the circular dimensional door spiraled shut. Flecks of ice glittered around the ship in a puff that gradually expanded. Below the sleek corvette lay Eryn. A verdant world with a white, gold and emerald city nestled at its heart. One thing that struck Morwen as odd was that the world always looked pristine to her. Now there was a thick column of ominous black smoke that rose from the capital city¡¯s heart like a cancerous cloud. Rage and fear welled up within her in equal parts. She flinched when Sirsir put a comforting armored hand on her shoulder. He gave a silent nod to her grip on the golden control sticks. Her white knuckled grip had gone completely unnoticed. It took an active effort to loosen her grip and the deep breath she drew in and let out slowly helped facilitate the process. ¡°It¡¯ll be ok ma¡¯am. Whatever those assholes are doing down there, we¡¯ll stop them. It¡¯s what we came back to do.¡± Morwen gave her oldest friend an appreciative smile. Sirsir was the oldest surviving member of her mage squad. Calling it a platoon at this point felt like a farce. He¡¯d fought with her on every blood soaked battlefield, enduring every loss with the same stoic stride. ¡°I feared this day would come for a long time. Now that its finally here, I just feel gutted.¡± Sirsir gave her a firm squeeze on the shoulder. ¡°No one wanted this to happen, but we all saw the writing on the wall. Let¡¯s just hope the noble¡¯s pull their heads out of their asses.¡± She sat there numbly for a moment, before finally giving him a nod. He was right. She never wanted to see her people suffer. But maybe this would be the shock to the system they needed to realize the opulence and decadence they¡¯d indulged in for so long wasn¡¯t going to win the war for them. Only decisive action. ¡°Akamori. Take us down.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± The Indra banked sharply and her engines flared with void magic as he the crimson haired lieutenant laid on the magic. She could feel the pulses of cold void energy pouring into the ships spell drive, then get amplified by the ship itself before being converted into energy. In all respects but size, this vessel made the Crasher look archaic. It was everything her old ship wasn¡¯t. But truth told? She missed the Crasher . It had soul. Not a soul with a capital s, but a soul. She wished she could field it as well. She watched the main screen as the atmosphere of her world washed the view out in red. She couldn¡¯t tell from the interior though. It still felt a comfortably warm room temperature. She took the opportunity to exercise her power, letting reality spool out before her like the threads of a tapestry. Morwen studied every possible action and reaction. Most possibilities followed the team landing in the city without issue. Most of the civilians fled for the city limits. Some pushed for the starport only to find an ambush of poorly trained and geared Hatchlings waiting for them. The bulk of the fighting seemed to focus around the grand temple. She caught her breath as she followed most of those threads to their conclusion, resulting in her father¡¯s death, and the city¡¯s magic being poisoned irrevocably without their intervention. She didn¡¯t have a detailed idea of her enemy¡¯s plans, but she knew the broad strokes enough to devise a counter strategy. She had enough pieces to move on the board that she could at least stymie the enemy if not outright stop them. ¡°Ma¡¯am? You ok? You kinda glazed over there for a second.¡± Morwen glanced up at Sirsir, noting the concern in his features. She gave him a comforting smile to disarm the unease. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just using some of my new gifts from the-¡± she paused as she tried to mouth Sashlu¡¯s name but found her body incapable of doing so. She knew that actively trying to resist would cause pain if she pushed it. She gave him a apologetic smile in response to her sudden pause. ¡°Forgive me, it would seem I¡¯m unable to actively speak a name, so we¡¯ll go with a moniker. Our friend in the dark as it were.¡± ¡°Spider bat chick gave you a special power?¡± ¡°She did sergeant. One I think will be the very thing we need to turn this mess around to our favor.¡± Sirsir grinned broadly. ¡°Well alright then. I knew spider bat chick was on the up and up. Creepy, but solid.¡± ¡°Which reminds me. We should probably take an inventory of our gifts so we can assimilate that into our knowledge base. I was given the ability to see and touch the Web of Fate. Akamori?¡± ¡°Fire magic.¡± He said simply as he torqued the Indra into a spin evading a pair of Sauridius spell fighters before dispatching them with massive fireballs from the left and right spell cannons. ¡°She gave me the ability to channel my maetrayops spell without it consuming stamina or magic,¡± Amara said when Morwen turned to her. Morwen¡¯s brow arched. That would come in very handy for detecting magic, spells, and enemies. Amara had just graduated from being a capable weaver to a combat scout with punch. And that was just the tip of her ability iceberg. When she¡¯d turned to face SirSir he grinned, and literal magic fire spilled out of his eyes. ¡°She gave me two doses of fire magic. Pretty sure if it wasn¡¯t for my healing ability it might have burned me out.¡± ¡°Very impressive,¡± Morwen noted. She turned to face Arjun who was absorbed in a data crystal that detailed how the ship operated and how to repair it. He glanced above the magical projection. ¡°Oh uh. Me? I guess I have fire magic too.¡± ¡°Congratulations Arjun. You¡¯ve taken your first steps towards becoming a mage.¡± Arjun smiled sheepishly and nodded before retreating back to his magically projected manual. She let him, since trying to rope him into anything the team might plan would only introduce him to yet more danger before he was ready. She made a mental note to have him do some training with Sirsir to break him in. ¡°How long till we touch down?¡± ¡°Twenty minutes.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°As I can see there are several threats. Likely intended to split our forces.¡± ¡°So its a trap?¡± ¡°Undoubtedly,¡± Morwen replied. ¡°So do we spring it or avoid it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can afford to avoid it. They seem to be going after the wellspring and my father.¡± ¡°Damn. Either loss would be a serious hit to your people,¡± Akamori said. Morwen paused, having to push aside her personal stake. ¡°Agreed.¡± She finally said. ¡°So here¡¯s my proposed plan. We deploy you and SirSir to deal with whatever force they¡¯ve mustered to attack the wellspring. It will likely require a ritual to damage, so Amara¡¯s optical magic will prove most useful to you. I¡¯ll go to my father¡¯s aid.¡± ¡°And me?¡± Arjun asked in a soft voice. ¡°You¡¯ll stay with the ship. It¡¯ll be safest here for you.¡± The capital city of Eryn smoldered painfully as the Sauridius continued to lay siege to it. A massive column of noxious smoke rose from the grand temple. Dead Emerald guards lay strewn about every where. The Indra¡¯s sensors were able to pick up the carnage in fine detail and Akamori¡¯s grip tightened on the ships controls. His anger seethed as flashes of memory of his own home burned around him. The LZ had a few hatchling shock troops with heavy weapons. The Indra rolled upside down and all four spell cannons fired basic fire bolt spells into them. The charred remains of what survived his assault tumbled over. The Indra rolled upright and came down swiftly on the nearest clear landing pad. The squad marched down the boarding ramp with weapons drawn ready for battle. Even the flying tome Rozien drifted closely next to Amara. They all drew to a stop and exchanged uncertain looks at each other. Morwen sucked in a breath, tugged her jacket tight and then stepped forward to address them all. ¡°Right. You all know the drill. We¡¯re marching head long into conflict. Victory, and even survival at this point is uncertain. No one is asking us to commit to this and if anyone wants to back out, now is the time.¡± Akamori stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with her. It took everything he had to keep his magic in check. Sirsir and Amara both joined them. ¡°I still don¡¯t like the idea of you going alone to help your father. You might need the extra help.¡± Akamori said. He wanted to take the fight to the bastard that killed his own father. Morwen put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°I need you protecting Amara so she can stop whatever they are planning with the wellspring. If they can corrupt that, we all lose.¡± He frowned, feeling as though he might be letting his feelings bias his actions before nodding. This was her mission, her plan. ¡°Ok. Just be careful.¡± ¡°You as well. If my hunch is correct, I suspect you¡¯ll be kicking up a hornets nest very soon.¡± The group parted ways, with Morwen circling around the temple, while the others took the front entrance. Sirsir on his left, and Amara to his right. The dark skinned sergeant drew his heavy spell machine gun from his own void pocket. Magic runes and glyphs swirled around Amara¡¯s hands as they advanced on the body strewn courtyard of the temple. ¡°Helluva fight.¡± Sirsir said softly. ¡°This is going to leave a lasting mark on the elves.¡± Amara mused. ¡°Then let¡¯s go put this bed before it gets any worse.¡± Akamori said in a low voice that teemed with barely contained anger. On the way in they found Cenine and a number of other gold and emerald clad spell armored warriors laid out. Akamori rushed over and Cenine winced as he lifted her up to administer a healing potion. He watched as the pale color faded to something more passing for normal. Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced up at Akamori with confusion. ¡°Peasant? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Saving your worthless noble ass of course.¡± Cenine groaned in pain and his expression went from amused to concerned. ¡°Don¡¯t move. We don¡¯t have a dedicated healer so I can¡¯t tell you how bad a shape you¡¯re in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing I won¡¯t walk away from with some work.¡± ¡°Then get to it. You¡¯re in a worst case conflict now. Time to show me all those beatings you were giving me weren¡¯t just you punching down on the farm boy.¡± She shot him an insulted look as gold light pulsed from her skin. She pushed herself forward free of his arms and jerked free of his hands. ¡°They stormed right in, we barely slowed them down.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Elder Weaver Erlaut, the Headmaster, and Lucinda.¡± Akamori¡¯s blood ran cold. This literally was the worst case scenario. Somehow all of Eryn¡¯s best were arrayed against them. And they were backing the Sauridius. The only explanation he could think of ended with shackling. ¡°You sense it right.¡± Cenine said. ¡°Somehow one of their binders got in and soul shackled them. This is too carefully planned for an improvised assault. This is coming from someone who has clearly planned this assault for a while. Studied our people, our patterns, and developed the most effective way to stop us.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Poisoning our wellspring. If the pool of light is corrupted? Everything in this hemisphere will wither and die.¡± Akamori sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. His problems were beginning to multiply exponentially. Maybe, and this was an extreme maybe, he could handle the Elder Weaver and the Headmaster. But Lucinda? That was leagues beyond his abilities. But if he didn¡¯t try, this world was doomed. ¡°Watch your people. There may be sweeper teams of Sauridius moving around. Keep them safe.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go do what I do best.¡± ¡°Let them kick your ass?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m going to let them kick my ass, and then miraculously beat the odds somehow.¡± Sirsir and Amara both exchanged uncertain looks behind him. All three of them knew they were objectively screwed. ? Chapter 93: Stalling Yasiin eyed Lucinda, feeling very much like a mouse before a cat. His hand on the fore grip of the rifle lowered down to his thigh, obscured from sight to the smoke grenade strapped there. Lucinda simply stood there passively, casually twirling her spell blade, which rippled with many foreboding spells. Yasiin gave Sala a worried look, and she followed his gaze down. ¡°He¡¯ll live. Possibly.¡± Lucinda added, looking at Sala¡¯s prone form. A ragged wound left in his chest with angry black veins that near the injury. ¡°He¡¯s been void poisoned. Hard to say how badly it will hit him, but it¡¯s only a matter of time. Very effective in the arena.¡± She was completely unbothered by Yasiin. She appeared to barely pay him any attention, but he knew that was deception. He could feel her aura swimming around him. Feeling his own out. Trying to gauge his reaction. The smoke grenade was a magical alchemical mixture designed to obscure all but the most powerful magical senses. Amara¡¯s visual magic was probably the only thing he was aware of strong enough to see through it. His hesitation came in the form of a choice. He wasn¡¯t even sure if the grenade would be a trump card or not. But choosing to wait to use it might mean not living long enough to get to use it. Sensing that trying to play the long game wasn¡¯t an option, he opted for a brute force alpha strike. Lucinda stood her ground as he released the smoke grenade, ceding the first strike to him. That told him she was confident what he could do wouldn¡¯t matter. That kind of knowledge was enough to freeze most men. But he¡¯d been through several losing battles before. The Crasher¡¯s mage squad had practically perfected the art of battlefield losses. The smoke from his grenade hissed, a grey cloud billowing out until Lucinda was no longer visible. She made no attempt at hiding her aura, and he wasn¡¯t so foolish to assume she couldn¡¯t. Her ambush on Sala proved that to the contrary. He channeled his void magic into his feather step spell. Spending a point of AP to move without sound. He moved like a cat stalking prey. The scope on his rifle highlighting her position as she stood ready. He placed a motion activated rune trap on the ground. A void explosive with a five meter radius. Normally fire magic was required for it, but his balance path allowed him to use his light magic affinity as a substitute. Quickly he circled around her and lined his shot up. He could only charge his shots to level two, but because of his training, it would only cost him one point per shot. He took a knee and drew in a silent breath. Index finger drifting down off the guard to rest on the trigger. Targeted, and firing . He stroked the trigger. Then again, and again and again. Massive void bolts belched out of the rifle one after another. Smashing Lucinda in the back and forcing her forward into an off balance stumble. He threw his rifle aside into his void portal, storing the weapon. In a burst of motion he sprinted forward launching into a flying heel kick aimed at her kidneys. He felt the impact of his armored boots crashing into her soft torso and forcing her back. Pushing off of her body, he spun in the air, using his void magic to hang in the air while he tore free his spell pistol and an obsidian void glass dagger. The pistol had a long rounded corner box at the end of the barrel with runes on it. A magic suppressor. The pistol hurled bolt after bolt, launching them as fast as Yasiin could manage. Lucinda¡¯s jacket evaporated under the fire as she screamed in pain. Her skin boiled away into particles as his void bolts continued blasting her. Forced back by the onslaught she finally stumbled into his mine. The eruption of magical force dispersed the smoke, heaving her into the air in a flailing spin. Lucinda bounced hard off the stone floor of the temple several times. With a grunt, the former arena champion forced herself upright, dusting off what remained of her clothes. ¡°Not bad. Not enough to really do lasting harm, but had I been anyone else, you might have been able to overwhelm my defenses and tear me to shreds.¡± She opened her hand, summoning her spell blade. It snapped from the floor to hand swiftly. Yasiin tensed. He had to draw this out. Even if he wasn¡¯t going to beat her, if he could waste more of her time, that was time spent dealing with him instead of whatever she¡¯d been shackled to accomplish. ¡°If you¡¯re going to swat me down, at least do me the courtesy of telling me why. We deserve that much at least.¡± Lucinda frowned. ¡°You¡¯re stalling. That¡¯s plainly obvious. But¡­ I¡¯m not disinclined to deny your request. Very well.¡± Her posture relaxed, but only just. Every cell in Yasiin¡¯s fiber told him to run. He was very much the prey in this situation. He opened his comm channel on his spell armor and set the pick up to max. If he couldn¡¯t stop her, he could at least get what the others would need to do it. ¡°I can¡¯t say who bound me. Though their allegiance should be plain to see by now. I can however tell you that this is a target of theirs. They mean to destroy this temple. My presence here is more in a distract and destroy capacity. So really, we¡¯re both stalling each other. I¡¯m keeping you from the real objective, and you¡¯re wasting my time for intel.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it, why tell me this?¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Lucinda frowned. ¡°Call it a last act of defiance. I¡¯m still going to stop you. There¡¯s no mistaking that. But there¡¯s nothing in my shackling that prevents me from giving you these tiny seeds to do with as you will.¡± ¡°If you can resist that much, then why not resist your binding?¡± She smiled sadly, as though she were lecturing a young child about the inevitability of death when a family elder passed on into the cycle. ¡°Some things can be resisted, with a strong enough will perhaps. I unfortunately lack the strength of will required to resist my bindings. I can influence it in subtler ways that don¡¯t go against my orders, but that¡¯s as far as it goes.¡± ¡°So you can¡¯t turn on your master. But you can drag your feet fighting someone who poses no threat to you while you spill some tactically non relevant information.¡± Lucinda smiled with a nod. An odd contrast considering the shape her outfit was in. ¡°I like you Nomad. With a few more infusions, some training, and time in the Arena, you could have been one of Eryn¡¯s greatest champions yet.¡± Yasiin offered her a modest bow of appreciation. She wasn¡¯t mocking him, and coming from the champion of the arena, it was the highest praise he could recieve. Lucinda let out a soft sigh and glanced down at the sword she held casually. It was red and glowed menacingly. The hilt was a crimson red crystalline structure with a void glass blade. Something she conjured? That would fit for an Arena champion, he thought. She gave it a few experimental rotations, loosening up her arm. A dull golden glow began to softly pulse from her, heralding a healing spell. Yasiin had expended half his AP and a smoke grenade to chip away at her considerable fortitude only for it to get him no where after she ultimately healed it away. He still held his pistol and void glass knife. His only hope would be to close ranks and engage her so close her sword was a liability to her. ¡°Ready for round two?¡± Yasiin gave her a curt nod. She may as well have asked if he was ready to die. He was completely outclassed and all he could hope to do was stall her long enough for backup to arrive. This was usually something the Lt would handle. He was more often the one in the back picking off targets and thinning down the herd. Not blunting the enemy¡¯s commander. Lucinda bolted forward, and Yasiin matched her advance stride for stride. Her arm flicked out in a wide slide that boiled the air in her swords wake. Yasiin dropped to his knees, metal grinding on stone as he slid underneath the attack, dragging his knife across her unprotected thigh, and firing his pistol into her torso repeatedly. At the end of his slide he popped his legs and rose up like a compressed spring let loose. That was as far as the extent of his capability to dominate the tone of the fight unfortunately. He rose directly into the heel of her boot as it crashed towards his chest with all of her tier 4 strength. The impact stole the air from his lungs and hurled him across the temple floor, bouncing in a wild tumble of limbs that slid to a halt on the once pristine white stone floor. Lucinda lowered her outstretched leg slowly, like a prize fighter that finished a warm up routine. Yasiin traced the impact point with his fingers, noting a distinct impression the heel kick left in his armor. Given a few days the armor would self heal out. For now though, he was left looking like someone very heavy had just stepped on him. He coughed a few times, fighting against the fire in his chest that signaled a cracked rib or two. He channeled his own light magic, healing up the injury and struggling to his feet. He¡¯d hoped he could bait her into throwing some spells he could counter, but thus far she¡¯d kept things pretty basic. But then, the sergeant had always said the basics were where people lived or died. That was proving self evident now as she thrashed him all around the temple. Nomad counter spell mastery wasn¡¯t a secret however, and he suspected in this case, that common knowledge was working against him. He resolved that if he survived this fight to train that weakness out. Miraculously he forced himself back upright. If he was going to be taken down, it would be on his feet, defending his people proudly. Lucinda rushed forward, her black and red blade humming through the air. He did his best to parry the strikes away with his knife, advancing into her guard again. He fired the spell pistol a few times into her torso and leg, but all he accomplished was ruining her clothing. Lucinda responded with a vicious elbow strike that caught him square in the nose. Yasiin staggered back, black spots in his vision and fairly certain she¡¯d broken his nose. He could tell by how she redirected her arm at the last minute that she was still pulling her strikes. Blood trickled free of his nose like a faucet left running. He could taste the iron in his blood, it left a tangy metallic aftertaste. Lucinda spun, and rammed her blade up to the hilt in his chest. He felt a sharp pang of pain that then went cold and numb. He glanced down to see the red crystal hilt of her blade flush against the chest plate of his armor. Lucinda tilted the blade and allowed him to slide off of it. Yasiin fell to the ground in a heap. The arena champion then flicked her blade free of blood. She frowned looking down at his sprawled out form. His vision swam as everything took on duplicates. It was like being drunk whenever they visited the pub. The cold numbness in his chest festered and he was fairly certain it was the same kind of void poisoning she¡¯d inflicted on Sala. He reached down and tried to cleanse it with his light magic, but strangely it resisted. As a result, the cold shifted to white hot agony and he groaned in pain, doubling over. Lucinda crouched down and shook her head looking down at him. ¡°Right. Should have mentioned that. My blade inflicts a void poison. Rare stuff really. Reacts poorly with light magic too. Makes it nice when you want to slowly but surely take someone out of play. There is a cure, but I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll figure it out before it takes you.¡± This was about in line with how he expected things to play out. He could accept that. He¡¯d stalled her as long as he was able to. The rest was up to the lieutenant and the others now. Unconsciousness and darkness slowly crept over him like a cool autumn dusk. ? Chapter 94: Dismantlment Akamori, Sirsir and Amara each made their way along, leaving Cenine behind. There was a time he wouldn¡¯t have liked them being behind him. Now he just didn¡¯t care. His bitterness with Cenine had long since mellowed out after she had. There was still the casual racism and classist bullshit, but at least she wasn¡¯t directly aggressive with him. Babysteps, right? The stench of acid hung in the air, creating a slight obscuring haze that reminded him of the cool morning fog of fall on Honshu. He choked out a cough as the ozone stung at the back of his throat, before he deployed his armor¡¯s helmet. He drew in long, slow breaths and sighed softly at the cool, refreshing air. He¡¯d forgotten how much of a godsend having armor could be. He used the armor¡¯s enhanced perception to filter out the haze of the acid. ¡°Looks like a hatchling squad blew through like a storm.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go whip those scaley bastard¡¯s asses.¡± Sirsir said, hefting his heavy spell machine gun. Amara clutched Rozien tightly to her chest behind them, peering around nervously. Her optical magic was active and scanning through all visible spectra. ¡°This level of devastation. It¡¯s like the elves weren¡¯t just caught with their pants down, they were still in bed.¡± ¡°We all knew the Federation¡¯s leadership wasn¡¯t setting them up to succeed. We just hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to this,¡± Akamori remarked disappointedly. A piece of shattered column next to him crumbled and lost shape as the vibrations of his footsteps shook what little cohesion it had left apart. Bodies lay strewn about in the massive chamber that narrowed to a choke point the Emerald Guard had died valiantly to breach. He sighed softly under his breath. So much death and destruction. It all seemed so pointless. Cautiously, the squad worked their way through the end of the corridor and into a large antechamber. Elegant engraving ringed the top of the walls and large painted murals decorated the ceilings, portraying artistic interpretations of the end of the divine war and the elvish settlement of Eryn. This chamber was decidedly different for several obvious reasons. First, Yasiin and Sala were prone with injuries. Second, Lucinda stood guard in the center room, like a caged cat waiting for its next meal. The squad halted under her gaze. Akamori opened a private comms line to Amara through their armor. A fiery picture window popping up in her hud lining his face. ¡°Looks like she¡¯s here for a fight.¡± ¡°There are a lot of shackling runes on her soul. She¡¯s not here by choice.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now. We have to get through her. But I don¡¯t think she¡¯s inclined to let us pass willingly. The sarge and I will draw her attention. You slip by when you can and push ahead. Like our¡­ mutual friend in the abyss said, we¡¯ve got the tools we need. Time to put them to use.¡± When he tried to use Sashlu¡¯s name, he found himself physically incapable of actually putting voice to the name. Like something was compelling him not to. He filed the odd sensation away for later. Assuming he survived the next encounter. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the lynchpin this time. I¡¯m here to get my ass kicked long enough to buy you the time you need to save it.¡± ¡°No pressure then. I¡¯ll slip out once you give me an opening.¡± Akamori ended the line, Amara¡¯s face bursting into motes of fire and mind aether. Then he willed his helmet to scope back, revealing his face. A tentative breath told him the air here wasn¡¯t awful. Not the best, but not as bad as other portions of the temple, either. The earth magic spells of the Hatchlings really did a number here. As Akamori and Sirsir advanced, Lucinda¡¯s brow quirked. Recognition swept across her features. Akamori sighed inwardly. This would not end well. He and Sirsir halted ten meters away from Lucinda. Far enough, they¡¯d have time to react if the Arena champion advanced, close enough to strike if they must. ¡°I¡¯d hoped we wouldn¡¯t cross paths. It¡¯s bad enough I have to destroy Morwen¡¯s world. Destroying her family on top of it leaves the taste of bile in my mouth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t exactly take pleasure in killing her dad¡¯s, um¡­ girlfriend?¡± A sad smile flickered across her face. ¡°I had a good run. But I got a little too sloppy at the end. I fooled myself into thinking I didn¡¯t need to fight anymore. And here I am, fighting for someone else in a fight I never wanted.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you could let your guard down again? For good ole times¡¯ sake?¡± Lucinda¡¯s expression went shock neutral, but he recognized the malevolent aura that billowed out from around her soul like a ghoulish hand clutching her heart. ¡°No. I won¡¯t.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Akamori heaved a put-upon sigh and kicked some pebbles exaggeratedly. ¡°Well shucks. Guess we¡¯ll just have to do this the hard way then. I joked around and told the others that I¡¯d let you kick my ass to waste time. But if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m going to enjoy this. The chance to cross blades with an esteemed champion gives me a chance to see how far I¡¯ve come along. And besides, it¡¯ll be fun to fight something without scales for a change.¡± Lucinda¡¯s lips quirked. ¡°You¡¯re going to die if we fight.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Maybe. But it¡¯ll be fun.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but give the imposing woman an impish grin. He was putting aside the grimness of the situation and trying to avoid becoming the grim dark brood master 9000. So he was simply embracing the things he enjoyed. And he enjoyed a good fight and inappropriately placed light heartedness and humor. Lucinda¡¯s boots scraped against the stone floor as she slid into a relaxed, if threatening, position. Her black and red blade lifted to point at him. Akamori drew his own blade. It thrummed eagerly in his grip. ¡°RUIN!¡± it whispered with awe in his mind. ¡°An elder blade. It¡¯s cuts imbue a dangerous affliction of void poison.¡± He felt the blade thrum again, like a leashed attack dog growling. ¡°Good to know.¡± He whispered softly. Sirsir¡¯s heavy feet thudded up next to him. ¡°How d¡¯ya wanna play this one, sir?¡± ¡°Front and Back?¡± Sirsir grinned broadly as if Akamori had just asked him to set down suppressive fire. ¡°Fuck yeah. Front and Back.¡± Lucinda¡¯s brow arched, but the rest of her expression remained flat. ¡°Kinky.¡± Akamori advanced with Sirsir in his wake. He channeled some of his AP down into his blade, which drank up the magic and added its own. Before closing into range, he brought the sword up and across in a sweeping slash, and released the attack, sending a nanometer thin sheet of compressed air magic to arc out like an extension of the blade¡¯s edge. The attack erupted in mana shards as Lucinda casually flicked a counter spell at the attack. Unphased, Akamori pushed through the glittering motes of magic to cross blades with Lucinda. The fading embers of magic swirled from each combatants swing. Lucinda channeled her far superior aura out, which weighed down oppressively on Akamori. To his lesser infused body and soul, it felt like wading through tree sap. Still he pushed through, his body channeling forms and katas as his blade gracefully clashed against the malevolent energies of her Ruin. The two rotated as their blades sang through the air before crashing into each other again and again. Lucinda fed Akamori a viscous knee strike that lifted him into the air. She moved to follow up with a spell blast, but an explosion at her back sent her sprawling and bouncing off the stone floor till she slid to a stop. Smoke billowed up from her back, which thinned out to reveal Sirsir standing with his heavy spell machine gun in one hand, and a conjured heavy spell cannon in the other arm. ¡°Front and back, bitch.¡± Lucinda pushed herself back to her feet with a grimace. She gave him a curt nod, acknowledging the tactic. As tactics went, it wasn¡¯t a bad one. Keep constantly switching focus so she couldn¡¯t reliably beat down either of them quickly. It would have been her undoing in the arena if they weren¡¯t so much weaker than she was. As it stood, they were little more than a nuisance. The bald, dark-skinned, heavy weapons guy surely knew that. But the eager grin and massive weapons left her uncertain. She blurred forward to plunge Ruin into his abdomen, but a blue and red flash cut her off cold. Surprise marred her features as she glanced down to see Akamori¡¯s stern glare meeting hers, his blade pressed to hers. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet,¡± he growled. Something cold radiated from him. The void magic within her recognized it. Like sensing like. She¡¯d sensed the touch of the void in him, but this went far beyond an infusion. Someone or something etched it into his soul. Her brow arched as fascination piqued. Her temporary distraction offered him an opening he seized on by blasting his elbow across her jaw, sending her spinning. He advanced on her to capitalize, but she responded with a spinning roundhouse that hurled Akamori in a wild spin out of her way. Before she could advance on him, Sirsir fired off another cannon blast. She cleaved the bolt spell in two. As the two halves detonated at her sides, Sirsir followed up with a hail of level 1 spell bolt fire from the machine gun, forcing her to erect a mana costly barrier. Stabbing Ruin into the stone floor, she wove a level three void bolt spell and flung it at the sergeant. The pumpkin sized orb detonated against a hastily erected light barrier. The two polarities of magic clashing. Lucinda¡¯s level three spell overwhelmed the lower leveled barrier and hurled the sergeant into the air to bounce off one of the few remaining anta toppling the circular column in several chunks and dust. She watched him for a moment for any signs of retaliation, but the big man didn¡¯t move. Lucinda lifted a hand to channel another spell just as Akamori smashed into her with a full speed tackle. The two tumbled before getting back to their feet. She eyed him for a moment, studying the warrior. ¡°Without your big friend to protect you, I¡¯ll have you dismantled in moments.¡± She said. ¡°The only thing being dismantled is your attention.¡± Lucinda¡¯s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and realization struck her. ¡°The woman with the eyes!¡± Akamori nodded with a smug grin. ¡°I have to admit, I wasn¡¯t sure we¡¯d sneak her by you given how much more powerful you are than us, but boy, you really got in the zone. Talk about that tunnel vision. Does your boss know you let her slip by? If not, I¡¯m sure whoever it is will notice soon enough.¡± ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Lucinda roared. Her aura billowed out and sent ripples that pulsed through the ambient aether. Akamori focused his own aura in front of him, serving as a makeshift magical ward, blunting Lucinda¡¯s wrath. The power of her aura crushed the stone at her feet to gravel and gnarled, jagged cracks radiated outwards like lightning snaking along the now scarred white tiles. Lucinda advanced on him. He grunted as it felt like she¡¯d taken a sanding stone to his soul. The arena champion tore Ruin free of its place on the floor and brought the wicked blade around in a sweeping slash meant to bisect Akamori. Smoothly, Akamori parried the strike and retaliated. For every attempt Lucinda made to end the fight, Akamori frustratingly evaded or parried, stretching the conflict out further and further. Her brutal and simplistic style against his more nuanced, if incomplete, technique. Eventually, Lucinda decided it was time to break down Akamori¡¯s defenses. She thrust Ruin into its void storage, needing both hands to cast an elaborately destructive spell. Finishing the final sign, she¡¯d returned her focus to Akamori who wasted precious mana on weaker spells trying to breach her defenses. Finally, it was ready, and she pulsed her aura again, then hurled the disintegration spell at his torso. Partially stunned by Lucinda¡¯s aura blast, the disintegration spell slammed into his armor. The latent consciousness in it shrieked in agony. Fear and dread swept through Akamori as a near certainty that this was the end took root. ? Chapter 95: The Final Lesson Amara dropped the invisibility spell once she¡¯d cleared the main hall the others were fighting in. Several times she felt massive aura blasts and wondered if she¡¯d made the wrong choice in pushing ahead at Akamori¡¯s order. Until she¡¯d rounded the final corner and found herself face to face with the most complex ritual she¡¯d discovered to date. ¡°by the gods¡­¡± she whispered softly. ¡°There are no gods to save you here, little priestess. Only the intelligence and wit with which you supply.¡± ArchPriest Erlaut¡¯s voice said from within bands and bands of drawn runes. Amara strained to find his aura from within the tangle of spells overlapping spells. It was like someone had taken a tangled ball of yarn and then tangled that up with three other tangled balls of yarn. Bands of runes slowly spun in orbiting rings as Erlaut continued to weave and sketch. Mana crystals sat in small arcane circles, helping to fuel the raw magic for his ritual. With her Maetrayops spell active, she could see it all working in real time. The trouble was there was so much excess to see. She had trouble understanding what everything did. She suspected this would not be as easy as Hidros was. Her training under Erlaut had given her a much wider grasp of magical theory than she had gone into the college. Erlaut knew that she¡¯d been the key to unraveling Ominek¡¯s ritual on Hidros, so it was a good bet that this ritual was designed to counter her as it was to do whatever Erlaut was building it to. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be willing to tell me what you¡¯re weaving, would you?¡± ¡°Sadly not. Consider this your final lesson, little priestess. My shackling prevents me from giving you the keys to beat me. You¡¯ll have to rely on yourself to glean the secrets.¡± Amara folded her arms and studied the bands of runes in greater detail. Light magic was fueling the ritual, strong and raw. There was a large amount of void and earth. She also caught hints of mind and Air in the mix. There was a lot going on. She took a moment to think about the combinations and what she knew was capable of them. She pursed her lips and ran through the most logical conclusions as viewed from a dread lord. Her studies in the weaver college taught her that Earth and the Void were aspects of the path of Summoning. Mind and Air were aspects of less rigid magic that made it more flexible. They could be substitution magics, or potential traps. Without knowing how the ritual was built it was difficult to tell for sure. She continued to circle the ritual, which was wrapped within bands of wards and thickly woven sub spells within the ritual. She caught a plague spell and separate elements that when combined appeared to look as though they were mana bombs. She was iffy on specifics, but at a guess that¡¯s how it looked. Erlaut was weaving and feeding growing amounts of aether into a pool that would fuel a detonation that would release a deadly poison. If this went out off now, there was a chance it would rain debris down on the entire city and spread the poison to the survivors of the blast. Horror bloomed in her expression and Erlaut acknowledged she¡¯d deciphered the spell. ¡°Good, you¡¯ve determined what I¡¯m about. Now. How will you stop me? Because you must. If not, then all of Eryn will die. Scoured away and leaving only desolate rock.¡± Panic and worry set in as she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You must. Or we all die.¡± She knew she couldn¡¯t stop the bomb. It was in a loop of buildup that would reach a breaking point. She glanced at the poison spell. While large, it lacked for complexity. But Erlaut would quickly stop any changes she made. She looked at her hands, wondering what to do. She couldn¡¯t weave anything complicated enough to breach the wards. If she were Akamori she¡¯d probably just punch them. She could punch them. She slapped her forehead with her palms. ¡°Stuff it Amara, you can be so dense.¡± She turned back to the wards and channeled her aether through her hands. Now that she could see, she could easily feed her magic more efficiently through her body, see where the exit points on her aetherical flow system lay. With enough magic channeled, she could effectively make aether blades coating her hands. Blades strong enough to rupture barriers. She¡¯d grown so used to being a back line soldier she¡¯d forgotten her martial training and skills. She swore to never let those go rusty ever again. She slid her feet into a stance that had her feet shoulder width apart and a low center of gravity. She placed her palm to the wards, feeling their resistance. She smiled, seeing how strong they were with her visual magic and then tuned the output of aether¡­ hands? Gods, she needed a better name for this spell. Technique? Whatever it was. She drew in a slow, steady breath, then drew her hand back and punched forward, giving a small shout as she did. The force of the strike shattered several defensive wards, keeping her out, breaching the ritual. She took a deep breath and stepped in. Aether currents whooshed by her as she entered the bubble of the ritual. She could see the flow of mana from the crystals fueling the explosion charge spell. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. A void bolt spell from Erlaut forced her to react by blocking it with her bare hand. This drew a curious look from Erlaut. ¡°It would seem your time away was quite instructive for you. I always felt you had immense potential. But sadly, I can¡¯t spare the time to properly duel you.¡± Headmaster Avreone stepped out from around Erlaut. Spell blade drawn. Amara knew Avreone was basically filling the same role Akamori had with Lucinda. Delay and distract. Unfortunately for Avreone, Amara was pretty quick on her feet, and she already had a plan. Amara knew she couldn¡¯t stop the build up spell by simple counter spells or mundane trickery like she did with Ominek¡¯s ritual on Hidros. Erlaut was cocky, but not stupid. And if he¡¯d specifically designed this ritual to stop her, he knew to make it assuming she¡¯d try to address it from a different angle. Write a spell on top of it or something. He wasn¡¯t wrong. If she had time she would have. Once again, she drew her inspiration from Akamori. The only way to fix this problem was to break it so badly it couldn¡¯t even work as intended. It would require a little theatrics for Avreone¡¯s part, but she felt confident her opponent was up to the task. Avreone advanced, her blade swishing and chopping through the aether rich ritual space. Amara allowed her body to react on instinct. Because of her visual magic, she could see Avreone¡¯s magic flowing through her body, fueling its movement. The headmaster was only a Tier 3, but that was still enough infusions that her body was several steps above the standard mortal. Amara noticed that Avreone¡¯s spell uses was channeled through her body. Things like a passive healing aura, and a speed enhancing spell on top of her Tier 3 strength. She had no issues swatting the other woman¡¯s attacks and lunges aside, using her ability to channel her magic through her hands. She suspected with was a spell warrior secret that most weavers didn¡¯t understand. She wasn¡¯t even sure the warriors understood it either, they just used it intuitively. She experimented with the new skill by venting extra magic from her palm when Avreone went from a strike that looked out of form for the excessively attractive woman. Sliding under Avreone¡¯s guard, she rammed her palm into Avreone¡¯s stomach and watched in amazement as Avreone¡¯s own magic fluctuated wildly. She¡¯d just disrupted another mage¡¯s ability to control their own aether flow. without the use of a spell to do so. Both women understood the enormity of that discovery immediately. Avreone¡¯s expression went sour with anger, where Amara¡¯s went neutral with focus. Avreone grunted, a sheen of sweat on her brow. Amara¡¯s blow lacked brute force, but the spiritual impact would have felt like she¡¯d just rammed the woman with a starship. ¡°You catch on fast for a weaver.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just a weaver. I¡¯m a priestess from Hoshun, and you¡¯re in my way.¡± Amara advanced, delivering rapid strikes to Avreone, and as her opponent staggered, Amara used the purchased time to destroy the mana crystals. The first couple went unnoticed by Erlaut, but after a half dozen, he finally looked back with concern etched on his features. ¡°Do not let her break another mana battery. If she does, the explosion spell will self cascade and we¡¯re all dead then.¡± Avreone shot the Elder Weaver a glare. ¡°Would you like to deal with her?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t . It¡¯s on you. Succeed or fail.¡± Avreone turned back and reengaged Amara. While Amara had always focused on and preferred her weaving studies, she was a proficient martial artist, and had the anticipatory advantage here. She feigned a mistep and let Avreone pounce, eager to wrap up the fight. She punished the warrior with several debilitating strikes on her torso. System Info: You have landed Aether Strike. You have successfully inflicted Aether Sickness on the target. You have successfully inflicted Aether Dizziness on the target. The target will suffer debilitating physical pain and be incapable of casting spells until their aether flow system returns to normal. Subsequent Aether Strikes can renew this status. Cannot be purged with Healing Potions. Amara could see the headmaster¡¯s aether warp and twist as it struggled to cope with the opened and closed paths she¡¯d just administered to Avreone¡¯s body. Like being able to change the flow of large rivers at a whim. Several large red spots bloomed in Avreone¡¯s otherwise blue aether flow, signaling her body wasn¡¯t in harmony. That would negate her spell casting and lock her up physically. Avreone dropped her sword and collapsed right where Amara had planned for her, too. She turned her attention to Erlaut. She had to time the next few steps carefully. While Erlaut focused with correction of the buildup and managing the mana, she went to work covertly introducing junk elements to the poison spell, nullifying it completely and rendering it a waste of mana. That meant the land wouldn¡¯t be blighted when the bomb went off. Next she set to work weaving a complex air spell that siphoned off some of the mana build up to fuel itself, creating a sort of wind geyser spell designed to hurl material and forces vertically instead outward. That would also be key to helping ensure as many people survived the blast as possible. Next she daisy chained a barrier spell to the mana crystals surviving. That was as much preparation as she was comfortable handling without drawing Erlaut¡¯s full ire. Amara spent as much time as she was comfortable using without knowing how far in Erlaut was with his preparations. She¡¯d set up a means of neutering the poison, redirecting the blast, and robbing the ritual of both its designed elements. She advanced on Erlaut, whose back was still to her as he continued weaving signs at a dizzying speed. She took a moment to study the complex layers of wards shielding Erlaut¡¯s back. She glanced down at her hands, watching the various exit points on her hands where her channeled aether was pouring out of forming the sharp gauntlet like constructs. She instinctively knew she could turn up or down the output. She looked back at the wards, gauging how much power she would need to strike through them. In magic, standard spells took aether and reshaped it to the caster¡¯s needs. Typically, this involved energy loss because of the conversion. What Amara was practicing was something more akin to raw energy shaping. In her efforts, there was no energy loss, because she wasn¡¯t changing it, just channeling it. Amara took a deep breath, drawing her hand back flat to present a knifed edge. She did a quick mental count to three, then struck out. ? Chapter 96: It’s kind of personal now Ominek reclined in his seat outside a cafe with one of the best views of Eryn¡¯s boardwalk leading to the Grand Temple. A monument to the elven arrogance that drove the Federation into its current sad state of affairs. An entity that was, for all intents and purposes, on life support. It was nearing time to euthanize the patient, so to speak. Ominek lifted his cup of hot tea and gave it a soft sip. In the distance, a massive explosion rocked the temple, blowing a portion of the roof clean off and spraying it across the city like tumbling white meteorites. The city was awash in screams when multiple smaller detonations shook the stunned city. Ominek rose, dropping payment for his meal, and strode off towards the temple, whistling eagerly. He took in the terror as he strode. The citizens ran past him in such a panic he could taste their fear in the air. He sucked in a deep breath and sighed contentedly. A pleased smile stretched across his lips. Thick black columns of smoke rose into the sky from multiple breaches on the temple exterior. Sauridius drop ships screamed through the air, depositing hordes of hatchlings lugging heavy spell rifles and armor. His hammer blow had begun. Months of planning set into motion for this final moment. Ahead of him, his prime target awaited. Already subtle irregularities developed in the ArchPriest¡¯s aura. The result of the noxious poison Lucinda administered to her lover at Ominek¡¯s request. When his soul father Leviathos had given him this mission, he had his misgivings coming off of the defeat at Hidros. But when Leviathos presented him with the tools he¡¯d need and a few inside agents to get started? Well, to say everything had come together nicely would oversimplify things. The elves absolutely lacked for security measures here. Unlike the humans and their aureolium fueled magitek constructs and hyper sense of security, the elves lives almost as though they expected no one to return here to finish the task that led to their very genesis in the first place. Getting to be the administer the crippling bow lost no irony to him. Especially considering he was a a child of Sauridius the very being who orchestrated the events of Eryn¡¯s birth in the first place. It was their natural right to decide when and how this world ended. ¡°Judgement has been rendered.¡± He said softly under the din of an exploding tavern behind him. Hatchling shock troops pounced yup on Emerald Guard response teams. His well tailored black shoes clicked softly with each step he took up the white marble steps of the temple¡¯s ornate entrance. Inside, bodies were littered everywhere. He sucked in another slow deep breath and let it out slowly with a smile. ¡°Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like the scent of the freshly dead.¡± A quick jaunt through the destruction saw him to the doors to the ArchPriest¡¯s chamber. He touched the door and a complex series of wards flashed up. He threw a disintegration spell at the door and whistled while it devoured its way through the wards like magical corrosive acid. When enough of them had been dismantled he thrust his heel out and kicked down the door. It exploded into shards and splinters that sprayed out. The ArchPriest stood in the center of a large chamber. He wore ornate golden armor and carried an impressive staff. Ominek grinned and channeled his own staff into his hand. ¡°A duel then? I must confess to hoping you¡¯d have succumbed to the effects of the poison by now. But this isn¡¯t an issue that can¡¯t be corrected.¡± ArchPriest Eaulmant stood resolute before the dreadlord in the fashionable suit. Eaulmant wore his golden ceremonial spell armor and holding the spell staff he¡¯d crafted at the onset of the second prophecy. All the pieces of the prophecy had fallen into place. A soft sheen of sweat coated his forehead. Something he¡¯d not experienced in quite a while. Eaulmant bit back the cough that threatened to shake loose. The dreadlord¡¯s dark poison going to work ravaging his body. Ominek¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°My, you don¡¯t look so well.¡± He said mockingly. ¡°Was it something you ate?¡± ¡°Taunt me all you like, dreadlord. But we both know that even if you win this day, it will cost you the future.¡± Ominek winced exaggeratedly. ¡°Oooh. Such defiance. I¡¯m going to enjoy crushing this world underfoot.¡± A blast of raw golden magic crashed into Ominek and sent him hurling into the far wall before spilling to the ground with a thud. Burned flesh and singed fabric tainted the ozone. Ominek slowly pushed himself upright with a pained grunt. He extended a hand and his dropped staff flew back into his hand. Ominek pushed himself back to his feet and rolled his neck. The fact the grand priest had ambushed him like that excited him. A growl rumbled from his throat, draconic and gravely. The ArchPriest¡¯s aura wavered and flickered as the poison ravaged his body. Ominek quickly wove a disintegrate and fired it off. The spell tore into the far wall and dissolved a large chunk of the wall, narrowly missing the Eaulmant. The poisoned elf gave Ominek a haughty look for having missed, but Ominek gave him a nod to the bottom corner of his robe, which had a ragged chunk missing from contact with the spell. ¡°You¡¯re losing your step, ArchPriest. How long do you think you can keep this dance up?¡± Eaulmant broke into a coughing fit. Blood stained the man¡¯s hand as he casually wiped his sleeve clean. Despite his intensity, the ArchPriest still gave Ominek a sorrowful look. ¡°My end will not bring you the fate you seek. But it will bring the one you deserve.¡± He said, doing his best to hide the strain. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Ominek scoffed, ¡°Defeating you will be the first step in bringing back Sauridius.¡± Eaulmant gave the dread lord a parental smile. The kind a father might while issuing a lecture to an ignorant child. ¡°And do you believe that will benefit you? You don¡¯t even own the body you¡¯re parading around in. Think about it. You don¡¯t need Sauridius, but he needs you. ¡± Ominek¡¯s expression twisted. The elf was right, even if he didn¡¯t like the point. Regardless. He couldn¡¯t disobey his father and expect to see a new sunrise. ¡°I bear more than mere soul shackles. Fate has me bound.¡± Eaulmant spat at the floor. Blood and black fluid splattering on the clean tile. ¡°It¡¯s not fate that has you bound, but your own vain need for power. You¡¯ll create chaos and a vacuum here. But in time, heroes will rise and set right what I could not.¡± ¡°Bold words for a fool who hides in his temple hoarding his magic.¡± Ominek rushed forward and smashed the bottom of his staff into Eaulmant¡¯s stomach. Blood misted from his mouth as the air rushed from his lungs. Capitalizing on the quick stun, Ominek drove a knee into the ArchPriest¡¯s chin, whipping the man¡¯s head back and sending stumbling. Ominek twirled his staff a few times in graceful curves. The glowing emerald at the tip casting him in a pallid green hue and highlighting his eyes. Ominek spun his staff around in a move that was more flash than punch. The white mythril steel haft crashed into Eaulmant¡¯s aura, which flared. The man¡¯s emotions were on full display within them. Defiance, determination, and anguish all fueled it, even as his body was punished internally by Ominek¡¯s insidious poison. Ominek pushed back off the powerful demigod¡¯s aura and allowed his body to transform into his full draconic size. Scales, teeth, and spikes erupted from his body as his skin turned from dark brownish black to blood red. His wings burst through the roof of the living area, and a large barbed tail flicked agitatedly. Obsidian talons raked at the white floor tiles with a sound like nails on a blackboard. He let out a powerful roar that sent the ArchPriest staggering to the wall for support. Ominek sucked in a deep breath and exhaled with his breath weapon. A death mist poured out of his maw, the keening moans of trapped spirits issued from the pallid fog as the souls of the damned reached for Eaulmant, trying to steal his powerful life energy. But their grasping hands found nothing but powerful wards as they slid by harmlessly. Ominek rushed forward in powerful strides, each foot thundering against the ground. A casual swipe of his hand obliterated one room entirely as Eaulmant dove out of the way. Shards of rock and splinters of wood flew wildly, trapped in a storm of air. The flagging ArchPriest pushed himself back upright, sensing he was about to die anyway, and poured as much of his magic as he could physically stand to into one final attack. Ominek¡¯s face lit up with glee. Rows of razor-sharp teeth glistened as he grinned. ¡°Yes! Pit your strength against mine! We will see who the true champion is!¡± Eaulmant didn¡¯t point out the twisted logic there. That he¡¯d been poisoned, and that Ominek had intentionally stacked the odds in his own favor. But clearly, this was never meant to be a match for fairness. Such were the laws of war. Destroy or be destroyed. Ominek¡¯s barbed tail lashed out, punching right through Eaulmant¡¯s armor and spearing into his torso. The poisoned demigod¡¯s back smashed into the stone wall behind him. A pained grunt eased through clenched teeth. Ominek¡¯s snout loomed close enough he could devour the priest if he chose to do so. The priest, amazingly, had enough power to hold his hand up as if to beg Ominek to stop. Dread spread through every fiber of Ominek¡¯s being when the priest snapped upright. Light poured from his eyes like someone flipped a flood light on. Intense powerful magic pooled together in his palm, forming an orb of light that shimmered and rippled like water gathering in zero gee. Ominek had gotten cocky and arrogant again. His last-minute loss at Hidros still wounded his pride but widened him. He began deftly casting barrier spells. ¡°Shield yourself all you like. You¡¯re still fighting a demigod, dreadlord.¡± A piercing white and gold beam erupted from Eaulmant¡¯s palm. Ominek leaned away from the searing blast, but was still too close to completely avoid it. His wards shattered like fragile glass. The beam carved a bloody canyon across Ominek¡¯s body as scales and muscle and bone melted away in the blast. Pain and rage flooded his mind as he struggled to stay conscious. Eaulmant¡¯s palm glowed with a second charge and every cell in Ominek¡¯s body screamed danger. He knew he couldn¡¯t take a second shot. He tore the spike of his free of the ArchPriest, flicking him across the room. The magic he¡¯d been gathering faded as the demigod forced the magic towards keeping from bleeding out. Ominek eyed the ArchPriest with contempt. Being reminded of his own mortality, so close to the precipice of success, stoked an anger in him that had subsided during his quest for revenge here. He¡¯d allowed himself to be beaten before. He wasn¡¯t going to make that mistake again. Ominek lifted a large talon and began weaving the signs to build a disintegration spell. Just before he finished the spell, a powerful light bolt spell smashed into his hands. Ominek roared painfully as the mana of his spell crumbled and winked out. Then, SHE of all people dropped into the room from a sleek and intimidating corvette sized spell ship. The ship took some pot shots with its cannons as it moved, peppering his scales with giant fireballs. Morwen gave her wounded father an assessing look and held her hand out. His spell staff summoned to her hand. She spun it like a warrior and leveled the business end at him. ¡°You thought you could just sink your talons into my people and come ruin my world? MY FAMILY?¡± Morwen roared, her aura exploding violently, forcing Ominek to flare his own. ¡°At first I thought this was just some petty revenge plot, but now it¡¯s starting to feel kind of personal.¡± Ominek¡¯s mood improved by octaves as the woman who stymied his success on Hidros now handed herself up to him on a white stone platter. It would almost make the wounds he¡¯d suffered worth it. A predatory grin spread across his lips, revealing rows of steak knife sized teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy ending your blood line today.¡± Ominek crooned in a deep, draconic voice. ¡°Not on my watch, dreadlord.¡± Morwen braced herself, ready to hurl into battle. ? Chapter 97: Evolution This was how it ends, he thought. He watched as the disintegration spell tore at the chest plate and integrated wards of his armor. It was using what magic it possessed to buy him time. He sensed that intention in it, even without understanding what it was trying to do. The rear of the armor snapped open from head to toe in a series of clicks. Confusion shocked him even as it force ejected him. As he stumbled out of the rear, he sensed a sadness from it. The armor was young, only a few infusions old, but it wanted to protect him for longer than it could. A mission left unfinished. Purpose unfulfilled. His sword hissed at him. That woman is dangerous. She knows how to wield tier 5 spells in a casual manner. She¡¯s well practiced in the art of death. If we want to avoid the armor¡¯s fate, we must evolve beyond our current limitations and become something more! Lucinda watched with a cold detachment as the last of his armor broke down into oblivion. She shook her head. ¡°I never wanted this. But the fact is, kid, you just lack the skill to beat me.¡± Akamori watched as the armor dissolved into dark purple particles that winked away. His mental connection the armor lost. He was hopelessly outclassed and knew it. No matter what he tried, this was the end. ¡°Screw it.¡± He advanced on Lucinda, his blade whipped about in a flurry, sending a torrent of wind slashes at the champion. Lucinda casually parried most, blocked what she had to, then spun and drove her blade into his chest. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± She said. ¡°So¡­ am I.¡± He coughed back. Blood splattering the rags of her shirt. Confusion and curiosity fought a contest for dominance in her expression. His wasn¡¯t exactly something someone just ran through would say. Akamori shoved himself off of her blade. His hand reached up to prevent his blood from gushing from the wound, even as he channeled his magic. His sword¡¯s words echoed in his mind. He had to become something more. He had to change. Power radiated from him. Void magic gathering around him like a thick fog. Something cold and familiar reaches out from across planes. It was foreign, but to his soul; it resonated with a familiarity. Like two different pieces of the same puzzle. The membranes between life and death became transparent. The barrier between the light and the umbral planes fractured like cracking glass. The next instant he was aware of, Akamori found himself in an all white expanse. With no details to orient himself, he felt his head swim with nausea and shock. He clutched the still bleeding wound in his chest. Black viscous fluid mixed with his red blood like oil slicks on water. ¡°It¡¯s the void poisoning.¡± A deep voice rumbled. ¡°Your consciousness teeters on oblivion.¡± He looked up and saw a dark figure standing in front of him. Darkness billowed off the figure like smoke. It had jet black skin with red and purple accents. Aggressive looking muscles and skin made it look almost demonic. It was a voidspawn he realized. Draped in a cloak of shadows, it held a large scythe lazily across its shoulders, looking down at him. With its free hand, it brushed back its hood, revealing a mane of red and black hair, much like his own. He was staring into his own face and for an instant he was certain his heart stopped. It gave him a knowing nod. ¡°You sense the right of it. I am a soul splinter. A shard torn off a soul we share ties to.¡± Akamori coughed a mouthful of dark blood up onto the white, detail-less floor. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± ¡°To lend you my power. I fought the air wyrm that sought to destroy you before you could visit with the diviner.¡± ¡°That was¡­ you?¡± The dark figure nodded. ¡°I sensed our through the magic we share. Our shards are similar enough we can forge a pact.¡± ¡°And what do you get?¡± Akamori asked through the strain of his wound. ¡°Completing my purpose. Your past self created me to wait for the day when you might be in greatest need. That time has come. I am¡­ returning home, so to speak.¡± ¡°Home?¡± The voidspawn version of himself nodded silently and pointed to the center of Akamori¡¯s chest. ¡°We have split our power long enough. Do you accept my compact?¡± Akamori paused. Doubt and uncertainty flickered through him like a wildfire. This being looked like everything he didn¡¯t want to be. If this voidspawn was a shard of his soul, what did that say about himself? His brows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± ¡°Become what you must, then save creation. If you fall here, Sauridius will rise and savage this place. Making slaves of the few survivors it deigns to leave alive while devouring the magic of what it doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ no pressure.¡± Akamori said. Already noticing the pain was less pronounced. He glanced up to the voidspawn who again tilted his chin, showing he was the cause. ¡°I have slowed the rate of progress of your void poisoning, but I cannot stop it like this. Only merged will you possess the power to negate it.¡± ¡°Heh, a devil¡¯s bargain.¡± Akamori choked. ¡°What will I be once I accept the compact?¡± ¡°One step closer to whole. The vast emptiness that has compelled you to travel the stars is a powerful sense of absence. Your soul yearns for its missing parts.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Do you know where the other pieces are?¡± ¡°No. but I can help you look for them. Alongside providing you with more robust combat abilities. Such as what you will require now.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°The evolution of a spell warrior to a void reaper.¡± Akamori hesitated, his life force slowly leaking from the stab wound in his chest, courtesy of Lucinda. ¡°What happens to you?¡± ¡°I remain in the void, but through our link, I can share my power with you via a soul bridge.¡± ¡°So I won¡¯t become a demon or anything?¡± ¡°No. you would become a nascent Void Reaper. You would evolve beyond your current limitations. This evolution will mark the beginning of your path to something greater.¡± The presence deep within him, locked away behind his golden super human strength seal, resonated with the voidspawn before him. It pulsed a single burst of his aura. In that instant, he understood his choice. He stood up, a hand pressed firmly to his wound despite the tackiness of drying blood. ¡°Ok. I accept.¡± The voidspawn held its hand out and channeled aether directly into him. The magic was no mere mana transfer, but a full on infusion. His body was overcome with a flush of cold magic. It saturated and permeated every fiber of his being. Muscle fibers strengthened, tendons tightened, and neural synapsis fired faster. He¡¯d breached the limitations of standard mortality and ascended the crest of something new. A new magic grew within his breast. Awe and wonder settled in as he studied the radiant energy. System messages flooded his vision, even despite his passive notification preferences. He set to sort through them one at a time. System Info: You have accepted the compact of the Void. You have gained access to the Path of the Reaper. Progress 0.00% Special Ability unlocked: Death¡¯s Shadow. You may make a special attack that marks your target with the Death¡¯s Shadow debuff. Targets suffering the Death¡¯s Shadow mark feel the creeping cold dread of death. This ability boosts all the damage the target receives. Path feature unlocked: Aether Gauge. Build Aether during combat and by defeating enemies marked by Death¡¯s Shadow to accumulate 10 Aether Gauge. 50 Aether Gauge can be spent to use Reaper Special Attacks. Path feature unlocked: Soul Gauge. Using Special Reaper Attacks builds Soul Gauge. At 50 Soul Gauge, you may activate the Void Shroud. Special Ability Unlock: Void Shroud. Call upon your voidspawn soul shard, channeling its power on top of your own body. Damage output and defensive value is increased considerably. Void Shroud consumes 10 points of Soul Gauge for 1 minute of use. New Weapon Evolution: Void Scythe. Channeling your deep well of void magic, your spell blade can now manifest itself into a scythe made of void glass. Giving you enhanced offensive and defensive capabilities. Costs 1 AP to maintain. Further AP can be spent to further enhance its damage. He disliked the idea of just being given so many new powers and abilities. It felt like cheating in a way. His father had always tried to instill an honesty in his training. He knew he wasn¡¯t a combat genius, but he always pushed to learn things. This served him well, even as he took tactics his opponents employed and adapted them to his own skill set. Now it seemed he had his own unique set of skills and abilities. For once, he felt a sense of uniqueness. ¡°You disprove of your new path?¡± The voidspawn asked, noticing the sour look on his face. Akamori shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve earned this.¡± ¡°You have endured the impossible. You struggle in the face of a destiny that all but consumes you. In my esteem, this was long overdue.¡± ¡°Amara will not like you puffing my ego up. Even still. Thanks. What¡¯s your name?¡± The voidspawn frowned. A puzzled look crossing his features. ¡°My name? I am unsure. It has been so long since I¡¯ve needed to use a name.¡± Akamori blinked and smiled. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s not mildly horrifying at all.¡± He said, trying not to imagine being alone for so long he forgot who he was. ¡°Well, we have to give you something. My sword too. I can¡¯t keep talking to you two without something to refer to you as besides what you are.¡± The voidspawn simply stared at him expectantly, where his sword thrummed eagerly. Finally, the darker version of himself spoke. ¡°I believe I can at least help with the name of your sword. It is named Thanton. The reincarnation of the first spell blade ever forged. The first sword to claim a life. It is viewed in some circles as an entity of death, returning in times of great unrest to lay low the wicked.¡± ¡°You know all that, but have no idea what your own name was?¡± ¡°It has been a¡­ considerably long time.¡± Akamori glanced at the voidspawn. This guy needed a name. Looking into a darker version of himself was too unsettling. ¡°You¡¯re gonna need a name, too. What to call you, though?¡± He tapped his finger on his lip absently. Oblivious to the wound on his chest, slowly knitting shut. The voidspawn Akamori watched impassively. ¡°Herman? No¡­ Carl? Eh. Too short. What about Rupert?¡± The voidspawn glared at him silently as he continued. ¡°George? Hmm, no. Frank?¡± ¡°Frank is amenable.¡± The voidspawn offered contemplatively. ¡°Well then, nice to meet ya, Frank. Now then. How about we go do something about my bosses dad¡¯s possessed girl friend?¡± Frank¡¯s body rippled with magic and he broke down into a black smoke that flowed on Akamori, forming a black hooded robe. More than that, Akamori now had chitinous armor, much like Franks. System Info: You have been granted full Soul Gauge. System Info: You are now Enshrouded. Your damage has been boosted significantly. Your defenses have been boosted moderately. Your spell blade has channeled the soul of Thanaton, transforming into a memory of the Harvester. ¡°Whoah¡­¡± The all white plane broke down around them. Only then did he finally poke his chest where the stab wound was giving an impressed nod. His aura exploded with power when Lucinda came back into view. Her expression was both surprised and amused. Like she took some joy in his refusal to lose. ¡°I was hoping you had a little more fight left in you, for my daughter¡¯s sake. Ruining her world here like this wasn¡¯t how I wanted this all to end.¡± ¡°Well. I had to lull you into a false sense of security by kicking my ass so hard.¡± ¡°So it was all a show, hmm?¡± ¡°Oh, absolutely.¡± ¡°Show me the reality, then.¡± The two blurred together to clash. ? Chapter 98: Yes Sergeant, Kaboom Akamori blazed with power, his aura flaring defiantly after having merged souls in a pact he made with a voidspawn shard of his own soul. He tried not to dwell too much on how absurd it all sounded and was just thankful for the boon at his moment of greatest need. He clutched the black and lavender crystal scythe in hand, casually draped across his shoulder, and his void shroud billowed about him like he stood outside on a windy day. He understood instinctively it was his aura supplying the turbulence. But it was still an order of magnitude higher on the cool scale. Lucinda¡¯s brow quirked with both interest and miniscule fear. What had been a handy rout was now turning uncertain. ¡°So the pup has bite after all? Or is this just an outrageous display of defiance before I put you down for good?¡± she asked. Akamori gave her a confident smirk from beneath his hood. The top of his face bathed in shadow save for the two glowing red orbs set in his eyes. ¡°Hmph. Come and find out.¡± Lucinda charged forward, but where she¡¯d been a blur before, now she was more traceable. He followed her movements and lunged out with the pommel of his scythe, striking her in the abdomen. System Info: You have inflicted the target with Death¡¯s Shadow. Your attacks will deal increased damage for the duration of the buff. Lucinda sensed the debuff placed on her but didn¡¯t have time to puzzle out its effect as Akamori burst forward in a surge of speed. Blade clashed and hummed as he swung the scythe competently, but his lack of familiarity with the weapon showed. However, he more than made up for it with raw strength and speed, matching her own traits pound for pound. The two warriors traded blows for the fate of the world. Akamori caught Lucinda with a wicked slash filling his Aether gauge enough to summon his voidspawn counter part for a joint attack. Black smoke coalesced in to the shape of a cloaked torso with arms that ended in long claws. The avatar brought its arm down in a slash that raked Lucinda¡¯s flesh. The Arena champion grunted as the edges of the struggled to knit shut. Akamori noted the sluggish healing and wondered if that was connected to the void magic of his void avatar. Lucinda countered with a lethal series of slashes and lunges that he evaded by the merit of raw physical potential. She had the lead on him in skill by a wider margin than he was comfortable with. You¡¯re still fighting with the mindset of using a sword. You have the reach advantage when I¡¯m in this state. Use it! His sword transformed to a scythe, Thanaton counseled. He let his grip on the weapon relax, letting the muscle memory of his body take over, flowing from set to set. It was awkward at first, but he soon found a rhythm that put Lucinda on the back foot. He unleashed another Soul Strike staggering Lucinda enough to take advantage of her opening. He brought the scythe around, almost removing her head from her neck. His Enshrouded state was going to wear off soon, and he frowned. Even with the extra power being a Reaper had granted him, it wasn¡¯t enough on its own for him to beat her. Your doubt is losing this fight for you. ¡°Not the best time.¡± He growled back. Magic is an extension of will. If your will is weak, you are weak. Channel your defiance. Your sense of justice. The desire to protect others from suffering as you have . Channel your emotions, and focus them against her. ¡°You want me to get angry?¡± He asked, confused. No! Anger and rage are deceptive. Quick and hot, but they cloud judgement. Lead to irrational choices and unnecessary risks. A wise warrior is deliberate, selective, and adaptive. Rage prevents you from harnessing those traits by foolishly misleading you to think that short sightedness is more satisfying when it often leads to undoing you. ¡°That is incredibly insightful and detailed.¡± he said with a grunt, swatting away a strike from Lucinda. I have more time and experience in combat than few other beings in existence. I have also crossed another ancient spell blade who routinely falls prey to these traps. Time and again self destructiveness undoes it. He parried away a series of attacks from her that forced him back. A heel kick to his chin staggered him and sent him stumbling. Before she could capitalize, though, an explosive erupted between them that sent her hurtling away. ¡°Leave my LT. alone bitch.¡± The sergeant¡¯s burly frame leaned against the wall, with his massive conjured cannon held in one hand, barrel smoking. ¡°Go, let¡¯s put this situation to bed.¡± Sirsir shouted. Akamori was in motion, sprinting after her prone form. A fire bolt spell crashed into his chest, but because of his magical resistances, it only dealt him a kinetic blow. He twirled and brought the scythe down, forcing Lucinda to retreat. Unfortunately for her, said retreat put her right in the big sergeant¡¯s line of fire. Rapid fire machine gun bolts and several cannon rounds struck her, staggering her. Seizing the opportunity, Akamori rammed the scythe¡¯s blade into her chest. Then he fed it air, fire, and void magic. Electricity, flames and negative energy erupted from her wound, whipping her body wildly u til she dissolved into a cloud of Aether. The notes of magic formed the shape of a woman. ¡°Thanks for setting me free. I truly wish it hadn¡¯t needed to end like this.¡± Lucinda¡¯s soul said. Akamori nodded softly, ¡°Yeah. Me too.¡± ¡°Keep up the training. You may have beaten me this time, but there¡¯s always a bigger fish out there. Tell Morwen I¡¯m sorry about everything.¡± ¡°I will.¡± The arena champion¡¯s soul smiled sadly and closed her eyes. A long earned peace finally taking her. The shape of the woman broke down as the notes of Aether drifted into the sky like a cloud of fireflies. Akamori¡¯s void shroud dissolved around him as his ability reached its time limit. He felt the power drain from him, back to the umbral plane to his other half. Akamori turned to inspect the Sergeant braced against the wall. The sergeant¡¯s right leg ended above the knee. His spell armor blackened and ragged. While Akamori had been fighting Lucinda, Sirsir had healed the amputation over into a stump. Akamori winced. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°See to Yasiin and Sala, make sure they¡¯re ok, then head over to Amara.¡± ¡°Yes sir. What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tag in with Morwen.¡± ¡°Be careful, sir. That stunt with the spell armor was a one off. You get caught like that again. It¡¯s game over.¡± Akamori nodded wearily. ¡°I know. But I can feel some intense danger from the ArchPriest¡¯s chamber and she¡¯s near ground zero.¡± Sirsir nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not protestin¡¯ the decision. Just makin¡¯ sure you know what you¡¯re jumpin¡¯ into.¡± ¡°I appreciate that, Sgt. Keep it up and I might promote you.¡± Akamori said with a mischievous grin. ¡°Knock it off with that shit, sir. Now go on and save the day.¡± The two shared a short laugh and went their separate ways. # Amara pushed herself up to her feet, ignoring the pain that radiated through her back. Her vision swam, and it took longer to push the fog from her mind than she liked. Across from her, Erlaut was groaning and prone as well. That much was a good sign. It meant she¡¯d stopped his ritual casting. Pushing herself upright, she channeled her aura through her hands again. The more she did so, the more refined the results. Erlaut rose shakily, still disoriented from the detonation that happened between them. Before the elder weaver got his bearings, Amara advanced, using her Maetrayops spell to focus in on the points in his body where the aether flowed the thickest. Compared to someone like Sirsir or Sala, who relied on brute force, Amara preferred precision. It was why she¡¯d come to secretly admire the degree to which Yasiin worked with his spell rifle. Sliding her lead foot forward, she focused on Erlaut¡¯s arms. She would need to strike fast, light and precisely. She advanced, lashing out in a series of sequential blows. Predictably, Erlaut brought his arms up to block himself, exactly as she¡¯d wanted. One by one, two by two, she closed out points in his body where magic would flow. She was cutting the strings that bound his will to his magic. Mortals differed from divine beings in that they needed to still tell magic with their will what they wanted it to do. Whereas with gods, what they wanted simply was. When Erlaut dropped his guard after realizing she was striking her very hard, confusion swept his features. She pounced, striking his toros this time and stopping the flow of magic almost all together. When she¡¯d finished, he fell to his knees and coughed a bit of blood up. His body suffering injuries as the magic flowed erratically in his body. ¡°Well done, little priestess.¡± he coughed. ¡°But you haven¡¯t dealt with the entire problem yet.¡± Erlaut said with a glance towards the ritual circle on the ground. ¡°As a matter of fact, I have.¡± She said, snatching Erlaut up by the scruff of his robes and dragging him free of the ritual circle. With the magical bonds in his body closed off, he was paralyzed. Meaning the soul shackling was powerless without strings to puppet him with. It wasn¡¯t a cleansing, but it would put a cork on the damage he could do until seen to by proper mage healers. As she cleared the ritual circle¡¯s magical dome, she saw Sgt. Sirsir hobbling around a corner using a spell cannon construct. She dropped Erlaut on his face. The elder weaver grunted in pain. ¡°Sgt! Are you ok?¡± The big bald chocolate skinned man shrugged. His spell armor looked like he¡¯d eaten a grenade mid detonation. She wrapped him up in a hug, even as he patted her shoulder plate. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll live. That sword lady gave us a helluva beating.¡± ¡°Akamori?¡± she asked, her voice trailing off. ¡°He¡¯s fine. Went off to go help the Captain. Said he could sense big trouble that way.¡± Amara turned to focus on the ArchPriest¡¯s chambers and her eyes widened in terror as she backpedaled into Sirsir. She shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Of course it would be that dragon.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Ominek.¡± Sirsir cursed under his breath quietly. ¡°Then we go help them after we deal with this. How do we deal with this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a magic bomb with poison rigged up to it. I¡¯ve corrupted the poison spell to make it a mass of magic. The explosion was a different issue.¡± ¡°That you fixed?¡± Sirsir asked leadingly. ¡°That I fixed. He set it up to spread out to disperse the poison. But I¡¯ve set it to go vertically like a column. That should reduce the blast radius effect.¡± ¡°Not bad for a private.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had some good mentors along the way.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°We get clear enough and then trigger the blast. My manipulations won¡¯t last long and they¡¯ll break down if we don¡¯t act.¡± ¡°How far back do we need to be?¡± Amara glanced around. ¡°The end of that corridor should still give us a line of sight and be far enough back to be safe.¡± ¡°Should?¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m way out of my element here. I¡¯m just slapping at things and hoping the results are close to what I expect.¡± Sirsir shrugged. ¡°Works for me. I just blow shit up.¡± The two mages dragged Erlaut to safety and then Sirsir hefted his conjured spell cannon up to point it at the ritual circle. Firing a blast into magic that tightly packed was never a good idea on the best of days. But sometimes bad ideas were all you got. ¡°Kaboom?¡± Amara nodded, ¡°Yes, Sgt. Kaboom.¡± Sirsir grinned and fired a blast from his cannon as charged as he could manage. The two of them immediately dove behind a column for cover as the charged spell bolt hurled itself into the ritual circle and detonated. ? Chapter 99: Patricidal Maniac System Info: You have received the spell staff Ashura. Weapon. Staff. Magical alignment: Light. Status: Elder Spell Weapon. This weapon is a Soul Bound weapon. Would you like to soul bind? Yes/No? Morwen immediately accepted. It was a weapon her father had wielded, but only as an interim owner. He hadn¡¯t soul bound to it. Like she had. She could feel his magic in it. A sensation of oneness settled over her. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Ashura, or Ash for short. Are you my new owner?¡± ¡°Yes. Little busy for introductions. Do you have any spells of your own?¡± ¡°Several! Would you like the whole list?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Morwen grunted, avoiding a stabbing lunge from Ominek¡¯s tail. She rolled free and fired off a series of level 1 void bolts that splashed against the dragon¡¯s scales. She broke into a sprint and dove for cover as Ominek snapped his jaws several times, reducing a thick hardwood table to splinters. She slid on her knees for several feet before pivoting and getting up as the dragon pursued. ¡°I have a wide variety of spells. Storm of the unforgiven. Divine barrier. Oh! And the Fuck You Gun.¡± Morwen ducked under a tail swipe. ¡°Fuck You Gun?¡± ¡°One of my previous master¡¯s was¡­ how can I put it? Colorful with words.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Unleashes a 10th level light bolt.¡± Hope said nonchalantly. ¡°10th?¡± Morwen hissed in disbelief. That was well into the territory of a minor god level spell. Just who exactly owned this weapon prior to her father coming into possession of it? This had Sashlu¡¯s fingerprints all over it. Morwen was coming around to Akamori¡¯s stance on an extreme dislike of fate. She rolled away from Ominek¡¯s talons as they crashed down into the stone and raked away from her. ¡°What about a flurry of weaker spells? Can you cast a torrent of void bolts?¡± ¡°Not only can I do it, I can amplify your magic while doing it.¡± ¡°Do it!¡± Morwen aimed the staff at Ominek as it erupted into a storm of level 2 void bolts that struck Ominek like a wave of negative magic. The spells crashed against his scales, and patches of them dissolved. Ominek inhaled and breathed his soul based breath weapon. She jumped above the attack, exposed in the air. She spotted Ominek¡¯s off-hand weaving signs. A large void bolt zipped for her, but something black and blue and red crashed into the bolt from above, cleaving the attack, causing it to destabilize and dissolve into motes of spent magic. She landed and watched the figure interpose itself between them. She¡¯d not been using her power, so she didn¡¯t know it was Akamori until he turned back to give her an intense nod. she returned it, feeling a little confused. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve completed your task?¡± ¡°I have. I¡¯m sorry about Lucinda.¡± Morwen nodded sadly. She¡¯d sensed as much and looking back, it made sense the way she was acting erratically. ¡°Follow my lead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you! The farm boy from Hoshun! I¡¯m going to enjoy devouring you!¡± ¡°Not today, you Patricidal maniac.¡± Akamori¡¯s black and purple crystalline staff spun, buzzing through the air with a dangerous aura. Morwen fired off another Amaterasu¡¯s Fire spell. Amplified with Hope, the spell had no issue going to work on Ominek¡¯s magical defenses. Fire and void magic mixed usually meant fire that disintegrated stuff. She hoped it chewed off his wing. Ominek responded with another deep inhale that distended his chest cartoonishly. Akamori stepped in front of Morwen, taking a deep breath himself. Both dragon and human breathed. Pallid grey breath crashed into destructive Ebon breath, resulting in a magic beam struggle. Ominek¡¯s eyes glinted with glee. Slowly his soul element breath attack closed in on Akamori¡¯s false breath attack. ¡°Hope, you said you could enhance spells, right?¡± ¡°I can!¡± ¡°Does that apply spells already being cast?¡± ¡°It does!¡± ¡°I need you to enhance Akamori¡¯s spell now, or you may need a new master soon.¡± ¡°Sure, just touch me to him and watch the magic!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Morwen deadpanned at the staff¡¯s joke, but did as the staff said. When the floating diamond contacted Akamori¡¯s back, he glowed with radiant energy. Then Morwen saw golden lines dripping with raw magic begin to build a framework around Akamori¡¯s breath attack. It took the shape of a large bell and, for an instant; she was confused. ¡°Hope¡­ why a bell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an amplifier of sound.¡± Hope said nonchalantly. At that very instant, a loud gong issued from the ArchPriest¡¯s chambers followed by a thunderclap of power as Akamori¡¯s breath attack turned into a hurricane of void magic and a dragon roared within it. A massive void scaled arm lashed out, raking Ominek across the snout. Blood splattered the opposite wall as the dread lord broke his attack and backed out. He flapped his powerful wings, gaining altitude and them cast a morph spell, and vanished from sight. Akamori dropped to his knees, his head pounding from mana depletion. It would take him time to recover the spent magic. But even with his mind reeling, he knew he¡¯d spent more AP than he technically had. Was that the staff¡¯s doing? Morwen rushed over to the prone form of her father. He looked so old. He¡¯d been consuming his excess magic to fight off Ominek¡¯s poison. Buying time at the expense of vitality. She gently scooped his head up in her lap. Black fluid bled from his nose and mouth from coughing fits. She¡¯d have expected something that could kill the Guardian to have worked faster, but she felt like this was retribution. ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself, muppet.¡± ¡°Father. I hate when you call me that.¡± He smiled, his first genuine smile in a long time. ¡°I get to call you whatever I want. That¡¯s how it works for the dying. And we both know that is my fate. Now that I¡¯ve fulfilled my duty, I can see you as the proud and biased father I always wanted to be.¡± Morwen¡¯s eyes stung, and her vision blurred, but she refused to take her eyes off her father. Afraid that if she did, he might vanish. Eaulmant¡¯s eyes slowly drifted to the goldenrod with the glowing diamond floating next to her as it bobbed up and down slowly. ¡°Take care, my little muppet, for me. She¡¯ll need your guidance in the trials to come.¡± ¡°Of course, Master Eaulmant.¡± the staff said somberly. All jovial charm washed away in the moment. ¡°You¡¯ve only just begun your war. But you will yet need more tools. The staff is just one part of a set. If you wish to destroy Sauridius and his minions, find the first spell ship. It is something of an elvan legacy.¡± Eaulmant coughed. ¡°But guard the staff with your life. There will be those who seek to rob it from you. Some are ignorant of its true purpose, and others are not.¡± Eaulmant¡¯s eyes turned to Morwen, but they slowly clouded over as his magic faded. ¡°A new ArchPriest will need to be selected. Please choose between Elder Weaver Erlaut, or Allosius Rayshe. They¡¯ve both served the longest and most intimately know our people and can hope to face the trouble we yet face.¡± Morwen bit down her concerns about Rayshe, simply nodding to her father¡¯s final requests. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it happens, father.¡± ¡°Do not fret for me muppet. Mine was but a small part to play. I only hope I get to watch as your star continues to shine.¡± He continued to hack out. Morwen did her best to hide her grimace as his breathing became more ragged. His body was failing now. ¡°Save your strength. The medical teams will be here soon.¡± He smiled, tracing the side of her face with a weathered old hand. ¡°Oh muppet. I truly wish I didn¡¯t have to send you forward alone like this.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not alone, sir. She¡¯s got allies. We¡¯ll see the fight done.¡± Akamori said, stepping forward. ¡°Ah. The traveler. She wants me to bid you¡­ good luck.¡± Eaulmant choked out before his breathing trailed off into stillness. Akamori hung his head in silence for a long moment. An instant later, the entire temple was an eruption of violence and noise as a massive column of magic power was blasted into the air. The force of the eruption was so powerful it¡¯d thrown Akamori and Morwen both to the ground. They both watched in horror as massive chunks of the temple flew into the air, lose momentum and fell back towards the planet. ¡°Oh shi-¡± # Meanwhile¡­ Aboard the Indra upon arrival. Arjun sat in the pilot¡¯s seat with a knowledge scale playing out how to handle the ship. Standard tech ships he could manage. But a spell ship? He¡¯d never trained for this. Hell, he wasn¡¯t even sure he understood magic. Still; the Captain had given him orders. Watch the ship and save the day if they needed. The instructions were frustratingly simple and vague. Put his hands on the controls sticks, channel his magic, and tell the ship what he wanted to do. Simple, but vague. Arjun was a bit of a tinkerer though, and one of his preferred learning modalities was simply trial and error. He tried to crack his knuckles and look macho, but it only hurt his hands and he got maybe two pops. ¡°Ow. So much for looking good while trying this.¡± he muttered. Arjun sucked in a hesitant breath before finally seizing the golden control sticks. At first nothing happened, and he grew worried he wouldn¡¯t be able to get any farther than this. But something shifted on the edge of his consciousness. He could sense another awareness next to his own. The ship was alive and aware. ¡°Whoa.¡± he said in awe. This went leagues beyond having a ship with advanced AI. The ship intuitively pulled some of his freshly gained fire magic and linked with him fully. He shifted in his seat as vertigo threatened to overtake him, as the full suite of ship sensory systems overwhelmed his mind. He grunted under the strain of processing it all until the burden eased. The ship had lifted some of the extraneous data from him, giving him a break. ¡°Thanks Indra.¡± The console beeped affirmatively. Over the next few minutes, Arjun took some time practicing flying. He manually brought the ship around in circular patterns and tinkered about with various systems. He¡¯d experimented with powering up the spell canons when he realized he didn¡¯t have a target to shoot at. Until the roof of the temple exploded into the air, hurling massive chunks of stone high into the canopy of the massive giant red woods. ¡°Uh oh.¡± Arjun muttered, sensing the ship¡¯s alarm. The ship calculated descent trajectories projecting the biggest pieces would strike the heart of the city that had yet to evacuate. ¡°Not good.¡± Arjun said, wiping sweat from his brow. ¡°Ok, think. Think. We have to take out those pieces before they land.¡± What happened next was a blur. Sensing his intent, and expertly molding his need and will with its own capabilities, the Indra raced off at full speed. No one heard Arjun yelling in surprise as the Indra sped up hard. All four cannons came to life and swiveled towards their own targets. They fired basic spell bolts; the ship amplified. The tax on mana was high for a level 1 mage, but he was all the squad had for help. With so many lives on the line, he would not let them down now. The Indra took up the brunt of the heavy lifting, blasting rocks into smaller, more manageable pieces the golden spell fighters could deal with. Each new target became harder for Arjun to destroy, as his AP ran dangerously low. So he resorted to crashing the Indra into them like an arrowhead shaped ram. The last chunk had slipped past him and plummeted dangerously close to the temple itself. If the team was still inside, someone would wind up hurt. At the very last minute, he lanced clean through it, spraying gravel across the side of the temple¡¯s remnants. Arjun threw his hands up and cheered. He¡¯d done it. ¡°I just saved the day!¡± he said with a disbelieving laugh. ? Chapter 100: Aftermath re.duex Panic initially swept through the city when the temple exploded in a massive column of power. Only to turn into abject terror when those pieces of the temple¡¯s roof threatened to come back down and smash everyone in the streets. The Emerald guard rushed to spell fighters, but it was clear they wouldn¡¯t stop all of it. The Indra turned out to be the capital of Eryn¡¯s saving grace. Without the corvette attacking the debris, many people would have lost their lives. But what turned out to be a tragedy actually worked to the outer residential districts¡¯ benefit. Unknown to the squad, the chunks of debris that Arjun was breaking down in the air possessed strong economical value. Overnight, many of the poorest districts of Eryn became very wealthy. The shock of the attack was still thick in most of the populace. Many attempted to go about their day to preserve some sense of normalcy. Ominek and the Sauridius had dragged the people of Eryn into the heart of the war. Casualties were high, as Morwen had always feared would be the case. Yet, it also had to be said that with their help, they contained the situation far better than without. The poison and blast would have erased all life on the planet, rendering it a devoid wasteland. That small victory was little mercy when one considered the elves had lost their Archpriest. A new guardian for the well would need to be chosen. The two being subjected to a much more rigorous vetting process than their predecessor. They had held a public wake for Eaulmant, and a more private ceremony held for family and friends. Morwen stood in a small garden facing to aether crystals. One for Lucinda, and one for Eaulmant. She stared at them for a long time in her dress blues. She felt the loss more intimately than most of the people, having lost not only the leader of the state, but her father. Sirsir and Akamori slowly approached her, and she gave them a weak smile, inviting them over. She gave the stones an acknowledging nod. ¡°When I was young, and he was first selected for the role, I remember thinking how grand it would be to have my father as the ArchPriest. He could finally smash Darnal Rose in his smug face.¡± The Sgt. and Lt. each exchanged amused but confused looks, so she explained when they didn¡¯t ask. ¡°He was no one important. The son of some pompous aristocrat who had it in his head, we¡¯d marry some day in a power bid.¡± ¡°How¡¯d your father¡¯s new position to work out for that?¡± ¡°It did little to discourage young Darnal or his father¡¯s ambition. He thought he could treat me however he wanted because he thought his father¡¯s designs as good as settled.¡± ¡°How¡¯d it work out?¡± Akamori asked hesitantly. She smiled at the aether crystal, and the corners of her eyes glistened. ¡°Muppet, he said to me one day.¡± She chuckled, shaking loose a tear. ¡°One day, you¡¯re going to leave this world and its petty problems behind. You¡¯re going to find a life of meaning. You¡¯re going to make a difference. Not play host to some empty-headed deluded little boy¡¯s dreams of power.¡± Sirsir whistled, and Akamori chuckled. ¡°Go dad.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°After that, he withdrew. Getting him to acknowledge me was harder and harder. His work with the government taking a bigger priority in his time. Eventually, the family fell apart. But the time with Darnal Rose stands so clearly to me I can almost visualize it like happened a second ago.¡± ¡°He pulled back?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°Yes. He worried showing me attention would be construed as playing favorites and incentivize that case for further abuse.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Akamori said, having some idea of what she¡¯d went through. Where his own father had leaned into the roll, it sounded like her own had backed off. Looking back, he wasn¡¯t sure he would have appreciated that. His time with his family had been precious. Losing that would have destroyed him. ¡°My old man asserted it was up to me to settle issues like that. If people had problems with him loving his kid, they could shove off and leave.¡± Morwen smirked, ¡°Somehow, that seems oddly appropriate for you.¡± ¡°We were rough edged farm folk. Didn¡¯t have time for political ass slapping.¡± The two shared a chuckle. Sirsir cleared his throat and spoke, breaking the fragile silence softly. ¡°So, what now? We saved the day again. But why does it feel like we lost?¡± ¡°Because we did. This was never about winning, sergeant. More accurately, trying to negate as much of the loss as possible. Given the circumstances, I¡¯d argue we did ok.¡± ¡°Shit ain¡¯t right ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t argue with that. But reality is what it is. Having said that. The government will want to rebuild and bunker down.¡± ¡°They still won¡¯t take the fight to dragons?¡± Morwen shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re scared. They¡¯ve been spoiled for so long they don¡¯t know how to process being on the back foot.¡± ¡°I heard a bunch of spell warriors in the war college are pushing for an inquisition. They want everyone scried and vetted. They¡¯re worried there are still more shackled walking around.¡± Morwen pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed softly. ¡°An unfortunate proposal that will probably pass. Sadly, I fear it may be necessary before the people will feel safe again.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t safe. You taught us that.¡± Akamori said sternly. ¡°Yes. I suppose I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± The aftermath of Ominek¡¯s attack left many scars. Some deeper than others. Allosius Rayshe and Headmaster Avreone were both apprehended and magically cleansed of all soul bindings. The revelation that Rayshe had been bound by Ominek resulted in an immediate reinstatement of Morwen¡¯s former rank and command, much to Allosius¡¯ chagrin. ¡°You can¡¯t let that murderer back in command!¡± Rayshe howled in protest. ¡°That murderer saved the collective asses of all your people from the likes of you, no less. If it weren¡¯t for the fact you were shackled, it¡¯d be your ass on this stand, Mr. Rayshe. Not Captain Morwen.¡± Admiral Brown said. The Brotherhood of Man naval officer ran his hands down his face in exhaustion. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°She murdered my son!¡± Rayshe snarled. ¡°And you¡¯ve got the blood of your own people on your hands.¡± Brown retorted. ¡°I was bound, you simpleton Zero.¡± Brown rose from his seat, displaying just how much bigger he was than the lithe Rayshe. Looming over the thinner elf, Brown got uncomfortably close to the man. ¡°One. More. Word.¡± Brown warned. ¡°Please. Give me one more reason.¡± Rayshe scowled and leaned back, hands held up in surrender. Brown leaned back after a huff, tugging his uniform jacket taught. The rest of the proceedings were essentially Admiral Brown undoing all the previous recriminations earlier. The Mage Federation got a wake up call and realized it needed its best on the front and taking the fight to the enemy. Recovery in the spell colleges was a different affair. Avreone¡¯s shackling was less severe, since they used primarily her as fodder against the Emerald Guard¡¯s troops fighting alongside Lucinda. She was placed on administrative leave for several weeks and then given permission to return. The weaver school was the hardest hit, losing Elder Weaver Erlaut entirely. Following Ominek¡¯s defeat, Erlaut and Rayshe were both seen to and cleansed of their bindings. The Eryn council of nobles selected Erlaut as the next inheritor of Eaulmant¡¯s position as Guardian of the golden well. The preparation for which included time requirements that Erlaut couldn¡¯t afford to spend any more time in the Weaver college. Morwen visited him to wish him well in his new position. Erlaut offered his condolences in trade, disliking his inheritance at the expense of her family. Both of them vowed to save their people. The squad found themselves with a mission anew. Erlaut¡¯s first act as interim Guardian was to order a full hunt for all shacklers and soul bound operating on Eryn and apprehend them immediately. However, there were other matters that needed tending to first, so the crew had some much needed downtime first. For Akamori and Amara it would be the first break the pair had since their family was destroyed and their village reduced to ash and corpses. Sirsir suggested they check out the Adventurer¡¯s Guildhall to see if they could rustle up some spare credits. The end goal of pursuing a side gig being the possibility of buying out their contracts. Dissent already formed with the squad regarding how poorly the Federation had treated the Captain, and everyone save the Captain who¡¯d been left out of the discussion felt they¡¯d be more effective on their own operating independently. They would only leave though if they all could, and if the Captain would go with them. Right now, though, she was still committed to the Federation, even after what they¡¯d done to her career and crew. Akamori understood why, to some extent. The Mage Federation was a sector defense union created by Morwen¡¯s late father. Saving it would save some legacy left behind by her father. The conflicting feels bothered Akamori most, who¡¯d leaned hard into the duty of fighting the Sauridius threat. A fact that came as a shock to Amara. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Is it that hard to believe?¡± ¡°Well, yes. It is.¡± Akamori shot her a wounded look as the two enjoyed a meal at Yasiin¡¯s house. His mother had invited them over after learning about what happened to their village, declaring that any friends of Yasiin were really just family that didn¡¯t know it yet. ¡°Yasiin¡¯s mom would¡¯t be shocked.¡± He said defensively. ¡°Only because she doesn¡¯t know better.¡± Amara shot back casually over a bite of salad. Akamori¡¯s jaw dropped in mock horror. ¡°I thought you were supposed to be a priestess.¡± ¡°I am, but I can¡¯t work miracles. Not yet, at least.¡± That earned chuckles from Yasiin and Sala both. ¡°Oh, you guys too, huh? No faith.¡± Amara set her cutlery down and gave him a serious look. ¡°For as long as I¡¯ve known you, all you dreamed of was leaving home and escaping life there. You¡¯re free spirited, and I get that. What I don¡¯t get is why you¡¯re so eager to throw all that aside to fight a bunch of soul binding dragons.¡± Akamori darkened, and his gaze fell to his plate. His shoulders bobbed in a gentle shrug that was now more easily visible. Without his spell armor, he felt naked. ¡°You saw what they did to home. Hidros. Here. I couldn¡¯t stop them at home. But maybe I can stop it from happening again.¡± ¡°And you¡¯d rather do that at the expense of your personal freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you want?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a worthy cause. And how could I look my parents in the eyes if I didn¡¯t?¡± Amara nodded conceit as Yasiin and Sala simply watched the exchange silently. ¡°What about this talk of leaving the Federation and going it alone?¡± ¡°That assumes we¡¯d ever have the cash to buy our contracts.¡± ¡°You could probably get a noble house to sponsor you? They do it with arena champions all the time.¡± Akamori¡¯s face twisted in disgust. ¡°Pass.¡± Amara chuckled and leaned over to explain to Yasiin softly, ¡°He hates politics and the nobility here loves their politics.¡± Yasiin nodded solemnly. ¡°True. There¡¯s the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to look into them. Check their local listings.¡± ¡°Usually lower ranked adventurers actually work the board here. All the big names hit the Arena for the fame and glory.¡± Akamori perked up at this. ¡°That means we could stand a shot at some really lucrative gigs.¡± ¡°Possibly,¡± Yasiin said. The group lapsed into contemplative discussion, weighing the pro¡¯s and con¡¯s of leaving the Federation. There weren¡¯t many con¡¯s that were unique to leaving that they didn¡¯t already deal with while staying. Akamori and Amara soon left Yasiin¡¯s house, with Amara exchanging a last look over her shoulder at Yasiin and Sala as they left. A small, smitten smile flashed across her face that Akamori couldn¡¯t help pouncing on. ¡°Someone¡¯s looking a little pleased.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not everyday you get to play hero to the poor and downtrodden.¡± ¡°Well, you made it rain literal wealth after all.¡± ¡°Debris, actually. But yes, we did effectively upend the economic dynamic of the city districts.¡± ¡°Correction. You did. I just got my ass kicked. As promised.¡± Amara stood up a little straighter, grinning. ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Yup. And now every noble for miles will know who to stare daggers at for losing prestige too!¡± Amara wilted at the realization. Her go deflating some. ¡°Oh.¡± She said. He nudged her side. ¡°So what¡¯s with the cutesy eyes at Yasiin?¡± ¡°That would be telling.¡± She said. ? Chapter 101: The Next Phase The annoying little shit that Ominek had stabbed with his father on Hoshun was now channeling some bone chillingly large levels of power. Ominek was no slouch of a mage, sporting 7 infusions and sitting comfortably within the realm of Demi-god himself. So when some random hilljack from the ass end of nowhere leaps out and starts tossing around Void Reaper spells like he¡¯s paid to? It¡¯s a problem. Ominek felt scales and sinew boil away as the crimson-haired human unleashed his amplified mockery of draconic breath weapon attacks. He¡¯d falsely assumed that his own attack would be a death toll for them. At worst, they¡¯d cast some kind of barrier spell that would frustrate him and drag the fight out. But no. Instead. He takes his own deep breath and vomits the Umbral Realm itself out in response. To further aggravate him, Morwen used the damn spell staff of her father to cast an amplification spell on the simpleton spell soldier like a damn magic mega-phone. Ominek had learned a long time ago that arrogance only got you killed. Cowards who ran, lived. And right now, it was time to run. He no sooner concluded it was time to devise an exit strategy when a massive scaled arm made of pure void magic conjured itself from the breath attack and raked him across the snout. It didn¡¯t just scar his body, though; it scarred his soul. Carving deep furrows into that nearly brought him to his knees. Ominek roared in pain as he reeled back, his powerful crimson wings flapping hard, sending a large gust of wind into the smashed ArchPriest residence of the temple before he soared skyward. He quickly wove a morph spell and transformed into a small black bird and winged his way into the foliage at the same time that he¡¯d cast an after image to draw away pursuit. A lucky thing too, as two golden spell fighters raced by in pursuit, firing their small spell cannons before realizing they¡¯d been duped and broke off to start a search pattern. He chuckled at them, a small black sparrow chirping gleefully to itself in the branches of the elder red woods. After the spell fighters had passed, he flew down several more branches before finding a comfortable perch and casting another form shift spell. This time he took the shape of a small winged rodent, leaping from the branch and gliding down through smoke and chaos to the ground below. He needed to regroup and come up with a change to his plan. Minions to replace and all that. Landing gracefully upon a rooftop of an abandoned home, he scurried down a column and morphed himself once again into a form that resembled a local. Light skin, chestnut hair cleanly parted with stylish feathering to the side. Disgustingly handsome cheeks and chin combo. It disgusted him to look in the mirror, but the elves were uncontested masters of beauty. Largely because the well of light amplified their beauty, which was cheating. But he couldn¡¯t begrudge them that. Snapping his fingers, he conjured an exquisitely cut suit and straighten himself out in a broken mirror. His shoes crunched glass underfoot as he strode out into the streets, waving some of the smoke from his face. He licked his palm and ran his hand through his hair, mussing it up a bit, then bent forward, dragging his hands through some soot and smearing it across his cheeks and wiping his hands off on his chest and pants to round out the survivor look. He minimized his aura and gave it a short tremble to it. Fear and shock were easy to falsify. Canny hunters were ambushers who lured in opponents with false auras before pouncing on them. He didn¡¯t plan on claiming lives just yet. He needed to build himself a small army first. And a beach head. Of his list of objectives, he¡¯d killed the ArchPriest. But murdering the rest? That unfortunately failed. Too many points of failure. He knew that. It was an admirable distraction, though. Sadly, he needed yet one more distraction before he could leave this world. Opening a portal here would be sensed by every scryer for hundreds of miles. No, he needed to do this discreetly and cleverly. His attack had left people terrified and would soon whip them into a mad frenzy to look for the big bad shacklers! So, why not give them what they were looking for? A quagmire to sink themselves into, drain resources, divide their leadership, and waste their time. Freeing him up to do as he pleased. Fighting the smile that wanted to bloom across his features took considerable effort, but he considered himself a professional artist, and staying in character while difficult was a task he could manage. Avoiding the few Emerald Guards who hadn¡¯t had their lives claimed was easy enough. Their ostentatiously shining armor made them absolute eyesores and easily avoidable. With his minimized aura, he gave them the impression he was beneath their notice, and so he was. His search for a new lair in the city brought him to a smashed up portion of the residential quarter. Search and Rescue teams had already come through extracting the live ones and bagging the dead for pick up later. This provided him with a plethora of options to work out of. He studied one of the less ruined buildings. He could errect wards and barriers, but he would still need visual obfuscation as well. ¡°You¡¯ll do nicely.¡± he said to himself softly, settling on a small villa. He strode in and inhaled deeply the smell of the dead. He sucked several agonized souls into his lungs, bringing a soft smile to his lips. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took a leisurely walk through the property, giving it his final approval. Next went the defensive preparations. His hands flew into a flurry of signs. Weaving together wards and barriers so thick and complex the Eryn¡¯s would take a half century to unravel them all. Satisfied with the make shift erected protections now shifted his attention to the main hall of the property. The main hall was a two-story affair with a stairway cutting up the middle. There was a right and left wing. Damaged furniture sat in disarray, drawing an irritated curl of his lip in disgust. He wove a few quick signs and telepathically shoved the furniture into the corner before clapping his hands clean. The decor was passable enough, with white marble and tan wood work. The runes and glyphs etched into the surface ensured an adequate level of magic flowed through the home. Now that he had ground he could go to in a bind, it was time for the next phase of his plan. Minions. Undead on a world steeped in light magic would be a fool¡¯s errand. Their magical stench would draw undue attention before he was ready for it. He needed more soul bound. Unfortunately, his previous agents would likely all be cleansed and free of his control. Meaning he¡¯d need more. Stolen novel; please report. Mercifully, he didn¡¯t need to go as high up with the aristocracy as he had previously. He only needed just enough nobles to keep the elves chasing their own tail hunting him, while he booked passage off world and escaped into the Umbral Plane at the last moment. He placed several stones with earth runes carved into in a hexagonal pattern and a mana crystal in another hexagon, making a 12 point star. Then he wove hand signs together, reciting a soft chant. The magic resolved, and the spell consumed half his AP as the ground rumbled, with rocks rolling together merging into bricks that formed a massive archway. The archway then filled with magic, creating a shimmering surface like a wet mirror. It rippled softly, and Ominek reached out to touch it experimentally. It rippled softly and felt cool to the touch. He¡¯d never used a summoning portal, so he was a little curious about the experience. Ominek stepped back expectantly and gave the portal some space. As figures poured through it, he smiled welcomingly. The next instant, he was hugging a pair of large dragonborn hatchlings. ¡°Welcome to Eryn, my daughters.¡± One fussed, and the other preened in his adoring father act. The fussy one folded her arms, panning a look around. ¡°Why have you summoned us, Father? Grandfather dispatched us on a mission.¡± ¡°Grandfather won¡¯t like that. You¡¯ve pulled us from our task.¡± The preening daughter said in a less hostile, more matter-of-fact tone. ¡°I¡¯m aware of what your grandfather would prefer. But frankly, I have need of your talents and penchant for chaos.¡± Both of them lit up as though he¡¯d just brought them home carrion to feast upon and promised to boost their horde later. ¡°What are you saying?¡± The suspicious one asked. She dared not let hope take root. Ominek¡¯s penchant for precision and subterfuge had often left him estranged with his daughters who, more often than not, preferred to brute force their way through problems. It was a propensity he couldn¡¯t hate for them. They were quite good at it, with a weaver/warrior combo going that gave most level 4s and 5s a hard time. Even a 6 would be hard-pressed to match them. ¡°I have need of a small undercover army whose purpose is going to be to cause confusion and chaos in the city. Much of it will be expendable, but only because we deem it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to bait the enemy with trash pawns and sacrifice them, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tanak, his smart daughter, the weaver said. She scratched at her scaled arm idly, a few scales flaking off. The dark leather bound tome in her satchel and the spell staff across her back echoed with power. Both in soul and earth magic, there was even void magic mixed in. A capable and wise adversary for any foe. ¡°Does that mean we get to spill blood?¡± Tua asked eagerly. She was the warrior. And while she wasn¡¯t simple, she liked simple things. She¡¯d invested most of her time and effort in the blade¡¯s study. The ebon black sword with twisted agonized faced howled of trapped souls, void and soul magic. It was the legendary blade, Dominion. He forced himself to look away as a pain began to build in the back of his eyes. If she wanted the soul of a victim, it was hers. She too was a Void Reaper, and he was curious to pit her against the red-haired fool from Hoshun. The sword gave him chills just contemplating it. ¡°From time to time, yes, Tua. For now, you¡¯re to protect your sister discreetly as she ventures out to bind some nobles for us to draw resources from.¡± ¡°Someone mid grade. Not too important, but enough to draw eventual notice?¡± Tanak guessed. ¡°Correct. Make it discreet, but traceable. And do what you can to make moves that seem like you¡¯re trying to amass a new army. Supplies. Personnel. Ships. Scare them into thinking we¡¯re preparing for a second wave.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be coming.¡± ¡°Correct again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s our extraction plan?¡± ¡°Extraction plan?¡± Ominek said stalling, and giving them a fatherly smile that didn¡¯t quite reach the eyes. ¡°Yes Father. You brought us here to draw gradual attention to a false flag operation. How are we leaving? Unless you planned to offer us up as sacrificial hatchlings?¡± ¡°My dearest daughters, no. You¡¯re much too useful to me alive to sacrifice you in such a worthless game like this.¡± It was a lie. If he needed to, he¡¯s sacrifice anything for escape and freedom. Cowards may not make for epic stories, but they always lived to fight another day. That lesson he learned from Sauridius¡¯ example. Never do for yourself what you can make others do in your stead. Be it errands or death. Tanak sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes a moment and chewing on the request. Finally, she nodded. Her brown snout bobbed as she did before her golden eyes returned to the lock with Ominek¡¯s own. ¡°Alright Father. We¡¯ll help since we¡¯re here and this roughly aligns with grandfather¡¯s designs. But expect us to report on your intervention in his plans.¡± Ominek smiled thinly, no light in his eyes. ¡°Of course, children. Now run along. We have some chaos to make.¡± He shooed them off. Chapter 102: In memory In memory Akamori lounged in a chair outside his dorm at the spell warrior college. His pencil etching lines across the page of his sketching journal lightly. He¡¯d only been working at it for a few hours, letting his mind disconnect and drift free of the stress and strains of the past few months. His life was almost unrecognizable from just a half year ago. He¡¯d been a Zero, still learning about magic principles and going through martial training with his father on concepts he was incapable of practicing. Now he was a spell soldier. Not just grunt either. He possessed a good deal of power and had some training to back it up. We should be training instead of lounging! Thanaton hissed in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s not lounging. It¡¯s meditation. You told me a mind at peace was sharper than a mind submerged in anger.¡± The sword thrummed reluctant acknowledgement. He continued etching lines on the paper and turned the book to help facilitate making easier lines with the flow of his hand. The act of sitting down and drawing had taken a lot of effort. He¡¯d programmed a lot of new mental habits in the past few months. To sit down and draw and review his thoughts as he did so instead of going through physical training felt alien to him now. Would his past self even recognize him now? Would his parents? He wondered idly if his father would be proud of him. Smoke billowed out of his shadow and formed his other half, Frank. He gave Frank a small wave as the voidspawn retreated to the shadows at Akamori¡¯s right. ¡°Hey Frank.¡± Frank said nothing back, simply nodding at him. At the silence, Akamori paused drawing and glanced up. It wasn¡¯t often the voidspawn would visit the light plane physically. He canted his head curiously. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Your unease. It is¡­ palpable. You fear what you¡¯re becoming and whether that is changing who you were. Allow me to put your mind at ease.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°You are changing. You¡¯re evolving beyond what you used to be. While you may still keep elements of what you used to be, you are no longer the same entity. So while at the surface, you may still resemble what you were, you are not the same internally.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying I should just get over it and embrace it?¡± ¡°In a far shorter summation. Yes.¡± Akamori pursed his lips, reflecting on that. It made sense. His growth resulted from his trauma and tribulations. Ominek burned his village to the ground. Expecting to be the same person he was before was a fool¡¯s errand. Clinging to that lost sense of self was just resisting what they had forced him to become. He wouldn¡¯t betray himself like that. If he had to become a monster to save the sector, then what was one more soul added to the fire? He¡¯d survived and persevered. He¡¯d gained the strength and skills he needed to not just stop his enemy, but to put a good number of them below the ground. That had to count for something. More than that, he¡¯d done it all to protect others, as his father always wanted of him. Not for petty contrivances like revenge. ¡°You¡¯re right, Frank. Thanks. The extra perspective is an advantage I rarely enjoy.¡± Frank nodded curtly. ¡°I haven¡¯t had someone to speak to in quite some time. It¡¯s taken some getting used to, but I find it leaves me feeling¡­ good.¡± ¡°What was it like before me?¡± Frank shrugged, the gesture quick and awkward. ¡°Xanofex carved me off of a greater whole of an immense being and left behind in the void to fend for myself.¡± ¡°Fend yourself off from what?¡± ¡°The voidspawn. The Umbral plane is their natural domain. Absent of all light, heat, and magic. It is pure entropy.¡± ¡°How did it get like that?¡± Frank shook his head. Black and red eyes shifted up from the floor to meet Akamori¡¯s. ¡°I do not know. Xanofex left me there long after it had become cold and dark. The children of darkness are all hungry predators.¡± Akamori rubbed his arms to fight off a chill. ¡°Well, that explains why I felt like a field mouse staring down a Manka Cats throat.¡± Frank nodded, leaning against a wall out of the sun. A ragged black cloak billowed about him, the edges evaporating into smoke. His skin texture had aggressive ridges and spikes occasionally protruding through the cloak. He was not the person one would consider casually tangling with. ¡°Now that you have completed both of the ArchPriest¡¯s prophecies, and saved Eryn from the destruction that claimed your own home, what will you do now?¡± He sighed, finishing his sketch. Looking back at it, he smiled. It was a reasonably passable portrait of Frank. Brooding and dark, but done in a manner that made him look sharp. Like a book or vid cover. He turned it around and showed Frank. ¡°Thoughts?¡± Frank leaned forward, his black and red eyes narrowed to study the image before leaning back and nodding his quiet approval. ¡°It¡¯s not expert quality, but you possess talent.¡± ¡°Tough crowd. What would you know about art? You¡¯ve been killing tentacle monsters in the dark for eons.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t always so. And I took some time to peruse the library in this world here. Though I must confess to feeling some regret at not having gotten to the library of the fate weaver.¡± Akamori waved dismissively. ¡°Eh. That place was dusty and old.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Akamori, you haven¡¯t answered my question.¡± He will train, as he should do now! Thanaton pouted. They both gave Than an amused look. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was thinking I might go have a drink. Celebrate the dead.¡± ¡°Celebrate the dead?¡± ¡°Yeah, you know. Reminisce about all the good times you had. Why they left a mark on your life and memory.¡± ¡°This is normal?¡± He stood up, taking the sketchbook and pencil inside. He unbelted Thanaton from his belt and slid the long blade into a void portal he hadn¡¯t used in a long time. ¡°Sorry bud, not sure they¡¯d allow me to drink while armed.¡± The sword thrummed its discontent. He felt bad stuffing it back into the small void pocket, but he wasn¡¯t immune to societal expectations of decorum. He looked at his wardrobe and frowned. It was disappointingly barren. He scratched his head as Frank strode in, curious about what he was up to. Frank¡¯s gaze swept over the pair of Federation duty uniforms and the solo dress uniform Morwen had gifted him. There was also a very ragged blue robe inside. ¡°You lack for variety in outer garments.¡± ¡°Yeah well. When you¡¯re fighting a pitched war for survival, it doesn¡¯t really allow for much time to shop.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should make time.¡± Akamori hung his head and sighed at the tediousness of the idea. ¡°Fine. But later. This will have to do for now.¡± He said, zipping his duty uniform jacket back up and ensuring he looked half presentable. He glanced at his hair and moved to leave, but stopped, turning back. His roots had gone dark. His hair had grown a little longer. Also of note, he was missing the smaller scars he¡¯d accumulated from careless play as a kid. He rubbed at the corner of his eye where a small scar should have been from striking the corner of a box as a toddler when he fell. ¡°Huh. It¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°What¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°There was a scar here? And a few in other places there aren¡¯t anymore.¡± As the pair stepped outside, Frank¡¯s body burst into a cloud of darkness and retreated to his shadow again. ¡°Your body is becoming more steeped in magic. Already you¡¯ve crossed the threshold of mortality into the lower ranks of being a demi-god. Surely you¡¯ve noticed. The way your stamina seems to have an endless supply. The way your AP seems bottomless. Your body is becoming less a thing of meat, and more a construct of raw magic.¡± ¡°I feel different, but then I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°A result of the change. Physically, your body is improving itself. Working outwards in. Things like scars, blemishes, birthmarks and more. Visual issues and more would have corrected themselves had you suffered them.¡± ¡°Sounds like one of those old Terran vids where someone gets super powers and he¡¯s all muscular, handsome, and perfect. But I already was, so it kinda feels like a waste.¡± Frank hissed an annoyed sigh. ¡°I doubt the validity of our pact.¡± ¡°Oh? How come?¡± ¡°Because I couldn¡¯t have been so unwise to link myself to someone so foolish.¡± ¡°Sure ya could! I mean, you wound up with me.¡± ¡°Please stop reminding me.¡± Akamori linked up with the others at the agreed upon tavern. A small homely place build into the side of a massive elder red wood¡¯s trunk. The gold sap lager was the beer of choice, and the whole squad was having some. Everyone toasted to a fallen Zero or comrade they¡¯d spent some time with in the past. On Akamori¡¯s turn, he toasted his village and parents. His heart didn¡¯t hurt like it had when the wound was fresh. Time had given him some distance from the pain, and life had seen that he was sufficiently distracted. Even the fate weaver had granted him the once in a lifetime boon of seeing his family one last time to say his goodbyes. Still, he wanted to hold them strong in his memory. Afraid that if he let go of them? No one would remember the village. Barkies Bar was a curious oddity in that it supported the underground arena. Unsanctioned cage fights between anyone and everyone who wanted to climb into the ring. Akamori had seen it while he was sober on entering and decided he wouldn¡¯t partake. Fun as it would be to test himself against absolute unknown opponents. He was here for the dead. That position eroded as heavily as his sobriety did, however. His drunken reverie for the dead ended when a glass flew across the room and shattered next to him against the countertop. He sighed like a put upon father who had to go discipline an unruly child. The squad all paused, watching uncertainly what he¡¯d do. What he did was fall off his stool into a heap on the ground rather ungracefully. They all exchanged looks like they wanted to laugh but felt it might not be appropriate to. Akamori gusted back up to his feet in a burst of air that shot to the ceiling of the bar. He then swayed from side to side as he advanced on the ring. A large burly elf with pectoral muscles as large as Akamori¡¯s head each. The man was tall, bald, and had a blond mustache. He glanced down at Akamori with a sneer. Akamori sized him up as best a man could, whose brain was sloshing around in his head like a brain boat in a beer river. The big man leaned forward, and Akamori could smell the guy. He smelled like a fresh cut summer lawn. This only annoyed Akamori more. Why was everyone here so obnoxiously perfect? ¡°Can I help you, little man?¡± The big elf said with a sneer. ¡°Shure!¡± Akamori slurred. ¡°You can help me find the shtain of a man I was going to shmash.¡± The big man leaned back, grinning broadly at the drunkard who¡¯d taken his bait. ¡°HOW ABOUT IT FOLKS? ANY BETS ON THE CHALLENGER?¡± He leaned back to Akamori, grinning. ¡°What¡¯s your name, lad?¡± ¡°Ak-Aka-Akamori.¡± He said between hiccups. ¡°HOW ABOUT IT? DOES ANYONE THINK THIS DRUNK FOOL CAN BEAT ME? HE SURE WANTS TO.¡± The big burly elf shouted. The crowd raucously cheered. Yasiin and Sala moved to go put a stop to it, but Amara stopped them. ¡°He would be more upset you stopped him later on. Just let it play out. It¡¯s the only way he¡¯ll learn.¡± The two exchanged uncertain looks but defaulted to Amara¡¯s judgement, since she knew Akamori best. She was more curious about the wild and unpredictable aura that was whipping around him. This wasn¡¯t the Akamori she was used to it. It was like watching raw power flicker without a regulator in place. She blinked her maetrayopts off. There was nothing to show anything out of the normal. To all eyes and senses, he was just a drunk fool. ¡°What is happening to you?¡± She leaned back, curious. ? Chapter 103: Drunkamori Drunkamori Akamori squinted at the trio of very large hyper muscled brutes in front of him. He swayed side to side as the big oaf shouted stuff at the crowd. To which they seemed to respond in kind. He just wanted to know why¡­ why? Why had he come up here again? The big guy clapped a meaty hand down on Akamori¡¯s wrist and swung him into the ring. Akamori spun horizontally and a burst of air righted him back to his feet as he swayed with a suspicious expression. Hands shooting out in a defensive posture. The crowd cheered as the match began; Akamori was completely oblivious to the fact. The meat head elf closed in, melon sized fists soaring for his face. Akamori leaned back, observing the paw of a hand up close. It blurred between two and three of itself. After the first swing, the big man paused hesitantly, watching Akamori. He¡¯d leaned back almost comically in a manner that didn¡¯t seem physically viable. Capitalizing on the moment of lapse in the man¡¯s guard, Akamori surged forward and struck the man rapidly multiple times in the torso. The blows weren¡¯t heavy, but the constant flow forced him to stagger off balance. Once the big guy realized he wasn¡¯t at risk of a one hit knock out, his confidence returned in a surge as he flexed and stepped into Akamori¡¯s strikes. The massive elf drew his hand back, and it hammered forward towards Akamori. The blow didn¡¯t land frustratingly enough. At the moment of impact, Akamori twisted himself out of the way. The intoxicated spell soldier rolled with the momentum of the blow, falling back and tumbling in a reverse roll to pop back on his feet, swaying again. ¡°Kick his ass, Carden!¡± someone in the crowd shouted. Akamori squinted at the big man. So. His name is Carmen, is it? Maybe that¡¯s why Carmen was trying to beat him up. He¡¯d be mad if he had a girl¡¯s name, too. He squinted at the crowd of Carmen¡¯s. Why were there so many? ¡°H-hey.¡± Akamori stammered. ¡°Tell your sisters to step back so I can finish with the first one!¡± He shouted, biting back a few interruptive hiccups. ¡°Why you little shi-¡± Carden started before he was torn from his feet by an air tendril. The bulky elf crashed down into the floor with a heavy thud. Looking like a sweaty mass of roiling muscles and abs, he quickly scrambled upright. Akamori leaned over to the fence and snatched a glass from someone¡¯s hand with a tendril of air, snapping it up to drink. ¡°It looks like the redhead has time for a drink! But where did he get those moves?¡± Carden advanced, throwing a flurry of blows. Akamori melted around the man¡¯s hands like wind blowing around a building. Carden grew frustrated and headbutt Akamori using his light magic to heal his injuries at the same time. Akamori snapped backwards, bouncing off the ground and whipping back upright. Akamori responded by lunging forward to punch, tripping over Carden¡¯s foot, and snapping his back foot up like a scorpion tail to smash into the elf¡¯s nose. Bone and cartilage cracked and blood geysered from his crushed nose. Carden¡¯s mouth was covered in his blood now. ¡°I¡¯m going to skin you alive by hand!¡± The big man roared, frustrated at what was supposed to have been an easy win, being so difficult to finish. ¡°That sounds rather graphic.¡± Akamori said. Carden lunged again, this time a fist roared into his stomach, powered by an ominously powerful and domineering void aura. Air rushed out of Carden¡¯s lungs as he struggled for air. Instinctively channeling his light magic to heal, his nose snapped itself back into place on its own. ¡°Carmen¡­ Carmen. Listen. I don¡¯t remember why I¡¯m up here. Help me out?¡± Carden¡¯s face went red with rage. He stomped forward and snatched Akamori up in one of his massive meaty paws. ¡°My. Name. Is. Carden.¡± He growled. Akamori¡¯s eyes flashed violet, and a sinister and powerful aura erupted from him. His hand lanced out and struck the soft tissue under the big man¡¯s arm, causing temporary numbness and tingling. Thanks to Carden¡¯s beefy muscle mass, the blow wasn¡¯t completely effective, but it loosened his grip, allowing Akamori to slip free. Once out of Carden¡¯s grip, the crimson-haired drunk swayed back a few steps. Carden found himself in a precarious position. He¡¯d selected the man because he¡¯d spotted the soldier swaying on his stool. Carden didn¡¯t expect picking a fight with someone so powerful. Where had all that power come from? ¡°Carmen,¡± Akamori slurred again and Carden forcefully bit back his anger. He eyed the drunk man down. How could he win this match? ¡°Tell your sishters to shtay out of this,¡± the drunk said, stumbling a step as he pointed out to invisible people. Carden growled, lumbering forward and throw several swings that would have shattered bone. Akamori dodged each attack frustratingly well. Carden rammed an elbow into the man¡¯s stomach and he just seemed to glide slowly off the blow like he was floating. Carden saw void and air magic, both being channeled. Akamori toppled to the floor of the fighting pit in a snoring heap. Everyone laughed at Akamori¡¯s expense, but he was fast asleep, snoring. Confused and extremely cautious, Carden approached, expecting anything. Akamori¡¯s booze induced slumber persisted. ¡°Go on Big C! Finish him!¡± someone in the crowd cheered. Injecting steel back into his resolve, Carden marched forward, bringing his foot down to stomp on the man¡¯s chest. Akamori threw himself to his side, curled up and resting his head on an arm and sucked his other thumb. Still fast asleep. Perplexed and annoyed, Carden stomped again. And again. Like a meaty piston, his foot crashed down into the cage floor, eventually cracking the stone. With each stomp, Akamori rolled over, or shifted just enough to avoid the attack. Eventually he sat upright, his head crashing into Carden¡¯s, who¡¯d leaned down to investigate the man closer. Carden stumbling back, cursing into his hand, tears moistening his eyes. Akamori pointed and laughed. ¡°You fell for my surprise attack.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Carden wasn¡¯t 100% certain Akamori was bluffing. But the degree to which he was responding to threats made Carden concerned. He needed to resolve this quickly. Akamori rolled over and stood up like a shaky toddler learning to stand for the first time, arms pinwheeling for balance as he staggered about. Then he launched into motion, limbs shooting out to strike Carden with a force he didn¡¯t think possible from the man. Carden blocked and parried as best he could, but the smaller man was deceptively strong. Definitely punching well beyond his weight class. Carden had Fire, Earth, and Light infusions and a naturally maxed strength stat. He was at the peak of mortal strength. That this man was putting his back to the wall spoke volumes of the danger he posed. Akamori however, was a hot bottle of mess. Packing over 6 infusions with two of them being void. None of which was easy to discern through his messy, drunk aura. The drunken soldier swayed in for another attack, the duo trading blows, blocks, and parries. Carden¡¯s movements were rigid but strong. Akamori¡¯s movements were erratic and fluid. He moved like he didn¡¯t even have bones in his body and was compelled by pure will. Something sinister about Akamori compelled Carden that maybe he¡¯d bitten off more than he could chew. Carden forced his way at the cage¡¯s gate and used his impressive strength to rip off the door. Bar bouncers moved to intercept him. Akamori pressed the attack from behind. The raucous interior soon devolved into a large scale bar fight that the squad casually watched from the countertop. ¡°Should we go get him?¡± Sala asked. Yasiin and Amara shook their heads and smirked at each other¡¯s response. ¡°Nah. He can clearly handle himself in there. Not sure how or why, though.¡± ¡°He might be a drunken master?¡± Sirsir volunteered. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡± Amara asked. The massive chocolate skinned noncom shrugged. ¡°All I know is that sometimes every so often ya hear stories about soldiers or warriors who train their bodies so hard the body remembers even when the mind doesn¡¯t. Moves automatically.¡± Amara frowned and nodded. ¡°Okay, yeah. That tracks.¡± ¡°It does?¡± Yasiin asked. ¡°Yeah. His father had him training as a young kid long before he was mature enough to take the rites and get his first infusion. He struggled back then, and it frustrated him. Day in and out while the rest of us got to play outside, he was working, training, or sparring with his father.¡± Sirsir nodded approvingly. ¡°I never wanted to admit it to his face, gods knows he doesn¡¯t need any ego inflating as it is. But I always thought he took the training slow. But once he had something, he had it. And the way he adapts what he sees used against him in his own way.¡± Sirsir shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s some scarey shit, man.¡± Amara smiled wanly, remembering home fondly as Akamori thrashed several drunk patrons. The announcer scrambled to clear the melee. Akamori rolled out of the chaos and swayed back to his feet, taking several shuffling steps laterally before advancing back into the fray. Sirsir chuckled, pointing at the mass of bodies striking and blocking and moving around. ¡°Think that big knucklehead had any idea what he was getting into pickin¡¯ a fight with the eltee like that?¡± ¡°Oh, absolutely not. No clue at all.¡± Yasiin laughed. ¡°The real question is, how brown are his pants?¡± Amara and Sirsir blinked in confusion, but Sala laughed. ¡°That captain won¡¯t like us gettin into this scuffle none. She¡¯ll be upset about the breach of decorum.¡± Sirsir mused softly. Yasiin and Amara both patted him on the shoulder. ¡°The Captain.¡± Morwen said, approaching them from the door before giving the chaos in the bar¡¯s front a casual half amused look, then taking a seat where Akamori had been seated. ¡°Would like to have a drink and unwind some herself. There¡¯s a lot of dead to salute.¡± ¡°I think Akamori has been doing a lot of saluting already.¡± Sala chuckled nervously. Akamori howled a war cry flying over the heads of the crown and landing on some poor soul who flailed, trying to dislodge him. ¡°So I see Sala.¡± She didn¡¯t catch the way Sala brightened at her comment. ¡°Two to one odds Akamori beats the lot of them.¡± Amara shook her head. ¡°I know a bad bet when I hear one. But¡­ I¡¯ll see you that and raise you one better. They¡¯ll all somehow be best friends come dawn.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow raised curiously. ¡°Deal.¡± Morwen said, shaking Amara¡¯s hand. Sirsir¡¯s jaw all but fell off his face. He gave Morwen a scandalized look. ¡°What? A gal has to have fun somehow.¡± ¡°But can¡¯t you just zone out and see the future? Seems kinda unfair.¡± Morwen gave him an assenting nod. ¡°I could if I wanted. But I¡¯ve avoided using it non tactically for now until I get a firmer grasp of how to make the best use of it.¡± Sirsir nodded. ¡°Makes sense.¡± The fighting progressively thinned out with more on the ground groaning in pain and clutching a limb or their face. Some rocked back and forth gently. None stood save Akamori who stood in their midst triumphant. ¡°And the winner of the King of the Ring is um¡­ What is your name, sir?¡± ¡°Drunkamori.¡± The squad chanted from the bar with snickering grins. The announcer scratched his head and shrugged. He¡¯d go with it. ¡°Drunkamori it is.¡± Akamori¡¯s eyes flashed with void magic, and his posture and aura relaxed drastically before them. Shortly after that, he fell backwards onto the floor. ¡°You all saw that, right?¡± ¡°The whole scarey eye flash thing? Yeah. Hard to miss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go check and see if he¡¯s ok.¡± Amara stood from her stool and tiptoed around those passed out on the ground. Blood and booze mixed in various amounts on the ground. As she neared Akamori she found him sound asleep and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re full of surprises Shinjo.¡± Sala approached from the bar and stooped down to help lift him up gently. They propped him up on the chair, head on the counter, fast asleep. It was going to be a long night. ? Chapter 103: Adventurers Adventurers The Adventurer¡¯s guild on Eryn sat in the outermost reaches of what survived of the 7th district following the Sauridius attack. The Emerald Guard had tasked a lot of their membership up to assist with evacuating refugees into the forests during the attack. As a result, they forced some adventurers into combat against the hatchlings and thier quickly mustered assault force. The fatalities in the conflict meant their numbers were thin, and not expecting to see their numbers swell for sometime. As a result, they¡¯d been tempting the Federation troops berthed in the city with the promise of coin and freedom for working some of their job postings. Their adventurer board had become clogged with jobs that needed doing and not enough bodies capable of doing them. The main guild hall sported simple if efficient construction. Employing mostly wood and some stone accents that weren¡¯t too artistic. The Guild¡¯s approach was more akin to function over form, which stood in stark contrast, considering the city of Eryn was infamous for its preference of form over function. The main floor housed an administrative area that served as both intake and registration for jobs and adventurers. Just behind that stood the jobs boards. Erected by level of difficulty, they went tier 1 up to tier 5, ascending by floor with each tier increase. This lent the Adventurer hall a grandiose scale, making it one of the larger establishments in this wing of the district. The hike to the front doors of the hall took the squad a short time to make. After the fallout of the attack on the temple, Morwen had moved to the sixth district close to Yasiin¡¯s block. Now that most of the non elves were as affluent as the rest, the class disparities between the races had all but evaporated overnight, causing quite a stir among the metropolitan nobility. Morwen preferred staying closer to the dwarves and humans. She found them ironically more grounded, mostly, since they comprised most of Eryn¡¯s working classes. Upon entrance to the Adventurer¡¯s guild hall, Akamori rubbed his head with a pained groan. A pair of sunglasses shielded his eyes as he paused inside to let his eyesight adjust. Sirsir slapped him on the back with a smirk as the big man strode past him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Drunkamori.¡± ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m never going to outlive that, am I?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Amara, Yasiin, and Sala chimed as they filtered in around him. Akamori sighed heavily and strode in to link back up with them. Seated at the desk in front of them was a man wearing more formal attire. His hair was casually parted, and he lightly smelled of garlic. A name badge identified him as Greg. ¡°Ah! Hello adventurer! Welcome to the Adventurer¡¯s Guildhall. Are you here to join the guild?¡± ¡°Are we able to do that if we¡¯re Federation troops?¡± ¡°Most certainly! They actually expedited the sign-up process thanks to a few rules of the Ar-sorry. Former ArchPriest wrote into the Federation¡¯s charter that recognized the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as affiliate members.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re technically members already?¡± Amara asked. ¡°More or less, yes! There¡¯s just some supplemental paperwork to sort and then you¡¯ll be official. It¡¯s important to note that your membership in the guild does not obviate you from your responsibilities as Federation soldiers. As full-fledged members of the guild, you draw on jobs related to your respective magic tier.¡± ¡°Our what?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Your tier. How many infusions of magic you¡¯ve had?¡± ¡°oh! Ok.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll all just kindly fill these out.¡± Greg said, handing out white dragon scales. ¡°These are soul scales. They take an imprint of your soul so we can craft your badge.¡± ¡°We get badges?¡± Akamori asked, leaning against the counter for support. ¡°Quite so. Your badge allows the guild to track who you are and what assignments you¡¯ve been given. Where your geospatial location is, and even what spells and abilities you¡¯ve gained access to.¡± Akamori polished his badge and showed it off with a grin. ¡°We get badges.¡± ¡°So, what do we have access to?¡± Morwen asked at the front of the group. Greg produced a monocle that had runes inscribed along the rim. They glowed softly with fire and mind magic. The red and ping energy mixing as Greg read their soul auras. Until it cracked when he reached Akamori. He took the device off with a perplexed look. ¡°Hmm. Odd. That¡¯s never happened before.¡± Akamori shifted uncomfortably. ¡°So what¡¯s that mean?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Greg said. ¡°Usually means there¡¯s greater magic preventing someone from scrying the soul. In your case, someone wants you to have your privacy.¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a man of many mysteries.¡± Akamori said, trying to recover some of his natural composure. ¡°Except for how many magibeers it takes to get dragged into a bar fight. It¡¯s twelve. The answer is twelve.¡± Akamori groaned and hung his head as the others shared a chuckle. ¡°That was one time.¡± ¡°And a memory worth a lifetime.¡± Sirsir chuckled. ¡°Anyway, to answer your question, the Eltee here has had 5 infusions, he¡¯s a lieutenant in the Federation and one of the best damn soldiers you¡¯ll ever meet.¡± ¡°Ah! A man esteem I see.¡± Greg complimented. ¡°Six actually. I¡¯ve had six. The void reaper abilities I got with a second void magic infusion.¡± The others all shared a nervous look, but Sirsir stepped forward and clapped Akamori on the back enthusiastically. ¡°Don¡¯t matter none to me. Long as he puts those scaley bastards in the ground.¡± He said after clearing his throat. ¡°Yes well, having a few mages with so many infusions merits you access to all of our jobs boards.¡± Greg said with a natural cheerfulness. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°So we¡¯ve got full run of the roost?¡± ¡°If by roost you mean available job listings? Then yes, I suppose you do!¡± ¡°Smashing. What needs doing?¡± ¡°Well. I noted that there¡¯s a job to tackle an Icon sighting.¡± ¡°An Icon?¡± ¡°Icons are manifestations of raw will and magic. They lack souls, however, and thus wind up corrupting those with souls into becoming their worshiping thralls to provide them sustenance.¡± ¡°Sounds like a real toxic relationship. Any special way to kill it?¡± ¡°Not particularly. Withstanding its corruptive ability is the worst part.¡± ¡°Who created the Icon?¡± ¡°The Seraphin. With the escalation of the war, their tribe has grown increasingly agitated of late. The Federation could keep them appeased until recently. I¡¯m afraid the Sauridius attack on the city caused the tribe to panic. So they fled to summon their Icon, Seraphina.¡± ¡°Seraphina?¡± Amara asked. ¡°The False Lady of Light. She looks angelic, has 12 wings, coated in white feathers, gold accents and robes. But don¡¯t let her holy appearance deceive you. She¡¯ll burn any non-believers down to ash.¡± ¡°I was thinking this was going to be a nice outing for us to relax and unwind guys. When did this turn into another save the world routine?¡± Amara asked. ¡°It needs doing. Do we really want some false god strolling in at our six when we¡¯re trying to deal with Sauridius binders?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°No, I suppose that¡¯s a valid point.¡± Amara acknowledged. ¡°So Greg. Which way do we need to go?¡± ¡°The Seraphin tribe is located high in the trees a couple of kilometers out. Oh uh, are you planning to go without spell armor?¡± Akamori sighed. He really missed his armor. ¡°Yeah. Part of why we¡¯re here is to build up a purse.¡± ¡°Greg smiled politely. ¡°I see. Well, good luck!¡± Wearing his old blue gi with gold trim, Akamori strode along the forest floor accompanied by the squad, who walked in a casual wedge formation with him. They¡¯d passed mostly in silence, making their way along the needle and cone covered ground at a moderate pace. Sala was in the lead and paused, throwing up the hand signal for the squad to halt. His nostrils worked as he sniffed at the wind, eyes narrowed, then his gaze panned upwards and they could see a large wooden city built into the top of the canopy. So they had to go up. It had been a bit since they¡¯d all moved as a proper squad. Akamori was glad to have Yasiin and Sala back. Going to the abyss without them didn¡¯t feel quite right. But he knew their staying behind also helped delay the Sauridius long enough for them to get back and save the day. So the scaled balanced out in the end. Everyone¡¯s spell armor¡¯s thrusters ignited with a magic as they flew up save Akamori who resorted to using his void magic to open short distance teleportation portals to hop from branch to branch upwards. A portal opened on the lowest branch beneath the Seraphin city, and he emerged, steaming gently with a sheen of frost melting away just as the others landed around him. ¡°You ok?¡± Yasiin asked him softly. ¡°Yeah. Just a little chilly. Could really jump for time in the hot springs when this is sorted.¡± As they strode forward, a fiery missive appeared in front of him. System Info: Clear the Seraphin city Objectives: Fight through the Seraphin and defeat their Icon, the False Lady of Light Seraphina. Accept? Yes/No Akamori mentally accepted the task, noting an Adventurer Guild Stamp embossed on the missive before it faded from view. Turning his focus ahead of them, they see a path that wound towards the massive tree trunk that twisted up and around it. That at least confirmed that there was a purpose and design at play. They were dealing with a sentient peoples here, which made their next task all that much harder. He drew his blade from his void pouch and bucked the belt around his waist. Lacking the armor to mount it to left him feeling naked. Lacking the enhanced interface he enjoyed with his former armor, now he only had a very basic semi translucent paper doll, AP gauge and compass. No tax map or waypoints. He would need to lean on his perception skill more heavily. He turned back to see the whole squad had readied their gear. Morwen was the only other one not wearing armor. Salsa at least had his armor bottoms on. Once everyone was ready, they set out. Akamori slipped a pain pill into his mouth and chased it with some water. His hangover still doing its part to make him miserable. They didn¡¯t advance very far before they caught sight of their first locals. They were roughly humanoid sized. Six wings on their backs, just as Greg said. They almost looked right at home on Eryn. Except there was something off about them. ¡°Anyone else feeling that?¡± ¡°Seeing it. Their aether. It¡¯s heavily corrupted.¡± Amara told him. To his senses, there was a strong oily smear in the Seraphin¡¯s aura. Their souls, bodies, and minds were all bathed in the corrupting energy so that now they lived only to serve the false god they¡¯d sought to raise. Some mumbled about protecting the Lady. Others about basking in her light. ¡°Kinda giving off creepy cult vibes here.¡± Akamori said. He¡¯d contemplated a non-violent approach at first. That thought last as far as it took the lead Seraphin to lunge at him with inhuman speed. Akamori parried and opened a portal to dive into. An exit opened up behind their ranks as Sala plowed through, letting out a war cry. The Seraphin turned to focus on the primal as Yasiin and Sirsir opened fire. Amara advanced, squaring up with a target that she quickly dismantled. The fight only lasted moments, but it was enough to know they would not get through to the converted. Anyone touched by Seraphina was irredeemable. Akamori sighed reluctantly. This wasn¡¯t quite how he wanted things to go. Still, he hoped for the best as they pressed onwards. That hope was dashed the instant a second group approached. They were aetherically broken. Capable of existing only within the proximity of Seraphina. It was a painful dilemma to face. For the Seraphin to live, their false god had to die. But without her, the Seraphin would wither away and die to too. ¡°Take the kid gloves off. It¡¯s time we put this situation to bed.¡± ? Chapter 104: Devotion Devotion The squad advanced, finding a horde of Seraphin thralls. They attacked with startling alacrity. Akamori and Sala in the front slowed the attack and created a line of battle for the rest of the squad to form on. Sirsir laid down fire with Yasiin taking out targets of opportunity. The challenge wasn¡¯t in the skill but in the sheer volume of the thralls. Akamori re-sheathed his sword after they dispatched yet another group and studied the squad. The mages who relied on ranged spell attacks were going through their pools at a faster clip. Even with the reduction bonuses of their trainings and Path¡¯s, this was going to be an endurance race. Akamori feared they¡¯d run out of their pool to cast spells with before they exhausted their supply of enemies. He flicked some blood from his gi with an annoyed sigh. ¡°The least they could do while dying is not bleed all over my clothes.¡± ¡°Sure is nice in this spell armor.¡± Amara teased. ¡°Oh, screw off.¡± Akamori replied dryly. ¡°With my potion loaders.¡± Sirsir piled in. ¡°And my aether shields.¡± Yasiin added. ¡°You guys rehearsed this, didn¡¯t you?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°And my helmet.¡± Sala said in the same dreamy tone of voice the others used. ¡°Why do I put up with this?¡± Akamori grumbled. A seraphin fell from the canopy above, screeching its devotion to Seraphina, when Akamori¡¯s arm flicked out in a blur. Thanton unleashed a wind slash that rose to remove the Seraphin¡¯s head from its neck. Its lifeless body tumbled in the air, out of control, until it burst into a cloud of aether motes that glittered for a moment. As the glow faded, everyone returned to teasing him. Tuning them out, he turned to face the environment. Since he lacked the tactical interface of his armor, he could only rely on his senses. Reaching out, he let his aura expand and took in the environment passively. The Seraphin weren¡¯t primitive. There was form and function in the design of their domain. Light magic permeated the area. The branches all had pavement for walking that appeared to be stone shaping magic at play. Each branch was like its own road. At the sides were rails he assumed were to prevent falls over the side. The condition of the branch they occupied was in poor condition. Various items lay strewn about, like a large party was held and litter was carelessly dropped. Mana lamps were dim, meaning they hadn¡¯t been charged recently. So upkeep wasn¡¯t a big focus lately. The squad had been so nose to the grindstone lately, dealing with Morwen¡¯s prophecies that just getting out and doing missions had felt the exception, not the norm. Akamori frowned, remembering his promotion had come at the expense of another¡¯s life. But Rayshe made his choice, as Akamori had. A choice he could live with if asked to make it again. His senses picked up targets ahead, and he gave a quick hand signal to halt. In the distance, a group of targets caught wind of the squad and advanced. Six seraphins armed with various weapons. ¡°All must worship,¡± a seraphin chanted. ¡°All must pray.¡± ¡°For the light of the Lady to shine.¡± At Akamori¡¯s strength, hearing what they had to say at his distance was trivial. Worse, he could feel their mindless adoration for their false god. The corruptive aether imbalance on their souls reeked like exposed sewage. Akamori felt that calling them thralls was intuitively accurate based on behavior and actions. The thralls advanced slowly until drawing close enough to detect the squad. Like predators swarming prey, the thralls picked up the pace. Sala was the first wall between the possessed zealots and victory, and he was by far the thickest wall. Massive arms and fists crashed into the Seraphin, who didn¡¯t cry out in agony or pain when struck. They just eerily continued chanting. Amara and Akamori closed ranks and helped blunt the charged, striking foes when opportunities presented. The debuffs that Amara¡¯s aetherpoint strikes gave out paired with the damage buff that Akamori gave out ensured the Seraphin¡¯s were manageable, even in a larger group size. Sala did a superb job of maintaining control of the enemy¡¯s attention. Yasiin and Sirsir hung back and laid down damage thick with power shots and area of effect spreads. Morwen guided overall actions and ensured the Seraphin made no moves the squad couldn¡¯t handle. The battle was quick, but controlled. Akamori dispatched the last foe, rounding out the final charge of his Aether Gauge. Now he could start building a charge for his soul gauge. He stood for a moment as he mentally reviewed the information for the two new gauges in his mind¡¯s HUD. Even without the armor, they always remained. Sirsir slid up next to him and asked if he was ok softly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. Just checking those new gauges I unlocked.¡± ¡°You mean that evil void shit you whipped out to beat that sword bitch?¡± Akamori looked at Sirsir flatly. ¡°Yes. That evil void shit.¡± ¡°Look sir, I knew you were edgy before, but I think that void magic stuff is a bit much, even for you.¡± ¡°It saved your ass, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, well, don¡¯t let it happen again, eh?¡± Sirsir retorted. The squad advanced, this time ascending the trunk to a new level. The path took them down a branch on the opposite side of the tree from the one they started on. Akamori noted there were no houses or homes. Did the Seraphin not have those? Sociological questions he lacked neither the time nor the inclination to care about. That was more Amara¡¯s thing. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Have you noticed there¡¯s no housing? Where they sleep?¡± Akamori let a small chuckle out as she pipped up on cue. ¡°Let¡¯s try to stay focused. Has anyone given any thought to how we¡¯ll tackle the false god?¡± Morwen said from the back. ¡°It corrupts aether with its mere presence, right? How do you fight that?¡± Yasiin and Amara looked to the Captain for any hint of a plan. Morwen just shrugged casually, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I can read possible futures. Nothing more.¡± Akamori stayed silent about his gold seal. He knew instinctively it would allow him to face the Icon unphased. But he¡¯d be doing it alone. That prospect unsettled him. ¡°Let¡¯s just push ahead, we can figure out how to deal with the Icon when we get there.¡± Akamori suggested. The squad formed back up after taking a quick break to recover some pool and pushed off. At the end of the branch, they found an ornate spiral staircase that climbed up to the branch above them. It rose right out of the wood, suggesting either fine craftsmanship or intricately cast nature magic. It was impressive, coming from a wild tribe. At the top of the stairway, the path down the branch to the trunk showed something of a market area with emptied stalls and goods littered about the ground. It was quieter than what Akamori guessed its natural ambient volume would be. ¡°It¡¯s like something came through and just scooped everyone out mid day.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°You¡¯re probably not too far off the mark.¡± Akamori said. Above them, he could sense a heavy, oppressive aura. It was domineering, but unnaturally so. Warped. It¡¯s very being was a corruptive presence. It left a tangy taste in his mouth, like he¡¯d just bitten a coin. As they passed through the empty market, Akamori took some time to study a stall. Something disheveled it like the rest, with the remains of some magical goods left on the ground. Sporting mostly natural colors with some white and gold accents here and there. The Seraphin etched lots of curvy design work into the border of the stall¡¯s signage posted in writing he didn¡¯t know. The craftsmanship and style reminded him a lot of the Seraphin¡¯s cousins down below on the floor of the forest. Morwen stood next to him, looking at the same thing. ¡°Odd. It¡¯s rather similar to our own style at home. Perhaps there¡¯s a connective tissue between us and the Seraphin after all?¡± Akamori shrugged, unsure. The evidence was certainly there if one wanted to make the case for it. He sure wasn¡¯t. Not right now, at least. Not with bigger problems to deal with. The Path around the base of the tree led them on a gradual ascent that spilled out into another thick mob of Seraphina¡¯s thralls. They all turned in unison. Subdued wild eyes fell on the squad and everyone readied weapons. Situations like this tested a group¡¯s cohesion and rapport. Everyone fell into battle rhythms as the mob fell upon them. Akamori let go of his concerns for the others, trusting them to take care of what they needed to do as he drew his spell rifle from his void pouch, his spell blade Thanaton in the other. His blade cut into a singing arc as it hummed through the air and sliced through Seraphin bodies like a hot knife through butter. His air magic coating the blade and, causing it to vibrate, turned a solid blade into a laser sword effectively. To the outside viewer with fine enough developed magical perception, they¡¯d see the white and blue aether coating the blade and making it larger, affecting its area it could cut with while keeping mass reduced. Amara could probably see with her maetrayopts spell. Thanton sang like a tuning fork as it whirled through the air and cleaved enemies with ease. He fed targets out of reach void spell bolts from his spell rifle held in his off-hand. Normally, he¡¯d use both arms to aim, but after his most recent infusion of magic, he¡¯d noticed he had much finer control over his body than before. He suspected that directly resulted from his will. A seraphin slipped by him and Amara plugged the gap, striking it in the torso with quick, rapid jabs. He couldn¡¯t sense the damage she was doing as clearly as she could see, but he felt enough to know that she was wreaking havoc on their aetheric imbalance. He staggered as a seraphin dove into him, trying to tackle him. Both his weapons favored distance, leaving him at a disadvantage. Akamori let both weapons fall free of his hands, landing on his back. He summoned his void familiar to help. The avatar of darkness appeared in a cloud of black smoke, lashing out with a hand that ended in claws that were cartoonishly long. The seraphin hissed in pain and continued chanting as he tried to rain down blows on Akamori. That persisted until the familiar stabbed its hand through the seraphin¡¯s chest. The corpse toppled over off of him as the others dispatched their own targets. Akamori created air tendrils that reached out and grabbed his weapons, drawing them to his hands. Sheathing Thanaton, and putting the spell rifle over his shoulder in a sling, Akamori turned back to scan the squad. Everyone gave him a thumbs up. He waved his hand in a tight circle and they all formed back up in their wedge and proceeded on. ¡°Sir, tell me you¡¯ve got a plan to deal with this Seraphina chick.¡± Sirsir asked softly. ¡°I¡¯ve got some ideas. But it¡¯s a work in progress.¡± He replied. The big burly chocolate skinned nco nodded at him, falling back into the formation. When he said ideas, he wasn¡¯t lying. It basically amounted to throwing himself at the problem until he found something that worked. The others would have to wait back. He couldn¡¯t guarantee their safety, and he wasn¡¯t willing to risk it. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna run in there and start attacking it, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Basically.¡± ¡°How is it you plan to resist that thing¡¯s corruption or whatever?¡± ¡°Infusion ability I think. Should keep me safe.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it. You going after that thing alone. It ain¡¯t like you to run off half cocked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Someone has to stop this thing, and I¡¯m immune to its ability. Who else but me could stop it? Like I said, I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Sirsir eyed him sideways. Akamori gave him a wounded look. ¡°Come on. How can you doubt me?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t that I doubt ya. It¡¯s that I know how ya find your way into trouble more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s fun!¡± Akamori said to Sirsir grinning impishly. ? Chapter 105: Saphron Saphron The squad approached an area that opened up in a large 20 meter ring. Akamori called the squad to a halt and everyone scanned around quickly. The ring was empty save for railing around the perimeter in gold mirrorsteel. The floor was crafted of white and gold stone tiles in elaborate patterns. ¡°Gettin real bad vibes about this spot.¡± Sirsir said in a whisper. ¡°Definitely yellow pants. Maybe even brown.¡± Sala said at the front next to Akamori. Akamori¡¯s brow quirked but before he could ask, a 5 meter tall Saphrin fell from the canopy and landed in a crouch at the back of the ring blocking their passage. The figure had 10 wings, long platinum hair that matched his glowing eyes, and gold skin. Everyone¡¯s weapons came up at the massive figure. ¡°That¡¯s not Seraphina, is it?¡± Akamori used his perception skill, absent his armor¡¯s integrated tactical display. A fiery translucent scroll only he could see unfurled in his peripheral. Saphron Divinity: Demi-God, Magic Rating 6 Challenge: 6 ¡°It¡¯s named Saphron, it¡¯s a demi-god level being. If I had to guess, he¡¯s probably a personal guardian to Seraphina.¡± Amara said from behind Akamori. ¡°What are we up against?¡± ¡°Powerful light magic. Expect wards, heals, and plasma damage based spells. Weak against void magic, but also does double damage to void magic users.¡± Amara said after studying the tall angelic looking being who simply eyed them neutrally like a guard dog, judging if it should attack or not. ¡°Fuck.¡± Akamori muttered. ¡°What¡¯s the play, Cap?¡± Sirsir turned back to Morwen, who seemed to gaze off into the distance. They all waited patiently. Saphron included. Eventually Morwen blinked her eyes several times after spacing out. She gave the squad a look and then focused on Saphron. ¡°Our friend here likes to employ a variety of area of effect attacks. He¡¯s a capable swordsman and powerful. When I say move, go where I say exactly when I say and do not be late. Assignments will be: Private Sala, you¡¯re on control duty. Get the Seraphin¡¯s attention and keep it. Akamori, Sirsir, Yasiin? Damage duty. Make it bleed for me. Lots. Amara and I will be floaters, but our primary tasks will be sense and warn. If any uninvited guests should make themselves present, we¡¯ll see to it they leave the party. Everyone clear?¡± ¡°Green.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Green¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Green.¡± Yasiin, Sala and Amara chorused. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s go slay a demi-god.¡± Morwen said as she readied a variety of spells. Her aura flared, making her navy blue duty uniform jacket flutter. The squad advanced. Saphron stood taller as the squad advanced, drawing a pair of shimmering silver short swords. The two parties squared up and combat began when Sala let out an ear-shattering roar, his aura flaring defiantly as he leaped at the Saphron and delivered a blow with his fist that sent a shockwave thunder clapping out. Akamori drew Thanaton, allowing his void magic to coat the full length of the blade, enshrouding it in void glass and turning it into a massive scythe. To battle! We¡¯ll devour this pretender godling¡¯s magic! Thanaton purred eagerly. Sirsir and Yasiin opened fire, a torrent of spell bolts splashed into Saphron¡¯s skin. The angelic demi god shrugging off the weapons fire as it swung its blades down at Sala, who blocked the attack with his aura and stone skin combo. Akamori flew into motion, racing forward and rammed the haft of his spear into Saphron¡¯s leg while channeling his Death¡¯s Shadow ability, applying a debuff on the towering enemy that increased the damage it took. Dark necrotic veins spread from the impact wound. In response, Saphron¡¯s body pulsed with golden magic and some of its injuries healed over, but Akamori¡¯s debuff wasn¡¯t cleansed. The squad kept up its attack. Sirsir¡¯s heavy weapons sprayed hundred of finger sized ice spikes that continued to shatter against Saphron¡¯s skin while the fire shells he lobbed from his cannon detonated with impressive effect visually at least. The actual damage value, however, probably left the bigger man wanting. ¡°Gods damned, he¡¯s a tough sonuvbitch.¡± Sirsir growled. ¡°Focus sergeant.¡± Akamori said, sliding under a golden sword that nearly claimed his head. ¡°Everyone break formation and fall back five meters on my mark!¡± Morwen ordered. A few beats later, she gave the word and everyone disengaged that was in close to the massive Seraphin. An instant later a cyclone of swords formed around it carving up the stone floor as the squad waited outside the blender of blades patiently. ¡°You know that fruit stand on the main drag?¡± Amara asked Akamori while they waited. ¡°Oh yeah, Mrs. Velanne¡¯s stand?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one. She¡¯s getting a new stock of light grapes in soon.¡± Akamori groaned, ¡°Ugh. I could kill for some good grapes. I haven¡¯t had any since¡­¡± ¡°Since home.¡± Amara said softly as the storm of blades subsided and the squad prepared itself to charge back into the fray. Akamori¡¯s scythe drew sparks along the ground as he advanced ahead of the others, falling into pace with Sala. Sala blew ahead of him when the primal channeled his golden aura and stone skin again, vaulting off to land a flying haymaker on Saphron. The golden helmet rang like a massive gong when the primal crashed into it. Akamori refreshed his Death¡¯s Shadow ability, keeping the damage increase stacked on the target while the others went to work. Yasiin scoped up his long rifle and fired a bolt of negative light into Saphron¡¯s helmet, and the massive warped seraphin recoiled in pain. It flicked a handout and a flurry of conjured blades smashed into the stone floor. The blades jutting out of the floor like giant sized knives in a butcher¡¯s block. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Amara struck with surgical precision, striking Saphron in the legs, causing it to stumble and sway. Sensing an opportunity, Akamori triggered his void cloak. System Info: You are now Enshrouded. Special Void Shroud Attacks can be executed now. He saw the familiar five glowing orbs of void magic. Time to act. He sprinted around and ran up the back of the swords embedded into the floor and jumped. The black void cloak whipped wildly as he flew the air and brought Thanaton around in a vicious slash across Saphron¡¯s torso. Black and purple void magic roiled along the length of the blade as it cleaved into the pristine and perfect Saphron¡¯s hide. He flicked a quick glance at the basic UI he had and grimaced. No number values to denote anything. Just basic gauges, giving him a rough estimation. Thankfully, the Soul charge gauge is pretty simple in enshrouded mode. One of the void orbs was dormant now after his first attack. He followed up with a second slash that would have swept aside a squad of mages. He followed with a powerful blast of void magic in a column that fell from the sky like an obsidian obelisk. That was his Reaper¡¯s Judgement ability, which was unlocked after two Void Reaper Slashes. Sensing the momentum shift, the rest of the squad poured it on thick. The sergeant experimented with mixing light and fire together with unusual results. The result being a gout of plasma that burned like fire. ¡°Awe fuck yeah! Get some, you winged bastard!¡± The big man roared. Saphron¡¯s healing pulses did what they could to blunt the damage the team piled on, but thanks to Akamori¡¯s Reaper¡¯s Death Mark, it took more damage than it could shrug off, resulting in a slow but steady march to oblivion. Morwen sensed they were close now and gave various commands to the individuals in the squad. Everyone executed their orders as given. Amara continued to debilitate the towering enemy with more debugs. Yasiin piled on critical damage by target weapons expertly called out by Amara. Sirsir made things go boom. Sala handled the role of outlasting the damage Saphron dealt like a champion. As for Akamori, he did what he¡¯d fast grown used to doing. He swung his big sword morphed into a crystal scythe like a giddy madman. He finished his enshrouded phase with a perfectly placed Entropy bomb right as Yasiin brained it with a high magnitude void bolt to the eye. A whoosh of air and brief sucking sensation later as air rushed back into the negative space previously occupied by Saphron¡¯s cranial matter, and the fight was over. Saphron¡¯s headless body toppled over in a whoosh of dusty. The massive conjured swords from its previous attack broke down. Cracking like compressed glass, they shattered into motes of sparkling aether that drifted away, leaving the deep gouges in the ground they carved. Shortly after, Saphron¡¯s own body broke down into motes of aether as well, drifting away like a swarm of light blue fireflies. Akamori sat down and leaned back, leaning his head back. He¡¯d been growing his hair back, and it¡¯d already grown to neck length again thanks to secret trips to a local mage barber. Hair magic was unironically stupid, expensive on a word festering in vanity. ¡°Well. I don¡¯t think the Adventurer¡¯s guild will have a codex for that big fella.¡± Akamori said, nodding to where Saphron¡¯s body had been. ¡°Pretty sure that means extra marks.¡± Amara mused. ¡°Marks?¡± Amara stared at Akamori flatly. ¡°You took the contract and didn¡¯t even know what you were going to be paid with?¡± He shrugged, ¡°What? It sounded fun and needed doing.¡± Morwen allowed herself an amused smile. ¡°I¡¯m thankful I made the choice to spare you, Lieutenant.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t entirely sure you would.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Nor I. You were still largely an unknown, and I was taking a big risk in choosing you. But, unfortunately for Rayshe, I knew what I was getting with him and I couldn¡¯t be certain of victory had I executed the bulk of my mages over his wounded pride. Having the squad back you helped solidify the choice.¡± Everyone got up as the path forward revealed itself when a staircase descended like a drill bit that grounded into the far end of the battle arena. Akamori dusted off his hands, placed Thanaton back on his back. The weapon growled as he drew his rifle and he chuckled. Thanton was notoriously jealous, and even a little petty. At least I have a developed mind. Take care that your rifle doesn¡¯t drool on itself. ¡°Play nice.¡± Akamori said in a flat tone. ¡°Besides, you were a drooling simpleton once, too.¡± He chuckled. Thanaton simply thrummed agitated on his back. The spell rifle was oblivious to all of it. Only a basic consciousness, little more than awareness, really. Sometimes he envied it that. To be able to exist blissfully ignorant of all the madness in life. But then, if he lacked anything more than basic awareness, where he would find good grapes from? ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wrap this up so I can go hit Mrs. Velanne¡¯s.¡± The squad advanced slowly up the conical spiraling staircase. Akamori noted the white stairs and golden railing. ¡°These look like elvan design themes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s believed that the Seraphin are a group of more magically saturated elves who broke off from the city shortly after Aeryn created it.¡± Morwen said at the rear of the group. ¡°You¡¯re saying there¡¯s a chance the two are closely related?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°More than likely. The seraphin have usually been content to stay here and keep to themselves where the rest of us remain in the city. Recent events have likely made them desperate.¡± ¡°Yeah. Desperation and survival have a way of driving people into making stupid choices sometimes.¡± Akamori said. At the top of the staircase, the squad found themselves on a higher branch that led back to a wider tree. It left him wondering at the sheer size of these trees. Magic really just ignored the laws of physics sometimes, allowing nature to completely grow beyond what it should be capable of. His awe at the size of the trees and the living space of the Seraphin turned to ash in his stomach as they entered a small clearing and noted it was packed shoulder to shoulder with Seraphin in golden armor, ready to stand between Seraphina and the heretic non believers. ¡°Getting some real creepy vibes from this crowd.¡± Akamori said, pulling his spell rifle up slowly. ¡°The One of Us kind?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Yasiin said, his rifle also at the high ready. ¡°Gentleman, let¡¯s get to work.¡± Morwen said. ? Chapter 106: Trial Trial Akamori and his squad of mage allies stood tensely as they stared down a group of Seraphin willing to die for their false goddess of light. The Icon forged into being with heavy magic and crystals. The squad of spell soldiers threatened the Icon. The defenders were the last line. Both parties knew this. The still water broke, and both groups attacked. Morwen ordered a defensive posture. Sala took point as usual, letting out a battle roar that naturally drew the Seraphin¡¯s attention. Akamori and Yasiin picked off targets while Amara ran clean up at close quarters. Morwen called shots and Sirsir laughed gleefully while he unleashed hell with his heavy spell machine gun and conjured heavy spell cannon. Vast swaths of Seraphin fell before the squad as the group of mages chewed through their AP to down the large mob. When his own AP reached a fourth of his total, Akamori stowed his spell rifle and drew Thanaton¡¯s eager hilt. Finally! The weapon purred telepathically to him. He channeled his air magic down the blade, and the familiar glow and sheen of magic shimmered into view. The blade hummed as he twirled it eagerly. Sparks flew the moment a volunteer Seraphin offered itself up to Akamori¡¯s discount autopsy class. Lessons were very concise, leaving a dismembered Seraphin at the squad¡¯s feet. Sala¡¯s hands were like stone jack hammers. Raining blows into all Seraphin unwise enough, but unable to ignore the Primal¡¯s war cry. Sala tore the helmet clean off of one and used it as an improvised weapon until it was smashed into the shape of an opposing head and discarded like trash. Cuts and bruises on his body faded and healed as he continually bathed himself in his healing aura. Morwen directed the flow of combat where necessary. The biggest threat the squad faced was being overwhelmed. Everyone did their best to ensure that wasn¡¯t the case by not wasting time on any single target. If a target was too stubborn to die quickly, they handed it off to a new member. This process of rapid transfer meant the Seraphin struggled to keep pace with the mages. Unable to adapt precision or overwhelm the squad with brute force, the Seraph¡¯s final course of action was to grind themselves to death against the stone of the Mages. When the final seraphin fell, the squad sighed in relief and everyone downed a mana potion, recovering their aether pool back. Akamori pouted, about having to do so without his armor, instead drinking a potion he¡¯d produced from an enchanted satchel to protect its contents from crushing damage to prevent breakages. His only sole consolation was the fact they flavored the potion like grapes. He tossed the empty bottle aside; it shattered on the stone tiling on the floor of the branch like bridge. System Info: You have cleared the Highspire Tree of all corrupted Seraphin except for Seraphina. She¡¯s waiting for you just ahead. Good luck, don¡¯t die. Akamori gave the massive doorway, barring them from the Icon a nod. ¡°Amara, is our guest behind the doorway?¡± ¡°Yeah. Watch yourself in there, ok?¡± ¡°Shit ain¡¯t right.¡± Sirsir said. System Info: Trial: Face the Icon of Light. Seraphina has been summoned and has corrupted most of the Seraphin Wild Tribe. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild needs the Icon put down before it threatens the city. Accept challenge? Yes/No Akamori mentally accepted. He didn¡¯t face them when he responded. Uncertain if it was shame or fear that held his gaze from meeting theirs. ¡°I know. All I can guarantee is I¡¯ll be free of any corruptive effects the Icon might have. I can¡¯t vouch for the rest of you and dragging you all in there would just warp you like it did the Seraphin. Let me fix this.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll trust you to it.¡± Morwen said, stealing the initiative of protest from anyone else. If she backed him, no one else could derail him. Morwen understood the value of what they¡¯d done more than most. This was her home, after all. If the Seraphin were raising and nurturing an Icon in Eryn¡¯s backyard, it would bode ill for the Federation later. They couldn¡¯t afford distractions the further the conflict dragged out. Akamori was right to address this now while they could. ¡°Go on Lieutenant. We¡¯ll be waiting.¡± There was another reason she¡¯d opted against protest. Her foresight was being blocked. Meaning events proceeding were being altered by a divine hand and the only player she knew of so far was the fate weaver who couldn¡¯t be named after they left her domain. Morwen had a hunch, but wanted to play this situation out before revealing her hand first. Akamori stepped forward with Thanaton draped across his shoulders casually. Icons are rare. To taste the blood of one is thrilling. Long has it been since I¡¯d put one down. He paused at the entrance to Seraphina and looked down the length of the sword. ¡°You¡¯ve fought Icons in the past?¡± Many times. Many lesser cultures raise Icons to serve in place of true gods. But because an Icon is hollow and lacks a soul, it exists only to serve itself. They are magical blights that have to be put down. ¡°All Icons are bad, huh?¡± Icons exist without true souls. They are manifestations of will. Selfish and hungry for worship. Consider them magical cancers. They are malignant and do nothing but swell and grow. Consuming worshipers from true gods and robbing the aether and worship for themselves. You are doing this world a service by challenging this Icon. ¡°Hmm. Alright. Let¡¯s get to work then.¡± He strode forward into the blinding sunlight that spilled down through the breaks in the canopy like waterfalls of light. His boots echoed through the canopy. The sound felt off, given how open the area was. He suspected some kind of auditory amplification magic. This might be where the Seraphin¡¯s leaders gathered. Perhaps for the final time. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A brilliant light shone down at the center of the combat area, and Seraphina descended. She was 6 meters tall, with each step the area gently quakes. Clad in white robes, and gold armor, Seraphina wore a helmet that focused her long, curly amber locks down her back. Seraphina fluttered ten holy wings, and a glowing series of rings spun behind her back. Her liquid gold eyes flashed at Akamori and she focused on him like a hawk watching a rodent. A cruel smile flashed across her lips as she studied his aura and grimaced immediately. The look of having tasted something foul crossing her face. Mouth twisting into a scowl, she leaned close and pointed a slender finger at him. ¡°You reek of void magic. I had thought you might be a delicious morsel to bring to my converted, but I may just crush your aura and soul then devour your friends aether.¡± ¡°It has been a minute since I¡¯ve been able to snag a good shower. As for my friends? You won¡¯t be bothering them.¡± Seraphina chuckled, amused, leaning back. ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m taking your head to the guildhall.¡± ¡°Just little old you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got some friends,¡± Akamori said with a smirk. ¡°Then come and show me. Amuse me before I feast myself on your aether.¡± Akamori pointed Thanaton¡¯s blade tip at Seraphina and assumed a ready stance, his body unconsciously channeling Bahumet¡¯s stance. He wanted to start low and work his way up. He¡¯d need to build charges in both his gauges before he could start dumping heavy damage on Seraphina, anyway. She began by unleashing a potent blast of raw light on his position that he swiftly danced aside from. His feet pumped rapidly to close the distance between them as he closed in and she thrust out a hand and a thick, hazy white light flooded the area like cotton on his soul. System Info: Sereaphina has cast Aetheric Corruption on you. You have resisted Aetheric Corruption from Seraphina. You are immune to this effect. An ethereal voice that sounded familiar but not sang in his ear. ¡°Champion. My blessing has shielded you from the Icon¡¯s power. Now do what you have to for the safety of the realm.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Akamori said with a nod as the bright white pattern of wards faded from view before him. Ok, sometimes magic was cool. He surged back into motion, resuming his attack. Seraphina brought a slender rapier to bear on him as he advanced, summoning air magic down his spell blade. Thanaton shimmered and sang, ready to attack as the blade arced up quickly, unleashing a wind slash. The nanometer thin blade of air magic shattered against Seraphina¡¯s golden armor into motes of wispy white aether. The Icon responded by lunging with her rapier and launching into a flurry of stabbing thrusts that forced Akamori into evasive maneuvers. He turned into a blue and gold trimmed blur as Seraphina repeatedly tried to run him through with the point of her blade or cut him with the edge of her elegant rapier. It unsettled him how easily he could keep up with her speed. She was moving fast enough. He felt like a few months ago she¡¯d have skewered him instantly. There was a resonating confirmation from Thanaton. That¡¯s because a few months ago you were still a category three mortal. Now you¡¯ve begun your ascent into godhood. There is still much farther to go, but you are beyond simple labels that apply to mortals now. Distracted by Thanaton¡¯s musing, Seraphina struck Akamori with a sweeping upward slash that sent him hurtling beyond the canopy and into the open blue sky. Rushing wind whipped at his ears as his blue and gold trim gi rippled wildly. His upward momentum was beginning to slow out when massive orbs of burning light rushed up at him. Like Sirsir¡¯s light fire combination spell. Burning Sin orbs! Destroy them! Quickly! Thanaton warned. His sword arm went into motion of its own accord. He cleaved the first four, and they flamed out before one finally connected and another, followed by more. They all piled on and formed a massive orb around him. His nerves ignited with agony under the influence of the Burning Sin Orbs. Thanaton raged silently, but there was an undercurrent of fear in that rage. Akamori couldn¡¯t understand it and didn¡¯t have time to. A primal need to escape boiled within him. Cold and hard, like the void magic that seethed within him. He brought his sword above his head and then tore the blade down as hard as he could, channeling all of his magic into the blade. The massive Burning Sin Orb collapsed, popping like a soap bubble as the cutting line of magic continued to flow down. It sank into the trees, cleanly carving through the long branch that held the chamber Seraphina had knocked him above in the sky. The Icon hopped back and held her rapier aloft and wreathed in flame, avoiding his massive wind slash, and watched as Akamori fell. Landing gracefully on the end of the branch he¡¯d severed, he stood calmly, eying her down as the branch fell in slow motion. The motion at such speeds that normal time was relativistic. She is afraid , Thanaton purred. ¡°Then let¡¯s turn it up.¡± Akamori¡¯s aura exploded into action as the spell soldier surged forward. His blade whipped about in a flurry of precise slashes. The hurricane of wind slash spells drained his remaining AP. As more segments of the branch began their gravity driven descent, Akamori corkscrewed in the air, popped the cork on a mana potion and used his water magic to direct the potion out of the bottle and into his mouth in a tube of fluid that moved like a water snake. He felt his AP replenish. The depth of his AP was considerable this far in, but he knew a protracted battle of spells would not work out in his favor. He needed to use his void reaper abilities, which didn¡¯t depend on AP for use. Good. Test. Adapt. Destroy. Thanaton coached . Serephina regrouped and charged. Light exploded behind her as ten wings surged, propelling her forward at him. ¡°Here. We. Go.¡± Akamori whispered as the Icon charged. ? Chapter 107: Summoning Summoning Seraphina the Icon of Light, a false goddess raised by the Seraphin crossed blades with Akamori. He parried and blocked what he could, and refused to yield. Yet despite his strong initial showing, Seraphina seemed to get stronger with each blow. Sensing his confusion, Thanaton chimed in. She¡¯s drawing on the worship of her corrupted followers. Feeding on the power they provide her. You will not win a battle of attrition with her unless you destroy the Seraphin completely. ¡°Not an option!¡± He said. They¡¯d finally exchanged enough blows his aether gauge had filled enough he could start using some of his avatar strikes. Seraphina¡¯s initial fears were melting away as fast as Akamori¡¯s parity with her strength and speed. The Icon beat him back to the edge of the branch he¡¯d slashed apart, forcing him to jump back and off of it. Just before he fell away, he channeled a short teleportation spell, opening a small void rift behind the Icon and used a Soul Harvest attack. Blue energy drained from the aether gauge as the Soul gauge filled like water draining from valve to another. Seraphina turned, punting Akamori so hard, he slammed into the large double doors that fed into the level of the tree. The impact forced the air from his lungs. He collapsed to his knees, coughing blood out in gasps of pain that resonated down to his forearms. Flashes of light signaled multiple portals being opened across the area. Small square gateways of radiant golden light. ¡°My children.¡± Seraphina called out. ¡°Come to me. Heed your lady of light! We must defend our realm!¡± Akamori slowly pushed himself to his legs, doing his best to keep the shaking from being visible. Pain radiated from his body as though he were a struck bell humming his tune. Seraphina leveled an elegant finger straight at him. A scowl etching her beautiful face into wicked anger. ¡°Destroy the filthy void sent.¡± As the Seraphin thralls approached in a charge, Akamori¡¯s crystal glowed and pulsed with magic. It wasn¡¯t his, but it welled up around him protectively. Glowing magical rings appeared on the surrounding ground. Several flashes of light later, and his squad stepped out to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. ¡°Heard you needed some help to clean up the trash in here.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°How?¡± Akamori said through a wince. Yasiin channeled a light bolt that splashed into Akamori¡¯s body. The golden orb dulled pain and mended bruises and eased strain. Yasiin followed with a regenerative spell of healing water, giving Akamori a long term weak heal over time. ¡°It would seem your mysterious benefactor that shields you from the Icon would see us protected to.¡± At seeing Akamori¡¯s squad mates portal in Seraphina¡¯s face, twisted in hatred. ¡°Vile filth! They seek to contaminate our sanctum!¡± She held out a hand and Akamori saw the spell she was casting. Some kind of blanket binding. His own hand shot up in response to its own will. When Seraphina¡¯s corruptive aether flowed out, Akamori shielded the squad like a large ward. As he did, his crystal glowed, and the squad all received a weaker blessing, like his own. The effect was the same, but these were not permanent. Seeing the crimson-haired Demi god block her spell, Seraphina went into a wild rage. Cohesion in the thralls evaporated like a creek in a desert. Walking strides quickly turned into blood thirsty sprinting. The squad all took a few steps back and formed a defensive line. ¡°Treat them just like you would the shackled thralls of Ominek.¡± Morwen called. ¡°So, Target practice then?¡± Yasiin asked cooly. ¡°Hells yeah.¡± Sirsir said with a grin as he conjured his heavy spell cannon. There was no order to wait or fire. Everyone here was a target of opportunity. This was a culling now. None of the Seraphin could live normal lives having their aether so thoroughly corrupted. Putting them down was an act of mercy. Spell bolts erupted from the squad, the violence staggering to all but the seasoned vet. Though together for only a short time, this mage squad had weather crucible after crucible. While the Icon was no pushover, she was no Ominek. Black crystal grew along Thanaton¡¯s blade like ink dyed ice. Soon a wicked scythe blade grew out of the crystal and Akamori spun the weapon, oddly comfortable with it since he was a former farmer. Akamori surged forward and Sala fell in at his side, a golden aura and stone skin bursting to life on the war primal. Sala continued straight and Akamori slowed, letting the private take the lead. Seraphin soon piled in on Sala, who swung massive hands, batting the small feather covered Seraphin about like insignificant gnats. Akamori twirled Thanaton and stabbed the bottom of the scythe down, channeling his Death¡¯s Shadow ability. A wave of rolling void magic rippled out, splashing over squads worth of Seraphin. Now marked with his debuff, any attacks he dealt would hit for extra damage. He went to work, looking to rebuild his aether gauge again. Each strike he landed, a tenth of his gauge would fill. What followed was something between a dance and meditation. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He flowed under a lunging grab, positioning his leg for a sweep, and used Thanaton to knock the offending Seraphin backward over his leg. Flowing from this, he transitioned into a rising diagonal slash with the black crystal scythe. Two halves of a Seraphin peeled apart as Akamori turned, spinning the scythe overhead before bringing it back down in a control cut that brought the crescent-shaped blade down through a seraphin¡¯s chest cavity. The rest of the squad contributed their share of work to thinning out the horde of Seraphin thralls. A steady stream of fire bolts and cannon blasts rocked the massive mob. Yasmin¡¯s precision fire cored target after target. Morwen and Amara controlled the flow of the fight by calling movements and issuing counter orders. Akamori¡¯s sweeping attacks paired with his avatar strikes charged his gauges enough that when the time came, he could focus burst on Seraphina. Sala continued commanding the enemy¡¯s attention and ensuring his squad maters weren¡¯t overrun. Can you sense that? She has weakened. Without her army of minions to worship her, she is but an empty hollow shell. Little more than a container for power. The squad pushed the attack, with Yasiin targeting gaps in her armor for maximum effect. Sala continued to hammer away at the Icon¡¯s armor and block her attacks. Sirsir carried hilariously large guns that defied gravity that roared rounds down range. Morwen wove spells where she could and advised the squad to evade attacks when needed. Amara danced in and out, landing disabling strikes where she could. The Icon was not without her own skill. She blocked most of their ranged attacks effortlessly with a shield. She batted aside Sala¡¯s hammer fists with ease. Seraphina spun in a flutter of wings, razor sharp feathers slicing out. Sparks scraped off of Sala¡¯s stone skin as the others dove free of the attack. The towering false goddess held a hand out at Akamori and unleashed a blinding burst of light that shot out in a beam, washing him away in a torrent of plasma that seared and cooked stone and wood alike. A portal opened behind Seraphina and Akamori fell out of it as a cloak of pure void magic materialized around him. He enshrouded his arms and legs in black chitinous armor, brandishing Thanaton before bringing the massive scythe down in a wicked slash across Seraphina¡¯s back. Seraphina moved to retaliate, but a strong right hook from Sala redirected her attention. The Icon punted Sala with her shield, giving the primal a divine shield bash. ¡°Keep up the pressure, she¡¯s weakening!¡± Morwen shouted above the fray. Yasiin hit the Icon in the knee with a void bolt, pulverizing the join in a mess. The Icon lost balance, flailing wildly with her sword as she fired off another blast of light magic that cooked a hole in the canopy of the trees. Sirsir planted both feet, mixing the magics he had access to in his spell cannon. ¡°Stand back, I¡¯ve got something I¡¯ve been wanting to try!¡± But when he fired, only a jet of steam blasted out in a quick cloud. His face reddened, and he tossed the evaporating conjured cannon aside, focusing on his heavy spell machinegun. ¡°Fuck it. Tried and true to the rescue.¡± The machine gun got into a shouting match with Seraphina, and Seraphina lost. Sirsir belted the false goddess with a steady stream of flame rounds, and while the Icon¡¯s defenses were formidable? She withered under the sustained assault of the squad. Cuts, burns, bruises pockmarked her perfect white feathered exterior. Her gold armor¡¯s polished surfaces now had many scratches, scuffs, and outright damage. ¡°I will destroy your souls for defiling my halls!¡± Seraphina bellowed. Akamori sprinted forward and brought the black scythe Thanaton across Seraphina¡¯s torso armor. Sparks and golden blood splashed the ground, and he brought the scythe back again. Seraphina slashed with her golden rapier and he blinked back, falling out of a small black portal in reality. His eyes blazed red and blurred forward in a hurry. Golden spears of radiant energy exploded from the ground in a wide circle around the Icon. Akamori barely evaded them, suffering deep stabbing injuries on his shoulders as he continued to close in. Akamori blasted his air magic beneath him to vault high into the air and twisted along the currents around Seraphina¡¯s rapier like a high jumper in a competition. Twisting, he hurled Thanaton, amplifying his strength with his new fire magic. The scythe whipped free of his hand like a runaway saw blade, burying itself in Seraphina¡¯s side. Glancing around, he spotted a downed branch of elder wood and sprinted over, picking it up with a grunt. Elder wood was strong as steel and featured prominently in many Eryn spell ship designs, lending them a living, natural feel. Racing forward, he swung the massive branch, catching Seraphina in the leg, knocking her down with a loud crack. Akamori spun, swinging the branch as he would Thanaton, and brought the elder wood trunk across Seraphina¡¯s face. Golden blood splashed across the stone tile floor. The false goddess coughed and sputtered as she struggled to get back to her feet. He jumped up and grabbed Thanaton¡¯s grip, planted both feet on the Icon¡¯s chest, and tore his scythe free of her body just as his void cloak dispersed. The black crystal crumbled into dust, revealing Thanaton¡¯s sword form. ¡°My children¡­¡± the Icon pleaded. ¡°Their voices are silent. Why do they not sing to me?¡± Akamori¡¯s expression was grim as he stepped forward to face her. ¡°You destroyed them. They summoned you for protection, and you destroyed them.¡± ¡°They were mine. You were trying to take them from me.¡± ¡°No. You threw them away like sacrifices. And now you have nothing.¡± ¡°Foul creature. Spreading darkness wherever you stride. This tree sang with glorious light, and now it falls silent and dark because of you.¡± Akamori didn¡¯t respond to her words any longer. She was right, after all. It meant setting aside the fact that she¡¯d aetherically corrupted and enthralled an entire elder tree¡¯s worth of Seraphin. An act akin to murdering an entire city. Or enslaving them and sending them to their deaths. They had forced him to be the harbinger of their end. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry it had to come to this. I never wanted to come here to destroy. Leaving you alone wasn¡¯t an option, though. It¡¯s nothing personal. It just is what it is.¡± Seraphina glared at him, her perfect face marred with bruises and cuts. One of her ocean blue eyes was bloodshot and swollen. He twirled Thanaton and rammed it home through Seraphina¡¯s chest. She gasped, and her eyes closed finally as the last vestige of life drained from her. A moment later, her form dissolved into motes of aether that glittered and glowed. The last remnants of the Icon fluttered away like a cloud of blue fireflies. ? Chapter 108: Payment Payment Akamori and the squad returned to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild hall to turn in thier job for payment. The administrator, a dwarf with a rosy complexion, greeted them jovially and set about processing their payment. Morwen saw to coordinating the administrative elements while Akamori drifted off quietly. Yasiin followed close behind with Amara. ¡°What¡¯s eating you?¡± Yasiin asked. Akamori shook his head. Confusing marring his expression. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. What we did out there? This contract? This is what I¡¯ve dreamed of doing my whole life. Going to new places, seeing crazy new things and making a difference. A real difference.¡± He added with a pointed look at Amara. ¡°But I also know how bad things are out there. Ominek is still making life hell for people that aren¡¯t Sauridius. There¡¯s a war on freedom of the sector, and here I am wishing I could just run off and be an adventurer.¡± Yasiin and Amara leaned against a wooden rail on a balcony with him. Thanaton thrummed thoughtfully at his back. Being soul bound with him, the blade knew his thoughts as though it could hear him speak them spoken aloud. Morwen strode over from the countertop and gave them a nod. ¡°It¡¯s a difficult spot to be in. Knowing what brings you peace and honoring your responsibility and duty. I don¡¯t envy you the feeling. But perhaps I can at least ease the burden for you.¡± Morwen held out a leather bag cinched shut by a leather cord. The bag jingled as she dropped it into Akamori¡¯s palm. When he tugged it open enough to peek inside, he blinked at the volume of golden coins inside marked with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild seal. ¡°These are Guild Marks. Roughly worth two standard credits. Their use is admittedly limited, but it is possible to spend them on items and then sell those items for their actual value. A practice many go about.¡± Akamori looked up from the bag back to Morwen, brows furrowed. ¡°How much is here?¡± Morwen shrugged, a coy expression on her normally disciplined veneer. ¡°More than I can count, I¡¯m sure. You took a job to tackle an Icon after all. And you finished it where most others fail. The squad and I agreed since it was your ability that allowed us to resist the Icon¡¯s enslavement, that the lion¡¯s share should go to you. I know it doesn¡¯t go far towards easing your conscious about the Seraphin that fell to Seraphina¡¯s control, but it can at least help you going forward.¡± He pushed the bag back, but everyone put a hand out to resist. Morwen shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve denied you the life you wanted. The least I can do is repay you for the service.¡± His expression twisted as protests bubbled up, only to be stomped short as Amara interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t fight this. We all talked about it and agreed. Besides, if this is the life you want, there¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t start saving for it.¡± He turned to Morwen, who smiled coyly. ¡°No, Lieutenant, I haven¡¯t examined the future to see if we leave. Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m making a wager on ourselves. The Federation is strained, and I suspect we¡¯ll carry on the fight beyond its banner.¡± He smiled sadly. Deep down, a disconnected part of himself knew that the life he wanted would always be just out of his reach. The best he could hope for would make do with the fleeting moments of happiness he got. Making those precious few moments stretch as far as possible. He gave them all a thankful nod, biting down his protest and instead letting them have their win. ¡°Thanks you guys. I appreciate this. I¡¯ll set back what we make from this to buy out our contracts. Then we can operate how we want, with no one coming along and giving us shit.¡± Sirsir coughed loudly, ¡°Rayshe¡±. The squad shared a chuckle. Finding out their former squad mate¡¯s father had been a soul shackled thrall for Ominek had gone a long way to easing the wound his legal escapades caused everyone. The blowback they all suffered for being Morwen¡¯s soldiers. Yet they wore the black mark proudly. Akamori fished a mark out and grinned. ¡°Who wants some grapes?¡± # The Elder Tree ? Now Space warped and a void portal opened, disgorging a man in a black robe with a red mask. It denoted him as a leader among his people. Those charged with the only true task of meaning. The restoration of creation and their fallen civilization. He supposed that made him the inverse of a death cult, even though he fit the bill for visual styles of a death cult. He strode the chaos of the Elder Tree after the mage squad had blasted their way through and destroyed the Icon of Light. A disappointing development, if unexpected. Had the Adventurer Guild not dispatched their own, it was likely the Federation would have responded with force. He could only count on them being distracted for so long before they moved, eventually. He would push them, but he wasn¡¯t willing to risk their full ire yet. A second portal opened and a second masked and hooded figure eased through the opening before it winked shut behind them. He turned and nodded his head in respect. ¡°Alethia. It¡¯s good that you came. You can see firsthand the results of what you¡¯ll soon face.¡± Though her face was obscured by her black mask, he noted the subtle twitch of her lips, showing she was less than impressed. A hint of arrogance? Interesting if ultimately inconsequential. ¡°If facing a single Icon and a horde of thralls was barely within his capabilities, why are we so fixated on stopping him?¡± For the first time, Zeretheus forced a patient smile. Alethia wasn¡¯t challenging his decision, merely voicing an obvious inquiry. He had to keep that context in perspective. It was easy to forget that sometimes some questions needed to be asked for everyone¡¯s sake. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Because. He is a former council member.¡± There was a measurable delay in Alethia¡¯s response, and he recognized that for what it was. Realization. Alethia now understood that their foe was dangerous, and not just lucky. But then, their target had always been dangerous, and thus, a taxing source of focus with each resurrection in the cycle. ¡°Xanofex numbers among the living once again.¡± Alethia mouthed the word ¡°betrayer¡± with reverence and, for an instant, Zeretheus felt a measure of pride. He smiled ruefully. There was a time once, beyond the beginning, back when there was only the First. Xanofex had been a friend then. A peer, unrivaled. Even then, Xanofex had been flighty, but he embodied the absolute best of being a hero. It didn¡¯t surprise Zeretheus in the least that Xanofex had risen up from the afterlife to oppose them. ¡°What is our plan?¡± Zeretheus stroked his chin for a moment. ¡°Unchanged for the time being. Xanofex¡¯s power is still infantile. I arranged a small test for him and the results have left me unalarmed. For now, we keep enlarging the wound in reality.¡± ¡°A small test?¡± Zeretheus nodded. ¡°I encouraged the Seraphin. It was in their best interests to create an Icon. It measures Xanofex, and furthers our primary goal of enlarging the wound.¡± Alethia looked at him sceptically. ¡°An Icon? But surely the Seraphin of any wild tribe would know of the taboo of creating an Icon?¡± Zeretheus smirked, recalling how much work it took to convince the Seraphin to waste resources on manifesting an Icon. ¡°Some were more pliable than others.¡± Then ¡°Sauridius¡¯ children now threaten your world. How long before it turns its malevolent gaze upon you?¡± Zeretheus asked. The Seraphin elder seemed troubled. He was old and wise enough to know that summoning an Icon wasn¡¯t a better fate. But if they were to surrender their minds, would they rather do it to a god of their design? Or an alien and unknowable elder god who cared little for them? It was a damned situation to be in. One Zeretheus had orchestrated to place the Seraphin in this very situation. ¡°If we¡¯re to lose our minds. Better it be to a god of our choosing. One that will act with our best interests in mind.¡± A younger elder suggested. ¡°Of course. Sauridius will care little for your people. He sacrifices his children like pawns. Imagine the horrors he would inflict on a wild tribe rich in light magic like yourselves.¡± Zeretheus instigated. ¡°The masked one speaks the right of it! He nearly sacrificed his own son on our world. Even Ominek would have died for Sauridius¡¯ own gain. We can¡¯t let our people become slaves to a monster like that.¡± ¡°We must bring back the lady of light. She would safeguard us in our time of need.¡± a junior seraphin leader shouted. ¡°A goddess to fight a god!¡± another shouted. ¡°But we have allies in Eryn! We don¡¯t need to resort to such a destructive and resource consuming method!¡± The elder called. Clearly trying to bring reason to a passionate debate. These mortals were all the same. Willing to do anything to escape their fate and carve just an inkling more of life out of their tiny insignificant existences. Zeretheus praised himself for the amount of composure he maintained in their presence. ¡°Surely a god of your own would prove just as valuable an ally as any aid the elves might render. Have they not left you to your own devices while they live in their golden city?¡± ¡°Again, the masked one speaks the truth!¡± another junior leader called out. The passion of youth fast drowning the wisdom of age. Sensing they outnumbered him in the decision, the elder bowed his head, nodding grimly. He alone understood what Zeretheus had maneuvered them into committing to. He almost pitied the poor old fool. Surrounded by passionate but simple youth, no wiser to the doom he was committing them to. Their magic would make a decent investiture to the cause and all for a negligible cost. ¡°At what cost do you offer us this aid?¡± The elder asked, weary for the other shoe to drop. ¡°Why, no cost at all? I come merely to provide aid in this most desperate of times. The gods are rising. And it is better to have a god than not. Rather than request a cost for this service, I¡¯ve come with a gift. I know that aether crystals are difficult to come by, so I offer you this service free of your own resources.¡± ¡°Why?¡± the elder asked, disbelief and skepticism warring for dominance. ¡°Because a calamity approaches. Our world will be torn asunder. When it does, only the gods will have the power to prevent its collapse. I merely wish to ensure the best possible chance of survival after all.¡± It was a boldfaced lie, of course. No amount of Icons would stop anything. In fact, the opposite was true. Having more running amok would simply mean exacerbating the wound in this shadow of reality. One more sacrifice on the altar of necessity. One step closer to their goal of reunification. Repairing damage of this nature was a messy business after all. Zeretheus swept his hand, channeling the magic, streamers of light, air, and earth all flowed out and conjured rows of boxes all containing fully charged aether crystals. Enough artificial power to manifest a small god, or goddess, in this case. Zeretheus smiled inwardly as he noted the awestruck looks of all the fence sitters. His grand gesture having made their minds for them. ¡°We can begin whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± The elder asked. ¡°Pray. Commit your worship to whichever god you worship.¡± Zeretheus said. The Seraphin all fell to their knees. Hands clasped and heads bowed as they fell into prayer and chants. Zeretheus smiled, drawing the ritual circles necessary to manifest the Icon. In time, a false god would rise, and it would offer all these seraphins as sacrificial offerings. More aether and souls ground up to the cycle for the cause. All in an effort to increase the size of the wound. Speaking of, he made a note to check its progress when he finished. ? Chapter 109: The Inquisition Begins The Inquisition Begins The squad drifted from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild house slowly, soaking up the mid afternoon sun casually. They were taking full advantage of the leave they¡¯d been given for their help in stopping Ominek from destroying the wellspring of light. They even enjoyed a bit of hero worship as they progressed up the market board walk. As they walked, Sala fell in next to Akamori. ¡°That ability you channeled, with the void cloak. What was that?¡± Akamori bit down on his nervousness. Sala had showed fear over his abilities in the past. Things had just gotten to a point where the squad felt like it was back together, and he wasn¡¯t looking to lose that feeling so early. ¡°Oh, uh. It¡¯s something I picked up when we went into the void. When I lost my armor fighting Lucinda, I needed something.¡± Sala nodded pensively. ¡°Like when I channel my magic for protection?¡± Akamori thought about it for a moment. In a roundabout way, it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. He shrugged and smiled lopsidedly. ¡°More or less, yeah. Mine just focuses more on protecting me by making sure I hurt the bad guys faster than they can hurt me.¡± Sala nodded, looking as though he was running the logic through a check system. ¡°That makes sense. It suits you.¡± Akamori frowned, eying Sala sidelong. ¡°It does?¡± What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Well, you know. You act decisively and violently. It makes sense as an all out offense would serve as your defense.¡± Akamori blinked. That was a lot kinder than he¡¯d expected. And insightful. He studied Sala secretly for a moment, wondering where the primal kept that introspective side of himself the rest of the time. He figured it was more likely a case he just needed to spend some more time around Sala. Something he hoped to do a little more in the days to come. As they strode along, he blinked as the woman broke free of the ebb and flow of customers in the market and raced up to them. She was a primal, looking very much like Sala but with feminine features. Dark red fur that bordered closer to a brown. Her hair was jet black and wild, spilling down around her shoulders. Her eyes were green and had the same ring of red lining them. Like Sala, she had her share of scars, though hers were smaller, less ragged. The kind that remained after magical healing. Her attire was simple, a dark navy blue tunic that looked like a shirt Morwen would wear under her jacket, and black slacks and boots. ¡°Amara, there you are. I¡¯ve been looking all over for you.¡± ¡°I was at the Adventurer¡¯s guild hall. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°ArchPriest Erlaut is making a declaration. He¡¯s announced an Inquisition.¡± Morwen¡¯s standard stoic expression darkened into a frown that made Akamori¡¯s blood cool. The very nature of the name was enough to make him pause, but coming from the new ArchPriest was even worse. ¡°When does it begin?¡± ¡°Wait, an Inquiwhatshun?¡± Akamori asked. Luffa gave Akamori a patient smile, shifting focus to him. ¡°An Inquisition. The ArchPriest has declared that all Sauridius binders are the number one threat to Eryn.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s half right at least.¡± Akamori grumbled before Amara elbow checked him in the side. ¡°Ow!¡± he hissed, as Amara shouldered him out of the way. ¡°Tell me everything.¡± Luffa nodded, grateful to see Amara again after the madness that exploded in the city. ¡°Erlaut held a huge meeting while you were out with most of the city nobility. They all decided the Sauridian binders were a threat that couldn¡¯t be ignored anymore. The city is cracking down. Soul Scrying is going to become mandatory. With routine screenings done weekly to make sure you haven¡¯t been bound for city officials or anyone working in vital positions. Emerald Guards will conduct random scan patrols. All orbital traffic will be intercepted and inspected. The fleet¡¯s readiness is also going to elevate to stand by.¡± Akamori frowned. ¡°That might get some of them, but it¡¯s going to burn out the Eryn navy while Erlaut is chasing shadows.¡± ¡°True, but he can¡¯t well ignore any potential damage Ominek could cause if left ignored. You saw what he did with the temple and my family.¡± Morwen said. A fiery scroll appeared and unfurled before everyone throughout the market. A mass distribution message sent by Erlaut himself. The squad read through the message dispatched from the temple. Attached to the end of the message was a recall status for all Federation soldiers serving and present at Eryn. Everyone had mixed feelings. ¡°Will this work?¡± Akamori asked Morwen. ¡°Difficult to say. Ominek is very crafty and slippery. We aren¡¯t sure what his remaining aim is. Without knowing that, we¡¯ll be working blind.¡± Akamori waved the missive aside. It crumbled into motes of fiery aether that looked like embers blown free of a fire. ¡°He wants us to report immediately. Guess we better go check back in. Captain?¡± Morwen nodded, striding to the front of the group, and the rest of the squad fell in behind her. They were tired and had rested little, so that was a priority for Morwen, though she knew Erlaut was going to want to send them out immediately. She didn¡¯t want to be stuck haggling for time for her people to rest. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Let¡¯s swing by the Indra and drop off unnecessary extras. The temple is probably going to want to send us out as quick as it can.¡± Akamori said. ¡°So much for relaxing and team building.¡± Yasiin said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad. Maybe we¡¯ll get extra pay.¡± Akamori joked. A beat passed as everyone eyed each other before sharing a laugh. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get a promotion too.¡± Sirsir teased him. ¡°Ugh, pass. I¡¯ve seen how Federation command works and trust me, I¡¯m not cut out for it.¡± The squad got to the sleek and aggressive Indra where they deposited excess gear and items they¡¯d got from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Hall. Akamori having purchased an armored coat. The light armor weave gave him mobility and moderate protection. He slipped it on and adjusted the armored pauldrons, giving it an approving nod. Black wasn¡¯t quite his color. He preferred blue himself, but it worked to look more professional, which he was fine with. Akamori tugged the sleeves down and strode through the corridor of the Indra towards the aft cargo area. The rest of the squad was already geared up and gathered. Sirsir gave Akamori a long, approving whistle. ¡°Lookin sharp sir. Not quite your usual colors, but it looks good.¡± ¡°Thanks Sgt. Everyone ready?¡± North and south head movement from everyone. Morwen stood next to him, giving a final nod of approval. ¡°Let¡¯s be off then. ArchPriest Erlaut will probably want us at the forefront of his inquisition.¡± ¡°Yeah, because we¡¯re the only ones doing fuck all.¡± Sirsir grumbled. Akamori gave him a sharp look, but the soft chuckling from everyone undercut the mood. They all knew it. The Federation was dysfunctional and impotent. Akamori knew the only reason the Brotherhood stuck around in the Federation this far along was because they lacked any adequate response to magic. During the walk to the temple, they crossed more than a few Emerald Guards clad in their gleaming gold and green spell armors. A priest from the temple in white and gold robes accompanied them as they scried random groups in the markets. Some vendors complained about the guards hassling their customers. Shoving matches ensued until spell weapons were drawn. ¡°Looks like the ArchPriest¡¯s binder hunt is off to a good start.¡± Akamori grumbled as they walked by. ¡°Erlaut is proposing many changes. It may take some time for them to be appreciated.¡± Morwen said. ¡°If they appreciate them at all.¡± Amara added. Repairs on the main thoroughfare had progressed. The few earth mages living on Eryn found themselves rapidly employed. Already some of the white marble structures and store fronts were in various states of repair and rework. Some shop vendors giving their store fronts a much needed facelift. Others took the chance to rebrand. A weapons store was hanging a new sign with a trio of Emerald Guards and their priest approached the debris littered front. Akamori could hear them announcing themselves as the squad passed by, drawing a worried frown from him. The populace would put up with this for now because they were scared after the attacks by Ominek. But how long would that last? How long could this last? ¡°I hope Erlaut knows what he¡¯s doing.¡± Akamori said softly. ¡°As do I.¡± Morwen said. The entrance to the grand temple still lay in rubble. Even with most of the earth mages working to restore the temple¡¯s rooftop, the front entrance was unusable, forcing anyone that came to visit to use a hole blasted in the side by Sauridius hatchlings. Most of the structural damage internally had seen repair work. Support columns were already in place, and much of the groundwork laid to repairing damage to load-bearing walls and much of the floor. Various maintenance workers shuffled about with carts full of stone or earth to shape into stone. Magic circles and runes in many areas were in various states of repair and recharging. Artificing materials and tools sat at the base of many walls and in collected kits around areas of focus. Akamori smiled inwardly. Kusinaki would have loved to have been a part of the repair efforts. Rounding a corner that led to the main antechamber before the descent to the golden well, ArchPriest Erlaut stood before a crowd of mages and artificers barking orders. Morwen led the squad quietly to a safe distance from those gathered around the new ArchPriest and, as he issued orders and critiques with near manic haste. ¡°Look at this spell! This is shit! I wouldn¡¯t trust this to protect my grandmother from a backache and she¡¯s been dead for centuries! Fix this. Now!¡± Several red faced artificers immediately scurried into action gathering materials and producing wands to begin to re-scribing runes and glyphs. Erlaut issued a few more admonishments before dismissing the crowd with an annoyed wave. He gave Morwen a nod. The manic, displeased expression faded for a few moments. Long enough that Morwen and the squad caught the shift. ¡°Captain.¡± Erlaut greeted her with a nod to the fresh captain¡¯s bars on her uniform again. ¡°ArchPriest.¡± ¡°Thank you for coming as promptly as you could. I¡¯ll cut right to it since I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen my city wide missive. I want you and your squad out there hunting down Ominek and his binders. I know they¡¯re loose out there. Shackling more innocent civilians. I can¡¯t let him spread his evil here any longer. I can¡¯t let him threaten the well. Not again.¡± Morwen nodded grimly. ¡°Yes. Ominek has a way of ruining families. We¡¯ll do what we can to uproot his presence and rid Eryn of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s precisely what I was counting on. We did not see Ominek leaving the planet, so we have to assume he¡¯s gone to ground. Which means he¡¯s free to cause whatever trouble he likes. An impermissible state of affairs. Find hun and stop him.¡± Morwen nodded, assuming this would be Erlaut¡¯s request. It suited her and the squad fine. None of them were happy with how things ended. Everyone was looking for some payback except Yasiin and Sala, who saw their district profit from the temple¡¯s detonation. The sudden influx of so many valuable magic materials tipped the economic scales in their favor. Overnight, impoverished working-class families suddenly had enough money to thrive. If Morwen was being honest, it made her happy too, since many of them of them were dwarves and nomads. Erlaut would level the full brunt of the Temple against Ominek now. Now it just remained to be seen if it would be enough. For everyone¡¯s sake, she hoped it would. But a niggling dark voice in the back of her mind insisted it wasn¡¯t enough. ? Chapter 110: Triple Ambush Triple Ambush Spell Soldier Akamori Shinjo sighed while watching the rest of his squad equipping their spell armors. He tugged at the black leather sleeves of his armored coat. Sirsir strode up to him, footfalls echoing heavily off the Indra¡¯s deck plating to clap him on the shoulder. ¡°Cheer up, sir. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll scrape something together to get ya suited back up, eventually.¡± Akamori looked at Sirsir flatly. ¡°Gee. Thanks.¡± ¡°Relax, sir. If it looks dicey, you can always hide behind us.¡± Sala said with a small grin. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a step up from the terrified look he¡¯d given Akamori after their fight in the dueling arena. He took the small win and gave a faint nod and smile. ¡°Deal. But only if you¡¯re up front.¡± Sala gave him a thumbs up and went back to checking his thigh armor. Yasiin checked the breach of his rifle and ensured everything was in working order. Amara checked the arm guards. Morwen strode in wearing her dark blue officer¡¯s jacket and gave Akamori an appraising look, noting his lack of armor, and frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s regulation, Lieutenant.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the best I could do between protection and price point.¡± Knowing that Lucinda had destroyed the armor Kusinaki had gifted him, she didn¡¯t push the issue. Morwen instead gave him her trademark curt nod before stepping in front of the formation. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ve been given our first target. He¡¯s a lower level noble who manages the city. His behavior has been just off center enough to warrant suspicion. He¡¯s denied Emerald Guards and scrying priests access to his home, so we¡¯re up. Our task is to get in, and make sure Mr. Tousoux is who he claims to be and his background stands up to scrutiny.¡± ¡°We¡¯re searching for bindings, right?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Right. Anything abnormal on the soul that isn¡¯t Federation by design.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty wide window of error.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Indeed. Regardless. We have our mission.¡± Standing outside Tousoux¡¯s estate on the fringe of the city in the third district, Akamori tasted bile in the back of his throat. This place represented everything he disliked. Opulence, elegance, and gross financial frivolity. He sighed, wishing sometimes his life had never torn him free of Honshu and his small world problems. Arjun kept the Indra nearby after the squad hit the street. Morwen turned to Akamori. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Sala, you¡¯re on point.¡± The Primal rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward ahead of the squad. Tendons and bones cracked as the well built primal readied for combat. A golden aura snapped to life around Sala as stone slide up and around Sala¡¯s frame. They approached Tousoux¡¯s front door gate. Sala knocked, noting a security ward in place, magic runes and circles rotated at a leisurely rate. Morwen frowned, disliking where this was going to lead. She turned to the squad who¡¯d been looking to her for the next order. She gave a short nod, gesturing to the gate. ¡°Breach and sweep. We need confirmation. Let the ArchPriest sort out the hurt feelings.¡± Even though it wasn¡¯t likely that Erlaut would do anything to smooth over any ill will, his inquisition drummed up. Gold radiant light exploded all around Sala like flames with him at its center. The pristine stone tile cracked under Sala¡¯s boots from the sheer pressure of his aura. It radiated defiance and rage. He clenched a fist, nostrils flared with deep breaths, and then struck the wards. The runes and magic circles flared to life, their color straining under the blow. The primal reared his other arm back and struck the wards again. Then again, faster this time. He continued to strike the enchanted barrier harder and faster until his blows rained like a machine gun flurry of fists. Finally, pushed to its brink, the wards cracked, faltered and shattered like glass. The fragments breaking up into motes of aether that drifted away. Sala beat his chest, letting out a war cry in defiance. ¡°Well done, private.¡± Morwen praised. Now that the barrier was down, the squad was free to enter the estate. Sala led the way, followed close behind by Amara and Akamori then Yasiin and Sirsir and Morwen coming through last. They advanced several meters in before Sala stopped the squad. A still calm settled in around them. An unnerving silence that weighed down like the gravity of a neutron star. ¡°What is it?¡± Akamori whispered. Sala shook his head, canting an ear up to hear better. ¡°It¡¯s quiet. Too quiet. Where are the birds and insects?¡± Spell rifles and cannons erupted to life all around them from the second floor of the estate as Sauridius hatchlings sprang from their L shaped ambush. Sala thrust both hands up, and a dome of protective radiant light sprang up to stop the spell bolts before they could rain down on the squad. Morwen ordered the squad into cover and Sala moved slowly, having to split his focus on maintaining the barrier and moving out of the open. Once the squad was covered, the primal dropped the protective field, panting heavily. A potion loader at his waist plunged a mana potion, refilling his AP. Blue rippling energy radiated along his body as his magic refilled. Akamori patted his shoulder with a nod. Sala would need a break. The hatchlings continued firing, ruining the once elegant exterior of the estate¡¯s outer wall. What had once been a near priceless elven mansion was now quickly being reduced to war zone induced rubble. Akamori leaned out, scanning the estate from their position before ducking back under cover to avoid being splashed by an acid bolt. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°I count 15. All on the second floor. They were in position and waiting for us.¡± ¡°Guess it¡¯s a safe bet they shackled the administrator.¡± Amara mused. Morwen frowned and nodded. ¡°It seems implausible that he wouldn¡¯t be yet house a full two squads of hatchlings.¡± ¡°We need to shift position. This cover won¡¯t last all day.¡± Akamori said, noting cracks beginning to form on their side of the wall. Even magic materials had their stress limits when being assaulted by half a platoon¡¯s worth of spell weapons. Morwen¡¯s gaze went distant and Akamori huffed, rolling his eyes. He knew she was channeling her divine sight, but it¡¯d be more convenient if it didn¡¯t take her out of the fight as she studied the web of fate. ¡°Sirsir, Yasiin, see what you can do about getting some positions to return fire.¡± A pair of affirmatives echoed from the two darker skinned soldiers as they both flanked out. Yasiin found a ladder that led up to the second floor, and Sirsir just shot the ceiling out above him and flew up to the second level inside the estate. So much for collateral. Oh well, in for a credit, in for a ton. A couple of beats later, the concussive blast of Yasiin¡¯s long spell rifle thumped out heavy void bolts into the enemy ranks, causing their fire to slacken up. Shortly after Sirsir¡¯s heavy spell machinegun and conjured cannon got into a shouting match. Explosive bolts and storm of smaller bolts showered the opposite wall, forcing the opfor to take cover. Hatchlings shrieked, avoiding damage, and barked at each other in guttural draconic. ¡°Sala, Akamori, Amara. Let¡¯s go say hello to our new friends.¡± Sala nodded, then turned, sprinting forward before jumping and blasting through one of the estate walls where weapons fire was thickest. Akamori and Amara both followed, with Morwen trailing. A thick, dusty haze lingered like fog from Sala¡¯s improvised entrance. Bits of stone and wall continued to crumble and drop before the blazing gold aura lit the room in a subdued golden hue. Then chaos ensued as the three melee focused soldiers closed ranks and convinced the Hatchlings to rethink their life choices with gratuitous violence. What followed was an orchestrated dance of absolute madness as the squad worked in unison. Their teamwork honed across multiple battlefields and constant near brushes with death. Sirsir laid down suppressive fire as the trio of melee fighters struck targets out of cover, exposing them to Yasiin and Morwen, who picked off the enemy with ruthless precision. Yasiin cored another Hatchling¡¯s chest as Akamori spun and brought Thanaton down in a diagonal slash, sheering off the wing of an adjacent hatchling. Amara kicked it out of the hole they created breaking in, and Sirsir shot it with a cannon blast, ending its existence completely. Morwen wove a disintegrate spell, and evaporated a hatchling that pounced at Sala¡¯s back, reducing it to scattered particles. Sala uppercut a backpedaling hatchling, hurling it into the ceiling where its head burst apart like a ripe melon smashed under a mallet. The limp body fell lifeless, save occasional muscle spasms. Akamori twirled Thanaton, the blade singing as it cleaved the air with enhanced air magic. The spell soldier sliced off the arms of an attacking hatchling, fetching a high-pitched shriek from it before he jammed the blade into its mouth. With his spell blade stuck to the wall, another infant dragon charged at him, teeth bared. A void bolt drilled through the back of its head, leaving a trail of magic back to Yasiin¡¯s glinting scope. Akamori tore Thanaton free and removed the dead hatchling¡¯s head in a clean slash. The dead body staggered to its knees before toppling to one side as the head tipped free and fell to the other. Akamori jerked the blade, flicking the hatchlings¡¯ blood to the floor before sheathing it on his back. His black long coat flapped as he spun and scanned the area. ¡°All tangos down.¡± he called over their comms. It took a few minutes for the squad to form back up. Once everyone was back in formation, they moved deeper into the estate. Pockets of resistance cropped up occasionally, forcing the squad to stop, return fire, maneuver, and dispatch threats. Fighting their way into the main floor of the house, Amara spotted a fortified position with erected rock walls sporting hasty enchantment barriers. The squad slid into position above it on the second floor, looking down. The Sauridius had created a hasty fortification, protecting what appeared to be an entrance that descended to a basement level. Guarding the entrance were two tripod mounted heavy spell cannons flanking a pair of 3 meter tall walls. Four hatchlings stood guard at the fortification, wearing the generic spell armor they expected from the Sauridius. Four were manageable even with the spell cannon emplacements. But a head on strike would not go easy for them. ¡°I can blink behind the guns and draw their attention long enough for you to charge down and join me.¡± Akamori told Sala in a hushed whisper. The rest of the squad huddled low and out of sight with them. The rest of their own ambush was hastily planned. Basically, shoot the bastards fast and accurately. Akamori braced himself, gripping Thanaton¡¯s hilt over his shoulder. The blade thrummed eagerly at his touch. Finally! More foes to slay. Thanaton purred eagerly. Akamori focused on the position ahead of the squad, picking where he¡¯d open his portal. A crack in reality split open behind him and he fell backward into it as though spilling out of an aircraft into free fall. A portal opened up in the rear of the Sauridius fortification. Akamori whistled, instantly grabbing the hatchlings¡¯ attention. A mix of expressions ranging from shock to glee flitted across the four hatchlings¡¯ features. ¡°Heya boys. Anyone know where a guy can find some grapes?¡± Thanaton was off his back and opening the throat of the nearest young dragon in a blur of silver mirrorsteel. Blood splashed across the white tile floor, marring it red and brown. Two of the hatchlings rushed forward to tackle him, but a raging war cry halted their advance just enough before two massive hands grabbed each of their heads and splattered them against the wall. The last hatchling and coincidentally the smartest swiveled the spell cannon around on its turret before his head jerked forward after being cored out by a void bolt fired by Yasiin. When all the bodies fell, they heard an echo from down the stairs rising to meet them. Hands clapped together slowly as a pair of female hatchlings ascended the stairs to greet them. One wore ominous spell armor that hurt to look at. Dark as night, it almost triggered something primal and fearful. Pallid green faces swam along the surface of the armor, flickering like fireflies in the night sky. ¡°Not bad. But now that you¡¯re warmed up, let¡¯s have a real fight.¡± The hatchling in the menacing-looking spell armor said. ¡°Patience Tua, father¡¯s commands were clear. We put these mortals down and be on our way.¡± Tua hissed at her compatriot. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a coward, Tanaka. The faster we open their throats. The sooner we may drink.¡± The other hatchlings, a weaver by the look of her, narrowed her eyes at Tua. Tanaka was smaller, with a bronze spell staff in hand. The pair readied their weapons as they stared down Akamori. ¡°Your move red.¡± Tua said, grinning. The rows of razor-sharp teeth lining her mouth on full display. ? Chapter 111: Round 1 Round 1 Administrator Tousoux¡¯s Personal Estate Beware! Thanaton hissed. That armor is soul tainted. It is a devourer. Many souls lay trapped, hidden within it like bugs in a jar. Like a dog whose hair was standing on end, the spell blade felt extremely weary around the pair of female hatchlings. Chiefly it was the ominous black ghostly spell armor. Akamori gripped his blade loose, bringing it up into a ready position in Bahumet¡¯s stance. Akamori Shinjo backed up cautiously, putting space between himself and Tua and Tanaka. A few weeks ago, he¡¯d almost forgotten his visceral fear of hatchlings. Just a few minutes prior, he¡¯d weighed the odds of survival against hurling himself into a mob of 4 heavily armed hatchlings. But Thanaton¡¯s intense caution that bordered on fear put him on guard. Tua¡¯s tongue flicked out, sampling the air, and she grinned broadly as she leered at Akamori. ¡°This one tastes like danger.¡± Tanaka eyed Tua wearily. ¡°Patience sister. If we engage them haphazardly, we could pay for it. These vermin aren¡¯t to be underestimated.¡± Tua drew a spell blade eagerly and pointed it at Akamori, clearly challenging him. On the second-floor balcony, the rest of the squad watched tensely. Sirsir¡¯s hands bit down into the stone as his body tensed to jump. Morwen rested a calming hand down on his shoulder. She shook her head. ¡°Not yet.¡± Sirsir¡¯s jaw clenched, but he nodded. He¡¯d never questioned her orders, and he wasn¡¯t about to start now. Sirsir fidgeted nervously. He sighed quietly. ¡°Man, all this sitting around don¡¯t sit right with me at all. We should be down there with the Lt.¡± Akamori fell in at Sala¡¯s side, shoulder to shoulder. Both close range fighters were within a few meters of the hatchling sisters. Amara remained back with the squad, acting as an observer with her Maetrayops visual magic spell. Being able to perceive many magic being used was a valuable boon. Morwen refused to pass on such an advantage when two dangerous unknowns strolled up to challenge the squad. Morwen¡¯s expression glazed and her gaze went distant as she channeled her own ability. She¡¯d yet to master actively using it while engaged in other activities. ¡°I¡¯ll take the one with the armor. Deal with the mage. I¡¯m sure the Captain will come up with her own plan. We¡¯ll just have to adjust as she comes up with it.¡± As acknowledgement of Akamori¡¯s words, Sala¡¯s aura exploded to life around him. The dead hatchlings at their feet, the scattered weapons and anything not fastened down was hurled into the walls. Sala rolled his shoulders, drawing two loud and distinct pops. His thick red fur ruffled wildly as he stood within his aura, the eye of a violent and wild golden hurricane. Sala dropped into a ready stance, as stone slid over his skin like liquid rock. ¡°I¡¯m going to open you up and drink your insides pink skin.¡± Tua taunted Akamori. ¡°Hmph. Come and try.¡± Tua snarled and charged forward. She and Akamori engaged in a whirling cyclone of blades. Sparks flew as the two warriors took each other¡¯s measure. Neither combatant committed to anything rash or hasty just yet. Quickly Akamori sensed that even a marginal mistake would mean certain death, as Tua¡¯s form and strength quickly put him on the back foot. Unfortunately for Tua, Akamori grew accustomed to being the weaker opponent in a duel and used his speed and agility to his advantage, turning his weakness into a strength by being too elusive to pin down. An overpowering strike deflected here or parried there. Employing an economy of motion and moving only as much as he needed to evade, deflect, or block, he proved a frustrating opponent for Tua. For Tua, she was used to using her brute strength and size to finish her prey. She¡¯d never had to outwit an opponent. This shortcoming in her blade work frustrated her as much as the crimson-haired warrior in the black coat. Tua roared as the warrior casually swatted her latest attack aside and stepped around her as smoothly as a warm summer breeze. Growing tired of his games, Tua lifted her spell sword and channeled her magic. She wreathed her hand in soul magic and dragged it along the blade. She may lack for finesse and accuracy, but she had ways around those pitfalls. She could artificially make her blade work more precisely by enhancing her blade with soul magic. The sword would now actively try to seek gaps and openings in her opponent¡¯s form and technique of its own accord. With Tua and Akamori squared off, Sala charged straight for Tanaka, who¡¯s hands wove at deft speeds, hurling an acid bolt that splashed against his radiant aura and sizzled mutely against his stone skin. Sala¡¯s fist smashed into the wall, leaving a head sized crater, marring the pristine surface. Tanaka¡¯s heart raced as the severity of the danger she was in sank in, and decades of weaver training under her father kicked in. Her wings flapped as she gained altitude and she wove with both hands, casting individual spells, a pair of soul bolts that crashed against the Primal¡¯s aura before dissolving against an unrelenting fury. In response, the primal jumped, seizing her by the ankles and hurling her across the room to smash into a far wall, stealing the air from her chest. Martial combat was not her strongest suit, and her vision swam as unconsciousness threatened to claim her. She knew if she passed out, death would greet her soon. Forcing steel into her spine, Tanaka rose, weaving a complex bolt spell that mixed earth and soul magics to create a rock spike laced with soul magic, making a stone homing missile. She hurled the attack at the primal as he charged at her. To his credit, the attack missed as he dodged with the agility of the red-haired human. The stone spike banked sharply and tracked after the primal. With the momentary distracting, she clapped both hands to the floor and raised them, erecting a stone wall in front of the primal. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sala simply plowed his way through the wall, seizing the spike and crushing it in his bare hands. Tanaka¡¯s blood ran cold as the war slave charged her again. He was unrelenting and, as a mage; she was unaccustomed to having to fend for herself without having the impenetrable wall of her sister as safety to hide behind. She took a deep breath, lining her next attack up, and breathed. A pallid, grayish green flame boiled out of her maw. Faces of dead souls keening and wailing, eager to draw more souls into their misery, erupted out at Sala, with Akamori behind him. Tua flew up out of the attack with a rehearsed precision. Sala cupped his hands at his side. An orb of raw golden magic pooled and condensed as he channeled raw aether into an unstable ball and then let it explode outward into Tanaka¡¯s breath attack. The primal¡¯s counter attack crashed into her breath weapon spell, burning through the soul flame with the raw plasma of life. That didn¡¯t unnerve her though, it was the Primal¡¯s rage filled warcry that unsettled her. In the next instant, the balcony above exploded to life as a heavy spell machine gun and a heavy spell cannon got into a shouting match, directing oppressive fire at Tua. Tanaka wasn¡¯t sure who the winner was, but it wasn¡¯t Tua. A hurricane of rounds and explosive bolts swatted her sister from the air to bounce off the stone floor heavily. Tanaka wove a blink spell, emerging from the void frost covered next to her sister, and flicked a woven void bolt out at a spell sniper, throwing off his shot. A fist-sized chunk of stone next to her head evaporated into particles from the missed shot. Tua picked herself up off the floor, her lips curling back into an eager grin. Tanaka¡¯s blood thirsty sister, now excited and invested in the fight, would become a liability the further the fight dragged on. They needed to be clear headed, not clouded in battle fog. Lusting for glory was only going to get them killed. Tanaka could see this was a squad of soldiers who¡¯d fought together long enough to have these kinds of situations comfortably mastered. ¡°It is unwise for us to remain.¡± Tanaka cautioned. ¡°So is returning to father in failure.¡± Tua said. ¡°He would understand if success meant risking our lives.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Tonight we feast on their still beating hearts!¡± ¡°Gross.¡± Akamori said. Tua charged Akamori again, her blade flashing wildly through kata¡¯s the spell warrior, only understood on an instinctive level. His sword whipped about wildly as he frantically worked to parry and evade her attacks, unable to create an opening of his own to counter attack. Even with his own considerable strength and power, Tua was just a head above him across the board. Thankfully, he had demigod level endurance now, otherwise she could have just tired him out and ran him through then. As it stood, they were in a stalemate. Tua was more patient than she let on, though, and she had more than enough tools and skills at her disposal to wear down a tougher opponent, even one that relied on skill or agility to evade her. In the end, no one escaped the devourer¡¯s armor. She would have the red-haired man¡¯s soul in her collection. She might even use him as a puppet of her own. She spun, letting her blade lance across the stomach of his black coat. The slash resistant material might have been durable for non magic attacks, but her blade easily carved it open, leaving a track of cleaved flesh in its wake. Akamori staggered back, clutching his stomach as blood already freely flowed from the wound. In the instant he backed off to check his wound, a storm of fire rained down from above his shoulders. Sirsir, Amara, Yasiin, and Morwen all cast and wove spells that pushed the hatchling sisters back before Tanaka cast a powerful ward fueled by soul magic. Akamori watched grimly as the squad¡¯s sum of attacks splashed against the barrier field harmlessly. Tua and Tanaka both consumed mana potions, and Tanaka drank a health potion as well. Sala fell back in at Akamori¡¯s side as the rest of the squad ceased fire at the top of the balcony. Like the hatchlings, the squad took the momentary lapse in fighting to replenish their AP with mana potions. Akamori used a lesser healing potion, knitting the slash mark across his stomach back up. On the balcony with the rest of the squad, Morwen studied Tua and Tanaka. These two were not average Sauridius hatchlings. ¡°Amara, get down there and join them.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Amara stepped off the balcony, landing in a crouch next to Sala. Her maetrayops glowed golden, iridescent as she studied the draconic sisters in front of her. They were strong and old for hatchlings. Both were not far off from their first molt. Both possessed strong earth, soul, and fire magics. The Weaver also had some water magic, too. That meant they were capable of greater protection magic, aside from the standard gamut of offensive uses of their base alignments. Tua¡¯s tongue flicked out, sampling Akamori¡¯s blood on her blade, and her irises dilated with pure glee. ¡°Not bad for an appetizer, but let¡¯s proceed to the main course, shall we?¡± Akamori shuddered. ¡°Oh that is so unsettling on so many levels. Can we not refer to me as a meal?¡± Tua grinned. ¡°Why not? That¡¯s all you are to me.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like me. Too gamey. And I¡¯m probably a little greasy? I feel like I¡¯d probably cause some indigestion. Maybe irritable bowel syndrome or something.¡± Sala and Amara both looked at him flatly. He shrugged innocently. ¡°What?¡± Sala and Amara both shook their heads before turning back to the hatchling sisters, who just simply looked perplexed. ¡°Just ignore him.¡± Amara said. ¡°90% of what he says is random or stupid.¡± Sala added. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m standing right here.¡± Akamori protested. ¡°We know.¡± Amara grumbled. The sisters charged, now annoyed at the squad¡¯s bickering. Combat began once again. ? Chapter 112: The Finisher The Finisher Tua and Tanaka surged forward, their charge blunted by the wall of Akamori, Sala and Amara. Tua pressed forward, her blade flitting about in tight but wild slashes and jabs that Akamori met with a warrior¡¯s grace. Behind Tua, Tanaka¡¯s staff swept about left and right in wide arcs to knock aside Sala¡¯s blows in a more defensive dance. With Sala¡¯s attempt at locking down the mage stymied by a formidable defense, Amara filled the defensive gap. Recognizing the threat Amara presented, Tanaka shifted to more area effect attacks and mixed in spells to augment her flow. Tua also shifted focus, making this portion of the fight flexible and adaptable. Tua¡¯s blade hummed through the air closer to Amara¡¯s face than she felt comfortable, forcing her to back off and respond with woven spell bolts. Tua slashed through and parried the spells away with casual ease. Anytime Tua presented an opening to Akamori he eased Thanaton in, trying to bypass the Hatchling warrior¡¯s guard, only to come up short each time. Because of the ground fights proximity to the edge of the second-floor balcony, no one above the ground melee had any decent line of fire without risking hitting the squad¡¯s close range component. This development forced Yasiin, Sirsir, and Morwen to hold fire for the time being and trust in an opening to present itself. Sirsir paced like an agitated caged big cat. Yasiin remained prone as he watched down the side of his rifle to relax his aiming eye and save it from the strain. Morwen sat cross-legged in a meditated pose as he focused on her divination ability to see the end of the fight. On the ground, Akamori slid under Tua¡¯s blade, using his air magic to continue the slide free of her reach to change the situation up and present a threat to Tanaka. Tanaka knew he outmatched her. Sensing the momentum shift, Thanaton thrummed eagerly, as it all but bayed for blood. As Thanaton sprang up to resume the attack, her bronze spell staff flew up in a blur of movement to block the hungry blades¡¯ advance. Amara shifted targets with Sala, focusing their fury on Tua. Tua was far less suited to blunt force attacks, and forced to evade more often than not, offering wild counter attacks to create space and relieve the pressure on her. Results were mixed as her spell blade skipped harmlessly off of Sala¡¯s stone skin armor, and the force of her strikes blunted by his defiant aura. He healed any damage she had achieved through his aura. This duality between defense and support allowed the war slave to focus almost entirely on delivering blows to his target. An advantage he capitalized on prolifically. Tua¡¯s head jerked as a massive fist caught her across the jaw and set black dots across her vision as she nearly lost consciousness. She blinked the stars away, spinning and raking a thin line across the primal¡¯s stone skin that quickly healed. She needed a way around his healing and defenses that she would not get through brute force attacks. A reptilian grin spread across her features as she flapped her wings, backing off and cast an earth magic spell wreathing her hand in poison magic now, then dragged it along her blade. Now coated in a sickly green oil that exuded noxious fumes, Tua grinned, and beckoned Sala to engage her. Akamori pressed his attack on Tanaka, Thanaton crashing against the bronze spell staff in a rapid staccato of beats that drew sparks and rattled the combatants hands. Tanaka retaliated quick weaving an acid bolt spell and hurling it at Akamori forcing him back. Akamori cursed and leaned back while propelling himself back to gain space from the weaver. Landing in a swirl of leather and mirrorsteel, Akamori whispered his empowerment spell to Thanaton. Air magic danced and swirled along the silver and black blade as it started humming like a struck tuning fork. The sonic vibrations lending to its cutting power. Tanaka, sensing the danger she was in, began weaving a stone skin spell but couldn¡¯t finish before Akamori was on top of her, blade whirling and humming. She broke the spell she was weaving to desperately block his flurry of blows. She saw lines carve into the stone of the floor and walls as he slashed and chopped at her. A column was cleaved in two at an angle toppling over. One of the stone walls they¡¯d erected lost a corner. He was projecting air blades from his sword with casual grace and deadly precision. Her heart raced as she tried to find a way out. It was time to use their last resort. Tanaka opened a portal and fell into it, emerging at the back of the room, safely behind the remaining fortification wall. She opened a second and Tua emerged next to her. Tua¡¯s black armor glistened with frost from the cold of the void. Tanaka produced a glass vial that had a pallid green gas in it that swirled and writhed as though it moved on its own. Tua understood the situation and nodded her ascent. A cross slash of wind blades punched through the wall, further enforcing Tanaka¡¯s suspicion it was time. She threw the glass vial into the center of the room, where it broke near the melee fighters of the squad they battled. The sickly green cloud swirled and writhed, forming several spirits that eyed the living with hate and hunger. Tanaka knew they conditioned these spirits to hate the living and seek to murder. Some spirits possessed the dead bodies of the hatchlings, while others moved straight for the squad. In a heartbeat, the momentum of the fight had shifted out of favor of the squad and firmly back into Tua and Tanaka¡¯s hands. She regretted it had to come to this, though. Using the special item her father had prepared for such a situation. The vengeful revenants flew at Akamori who whipped his blade about in a flurry of slashes. The attacks passed harmlessly through the revenants, carving up the wall behind them. Sala punched the revenant¡¯s head, which exploded in ectoplasm. Turns out? Soul magic is weak against Light magic. A fact that Sala was well aware of. ¡°Stop screwing around¡­ sir. Use light magic on them.¡± Akamori grumbled. He didn¡¯t have light magic. He got the blessing of light. The revenants wouldn¡¯t be able to possess him because of the blessing, but he couldn¡¯t destroy them easily. ¡°Would if I had any?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get magic from your infusion?¡± ¡°No.¡± Akamori said sternly. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Sala blinked. ¡°Oh. Well, use your void magic then?¡± The air around Akamori went cold, as void magic rippled around him. A cloak made of raw void magic burst into view and his limbs took on semi demonic appearances with chitinous armor. Enshrouded in his void cloak he glanced down at his sword as black and purple void glass grew around the blade like frost. The blade of the sword crystalized into the haft of a scythe, a long crescent blade grew from the end. The Destroyer returns , Thanaton purred gleefully. The strange stillness of the scene shattered as Akamori and Sala hurled themselves at the revenants and possessed bodies. Thanaton eagerly cleaved an offending spirit, ectoplasmic goo splattered the clean white tiles. Spinning, Akamori¡¯s void cloak dissolved an offending spirit¡¯s hand as though it simply stopped existing. He slashed it in half for its trouble. Sala pounced on a hatchling, pounding its head into goo as a sickly green smoke hung in place for a moment before billowing away. Another possessed Hatchling rushed the war slave before losing an arm and being snatched by the ankle and smashed into two more like a big meaty club. After beating two more zombies with the first, he dropped what remained of the leg he¡¯d been holding. He looked up in time to more and more filling the room. Akamori¡¯s attacks had gone from single target focused attacks to sweeping area attacks. Sirsir and Yasiin had also joined in with Morwen¡¯s help. The pitch of the fight was quickly slipping away from the squad if they didn¡¯t do something drastic and fast. More spirits rose from the ground in clouds of greenish white smoke. A tear in reality cracked open, revealing the negative lit glow of the Soul Realm, and a Banshee drifted through. Black hair fell down both sides of its head. Its face, if such a word could be assigned was featureless and looked like someone had pulled a bag over someone¡¯s face, leaving only the mouth. The Banshee¡¯s head cocked back, and it screamed. The sonic and soul reverberations stunned Akamori, dropping him to a knee. The rest of the squad staggered to the ground besides Sala, who was still safely within his Aura. Even the primal struggled against the attack, though, clutching his head and gritting his teeth. Akamori¡¯s vision swam as he glanced up, squinting through the cold and pain at the Banshee. We need to destroy the Banshee! Thanaton growled. Akamori grit his teeth. I know! But I can¡¯t! The sword thrummed agitatedly. Being soul linked, it knew what was happening to him. His body pressed to the ground, cold and numb, like he was being crushed in a gas giant¡¯s gravity well. His limbs were weak, like he¡¯d just run several marathons. A tangent thought popped up, wondering what exactly marathons were, but his primary logical mind hushed the stray thought and pushed it aside. The Banshee had literally stolen the wind from his sails, and he was powerless to fight back. He watched with dread as the Banshee inhaled to scream again, head cocking back like the slide of a pistol. But before the banshee could fire a second shot from those baleful dead lips? The Banshee¡¯s head evaporated into ectoplasmic goo in a blast of fiery red and orange plasma that scorched the back wall black as night. All the spirits paused, confused, and glanced up and behind Akamori as the room lit up like a second sun had just manifested. Luffa drifted down into view, hands aglow with light and fire magic mixed. Fist sized orbs of raw aether with magic runes and circles that rotated around them in an organized and lazy pattern. Akamori didn¡¯t recognize the framework of the spell, but he was certain Amara was already puzzling it out with her visual magic. Like Sala¡¯s defensive aura, Luffa was wreathed in fiery radiant gold flames that writhed and billowed. ¡°Luffa!¡± Amara strained. ¡°Hey Amara. Erlaut was worried about your squad when our attempts to scry your squad were actively being blocked. He portaled me here to help. Just in the nick of time by the look of things. Let¡¯s do something about this Soul Lure.¡± Luffa cupped her hands in front of her, whispered a brief incantation, and an orb of plasma formed in front of her hands like a star being born. Smaller motes of energy spilled into the orb like it was drawing them in. The more energy it sucked in, the larger it grew. Then Luffa launched an orb the size of a human torso into the floor where the glass file fragments lay, along with the rising souls. The spell bomb detonated, and a blast wave of light and fire magic incinerated all the revenants, and even some of the possessed bodies. Debris and ash detonated outwards after Luffa¡¯s attack. The air changed instantly, and whatever oppressive effect that the Banshee created evaporated in the raw heat and magic of Luffa¡¯s attack. The war slave floated down next to Sala and gave him an appraising look. ¡°Hi.¡± She said. The intensity of her entrance faded an octave. Sala blinked and lifted a massive hand to wave back awkwardly. Rarely did two primals cross paths on Eryn. Akamori dashed forward a few steps, waving the smoke and debris cloud aside. His lungs burned from breathing in the tangy, charged ozone. Coughing, a few times, he finished waving the area clear and he could only blink. ¡°Damn.¡± he muttered. Luffa had leveled everything in a few sweeps of blasts. Having her attack had been the equivalency of firing off a spell ship¡¯s cannon. He turned to regard the war slave with fresh eyes, appreciating Luffa and Sala for the engines of destruction that they were. Begrudgingly, he had to respect the Eryn nobility for choosing to make warriors of the Primals even though it meant forced slavery. ¡°Hey. Where¡¯s the two hatchling sisters?¡± Amara asked, her eyes glowing with radiant magic, small hints of prismatic color shining on them. Akamori turned back to the entrance down to the basement and cursed. He sprinted forward and crashed through a final door at the bottom. It was a small safe room, laying in a pool of his own blood was the Administrator in the corner. An expendable asset that had just been expended. ¡°Now what?¡± Akamori muttered as Captain Morwen reached the bottom of the steps. ? Chapter 113: The Real Fight The Real Fight 2 months later¡­ Captain Morwen watched silently as ArchPriest Erlaut paced about the atrium of the Grand Temple with the same energy that a caged big game cat would. The Sauridius were out there, and that was enough alone to irritate the man¡¯s new found paranoia. Morwen put up with Erlaut¡¯s mania for as long as her patience would allow before he finally stood and wove a quick light spell to flash blind the ArchPriest. ¡°Morwen! This is no time for games!¡± He chastised. Morwen¡¯s unamused expression caused him to falter. ¡°Good, because I was growing tired of your paranoia wasting my time.¡± ¡°Paranoia? There are binders loose! You¡¯ve seen them attack the temple once. To add to your failures, you couldn¡¯t even stop the blasted daughters of the bastard who killed the last ArchPriest!¡± Morwen pinched the bridge of her nose, drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly through her mouth. ¡°Gods give me strength,¡± she whispered. Looking back up, she marched across the room and gripped Erlaut by the shoulders. His white and gold trimmed robes were clean and crisp, contrasting his harried expression. She¡¯d seen that expression before. It was the manic, and near unhinged way some of the colonists she¡¯d fought so hard to save looked when the Sauridius armies came to sweep Federation¡¯s worlds clean of life. Her heart went out to Erlaut and she sighed. ¡°We have given you the greatest burden we could expect any man to carry. But we need you to get your shit together. Now, Erlaut. Your little witch hunt is becoming a waste of time. The binders are just playing games with you.¡± ¡°Games? You call this a game?¡± ¡°Yes. I do. I get it may not seem that way to someone like you, who sat in his office smoking his pipe smugly while real soldiers went out to die. But the cold hard truth is that the Binders are dancing just out of your reach. I¡¯m concerned about why. You¡¯ve taken me and my squad out of the fight when we need to be out there most. Eryn and the Federation are vulnerable. We need a real weapon to balance the scales. Barring that, we need allies.¡± Erlaut¡¯s eyes focused as he overcame whatever personal demons he¡¯d been fighting. His lips pressed together firmly, and he finally nodded. ¡°I assume you have a plan to remedy this?¡± Morwen hesitated. This is where things got fuzzy. ¡°Of sorts. There¡¯s an ancient weapon amongst the stars. One that brought our very people to this world.¡± ¡°And you believe you can find this weapon and return it to us?¡± Erlaut asked. Morwen shook her head uncertainly. ¡°I believe I can try. But I lack all the information. Currently, my only lead rests on Anazi Prime.¡± Erlaut nodded, muttering to himself as he processed what she said. A great weapon could make Eryn safe again. He could protect their mother. The Lady of Light would stay safe. The well of light would stay safe. ¡°You seek to travel to Anazi. To begin a fool¡¯s quest to find this weapon?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°The dragons won¡¯t like elves and non riders randomly landing on their world.¡± ¡°Perhaps I could help with this task?¡± Rozien floated up from behind Morwen from her satchel. On a loan from Amara, Morwen had been listening together as Rozien imparted many of Aeryn¡¯s tales with firsthand knowledge. ¡°Go on.¡± Erlaut said to Rozien with a gesture. ¡°If our mission is to track down Theferis, we¡¯ll need access to library and archives of Anazi Prime. A task that would be easier accomplished with good will vs ill. The Air goddess was instrumental in Theferis¡¯ creation. I don¡¯t know where it was taken after we ferried our survivors to this moon, but the Lady of the Wind would know, surely.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll need a cover mission. It¡¯s best if the dragons don¡¯t put together what you¡¯re really looking for on Anazi Prime.¡± ¡°A cover mission?¡± Morwen asked. Erlaut nodded. ¡°In case you¡¯re being watched or scried. We¡¯re shielded within, but I can¡¯t guarantee the Sauridius won¡¯t see through our intentions after you depart. Still, we need that weapon.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Morwen said softly. ¡°Rozien, would a diplomatic mission to secure an alliance with the dragons work realistically?¡± ¡°From what I can recall? Not likely. They¡¯re a very proud race and arrogantly view themselves as the apex species of the galaxy. Accepting a political union or an alliance with us would be like laying down and rolling in the mud to them. They have very curious social norms that would almost certainly make navigating them a pain more than a blessing. You lose nothing in trying, and may find the dragons have mellowed in their solitude. Anazi is a product of the old ways of thinking. If she¡¯s been dormant or mia*, then it¡¯s possible they may have replaced her mode of thinking, even on the fringes.¡± ¡°Some help is better than none?¡± Morwen asked, reaching for Rozien¡¯s meaning. ¡°Essentially. Yes.¡± Erlaut frowned, his mind already creating all the various nightmare scenarios his people would face with his best people absent from the world. But it was a necessary risk. Finally, he waved Morwen off. ¡°Very well. Be on with it then. Find the weapon and return so we can win this war.¡± ¡°I will.¡± She¡¯d allowed him to assert himself more in the conversation after demonstrating something other than abject fear or paranoia. She needed Erlaut the leader, the elder mage. Not whatever mess he¡¯d become in Ominek¡¯s wake. Dismissing herself, she passed an Emerald Guard captain watching over the chambers. The guards were always armed now. One of the latest in a host of security protocol changes in the wake of Ominek¡¯s attack on the temple. Time would tell if it was an effective measure or not. In her experience, it usually depended on whether the target in question thought they were in enough duress to merit firing. Most often, that wasn¡¯t the case. One of the captain¡¯s waiting at the temple¡¯s gate checkpoint gave Morwen a nod. She didn¡¯t know the captain¡¯s name. Their relationship boiled down to courteous nods to each other in passing and stoic military bearing with each other. As Morwen reached earshot, the captain spoke up. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°How is he today?¡± Morwen frowned, heaving a reluctant sigh. She turned to look at the temple one more time. Worry for Erlaut and the future of their world gripped her tightly. Turning back to the captain, she schooled her features more neutrally. ¡°Worse for the wear. It¡¯s like something is eating at him. I can¡¯t tell what. His need to protect the well and the people is making him manic.¡± The guard captain¡¯s gaze fell and her helmet bobbed a nod. Perhaps the captain had witnessed her share of Erlaut¡¯s breakdowns as well. Regardless of how or what she¡¯d seen, recognition flashed in the captain¡¯s eyes. ¡°Maybe tomorrow will be better. New mission?¡± ¡°New Mission.¡± ¡°About time. I know you¡¯ve been pushing for a change since the Inquisition started.¡± ¡°My squad is better suited to the front. We¡¯re being wasted here. And worse, I can¡¯t help but feel like that¡¯s just playing into the enemy¡¯s hand. It¡¯s time we got back out there.¡± The Emerald Guard captain grunted approval. ¡°Go kick their heads in. We¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s a world to come back to.¡± Morwen fist bumped the Captain as she passed through the gate checkpoint. The arcane barrier reappeared as Morwen passed the threshold. Free of the wards that held all things private and secret within the temple, Morwen wove a quick missive spell to the squad. ¡°Suit up everyone and get the Indra moved to the Crasher. We¡¯ve got a new mission. We leave soon.¡± Various quick replies came back, and she waved it all aside in motes of orange and red fire magic. She turned to face the star port. The Cadaver Crasher should be ready to leave the dock soon. The damage she sustained from Hidros slated for completion by now. She went to inspect the ship herself, and take the chance to show Arjun the Crasher . *Author¡¯s Note: mia - Missing In Action. A status assigned to soldiers and agents who haven¡¯t reported back and/or been confirmed to be killed in action. # Akamori sat lotus style on the floor of his quarters in the Indra. Much had changed since he last focused on improving himself with Yasiin and spend his xp. He¡¯d reviewed the various abilities he¡¯d gained, and opted to spend the xp he¡¯d earned to develop his spell portfolio. Then he invested in more abilities. He reviewed his current progress in meditation with a small measure of pride, having come a long way from a lowly farmer on a far-flung forgotten agrarian colony world in the sector. As he studied his progress, he noted a box in his stats that was unchecked. ¡°Enable Real Time Progress?¡± He focused on the option and a secondary missive scroll unfurled next to it. System Info : Enable Real Time Progress. Enabling this option allows the use of XP to be spent concurrent with and to reflect progress. He pondered over that for a moment, spinning the words around in his mind. That seemed helpful. He could set his xp to auto invest in progress, reflective of what he¡¯d accomplished. Training would merit purchases in the trained. So if he lifted weights, his xp invest in strength. Running and obstacle courses would improve his agility. Approving of the idea, he checked the box. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d scoured much of his stats, anyway. He was far too busy for that. Satisfied with the resultant stats, he waved the system missives away mentally and opened his eyes. Just in time to catch the blur of hazy motion as a dagger sank into his abdomen close to his right kidney. He hissed in pain, hands seizing onto the blade and the invisible hand holding it. The hand holding it tried to jerk back, but he kept a firm grip on it through grit teeth even as the nerves in his body howled in pain. Neuroelectric fire writhed within his nervous system. ¡°It¡¯s rude to stab a man while he¡¯s meditating.¡± Akamori said through clenched teeth. His assailant offered no verbal reply, giving him a palm to the chin instead. Akamori¡¯s head whipped back from the impact. He shot a strike of his own out, catching the attacker in the throat. Muffled coughing issued at arm¡¯s length away. Akamori let go of the hand on the dagger, sliding his grip down to the dagger itself and held it in place. Then he thrust his legs up to catch the attacker in the chest and hurled them into the opposite wall. A loud thud issued, and some items on his dresser fell over in the commotion. Arms wrapped around his neck as another body jumped onto his back, trying to strangle him. But they¡¯d sorely underestimated his strength. He wasn¡¯t that weak kid that grew up on Honshu. Using his air magic, he jumped to the ceiling, and maneuvered himself so his back, and whomever was riding it, would strike the ground first. He heard his attacker groan in pain. The voice was feminine, which explained the lightweight he felt when she¡¯d pounced on his back. But who or even what she was, he couldn¡¯t say since he¡¯d yet to actually lay eyes on her. It was like every time he tried to focus on her, she just slipped through his mind like water through a stream. He didn¡¯t have to see her to hurt her, though. Now that he had her pinned, she¡¯d lost her leverage. She was at his mercy. He channeled his fire magic to enhance his blows while driving his elbow down forcefully. With each impact, he could feel ribs weaken, and his assailant grunted painfully. Finally, the rib fractured and his would be assassin let out a pained yelp. A dagger plunged into his chest, near the top of his pectoral muscle, near the clavicle bone. A pained roar ripped free of Akamori¡¯s lungs, his still channeled fire magic hurled a cone of flame into the air. The gout of fire ended in a coughing fit and smoke curling free of his nostrils. He blinked into the air and let go of his attacker, allowing them to fall to the deck while he reappeared in the doorway to his room. The quarters were too tight to wield Thanaton, forcing him to rely on the spell rifle instead. An impact struck his abdomen, and he lashed out with the rifle, using buttstock to catch his opponent square on the chin. ¡°Why are you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°You should have stayed a ghost of Honshu.¡± the woman said back. ¡°Keep it up and I¡¯ll add one more to the pile.¡± No response came. Slowly, he circled his room until his back was facing the doorway, proving the least amount of room and access to him. His attacker didn¡¯t rely on active cast spells. Instead, relying on weapons like the dagger. Pain gripped his chest as felt numbness and ice slowly spreading through his body. A cough worked its way up his throat, and he fell to his knees. Black veins grew at the edges of his wounds and grew slowly. The knife had been poisoned. It was the only explanation. He wrote a missive to the entire squad. System Info: Missive - Recipients: The Crew: Help. My quarters. Poisoning. Assassination attempt. He sent the message and fell back against the wall, trying to get his heart rate under control. Moving and panic would speed up the poison¡¯s spread and he needed to fight for as much time as he could. He had magic. What could he use to buy time? Water magic had a slow tic healing spell, and he¡¯s just purchased that spell earlier. Good. It wouldn¡¯t cure the poison, but at least hold off the effects long enough for someone who could. He closed his eyes and focused on the calming cool effect of the water magic within his breast. Then he channeled the healings spell and waited. ? Chapter 114: Cause and Effect Cause and Effect Amara was the first to find him. Instantly her maetrayops could see the black poison spreading from the wounds in Akamori¡¯s torso. A few steps behind her, Morwen and Yasiin burst into the small quarters belonging to the XO. Amara stepped aside, brows furrowed as she explained what she saw to the Captain. Morwen kneeled down next to Akamori whose face was pale, with black veins spider webbing up his neck. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Akamori said with a raspy voice. Morwen frowned as Amara listed off what she could see. She¡¯d seen this kind of poison before. ¡°I know this toxin.¡± She announced finally. ¡°Sauridius?¡± Amara guessed. Morwen frowned and shook her head, resting her hands on Akamori¡¯s wounds. ¡°It comes from a marshland drake found on Anazi Prime. Their dragon riders harvest it to lace their weapons with.¡± She glanced up at Akamori with concern, ¡°That they¡¯ve set their sights on you is worrisome. Dragons who feel spurned enough to dispatch assassins are just as like to devour you on sight.¡± Brilliant golden light pulsed from Morwen¡¯s hands as she channeled life giving light magic that cleansed and strengthened Akamori¡¯s aether. His weary and wounded boy recovered, knitting the stab wounds together and erasing the black veins. Akamori¡¯s eyes fluttered shut for a moment as the exhaustion overtook him. A moment later he blinked them back open, looking at Morwen, Amara and Yasiin. ¡°Why all the long faces?¡± Akamori asked. Morwen sighed, rolling her eyes. Amara snickered, and Yasiin bit back a grin. ¡°Any ideas on why a dragon rider assassin was making an attempt on your life?¡± Morwen asked. He shrugged, the gesture weak given his condition. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. We have mowed through our fair share of dragons lately.¡± Morwen eased back just a hair, nodding. She wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied though. Something about this didn¡¯t add up. Even if the dragons on Anazi Prime were mad with Akamori, how would they know about anything happening beyond their world? They¡¯d have to monitor that wrinkle and watch it for further developments. For now, they had a mission to be about. Morwen stood, holding a hand out for Akamori and helped him to his feet. He swayed a little, looking green in the gills. ¡°Get some rest for now. You have a visitor due by before we depart.¡± She set Akamori down on his bed, who looked like he wanted to protest, but thought better of it. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Your Artificing friend, Kusinaki. Somehow he got word about your armor¡¯s death by Lucinda¡¯s hand. He wouldn¡¯t stop badgering my mother about bringing you something to replace it with, even threatening to leave her employ for someone else who would.¡± Amara chuckled, ¡°Yeah, that sounds like Ku. If I had to guess, he picked up the stubbornness from the XO.¡± Amara teased. ¡°I taught him nothing of the sort.¡± Akamori stated matter-of-factly. Amara gave Akamori a flat look, and he shrugged, ¡°What?¡± Morwen stood back a step and gestured for the others to leave Akamori¡¯s room. ¡°Alright. Everyone out.¡± The squad milled out slowly, leaving Akamori to himself, who took the chance to catch up on some much needed rest, rubbing his chest where the blades had punctured his flesh earlier. Rest claimed him quickly as his exhaustion made it easier for a deep sleep to claim him. In the corridor on the other side of the door, Morwen, Amara, and Yasiin¡¯s expressions darkened without Akamori¡¯s casual good natured joking to defuse the seriousness. Amara scanned the corridors and saw nothing. ¡°Anything?¡± Amara shook her head. ¡°Not that I can see. But that doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t something there to see. They can fool my ability.¡± Morwen nodded, not wanting to lean on Amara¡¯s maetrayops as a crutch. Experience taught her that after an attempt like this it was likely the would be assassin would go to ground either to regroup, or check in with their handler. All they could do now would be to wait and see if anything else happened. She disliked such a passive approach, but in this case, it was necessary. Morwen sunk 5 points of her AP into cleansing and healing Akamori¡¯s poisoning. The color was returning to his complexion. He glanced up, giving Morwen a thankful nod. The Captain stepped back, giving some breathing space. ¡°Alright, get some rest. I suspect your friend is going to come and bring a gift my mother is loath to part with. Which makes me want to see it happen all the more.¡± Akamori¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You and her aren¡¯t that close, are you?¡± Morwen shook her head stiffly. ¡°No. She was always more focused on her success within the Guild. That success came at the cost of her marriage, and our relationship, such as it was.¡± ¡°I see.¡± That put her relationship with Lucinda into context a little better. A pang of guilt ricocheted off his heart, etching a weary look on his features. Morwen tugged her jacket smooth, scrutinizing him. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Don¡¯t. My family was a mess long before you killed Lucinda. And the nature of her bindings made saving her with enough time to stop the spell bomb an impossibility. Fretting over our failures is a cancer we can I¡¯ll afford. It¡¯ll eat you alive from within if you¡¯re not careful.¡± ¡°Focus on the wins, huh?¡± ¡°Essentially. You don¡¯t lose to Ominek and the Sauridius as often as I have without learning a thing or two about resilience.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Akamori nodded pensively. Then gave her a thankful smile. Her forgiveness, however unnecessary, relieved him. Getting up with a grunt, he rubbed the areas his attacker stabbed him. Two pink scars stood out against his normal skin tone. He needed some sun bad. ¡°Sure could have used some armor.¡± Akamori grumbled. Settling down on his bed with a sigh, he figured he¡¯d take his chances with a nap. The squad was on alert now, so anyone would be foolish to come back for a second shot. Still, he kept his spell rifle under his arms. Just in case. A couple hours later, Akamori got up from his short nap and threw his uniform top on. Studying himself in the mirror, he frowned. His feelings about the uniform and the Federation had gone all over the place. He started out hating it for his conscription. Then he accepted it as a necessary evil. Then he¡¯d tried to believe in it. And now he just wanted out. The desire to fight the Sauridius was as strong as ever. Whether he fought them under the Federation¡¯s banner or not didn¡¯t matter. More and more lately, he was thinking the squad would be better served free of the Federation. They could fight on their own. Little would change, save for the patches or uniforms they wore. A quick tug on the front of his uniform jacket caused him to pause and chuckle. Gods, he was acting like Morwen. Because the sector needed that. He strode from his room with Thanaton sheathed at his back. Ever since the invisible attacker, his blade had been extra on edge. The walk through the mess hall and towards the aft cargo section didn¡¯t take but a few minutes at his purposeful stride. As he approached the cargo bay, he could hear voices engaged in idle chatter. Amara, Kusinaki, and Morwen came into view. In the corner, sulking, was Arefhel, Morwen¡¯s mother. She stared at a scrypad with practiced disinterest in everyone gathered. It was the look he imagined someone wore when they wanted to look like they wanted to be anywhere but where they were. ¡°Akamori! Am I glad to see you! After the good captain told me about what happened to your last set of armor, I was afraid I might not make it back in time with our latest creation.¡± Akamori grunted as Kusinaki rushed forward and wrapped him up in a tight bear hug. He patted the artificer on the back, chuckling. ¡°Well, you almost didn¡¯t get the chance. Someone took a stab at me before you got here.¡± Kusinaki pulled back and frowned. ¡°You annoying someone so badly they sent an assassin after you? That sounds crazy.¡± Kusinaki said dryly. Akamori sighed and glanced around. Unlike last time, he didn¡¯t see a massive transport case holding any spell armor. ¡°Well, I assume you¡¯ve come to bring me something. But I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Kusinaki beamed proudly. ¡°That¡¯s because it hides in plain view. Watch.¡± The artificer tapped a black bracelet on his wrist and it melted. Almost taking on a living appearance, the armor slithered up his arm, and down his hand, forming a gauntlet, and a bracer, pauldron, chest plate, and soon a full suite of jet black armor. Akamori could only whistle. ¡°That was impressive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s our latest mk 15. It¡¯s made with an experimental material. Twice as light, and uses void magic for a unique defensive feature. Go ahead and shoot me.¡± Normally when the phrase ¡®go ahead and shoot me¡¯ is uttered it draws concerns and skepticism. But if the person who says it is wearing jet black spell armor that deployed itself like living ink? Well then, it¡¯s just one more in a list of weird boxes checked for today¡¯s strange bingo card. Akamori glanced at Morwen and Amara, who both just shrugged. Akamori retrieved his spell rifle reluctantly from his void storage pocket. Taking aim at the obsidian armor, he put the center of the chest in his crosshairs. He drew in a short breath, then depressed the trigger slowly. A small level one fire bolt shot from the muzzle. The fireball rippled as it contacted the armor¡¯s skin, then it reappeared behind Kusinaki and crashed into the bulkhead, leaving a small fist sized scorch mark. Everyone just stared, blinking at what they¡¯d just seen. ¡°Do it again.¡± Kusinaki said. Everyone heard the excited grin in his voice, even though they couldn¡¯t see it behind the armor¡¯s face plate. Shrugging, Akamori fired again. The bolt spell again rippled on the armor¡¯s skin and appeared to emerge from Kusinaki¡¯s back to strike the back wall. ¡°Ok, what¡¯s going on exactly?¡± Akamori asked, lifting the weapon¡¯s muzzle up before stuffing the rifle back into his void storage. He was glad he¡¯d had the forethought to purchase that void storage mount for the coat he¡¯d purchased. Secretly, he still wished it could have come in blue. The helmet turned to liquid and melted down to the neck collar. Kusinaki grinned ear to ear. ¡°This stuff is bleeding edge. They won¡¯t tell us where the material comes from, but it¡¯s heavily enchanted and costs a fraction of what standard spell armors cost. We could outfit more units for the same costs.¡± Kusinaki tapped the bracelet, and the armor shivered, turning back into fluid as it melted back down towards Kusinaki¡¯s wrist, forming a bracelet. The young artificer waved his hand around excitedly, showing off the latest piece. Akamori saw the pride and excitement in his friend. ¡°I¡¯m going to go on a limb and guess you were part of the development team.¡± Kusinaki¡¯s grin spread into a beaming smile that almost parted his face inhumanly. All Akamori could do was chuckle at the gushing excitement. ¡°This is innovative technology, Akamori. We can finally protect the sector with this.¡± Kusinaki pulled the bracelet off his wrist and held it out for Akamori to take. He nodded to Akamori. Akamori took the bracelet in his hand and shivered. The metal was as cold as the void. Like using a teleportation spell in combat. Only he felt the frost growing on his soul instead of his skin. Deep within, Bahumet stirred in agitation. Something about the bracelet¡¯s magic bothered the slumbering soul. Like an icy splinter in the skin. Pushing aside his momentary discomfort, Akamori slid the bracelet onto his wrist. He rolled his wrist a few times to model it for the others. Kusinaki nodded towards it encouragingly. ¡°Ok, so how I turn this thing on?¡± ¡°Once it¡¯s bound to you, it¡¯ll deploy at will, or you can tap it. Either way works.¡± Akamori frowned. DO NOT BIND TO THIS. A deep voice rumbled up from the depths of his soul. Thanaton hissed its approval. When two elder souls disapproved of something. You tended to listen. He went with the tap. The bracelet turned to liquid and spread across his body, then hardened into the armor. The transition from bracelet to armor felt like an ice-water bath that made his skin crawl. He felt like it wrapped him in a blanket of void magic. He tapped it several times and slowly studied himself. His hud paper doll got more detailed in this armor. It even broke down the body to better display damaged sections. ¡°Gonna need that feature.¡± He mumbled to himself with the helmet set to internal. His AP gauge was a bar now, which he assumed would also show refill rates. There was a status section for buffs and debuffs. That would prove helpful. Having a better idea of his physical situation would go a long way to keeping him from being unalived. Satisfied with his new gift, he thanked Kusinaki. The Artificer waffled, looking like he wanted to go along with them. Akamori figured it was probably because he wanted to see how his creation fared. Still, something about the armor felt wrong. It reminded him of transitioning through the void. That sensation of being watched. ¡°Akamori? You ok?¡± Kusinaki asked. Akamori shook the feeling off. Attributing it to nerves. He had just been attacked earlier. That was surely it. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just been a long day. We¡¯re heading out soon, so this was just in time. Once again, you pull through with a clutch save.¡± Akamori retracted the armor and watched Kusinaki leave with a disinterested Arafhel. Morwen¡¯s mother barked harsh orders to several aids as they left the Indra. As they walked away, Akamori thumbed the black bracelet distractedly. What was it made of and how had the magic worked like it had? The secrets of a creator, no doubt. ¡°Let¡¯s get underway. We¡¯ve a sector to save.¡± Morwen said at the mouth of the deck leading into the Crasher¡¯s Hanger. A chorus of yes sir¡¯s echoed from the squad as they fell in stride with her. ? Chapter 115: Changing Circumstances Changing Circumstances Captain Fennex saluted Captain Morwen as she, and the mages strode onto the bridge of the Cadaver Crasher. The Federation¡¯s now oldest and most famous warship. She carried the flag of battle proudly, and even though she lost more than she won, she told a story of steadfast dedication to protecting and fighting for the people of the sector. A Reputation built on the efforts of Captain Morwen¡¯s stratagems, and the sacrifices of the Brotherhood of Man¡¯s marines. ¡°Captain. Good to see you back where you belong. In the fight¡¯s front.¡± Fennex greeted her. She returned the salute and offered him her hand to shake. ¡°As well, it is good to see a familiar face. So, brief me on the situation?¡± ¡°Of course ma¡¯am. After the brass took the ship from you and yours, they gave her to me. But since I¡¯m just a water mage, I can¡¯t exactly pilot this beast. I lack the magic necessary. Good for submersible and ground combat, but I¡¯m as useless as spell cannons on a taxi for space fights. Provisionally they put me in charge, with you lot being here for operations.¡± ¡°We¡¯re batteries and pilots.¡± Akamori explained. Fennex scratched the back of his head sheepishly. A nervous chuckle cracked the broad man¡¯s lips. ¡°Listen, if it¡¯s all the same to you lot, I¡¯d rather have you guys runnin¡¯ this ship. You know how it works and you¡¯ve got the power to do it. Me? I¡¯m just a tanker that make ice cubes for his soda and chill his beer on demand.¡± The squad couldn¡¯t help share in a wry grin as the former Marine Lieutenant now freshly promoted shared a moment with them. ¡°Captain Fennex, it would be my pleasure and honor to resume command of the Crasher again.¡± Fennex stepped aside, offering the command console to Morwen. ¡°She¡¯s all yours then.¡± Morwen slid down into the main command seat and traced a hand affectionately over the gold control sticks. She looked like a champion fighter admiring their favorite weapon to Akamori. Fennex backed up to let the squad settle into their spots. Arjun stood awkwardly at the rear of the bridge. His tutoring under Morwen still progressing. He looked far less mousey now that he¡¯d spent some time learning his magic. Akamori claimed the front pilot¡¯s console. Grasping the bronze controls and pressing a silver and gold button on his console. Void magic rippled through the bronze sticks and shimmered down the base of the console into the deck. He felt himself connect to the ship, his senses extended throughout the vast network of sensors and control surfaces. It was like he had projected his consciousness throughout the massive craft. His will and desires, now the ships. ¡°Lieutenant. Let¡¯s be on our way, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± He sent an unconscious command to the engines, and all thrusters flared to life. Void magic erupted from vents all along the surface of the ship as the Crasher rose tediously from the pad. Golden spell fighters banked clear of its flight path like small sparrows avoiding a hawk as the Cadaver Crasher ascended the skies, charting a course towards the dark side of the moon. The aging Federation battleship pushed its way clear of Eryn¡¯s atmosphere ponderously. Shortly after, the vessel cleared Eryn¡¯s small gravity well and pushed forward for the shadowed side of the moon. The Crasher glided into the shadow of Eryn¡¯s moon like a child being tucked into bed. Shielded from the star¡¯s light, the ship opened a void portal. Reality broke open, cracked and ragged. The ship plunged into the Umbral plane, the ragged edges of the void portal slowly converged together like a celestial zipper knitting itself shut. # The war slave Luffa watched from the surface of Eryn as the aged battleship Cadaver Crasher rose from its pad to ascend the heavens towards orbit. She sighed at being left behind. She knew her friend Amara would miss her, but not nearly as much as Luffa would miss her. Trapped her on Eryn in Erlaut¡¯s manic nightmare of an inquisition. ¡°Please be safe, sister.¡± A man stepped up beside her, watching the ship gradually grow smaller in the sky until now it was little more than a pinpoint of light. He gave a nod to the ship. ¡°Someone you know up there? I hope you don¡¯t mind. I couldn¡¯t help but overhear your plea for a sister to be safe.¡± Luffa frowned, her jet black hair bobbing as she nodded. Turning to the man, she frowned at his nosiness, but he seemed polite enough. Something about him smelled wrong, though. He had pearl white hair, dark ebony skin and dark eyes to match. He wore a crisp dark suit with white lines that stressed his appearance. He was deceptively handsome. ¡°I-yes. A dear friend of mine. She just left to try and win the war. I just hope she isn¡¯t hurt.¡± Luffa noticed the man fight back a scowl, the corner of lips threatening to tug downwards. With practiced finesse, though, the man schooled his features back into a pleasant expression. The red fur on Luffa¡¯s arms and back threatened to raise. Insincerity was a fast track to distrust with her. ¡°Unfortunate. Perhaps she will survive. However, I wanted to speak with you about something different. Do you have time?¡± Luffa wanted to say no. Erlaut would expect her back soon, and she really didn¡¯t want to provoke his ire. He¡¯d become even more testy of late. Ever since the priests had cleansed his shackling, he¡¯d been progressively more manic and paranoid. Like the mere idea of facing the Sauridius again sent him spiraling into mumbling gibberish and mania. ¡°I should get back to ArchPriest Erlaut soon. I have more errands to run.¡± The man smiled confidently. ¡°This won¡¯t take me long at all. We can even walk as we speak.¡± He said, gesturing for her to walk. Luffa hesitantly took a step. Technically, she was heading back to Erlaut, so there wasn¡¯t any harm in hearing him out. She¡¯d not broken any rules yet. The man smiled, and for a moment, Luffa thought she heard a draconic purr. Her tail twitched irritatedly. She folded her arms behind her back in a more subservient posture. The dark-skinned stranger fell in at her side. Letting the moment of silence stretch on uncomfortably before cutting in with the practice of a theatre actor. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°May I ask your name?¡± he said. ¡°Luffa.¡± ¡°I am Ominek. A dreadlord of the Sauridius.¡± Luffa stopped, eying Ominek with equal measures of shock and horror. Before her stood the very man who¡¯d been the eye of the hurricane of suffering that had been blowing around Eryn lately. ¡°I thought that might get your attention. Have no fear. I¡¯m not here to harm you. Quite the opposite, in fact. I wanted to make you an offer you won¡¯t be able to refuse.¡± She glanced up as he finished speaking and shifted uncomfortably at his choice of words. ¡°Why would I not be able to refuse?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s something I know every primal yearns for.¡± ¡°What would you know of my people?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a proud race of warriors. Or at least you were until the dragons beat into submission you during the last epic. The same dragons who now cower in their last holdout in the sector. Anazi Prime. I know the elves gather your people up. They sell most of you to the arenas. Some rise to become champions. Others never live past their first day. Many were somewhere in between. Subjugated to lives of service, never free to be what you want.¡± Ominek paused skillfully and glanced at Luffa. ¡°If you could leave this world, would you like to return home?¡± Luffa¡¯s heart thundered in her chest. Conflicting thoughts and emotions warred for control. Home? What about Erlaut? How could she get away? What about the rest of her people? She couldn¡¯t believe she was even entertaining this. What would Amara think? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Luffa said in a subdued voice. ¡°I suppose it would be nice to return to my people. Maybe get to find my family again.¡± Ominek nodded, once more looking skyward. ¡°The elves will tell you I¡¯m evil. That I bind souls and wreak havoc where ever I travel.¡± Another pause, another glance back at her. ¡°And they would be right.¡± Luffa took a step back, unconsciously. ¡°But they won¡¯t tell you that Primus and the Gaian Nebula are practically next-door neighbors. Making us family. Many Primals fight in service of the Sauridius. We simply recognize their value and regard them as powerful assets not to be wasted in pathetic skirmishes the way the elves do.¡± Luffa¡¯s back stiffened at that. Her eyes narrowed at the dragon. ¡°And yet, you keep your own war slaves?¡± ¡°No, dear cousin. I said that many primals fight at our side, as equals . Not subjugates.¡± Luffa wore her conflicted feelings plain on her face, a fact that Ominek clearly noted, but didn¡¯t let show. A world where her people were equals? Where they were expected to jump when someone ordered. To die at someone¡¯s request? ¡°You¡¯re conflicted. I can see that. Tell you what. Think on it for a bit. Many have told you I¡¯m untrustworthy and they would usually be right. But I¡¯m not lying to you on this. I can take you home to your people¡¯s world. And bring you to friends.¡± Luffa nodded to Ominek silently. Standing face to face with the literal enemy of Eryn made her skin crawl. Both with the thrill and promise of a potentially challenging fight, and with the dread of knowing Erlaut¡¯s head would explode if she told him about this discussion. Finally, Ominek removed himself from Luffa¡¯s presence and disappeared behind a thick shrub. Hesitating for a moment, she dashed around the bush, expecting to glimpse him leaving. Instead, she found nothing. She bit her bottom lip as confusion set in. Had she imagined the whole thing? High above, a raven sat on a tree branch watching the female primal in the garden outside of a cafe. It cawed mockingly before taking flight. It glided through the air gracefully. Banking left and right, swooping over branches and ducking under store front signs until it settled down to land on the stone railing of a chateau on the opposite side of the capital city. The raven hopped down and morphed into the dreadlord Ominek in a burst of pink magic and black feathers. He strode towards the doorway of the second-floor balcony and stepped inside. Tanak and Tua stood inside, awaiting him. They both bowed to him deeply, their wings low over their shoulders as they exposed their necks and back to him. He nodded his approval but did not show acknowledgment as he strode around them to a large scrye table. It was a map of the Anazi Prime system. ¡°To me, my daughters.¡± Tanak and Tua both fell in next to him at the scrye table. The mind magic projecting an image of Anazi Prime and the asteroid field that surrounded the world. The shattered remains of an old moon. Now the hunting grounds of its protector. ¡°What are your orders?¡± ¡°I grow bored with playing cat and mouse games here with the Inquisition. It¡¯s time we proceed with our plans. The Federation has deployed a warship to Anazi Prime to secure an alliance with the dragons. They are fickle and have no love for the elves or humans that aren¡¯t their riders. Go to them. Convince them of the wise choice in backing us. Promise whatever you need to and show whatever measure of strength is required. At least. That is your cover mission.¡± Tua¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was always the first to catch on to his games. Too canny that one. ¡°What is your real intent?¡± ¡°Morwen wouldn¡¯t waste her time on such a foolish outreach mission. She¡¯s after something. I would know what and why. When you find her, she should posses an enchanted tome. One rumored to hold the soul of one who lived during the previous Epic. One who hails from a time of great weapons which could pose us immense danger. See to it, we deny them those weapons. Steal the enchanted tome and use it to procure those weapons for us, so we might turn them against our enemy.¡± Tua¡¯s eyebrow ridges furrowed. ¡°But father. If they¡¯ve left, that puts us at a disadvantage.¡± Ominek smiled, but it didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Oh daughter. Your lack of faith wounds me. Would I not set you up for success as much as possible?¡± ¡°No.¡± He was about to continue, but her denial cut him off genuinely. After a moment of thought, he nodded in conceit. ¡°Yes, well. That¡¯s not the point. This time I have a way.¡± He gestured to a magical gate on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s a prototype our agents lifted from the Artificers. A one way long range void portal. I¡¯ve set its coordinates to link you up with a fleet of our forces in Anazi Prime¡¯s orbit. They¡¯ll handle getting you to the surface. The rest will be up to you from them. Questions?¡± ¡°Yes. How are we-¡± ¡°Good. Good luck!¡± He said in a fake cheery voice as a crack in the void opened behind him and he fell into it waving. Tua sighed, rubbing the scales of her snout, and Tanak simply chortled. The two sisters started the portal and stepped inside. A short time later, the chateau exploded. ? Chapter 116: Guardian at the Gate Guardian at the Gate The Anazi Prime system stood as the last bastion of draconic might in the sector. Though that might may be a overselling it a bit. The last time the dragons were the dominant force in the sector was eons ago, in the previous epic before the calamity. Before the darkness. Now Anazi Prime stood as the last primary residence of the few dragons that still live within this sector. Bordered by the Primals and the Ehfants. The Anazi system named after the god of air¡¯s assumed name. The system held 7 planets and two bands of asteroids that used to be several worlds. Only the colonized world, Anazi Prime itself, bore a name. The rest of the planets in the system held little value and had thus been strip mined of anything of any value and left as little more than stellar dust in the system. The furthest planet in the system was a small rock encompassed of ice and heavy metals. In its shadow, space cracked open like broken glass. Shortly after, the Cadaver Crasher spilled through the jagged maw. The damage sustained at Hidros now patched over. The mismatching hull plates glinting a little brighter than the atmosphere scorched and weathered ship. Like freshly healed scars. Akamori closed the portal to the Umbral plane behind them, a small shiver rippling down his back as the connection to the plane disconnected. No matter how often they traversed the Umbral Plane, he always felt like he was being watched. Worse than that, he instinctively knew he was being watched. Like a field mouse aware of the owl in the trees. ¡°Take us in nice and slow. I want them to see us coming.¡± Morwen said. The spell drive thrummed as Akamori fed it void magic. Violet energy emitted from the Crashers¡¯ four engines at the stern of the ship. The aged warship pushed itself ahead towards the interior of the system. As it cruised, Akamori conducted a sensor sweep. No other anomalies are present. They were the only vessel in the system from what he could see. The ship coasted towards Anazi Primes orbit casually, providing ample time for a response to be deployed if necessary. Shadows stirred within the belt as something massive shifted. A titanic wyrm emerged from the shadows. It drifted towards the ship casually. Coated in white scales with sky blue stripes. Multiple rows of horns jutted from the crown of its skull, brimmed by patches of hair and quills. Golden orbs slashed by narrow black irises focused on the ship with conscious intensity. Everyone in the Crasher¡¯s bridge swallowed unconsciously. Sirsir cleared his throat softly, the leather of his gloves creaking softly as he gripped the control sticks at his station. ¡°That is one big fuckin¡¯ dragon.¡± Akamori nodded in mute awe. It would dwarf Big Blue on Hidros compared to the size of this wyrm. It slithered lazily through space. Eventually, it wound its way to face the stem of the ship. Its radiant gold eyes focusing on the ship as though it were peering through the hull and directly at the crew. Morwen channeled some fire magic and cast a simple missive spell to the dragon. ¡°I am Captain Morwen of the Mage Federation. We¡¯re here on a diplomatic mission from Eryn. We seek an audience with the dragons of Anazi Prime. We seek an alliance. Do we have permission to land?¡± The ivory wyrm titan studied them curiously for a moment, then finally it edged closer to the ship, its massive maw opening. Terror punched through Akamori as the inside of the dragon¡¯s mouth loomed larger on the main screen. The ship rocked gently as it took them. The elder white wyrm then swam through the black towards the surface of Anazi. On it¡¯s way down, a massive wave rippled through the system and passed through the other side. Their escort stopped, panning its massive head from side to side, searching for the cause. Inside the Crasher, the crew had shaken free of their stunned awe. ¡°I want everything we can get on the sensors.¡± Morwen barked to Akamori then turned to Amara, who was strapped into a passenger seat next to Arjun. ¡°Amara, what was that?¡± Amara shook her head, uncertain and more than a little shaken. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­but nothing good, I¡¯m sure.¡± An instant later, a massive, menacing black crack spider webbed across reality. As if they were viewing everything from a scrye screen that just slipped out of their hands and shattered on the ground. Amara gripped the armrests of her seat as her eyes went wide. Her Maetrayops giving her a raw view of reality as it threatened to collapse. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Morwen demanded. Akamori frowned, studying the image on the main screen through bursts of static. He squinted, leaning forward. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d almost say it looked like a massive crack trying to breach to the Umbral Plane.¡± Morwen fell back into her chair. Her divine gaze ability kicking in as she studied the web of fate. Searching desperately for a sign, they were about to face a collapse of reality. She poured through hundreds and thousands of different possibilities and choices as actions spun out. Eventually, a piercing pain pushed into her temples and it forced her to stop. An instant later a system prompt appeared before everyone. One that made her blood run cold. System Info: Emergency Patch. Due to sustained heavy damage to the System, an emergency patch is being applied. System update to stablize existing System elements. Also, a refinement of the difficulty threshold system is being put into place. Rather than the current system, a new tier system will be implemented. At the first infusion of magic, A zero becomes an Iron Rank. Within each rank, a user may gain levels as they become familiar with their magic, learn new spells, and expand in other means. The cap for each rank is 9. The only way to progress beyond the cap is to gain another magic infusion. Growth beyond Diamond rank begins one¡¯s path into Divinity. Zero/Normals Iron 0-9 (formerly 1 Infusion) Bronze 0-9 (formerly 2 Infusions) This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Silver 0-9 (formerly 3 Infusions) Gold 0-9 (formerly 4 Infusions) Diamond 0-? (formerly 5+ Infusions) ~A ¡°Another Calamity¡­ gods.¡± Morwen whispered. ¡°A what?¡± Akamori asked, turning back to face her. ¡°A calamity. They built the System that holds together all of creation to manage and maintain magic and the energies that drive creation. Think of Calamities as a breakdown in the system. Afterwards, a patch to the System is applied, altering the system and repairing the damage as best as possible.¡± ¡°Who are They ? What makes up a calamity?¡± ¡°Something grander than gods. Titans perhaps, though it¡¯s safe to assume the power came from something or someone even older and greater than them. Catastrophic damage to creation. Some of the oldest rumors about the Umbral Plane regard it as the very first Calamity.¡± Akamori turned back around rocked at the possibility that there was a whole other plane of reality that was just utterly devoid of light, heat, and magic. All of it gone. Titans. Calamities. This was all so far beyond him. He just wanted a safe spot in the galaxy and now he was discovering someone else out there was tearing it apart. ¡°One problem at a time Shinjo.¡± he told himself. Similarly, the guard wyrm must have come to the same conclusion. One problem at a time, and resumed his languid swim back to the surface of Anazi Prime. After an interim wait, the massive dragon gently placed the aged battleship down on the ground near a capital city full of tall spires with large openings running the lengths of the spires. They reminded Akamori of large flutes jammed into the ground upright. ¡°I guess we¡¯re here?¡± Akamori said, shifting back and glancing at the Captain. She gave them an assenting nod, and everyone unsnapped their restraint harnesses and rose from their seats. Akamori stood, stretching out with a grunt. ¡°Hey, you ok? You looked a little shaken back there.¡± Yasiin asked Amara. She shook her head. ¡°It was like watching reality crack open. And raw nothingness threatened to spill in.¡± Yasiin frowned, turning back to the Captain for guidance. Unfortunately, she had none. ¡°We can look into the calamity after we¡¯ve dealt with Sauridius and his forces.¡± Amara gave a weak smile. Thankful of the delay. Having a more immediate goal to focus on would help keep the horrors she¡¯d just watched from sinking in. Entire swaths of reality were unmade in an instant. Just gone. An instant later, a golden ripple pulsed through reality, washing over all of them. The system updated, being pushed out by A. Amara could see reality knitting itself back together and marveled at the immense magic required for such a task. The work was beyond what she would have imagined a god could do. Or not? Her understanding of divinity was grossly lacking. She needed to rectify that. ¡°Captain?¡± ¡°Yes Amara?¡± ¡°Who is A?¡± ¡°Ah. The prompts from the system.¡± Morwen said with a nod. ¡°Many have wondered at that. Most speculate it simply stands for Administrator, but no one knows for certain.¡± Amara nodded with a frown. Something to look into later. So many mysteries. So little time. Morwen tugged her dark blue uniform jacket smooth and glanced at her crew. ¡°Take a few moments and ensure you¡¯ve got everything you need. We¡¯ll go greet our hosts in a few minutes.¡± Everyone gave her firm north-south head movement before getting to it. Akamori hung back as the rest of the squad filed out of the bridge and made their way to the cargo bay to get their gear. As much as it creeped him out, his new spell armor was handy in that he could always wear it, and yet not have it deployed. But gods, if it didn¡¯t make his skin crawl when it deployed. Several minutes passed, and the squad stood in formation, geared up and ready. Morwen hung back while Sirsir conducted inspections with Akamori supervising. They made sure everyone¡¯s kit was topped off and ready for service. After clearing Amara, the dark-skinned NCO turned to Akamori and gave him a confident nod. ¡°Everyone¡¯s ready for action, Sir.¡± Akamori turned and gave Morwen a thumbs up. ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± Morwen punched the ramp button, and the lift in the airlock groaned as the hydraulics lowered them down to the surface of Anazi Prime. The talons of the massive air wyrm bit into the soil lightly in front of the ship. The massive creature loomed over them exactly where it had been when it placed the Crasher down. They all looked up in awe. Up close really drove home the size disparity. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I could jump down his throat and he wouldn¡¯t even choke.¡± Sirsir said with equal parts amusement and horror. ¡°Let¡¯s not and say we did?¡± Akamori said as magic swelled around the massive wyrm until he shrank almost too fast to see. Standing before them was a man wearing a snow-white robe with blue trim. It looked a lot like the robes they wore on Honshu. Akamori gave Amara a look who nodded. The guardian had a single sword belted to his waist. A confident hand rested atop the blade¡¯s hilt casually. Golden eyes blazed through a neutral face. He studied them for a moment before finally turning and gesturing to follow him. Akamori recognized the competently trained warrior in the man. Er. Dragon? Morwen stepped into the lead, and the squad fell in behind her. They made their way to the largest spire in the city. All around in the skies, Dragons soared like fighters and spacecraft, ducking into holes in the spires. The architecture of Anazi Prime looked like a more modernized and urban take on Honshu¡¯s style. The spires were tall pagodas with small eaves, giving each floor of the spire a point for the dragons to grip for landing, while also providing a weather break. Akamori spun as they followed their white robbed escort, unable to keep the smile from his face. It was like taking a walk through a distant memory of his childhood. A deep sense of content swept through him. The momentary pulse of joy enough to suppress his dread at coming to a world full of dragons, many of whom had tried to kill him in the past half year. ¡°Welcome home, LT.¡± Morwen said at the lead of the squad softly. ? Chapter 117: HERESY HERESY The white robbed guardian who¡¯d taken the Crasher¡¯s crew to the surface and escorted them to a large amphitheater showed this was to be the site of their meeting and excused himself. Akamori watched him leave, and Amara couldn¡¯t help rib him. ¡°You want to fight him, don¡¯t you?¡± Akamori shrugged, ¡°Well, yeah. Why not? How often do you meet a guy that makes an entrance like that?¡± ¡°Rarely.¡± Amara conceded. Akamori turned his attention to the grand amphitheater before them. Cut into the stonework of the spire itself, it looked more like a cave than anything constructed. Shaped by earth magic if Akamori had to guess. Something contracted? Or maybe a gift? Each opening in the wall led into darkness. The openings were all uniform, with none any larger than 20 meters. Considering they descended the spire into the basement level, it was possible those tunnels all branched out into private offices if dragons had need of such things. While the squad waited, runes began glowing on the edges of each of the openings until glowing eyes lit up in each of the tunnel openings. Soon, twenty dragons crept into the light that shone down through the hole in the ceiling. The two rows of ten cut an intimidating visage before the squad. Akamori felt infinitely small just now. A blue wyrm with golden eyes crept forwards, head held confidently high as he sized up the squad like a hawk eyeing a group of field mice. To their credit, the squad held firm, defiant and mildly annoyed with the theatrics on display. Captain Morwen, especially, whose primary interest was Theferis and a potential alliance between the Federation and the dragons. After a moment of intentional silence on behalf of the dragon, Morwen spoke first, niceties be damned. ¡°I am Captain Morwen of the Mage Federation,¡± she announced. A deep rumbling chuckle rumbled up the dragon¡¯s long through. His head shifted to lower closer to their level, the gesture seeming to take effort. They were beneath him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what your name is, little elf. Or why you¡¯ve come.¡± ¡°Then why are we here?¡± Akamori saw Morwen¡¯s hands clench into fists behind her back for a moment before relaxing again. ¡°Because my peers and I are trying to figure out if we want to eat you now or see if you can amuse us.¡± ¡°If your boredom is your only priority, then allow me to continue. At best you¡¯ll have your amusement. And at worst, you¡¯ll have a mouthy meal.¡± The dragon¡¯s scaled lips quirked. His head shifted as he studied Morwen, as if just now seeing her. ¡°Very well. Continue, child of the trees.¡± ¡°As I was saying. We¡¯re here on a diplomatic mission. We wish to seek your audience to bid for an alliance with the Mage Federation.¡± Hushed whispers and occasional chortling issued from the dragons in the back. The large blue dragon still held the floor, and thus dominated Morwen¡¯s attention, however. If she failed to get through him, this might be a wash. Somehow, she had to get through to them and find some commonality. But her options were limited. She glanced back at Akamori, a slight frown on her features. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He shook his head no. He understood what she was about to do next, and for that, she was thankful. Even if it didn¡¯t make it any easier to do. ¡°I¡¯ve also come to return some errant children home. I have in my squad, Akamori Shinjo, and Amara of Hoshun¡¯s Temple of worship.¡± As soon as the words left her mouth, the whispers ceased, and all eyes locked on Akamori. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and his hand slid unconsciously to Thanaton¡¯s hilt. Well. That answered one of her questions. So they knew. ¡°Judging by your reactions, I¡¯m going to assume you already know who he is. Which saves me the time of explaining who he is.¡± The blue dragon¡¯s head shifted quickly to just a few feet in front of Morwen. His teeth as long as her shins and pointed like swords. ¡°HERESY! You! Silence, you slant eared tree child. Why have you brought a kinslayer here? Least of all, the one who killed Ashkatoph!¡± The blue dragon bellowed and carried on, but it did not convince Morwen of its authenticity. This felt too contrived for her taste. More theatrics. She wasn¡¯t certain, but felt confident that were it not for a lack of information, they might have tried to devour Akamori on the spot. A new dragon pushed forward, one less assertive than the blue one. ¡°Keimut, please. Every story has an explanation.¡± ¡°None is needed! He¡¯s a kinslayer! That alone is worth his death. We should feast upon him now.¡± ¡°Come now, you know mother would disapprove of such hasty actions.¡± ¡°And what other actions might you suggest?¡± A figure rippled into existence right next to Akamori clad in a formfitting black outfit. Akamori instantly recognized his attacker. She smelled the same as the day she attacked him. Why had he only just sensed her now? It should have been impossible to evade his senses. Maybe it had something to do with her outfit? ¡°I have a suggestion, if the council would hear it?¡± ¡°Rider Astri. Please. Speak. This matter has weight for your house most of all.¡± ¡°Indeed. Considering it might mean its eradication. Thus. I propose we send him on the Death March and allow Mother to be his judge. If he dies during the trial, you have your blood. And if mother deems him worthy, then her will is irrefutable.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The dragon named Keimut¡¯s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He turned to the other dragon. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll go with the Rider¡¯s suggestion. It matters little since he won¡¯t make it to mother for his judgement to matter Azil.¡± ¡°Of course Keimut.¡± She bowed her head to him deferentially. Morwen was beginning to understand who the key players were just from the little interaction they had so far. But she was dramatically out of her element here. ¡°Tree child. You will be given quarters here in the spire. I will summon you to discuss your proposal further after I¡¯ve taken your measure. Now go, before I change my mind.¡± Akamori blinked. ¡°Do I even get a word in this?¡± Astri shook her head. Long black hair braided together behind her, shaking gently. ¡°It was best you didn¡¯t. Angering them now could have upset them enough to trigger their predatory instincts. This buys us time and places your survival purely on your shoulders.¡± ¡°Morwen turned to regard Astri for a moment. ¡°You must be Akamori¡¯s unknown assailant. I get the impression your suggestion was to help him. Why the change of heart?¡± Astri kept silent, and Morwen got the hint. Astri¡¯s secrets weren¡¯t for Morwen to know. This was a family matter then. Very well. She couldn¡¯t begrudge the lieutenant that. After all, he¡¯d nearly died for her own family matters. Seemed only fair that his own should be next in line for his head. ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence to mean it¡¯s complicated. Very well. I¡¯ll leave him in your care, then.¡± Morwen was mindful of the fact they were still within earshot if any dragons wanted to be nosy. If any of them suspected they would cannot honor whatever this death march tradition was, it wouldn¡¯t bode well for their other missions. Whatever complication they¡¯d inadvertently stumbled into, she¡¯d have to trust that Akamori would see his way through. That didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have misgivings about the way things were already shaping up. It had Ominek¡¯s scales all over it. After a few more moments of awkward silence, she finally nodded to Astri. ¡°Right then. We¡¯ll be off.¡± As the squad turned to leave, SGT. Sirsir paused and turned back to Akamori. Morwen could see the unspoken words of protest in his expression. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m gonna stick with the Eltee. Make sure he doesn¡¯t get himself into any more trouble than he already is.¡± Morwen gave an assenting nod. She had no protests and turned to Akamori who just shrugged. ¡°Welcome to the party I guess.¡± Akamori said sheepishly after a recriminating look from Astri. Morwen led the squad towards the main exit of the Spire, their escort in white robes resuming his role. Morwen turned back to Akamori one last time, a pinch of anxiety gripping at her gut. She wanted to use her ability to see possible futures, but her lack of expertise with it meant she couldn¡¯t see that far ahead yet. She¡¯d only mastered the ability to see moments at worst, minutes ahead, tops. As the mid afternoon sun¡¯s daylight spilled in through the Spire¡¯s main entranceway, Morwen whispered a prayer of protection to the Lady of Light to guide their way in the darkness¡¯s uncertainty ahead. For an instant, she felt warm and tingly, like she¡¯d just managed a soft buzz on light wine. And then the sensation was gone. She continued walking, not giving it another thought. Akamori shifted uncomfortably on the heels of his boots next to Astri. Sirsir¡¯s large form rounding out their odd looking trio. Without a word, Astri broke into silent stride, swiftly marching ahead of them at what for her appeared to be a casual pace. For Akamori and Sirsir however, it was almost a full jog. The two men glanced at each other and carried off after her. Emerging from a smaller entrance in the spire¡¯s rear from what amounted to a peasant¡¯s entrance, Akamori and Sirsir followed Astri down a beaten dirt path that descended a steep hill with narrow paths that wound down to ground level. Below them, a small village of modest huts made of mud and straw dotted the landscape as the familiar sight of farmers working fields greeted him. The Dragon Rider¡¯s had long been a staple of draconic military might. Now they were relegated to little more than crop farmers and land workers. Akamori¡¯s father often told him tales of the last Dragonsong war where the riders piloted massive mechanical spell armors to do combat alongside their dragons. Honshu had no Rider mechs, their parts long since stripped and appropriated for other uses. He¡¯d half expected to see some here at the heart of what remained of the old seat of power. ¡°This was not what I was expecting.¡± He muttered. ¡°Why not?¡± Sirsir asked from behind him as they carefully navigated the path down. Akamori shook his head, unable to put his finger on why. It just felt off. ¡°I don¡¯t know. My father told legends of this being the heart of an empire that lasted generations. But look around. These are farmers, not warriors. This place hasn¡¯t seen glory in a long time.¡± Sirsir nodded. ¡°Yeah. Doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯ve risen too high in society, though.¡± ¡°The Dragons do not view the Riders as equals. Always chattel among the dragons. They horde us like treasures. Most of those you see here belong to Keimut. But do not let our modest lifestyle fool you. We may not have much, but we¡¯re every bit the warrior as your family on Honshu, if not more. The branch families were selected and deployed because the host families stood the most to lose. Your family was chosen because it was unremarkable on the battlefield. They viewed Honshu as¡­ punitive assignment.¡± ¡°What about you? How do you feel about the branch families now?¡± Astri gave Akamori to stern look before softening an octave. ¡°Your defense on the ship was more than I¡¯d expected from the last survivor of Honshu. You acquitted yourself decently.¡± ¡°In other words, when you couldn¡¯t eighty six the Eltee, you cut tail and ran because you knew you¡¯d bit off more than you could chew. It¡¯s ok to be honest. Ain¡¯t no one here gonna judge. Least of all me.¡± Akamori gave Sirsir a flat look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t judging her that hard.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Astri said, stopping at a mud hut that the two assumed belonged to her. She wove a quick dispel spell and a series of interlocking runes shattered the barrier magic, allowing smooth entry. She brushed aside a modest azure curtain and gestured for them to enter. ¡°You have tonight to prepare for your death.¡± ¡°No pressure.¡± Akamori joked. Astri didn¡¯t smile as she followed them inside. ¡°Tough crowd,¡± Akamori sulked. ? Chapter 118: The Library of Memir The Library of Memir Amara gawked at the rather unimpressive exterior of the Library of Memir. After the archives they found in the world they can¡¯t openly talk about, this place and even the library on Eryn looked like a broom closet stuffed with books. How had cultures survived on so little information retention? It was like they were intentionally trying to stymie their own forward progress. ¡°You look disappointed.¡± Yasiin said, noting her put off expression. ¡°A little. I feel like my quest for knowledge peeked in the Umbral plane and it¡¯s all downhill from here.¡± Yasiin allowed himself an amused chuck. Amara noted it was the first time she¡¯d heard the dark-skinned sniper show a lot of emotion recently. She made a mental note to spend more time around him. This new side of Yasiin was nice. ¡°Let¡¯s go see how badly we¡¯re about to be disappointed.¡± Amara said reluctantly, and the two stepped inside. Just beyond the double wide entrance lay an expanse of shelves that stretched as far as the eye could see. Above them, shelves floated in a uniform fashion that climbed upwards like the spires from outside. As she craned her neck to see, she swallowed hard, half impressed, half intimidated. Intermittent tables dotted the landscape between shelves. Mages flew back and forth, gathering items for research and taking a seat at bobbing tables and chairs. ¡°I retract my previous statement.¡± She turned to Yasiin, beaming with eagerness, ¡°How are we even going to tackle this?¡± Yasiin shrugged. Usually, the simplest solutions were the best answers. ¡°Front to back, floor up. Asking around seems prudent too.¡± ¡°Right!¡± She grabbed his hand, practically dragging him out of his boots as she trotted off with a broad grin for the nearest rack of crystals, tomes and scales. Amara¡¯s eyes glowed with the eagerness of a child on Gift Day in Hoshun Winters. She started in the farthest upper left corner of the nearest shelf facing them, plucking a massive dusty leather bound tomb off the shelf and frowned as her eyes scanned over the title. ¡°Ancient Draconic Ballads translated into Dwarven?¡± Yasiin let a small chuckle slip, and she frowned at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Here are you are surrounded by all this vast wealth of knowledge and you¡¯re dissapointed by the first thing you find.¡± She sighed, blowing loose a large cloud of dust from the book. Placing the large book back on the shelf, she folded her arms and frowned. They were going to need a guide. The possibility of wasting their time just trying to find a general spot where they¡¯d best apply their time was going to need someone with firsthand experience. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t waste our time studying everything we see. There has to be some rhyme or reason to the arrangement here. Let¡¯s see if we can find a better spot to start.¡± The pair strode aisles of shelves. Occasionally inspecting titles and choose a direction to hustle down another five or ten more meters to pause and repeat the process. Amara mentally catalogued the changes at each, stopped and made quick judgements about which way to go and how far before checking again. Yasiin was content to ride silently to her madness and only offer input as requested. Technically, he outranked her, being a corporal to her private. But the study of history had been a pastime of love for her during her tenure in the temple and later in the weaver college. Rounding the corner of an unoccupied section, Amara crashed into the back of a hatchling and fell down hard. She winced, but mostly felt humiliated at not paying attention. The hatchling, who was wearing white and blue robes, turned, a scaled eyebrow ridge lifted curiously. He kneeled down and extended a hand to Amara. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Besides a little bruised ego? Fine.¡± In a swift jerk of his arm, Amara flew to her feet, going just vertical enough to make her stomach tumble. She whooped unconsciously before glancing at Yasiin sheepishly. The dragonborn hatchling bowed politely, wings drooping low and tail to the side in a show of respect and friendliness. ¡°My apologies. I often come here to be with my own thoughts. I should have taken my reading to a chair.¡± ¡°No! No, you¡¯re fine. I was a little too motivated and didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°Not to mention a little too distracted.¡± Yasiin added unhelpfully. The hatchling brightened a little at the prospect of perhaps finding a fellow scholar. Amara noted the change and felt slightly odd about the prospect of befriending a hatchling. Until this point, they¡¯d been fighting dragons. Soul shackled dragons, but dragons all the same. It took effort to remind herself they were victims as much as everyone else in the sector. ¡°I¡¯m junior archivist Kovek. Are you here in search of knowledge? Or riches?¡± The second half of his question was asked with an air of weariness. ¡°Knowledge mostly. We doubt we¡¯d have any shot at any significant riches not already claimed by the elder wyrms here.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°Students of history. My brothers in books. So to speak.¡± Kovek said with an apologetic glance to Amara. She beamed at him, shaking her head. ¡°Not to worry. So, what we¡¯re looking for is uh¡­ old long-lost history. Stuff that may not be very well documented.¡± Amara said, with several glances at Yasiin for help. They were supposed to find the first spell ship without draconic scrutiny. But if one of their own knew what they were up to, it was possible they might be found out and stopped. ¡°What she means is we¡¯re very interested in the history of spell ship production and we¡¯d like to see if we can trace the practice back as far as possible.¡± ¡°Ah. I can see why such information might be worth pursuing for yourselves, being soldiers, of course. Let¡¯s see.¡± Kovek said, idly tapping a clawed digit to his scaled chin thoughtfully. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°The most obvious place to start would be the war records section. We¡¯d be sure to find blueprints aren materials allocations used by artificers during the last Dragonsong war.¡± ¡°Brilliant. Lead on?¡± Amara said, gesturing to their new host. ¡°It might surprise you to know artificing¡¯s many varied techniques were first developed here by the wyrm mothers of air and light.¡± Kovek started as he guided the trio through shelves and stacks of research materials. The deeper the group progressed, the thinner those browsing the shelves became until they were the only ones. They progressed up, ascending row upon row of dusty old shelves. They wound a slow, lazy path around drifting shelves, reaching a location that would have taken them far too long to find on their own. ¡°Ah, here we are.¡± Kovek said with a warm smile. He caressed a dusty old leather tome, wiping away decades of dust accumulation. ¡°I haven¡¯t cracked this book open in almost twenty years. I was a much younger dragon then.¡± Amara and Yasiin exchanged a glance before drifting closer to inspect his chosen book. Amara settled in first, gently taking the aged leather-bound book from Kovek. Once Yasiin and Amara studied its contents, Kovek drifted off to fetch them a floating table and some chairs that bobbed gently in place. He positioned them nearby, so they¡¯d be easy to reach but far enough away that others could navigate around them. Not that there was much traffic this high up. ¡°I never imagined I¡¯d be studying a book who knows how old, while flying in a building that dimensionally breaks the laws of physics.¡± She said with an eager grin at Yasiin. Yasiin looked pleased, if moderately distant. His eyes always traveling off to study their surroundings like he was looking for something hidden. Eventually Amara paused, looking at him over the book. ¡°Yasiin?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Yasiin finally turned, focusing on her again for the first time since Kovek had handed them the book. ¡°Are you ok? You keep staring off. If this is boring you, you can go?¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. Just looking for enemies and spies.¡± Amara thought about that level of vigilance for a moment. ¡°oh. I see.¡± Yasiin nodded, thankful she understood. ¡°I didn¡¯t like not being with you guys when things went to hell on Eryn. We did what we could, but it didn¡¯t feel like enough. Now I want to make sure Sal and I pull our weight.¡± ¡°You know no one holds that against you or expects you to perform better like that was all your fault, right?¡± Yasiin shrugged apathetically. ¡°I know. Doesn¡¯t change anything though. The captain trusted me to help you. I¡¯m ok with books. But I¡¯m better with my rifle. We each play to our strengths, right?¡± Amara smiled. It was a very pragmatic approach to the situation. Yasiin wasn¡¯t trying to force himself to be a scholar or archivist. He was just doing the best he could with what he had and applying that in a way that best fit the situation. ¡°Right.¡± She said finally, with an enthusiastic nod. ¡°So. Spot anything unusual?¡± ¡°Not at first.¡± ¡°You sound both disappointed and unsurprised.¡± ¡°You get used to that. The Sauridius aren¡¯t known for being overt. Something most folks don¡¯t know about them is they aren¡¯t actually born the way we are. All those hatchlings and mages we kill? They¡¯re really soul shackled. Bound hosts for souls that don¡¯t belong in those bodies.¡± ¡°Like parasites?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°What happens to the host soul?¡± ¡°Depends on when they get their hooks on the body. If it¡¯s at birth, the soul starves while the Sauridius soul flourishes. Like a muscle that atrophies.¡± Amara¡¯s stomach fell away from her body as her horror set in. She¡¯d never considered that in all the time they¡¯d been fighting. Even the Sauridius¡¯s hosts were victims. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what that¡¯s like,¡± she said. Her voice, soft and distant. ¡°At first, some petitioned to find some kind of way to break the bindings collectively. Like a mass cleanse or something. But no one had the power to do that. With no other choice, we saw it as a mercy. Freeing the trapped soul of the prison of its body, stolen from it by another.¡± Amara sighed, that really changed her perspective and explained a lot retrospectively. ¡°Is that why many of them of are soul magic experts?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yeah. All those necromancers we fought on Hidros? That was probably a big chunk of the goons that help build the Sauridius forces.¡± ¡°So¡­the more of them we kill, the slower they¡¯ll be to respond?¡± ¡°In theory. But it only takes one to keep the fight going.¡± Yasiin said. A note of weariness in his voice. ¡°Exactly how long as the fight been going for?¡± ¡°Six decades or so.¡± Amara blinked. She was impressed. She half expected him to say six months. ¡°I would have expected much less than that.¡± ¡°It goes in waves. The initial responses were much more solid. Organized government responses. Massive military campaigns. But then complacency and apathy settled in. The public began to care less for a war that never came for them. Funding dried up. That only left the dried and used up war dogs who still knew the threat out was there. Lurking.¡± ¡°That explains why the Federation is less of a military and more of a gun club for nobles.¡± ¡°Exactly. Once official funding was cut, and funding came from the noble houses, the war changed. The Sauridius got a lot harder to get rid, but it got harder to face them because the people cared less and less about something they were convinced never would happen.¡± ¡°And then Ominek sacked Eryn¡¯s capital.¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be enough to change the situation for the better, though. Erlaut is a great Elder Mage, but¡­ he¡¯s unhinged. I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s the weight of what he¡¯s facing crushing him, or the realization that Eryn was only ignoring something it should have dealt with sooner. Either way, a reckoning is going to come soon. I just hope it¡¯s not us that pays for everything.¡± ¡°All the more reason to find this spell ship and get it back to the Captain so we can win the war. Right?¡± Yasiin nodded. Amara¡¯s hope was infectious. Like a small spark in the void¡¯s pitch. It shone bright enough to blind. As a Nomad, he could appreciate that light in her, as much as he could appreciate the void in Akamori. They would need both before this war ended. ? Chapter 119: A Dinner party and games A Dinner party and games Morwen settled into the captain¡¯s cabin in the Cadaver Crasher, hanging her dark navy blue uniform jacket on the rack next to the door. She loosened the top button of her service blouse and took a seat at the mirror. She undid the severe pony tail and channeled a point of her light magic to ease the throbbing pain in her temples. As the aching subsided, she allowed herself an exhausted sigh. ¡°Credit for your thoughts Captain?¡± Rozien asked. A tome enchanted with the soul of the first officer of the spell ship they had sent her to recover. The dark leather-bound book bobbed up and down in the space above her counter. An azure sapphire pulsed with light magic, like a vocalizer on a Brotherhood of Man ship showing a sign of audio activity. ¡°Where to start?¡± She mused aloud. ¡°Well. Considering my current form is that of a book? The beginning might feel like a trite reply.¡± Morwen paused for a moment, the corner of her mouth threatening to crack into a smile. ¡°So simple, it might just work. Very well. I find myself concerned with several factors. The first among them being this mess we seem to have created with the Lieutenant. It¡¯s effectively pulled him out of action, and being that he¡¯s a capable field commander and versatile as well as powerful, I find I dislike his absence from the squad. Second, I hadn¡¯t expected coming to rely on him so much. I can still recall feeling absolutely nothing but a drive to complete the mission my father had given me when issuing the prophecy to me that led Akamori to be a part of my company. He showed me the value of not losing what makes us mortal in our fight. I viewed him as a resource and treated him like he was. I bound him with as little thought and preamble as the Sauridius did to the Governor of Hidros.¡± Morwen paused the strokes of her brush to study her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert and I¡¯m not the best. I¡¯ve lost far more battles than I¡¯ve won. My biggest claim to fame until Hidros was saving a couple hundred colonists across multiple worlds. There¡¯s more blood on my hands than there isn¡¯t. And yet, despite that, people routinely look to me as I have all the answers and know all the ways out. Most times, I can barely see a step ahead.¡± She resumed working the knots out of her long raven hair, flinching occasionally and channeling more of her magic to soothe the irritated nerves of her scalp to ward off a migraine. She was prone to those, so she tapped into her healing magic at every opportunity as a preventive means. ¡°But the squad is feeling less like a squad and more like¡­¡± she trailed off, uncertain if she should put voice to the words on the edge of her tongue. ¡°Like a family?¡± Rozien asked after a moment¡¯s silence. She nodded first, then frowned, realizing Rozien might not have seen her non-verbal cue. ¡°Yes. Precisely. I¡¯ve never had much of a stable family growing up. My mother and father split when I was young. Mother married to the Artificers guild, and my father to being the ArchPriest. That left me with service as the only means for me to find my way. And now, I have people like Sirsir, Akamori, Amara, Sala, Arjun, and more. When I first started fighting, my tactics were clinical. Sterile. But now that I have something to lose, despite what I¡¯ve already lost?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve found your reason to fight. A just cause is an easy fight to get behind. But protection. That takes something different.¡± Rozien said. ¡°If I may. It sounds like your time around the squad is slowly bringing you out of your shell. Breaking down the barriers you build to protect yourself from the world and the horrors of war as a child. When I fought alongside Aeryn, she chose less¡­nobler paths.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow lifted in curiosity. She¡¯d never been starkly religious. Not like any of the other nobles who wrapped themselves up in the worship of Aeryn like a cloak of protection. ¡°Oh? Such as?¡± ¡°When the trauma of a conflict that never ended and always took a little more than it ever gave you? She resorted to drinking.¡± Morwen couldn¡¯t contain the thought. She was partially scandalized and partially amused. To think of the great lady of light, resorting to emptying a bottle of wine. The nobility and priests would have burned Rozien had they ever learned this. She leaned close and whispered conspiratorially, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone else hear that one. They may slip up and tip you into a furnace if you¡¯re not careful.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m well aware. You guys have blown her way out of proportion. The Aeryn I remember was nothing like this elegant, grand lady of light I hear spoken of by your nobles and priests. She was grungy, sometimes stand until she ascended, and always drank. The only difference between her as a soldier and a goddess was the amount of wine it took to get her drunk.¡± Morwen blinked. ¡°Where have you been all my life?¡± ¡°Tucked away in Erlaut¡¯s private vault in the library.¡± ¡°That sounds about right. Continue.¡± ¡°Aeryn was a soldier. Like yourself. And she faced a lot of the same challenges fighting a different threat.¡± ¡°There always is one, isn¡¯t there?¡± The book shuddered, like it visibly suffered a shiver. The pages rasped as they rattled together. ¡°Pray that we never face what Aeryn fought. That was a danger of levels of magnitude greater than Sauridius. I don¡¯t wish on anyone.¡± Morwen frowned. ¡°That¡¯s how she died, wasn¡¯t it? Fighting this unstoppable evil?¡± ¡°Yeah. She sacrificed herself so that her assassin. Not the goon doing the killing, the one giving the order, would think she was dead and gone and leave us be.¡± ¡°Planting the seed to make things right some day.¡± ¡°She had her nobler moments.¡± Rozien added in a melancholy tone. Morwen was about to continue when a flaming wyvern spell flew through the wall of her cabin and unfurled into a scroll. A missive spell dispatched from Keimut. It invited her to an evening party. It promised fun, drinks, and the potential to discuss her proposal of an alliance. She groaned at the first two. ¡°I really dislike this Keimut.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°He strikes me as arrogant and manipulative. I¡¯d be on your guard.¡± She reached her hand out, and her jacket flew to her hand. As she spun, throwing it back on, she glanced down to Rozien. ¡°Care to join me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly built for parties, Captain. But then again, Amara freed me from that infernal library to travel. I¡¯d be a fool to trade one prison for another. Sure.¡± ¡°Splendid. I¡¯d prefer not to do this alone.¡± She scooped the book up and tucked it into her coat. Morwen approached a large white marble building with an open room large enough to allow dragons to take off and land with room to spare. It stood in stark contrast to the massive, winding spires. Flat and expansive, it occupied as much ground as obnoxiously possible. Running the perimeter was a waist-high wall. Topping the wall sat bottles and glasses of air wine. Morwen could hear the dull din of conversations permeating the entire area. No one greeted her as she quietly pressed her way into the throng of dragons. They were all morphed into humanoid forms. It was strange for her to see. All of them were bald. Still displayed their draconic eyes and pointed teeth, yet were shaped like humans. Wings swept up from their backs and a tail from the back of their waist. The appearance of being human ended on closer inspection, however, as she noticed that what appeared to be skin pores were really just microscopic scales. She had to admit to herself it was rather impressive to see, however. But nothing compared to Ominek who could pass himself off as a full human. ¡°Captain Morwen.¡± A feminine voice with a draconic accent greeted her. Morwen half spun and found a woman wearing a dress colored the same as the scales of the dragon, who¡¯d spared Akamori from a sudden execution. The matron dragon slowly wound her way through the social crowds politely, but with expert ease. Eventually she paused before Morwen, offering a bow and a slight dip of her chin. ¡°Good evening. We¡¯re delighted you could join us tonight.¡± Morwen gave the dragon a diplomatic smile and a Federation Salute. This amused the dragon, which served Morwen¡¯s intended purpose. ¡°I am Azil. A matron of Andlkang. We rarely get diplomats from the tree people. It¡¯s strange to find one of your people not worshipping your lady of light so fervently.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly the most ideal disciple where religion is concerned. I find I thrive best in a battlefield, not a temple.¡± ¡°Ah. A warrior¡¯s spirit. You¡¯ll fit right in here.¡± Azil said with a pointed toothy smile that unsettled Morwen. Like seeing a predator bare its fangs at you in delight. ¡°Yes, well, I did hope to live up to my role here as a diplomat. Your strength would prove invaluable in the fight against the Sauridius.¡± A black shadow swept by so quick the primal mammal in Morwen went straight to panic mode. It took a lot of effort to bite down on her emotions and keep them from bleeding through her aura. Maintaining an unreadable face was hard work, and she was sure the matron caught the momentary lapse. Thankfully, Azil saw fit not to push the point. In the center of the white marble open roofed temple for want of a better word, Keimut rose from a crouch. Dust still settled around him from his sudden landing, and Morwen realized she barely felt him touch down. The speed and mass which he¡¯d come in with would have left an impact crater, surely. That suggested he shifted mid flight. So he possessed skill and power. Keimut having both meant nothing to trouble for her, and she cursed inwardly. She could deal with an impotent manipulator or a foolish warrior. But a cunning and powerful warrior would be dangerous. Not only would he be smart enough to maneuver her into trouble, but he¡¯d be able to worm his way free of any responsibility. She plucked a glass of air wine from a tray held by a human rider wearing clean white garments. Keimut strolled over to join them. He spent a few silent moments looking them over from down his nose. Morwen could practically taste the contempt in the air. He clothed himself in fine silks of blue and white variety. A color theme she was coming to expect from Anazi Prime, as most air wyrms were white and blue in some variation. Keimut appeared to be building an identity around being the premier air wyrm of the world though, and as thus held the social hierarchy firmly in his grasp. ¡°Good evening.¡± Keimut said, opting to omit titles and even names. Morwen caught the omission and opted against making a point of it. Azil, however, did not. ¡° Matron Azil, to you, child.¡± Azil said with barely concealed disgust. Morwen caught the small twitch of Keimut¡¯s lips, threatening to crack into a smirk. He made a show of bowing in apology, making a display of prostrating before her. ¡°Of course Matron Azil. Forgive me. Sometimes in my youthful vigor, I lose sight of the clumsy formalities.¡± Morwen sighed inwardly. And there it was. The thinly veiled barb at Azil¡¯s age, and adherence to tradition. He¡¯d been pushing for the Kinslayer to be put to death immediately. But Azil had prevented him from getting retribution for their people by leaning on ancient traditions. She certainly had her work cut out for her if this was going to be anything but a disaster. ¡°Yes, well. Try to keep up. I know the joys of youth can be quite distracting, but one in your position can ill afford such issues.¡± Azil shot back with an icy smile that failed to reach her eyes. Morwen allowed herself an amused look at Azil¡¯s reply. She was fast being reminded that dragons did not differ from elves. They still played the same foolish games and simply dressed them up in a different tradition. Very well, she thought. ¡°If you two need some alone time, I can excuse myself back to the ship?¡± Morwen teased gently. ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing.¡± Keimut replied curtly. ¡°I requested you. It would be rude of me to ignore such an esteemed guest. Tell me, do you play Darstrix Aryte?¡± ¡°I¡¯m familiar with it, yes.¡± Morwen replied noncommittally. ¡°Would you care to join me for a game, then?¡± Morwen forced her features neutral after a bit of effort. She cleared her throat finally and nodded. She¡¯d long enjoyed the game as an opportunity to test out new strategies and tactics against opponents in an environment where all she would pay for would be the stones or tokens lost. The chance to play a dragon was a rarity, if unheard of. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Morwen said, the corner of her lip turning upwards. ? Chapter 120: Frayed Nerves Frayed Nerves Luffa slipped quietly through the streets, checking over her shoulders for anyone tailing her. She was weary of being watched ever since Ominek approached her. When she reached the Weaver college¡¯s main entrance, she quietly slipped inside and leaned against the back wall, heaving a sigh of relief. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re acting strangely, Luffa.¡± She gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin. Spell Warrior and Emerald Guard Cenine stood before her clad in golden armor with her plated arms folded. The golden T visored helmet was tucked into one of her arms as she arched an all too perfect eyebrow at the nervous primal. ¡°Me? I¡¯m fine. Why would you think I¡¯m not fine? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing anything suspicious. I¡¯m right where I belong.¡± Luffa nodded a time or two too many. Cenine¡¯s frown deepened as her head listed to the side like her neck was failing to hold it upright. ¡°Luffa. You¡¯re acting as if you¡¯ve just stollen a sweet bun from the cafe and you¡¯re afraid someone followed you back.¡± Luffa¡¯s panic immediately gave way as Cenine offered her an absurd, if convenient, out. ¡°That¡¯s because that¡¯s exactly what happened!¡± she exclaimed with a nervous laugh. ¡°I forgot to pay and didn¡¯t realize it until it was just coming home. Being that I¡¯m a primal, I was afraid that Erlaut would have a fit. He¡¯s under so much strain lately. I didn¡¯t want to be a problem.¡± Cenine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Luffa was certain she was probably fed up with the conversation already, but leaving Cenine more annoyed than curious would prevent her from looking too deeply into this. Cenine waved a dismissive hand at Luffa. ¡°Very well. Go back and pay for the bun. We¡¯ve all been under a lot of stress lately. ArchPriest Erlaut most of all. Just try to be more mindful, ok?¡± Luffa blinked. For a moment, Cenine almost sounded like a genuine and empathetic being. Maybe Luffa had the situation wrong and she should be worried about Cenine being bound? ¡°I will. Thanks. And sorry again. Like you said, I¡¯ve just been so high-strung. Master Erlaut¡¯s Inquisition has been terrifying to put it lightly.¡± ¡°The price of freedom is often very high.¡± Cenine said, with no amount of irony in her voice. Luffa bit her lip mentally and allowed the conversation to end naturally. Once Cenine departed, Luffa hurried out of the Weaver school and lost herself in a maze of greenery to lean against a tree and pant heavily. That was close. Too close. If anyone found out Ominek had spoken to her, she¡¯d be subjected to hours of divination and scrying rituals till her eyes turned red from dryness. She felt bad about lying to Cenine like that, but she knew what would happen if they even marginally suspected the truth of what was happening. She¡¯d be lucky to see another sunny afternoon again. To smell the sweet smell of the light lilies blooming as the bees and butterflies spread their pollen. Luffa was still a war slave. An item of the state. Her fingers drifted up to touch the control collar on her neck, wincing as it shocked her fingers at the touch. If she told Erlaut or anyone about what was happening, she knew she¡¯d just be met with instant decisions of guilt. They would either bore out her mind, or put her to death immediately. There was no going back now. All that remained was to see how far in she could go before they caught her. The futility of her situation, the guilt of what she¡¯d be forced to do to her friends, and the absolute feeling of powerlessness overwhelmed her for a moment. She fell into gentle sobs, knowing that she would have to betray her friends. Most of them she was only cordial with, but hurting Amara would cut the deepest. ¡°Hopefully she¡¯ll understand.¡± Luffa whispered. # Akamori paced like a caged cat within the small mud hut Astri welcomed them into. He¡¯d already walked a small circle into the dirt. Sirsir sat in a corner watching him as he walked while Astri went about preparing a dinner soup from some roots of some type. After a few more circuits, Sirsir finally spoke up. ¡°Sir, if you pace around anymore, you¡¯re gonna drill a hole in the lady¡¯s floor.¡± Akamori paused, looking at the big man huddled in the corner with his machine gun draped across his lap. Akamori blinked before finally processing the sgt¡¯s words, then looked down. ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Akamori said, then apologized to Astri. ¡°You¡¯re nervous.¡± Astri said flatly as she ladled him a bowl full of soup and chopped roots. ¡°Well. You¡¯re not oblivious, at least.¡± Astri shot him a glare. ¡°You are nervous because you are unsure of what to face. There will be many trials and the path is nonlinear.¡± ¡°Nonlinear? As in, ya¡¯ll just cut him loose and he¡¯s supposed to make it there on his own? He can take any route he wants?¡± Astri nodded as she prepared a bowl for Sirsir, handing it over to him with a spoon. ¡°Thanks.¡± the big man said with a nod, accepting the bowl and helping himself to the savory soup. ¡°How will I know where I¡¯m going?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t. Only your destination. A priest will give you a soul beacon. Make your way to it. The route matters less than the path traveled. The wyrm mother will judge your trials and tribulations if you survive to face her.¡± ¡°When he survives to face her. The Eltee will make it.¡± Sirsir affirmed. Akamori gave the burly NCO a thankful, if uncertain, smile. While the prospect of facing another god made him nervous, the possibility of having an adventure for its own sake was intriguing. He turned to Astri, who began sipping at her own soup. ¡°Astri, you said there¡¯s no set path. How far away will I be starting?¡± Astri cocked her head at him, considering the question. ¡°I forget. You came from Honshu, and haven¡¯t set foot on Anazi Prime before. The temple you¡¯ll be looking for will be located on the next continent over.¡± Akamori blinked. He¡¯d expected something ambiguously far away, but a whole other continent was both reassuring and not. ¡°The next continent over?¡± Astri nodded. ¡°Priests say Anazi built the temple with instructions to direct those in need of judgement there. I think she did so as a challenge. If any were too weak or lacked skill, they wouldn¡¯t make the journey. Draconic culture always revolved around strength and power. At least where one as martially skilled as Anazi is concerned.¡± ¡°She was good with a blade?¡± Astri nodded, pausing between mouthfuls of soup to speak. ¡°Some legends say she once owned a blade that could cleave open the very heavens themselves. But circumstances forced her to abandon it in battle. Many of our priests had she possessed her blade, it would have prevented her from suffering the wound that forced her into hibernation near the end of the last epic.¡± It was refreshing to hear new tales of the goddess he¡¯d always prayed to on Hoshun. Prayers from him were more lip-service than anything. He¡¯d never truly been one for organized religion. But a one-on-one relationship with a god? He could get behind that. ¡°On Hoshun we¡¯d always thought the wyrm that died with us there was Anazi herself. It wasn¡¯t until my dream walk that she revealed we¡¯ve been wrong.¡± Astri became very curious now. ¡°How did your people take the news?¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He grimaced. The memory of Ominek¡¯s attack was still sour and bitter. ¡°I never got to share it. Shortly after, Sauridius forces attacked my people. The only survivors were myself, a few others.¡± Astri simply nodded, as if this outcome had been within the expected parameters. ¡°Then it would seem the main family was wise to dispatch the branch family to Hoshun.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow?¡± ¡°You are the survivor they needed.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Astri frowned and shook her head, ending the conversation there. ¡°I¡¯ve already said too much. Forgive me, cousin.¡± Akamori blinked, a moment of confusion shared between himself and Sirsir before they each resumed their dinner. Once they¡¯d finished eating Astri sat back down next to Akamori, studying his gear pointedly. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°The rules for the march are simple. You take with you only what you can carry.¡± ¡°What about weapons and armor?¡± ¡°Only what you can carry.¡± ¡°What if I wear my armor?¡± ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t be carrying it.¡± ¡°Is there room for loopholes?¡± He asked, his voice raising slightly. Astri¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯ll need to elaborate.¡± Akamori nodded, tapping the bracelet and shivered as it melted into freezing liquid metal as dark as obsidian as it flowed and swelled around his body. Once it covered him, it took the shape of sleek spell armor with void runes glowing softly in various places. Astri regarded it for a moment with a frown. ¡°As long as you wear it in its non armor state, it should be fine. That you can carry.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°What kind of opposition is the Eltee looking at?¡± ¡°Several varieties of flora and fauna. There are plenty of wildlings that grow off of Anazi¡¯s latent magic. They treat her like a makeshift well, feeding off the excess to grow themselves. There is also a wild tribe on the continent. The Sakazin, who dwell in swampy marshlands. The Dragons have largely avoided them. They¡¯re mostly Earth magic aspected and they¡¯ve summoned Icons in the past. You might face them.¡± ¡°An Icon? The dragons let them do that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re familiar with Icons?¡± Astri chewed on that contemplatively for a moment before continuing. ¡°Not willingly. The dragons interceded, but it was costly. Ever since then, both parties have kept a wide berth from each other while keeping tabs.¡± ¡°With good reason. Icons are dangerous summons.¡± ¡°What experience do you have with Icons?¡± ¡°Ran into one on Eryn.¡± ¡°How did you resist becoming enthralled by it?¡± ¡°Magic soul ward. I wanted to have a custom shirt made that said I visited the golden well, and I got was this soul ward, but the owner refused. Said it was beneath him.¡± Astri just looked at him at flatly and nodded, taking it nonchalantly. Akamori sighed. Clearly this woman was some kind of Brotherhood cyborg or something. ¡°Alright, so what else can I expect to face?¡± ¡°Opposition from the dragons. Not directly. They¡¯re forbidden from stopping you themselves. But they can dispatch riders to face you. Traditionally, this will take place at Anazi¡¯s temple. If you successfully face them, you¡¯ll then face her. You¡¯ll face the organized opposition at the temple itself. It comprises a 5 step pyramid. If you reach the top, Anazi will decide if you live or die. If you die, the dragons get their way. If you live, it¡¯s because their mother deemed it, and they were wise to send you.¡± ¡°This just gets better and better.¡± ¡°Just another day for you, sir.¡± Astri regarded Sirsir for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t sound too concerned.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. The Eltee was facing down shit odds since before I met him. Every time something challenged him, he came out on top. This ain¡¯t no different. He¡¯ll fight those dragon¡¯s goons, then he¡¯ll go get this blessing he needs from your air goddess. You¡¯ll see.¡± She turned to regard Akamori for a moment, who laughed and held his hands up placatingly. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I just fight stuff. A lot of stuff.¡± He trailed off. ¡°All the stuff. Good gods, and a punch monkey?¡± ¡°Punch monkey?¡± Astri asked, confused. ¡°Nah, sword monkey. But your hand to hand could use some work, sir. The eltee was just wondering if violence is his only thing. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. I¡¯ve seen him study a situation and apply what he¡¯s got the best way he can to win. And usually done in a minimum amount of time. Some folks would call them miracles.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had help. It was never just me doing all that. Don¡¯t listen to him. Or he¡¯ll have you believing I¡¯m a god or something.¡± Sirsir paused thoughtfully and Akamori instantly folded his arms. ¡°No. Absolutely am not.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve got the strength to be one.¡± ¡°A weak one.¡± ¡°Better than we had a few months ago.¡± Akamori pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Ugh. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m having this conversation.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the strongest of us?¡± ¡°No, that I¡¯m some kind of god or demi god or whatever.¡± Astri, who¡¯d remained quiet as the two bantered back and forth, looked on with growing interest. ¡°You¡¯ve drunk from many wells, haven¡¯t you?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯ve had a few infusions by other means.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Six,¡± he said hesitantly. Astri¡¯s head jerked back in surprise. ¡°No wonder the dragons want you dead. Letting you walk around would throw the entire power dynamic at risk. They can¡¯t risk you causing some kind of uprising.¡± Akamori¡¯s head fell forward, and a disgusting groan eased out of an exasperated expression. Sirsir patted his back in mock consolation. ¡°It¡¯s ok sir, try to look at the bright side.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°All the opportunities you¡¯ll have to kick some ass.¡± ¡°While they¡¯re trying to kill me.¡± ¡°That just makes it more fun to stop them.¡± ¡°You and I have differing levels of fun.¡± ¡°Yeah, that just means you ain¡¯t had real fun yet. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ? Chapter 121: The March Begins The March Begins Akamori awoke before the sun rose the next day. He rose silently and stretched outside the mud hut as field workers shuffled off to work farms and tend animals. He went through his routine, calming his mind and focusing on the task ahead. Around him, morning life began to stir in the rider village. More field hands emerged from their homes to disappear in the wavy fields of golden grain. Domesticated drakes growled as whips cracked, encouraging the cumbersome beasts to motion. Enchanted wood groaned under weight as carts carried goods across the village. Akamori noted there was just enough magitech to provide them an easy enough life, but enough missing that they still had to work for a living. Everyone in the village wore clothing similar to what his people had worn on Hoshun. Only the coloring differentiated them. He could spot the colors of different dragons marking different families. Astri appeared next to him silently, only this time he didn¡¯t jump out of his skin. The curiosity was too great a distraction to let her surprise startle him. He nodded towards the growing life in the village. ¡°On Hoshun, we only wore the colors of the dragon that took us there. But here, there are so many family colors.¡± Astri nodded. ¡°There are few. Keimut and Azil are the two largest owners. There are a few with modest holdings, but they gather under the big two¡¯s wings and lurk in their shadows. Riders used to be the weapons of glory for the dragons. Now we¡¯re little more than their new horde. They have fallen, and we have suffered for it.¡± He shrugged, uncertain of what Astri expected of him. ¡°That sucks and all, but I¡¯m just a grunt fighting a war. I don¡¯t think we can win. How does any of this affect me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a rider, are you not?¡± ¡°I was. Until Ominek and the Sauridius burned my home to ash.¡± ¡°You do not simply stop being a Rider because you lack a Dragon to ride to battle with.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m getting that impression. What is it you want from me? First you try to kill me, now you¡¯re helping me. I know it¡¯s complicated, but I need to understand what kind of fight I¡¯m up against if I¡¯m going to win it.¡± Astri stared at the ground silently for a moment before meeting his gaze and nodding. ¡°As I said. At first, I thought the rumors were true. That you were just a kinslayer. Law decrees all kinslayers are to be put to death.¡± ¡°And you changed your mind when you fought me? Why?¡± ¡°Because the Branch family was chosen for being most able to survive on its own with no support. You¡¯ve touched a lot of magic that exists well beyond Hoshun. If you felled another dragon, there had to be a reason.¡± ¡°Well yeah. It wanted to eat me and I wasn¡¯t big on being some dragon¡¯s chewtoy.¡± ¡°Watch your tongue.¡± Astri hissed. Her eyes darted around nervously. ¡°The dragons are not popular, but they still have eyes and ears.¡± ¡°For what? I¡¯m already being sent out to die effectively. What¡¯s the worst they can do? Send me sooner? Kill me harder?¡± Akamori sighed, rolling his eyes. He was already feeling done with this world and its politics. He missed Hoshun, his family and his father. Kalenza made this look so easy. How had he gone so wrong? ¡°I wonder how my father would feel knowing I¡¯m doing this death march. Would he be ashamed of me?¡± Astri fell silent, with nothing positive to offer, letting him muse his thoughts through to completion. ¡°I won¡¯t know the answer because he was speared on the barbed tail of a blood wyvern dread lord. Ominek. A child of the Suaridius. Real manipulative bastard. Likes binding and shackling souls.¡± ¡°Have you defeated him yet?¡± Astri asked. ¡°No. Not yet. I¡¯m not strong enough. Not yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve fought an Icon though?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Astri¡¯s brow arched. ¡°Your world is far messier than mine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it.¡± In the distance, the morning bell chimed. Astri went rigid. They both knew that meant it was time. Sirsir pushed open the door to the hut, the wood creaking gently. He turned back to the burly chocolate skinned sergeant and smiled. ¡°Keep an eye on things here and wait for me to get back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir, I got this.¡± ¡°Remember. Be wary of all dangers. Not just the organized opposition, but the wildlife as well.¡± ¡°I know, assume everything is out to eat me. And if it doesn¡¯t act like it is, then especially assume it will.¡± Astri nodded. ¡°Go in strength and may the mother favor you.¡± ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± He grinned. Akamori set off. Just as Astri had said, an indescribable distance away, he felt a soul beacon light. The temple of Anazi being his destination. He strode out of the village in the long coat he¡¯d bought on Eryn until he was well out of sight of the village. Then his hand slid to the bracelet, activating the deployment mode. Ice cold liquid black metal crawled all over his body like ice water, given consciousness. It surrounded him, then went rigid. He sighed contentedly as the ui popped up, showing him the things he¡¯d grown to miss since Lucinda destroyed his last armor. His damage paper doll, health and AP gauge. The mini map and task tracker. Even his weapons, Thanaton and the spell rifle. This trial is a good opportunity to test your skills and sharpen your edge . Than purred into his mind. Next to him, in his mind¡¯s eye, Frank appeared. ¡°I too am curious about our growth together. You¡¯ve become proficient with channeling my power, but we have far to go.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find plenty of trouble to get into.¡± His grin disappeared behind the faceplate of his armor as it slid down into place. He whooped as he jumped off a steep cliff face and savored the sensation of falling before he allowed his magic to kick in and overwrite the laws of physics and gravity. The thrusters on his armor glowed with Void magic. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Akamori banked and followed a canyon carved out of the rock by a river. He had a trip that would take him several days at least laid out before him. He wasn¡¯t breaking any speed records by any stretch and deeply felt the absence of his previous armor. Losing it had felt like losing a sibling. Pain still lingered in the memory of its final moment. The selflessness of it in its final moments still amazed him. His thoughts shifted to this new armor that Kusinaki had gifted him. Kusinaki had become something of a brother to him, and more so over the past few months after Hoshun. But the armor legitimately made his skin crawl in a way he couldn¡¯t put his finger on. Like standing in the shadow of a hungry dragon that was looming over him. He¡¯d grown so distracted by his thoughts he missed the chirping alert from his armor¡¯s hud that something was bearing down on him from above and behind. EVADE! Thanaton roared as something heavy fell on him from behind. Massive talons wrapped around his torso. Everything spun wildly as he fell in the grip of a flying drake. It snapped at him several times and he cursed, unable to draw Than with the blade pinned to his back. ¡°Fine.¡± He growled, channeling air and void magic at the same time. The magic mixed and puffed out in a cloud of fading aether. The drake snapped again, and he brought up his left arm to block. Its teeth sank into the armor on his forearm. He cursed, trying to focus his mind. He focused on what he wanted. Lightening with void magic mixed in. Then tried again, this time more forcefully. Air magic wreathed around his right arm, crackling into electricity. Then he slowly fed void magic into the spell until it glowed in shades of lavender. It would have to be good enough. Spell: Void Lightning ? Type: Evocation ? Damage: 5 Air, 4 Void ? Range: 15 Meters ? Defense: Dodge/Resolve ? Reduction: Air/Void ? Cost: 2* ? Description: Lightning infused with the deconstructive properties of Void magic. Being hit with this imparts a minor debuff to all movement based stats. Requirements: Air and Void Magic Infusions. ? Enhancements: Attack can be shaped into a ball or cone by spending additional AP. Can also enhance the damage of the spell with additional AP. The orb of crackling lightening and void magic pulsed in his hand. He had to blink looking at it because he could have sworn he could see a ball of raw aether shaped, and the aspected magic swirling around it like motes of light. Pain shot into his arm as the drakes teeth punched through the armor on his forearm. Jerking his arm towards him, he rammed the charged void lightneing orb into the drakes eye. It howled in pain spitting him out. Spinning in the air, he drew Than in one fluid motion, and brought the hungry blade up, its edge dripping with void and air magic as it broke down the molecules of the drake¡¯s neck even before the blade made contact. Its limp body tumbled away from him, splashing into the river, followed shortly by its head after a few detours bouncing along some rocks. He floated there for a moment, panting heavily. Blood trickled down his arm and dripped from his left hand. He blinked as he noted the black metal was slowly knitting itself shut. ¡°It heals? Huh.¡± It was pretty impressive for it to heal so quickly, but somehow he doubted it could do that intensively and for sustained periods. Best to not test the armor¡¯s limits. He scanned the ground for a safe spot to set down and treat his injuries. He didn¡¯t want to waste a healing potion on a surface injury. Setting down near the river, but far enough back, anything lurking within it would have to make its presence known before trying to make him its lunch. He went to work cleaning and treating the injury. Fishing out a package in vacuum sealed plastic, he tore it open and pulled out a rolled bandage, wrapping it tightly around his forearm. ¡°But not so tight that it cuts off circulation.¡± He repeated the phrase the combat medic from the brotherhood had recited when teaching him how to use the field dressing. He flexed his hand a few times, satisfied with his grip strength, and slid the armor back on. ¡°This world is very dangerous. Greater caution should be exercised.¡± Frank warned. ¡°Relax Frank. We¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve got this.¡± You do not ¡°got¡± this , Than pulsed in a flat, unimpressed tone. Frank looked at him deadpan. ¡°Akamori. Your entire existence has been skipping from one lucky break to the next.¡± ¡°Hey. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s that bad.¡± ¡°Says the man condemned to a death march by dragons.¡± ¡°Kill a dragon one time and suddenly you¡¯re a menace to society.¡± ¡°To date, you have at least 2 confirmed draconic kills, and one unconfirmed.¡± Frank said. Akamori¡¯s brow arched. ¡°How would you know?¡± ¡°You come across things when browsing the extra-net.¡± ¡°You can browse the extra net? I¡­ how? I have so many questions.¡± Akamori said. ¡°You should really keep your voice down. The drakes are drawn to quick movement and noise.¡± A muffled feminine voice said from all around him. Some kind of projection spell? It was definitely Astri. Somehow? He glanced around with Frank, his hand on Thanaton¡¯s grip loosely. ¡°I thought you said this march was for me alone?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be said I was there if no one ever sees me or notices me.¡± Astri said with a satisfied tone. That was fair enough. ¡°By the way, did you know you¡¯ve been talking to yourself?¡± Astri¡¯s voice asked. ¡°Funny story that.¡± Akamori started. ¡°My spell blade is sentient, and I have a soul pact with a void sent for power.¡± There was a long stretch of silence before Astri replied again. ¡°You¡¯re just full of surprises, aren¡¯t you? None of the riders here have seen a sentient and aware spell weapon in eons.¡± He was about to reply when the water bubbled. It was tepid at first, but picked up in intensity until it was practically heaving. He drew Thanaton and backed up. Blade tip pointed towards the water. Jaw set. ¡°Be careful. It could be a greater water drake. Watch for the prehensile tongue if it is.¡± His guard relaxed as his confusion set in. He¡¯d never seen a greater water drake before. Was this just something like a regular drake but blue or something? ¡°How will I know if I find one?¡± The water erupted as a pink fleshy line shot out and slapped the torso of his armor, holding firm. His feet slid several inches as the appendage went tight. Gravel crunched underfoot as the prehensile tendril pulled tighter. ¡°Oh.¡± He said as Astri¡¯s voice came over the magicom. ¡°Yeah.¡± And then the tongue yanked him into the water. ? Chapter 122: I’m an archeologist I¡¯m an archeologist Priestess, Private, and Spell Weaver Amara, along with Corporal Yasin, hustled through the stacks of Andlkang¡¯s largest archive and library. They were each led by hand by a young rider girl who frequented the library with the dream of becoming an archivist herself one day. She worked as Archivist Kovek¡¯s assistant. Essentially fetching him items of importance or running them to those who need aid when he¡¯s not present. ¡°This way, we¡¯re almost there.¡± She said, flashing them an eager grin. Erin wasn¡¯t over 14 years old. The trio emerged into a clearing and happened upon a table with heaps of dusty tomes, knowledge crystals and scales all scattered and piled up, topped with half rolled scrolls. A man in a brown leather dusty sat reclined on a hover couch with a tome in hand. A beige hat covered obscured the top of his face until he glanced up to face the oncoming commotion. A wry smile crept across his stubble flecked jaw. Blue eyes twinkled with genuine joy, set against sun kissed skin. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the young librarian again. And you¡¯ve got friends this time?¡± ¡°Friends for you Dr. Ford. They¡¯re looking for something and asked if I knew anyone who could help them find it.¡± A wry smile creased the man¡¯s brown, and blonde stubble lined jaw. He had a rugged look to him. Amara felt like, based on appearances, he could handle himself. ¡°And you came to me? I¡¯m honored. So, what have ya got for me, kid?¡± ¡°This is Amara, and this is Yasiin. They¡¯re looking for it.¡± The young rider said with a glance around. ¡°It?¡± The little gestures to the piled stacks of books and knowledge crystals insistently. Realization dawned on Nathan¡¯s expression and his brows shot up. ¡°Oh! It. I see. Thank you Nira. Please friends, come sit, preferably within my tables¡¯ privacy wards.¡± Amara and Yasiin both passed through a ward that tingled as they entered. Amara could see the runes and magical aspects composing it even before stepping through, so she knew full well in advance what she was getting into. That was one of Erlaut¡¯s first lessons. Never subject yourself to unknown spells. It makes you ill equipped to counter spell. ¡°We¡¯re looking for a spell ship, and we believe they might store it below the surface. Kovek explained there is a series of underground caves and little Nira said you knew them best, having ventured into them to map them out.¡± Nathan processed Amara¡¯s words for a moment. Nodding silently and making sure she knew she had his attention. When the spell weaver stopped, he played at the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. She didn¡¯t say specifically which spell ship, even though they both knew of only one that would have any reason to be kept beneath the surface. Especially beneath Anazi herself. ¡°I¡¯ve been down to those caves and I¡¯ve mapped a good share of them, yes.¡± He began by agreeing with her. It established a positive rapport. It also verified what she knew of him. But it was also time to temper expectations. ¡°They get pretty rough down there and I haven¡¯t fully explored the area. There are some areas I avoid entirely because of their hostile nature. There are also places that aren¡¯t too bad and can actually be quite hospitable if you know how to keep your wits about you. If you want to go diving there, you better bring someone who knows their stuff. Someone like myself. I don¡¯t recommend going down there alone.¡± ¡°How far of a distance from here?¡± Nathan chuckled softly to himself. ¡°You¡¯re asking me to give you a straight answer right off the bat? Well¡­ it¡¯s thousands of meters down. Easily days of hiking, if not weeks. If we¡¯re going to make sure you¡¯re well packed.¡± Amara and Yasiin exchanged easy glances and the two spell soldiers nodded, nonplussed. Nathan smirked. Not bad, he thought to himself. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your rate?¡± Amara asked, fishing for a couch pouch. Nathan pushed it away. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m not in this for money. Call it a personal interest.¡± Amara shrugged, dropping the pouch within her a void portal just large enough to swallow it. Nathan watched with a small grain of regret as the money disappeared. He sighed, mentally chiding himself for having too many principles and not enough greed. Still, if they could find the spell ship, the fame would be plenty good enough to sustain his research. As the group prepared to depart, Nathan turned back to Nira. ¡°Also, Nira? A word?¡± She grinned and followed Nathan over to a nearby table. As soon as they reached it, she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. ¡°Did you hear anything I told him?¡± ¡°Hear what?¡± ¡°About us.¡± Nathan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, I did. What of it?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just curious if you heard anything I said.¡± Nathan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep our little secret between us. You¡¯re the first person to ever see me without my hat, and I¡¯d hate to spoil your fun.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Nira smiled and gave a wink. Then she exited the library and waved goodbye to Amara and Yasiin before heading out to help with their preparations for their journey. # A few hours later, the three travelers found themselves in a field of tall grasses with the ruins of an ancient city emerging from the plains. The remains of a long abandoned settlement lay hidden behind the hills and plains. A stone wall encircled the site, but most of it had crumbled away. The stones were old and cracked. Many were still standing, but many others lay in piles and rubble. The ground itself was littered with fragments of broken pottery and bits of rock that appeared to have been picked clean. After a quick survey of the area, Yasiin and Amara walked past Nathan and took several steps forward towards the nearest hill. Both looked to be excited about their mission. Neither of them cared much for fighting. Sure, they were combat trained but preferred to avoid conflict. But they knew how to fight. They had to. "So, you two think you know where we''re headed?" Nathan asked as he scanned the horizon. The sky was clear. No clouds marred the star filled night. Yasiin nodded, motioning for Amara to follow. "There''s a pattern to these ruins. They cluster together. This place is an obvious choice, but there are others further west. We''ll take the ones closer to us first and work our way farther into the mountains. It should be safe enough to camp here tonight, so we can begin early tomorrow morning." "Sounds good. Let''s get to it." As they resumed, Amara whispered to Yasiin. "I didn''t know you were so well versed in dragon rider ruins." Yasiin shrugged. "I''m a nomad. My peoples visited this world often. We probably know the world better than they do on the surface, at least. As for what''s below? Well, that''s up to Dr. Ford." Amara bit her lip and nodded. Nathan cleared his throat politely and then continued walking. When they reached the closest hill, the trio paused for a moment as Nathan and Amara watched Yasiin scan the horizon. A look of concentration passed over the young man''s features before he lowered himself to kneel beside a shattered chunk of granite. He placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a strange aura enveloped him and the stone piece. His fingers glowed brightly, casting a soft light over the surrounding terrain. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, an image formed in Yasiin''s mind. He gasped audibly and immediately opened his eyes to stare blankly ahead. Amara and Nathan both rushed over and kneeled down next to him. "What did you see?" Amara asked. "Terrifying. I saw what remained of a battle. Thousands of warriors engaged in combat. Hundreds of them died. Some were killed by sword blows, others by arrows. I saw a dragon kill dozens, but I couldn''t tell if it was the enemy or a friend. One thing I know for certain is that the dragon was huge. Greater than any I''ve seen before. Its scales shone like diamonds in the sunlight." "Dragons?" Nathan asked. "I''ve heard rumors of magic carrying memories. But that''s usually in some association with a wellspring. Something about the magic being the blood of a god. But how is it the land has a memory? And why could I sense it?" Amara channeled her Maetrayopts. She could see the swirling echoes of magic all around the area. "Because it saturated this area with god¡¯s blood. Not enough to create a pool, but something inflicted here a great wound." Yasiin frowned, still trying to make out the phantom memory''s images. "The question is, who was wounded and how?" Nathan studied the landscape, "Well, this is the wyrm mother of air world right? Maybe this is where they had a last stand? It''s said she went into hibernation because of heartbreak at her mother''s death, but what if that''s just a lie to cover up that she went into hibernation to heal her own injuries? Something greivous that would take eons to recover from without expending immense amounts of magic?" "You sound like you''ve given this a lot of thought." Amara noticed. Nathan shrugged, clapping the dirt and grass free of his hands as he rose. "I''ve been here studying this world for a while. I guess I am a bit of an expert on bits." "Well, what do you think? Do you think this is where we need to go?" Yasiin asked. Nathan blinked and stared at Yasiin. For a moment, he forgot what he was doing. He only remembered when Yasiin spoke again. "If there''s a dragon down there, maybe it''s the same one. The one responsible for the attack." "I doubt it," Nathan disagreed. "Anazi may not have been the best wrym mother, but she was better than the Sauridius or other gods. But if she''s below the surface...." Nathan trailed off as the gears turned in his head. A beat later, his expression brightened with realization. "Oh! That....that''s brilliant. What if they hid the spell ship under Anazi herself?" Amara chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Like a magic smokescreen. Her proximity would make it impossible to sense or scry unless you knew where and when to look." Nathan snapped his fingers, pointing to Amara. "Five points to the priestess. Exactly." "It sounds like we have a rough idea of where we need to go then." Yasiin said, referencing a map that Nathan shared. "Lead the way Doctor." With Nathan in the lead, they made their trek across the plains. The terrain grew rocky and treacherous. Large rocks jutted out of the ground, making the footing precarious. Cliffs and sheer drops were visible at any angle. In the distance, at the mouth of a massive mountain, an opening of a cave that would lead them below. A cave marked on Nathan''s map. They approached the entrance to the cave cautiously. Nathan surveyed the area and then turned to Yasiin. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a spell soldier. Readiness is part of my training.¡± Yasiin replied. Amara smiled. ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m a spell soldier, too. I¡¯ve trained in casting and hiding skills.¡± Nathan eyed the two, unsure of which one was more dangerous. ¡°I¡¯ll take point,¡± Amara offered. ¡°You two follow closely.¡± Nathan nodded. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°You too.¡± The three entered the cave cautiously. After a few minutes, Nathan led them deeper into the darkness. Excitement warred with caution as the chance of realizing a life¡¯s dream was just within grasp. If only they can make it to the depths beneath the sleeping air goddess. ? Chapter 123: An interesting Gambit An interesting Gambit Keimut sat Morwen down across from him as he waved a hand over his arm, a dozen white and blue hexagonal dragon scales materializing in his hand. Morwen frowned, seated opposite him, obviously annoyed at not having been given any game pieces. He glanced up to sneer at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, captain? Have you no scales of your own to play with? Perhaps you should have considered that before accepting my offer.¡± Morwen could tell he was trying to put her in her place, but she was having absolutely none of it. Matron Azil placed a significant stack next to Morwen with a practiced smile. ¡°I will see to it the elven captain can play.¡± Keimut glowed as the expected moment arrived finally. Morwen could tell he¡¯d positioned Azil into responding. Now if he won, he¡¯d have some of her scales and be all the richer for it. Morwen sighed, detesting politics. She reached out, picking up one of the tiny pieces. ¡°If I win,¡± she said slowly so there would be no misunderstanding, ¡°Then you¡¯ll consider joining an alliance with the Federation to fight Sauridius?¡± Azil laughed softly. Keimut simply maintained his practiced look of arrogant superiority. ¡°We¡¯d consider it. Yes.¡± Morwen rolled her eyes as she moved a piece across the board. It was barely a step forward at best, but she wasn¡¯t about to lose this point for nothing when they knew full well what the stakes were. Her heart beat faster as he took a second step toward victory. They¡¯re just trying to play their way around me... But then again, we know that already too... ¡°And if you don¡¯t?¡± Keimut said with a questioning look. She glanced up to meet his gaze, narrowing hers slightly. His expression went from smug satisfaction to surprise in seconds, realizing how much he had given away. ¡°What else besides scales have I to offer?¡± Morwen asked. Keimut grinned. ¡°I would absorb your mages into my riders, growing my forces and prestige. A fair trade, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°No. I wouldn¡¯t. But I¡¯ll accept your terms.¡± Keimut placed his first piece, a blue scale, onto the board. Morwen placed one of Azil¡¯s scales. The board shifted it to black. Keimut dropped another. Morwen followed suit, and the two fell into a pattern of rapidly placing scales to the board. Soon the board was nearly covered in them, with Keimut ahead by four points. At this rate, he¡¯d win the entire match. ¡°What an interesting gambit, Captain.¡± Morwen simply stared back at him. The barest hint of a smirk on her lips. He should have won with the next move, but Keimut¡¯s hand paused over the next hex before moving. Morwen caught the flash of uncertainty. Her eyes narrowed as she realized he wanted to move last. She picked up her own piece and made ready to play. She began making her moves as quickly as possible while waiting for him to take his turn. He possessed skill, that was certain. Slowly but surely, he was pushing her out of the edges of the board. Forcing her to work in the middle. She¡¯d expected that and placed a piece in an opposite corner, denying him a full ring of control. He ignored it, only continuing to slowly advance toward the center, where he could keep a tight watch in every single direction at once. Morwen played several more pieces across the board. One near his border, then three in the corners, and finally five between the centers of each side of the game, effectively locking him out of full dominion, and granting him only majority control. Next came the counterattack. She channeled her divine foresight, unraveling the various threads of the web of fate. Every possible action and reaction spread out before her. The future unfolded into a swirling storm of possibilities stretching into infinity. But within this whirlpool of chaos one possibility stood alone from all others... She looked up to meet his gaze and smiled. Then she dropped a new piece into place. A white dragon scale, dropping down right next to one of hers which was still standing firmly upon its starting point. His eyes widened with shock as he realized what was happening. Morwen held her hand out palm open as if to say ¡®give me your scales¡¯ while tapping her forehead with her other hand as though to ask why he didn¡¯t see the inevitable outcome. With an exasperated look at the board Keimut glared at the board. Nostrils flared as he seethed before her. In an explosion of motion he rose, striding briskly to the opening of the roof, shifted into his wyrm form and flapped powerful wings flying off as he roared angrily into the sky, smaller drakes and dragons veering clear of him. Azil slid down next to Morwen on the couch looking pleased. ¡°Well done little tree child. No one has ever beaten Keimut. Let alone soundly humiliated him at Darstrix Aryte before. You may have just made a bitter enemy.¡± Morwen sighed pinching the bridge of her nose as the exhaustion of using her divine foresight power had taken a toll on her stamina. She¡¯d made her point but at what cost? ¡°He can take a number and get in line.¡± Morwen replied finally. ¡°About that alliance though?¡± Azil¡¯s smile dropped slightly. ¡°That discussion will have to wait.¡± ¡°And the Sauridius?¡± ¡°They have Keimut¡¯s backing.¡± ¡°Damn. Why about you? Could we at least count you an ally?¡± Azil considered it for a moment then eventually nodded. ¡°Yes. Though to what extent I cannot say for certain yet.¡± Morwen sighed. It would have to be enough. As Morwen rose, Rozien , the enchanted tone tucked into her jacket jostled loose enough to see. Azil¡¯s eyes lit up with curious hunger. The matron dragon pointed to the tone as Morwen hastily tucked the book back into her jacket. ¡°What an exquisite spell book.¡± Morwen frowned, uncomfortable with the increase in attention paid to the time. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°It¡¯s quite old. And something of a personal project of mine.¡± ¡°Ah. So it¡¯s not for sale then?¡± Morwen smiled politely. ¡°No.¡± ¡°A pity. You could have tripled your winnings just on its purchase alone.¡± Morwen patted the book inside her jacket softly. ¡°Family airloom. I couldn¡¯t bare the thought of parting with it.¡± Azil bowed her head diplomatically. ¡°Of course Captain.¡± ¡°Matron, might I inquire if the Sauridius have forces camped here?¡± ¡°They do. Several frigates and troop transports worth.¡± Morwen frowned, and then the worst possible thing happened. She saw one of their number in the crowd at the party. She was young, a hatchling weaver by her looks. But she stood out as different from other weavers due to her tall stature as well as having two horns growing down through her forehead and ears that curled slightly outward... Oh gods! That¡¯s her! Tanak! Ominek¡¯s daughter. He must have ordered his children here ahead of them. Already sinking his claws into the dragons here. Morwen just hoped they weren¡¯t binding the dragons as was their usual method. Morwen took several steps forward trying to maintain the illusion of being distracted when in fact she had stopped dead in her tracks, barely breathing or even thinking. The girl wasn¡¯t looking in her direction but that didn¡¯t matter either. Their eyes locked and recognition flared. Worse, Morwen could sense her eyes on Rozien¡¯s place within her jacket and she suddenly realized how egregious she¡¯d blundered. It was possible they¡¯d be after Rozien as well. Morwen bowed before Azil. ¡°Thank you for the entertainment but I must get back to my ship. All this excitement has made me weary. I shall rejoin you tomorrow.¡± With that Morwen took her leave of the party. She wove a quick portal spell and returned to the Cadaver Crasher. Once there, she found a few of her crew waiting patiently for their return. Her heart thundered in her chest, knowing full well she¡¯d been spotted by one of those who sought the book¡¯s power. She strode for her cabin, erecting a privacy ward swiftly and removed Rozien. ¡°Do you think they are here for me?¡± Morwen frowned. She couldn¡¯t be certain, but since he was a key component of the first spell ship it was a strong guess. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. But it might be best if we keep you out of view for now. Best not to draw the dragons or Sauridius to your true purpose.¡± She saw doubt flash across Rozien¡¯s face before returning with a soft smile. This was her war to fight to now. His time for fighting had long passed. ¡°Your command.¡± Morwen nodded curtly, then went about her nightly grooming routine. She had to fight the urge to channel her divine sight again. That took a toll on her and she was still getting used to the ability. Overuse might make her sloppy and she didn¡¯t want to lean on it like a crutch. Having a sharp mind was as instrumental as having a sharp eye. Both would help her win the day, no matter how long it may take. # Morwen woke late the next morning, feeling refreshed from her rest but stiff after sitting too much at the party last evening. With Rozien safely tucked away in her spell book pouch within her jacket once more, she sat down to work on some of her new spell books while drinking tea. It wasn''t yet noon when there came a knock on her cabin door. She looked up surprised and stood immediately. "Enter!" A tall red skinned human shifted dragon stepped into the room and gave a bow before holding his hand out to her. "I am Lord Lothiriel Dragonborn," he said with a polite smile before continuing, "We have been sent by High Priestess Azil. As I''m sure you''ve already guessed we''re here to offer you support should you need it." Morwen smiled, taking his offered paw gently. "Thank you for coming." She felt a little nervous as she hadn''t had time to prepare for this eventuality. If it had come sooner perhaps she''d be better prepared... but she did not wish for anything that might upset the balance or make things harder on herself or others than needed. They had not taken any action against her so far but the threat was very real. And since the Sauridius were involved... There was no telling what the other factions might do either. But then again if one side could claim victory over Keimut and the dragons, then surely there must be a way to find and share power without all of these deaths and suffering. Surely, someone else in their position would see reason? She wanted to believe that, even though she knew they didn''t care about such noble causes like freedom or self-determination. ¡°Something to drink? I might have a bottle of light wine in my private stores if you¡¯d like?¡± Lothiriel shook his head. ¡°No thank you. Azil asked that I come to let you know that until Keimut is dealt with she can¡¯t move against him. The pitched support for the Sauridius was already decided before you got here.¡± ¡°So how can we proceed?¡± ¡°With caution. Andlkang is host to many parties and many opportunities to erode Keimut¡¯s position publicly.¡± Lothiriel replied looking thoughtful as he stood there waiting for her answer. ¡°Keimut did seem rather fond of his Darstrix skills. Perhaps a rematch is in order. A chance for him to try and redeem himself as strongest of the last Wing.¡± Morwen said. Lothiriel gave a nod but seemed less than happy at the prospect. "Perhaps you should send out some invites." Lothiriel said thoughtfully, "A public challenge from the federation diplomat who bested the top dragon might serve us well in setting the stage." Morwen nodded. "I''ll get on it right away." She called upon her divine sight, and it was only then she realized just how exhausted she was after using it so much recently. Her mind felt heavy with fatigue while her body was tense with worry and anxiety. The exhaustion returned in full force and she felt like she¡¯d just pulled an all night shift on the bridge. She swayed, bracing herself. ¡°Forgive me. But I think I¡¯ll need some time alone. Thank you for your counsel. I¡¯ll send a message again when I¡¯m ready to move.¡± ¡°Of course captain. Be well.¡± Lothiriel departed the ship at an even pace. Morwen was too distracted with her fatigue to see him linking up with Tanak outside the dock. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°She has it. But she¡¯s wary of revealing it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± ¡°Positive. Your bauble identified the book just as you said it would.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Tanak said. They needed to prepare a sortie. And soon. ? Chapter 124: The Sakazin The Sakazin Before Akamori tumbled into the river, he pumped a heavy amount of void into his spell armor, arresting his momentum. A massive water aspected amphibian whose tongue was stuck to Akamori emerged from the water. Its large webbed feet pushing rocks forward as it struggled in vain to pull him in. Akamori frowned, not wanting to injure the creature, but needing to disengage. ¡°I wonder if I can portal without hurting it.¡± He thought aloud. Do not shed tears over this beast. You are merely a meal to it. Extricate yourself from the situation how you see fit. Thanaton hissed. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to maim the wildlife.¡± I doubt it is showing you the same courtesy. End this beast be gone. We have work to be about. Thanaton said. ¡°You want me to kill one more innocent?¡± I prefer we remain neutral in regards to any sentient life-form. Your decision to assist them or slay them falls within your purview as a Reaper. But whatever you decide, do it now, and act. This dithering is unbecoming. Akamori channeled the fire magic in his chest, radiating the heat outwards, raising his external temperature to uncomfortable levels. Eventually the creature¡¯s tongue let go, the adhesive side peeling free as the water wildling retreated below the river¡¯s surface. He packed his gear back up, deciding to stick to the ground. Moving for the plains, he followed a trail that took him down a rolling slope. Direction and distance were relative this early on his journey and wanted to explore a little. Since he wasn¡¯t on a time crunch and the purpose of this trip was to kill him, the rules were extremely lax. He was wandering through what looked like grasslands when something caught his eye off in the distance. Something different from anything around it. It was shaped oddly but was familiar looking enough. His eyes picked out two small dots among all the larger dots in the sky above it. He floated off the ground using his void magic to fight gravity. He studied the dots with folded arms, peering curiously at the arrangement. ¡°What am I looking at Than?¡± A sky chart it would appear. Primitive mapping magic. There is both Fire and Mind magic mixed in this illusion, anchoring it to the land. ¡°Who would have anchored it here?¡± A wildtribe, most likely. Beastman with a more primitive grasp of magic. This lacks the flavor or feel of magitech, or magic the dragons and their riders use. ¡°You said it was a map, right?¡± Yes. Akamori copied it to his armor¡¯s hud map. The armor¡¯s intelligence then computed a route from the map designated to him. It charted a course through the plains for him. With no where else better to go, he opted to follow the path laid out. Eager to see what else this world had to offer. And maybe he¡¯d find some decent grapes along the way. He feathered his thrusters with some void magic and flew forward at a leisurely pace. Taking in the landscape as it passed him by. Rolling plains and grasslands. This far away from the dragon city and the land looked untouched by civilization. Not that there was much to be seen, anyway. Mostly rolling hills dotted with scrub trees that looked like bushes to him. No buildings or structures stood in sight anywhere. He felt like he was flying over an alien planet rather than another part of the continent of Anazi Prime. A few creatures poked their heads up briefly curious about the strange black armored figure moving across the sky before scurrying back down into their holes. As he approached a line of mountains that rose above the plain, it became clear something lived in a valley at its base. Coincidentally, that¡¯s also where the map was guiding him. He reduced his speed and altitude, deciding to approach on foot. He contemplated making his armor shift back into its storage mode, but decided against it. If he was ambushed or treated as hostile, he wanted to be as ready as possible. No more giving the bad guys a free shot. He stopped short of the small settlement as he felt the massive thrum of magic in the distance. It sang to him like a siren song. Equal parts magic and will. He¡¯d felt this before. They were summoning an Icon. We have to stop them. Thanaton insisted. He sighed, knowing Than was right. ¡°Yeah. We can¡¯t just leave that alone.¡± Reluctantly, he reached back and seized Thanaton¡¯s hilt, drawing the spell blade free of its void anchor on his back. The sword hummed with power and promise. There was an eagerness from the blade. It was ready for the coming fight. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Be very careful if this is the path you choose to walk, cousin. Icons are notoriously corruptive influences.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a ward for that.¡± Akamori said to the disembodied voice of Astri, who was somehow still keeping up with him. He didn¡¯t know she could fly, either. Unless this was a different kind of spell. Questions for later. Time to focus. He advanced towards the wild tribe settlement. Huts built from simple materials like wood, straw and thatching rimmed a path that led into small village. They erected a modest wood fence with pointed logs facing away from the perimeter to keep beasts out ringed the perimeter. A handful of warriors stood guard along the front gates armed with bows and spears. They had pale blue skin and patches of thick white scales. Most wore rough sewn sun faded leathers. They eyed Akamori as he floated overhead. Several of them had a look in their eye that told him they weren¡¯t going down without a fight. He sighed, settling down before them. No words passed between the warriors and himself as combat erupted. He kept his spell use light, relying on his combat skills more. His speed and air magic use made deflecting arrows easy as he advanced close enough to engage the ones holding spears. While most of his attacks were designed to do little damage to flesh or bone, he also included some spells to hamper their willpower if needed. He used all of this sparingly to conserve energy until it was time for his real power play. With a quick flurry of blows, three warriors fell dead at once, giving a good chance for two others to take advantage of the opportunity presented by their allies falling around them. The remaining five split and ran for the safety of the gate. Akamori paused long enough to allow the Sakazin warrior to make it through the opening. The man didn¡¯t get a step past him before a line of red slashed across his throat. Two more men managed to run in with weapons drawn, but found themselves impaled on sharpened wooden stakes in seconds flat. A fifth attempted to turn and flee, only to have her legs ripped out from under her when one of Akamori¡¯s arms came sweeping over her head, taking her clean off her feet. She rolled several times with the impact and landed hard against a rock wall behind the entrance. He took the opportunity while she struggled to recover to finish the job he started. Without a word, he pulled the spear from the corpse and then stabbed the woman again before resuming his march deeper into the village. He could feel the pulsing siren song of magic being generated by the vast amounts of worship and aether. The Icon had been born. The center of the village had been cleared out to make an arena like area large enough for the Icon and the ritual that gave birth to it. Standing before its supplicants, the Icon unfurled large brown and white feathered wings. It had a torso like a man, wings and head like a hawk, and feet like a dragon. The icon sucked in a deep breath, its chest quaking. ¡°All hail Garuda!¡± the icon roared. Gusts of magically aspected air radiated around them. All around the icon the sakazin fell to their knees. With his increased aura senses he could see the flow of magic billowing up from the worshipers and flowing towards Garuda. The air elemental icon flapped powerful wings and spun in the air, savoring the worship. Then it turned its baleful gaze on him. Contempt practically tainting the air. ¡°Alas. We have an unbeliever in our midst. Children. Do show this one the error of his ways.¡± Garuda commanded. All the Sakazin rose as one. Akamori took a hesitant step back. Thanaton held ready as he assumed Bahumet¡¯s Stance, ready to attack. They charged at him with spears, bows and arrows, and he watched. Akamori lifted his hands and spread out fingers and thumbs, and unleashed a blast of void magic at each of the five charging warriors. He regretted the expense of aetherpool, but it had to be done. The void blast carved a straight path through rows of warriors. Not hesitating, Akamori sprinted through his canyon carved through bodies. As he moved, his sword arm flicked about like it had a mind of its own. It claimed a limb here, a head there, opened a few necks and generally did its job to reduce the population of anyone not on Team Akamori. A bow twanged off Akamori¡¯s armor and Thanaton countered by severing the man¡¯s head free from his shoulders in one quick movement. He ran into the center of the arena where Garuda stood surrounded by several high priests who were busy chanting spells in their native tongue while others began casting protective enchantments upon the creature itself. The wind blew around him angrily. Writhing tentacles of air appeared around the edge of the clearing, lashing at him like whips or claws as they sought to tear him apart. He augmented his reflexes with his latent air magic and leaned free of a lunging stab from one air whip. He watched as it sliced a few strands of hair free as time slowed down. When time returned to normal, Akamori jumped, twisting in the air to avoid several more air tendrils and landed squarely at Garuda¡¯s feet. The icon glared down at him as air magic roared around them. An arcane and sickly glow pulsed from the Icon, crashing first into Akamori¡¯s aura, and then harmlessly against the ward attached to his soul. Garuda roared and tried again to enthrall him. The magic bursting to into mana shards that winked out. Akamori looked down, biting back a smirk. Garuda was genuinely confused. None could resist its siren call. ¡°How can this be?¡± The icon boomed in confusion. ¡°I get it. Performance anxiety. It happens to everyone. You get your first unbeliever and suddenly your magic is impotent. The good news is that they make magic pills for that. Or if you prefer you can go to Eryn and see a light mage.¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Garuda roared, a blast of air shoved Akamori back on his feet. ¡°You want me gone? Fine,¡± he said, settling his stance, ready for the fight. ¡°But I¡¯m going to take some of these sakazin with me when I leave.¡± He grinned wickedly. Unhinged by his sudden display of depravity, Garuda surged forward on a gale of air, the draconic talons of his feet lashing out like whirling dervishes seeking to unburden Akamori¡¯s head from his neck. Akamori evaded with his augmented defenses and lashed out with Thanaton, the first blade cutting the icon¡¯s leg cleanly through the dragon scales. A piercing hawk¡¯s cry wailed through the air and it focused on him as though it were about to devour him or feed him to its young. Garuda¡¯s wing cut through the air in a slashing motion and a compressed blade of air lanced right for Akamori. Reflexively, he brought his arms up to protect himself but felt nothing save the subtle passing of a breeze. Behind him, the ground bore a scar of cleaved stone. He looked down and noted the armor rippling like a cup of ink that had been disturbed. It must have done its teleportation trick with the attack. That had to have cost it in mana. Garuda flapped both its powerful wings and smashed him to the ground before vaulting off high into the air and banking quickly to make a pass at him. Whatever the icon was up to, he had a feeling it wasn¡¯t going to be any good for his long term plans. Struggling back to his feet, he intended to meet death upright if he could. ? Chapter 125: The Dreadwrym stirs The Dreadwrym stirs Garuda stood before Akamori for a moment. The calm in the eye of a storm. His azure and white feathering and scales contrast with the glow coming from his eyes. The icon had tried several times to enthrall him and failed. The air shifted as the fight was transitioning to violence over dominance. Akamori flexed his own aura. The radiant void magic writhed out of him as he stared Garuda down. A fleeting glance at the truth of Akamori¡¯s soul caught the attention of The Icon. The dormant Bahumet sealed away within the spell soldier, warrior, and demi-god. The voice that emerged from his lips wasn¡¯t the one he knew. It belonged to another being. ¡°What are you doing here? I am not yours to command.¡± ¡°You know why,¡± Garuda snarled. Void black and purple aether radiated from Akamori¡¯s eyes as he smirked. ¡°Indeed. Unfortunately, I must put you down. Left uncheck, you¡¯ll blight the land.¡± With ferocious intensity, Akamori¡¯s aura pounded back into Garuda¡¯s, leaving neither the advantage and once again leveling the playing field. Akamori blinked several times and the draconic radiant void magic faded, leaving just his piercing blue eyes once again. Garuda noticed the change in the young human mage. The 5 meter tall icon spread its powerful wings wide. Akamori took a cautious step back. The wings came down, and two walls of whirling blades of air magic hurled his way. Akamori fell backwards into his shadow. The wall of blades carved up the stone he¡¯d just occupied. Thanaton punched through the scales on Garuda¡¯s leg and a high-pitched scream of pain blew the glass out of the huts of the village. A sweep of one of its wings sent a powerful blast of air that threw Akamori sprawling and skidding across the ground until he smashed through several huts, plowing a path of destruction. He looked for shelter as stones were blasted around him by more wing slashes. The wind from each blow increased in velocity, giving him little time to escape. With a snap of feather fingers, the attacks ceased as quickly as they had begun. The entire village was now in shambles. Akamori rose from the rubble to find Garuda still standing. The air elemental spun about on the spot, turning itself invisible and becoming the winds of death all over again. Garuda moved with speed, unmatched. In his eyes, Akamori saw his own reflection. Their eyes seemed to pierce right into his soul and speak volumes without words. You are not what you are supposed to be. This battle will never end if you continue down this path you are walking. Your purpose lies elsewhere than here. There are others who need your help. The younger man remembered himself being held at sword point. The blade of Thanaton whispered in a voice he didn¡¯t know, as it spoke directly in his mind. Guilt flashed through him. He¡¯d been self indulgent and strayed from his march looking for this fight. For this problem. A problem he didn¡¯t really have the time for. But he couldn¡¯t leave the Sakazin prisoners to Garuda¡¯s will. They had to be freed. Every choice had a cost, and if the cost of making this choice was not being what they expected him to be, then so be it. He wasn¡¯t a prisoner to fate, and if he walked off the path, he¡¯d forge his own. The wind howled behind him as the icon drew near. Akamori faced him head on. The Icon Garuda came within striking range, but paused instead. His massive wings furled in close like an attack would come next. Instead, silence reigned in the air as both warriors stared each other down. ¡°You think you can stand against me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing,¡± Akamori replied confidently. The air elemental started moving again with its spinning blades. The elemental assault was too much and quickly overwhelmed Akamori. Thanaton was torn from his grip. His personal wards collapsed and even the void transfer ability of the armor was overwhelmed, unable to phase every attack. The inky black armor took several solid hits. Some slashes, some stabs. Akamori fell to his knees, blood trickling down his arms and legs, pooling beneath him. He could feel the warmth draining slowly from those wounds. Garuda loomed over him, a triumphant sneer on his beak. The icon inhaled deeply, his chest distending just as a dragon¡¯s might. An ear piercing wail erupted outward, the likes of which would challenge even a Banshee. Akamori¡¯s hand shot up, and a powerful void ward erected itself in front of him. It instantly dissolved any air magic that struck it. Akamori¡¯s aura melted out of his body and radiated power like Garuda could only imagine. When Akamori looked Garuda in the eyes next, two baleful draconic eyes bored into Garuda with threatening intensity. ¡°What are you!?¡± The Icon cried, backing up a pace. ¡°The dreadwyrm Bahumet. You have disturbed my rest. Damaged my vessel. And you¡¯re annoyingly loud. I tried to warn you and you persisted. Now I¡¯m going to have to end you.¡± Akamori¡¯s aura split down the middle, and shaped itself into a pair of dragon wings composed of pure void magic. They flapped powerfully only once and Akamori rose into the air to face Garuda at eye level. A forceful blast of wind rushed in from behind the dragon and smashed into Akamori¡¯s back, sending him sprawling onto his rear. His armor cracked where he impacted against the ground, but didn¡¯t break or dent. He rolled over, ready for more. There was no fear on his face this time, though. Just determination. He felt the rage well up inside again. This was the way it was supposed to be, fighting without reservation. He allowed himself an eager grin. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡± Akamori said under Bahumet¡¯s power. The wing slashes began coming faster and stronger now that Garuda knew he¡¯d been bested. Garuda moved around Akamori like a great serpent, moving its body through the water as each strike came closer and closer together. Each swing of the giant bird-like wings swept away several huts of the village, scattering them about like leaves in a stormy sea. As soon as one hut vanished, another appeared just in time to meet the next swipe of his wings. The constant barrage drove Akamori back towards the shoreline, until finally, he stumbled off the edge of the beach to plunge into the ocean waters below. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The icon followed right after him, sweeping his mighty wings back and forth with enough speed they generated waves of their own crashing against the rocks along the coastline. Beneath him was blackness so deep not even his light could penetrate it. His feet touched down on the bottom and there was nothing but darkness surrounding him for a moment. Then suddenly, a brilliant beam of light erupted from the center of his chest outwards in all directions. It flashed blindingly bright for a second or two before dimming slightly, but still brighter than daylight. The rest of Garuda¡¯s massive form appeared above Akamori, casting shadows in every direction. Garuda¡¯s voice boomed throughout the entire area, ¡°You will pay dearly for what you have done here! You will die by my hands!¡± ¡°Hmph. Come and try.¡± ¡°You think me afraid? I am Garuda the swift!¡± The wings came down once again to sweep across the land like some giant scythe ripping through wheat. ¡°That is where we differ.¡± Akamori said as he stood up slowly to meet this challenge head on. ¡°I¡¯ve walked miles already today to find this fight. Do not mistake my patience with fear. Your anger has driven your wings faster than thought itself, and now you¡¯ll realize that it wasn¡¯t rage fueling them, but desperation.¡± He clenched his fists in front of his chest and extended them outward at arm¡¯s length. As if throwing a punch, a blast of energy launched forward from each fist into the center of Garuda¡¯s chest. Wards blunted the attack, discoloring. Akamori attacked again, this time summoning Thanaton back to his grip. The long aether steel blade thrumming with power. He rushed forward to attack, his blade singing back and forth in a storm of slashes mirroring Garuda¡¯s own attacks. Only Akamori added an extra surprise. Void magic mixed in with the air. Each attack crashed into the Icon¡¯s impressive barrier, further discoloring and weakening it. Eventually, the ward shattered just as Akamori closed into melee range. In two swipes of his blade, the wings of Garuda crashed to the stone, shattering the landscape. The Sakazin were no more, and for that, Akamori felt deep guilt. But he eliminated the threat. ¡°I¡¯d pray for your return to the cycle so that we might fight again, but you lack even a soul. Find rest in oblivion.¡± Akamori¡¯s two toned voice said as he blurred forward and rammed Thanaton into the heart of the icon. Garuda gasped as blood and aether poured from the wound. Akamori closed his eyes and channeled Void and fire into the blade. Higher and higher until Garuda dissolved into ashes and then even those burned away in the black flames. A few stray motes of aether. All that remained of the icon drifted free of the carnage. His work finished, Akamori flew up and off on flaming purple dragon wings. He landed at the edge of the Sakazin village. The void dragon aura wings billowing away into motes of unshaped aether. Ahead of him lay the wreckage of the village. As Bahumet¡¯s conscious withdrew behind the seal, Akamori blinked himself back to awareness. Like being locked away in a dark room with no sound. When he saw the remains of his fight, he sighed. Heavy with grief, he allowed himself a moment to weep. The Sakazin had summoned Garuda out of fear of the dragons. And he¡¯d come along and finished them off. ¡°Maybe I deserve to die.¡± He said with a dry mouth. He¡¯d defeated Garuda. Anazi Prime no longer had an Icon that could run free and enthrall others at will. He glanced off into the horizon wearily. The temple lay out there somewhere. ¡°That was a foolish detour. You¡¯ve wasted time and resources defeating a foe you didn¡¯t need to stop.¡± Astri¡¯s voice said from everywhere all at once. ¡°Maybe. But if I didn¡¯t deal with it, do you honestly think the dragons would have?¡± he replied. ¡°No.¡± Astri said after some silence of her own. ¡°Exactly. Someone has to save everyone else because Keimut sure as hell won¡¯t.¡± ¡°The wyrm mother may not like you openly expressing displeasure with her children.¡± ¡°Then she can bill me. I¡¯m here because of the mess they made. I¡¯m here because they refuse to help us. I¡¯m here. I need to be. Not because I want to be. There¡¯s a key difference.¡± He sighed, dropping to the ground, reluctantly making camp in the village¡¯s wreckage. Most wildlife was giving him a wide berth. He may as well make camp here for the night and carry on in the morning. He unpacked his camping gear and started a small fire made of crushed kindling from a hut. ¡°And what is that key difference?¡± Astri asked again. ¡°That you¡¯re angry about their attitude or that you don¡¯t care that you¡¯ve killed them?¡± ¡°That it manipulated them into summoning in the first place. They were playing with forces they didn¡¯t understand. Someone put them up to that. I mean, to find them and stop them.¡± ¡°You mean after you stop Sauridius from enslaving the sector?¡± ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡± ¡°Night cousin.¡± ¡°Good night Akamori. Your companion wishes for me to express something to you.¡± He grinned, knowing who it was, and what was likely to follow. ¡°Kick their scaley asses, sir.¡± Sirsir¡¯s disembodied voice said. He nodded as silence followed and he went to lie down even though his body felt like a super charged aether crystal. ? Chapter 126: Beneath Sleeping Gods Beneath Sleeping Gods Amara, Yasiin and Dr. Nathan Ford crept along at a sedate pace. They¡¯d been underground long enough that they¡¯d had to pitch camp to rest before pressing onwards several times. This far down light no longer existed save for the dull yellow gold given off by Yasiin¡¯s small spell wisp. It floated several feet above the palm of his hand like a luminous child¡¯s ball.The farther in the group traversed, the less frequently they spoke. In part to avoid drawing the attention of the serpentine wildlings. Massive oversized snake like creatures that fed off of the ambient magic of Anazi, the dormant goddess of air.Amara could hear them now as their rasping breath filled the cave tunnels with a low groan of threat. Their mouths were enormous pits of fangs capable of biting through armor and flesh. Somewhere ahead, there was going to be an epic fight between these monsters and those who walked among them. Amara wished she could have cast a divination spell to scry the passage ahead, but the magic use might have drawn the beasts to them. For now, they stuck to Nathan¡¯s maps. She cast a quick glance behind her and saw Nathan behind her with his revolver drawn, and Yasiin with his spell rifle at the low ready, casually sweeping their six to prevent flanking ambushes. Amara channeled her Maetrayopts. The power now working far more smoothly and with no setbacks compared to when she¡¯d first unlocked it. That felt like so long ago now. She¡¯d grown a lot since that frantic battle on Hidros. Spell: Eye of Maetraya or Maetrayopts Type: Divination Damage: None Range: Self Defense: NA Reduction: Fire or Mind Cost: Moderate AP Description: The user can attempt to perceive all magical properties and possibilities. These possibilities can give them insights into what might occur in our own reality and reveal secrets that cannot be discovered any other way. God sight allows a perfect view of the short-term future, which renders games like Darstrix Aryte pointless to the user. This effect lasts for a short period. Sustaining the spell costs 1 AP for each second. The spell is sustained. The caster can see several seconds into the future equal to their total successes. They cannot be ambushed or surprised, nor can their companions. Once per round, the mage may immediately take an action, even if it interrupts someone else¡¯s turn. For example, if an attack is made on a character, and the character is running Maetrayopts, she could take an immediate action to blink away before the attack. Requirements: Fire Magic, Mind Magic Enhancements: Proficiency in this spell extends the duration it can be used. Further proficiency in this spell reduces the AP cost to use the spell and reduces the AP cost to sustain the spell to 0. She could sense the faint magic auras of several wildlings ahead. The magic saturation was reaching a point where she was having a hard time picking a path ahead, unfortunately. She held up a fist silently, and the group halted after Nathan bumped into her back accidentally. He whispered a silent apology. She gave Yasiin the hand sign for multiple targets ahead. Without a word, Yasiin shifted around them. Spell rifle tugged up into the high ready now. The trio advanced, weapons ready, but magic still unchanneled. The only sound in the cave was the irregular dripping of moisture accumulating on a stalactite and falling to the floor. Yasiin slowly took a knee, rifle up. He drew in a slow breath and aimed. Amara and Nathan both knew that once they fired, all hells would break loose. And from that moment on, they were fair game to the serpentine monsters lurking ahead. Amara opened her mouth as if she had something important to say, then let out a sharp whistle at the top of her lungs. In response, two massive snake-like creatures came barreling down the tunnel towards their position with inhuman speed. Yasiin¡¯s finger squeezed the trigger, firing three quick rounds into the ceiling above their heads before the first creature struck his shoulder armor and clamped onto him. The armor¡¯s shoulder plate whined under the pressure from the creature¡¯s bite before Yasiin deployed an oft unused spell blade, severing its head free of its body. Nathan dove for cover and rolled to his side behind a stalagmite while Amara slung one shot wide and threw herself over Yasiin, deflecting a second monster¡¯s strike on Nathan with a mind bolt. The wildling shook its head, resisting the powerful sleep spell. A hazy pink cloud floated around its head for a moment before the creature distended its jaws and ate the remains of the spell completely. An instant later, its head exploded and Yasiin and Amara both turned back to look at Nathan, his revolver¡¯s barrel still oozing smoke. He shrugged sheepishly, mouthing, ¡°what?¡± Amara leaned over to study his pistol. It looked completely unremarkable until she saw the faint glimmer of enchanted rounds in the pistol itself. The bullets were wrapped in rings of enchantments. The workmanship was careful and delicate. And based on the results, excessively effective. She made a mental note not to tempt the archeologist to shoot her. She had no intention of seeing what one of those rounds would do to her. As stillness settled into the cave, Yasiin got slowly. His rifle panned left to right and back. Seeing no more targets, he tilted the barrel up and fell into the back of their little group. Amara helped Nathan up, who dusted himself. They exchanged nods showing they were ok. He opened his book and whispered a soft incantation that danced at the edge of Amara¡¯s hearing. The hand-drawn map in it glowed softly in a pale gold light. He studied the map and then scanned the cave for a moment. Nathan bit his lip, his memory straining as if it could recall this chamber or not. So far, they¡¯d maintained a pretty steady path down and ahead. Rarely did he interject to steer. He pointed out their next round, indicating to the faintly glowing map how far they had to hike. He frowned at the drawing of a bunch of snakes in a pit. The Wildling focal point. Why was it always snakes? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. He lifted a shaky finger to point ahead with a less than confident expression. Amara followed his hand and saw the pit of wildlings gathered. They were basking in the glow of the air goddess sleeping beneath the surface. Her skin crawled, and she empathized with Nathan and his dislike of the super sized snakes. Amara frowned, looking down into the pit, and then looked up. The ceiling was lined with rocky spikes, as moisture and minerals dripped from the ceiling and accumulated at the base of the cave. That could work to their advantage. The beginnings of a plan fermented in her mind. She reached back, tapping Yasiin on the shoulder plate, and deployed her helmet to speak, and flipped to the internal coms. ¡°Hey. The path ahead is blocked. I need you to shoot those spikes loose above.¡± ¡°Stalactites.¡± ¡°Is that what they¡¯re called?¡± His own helmet bobbed a nod. ¡°Yeah. You can tell the difference between the top and bottom spikes by the letters in the word. Stalactites. C is for ceiling. Stalagmites. G is for ground. At least, that¡¯s what I learned at the academy.¡± ¡°You trained on Eryn?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was a weaver before a spell soldier.¡± Amara studied Yasiin with renewed interest, giving him an approving smirk behind her helmet. ¡°Anyway, I need those stalactites knocked down into that pit of wildlings we¡¯d rather not wade into. Can you make that happen?¡± Yasiin glanced up through his scope and studied the rock spikes reaching down at them from the ceiling. None of them were thicker than half a meter. He could blast through that much rock with a sufficiently placed singularity spell. He gave Amara a confident nod. ¡°Yeah. I think I can handle that. It might take a second to charge the shot.¡± Amara understood the subtext and nodded, tapping Nathan to draw his pistol and be ready. The sudden buildup of magic so close to their nest would drive the wildlings crazy. The writhing mass turned and focused on them with hungry zeal. Amara wove several signs together and then a blanket of fire into the pit, create a blanket of flame trapping the wildlings. Nathan fired two more shots that detonated beneath the wall of flame, drawing shrieking wails from the trapped serpents. Amara blinked when she saw the wildlings actually devouring large holes into her barrier of fire. The creatures were actually eating the magic fire. She watched as some of the serpents took on a reddish orange hue after ingesting the magic. ¡°Anytime now Yasiin!¡± In silent response, Yasiin¡¯s finger depressed his trigger. The rifle gave a muffled report. Amara watched a highly compressed orb of void magic dart up into the ceiling. She watched as gravity compressed exponentially, ripping cracks into the stalactites. Then the spell sputtered and died, allowing real gravity to resume its timeless exertion of power. A shower of spears of limestone rained down. The intensity of the debris crashing down caused the group to lean back from the opening. When it stopped, they could trace a path across the now filled in pit. As they threaded across, Amara leaned close to Yasiin. ¡°Remind me never to get on your bad side.¡± Amara said with a grin. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t live long enough to regret it.¡± Yasiin said coolly. ¡°Too true.¡± Nathan glanced back as smaller bits of debris tumbled down amidst some dust now. He looked at his pistol and sighed, stuffing it back into the holster. To say Yasiin¡¯s little show was emasculating would have been putting it lightly. He cracked open his book and studied the map. They had to be getting close. Amara staggered, and the other two caught her. ¡°You ok?¡± Yasiin asked. ¡°Yeah, I just lost my bearing. My divination spell got washed out after we dealt with the wildlings.¡± ¡°Washed out? Like snowbound, but in magic?¡± Nathan ventured. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s pretty accurate. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say we¡¯re working our way around and u see Anazi now.¡± ¡°Anazi as in the fabled goddess of air, Anazi?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°Yeah. Dead or alive, she¡¯s putting off a mind blowing amount of magic. When you¡¯re using a spell that allows you to see that raw magic, when it¡¯s so saturated, I guess you could say it¡¯s washing out the spell. Nicely put Doctor.¡± Nathan smiled, tipping his hat in thanks. The path ahead took on a more shaped appearance. Like a cut path from the base of the cave floor. Smooth stone soon gave way to pavement. The wildlings grew less frequent the further down they proceeded. Nathan sketched their progress in his book, charting additions to the map he¡¯d created. He placed his enchanted quill back into a case and tucked it into his leather jacket. They did not know how much longer they kept marching. Eventually, they found a large stone door. It was carved in a circle and rimmed by runes. Some kind of lock or security rune set up. ¡°Is this it?¡± ¡°Looks that way.¡± Amara traced her fingers over the runes of the stone door. The tingle of powerful magic told her despite their age, the runes were still quite effective. Tampering with them would not go well. She studied the door for several moments, examining the magic of the runes and the complexity of the spell work. There were patterns she was already seeing. The way it laid out the runes and glyphs. She was positive that once they opened this door, they¡¯d have some answers. ¡°If only this came with a user¡¯s manual.¡± She muttered. ? Chapter 127: Acceptance Acceptance Luffa eyed the cafe from across the street. Carved into the base of a massive and ancient redwood tree, the cafe sported a rustic decor style. A small sign hung from an iron post, with painted letters. ¡°Eve¡¯s Eatery¡± was the name in fancy font. The store front was built with brick and glass, and she could see guests enjoying coffee and sweet buns inside. This was the location Ominek had chosen for her to meet him to discuss accepting his offer. She¡¯d lost much sleep over the decision, but ultimately settled on accepting the offer to get her people away from Eryn. The mental debate on the merits of Ominek¡¯s proposal spanned far and wide, but ultimately, she settled on the choice to fight for freedom of her people. The Primals had served Eryn as war slaves for far too long. Ominek had teased her with the prospect of taking her people home and rediscovering their roots. Eryn had been the only life she¡¯d known. But that didn¡¯t mean it had to be the only life she knew. There was a whole sector of space out there, just waiting for her to venture out into it. She didn¡¯t have to stay shackled to the sinking ship that was Eryn, it¡¯s selfish nobility who chose esteem and preening over sensible measures. But there was no denying this wouldn¡¯t go well with anyone. Erlaut most of all. He¡¯d come to be a father figure of sorts to her. Teaching her magic and its fundamentals. The ins and outs of Eryn society and culture, and he¡¯d never treated her poorly, per se. That said, she was never mistaken about her social station thanks to the snobbery of the Eryn nobility. All she had to do was step out of the weaver college and step five feet before someone made a snide comment about being off her leash. Sure she¡¯d won herself a degree of slack by performing her tasks well and being the dutiful mage, but she¡¯d never be able to freely choose her own path. Ominek was offering her exactly that. She wasn¡¯t stupid though. She knew there was a catch. It just hadn¡¯t come up yet. She continued to study the cafe from across the street, doing her best to ignore the scent of the sweet buns waft free of the chimney stack. The gentle warm breeze carried with it the scents of breakfast treats and coffee, causing Luffa¡¯s mouth to water and her stomach to ache. She sighed, rolling her eyes at her body¡¯s weakness against the signals. She tightened her grip on her triceps. She had to focus. So far she¡¯d not seen Ominek enter. She wanted to watch him step inside to see if he¡¯d brought muscle with him or not. There was a big chance she could just rat him out to Erlaut. It would ruin any chance she had at freedom. But all of the Federation would view it as ¡°the right thing to do.¡± But right for who? What moral compass was being used to determine that math? She didn¡¯t know herself, but she did know that any math that tallied her and people up as lesser than anyone else, she wanted no party to. The wind picked up, and through its force she saw movement behind the glass storefront window, a blur darting back and forth between the interior and exterior. Luffa drew closer, pressing her hand to the glass in order to get a better look into the cafe without alerting any patrons inside. In time, she found the source of the movement. A small woman, barely more than a child. She wore white robes that trailed down to the floor, covered with dust. Her dark hair fluttered around her face like leaves on the wind. A magical barrier flickered into existence before her, cutting off sight of the young mage outside. Then came a flash of green light from within the shop. ¡°Luffa!¡± Ominek called out from across the street. His voice sounded hollow and metallic coming over the wind whistling past her ears. ¡°I¡¯m glad you decided to come.¡± She quickly checked herself and moved away from the door, not wanting anyone inside to notice anything odd about their patroness¡¯ behavior. ¡°Sorry,¡± she muttered under her breath as she stepped back to join him on the sidewalk. She watched as he pulled himself up to standing height using his powerful legs, then wrapped his arms around his torso in a gesture she assumed was meant as a casual posture but that seemed incongruent with him in a well-tailored suit coat that probably cost more than most people earned in a lifetime. Luffa knew a lot of things could be bought with money. Ominek flashed her an amicable smile when he saw her approaching. The effect it had on her heart wasn¡¯t lost on her though, and she tried hard not to think too deeply about the meaning behind the emotion it inspired. She reached down, touching the handle of the bag slung over her shoulder. It contained enough provisions for two days and some extra clothes, all taken from the storerooms at the college. There would also be several gold coins tucked into its interior that should allow her to get by for a week or so if need be. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Ominek asked after taking another long draw on his pipe. Luffa nodded curtly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Ominek said before turning his attention towards the cafe. ¡°Let us go.¡± They walked in silence across the street toward the entrance to the cafe, keeping their pace slow while appearing as casual as possible. When they¡¯d crossed half way, a gust of wind whipped through, knocking Luffa from her stride and stumbling her forward, bringing her right up against Ominek¡¯s arm as he stopped short of making contact with her. Luffa regained her balance quickly enough, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from glancing up at Ominek and catching him staring at her with narrowed eyes. The sudden expression made him seem much younger than she remembered seeing during their previous meeting, almost like a child who had caught someone else cheating at hide and seek. It was unsettling, but it didn¡¯t last long, replaced by a polite smile when he turned his gaze away to study their surroundings once more. The cafe itself appeared completely normal, aside from the fact it seemed oddly quiet compared to its size. They stepped inside to find the interior full of tables filled to the brim with people eating breakfasts of sweet buns or sipping on coffee. Some glanced their way for only an instant, then returned to their conversations without further incident. Ominek led Luffa past a counter staffed with two men wearing white aprons and wide grins on their faces as if welcoming a new guest into the shop was something they did every day. At the end of the room a woman stood behind a serving table, dressed in the same white robe and tattered cloth tied around her head as the young mage outside. She was slightly taller than Luffa, though not much. Her black hair lay flat across her shoulders like the robes draping over her frame, obscuring her features. She took no notice of them walking by until they were within five feet of her position before turning to face them both directly. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ominek waved a hand before him. ¡°Hello, I¡¯d like a full platter please, and a privacy ward if you would.¡± The girl nodded curtly, then flashed out of sight again. Luffa thought she heard Ominek mutter something under his breath about having another ¡°child.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the small mage to return holding what looked to be an ornate plate. The contents of which sent Ominek¡¯s jaw dropping open after it had been placed upon the table between the two of them. It contained three large stacks of sweet buns and several slices of fruit piled atop one another. They each took one of the buns and began eating immediately while studying one another with unbridled curiosity. Luffa swallowed down a bite, feeling almost giddy at finally getting to taste food other than whatever could be prepared with magic or raw ingredients harvested straight off a tree or bush. After all, her own body needed to consume nutrients too, and so far, this world provided her little more than that. Her mouth filled with juices as her body instinctually reacted to the flavors coming back into her bloodstream, making her feel like someone was filling a part of herself that hadn¡¯t been touched in years. Luffa¡¯s eyes shot wide as the shock of the taste set in. She couldn¡¯t help the soft pleased moan that rippled out of her, and she blocked her mouth with a hand embarrased. Ominek smiled, waving dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t be embarassed. Have you not eaten here before?¡± ¡°No. Erlaut never had a reason to send me here.¡± She said. ¡°Pity.¡± Ominek said. The dreadlord finished his fill, leaving the rest to her. Wiping his hands clean on a white cloth napkin. ¡°So. You¡¯ve reached a decision. Based on your bag, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve decided to take me up on my offer?¡± Luffa cleaned her own hands, mirroring Ominek and disengaging from the food. ¡°I have. Yes. But I have a condition.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ominek replied questioningly. He leaned forward with genuine curiosity. ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°I want you to help me free my cousins here.¡± Ominek¡¯s expression lit up with glee. She reflexively pressed back into her seat. Ominek¡¯s expression took on an interested and distant look. It was a dangerous thing to see. ¡°My dear girl,¡± he began in a voice far calmer than Luffa had expected it would be given the circumstances, ¡°I am happy to oblige. But there will be risk. Both to myself and your sisters. The Inquisition is drawing closer, and soon I will be forced to withdraw from this world completely. You have a day. Gather as many of your kin willing to go as possible and meet me here.¡± Ominek reached into his suit and drew a data crystal. It was a faint red crystal. Infused with fire magic, one of the base aspects of divination. He gestured for her to tuck it out of sight. She slipped it into her bag and already her heart thundered within her chest. Until this point she¡¯d done nothing truly wrong. She could have explained it away and in all likelyhood would have been forgiven by Erlaut. But this was a tipping point. The line in the sand that was she was now barreling past with reckless abandon. ¡°Fear not, cousin. I¡¯ll have you and your sisters free of this insipid world and its tree hugging fools. Soon, I will show you your true home. Your true purpose.¡± Suspicion blasted through Luffa, and she knew, she just knew without a doubt that he was up to something. Unfortunately, she was at the disadvantage of not being able to anticipate what it was he wanted. It didn¡¯t help that she needed his involvement to free herself and her people. She supposed that this must be what Amara and her friends referred to as a devil¡¯s bargain. Allowing oneself to be enslaved so they may gain freedom from a more powerful foe. In this case though, Ominek wasn¡¯t exactly like a devil himself. He had never given any indication of wanting to harm her except perhaps his enemies who stood between him and power. The sound of approaching footsteps broke her train of thought. ¡°Are we ready?¡± Ominek asked, looking back to the serving girl before turning to face the entrance once again. Luffa stared daggers into the dreadlord, her mind made up. ¡°Yes.¡± She replied shortly after hearing Ominek turn away. If there was anything she learned during her time with Erlaut was that the dreadlords were a proud people above all else. They took great pride in their skills and in themselves for standing among their kind in strength and skill. Ominek was a cunning mage and dragon. Ominek offered her a polite bow. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll be off to take care of some final arrangements. You go see to your kin. Bring all who are willing to the location I provided you in a day¡¯s time. Then we¡¯ll both be rid of this world and its people. And you can finally return to your proper home.¡± Luffa simply nodded, watching Ominek disappear around a corner. She opened her void portal and slid her bag into it. She¡¯d warded it to protect it within. The inner core of the city was facing her. Luffa had a lot of work to do and little time to do it. She just hoped the others would listen. ? Chapter 128: Rematch Rematch The rematch was to be held in the main temple area she¡¯d beaten him at previously. She¡¯d quickly excused herself to abscond Rozien back to the ship. The dragons were a powerful and magically curious peoples. Discovering an enchanted tome bound to the soul of the first officer of the first spell ship might raise more questions than Morwen was interested in answering. Considering discovering the lost spell ship was her actual mission. She¡¯d want nothing more than to be done with these pathetic political games, and she absolutely detested social gatherings for their own sake. But she had to admit, getting the chance to show Keimut what a pompous prick and full-blown child he was at a game he felt himself her superior made the agony worth suffering through. She had a score to settle, and she wasn¡¯t done taking her pound of scales yet. She arrived just outside the temple where they would play shortly after sunrise. An enormous crowd gathered around them already. They weren¡¯t particularly loud or rowdy. It seemed like there was some sort of ceremony about to begin. As she watched, Keimut stepped out from behind his throne and approached Captain Morwen. She looked up at him as he stopped before her. ¡°Good morning, Keimut. Thank you for accepting my offer to a rematch,¡± she said politely. ¡°I accept your challenge.¡± He spoke curtly, but not unkindly. His eyes narrowed slightly, though. ¡°You seem less confident this time?¡± Morwen kept her expression neutral and stern. Fighting back the smirk that threatened to flash across her lips took more effort than she wanted to admit to. That arrogant, condescending little shit! Oh, how she wished she could do something other than beat him at his favorite game again. To finally humiliate him completely? Yes, please. A few days ago when she¡¯d won so easily, she hadn¡¯t been able to resist letting him know exactly how much she enjoyed crushing his pride. Keimut took his seat, waving a hand over his arm, then over a space next to the table. Amidst the motes of aether, a stack of glittering blue and white scales appeared. Morwen fetched her own considerable stack from her void storage portal with prim care. She leveled her gaze at Keimut with a nod. She was ready to begin. Keimut studied her carefully, paying more attention to her this time than he had the previous game. Last time he was too self concerned with preening for his sycophants. This time, however, he was dialed in and focused. She¡¯d proven herself a threat to him, and now he was treating her with the care that merited a threat. Or maybe he simply didn¡¯t trust her anymore. Either way, she appreciated the respect. Keimut placed a scale first. A black one in the upper right quadrant. Morwen followed suit, placing a white scale in the opposite lower quadrant. Keimut¡¯s approach to the opening of a game was pretty standard as far as Morwen could tell. He took no extreme risks, and his moves were an even mix of predictable and unorthodox. Nothing she wasn¡¯t capable of keeping pace with. One after another, the two of them placed their scales on the game board. Click, click, click. They beat out a steady rhythm as they tapped their scales down in turns that ended as quickly as they began. Morwen and Keimut both focused on the board for the beginning of the match. Neither was willing to break their concentration and look away from the board. As they played and the empty spaces filled with black and white scales, the board began to magically expand. Morwen recalled rumors that some games lasted centuries between dragons and game boards could envelop continents. She¡¯d heard a rumor of one game becoming so unwieldy that the two players created their astral dimension to play in. If that were true, she wondered if the game could encompass entire worlds. What was the largest world Keimut had ever visited? Did he have anything larger than his home? Had anyone seen Keimut leave Anazi Prime? Was he truly immortal? Her mind raced with possibilities. As the board grew wider and longer, she noticed the gathered crowd grew with it. Many began to softly gossip about Keimut as the two played. Morwen noticed that where before, the preening dragon had been sucked in by the idle chatter. This time he remained focused. Morwen almost felt bad for him. She was confident he lacked the ability she possessed. To be able to pluck at the web of fate and follow all of its strands to their terminus. It made little games like this trivial since all she had to do was find the proper path to victory and then make it so. Keimut lost before he even began playing. All that remained now was simply going through the motions. While she¡¯d normally find such a task tedious, this one time? She went through all the motions for the sake of enjoying the look on his face when she soundly beat him again. Keimut may have possessed a minor modicum of power. He may wield influence. He might cow the other dragons afraid of challenging him. But she was god touched. Capable of seeing the very threads of fate. Any power Keimut thought he had was insignificant against her own. He was a child playing an adults game. And she was having fun doing it. The game continued until the final turn came. Morwen laid her last white scale atop the pile of black ones. Keimut stared in what she¡¯d taken as raw disbelief. His lip twitched from neutral to a thinly concealed snarl and back. So quickly she nearly missed it if she hadn¡¯t seen the gesture nearly a thousand times over via her divination power. The dragon clenched his eyes shut for a moment as he took a moment to school his expression back to neutral. He was no fool. She gave him that much credit. He knew she¡¯d made a grand spectacle of the rematch. Morwen ensured the match was public and easily accessible. Keimut¡¯s supporters would view him losing again. Talons dug into the pristine wood of arm rest on Keimut¡¯s chair. The air became heavy with an angry aura. Keimut did his best to reign in his emotions in, but Morwen could taste the bitter taste in the air it left in its wake. He¡¯d spoken down to her, insulted her squad, and threatened her people. Not to mention he¡¯d practically ordered one of her people to be executed simply for defending himself. And on top of all of that, he¡¯d demanded that should she lose the first time, that her mages be appropriated by his own powerbase. A crime she wouldn¡¯t forgive him for. So she took her pound of scales in the only way that would affect him. Public humiliation. She¡¯d never been good at subtlety anyway. He opened his mouth, preparing to speak, but she cut him off. ¡°We¡¯re done here. I win. Do give our alliance the consideration you promised.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She rose smoothly, the Captain in control of the situation. She¡¯d watched this situation play out a thousand different ways in a thousand different angles. Keimut rose, barely containing the rage that boiled within his breast. The first time he¡¯d stormed off, she¡¯d been uncertain she¡¯d made the right move. But now? He could sit and spin for all she cared. Keimut offered no words of congratulations and turned, marching away. Morwen watched his blue and white striped wings and tail swishing with agitation as his disappeared into the crowd. Matron Azil emerged from the gathered viewers like a shark breaching water. She gave an amused smirk at Keimut¡¯s exit, then studied Captain Morwen. ¡°Well done Captain. I dare say that may have effectively shaken his position here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to upend your political status quo Azil.¡± ¡°Indeed, and yet, you¡¯ve managed to do so anyway. That alone merits congratulations.¡± Morwen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. The toll of using her divination power demanding payment. Already the makings of a small migraine took root. ¡°I don¡¯t need your congratulations, matron. I need your people fighting the Sauridius at best. At worst, I need them to stop allowing them to take root here. They are not to be trusted.¡± Azil chuckled melodiously. ¡°My dear Captain. What makes you think they are trusted?¡± Morwen spotted Tanak skulking around at the fringes of the party, unable to press forward into the crowd as though held back by an invisible barrier. Azil pointed directly to the hatchling who shrank under the attention and did her best to be lost in the crowd. ¡°You see? The inner circle is warded. Keimut wields them like blunt tools and a little more. He¡¯ll no doubt cut his war dogs loose now. He¡¯s suffered too many insults to let the matter rest without reprisal.¡± ¡°He would move on me after losing twice?¡± ¡°Directly? No. He¡¯ll let the Sauridius come after you and feign ignorance.¡± Azil said with indifference in her expression. Morwen got the impression this was just the status quo and didn¡¯t push there. ¡°And I¡¯m assuming that we can¡¯t expect any aid from your people?¡± Azil frowned. ¡°Would that my position were less precarious than it is. If I¡¯m seen supporting you against them, it could be argued I¡¯m playing favorites and I can¡¯t risk that. When the binders come for you, and they will. You will have to deal with them alone.¡± Morwen cursed mentally. This was less than ideal. Akamori was off on some kind of ritual suicide by trial combat routine. Amara and Yasiin were miles below the surface. Sirsir was still out. That left her Arjun, Fennex¡¯s marines, and Sala. She¡¯d been in worse situations, and caught herself when she realized that having more than a few mages had spoiled her lately. It was an odd realization. Being a credible threat to her enemy instead of a pity. She would have to remind these Sauridius why she¡¯d earned her nickname the Valkryie of Tohrun. Morwen gave Azil an appreciative smile and bowed her head. She excused herself of the Matron and wove a quick teleport spell. After a stomach lurching jaunt through the Umbral realm, she stood at the ramp of the Cadaver crasher where a few marines were working on the landing gear, smeared in grease. They snapped up and offered Federation salutes as she strode up the ramp into the ship. When she reached her cabin, she sat back in the chair in her personal quarters and sighed contentedly. It wasn¡¯t the kind of victory she wanted, but given the mission, it would have to do. ¡°I¡¯m guessing by your pleased look, you won again.¡± ¡°Was there any doubt?¡± Morwen asked, turning to face Rozien. ¡°Against a child like Keimut? No. Against a veritable god? Perhaps.¡± The tome floated above the counter in front of her mirror. Morwen undid the too tight ponytail and let her jet black hair spill out around her shoulders. She set about her standard nightly routine of brushing her hair. She sometimes forgot that the tome¡¯s soul had more lived experience than she¡¯d ever hoped to match. It was easy to think of dragons like Keimut and Azil as being so old. But what was a few centuries against a few millennia? As her brush stroked through her hair, she pursed her lips. Perhaps that¡¯s the same perspective the dragons applied to the riders? Viewing that as lesser because of a shorter lifespan? ¡°Rozien, you served with Aeryn. How would she have handled this situation?¡± ¡°The same way you have. By putting the best people she could in position to deal with the many issues she faced, and trust they could see it through.¡± ¡°Did it work?¡± Morwen asked, pausing with her brush, and a handful of hair stretched out. ¡°More often than it didn¡¯t. She may have wielded god level power, but she was still fallible. She made mistakes. Was led into traps. Being a god doesn¡¯t exactly come with a user¡¯s manual.¡± ¡°Hmm. I wonder.¡± Morwen said, eying Rozien curiously. ? Chapter 129: Freedom Freedom Eryn - The gardens Luffa had gathered over 30 of her brothers and sisters. She regretted not being able to bring Sala. He was beyond her reach on some new mission with his precious captain. She had no idea why he put her up on such a pedestal. Maybe it went beyond simple service. ¡°This is the place.¡± Luffa said, drawing her party to a slow walk. They¡¯d wound a path through a garden that rarely saw foot traffic. The elves were so pretentious about their green spaces they never even made use of them. They were just status symbols to puff out their bloated egos. ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± One of her sisters said, lagging. ¡°What if they find out?¡± Her fingertips brushed the magical collar around her neck. It crackled with negative energy. She didn¡¯t flinch, but Luffa could see the pain register. ¡°Where we¡¯re going, they won¡¯t be able to follow. We¡¯re going home. Away from the elves and their arenas, houses, and games. Back to where our people come from.¡± ¡°But we came from here?¡± Another asked. ¡°No. This is just where they¡¯ve kept us. We don¡¯t belong here. Home is out there. All we have to do is to be brave enough to go look for it.¡± Luffa led them the last stretch of the way. True to his word, an Umbral Plane doorway stood in a small opening. She blinked, half in shock. ¡°It¡¯s here. Right where he said it would be.¡± ¡°You sound surprised?¡± One of the male primals said. She bit back the urge to share that she wasn¡¯t confident Ominek could be trusted. Instead, she gave a soft shrug. ¡°It sounded too good to be true.¡± She watched the air in front of the portal cool and billow into a mist away from it. The portal swirled with inky black and violet void magic. A ring of runes rimmed it like a door frame, giving shape to the magic. Negentropy to entropy. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Luffa asked. ¡°Ready to be traitors?¡± Cenine said from behind the group. All the primals whirled in shock. A quartet of Emerald Guards stood with spell rifles at the ready. Cenine stood in front with sword and board. The sunlight glinted off her gleaming shield, an engraving of a lion and sun on its front face. Cenine¡¯s helmet wasn¡¯t snapped on, her wounded snarl exposed for all to see. ¡°The ArchPriest trusted you Luffa, and this is how you repay him? How you repay us?¡± Luffa blinked in blind shock. They had made slaves of her and her people to fight in conflicts and more often than not, show off in the arena for petty private squabbles, and this woman had the nerve, the gall, the audacity to confront her about repayment?¡± ¡°You stole my people from our colonies. Shackled us. Bound us. Subjected us to to your whims and treat us like third-class citizens and have the unmatched ego to confront me about repayment? LOOK AT US!¡± Luffa roared, flames roiling off of her as her rage billowed. Grass hissed into flames as the ground cracked dry beneath her feet. ¡°Not one of us lacks a binding collar. We aren¡¯t people, we¡¯re property. We aren¡¯t citizens, we¡¯re weapons. Well, we¡¯re done being pointed at whomever you deign worthy and hurl us against your opponents without consideration. No more!¡± Luffa¡¯s hands trembled with anger and every point that Cenine flinched at further emboldened her. Pained understanding flashed across Cenine¡¯s expression for a fleeting moment, and Luffa let her guard slip. This proved to be a mistake as Cenine¡¯s brows furrowed and her face twisted into an all too beautiful scowl. ¡°I can¡¯t help the way things began. All I can do is prevent what may come. Right now, we have necromancers and shacklers running riot across our planet. Are you really willing to throw away all the good you¡¯ve done now? To be branded a traitor? Because I¡¯ll warn you now, I will chase you to the ends of the universe and bring you back or kill you.¡± Luffa¡¯s expression shifted from regret to revulsion rapidly as Cenine dug in. There was no getting through to them. There was no change to be found here. Only pain and violence. Ceneine drew her spell blade, a golden gleaming weapon ornately decorated with runes and glyphs and wreathed in a golden flame. The blade leveled directly at Luffa. ¡°Then I declare you all traitors to the Mage Federation for dereliction of duty during wartime.¡± Luffa staggered back. Cenine¡¯s words slammed into her like an invisible spell. The spell warrior¡¯s wrath poured out raw and unfiltered. She realized in this moment she¡¯d made a mistake. Though she¡¯d make the same choice again, she was seeing first hand already the consequences of her decision. For a moment, she grieved the loss of a potential friendship. Cenine was a good warrior. She fought bravely and fiercely to protect the people that lived here. The only problem? She didn¡¯t count as one of those people. Her back straightened as she reached that conclusion. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°So be it.¡± Luffa said. As the words left her mouth, she saw the other primals around her stand taller too. It was like watching them all find a sudden wave of confidence. She strode forward to the front of the crowd, the way Amara or Akamori might. ¡°If you need to brand us as traitors? Do so. But we won¡¯t be slaves to fight your wars for you. To battle in your arenas for your entertainment. You¡¯ve robbed us of our lives. And we¡¯re here to take them back.¡± The Emerald Guards snapped their shields up. The Primals hands raised, some ready to weave, others ready to cast. A few scattered leaves billowed across the expanse between the two groups. Luffa and Cenine both just trying to do right by their people but placed on opposite sides of a fight neither wanted, or needed. Then the calm snapped. Two bolts of light sailed free of gold and silver spell rifles. The primals were in motion in an instant. Some cast barriers of light and fire. Others still hurled bolts of their own. For a moment, both sides held firm as enemy fire splashed against defenses while they returned fire. But the Primals outnumbered the guards, and this personnel deficit put Cenine¡¯s group on the back foot. Cenine needed to put them off balance and Luffa knew this. They did not train her as a warrior, but she fought like one. That made her damned dangerous. Luffa shored up their defenses and took control. She created a four-man wedge at the front and put the rest into two-man columns with the rear of the formation facing the portal. She directed the rear flank into the portal in a staggered retreat as they fought. She didn¡¯t have to win this fight. They just had to survive it. Half way into her attack to the rear, some of her people cried out in pain and went down. A Cenine had drawn a control wand on them. Arcs of painful energy lashed into the primals the wand controlled. Some of her people peeled off to help them through while Luffa advanced forward, feeling the golden magic aura radiating wildly around her, responding to her rage. Her need to protect her people. As she stomped forward, swatting aside spell bolts casually, her skin mottled dark grey. The stone skin spell summoning forth. Her eyes glowed an angry acid green. Spell bolts splashed lamely against her radiant defensive aura. Power surged through her body. Fire strengthened her body, light strengthened her aura, and stone hardening her flesh. A flicker of fear flashed across Cenine¡¯s expression. There it was. The sudden realization they¡¯d lost control. But they were partially wrong in that assessment. They weren¡¯t just now losing it, they¡¯d already lost it. Her hands snapped out, striking the barrels of spell rifles, knocking them up and away. Light bolts sizzled through the leafy canopy above them. A massive shield surged forward to smash into her, but she planted her feet and set her shoulder and met the irresistible force with her immovable object. Cenine¡¯s blade clashed against Luffa¡¯s stone solid skin. Brilliant sparks dancing free with each blow. Thanks to Luffa¡¯s two tiered defense, the spell blade did little more than rake its edge across her unbreakable skin. The Primal surged forward with a war cry. Years of poor treatement and pent up fury unleashed in that moment. Cenine¡¯s face twisted with momentary panic as the hardened warrior experienced something fleetingly rare on this world. Fear. The Primals unfettered power forced the spell warrior on the backfoot, not allowing her the opportunity to use the control wand. Cenine parried and blocked Luffa¡¯s strikes, but pressed the Emerald Guard back. Her companions were too close to use their rifles, a disadvantage Luffa maid them pay for. A quick knee strike to the gut, followed by a level 3 three aether blast to the helmet practically melted the face off of one of the guards. Support fire from the last few Primals waiting to step through the portal gave her cover to disengage. She blocked a shield check from Cenine and knocked the control wand free of the spell warrior¡¯s hand, then cupped both hands together and channeled a level 4 blast of raw plasma. The light magic draw made her golden aura flicker, and her glow dimmed momentarily before everything flashed blue. The next instant she was propelled backwards by her canon attack through the Umbral portal. Luffa saw Cenine dive for the control wand just as Ominek waved the portal shut. The last thing Luffa saw of Eryn was Cenine¡¯s face twisted into a howling scowl. Ominek clapped his hands together as if ridding them of dust and approached Luffa extending a hand. ¡°Your trip here looks to have been eventful. I trust everyone made it ok?¡± Luffa did a quick headcount. She didn¡¯t even notice they¡¯d lost a few in the brief but heated exchange. She sighed, shaking her head. ¡°No. Most did, but not all.¡± Ominek genuinely frowned. ¡°Shame. However, the good news, is you¡¯re all free now.¡± He produced a control wand that issued to the deactive spell to all their collars. There were a series of mechanical pops as all the primal¡¯s collars disengaged, and then fell to the deck. She just realized they were in a ship, not on a planet surface. Ominek nodded to her, ¡°It was necessary to prevent any of the locals backtracking you to our home.¡± He waved broadly about his ship. ¡°It¡¯s heavily warded, so your exit from the system will be quite difficult to scrye and track.¡± Luffa took the hand hesitantly and rose. On her feet she released the spells, maintaining her stone skill and golden aura. Her eyes faded back to natural black, losing the earthy acidic green hue they took on in her stone skin form. Without the powerful electrostatic charge of her aura, her hair fell down to her back again. Luffa exhaled softly as the rush of power left her. When she looked up at Ominek she nearly shivered at his almost genuine grin. ¡°Come, I want you all to see this firsthand.¡± Ominek gestured for the gaggle of primals to follow him out of the room his portal had dumped them onto. A set of double doors hissed open and Luffa could see a large command chair and a pair of golden sticks that resembled the controls the Brotherhood of Man used in their non magitech hardware. They had exposed her to it off and on during her time training on Eryn. Outside the confines of the ship¡¯s bridge. In the umbral shadow of Eryn, a void gate swirled and crackled open. In the bridge of Ominek¡¯s cruiser, the dread lord smiled as the ship passed through. No chance of pursuit from the Emerald Guard. He turned to survey his prize. Roughly 35 trained and experienced combat primals. Most with Light and Earth magic, some possessed more aspects. They would make respectable additions to the Sauridius legions. A quick glance at Luffa revealed her unmasked distrust of him. Good. He would need her to play the voice of reason. All to leverage her people against her with by showing she was too afraid to embrace this new change she¡¯d forced upon her people. She no doubt suspected he had something up his sleeve. She was smart. But she wasn¡¯t as clever as she¡¯d need to be. In the game of survival, only the most canny wyrm lived to see another sunrise. ? Chapter 130: Trial by combat Trial by combat The star in the Anazi Prime system began its slow ascent, bathing the planet in warm radiation. A gentle morning breeze teased at the Spell Soldier, Air mage, Dragon Rider and Reaper Akamori Shinjo. The grounds surrounding the pyramid comprised empty grasslands. The half temple, half monument to death, the only landmark in the region. Air magic and tension were present in the aether here. Akamori marched to the base of the marble white pyramid that rose on the horizon. He¡¯d stopped flying a few miles back to recharge his AP. He¡¯d spent more than he wanted fighting with Garuda and its thralls. The air crystal he¡¯d taken from the fallen Icon pulsed with potent air magic. He could feel its energies linking up with the other crystals he¡¯d gathered so far. Air, Water, Fire, Void, Light. He let his aura unfurl, radiating around him. The grass and loose dirt whipped up in the torrent of unfettered power. He knew what he was walking into. This wasn¡¯t an ambush, this was a planned fight. This was a fight to the death where the goal was his death. And he had absolutely no intention of allowing that to happen. So he¡¯d flex his aura at them. Let them see what they intended to stop. Measure themselves against him and discover their wants. Frank gusted into view, striding next to him, made of smoke and shadows. His bright red eyes scanned the pyramid. ¡°You really pissed them off, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± Akamori said defensively, under his breath. Frank smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. We¡¯re bound to upset people. It¡¯s part of our soul path.¡± ¡°Pissing people off is part of our soul path?¡± Akamori asked, his brows knit, confused. That sounded like a short end of the stick situation right there. ¡°You don¡¯t get to be the being deigned by higher powers to get in the mud and fix everything wrong with creation without making enemies.¡± Akamori sighed. ¡°That sounds tedious.¡± Frank shrugged. ¡°Sure. But it means we never stay bored. Plenty of people to fight.¡± Akamori paused mid-stride for a moment, chewing on that. The Voidsent had a point. ¡°Huh. You¡¯re right. I hadn¡¯t considered that.¡± He used to hate training and fighting, but the more experience and power he gained, the more he realized that deep down, a part of him enjoyed it. The challenge, the thrill. It felt odd to have a voidsent point that out to him. ¡°It¡¯s not that odd. We are essentially the same being, just sharing shards of a soul.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Akamori conceded. He gave a nod up the pyramid. ¡°Are we ready for this?¡± Frank nodded with a grin. Pointed fangs giving him the look of a smiling shark with jet black skin. Thanaton simply purred at his back, ready. He took the nearly too long spell sword in hand and drew it from the anchor point on his back, willing his black armor to deploy from its bracelet. The Rider mob before him shouted protests about the armor. ¡°You lack the honor of facing us! Using cheats like this armor?!¡± While technically he¡¯d be right in that, he carried the armor in. They probably weren¡¯t wrong either, in that it was dishonorable to use. He sighed. This was getting too deep into the weeds. ¡°Are we going to just skip to the part where you all rush me and I carve my way through you now? Because we¡¯re wasting daylight.¡± ¡°You familyless curr!¡± One of the human riders growled as they all rushed forward. Something in Akamori snapped at the insult. Rage billowed out, but he kept a tight rein on his emotions and channeled the energy into fighting. Thanaton hummed to action as the riders advanced. He wanted to conserve his spell use for the later mobs. This lot was trash, and he¡¯d dispatch them on martial prowess alone. Akamori kept track of which members had been most vocal in their insults, and ignored those first when it came time to decide. If a leader showed itself and led by example, so be it, but not until the end of this fight would he get petty enough to kill the underlings who were just following orders. It was that kind of day, after all. He darted forward, letting his sword strike against the two men who blocked his path. Thanaton slid through both sides like water through silk. The warriors fell back, startled at the speed of his advance. His blade struck again and cut one warrior clean in half before another stepped in front of him. Akamori kicked out at the man, using his aura as much as physical strength. He still wasn¡¯t quite used to being able to feel what he could do in combat yet, but his instincts were telling him he should have more raw power to work with. Akamori heard Frank speaking behind him, ¡°Not bad.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Thanks,¡± Akamori replied. He leaped over a spear thrust and spun with a low sweep that sliced open a horseman¡¯s neck from collarbone to chin. Another rushed up and stabbed down with a viciously curved blade that nearly impaled Thanaton¡¯s guard. Then a third rider charged in on foot with a short sword and was easily dispatched by a combination of Thanaton slicing his arm off. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got them all. Time for the proper show?¡± Akamori asked Frank. Frank nodded, wings twitching excitedly. A quick glance around him revealed this group had died. Little more than rabble with weapons. He looked ahead. These riders had spell weapons and make shift armor. He had a feeling the tempo was going to pick up exponentially. ¡°Good.¡± Frank said with a grin. Both gauges were full of energy. He could Enshroud at will. Pure swordsmanship dispatched the first wave. He didn¡¯t even use his damage buff ability. Mostly due to not needing it. Now though? He¡¯d start needing every edge he got. ¡°Warm-ups done. Time for the real deal now.¡± He whispered to Frank. ¡°Be careful Akamori. The first wave is always the weakest, but you¡¯ll find things get progressively harder from now on. Keimut needs you dead.¡± Astri¡¯s disembodied voice whispered into his ear. ¡°I will.¡± He promised. A soft smile creasing his lips. ¡°I still haven¡¯t found those grapes yet.¡± Slowly, he ascended the steps to the next level. He saw a mix of melee and ranged weapons on this level. He suspected they were at least semi competent but probably relied on overwhelming numbers for their victories. The pack of warriors waited for him to fully mount the level, eying him wearily. A gentle breeze teased at his hair. He¡¯d cut it a while ago and already it was nearly grown all the back out. Had it come back with his infusions? You are a divine being now. As you accumulate more power, your body will become what you want it to. Look how you want to. You are still in the infancy stages yet. But soon, trivial things like your exterior shell will be shaped purely by your will, Thanaton said with an annoyed tone. The sword was right. He probably had better things to think about right now, but it wasn¡¯t exactly like his training on Eryn had been worth much. It mostly boiled down to Cenine, bullying him into fitness. He twirled the obsidian blade in his right hand once before bringing it up close and assuming Bahumet¡¯s stance. The warriors opposite him all taking up Anazi¡¯s stance. Several lightning bolts crackled out of spell rifles sizzling through the air at Akamori. With a flick of his wrist, Thanaton cleaved through the spell bolts neatly, the void saturated sword channeling its own magic and evaporating the concentrated air bolts. He wove three rapid void signs with his free hand, flicking a third level magnitude void bolt into the face of a rushing spell warrior. No scream issued as the man¡¯s head dissipated into particles, the limp body tumbling off the side of the pyramid. A spell blade bit down into his Akamori¡¯s left shoulder armor and the void magic infused armor phased, allowing the attack to continue and offering no physical resistance. The now off balance warrior stumbled, and Akamori spun around whipping Thanaton about with him. The first spell sword cleanly removed the warrior¡¯s upper body. Sensing the danger of engaging him in close quarters, the warriors formed a line and unleashed a volley of spell rifle fire. His gifted void armor from Kusinaki phased the attacks cleanly through him, biting into the magically reinforced stone of the pyramid behind him. The warriors ceased fire instead of burning more AP. Aggressiveness, Adaptability, Cunning. He was growing to admire the riders here. More and more, he could feel his father¡¯s instruction and techniques rooted in his opponent¡¯s own moves. He was home finally. The fact that his home was trying to murder him for no other reason than the fact he¡¯d survived this far tarnished that momentary happiness. His aura flared, and he surged forward. Thanaton sweeping and slashing so swiftly the blade couldn¡¯t be seen. Invisible arcs slashed into the stone, carving furrows and canyons as they blasted through the mage ranks. Akamori¡¯s favored wind slash spell. He disliked the gross expense of AP like that, but there was no denying the challenge and the stakes were rising. ¡°That¡¯s two down.¡± He said to himself softly and glanced up the small band of steps leading to the third level. There were fewer gathered on the third rank, and they all wore spell armor in much better condition and brandished weapons that bore a few magic infusions of their own. These were seasoned warriors. Some of the best Riders that this world offered if he were to guess. Excitement sparked through him in anticipation. The enemy squad ahead of him closed ranks, showing battle experience together. The lead held a spell blade that swirled with electricity. Akamori backpedaled as the point mage advanced. The opposing air mage moved as light as a feather, and no doubt as nimble. Two spell bolts sailed in over the shoulders of the point man. Akamori parried one, swatting it to aether shards with Thanaton using a warriors version of counter spelling. The other bolt sizzled by Akamori off into the distance. Then came the melee attack from the advancing air mage. Their blades clashed rapidly, leaving faint sparks in their wake. As Akamori and engaged the warrior with the sword, the rest of the enemy squad slowly tried flank around him. Akamori maneuvered himself so that the air mage with the spell blade was always between Akamori and the mage¡¯s squad. Frustrated, the enemy squad spread out. A lightning bolt crashed into the back of his thigh, muscle tissue locking up, but his resistances and the armor lessened the pain. He channeled some void magic into the armor, using it to fly just above the ground, and pivoted himself around another melee attack. The offending mage¡¯s sword scraped off his thigh armor and gauged into the meat of his leg above the knee. His calf and foot felt slick and warm. Bleeding from the injury no doubt. He didn¡¯t want to waste his healing potions yet though. Akamori boosted back, weaving a trio of water signs with his off hand and flicking an ice spell at the ground near the ground mages foot. The suddenly slick ground knocked the mage off balance and a swift round house kick sent the man sprawling at the feet of his squad which closed ranks to help him back up. Akamori stayed back, giving them a moment. An idea forming. Yes, that could work, Thanaton purred in his mind. The spellblades ancient soul reading his surface level thoughts. He channeled fire and air magic into his blade, mixing the two and shaping the spell with his will. He reared back, winding up, then released the spell. A magnitude four spell bolt that crashed into the melee mage. All hell broke loose. ? Chapter 131: Blasphemous Martyr Blasphemous Martyr Spell Soldier Akamori Shinjo watched as his mixed attack magnitude four spell bolt crashed into the lead mage of the enemy squad on the third level of the pyramid he had to climb to face judgement by the air goddess, Anazi. The spell detonated in spectacular display. A powerful tornado erupted, engulfing the entire enemy squad. It then wreathed itself in crimson and orange flames. The grey stone of the fighting level darkened with soot. The tornado lasted several seconds, then rippled out. Akamori didn¡¯t want to channel the AP to keep the spell active, just looking to score a big hit on his targets and gauge the damage. As he expected, none of them were dead, but their armors were in various states of damage. Many sported burns. One clutched at his arm, marred in cuts that were cauterized from the heat and flames. He made a mental note to try mixing the void into the spell later. That would be interesting to test out. An experiment for later. He turned back to the mage squad who¡¯d recovered from his attack. ¡°Is it time?¡± Frank asked at Akamori¡¯s side. Akamori glanced down at his Aether gauge. It was ready for him to start channeling soul attacks. He held Thanton out, the tip of the long blade resting softly on the stone of the pyramid¡¯s floor. He channeled his void magic and created a shaft of void crystal down the blade, a curved scythe blade growing at the end of the crystal rod. The legendary blade channeling its soul. The squad of elite mages before him hesitated for a moment, watching Thanaton undergo its metamorphosis into an obsidian crystal scythe. Lead mage with the spell blade gripped his weapon tightly in both hands. Dense air magic congealed at the blade, sizzling into lightning that danced and writhed, bathing the wielder in a soft blue glow. The rest of his squad readied spell rifles and a staff. The mage in the back cast a ward spell on the warrior with the sword. Akamori grinned, eager for the challenge, but also nervously awaiting the engagement. He wasn¡¯t so much cocky as he was excited. He knew his limits, and while he had skill and power, he wasn¡¯t so foolish to think he was invincible. All it took was one wrong move, one ill timed mistake, and it was over in an instant. He¡¯d been the arbiter of that exact change of karma more than a few times for his enemies. The air stilled in the tension between the warriors. Then a gentle warm breeze teased at Akamori¡¯s skin. Warm and sweet, for a moment he thought he could detect laughter in the distance. Then the tension snapped as the combatants crashed into each other. The enemy warrior¡¯s sword pinged off Akamori¡¯s black crystal scythe as he used the shaft to block the attacks and followed with a shallow slash. The crystal blade devoured the warrior¡¯s spell armor, carving a deep furrow and biting into the meat of the man¡¯s shoulder. Air exploded between them as the mage used a burst spell to create stand off room to recover. His squad picked up the slack, lobbing concentrated spell fire and forcing Akamori to evade and block. Spell bolts crashed into Thanaton as Akamori spun the weapon to block and parry. He checked his soul gauge, counting how many attacks he¡¯d need to make before he had enough gauge to enshroud. He only took a moment to gather himself, then gave himself to the combat completely. Thanaton thrummed gently in his hand as weapon and master became one. A whirling dervish of death and darkness that carved its way across the stone surface of the pyramid. The enemy squad adapted well enough, but the enhanced reach of his weapon still caught them lacking. He first sought to disable weapons, but wasn¡¯t against kill shots if the opportunity presented itself. The Soul Gauge in Akamori¡¯s peripheral vision progressively filled up with each attack made. Once it hit 50% he triggered his Enshroud. A gust of void magic detonated outwards from him, staggering and stunning the mages nearest Akamori. A thick smokey cloud settled out, as it did, rendering Akamori¡¯s enshrouded form visible. He looked like a demonic version of himself. Hard chitinous armor, for flesh, and a ragged black cloud that billowed silently on a breeze only it was privy to. At his new appearance, the mages exchanged uncertain looks. His eyes glowed red as Frank¡¯s soul and power merged more fully with his own. The changes manifested physically. The lead mage scowled, spitting at the stone. ¡°He¡¯s merged with a bloody void sent.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not even worthy of the march.¡± Another commented. ¡°Let¡¯s just put him down and be done with it. We¡¯re not getting paid by the hour here.¡± Akamori canted his head to that last comment. So these were hired guns. They weren¡¯t even true riders. ¡°So. That¡¯s how it is. Who¡¯s filling your pockets then?¡± ¡°No business of yours.¡± Akamori shrugged indifferently, giving Thanaton an experimental twirl. ¡°Alright then. Shall we resume?¡± The lack of response was all he needed. He blurred into motion again. Blades clashed, and spells fired. But he was faster, stronger, and with his debuff spell, more dangerous this time. Thanaton carved angry furrows in spell armor and blood flowed freely to the stone. The enemy squad did their best to retaliate, but they couldn¡¯t match the caliber of the squad he¡¯d trained and served with. A few higher magnitude spell bolts flew his way, but his void coated attacks dissolved clean through them, burning away the magic like sunlight drying up a small puddle. Akamori ducked and wove his way through the squad, jabbing with the bottom of Thanaton¡¯s snath and slashing with the blade. Blood, shards of metal, and fabric splashed across the surface of the temple. All of it being slowly absorbed. The latent aether being sent back to Anazi. Offerings made to the goddess. The spell warrior with the blade rushed Akamori, forcing him to evade the electrically charged attack. As if in slow motion, Akamori slid out from under the charge. A heavy boot kicked at his head as he slipped behind cover. A gigantic explosion knocked him over. His vision filled with sparks that faded when the world snapped back into focus. The enemy mages with their spell rifles very nearly getting the drop on him. His armor blunted the worst of the shot. ¡°Really rang my bell with that shot.¡± Akamori groused. ¡°Our skin is tougher than that. Between it and your armor, we can push on.¡± Frank said confidently. So he did. Channeling a swift blink spell, the void opened up, swallowing him. The enemy squad scanned about frantically, trying to reacquire him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a blur! He just vanished!¡± The leader shouted at the rest of the squad. ¡°He used our own tactic against us!¡± one yelled back. ¡°But damn it if he didn¡¯t do it better than any of us ever could.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± the leader scowled, looking around wildly for something to calm himself down. Then his eyes landed on Thanaton. The void crystal scythe cleanly removing the spell warrior¡¯s head from his neck. The strike drew pained cries from the rest of the squad as a hail of spell bolt fire rained in at him from the other four targets. ¡°You know what? This might work after all!¡± one of the spell soldiers smiled viciously as they unleashed another volley. They had already run out of mana by then, and it cut their spells short. Akamori swept Thanaton wide, creating distance between him and the rest of the squad, then he flicked a quick magnitude three void bolt into another soldier, coring their heart out cleanly. The limp body fell dead before it slowly sank into the stone. He twirled Thanaton in a blur of black crystal. The remaining three mages regrouped, their confidence wavered now. ¡°Well played, asshole.¡± One muttered quietly under her breath while she tried to reacquire Akamori. Her gaze shot up when Thanaton¡¯s blade took off half of one¡¯s arm instead. The disarmed mage fell to his knees as Akamori spun around the man, using him as momentary cover from attacks before swinging Thanaton around, the curved blade sunk into the female mage¡¯s stomach. Her spell armor stained red with blood as she slid off muttering curses with her last dying breath. He turned to the last mage, a wiry guy armed with a spell rifle and no hope. Akamori saw the weapon trembling. Thanaton¡¯s blade held just above the floor of the pyramid. It yearned to claim the mage. ¡°You could just give up. Walk away.¡± The mage¡¯s eyes went watery. ¡°You killed them. All of them. You couldn¡¯t just die. You had to be some demonic voidsent didn¡¯t you?¡± The Enshroud wore off, the chitinous void armor blowing away like smoke, leaving just Akamori and his black armor. ¡°You were hired to kill me, weren¡¯t you?¡± The spell soldier blinked, his brows furrowed. ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°So you came here on payment for my death? And expect me to feel bad for defending myself? All I want is to reach the top. As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re just in my way. Live or die, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Akamori blinked as the words left his mouth. Something, or someone else, was speaking. But those words, they didn¡¯t feel like words he¡¯d have chosen. It is your true soul self speaking. There are rumors that a warrior can reach a state of mind in battle. A trance of sorts where one¡¯s soul bears true. You are beginning to experience such phenomena, Thanaton purred. A note of pride in its voice. ¡°So I¡¯ll say again. Live or die, it matters little. Personally, we could each save ourselves the trouble and just go our separate ways.¡± ¡°Fu-¡± the mage started before his words cut short as his head peeled freely from his neck. It rolled back and tumbled off the side of the pyramid as the body fell into the stone. Blood dripped free of Thanaton¡¯s blade over the pyramid¡¯s surface. He looked up the fourth level¡¯s stairs. A pair of dragonborn hatchlings sneered at him. A mage and warrior combo. One was a white scaled hatchling bearing a massive hammer that crackled with electricity. The other bore green scales and robes. While young for dragons, they were far older than he and no less dangerous. Dripping with power. ¡°Come brother. Let¡¯s put this blasphemous martyr down before he brings ruin to this world with his dark corruption.¡± ¡°Tor, be careful. There is great power buried deep in this one. Do not underestimate him.¡± The green scaled hatchling cautioned. ¡°You should listen to your brother.¡± Akamori slowly prowling up the stairs like a big cat. ¡°I¡¯m in no mood for fools and I¡¯ve got a lot of work to be about.¡± The white scaled one grinned. ¡°The Sauridius will reward us handsomely for putting down the red devil.¡± Akamori blinked. ¡°Wait. Hold on. Timeout. Is that what you guys call me?¡± The white scaled hatchling, Tor was it? He shrugged, hammer drooping. ¡°Well. Yeah. You¡¯re hair is red and you fight like you¡¯re possessed by a devil.¡± Frank snickered. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°Shut it you.¡± Akamori barked at Frank. Frank held his hands up placatingly. ¡°Don¡¯t kill the voidsent.¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s exactly what you do normally.¡± Frank rolled his crimson eyes with a sigh and pointed at the hatchlings, who looked confused at Akamori. ¡°Do you often lapse into spells of talking to yourself?¡± Tor asked. Scaled brow arched. ¡°It¡¯s a thing, you know what, let¡¯s focus.¡± Akamori said curtly. ¡°We have a fight to be about, and I¡¯ve got an appointment with an air goddess.¡± ¡°Not if I commit your soul to the cycle first.¡± Tor grinned through razor sharp fangs. ¡°Before taking me out to dinner? I think not. I¡¯m a classy three dates kinda guy.¡± Tor blinked, not catching the joke, and Akamori sighed, waving the matter aside frustratedly as the green scaled hatchling snickered into his palm. At least that one got it. Akamori rolled his neck and twirled Thanaton, assuming a ready stance. He held a hand out and gestured for the two dragonborn to attack first. ? Chapter 132: Tor, Loki & Kiv Tor, Loki & Kiv Akamori stared down the two hatchlings opposite him. Both adorned in expensive looking spell armors of draconian design. The white scaled warrior, Tor twirled his hand from a leather loop. Arcs of electricity writhed from the large rectangular head of the hammer, clearly sending the warning message to Akamori that it was to be avoided at all costs. Tor¡¯s counterpart, the green scaled hatchling, simply eyed him observantly. Akamori got the sense that was the smart one. The dangerous one. ¡°He¡¯s first.¡± Akamori whispered softly with a grin. Wise decision, Thanaton purred affirmatively. But doing so meant that Akamori would have to push his way through Tor and that menacing looking hammer. Akamori eyed the weapon wearily. That did not look like getting struck with it would feel well. And he wasn¡¯t wearing the top of the line armor Kusinaki had originally gifted him. The armor that Lucinda had disintegrated. He pushed the dour feelings at the armors loss aside and refocused. ¡°Right. Avoid the hammer. Get the green guy,¡± Akamori said. As plans went, it was as good as any. Tor twirled his imposing hammer, electricity arcing off it wildly, not giving Akamori a chance to act. Tor¡¯s attacks were powerful, involving sweeping strikes that built momentum and made blocking nearly impossible. It was all Akamori could do to parry and avoid the blows. Each sweep of the spinning hammer forced him back further and further. A cloud of smoke exploded at Akamori¡¯s back obscuring Tor from sight after evading yet another attack. ¡°You gonna dance or fight, kinslayer?¡± Tor growled. Akamori responded by sweeping Thanaton through Tor¡¯s midsection. He watched as the white scaled hatchling gurggled in surprise as his upper half slid free of his lower, hitting the ground with a sickening plop. It¡¯s a deception! Thanaton hissed. Ionized ozone tingled at his skin, cueing the incoming attack microseconds before the hammer fell. On raw instinct, he threw himself into a roll. The brute force of the momentum aiding further in shoving him along. An arc of lightning arced from behind him striking the top edge of the temple roof, which exploded in fire. Tor took advantage and flew towards him again. The hammer whirled in a circle orbiting Tor¡¯s clenched fist slamming into Akamori¡¯s chest. The armor resisted temporarily and then gave out. That was at least a few ribs broken, Akamori was sure of it. He rolled to his feet and triggered his potion loader, but nothing happened. With a sigh he glanced back and saw the shattered tubes. The last drops of his potions bled free of the shattered bases. He glanced back at Tor who glared at him. ¡°You lack all honor. Bringing potions to this trial.¡± ¡°Fight with what you can carry.¡± Akamori repeated the rule. ¡°No one said anything about not carrying potions. So spare me the outrage. Let¡¯s get this moving.¡± The white scaled dragon hatchling scoffed before lunging forward swinging his hammer into Akamori¡¯s shoulder. The armor absorbed some of the blow, and it sent him rolling straight into a row of rock spikes that extruded from the surface of the stone. Akamori shoved himself up into the air avoiding the spikes at the last minute only to find himself in the path of the hammer again. ¡°Oh come-¡± he started. Cut off by the impact, his body wrapped around the hammer, electricity biting at his skin as he was rag dolled to the ground. Smoke wafted up from his dented and smashed black armor. His limbs screamed in agony and he tested his sword arm several times. Pain spiking with each rotation. Sure would be nice if he had a healing potion about now. The illusionist and brute were a dangerous tag team. He had to deal with them either one at a time in isolation, or at once. He doubted he could separate them since the pyramid offered a clear line of sight with no obstacles. That left brute forcing them both. Void Tornado, it was. He checked his available AP. Not much pool left. He¡¯d need to make this count. Then a thought occured to him. His wind slash ability cost less, but infused with void could do just as much damage. A few of those placed and timed correctly could box them in nicely for a good finish and leave him with just enough pool to spare. The black crystal around Thanaton crumbled away, revealing the Nodachi length blade beneath. Thanaton¡¯s dark blade shimmered in the sunlight. Hints of Blue, Red and White glinted beneath the obsidian sheen. All colors indicative of the many infusions of magic the blade had undergone. Seeing the blade in its true glory stopped Tor short. ¡°You wield the first blade.¡± Tor said, a note of respect leaking into his voice. ¡°Just as you possess the first hammer.¡± ¡°Two legendary weapons gathered in the same spot. This is highly unusual.¡± Akamori just grunted his agreement. The two began to slowly circle each other. Their enchanted weapons thrummed, eager for combat. Tor lunged forward, Mjolnir rotating on its leather grip beating out a steady beat of displaced air. Akamori hopped back, unleashing his first attack. But he went to heavy on the void in the mix, and the spell disolved itself before it launch. Too much void! balance the mix. Thanaton advised. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He tried again, missing the precious pool he¡¯d just wasted with a curse muttered under his breath. This time on his follow up slash, the arc of energy lanced out, and Tor twisted to avoid the attack. The tip of his left wing and the end of his tail severed clean off. Loki for his part was unharmed, as the void slash split an illusion that decomposed into a flurry of aether motes that dissolved. The real Loki rematerialized not far from the false image. ¡°Limited range then. Good to know.¡± Akamori whipped Thanaton into another diagonal slash that would catch both Tor and Loki. Tor was unable to avoid it, instead attacking it with his hammer. The void tinted wind slash struggled against Tor¡¯s hammer. The spell crackled against the hammer, but eventually micro fractures formed on the surface of the hammer, and a keening wail erupted as the hammer exploded, and the slash spell surged forward. Tor was cleaved in two by the attack as it swept across the surface of the pyramid. The slash passed clean through Loki. The illusory magic rippled apart. Akamori paused, waiting for Loki to shimmer back into view. Eventually, the emerald hatchling mage would need to emerge from hiding to attack. Standing with his eyes closed, Akamori lifted Thanaton to just in front of his face. He shut the world out and let the blade and himself merge together. Through it, he could sense the other mage. He leaned to the left, avoiding a lunging tail spike. Then stepped back and leaned away from a pair of slashing wings, responding with a riposte of Thanaton. The blade clashed against a spell staff. He continued on like this, in a battle trance, intercepting and responding to Loki¡¯s attacks. The combat flowed frantically, but Akamori remained rooted in the meditation. Thanaton moved itself of its own accord, with Akamori reacting and assisting as needed. Blocking attacks he sensed and directing himself around others that were more energy efficient to avoid. As abruptly as the combat began, it ended when he rammed his sword into Loki. Akamori opened his eyes to see Loki¡¯s eyes rolling into the back of his head. The last of his breath eased past his pointed teeth. ¡°Well fought. Maybe in another life we could be allies. At the least, I look forward to a rematch. I owe you both that much,¡± Akamori whispered and gave them a reverent bow. His body ached as though he¡¯d allowed an orange eared steer to trample him. Fire raged in his chest from at least three fractured ribs and his right shoulder felt dangerously close to coming out of its socket. He glanced at the stairs and to the hatchling awaiting him on the ultimate level. With an exhausted and pained sigh, he limped forward. Grunting in pain with each step, Akamori began the last climb. ¡°Be careful, cousin. This one is one of Keimut¡¯s best hand-picked champions. You must defeat him.¡± Astri counseled him. ¡°Can¡¯t we just missive it in? I¡¯m a little tired of the fighting.¡± A sentence he never imagined himself saying. He needed a few hours with a few dedicated healers, at a minimum. Kiv eyed him and allowed a soft chuckle to pur out. The sound reminded Akamori of a bellowing alligator. ¡°You have heart, warrior. You may not have begun on our world, but I see its influence in your moves. I sense a dragon¡¯s ferocity buried in you. After watching you dispatch all your opposition to reach this level, you¡¯ve revealed your true self. If not to our shared Air mother, then to me at least. I find myself conflicted now. I would rather not cross blades with you. Perhaps, in another life, we could have been friends.¡± ¡°Hmph. Perhaps.¡± Akamori said dryly. It was hard to not feel a bit put off by the whole fight to the death thing. ¡°Very well then. Let¡¯s dispense with the pleasantries and begin, shall we?¡± That said, Kiv stepped back, giving Akamori room to mount the top of the pyramid. They stood on a flat surface made of carved stone bricks. Akamori guessed they had about 15 square meters to work with. Shallow grooves smoothed over by erosion marked the passage of previous battles fought. Victories and losses alike. Several blackened marks noted some kind of intense burn. He wasn¡¯t given time to ponder the nature further as Kiv rushed with a thick falchion. Thanaton¡¯s blade swiftly cut a slash upwards to intercept the attack. Akamori nimbly spun around Kiv only to be swatted by the hatchlings tail and sent spinning like a corkscrew. A quick change and he landed on his feet in a stumble in time to catch Kiv closing again with his weapon. The falchion sported a bigger, thicker blade. It was mostly silver with white streaks up and down it. Subdued red hinted at a fire infusion. Its power was not infantile. Each clash of the blade brought with it a shower of electricity that played havoc with Akamori¡¯s nerves. His stamina was tapped, his body failing. He lacked potions. No AP. He was consigning himself to the possibility of death. Despite his best efforts, they¡¯d brought him down with the death by a thousand cuts method after all. He parried a strike of the falchion and dropped Thanaton. His hand hung limp at his side, the tingling numbness rendering it unusable. Kiv sensed his victory, stalking forward air falchion, ready to strike. Kiv frowned as he stalked within striking range. ¡°You fought with great skill and dedication. I wish I didn¡¯t have to be here.¡± ¡°You could have declined.¡± Akamori said. Exhaustion making him sound as if he¡¯d just spent days in the desert without water. Kiv gave Akamori a sympathetic look. ¡°And decline the most powerful wyrm on Anazi Prime? I think not. Surely, you can see the foolishness of that choice.¡± The exhausted spell soldier gave a tired glance around Kiv to see Thanaton sitting on the ground. He then turned his focus back to Kiv. ¡°Just end it.¡± Kiv nodded, storming forward and ramming his blade forward. It punched clean through the crumpled and weakened black armor on Akamori¡¯s torso, drilling out of Akamori¡¯s back. At the same time, Thanaton whipped around and speared Kiv to Akamori. The hatchling¡¯s surprised expression shifted to weak humor. A bubbling chuckle rippled up through his throat. ¡°Well played rider.¡± ¡°Now we can die together.¡± Akamori coughed out with a wince. Alarmingly, his body was in so much shock the sword barely registered. He just hoped he died before it wore off. The clouds above the temple darkened, and Kiv looked skyward as the light in his eyes faded. ¡°She judges...now. Be worthy...sword brother...¡± As Kiv breathed his last. A storm of lightning crashed into the top of the pyramid, and where the two warriors sat kneeling together. The lightning scoured their bodies away in a puff of ash. Not even their blades remained, leaving behind only charred stone on the pyramids as evidence of the warriors ever being present. ? Chapter 133: Time Magic Time Magic Spell weaver and temple priestess Amara studied the runes surrounding the ward on the gold aethersteel door in front of them. The construction of both the door and its runes were both immaculate, bordering on art. The curves and precision of the angles in the runes suggested great care and consideration to the runes and their crafting. Someone clearly took pride in the work. Maybe too much pride. The longer she studied the craftsmanship and the interlocking weaves of the runes, the more she puzzled out their intent. It was like she was partially able to see the answer. But something obscured it somehow. She pursed her lips, unable to fight back the pensive frown that begged for dominance. Brows knit together with concentration and she moved to lean closer but held back when Nathan pushed in front of her, pointing out a particular pattern. ¡°This is interesting work right here. Look how the Mind and Void runes link together with the Light and Air. The lattice work is exceptional. There¡¯s clearly an intent and an expression being made here, but what?¡± She grudgingly acknowledged that despite the fact his education was far less formal than hers in terms of magic, he had a point. Now that he¡¯d pointed it out, she¡¯d noticed the very same pattern repeat itself, over and over. It was maddening to know she was looking at something important but being unable to tell just what it was. She huffed in irritation and froze when Yasiin¡¯s calming hand drew her attention. ¡°Sometimes, when I¡¯m frustrated with something, I take a step back. Perpsective has a way of reframing things.¡± He patted the scope on his rifle. She saw the adjustment dial on the side and grooves carved into it, indicating the most used settings and ranges. That scope had seen a great deal of use in a short amount of time. She nodded to him. Take a few steps back from the door to study it. She drew in a short breath and let it out after a few beats to calm her heart rate. She needed her body as close to a rest state as possible. If she let herself get amped up, she wouldn¡¯t think clearly, and right now she needed every tiny edge she could eke out. Amara noticed two things immediately. The repeating pattern she¡¯d initially seen was again repeated only in larger relief at a far enough back perspective. The other thing was that she now recognized the pattern as a clock face. ¡°It¡¯s not a lock...it¡¯s a clock.¡± Nathan glanced back and smirked. ¡°A clock, huh? Not bad. I thought it had something to do with time.¡± ¡°No, you see this pattern here?¡± Amara indicated with her finger where each hour and minute mark would be, ¡°Each one represents a number on a clock face, but also a subdivision of time. Days, hours, minutes, and seconds.¡± ¡°So you said it¡¯s a clock. What time is it set to?¡± Again, Amara¡¯s brow knit. ¡°It¡¯s not. It¡¯s just set to 0000.¡± ¡°No time? Sounds like an absolute lock.¡± Nathan said, rubbing his chin. ¡°What if we set it for our time right now?¡± Amara almost laughed. ¡°Surely it wouldn¡¯t be that easy?¡± Nathan shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. Humor me?¡± Amara looked to Yasiin who simply shrugged. With no other suggestions, it wasn¡¯t like she lost anything from trying. She wove through the required signs and runes, manipulating the magical clock face to match their own. As she did, something shifted. Like reality had settled into place in front of them. There was a magical tremor that rippled all around them. Like a shockwave, they could sense more than feel. ¡°Part of me is scared we were right. And this was easy. And the other part is terrified we were wrong and just doomed ourselves.¡± Nathan said, his voice a whisper. She exchanged looks with Yasiin and then reached for the door. Pushing on the unlock switch the door whooshed open quicker than she¡¯d expected it to and glanced around. The inside was clean, pristine, and immaculate. Untouched by the ravages of time like the exterior in the cave. Amara traced a finger along a surface and found no dust. It was like walking into a lab behind the last user. ¡°Huh.¡± she said aloud thoughtfully. ¡°Huh?¡± Nathan asked. Always a curious look on his expression. ¡°She¡¯s wondering how my facility has managed to remain so pristine, but she already has the answer to such questions.¡± A cultured draconic voice said behind them. Everyone whirled around and found a feminine dragon wearing gold and white robes. Her hands were clasped behind her back. Her skin was nicely tanned, and her eyes were a golden amber. She was dangerously beautiful. A pair of dragon wings ruffled behind her as a slender tail swished lazily. The woman studied the group for a moment before gesturing for them to come inside so the door could shut. ¡°Please, come inside. You¡¯ll let the stench in.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Amara asked. She caught the tension in Yasiin and the abstract wonder in Nathan¡¯s expression. ¡°I am a clone of Fahnes, but then, you already knew that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Amara¡¯s eyes narrowed. She¡¯d begun to suspect, but having the confirmation slap her square across the face was more than enough. ¡°The Astral Goddess...¡± The Fahnes clone smiled ruefully and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just a shadow. Her likeness and memories up to the point I was created and nothing more.¡± Amara focused on the room they were inside, studying the details etched into the gleaming gold aethersteel. It was above and beyond the craftsmanship of the best artificers on Eryn. Even those had been awed by its beauty. Amara felt the urge to touch it again, but resisted the temptation. There would be plenty of time for sight-seeing once she took care of what needed taking care of here. She turned back to the woman standing there watching her. ¡°What is this place? And why do you have us here?¡± ¡°I am a facility administrator. This is my workplace, where my predecessors spent their lives building an empire in my name. Now I am all that remains left.¡± Fahnes¡¯ clone said. Amara realized she needed to come up with something better to think of her as. Fahnes¡¯ clone was too clunky and cumbersome. ¡°Shanes.¡± Amara said pointed to the clone with a nod. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The woman¡¯s brow arched curiously, and Amara responded to the unspoken query. ¡°You called yourself a shadow of Fahnes. A clone. Thinking of you as Fahnes¡¯ clone is too tedious. So I¡¯m naming you Shanes.¡± The dragon in human form considered that and nodded. ¡°That is acceptable.¡± She paused, adding a too toothy smile that made Amara shudder in her armor. ¡°I like it.¡± Shanes added. ¡°Right.¡± Amara added, turning back to face Shanes. ¡°So let¡¯s cut right to it then. What do we need to do?¡± Shanes turned her gaze to Nathan, Yasiin, then finally to Amara. The expression on the draconic face was almost one of amusement. ¡°Well...first off...¡± Shanes gestured around them at the pristine room. ¡°...you can put down your weapons.¡± Nathan rolled his eyes while Yasiin stared flatly ahead. They¡¯d both been so close to firing when they¡¯d first entered but had held themselves back from making such a rash move against a powerful opponent who had revealed herself. For some reason, they didn¡¯t feel threatened by her yet, but Amara felt otherwise. Still, if this place was a trap, having everyone armed would have just gotten them caught in an explosion. Besides which, Shanes hadn¡¯t done anything overtly hostile towards them thus far and had invited them inside for peacefully conversing without resorting to violence or magic. Nathan cautiously slid his pistol back into its holster. Yasiin¡¯s barrel lowered enough to be considered just this side of not hostile. Shanes smiled, her chin bobbed happily. ¡°There. See? Now then. I trust we both know why you¡¯re here, so to borrow a parlance from yourselves, let¡¯s ¡®cut to the chase¡¯ shall we? Before you, is a control matrix for magic. It is the key to finding that which you seek. Uncover the means to operate the matrix, the way forward will be revealed.¡± ¡°You rehearsed that didn¡¯t you?¡± Nathan asked genuinely curious. Shanes wilted soflty. ¡°I...may have been here for quite some time.¡± Amara gave Yasiin a wincing glance. She wasn¡¯t sure if she pitied the shadow clone or if she was worried Shanes may be slightly off balance from isolation for....however long she¡¯d been placed in charge here. Since there wasn¡¯t anything she could do about it, Amara sighed, giving the control matrix her attention completely for the first time since stepping inside. The basic sort she was used to seeing looked like a pair of solid flight sticks, with various runes etched into them like buttons. Pressing the runes akin to depressing a button or key. Unlike the bog standard mil-spec (translation: bottom dollar for mass production) control matrices, this one looked as artful and high quality as the rest of the facility. She could see the magic swelling within the platinum, gold, silver, and bronze aethersteel. It took her several moments of fumbling through all the controls before something clicked in her mind. The gold, silver and bronze layers of the controls she¡¯d seen implemented in a more dumbed down fashion in the Crasher. But this one had all those in layers, and a platinum layer atop it. That meant something, she was sure of it. How did it adjust the output of the magic? ¡°You¡¯re getting warmer.¡± Shanes said leaning over Amara¡¯s shoulders with a sing songy tone. ¡°You know what you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°The spell shaping system...¡± Amara whispered to herself. Her hands fell away from the control matrix. Her brows knit and then resumed her grip. There was something different about this matrix beyond the materials and intricacy. She also found it puzzling to have a control console installed here if the facility was located this deep below the ground. It was going anywhere, so what did the matrix control? ¡°Not so much what? Think more.... how? Or, when if you will.¡± Amara¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she glanced back at the controls. Was this a magic control matrix for time? That was the only answer that made sense. Rather than piloting the facility in a linear direction, the matrix propelled it through time. Shanes gave Amara an approving smile. ¡°More accurately stated, it propels time through the facility.¡± the shadow clone corrected. Amara glanced back, brows knit. Shanes was reading her thoughts? That was concerning. Even at a fraction of the goddesses power and she could still see into Amara¡¯s mind easily. ¡°Wait. So this dry dock... It¡¯s one big time machine?¡± Nathan asked, glancing around as if seeing the interior for the first time. He¡¯d been standing in it for five minutes with the same awestruck expression. ¡°I mean, weird flex, but ok? Why?¡± ¡°To protect the ship from the wrong hands.¡± Amara guessed. She turned back to Shanes for confirmation who gave her a knowing smile. ¡°You hid Theferyis from your enemies by hurling it into time. Didn¡¯t you?¡± Shanes nodded excitedly. ¡°Exactly! Mother said you¡¯d be sharp when we finally met.¡± Amara turned, and Shanes grinned. The expression told Amara the answer to the question she hadn¡¯t even voiced yet. Was this god reading her mind? ¡°Yes. Surface level thoughts. You¡¯re actually rather well guarded. Probably a part of your priestess¡¯ training. This one is an open book and all curiosity.¡± Shanes casually gestured at Nathan, who returned to the conversation at the mention of his name, blinked, and went back to poking random things to see what happened. ¡°This one is also well guarded, but also unnervingly quiet. But you? You¡¯re fun. Smart and driven. I see why Mother liked you.¡± Amara went back to studying the runes on the controls. She tried to focus on them as Shanes spoke. But the niggling curiosity of her own kept pulling her away from the matrix. ¡°She mentioned me? How, we only just met recently?¡± Shanes smiled, but there was a sadness to it. Like a child remembering being disappointed by her parents often. ¡°Mother exists in a state outside of time. She experiences all of time at the same time. For her, it¡¯s a perspective. Such is the fate of the webmaster.¡± ¡°Web master?¡± ¡°The one who guards the web of fate.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like it lends itself to time, though?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± Again that eager academic grin. ¡°That, my friend, is my father¡¯s magic specialty. You may or may not meet him. So I¡¯ll leave it to him how and when to avail himself of you.¡± Amara nodded, returning her complete focus back to the control matrix. With a heavy sigh, she gripped both sticks, and began tapping in runes. The linkage ritual runes didn¡¯t follow the standard convention, and took some guess work to unlock, but a few attempts later and she felt the matrix and her magic bond. A slight rush and she swayed in the command chair. Amara felt a steadying hand on her shoulder and she glanced over to see Yasiin looking at her concerned. She couldn¡¯t help the reassuring smile she shot back. ¡°I¡¯m ok, thanks.¡± Yasiin grunted, a lack of complete faith in her reply obvious. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°This control matrix. It¡¯s so much more than a regular matrix. I wish Kusi could have come. He¡¯d be about like our archeologist friend over there.¡± She said with a casual gesture towards Nathan. Nathan blinked, looking from studying the base of a portal arch. The purpose of which they couldn¡¯t be sure yet. ¡°huh?¡± Amara chuckled softly and focused on her link with the control matrix. She stretched her fingers for a moment and fed the matrix some magic. Ahead of her, a wheel with runes marking it, again like the face of a clock began to spin. Her vision blurred and for an instant she could see the web of fate thread upon which this facility sat. Then she noticed that she could scrub time by turning the wheel. It flowed forward and backward. ¡°Whoa.¡± she whispered in awe. ? Chapter 134: Homecoming Homecoming Asteroid field PS 537 The stillness of a starless night settled through the bridge as Ominek stood on the raised platform, hands clasped behind his back. His ship was hidden in a void of utter darkness. No stars or moons shone here. Only infinite black overhead, lit by no light except for the soft glow of magical runes on the walls and ceiling. The path leading from his spell ship through the Umbral plane stretched out before him like an endless abyss. He could feel it around him, taste its oppressive nature. It seemed to press in on him with all its weight. Each breath became labored and his hearts beat faster. He was acutely aware of his own mortality, that any moment he might slip on a stray stone or be sucked into the world-swallowing maelstroms below. That he would never be found again, nor know what had happened to him. He shook off the chill of fear and thought about the stories he¡¯d heard as a young hatchling aboard a privateer vessel: how the eldritch demons native to this plane lurked in the shadows waiting to feed on their prey¡ªliving souls¡ªand carried them into Hell; where they were tortured for eternity. The massive field of rubble in front of us was the debris from Asteroid Field PS 527, once known as Alpha Prime: the home world of a race of proud warriors who challenged the dragons. Their world was destroyed in the last gods¡¯ war, and with it their power and nobility were taken away. With nowhere to go and no one to lead them, they fell into chaos and many became enslaved. This gray expanse is all that remains of their home¨Ca sad marker of what once was. Ominek cast a glance behind him at the gathered primals shifting about nervously at the rear of the bridge. A pair of hatchlings escorted them over. Luffa at their lead. Ominek could tell she¡¯d taken it upon herself to become the intermediary for her people. Good, Ominek mused. He could leverage that sense of responsibility against her. She was too canny to fall for his tricks He gestured to the bleak debris field ahead of them. All eyes fell upon the stony graveyard. He turned with a weary frown to them. His expression full of empathy and regret. ¡°I wanted you all to see this for yourselves, largely because I too know what it was like to be raised a hostage to someone else¡¯s plans. When I first discussed helping Luffa find her freedom, she¡¯d mentioned a strong desire to return to her home world. I didn¡¯t want to dissuade her from seeking that opportunity out of fear that she¡¯d have nothing left, so I didn¡¯t elaborate fully on just what that would mean. But now that you¡¯re all here I believe the evidence bears itself out. Alpha Prime is a shattered graveyard.¡± A male primal with wild black hair that feathered to a point approached the scry screen with a scowl and folded arms. ¡°Who did this? The Federation?¡± Ominek shook his head. ¡°No, as much as I¡¯d enjoy laying the blame for this at their feet, that ultimately belongs to my cousins in the other dragonflights. They feared the warriors that the primals were capable of becoming and shattered their home. The survivors have floated amongst the stars. Some falling in as mercenaries. Others being harvested as slaves.¡± Luffa folded her arms. Intense skepticism colored her expression, but she couldn¡¯t act on it. She¡¯d been pushed into a corner. Distrusting and resentful for it, she schooled her response as neutral as possible. ¡°You knew all this and yet you withheld it from us?¡± A simple question, but Ominek saw the underlying barb beneath the question. He anticipated this kind of response. ¡°Child, yes. If I told you your dream of fleeing your captive home and returning to your natural one was as dead as their debris field before us, would you have still tried?¡± Luffa scowled, her brows knit together as her emerald eyes shifted with rapid racing thoughts. Eventually she shook her head no. ¡°It would have been too great a risk.¡± Ominek flashed a friendly smile. An understanding look from someone who only had her best concerns at heart. Both of them knew it was a facade, but the other primals accepted the charade at face value. Ominek could see the eagerness to be accepted and welcomed into anything resembling a family. ¡°Alpha Prime may no longer exist, your people may be scattered, but you will always have a home amongst my people.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t your people dragons?¡± Ominek smirked. ¡°In a sense. We¡¯re soul shacklers. It would be more apt to call us errant souls hijacking the bodies of dragons.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s any better.¡± Luffa said, folding her arms. Ominek shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not a perfect solution, but it is the only one I can provide for you. All I¡¯m asking is that you consider my offer.¡± Luffa took her time in considering Ominesk¡¯s offer. On the one hand, she felt a sense of loyalty to her people and wanted to help them find their way home. On the other hand, she was hesitant about joining a group of dragons whose motivations were unknown. Would they be truly accepting of her people or use them as pawns? The decision weighed heavily on Luffa¡¯s mind as she contemplated her options. She glanced back to the desolate remains of Alpha Prime and realized that even if they did decide to search for a new world, it would take years to find a location suitable and even more time before they could build something worth occupying. Joining Ominek¡¯s people seemed like the only viable option at this point, but Luffa still hesitated at the thought. She glanced back feeling the weight of everyone¡¯s eyes weigh down heavily on her. They were still looking to her for the time being. But how long could she help shield them from Ominek¡¯s machinations? How long before he managed to outmaneuver her and make her influence among her people all but worthless? She studied his expression carefully. What she saw made her blood run cold. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°It isn¡¯t as if we have any choice. If we decline we¡¯re stranded and alone. We¡¯ll join you, for now.¡± She stressed, but felt how hollow the hanging clause was. They both knew that it would only be a matter of time before Ominek was the true leader of the Primal refugees. Ominek smiled broadly at the primals and swept his arms open in a grand gesture, as if to hug the assembled body of Primals all at once. ¡°Then on behalf of the Sauridius, I would like to formally welcome all you to the family.¡± He turned and gave a nod to the hatchling manning the control matrix. Void magic rippled over the vessel as it shifted position and moved to exit the system before opening a gateway into the Umbral realm. Void magic snapped and rippled as it tore at the fabric of reality, bending it in such a way that objects that traversed the aperture appeared on the other side of folded space and time. Ominek¡¯s cruiser slowly drifted back through and he strode to resume a commanding position within the bridge. ¡°We shall now embark on our journey to visit the ethereal mind of Sauridius, a giant star sized ball of soul, earth, fire and void magic. It is a god without active consciousness, but it¡¯s my people¡¯s goal to wake him.¡± Ominek said with a glint in his eye that was only partially hidden by his hood. ¡°And I¡¯d be honored if you¡¯d join me on this quest. Together, we can work towards achieving this dream for both our peoples.¡± The primals looked at each other uncertainly. They weren¡¯t sure what the ultimate outcome would be or what they were getting themselves into, but joining Ominek¡¯s crusade seemed like their best bet at the moment. So with a collective nod of agreement from all of them, they set off through the gateway towards Sauridius¡¯ celestial realm. As they stepped through the gateway and into the Umbral realm, they felt as if time had frozen around them in the icy black void. The group of primals huddled into the center of the bridge. With the Umbral stealth system of the cruiser active, all light and magic emissions were contained so that nothing was let out. To the creatures lurking within, they were little more than an inert piece of metal drifting along. Ominek stood at the front of the bridge with his hands clasped calmly behind his back. The perfect presentation of confident authority. He¡¯d ventured into the umbral plane before alone. Traversing its depths without the aid of a vessel is possible, though he¡¯d never admit to the fact that it made him feel uncomfortable. In the total void of the umbral plane, he felt like prey. Luffa approached his right side quietly. Her aura flickered nervously. He caught her gaze shifting side to side at the black scry screen. The deployed armor panels currently blocked all windows. ¡°How come I can feel them out there? What are they?¡± Ominek smiled softly. His first genuine smile with her since his previous charade. ¡°What are they indeed?¡± He paused contemplatively, turning to lean against the platinum, gold, silver and bronze control matrix next to him. ¡°Some believe the beings in the dark are the true titans. Cast out by the gods before they turned on themselves. Others thing they are naturally occurring to the realm. Others think of them as devourers of everything else. Consuming matter, light and energy as it foolishly finds its way here. The cycles great recycling system as it were.¡± Luffa¡¯s brows knit. For a moment it felt like she was getting another lecture from the weaver college. Guilt pierced her stomach briefly. She cleared her throat before speaking. ¡°What do you think?¡± She added extra emphasis to you, seeking his own personal thoughts. He shrugged casually. His crisp black dress suit hugging his frame shifted with the gesture. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. They could be older than time or younger than me. But they ultimately are beyond my capability to understand or influence them. For now.¡± He amended. ¡°My focus right now is on winning the war for my peoples. So long as we live, the Federation will not tolerate our existence. They will wage war until we are nothing more than memories and dust.¡± He paused contemplatively. An almost sad expression softening his face, and Luffa caught herself wondering how much of this was an act. ¡°At one time, dragons used to be the dominant species for several sectors. No one remembers how the last dragon flight war began. Only that it ended with most of the flights in ruins. The only survivors are those preening fools on Anazi Prime. Huddled around their dead mother. But us? The Sauridius? We are ascendant.¡± Luffa folded her arms, a brow arched. ¡°And how is that working out for you? You¡¯ve managed to piss off every habitable world in the sector that you don¡¯t already own. You literally whacked Eryn with a stick, and stirred up the stingers nest.¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re nearing the end game. Having my opponent whipped into a frenzy plays to our advantage. Better that they either fervently attack and defend, than scrutinize our moves. Freedom and the sector will be ours soon enough.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s to become of us primals until then? We become your shock troops?¡± Ominek smiled, as if finally hearing something he expected. As much truth as show. ¡°If that¡¯s what they wish. You all have endured quite much at their hand. If revenge or justice is desired, there is plenty to be found.¡± ¡°And if not?¡± ¡°Then they may leave of course. No one here is bound or shackled. You are all free beings.¡± Luffa turned to face the black screen, unable to hide her scowl. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ? Chapter 135: Assault Assault Captain Morwen awoke with a start. Lt. Fennex loomed over her, the cause of her waking up. The lieutenant¡¯s expression was tight with worry. ¡°Sir. We got a situation you need to see right now.¡± Fennex about faced and left the room in such a hurry. A small breeze gusted with him. Morwen flew out of bed in a tangle of sheets and clothes. She threw on her uniform in record time and tossed her hair back into a less than elegant pony tail. She lacked the time for anything more ornate. She extended a hand, and Rozien flew to her palm. ¡°Can you sense anything?¡± She asked. ¡°Unfortunately not. Your ship¡¯s sensors are unfamiliar to me. They¡¯re a bit...crude. No offense.¡± Morwen smiled, patting the hull with her other hand as she hustled up the adjoining corridor that fed into the bridge. ¡°None taken. The Crasher is actually a refit Brotherhood battleship of an older design. It was a gift to the Federation when it was first chartered. The mages on Eryn retrofit it with a spell drive, so mages could pilot it. She¡¯s slow and lists to the left slightly. But she¡¯s not built like a legendary spellship, but she fights like one.¡± Rozien thrummed contemplatively in her hand as she slid down into the captain¡¯s chair. Arjun was buckled into the chair to her right, and Fennex hovered at the left, uncertain of what to do. Being a water mage, and a poorly trained one at that, made him less than ideal for a combat in capital ships. Rozien floated up on motes of void magic to hover next to her shoulder. She fed the spell controls some fire and mind and conjured an illusion of what the ship¡¯s sensors were detecting. Four Sauridius cruisers and eight dropships. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of bogeys.¡± Morwen frowned. They had more enemies than they had guns to fire with. Unless... ¡°Lieutenant. Can you deploy your hover tanks to fire from the hangar?¡± Fennex¡¯s expression rolled through confusion before understanding erased it with a look of eagerness. He gave her a firm nod and raced out of the bridge to make it happen. She missed Sirsir¡¯s presence. For now, she¡¯d have to hope the silver ranked mage would be enough. ¡°What¡¯s the play Captain?¡± Arjun asked. ¡°We run. The Crasher is ill suited to tackle that many enemies in a standup fight. But we can drag it out. Play the terrain. Make them come to us on our terms. That¡¯s the best I have for now.¡± She went silent as time slowed around her, the beginning of her spell to view the web of fate. Reality fractured around her like cracked glass and she could see every choice. Every action and reaction play out in its own little shard of glass. If all of existence were a beach, Morwen had the ability to view every individual grain of sand and the reality of choices and consequences it contained. She studied offensive and defensive options alike. She knew they were after Rozien. He was the key to the ship. The last remaining crew member of the Theferis. Most scenarios ended with the ship being destroyed and a pair of powerful dragon hatchlings picking through the wreckage for Rozien. There were a few in which the crew survives, but none of them ended with victory. ¡°No matter what we lose.¡± She whispered. ¡°Then we make it cost them as much as possible.¡± Rozien said. His voice was resolute. She glanced at the enchanted soul bound tome, wondering what kind of officer he¡¯d been like when he was a mage. Morwen had no doubt she could have used the extra help in the minutes to come. Morwen studied the enemy ships advancing and lifted the Crasher off the ground, bringing the ship about going full burn for a deep ravine she¡¯d noted on their landing approach. It looked just big enough for the aged battleship to fit into. It¡¯d be close quarters, but that would limit the enemy¡¯s attack options. She pressed a button for the ship to cast a quick missive. ¡°Lt. Fennex, deploy half your men to the ground and have them employ all surface-to-air munitions. Even if the Crasher must go down, some may survive yet. We can also hit the enemy from two positions.¡± She smashed the send button and refocused on her maneuvers as the ship scraped against a jagged outcrop of rock and she winced. Morwen gave Arjun a quick look. He was pale and sweating. Gripping his own control sticks tightly. ¡°Arjun, can you direct the aft spell cannon to fire, please? Pick a ship and keep attacking until it stops moving. I¡¯ll leave pool management up to you. I¡¯ll need to focus on evasive maneuvers.¡± Arjun nodded with an uncertain look and went to work. He wasn¡¯t combat tested fully, but he was capable and applied himself to learning. No better time to perfect casting abilities than trial by fire. Morwen¡¯s stomach lurched when she dipped the ship down into the ravine. Her stomach fell away completely when she watched the Sauridius cruisers launch dozens of large warheads. She reached out with the Crasher¡¯s sensors, scrubbing the missiles as thoroughly as possible and she dreaded what she¡¯d detected. The Sauridius ships were hurling nuclear warheads at them. Relics of the Brotherhood¡¯s arsenal. They were survivable in singles, but a swarm of them would pose a problem. ¡°Arjun. Direct your fire into those warheads. Thin them out.¡± The Crasher belted out massive shuttle sized fire bolt spells that hurtled into the cloud of nuclear missiles. Detonations cooked the atmosphere. One of the attacking cruiser¡¯s hulls was blackened, and it¡¯s engines belted out smoke as it fell behind the other three. Warheads still tracked towards the Crasher. Arjun couldn¡¯t take them all. Morwen dumped as much light magic as she could into the control matrix. A ripple golden sphere formed around the Crasher just before the nuclear wards could reach the ship. Most of them smashed into the ward before they could detonate, but a few went off dumping their full atom splitting fury into the magical barrier. The Crasher rocked violently and Arjun cried out. Morwen did her best to keep focused on piloting. The ward held. Barely. She torqued the aging battleship into a tight turn in the ravine, narrowly missing a volley of fire from the frustrated Sauridius ships. Arjun¡¯s fire from the rear mounted spell cannon and Fennix¡¯s men began to envelope the enemy forces. It was a valiant effort. But this is where Morwen approached the first nexus point of her divination. Leave Fennex¡¯s men to die and keep running? Or double back and relieve the pressure. In the past, she¡¯d sacrificed lives because it was necessary to acheive an outcome. But when the outcome was the same either way, she wasn¡¯t sure she could just callously throw away lives. She wasn¡¯t like Rayshe. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The Crasher jerked upwards as it nosed up out of the ravine. The Sauridius cruisers were raining down fire on Fennex¡¯s troops at the top of the ravine. His tanks gave as good as they got but without help it¡¯d be a lost cause. The lead cruiser was about to unload a full salvo on the marines when a dark purple negative beam of energy bored clean through the ship. Smoke belched free of the wound as the ship listed. The marines on the ground whooped and cheered as the Crasher banked about, seeking to use the mountains for cover. Acid bolts thundered from the cruisers en masse. Several rounds struck Morwen¡¯s light ward. It discolored and shattered into aether shards. Motes of light flurried in the chaos before winking out. The rear spell cannon continued belching large fireballs into the enemy formation. Arjun desperately trying to relieve the pressure the ground-based marines were under. Morwen slowed the Crasher, letting the cruisers close the gap, drawing their attention away from the marines. She watched with grim satisfaction as the marines downed the ship she¡¯d wounded with her void ray. If they had to go down fighting, then she and her men would make the Sauridius pay for every inch. For every gram. The acid bolt salvos continued to lance out after the aged battleship, forcing Morwen to hastily recast her ward. She¡¯d only be able to manage that a few more times. Two of the remaining enemy cruisers advanced on the slower battleship. As they drew closer, the cruisers rammed into the golden orb protecting the battleship and opened fire at point blank range. Morwen cursed as she watched the shimmering gold barrier discolor and fracture under the strain. The ward erupted into mana shards under the thundering assault. The rear spell cannon did an impressive job of holding off the attack, but the storm of acid bolts eroded the aged and barely functional wards holding the spell cannon together. It belched a final spell that fluttered out before striking the target leaving Morwen with no further options to retaliate with on the ship. From here her options branched into fewer and fewer paths. The biggest option she had was sending what was left of the crew to the Indra and fleeing. They could slip past the initial attack, but they would be greeted with an ambush before they could exit the system. ¡°No. We won¡¯t die running.¡± Morwen growled. The Crasher groaned as she threw the ship into a full stop and came about hard. Aged mythrial and enchanted steel creaked and moaned in protest. Arjun gripped his spell controls tightly as void straps held the team in place at their chairs on the bridge. Morwen watched as the compass ticked by until the enemy ships were square in view. She rammed the throttle forward. The Cadaver Crasher roared forward at full burn. ¡°Arjun. If you have any further feelings to express about this fight. Now is the time to do so.¡± In short. Give them hell while you still can. She knew it wasn¡¯t much of a speech, but the bleakness of the outcome left her feeling uncharacteristically morbid. Seeing your own death play out a thousand different ways had a sobering effect on ones outlook. She knew they weren¡¯t going to make it out of this. Now she was just trying to exact as steep a price as possible. Her charge had an effect on the enemy cruisers who broke formation and scattered to avoid her charge. What they couldn¡¯t avoid was Arjun¡¯s frantic blasting at the main spell cannon. It¡¯s augmentations and enchantments magnifying and increasing the power of the spell. The battle scarred warship belched out one small star after enough. Two of the cruiser¡¯s were completely engulfed in flame. Their smoking remains plummeting to the ground afterward caused Morwen alarm and satisfaction. They were entering the endgame now. She torqued the Crasher¡¯s nose down and away. The remaining cruiser was quick and seemed to know what she¡¯d try before doing it. Had they successfully scryed the outcome? She felt the Crasher shudder, like a child trying to tug free of a parent. Loud metallic thumping sounds resonated from the hull in various locations. Docking clamps. She rose, hands ready to weave. She put herself protectively between Arjun who looked confused when sparks fell from the ceiling like a flaming leak. In moments a large circle had been cut free and fell to the deck heavily. A storm of bolts fell into the bridge and she quickly erected a ward to shield them. They were beyond what she¡¯d been able to divine now. Which meant they were either in a realm of possibilities that were too remote, or a hidden choice. But made by whom? And hidden by whom? ¡°Give us the tomb and you may limp away with your lives.¡± A reptilian voice called out from above. A large figure fell down to the deck clad in black and dark blue spell armor. It was a large feminine hatchling. Unmolted, but very close. Her armor was etched artfully with faces in states of agony and pain. No two faces look the same. Morwen shivered looking at it, trying to shake off the sensation of having her soul tugged free from her chest. Her eyes came to rest at the imposing spell blade belted to the dragons hip and Morwen instantly wished her crew were here. Sirsir, and Amara would have been able to deal with this one. Akamori too before his death. ¡°The tomb.¡± The hatchling demanded, a hand outstretched. Morwen hesitated. She couldn¡¯t give up Rozien so easily. ¡°It¡¯s ok Morwen. I¡¯ll go.¡± The tomb said from within her jacket. It drifted free and floated next to her. ¡°I can¡¯t just give you up without a fight.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t get me back if you die needlessly.¡± Morwen grumbled at the tombs point. ¡°Fine.¡± The tomb turned to the hatchling. ¡°I have your word?¡± The hatchling paused before smirking. ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Not good enough.¡± A flash of aether, and a spell crashed into the hatchlings¡¯ chest. ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO?¡± the hatchling roared. ¡°Call it insurance because of your questionable strength of character. I bound you to honor your own word.¡± Lips curled back to reveal rows of razor sharp fangs. Acid dripped to the deck and hissed menacingly. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go.¡± Rozien drifted to the hatchling who tore him out of the air and tucked him under her arm. Then the dragon jumped back up through the hole she¡¯d made. Morwen stood back stunned as the Sauridius cruiser flew away, leaving the wounded Crasher be. ? Chapter 136: Unlimited Possibilities Unlimited Possibilities Looking through time via the web of fate for Amara was like seeing through a fractal pattern. Images splayed off in all directions with all points in time. It was disorienting at first, like seeing through an endless series of mirrors that stretched out in all directions, with her at its focus. She swayed slightly, gripping the spell control matrix tightly for stability. ¡°Like a kaleidoscope.¡± She whispered, oblivious to the looks she got from the others. Only Shanes regarded with an understanding look. She noticed something the more she studied the myriad of different times. Many didn¡¯t belong to the reality she was in. This wasn¡¯t just a time machine. It was a time and space machine. That left unlimited possibilities to where the ship could be. Her head swam at the enormity of it all. Amara wasn¡¯t just looking for a needle in a haystack. She was looking for a single atom in the vast cosmos. She took a deep breath, trying to bite back the creeping despair at her task. She tried to take a step back, view this problem from a vantage. But the more she retreated, the more possibilities became visible. She needed some way narrowing the search or she could spend the rest of her life looking for the ship. She broke connection with the control matrix and turned slowly, the dizzy post use sensation fading slowly. When her head was clear enough she glanced back up at Yasiin and Nathan. ¡°Same problem, new circumstances. We need to find the ship across time and space.¡± Nathan grinned and leaned against the wall, working his stubble curiously. Yasiin¡¯s brows knit, as he was no doubt working over the problem mentally. Nathan sighed and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too bad we don¡¯t have a magic detector or something. I have to imagine a ship like that would give off a pretty unique signature.¡± Amara blinked, looking at the archeologist as if seeing him for the first time. Sometimes she took her magic for granted sometimes and forgot what she could truly do with it. If she knew what she was looking for, she could use her Maetrayopts to filter all the noise out of her vision until she could zero in on where and when the ship was. She rushed over and wrapped the reluctant brotherhood professor in a big hug. He grunted as she squeezed him and then patted her on the backplate. ¡°Okay.¡± he wheezed. ¡°Hugs are nice and all, but what brought that on?¡± She grinned. ¡°You just helped come up with a way to find the ship.¡± Nathan clearly didn¡¯t get it. He glanced at Yasiin, who only offered a confused shrug. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. She does this.¡± They both turned back to her as she sat down and reintegrated with the control matrix yet again. This time she¡¯d find the ship for sure. She poured her magic into the control and felt the matrix spin up. Time and possibility unfurled before her in all directions. Then she triggered her Maetrayopts. She turned to Shanes, seeing a faint shimmer of the shadow clone through the din of the web. ¡°Shanes, can you give me anything that might share the magic signature of the ship?¡± Shanes smiled, a delighted expression on her face. ¡°Just as she said you¡¯d ask.¡± Shanes reached into her white and golden trimmed robes and produced an elegant golden key. When the key touched Amara¡¯s palm, she could sense the magic of the ship. It was distant, like a vessel at sea in a storm. Amara squinted, focusing out the noise of existence and the chaos of chance. There it was. Like a beacon. She focused and brought it closer and closer. Or was she moving closer and closer to it? Perspective was difficult, with so much in motion. Like two bullets hitting each other perfectly. Powerful magic bubbled up from the floor and rippled out across the facility as both time and reality warbled and then righted itself, bringing everything back into alignment. When she finished, Amara turned back to Yasiin and grinned through the control sickness. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Nathan had a hand to his mouth. Yasiin swayed, but otherwise looked unaffected. ¡°Dimensional magic. Not too different from abysal rift travel. But....the question is, when are we?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget where.¡± Amara said. Nathan glanced around a half step behind, but he caught up quickly. ¡°We¡¯re not in our own native reality, are we?¡± Amara nodded. ¡°Bingo. We¡¯re also millennia into the future from the time we just inhabited.¡± Nathan just blinked and leaned back. ¡°Wow. Okay. That¡¯s a lot to unpack.¡± Amara grinned. She wished Akamori were here. He¡¯d have loved this based on the principle of the idea. Going somewhere new and exploring. He was definitely going to be jealous of this one. She stood up from the control matrix and stretched. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go have a look at this ship.¡± Shanes frowned and took a few steps back deeper into the control center. Amara caught the response but didn¡¯t question it. Shanes was behaving like a frightened deer. A concept Amara understood well. She was about to ask what it was when her gaze shifted through the magically enchanted walls and something cold coiled in the pit of her stomach. Abject fear. ¡°There¡¯s still time to go back. Once you set foot on this path...there¡¯s no going back.¡± Shanes said timidly. ¡°Cryptic.¡± Nathan said, folding his arms. ¡°And vague.¡± Amara added. ¡°What¡¯s out there... It¡¯s but a looming storm on the horizon. But it will one day reach you, and threaten all you know with darkness and torment. Opening I haven¡¯t seen every possibility, but I¡¯ve studied enough to know that this is a nexus point. A position from which many branches spin off from one focal point.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying if we step through this doorway, we risk cutting something dangerous loose?¡± Yasiin asked, his spell rifle still held at the low ready. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°So...as the odd man out here, what exactly am I caught up in here?¡± Nathan said, holding his hands out in a halting gesture. ¡°We need Theferyis to fight stop Sauridius¡¯ forces.¡± Amara said. ¡°Okay. So we free the ship. We fight the Sauridius and unleash something else bad. If we don¡¯t, we all become soul puppets for Sauridius?¡± Yasiin and Amara both nodded. ¡°Pretty much.¡± Nathan shrugged, convinced. ¡°Seems like a no brainer to me then. Let¡¯s get this ship out.¡± Nathan clapped both his hands together and rubbed them eagerly next to the door. Amara and Yasiin shared a look. They knew taking no action would doom the sector. But what if taking action would only make it worse? She hated these kinds of fables, and now she was living one. ¡°Okay Shanes. Open it up.¡± Shanes nodded reluctantly. ¡°Okay.¡± She said in a soft voice. She gestured with her hand and the airlock threw itself open. Amara had expected lights and grandeur. A massive silver and gold spaceship. The apex of elegance and form. Instead, her nostrils were assaulted with a smell so rancid she nearly wretched. Nathan groaned uncomfortably, trying to wave it away. Yasiin¡¯s helmet snapped into place around his head. He wasn¡¯t even going to try to play at putting up with it. On top of her olfactory senses being brutally abused, she also noticed that there was no light. Nathan was two steps ahead of her mentally and sparked a crimson flare and tossed it out. It landed with a sloppy wet sound, like he¡¯d just tossed into the flare into a muddy swamp. The flare landed in a viscous inky black liquid that dragged the flare down. The light lasted briefly, but it gave Amara a faint look at the inside of the hangar and the ship. Virtually everything was covered in the goop. Amara¡¯s own helmet snapped over her head and stepped out, followed by Yasiin and Nathan. Nathan slid on a mechanical helmet that hissed and whined as it created a seal. After they left the control center, the door hissed back shut. Apparently Shanes wasn¡¯t a fan of the smell either. She feathered the thrusters on her armor and floated up above the muck, thankful for her spell armor¡¯s ability to fly. Nathan didn¡¯t seem like he minded it too much. He knelt down and ran his index and middle fingers through the sludge, running it between his thumb. ¡°It reminds me of bad oil. Thick, slick and smells awful. But...it¡¯s cold as the void. And tingles like magic.¡± Nathan¡¯s voice came over their magicom¡¯s tinny, like he was talking through a robot or something. Something about the electromagnetic barrier between technology and magitech, maybe? She¡¯d pose the question to Kusinaki later if she had the time and actually remembered. She focused on the thick slime and realized the truth in Nathan¡¯s words. It was like she was looking at a congealed well spring that covered everything. ¡°God¡¯s blood.¡± Amara muttered. ¡°That¡¯s normally found in pools, though, right? You guys call em well springs?¡± Amara nodded. She couldn¡¯t tell if this was the scene of a murder, or something much worse. ¡°It might be wise to hurry.¡± Yasiin cautioned. ¡°Hard telling what this shit is or what it does.¡± Amara drifted towards the ship, conjuring a light wisp. She¡¯d expected it to illuminate the area rather well, but the black goo devoured the light greedily. The black slime was sapping some of the aether from her spell, weakening it. Yasiin was right. They couldn¡¯t waste much time here. She found the exterior bulkhead and scanned for a way to open it. Yasiin flew up into the air to get a better vantage point and sighted through his scope. ¡°No Bodies. Whatever happened here, the party was gone long before this shit hit.¡± Nathan stood shaking the black goo free of his hand and waded through the thick substance with squelching sucking sounds on each foot fall. He fell in next to Amara and began studying the ship¡¯s hull. He wiped the slime off on a small cloth and then cast it aside, no longer needing the ruined rag. Fetching a pair of glasses from inside his jacket, he squinted and leaned close. ¡°I wonder what she looks like under all this gunk?¡± Amara folded her arms, tilting her head as she let her imagination play. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve only spent time on the Crasher, an old Brotherhood ship that was fit with a gifted spell drive and refit by the Federation. It leaves a lot to be desired. This ship, though? I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll disappoint. I¡¯ve even been told it can raise or destroy gods.¡± Nathan whistled. ¡°Gods, huh? Don¡¯t find too much religion in the Brotherhood. As I understand, we used to believe in one, but over time, space and technology eventually worked it out of our system. If anything, we probably worship technology more than anything now.¡± ¡°You have no gods at all?¡± Amara asked. As a priestess, the notion was an antithesis to her. ¡°Not really. Unless you count the extranet. Lots of people spend a lot of time and attention on that. I¡¯d be willing to bet some folks even pray to it.¡± ¡°This extranet. It¡¯s not a person, though, right?¡± Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. Her confusion seemed to amuse him lightly. It helped distract her from the dark and gross chamber the ship was situated in. ¡°Nah. It¡¯s like.... its own reality. But the only thing that lives there is information. Unless you count the gamers. They¡¯re a different lot.¡± ¡°Gamers?¡± Nathan nodded with a dismissive wave. ¡°They plug into the net and basically live on it. New Eden is so overpopulated that the lower levels are so heavily polluted most folks that can afford to go to Net Pools where they plug into the net. The gamers call it Diving. Most of have figured out ways to eke out a living. Views and followers. They leverage that against ad revenue. Strange way to live, though. They never get to see a real sky. A rare few actually get to buy their way out of the underworld and get to move up to the upper cities.¡± Amara frowned. That took a turn fast. Maybe it was just the atmosphere. It was hard to have any joy or positivity in all this gloom. ¡°No offense, but your world sounds horrible.¡± Nathan chuckled and nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s an acquired taste for sure. I joined the Archeology Society so I could travel and visit new worlds. It¡¯s not a terrible job. Keeps me fed, and there¡¯s never a dull moment.¡± He added with a grin. Amara nodded. ¡°You may wish you¡¯d stayed before the end of the day.¡± Nathan¡¯s smile wavered, but only slightly. She had to give him credit. He put up a good front. ¡°Eyes up people. We¡¯ve got activity in the Control Center.¡± Yasiin¡¯s voice said with a note of alarm. She turned back and saw the airlock throw itself open to reveal a pair of imposing looking dragonborn hatchlings. Their silhouette¡¯s familiar against the backlit glow from inside the hangar¡¯s command center. ? Chapter 137: Hravesvalgyr Hravesvalgyr Awareness returned to Akamori, leaving him alone in darkness. The last thing he recalled was a blinding bolt of lightning crashing down into his head. He could feel his body being broken down atom by atom. Reduced to nothing but ash. ¡°So¡­ this is what death finally feels like.¡± Noo. An elegant feminine voice crooned in draconic. You are not dead yet. You are merely in a location which my enemies cannot reach. ¡°Which is?¡± My mind. He fumbled in the darkness, but the sensation was like being adrift in the void of space. Nothing to grab onto. No gravity. You are here to fulfill a purpose that was given to you long before you were born, at the behest of my grandfather hundreds of thousands of years before this sector was traveling the stars. When gods warred with each other. I was the greatest. Swift as air, and just as cutting. Until she came along. Below and away from him, light flashed around a large, curved object. It took his mind several minutes to put together until he was seeing the light of a star from the umbral side of a planet. An umbral gate opened, and several dragons spilled free of it. A large white scale and feathered dragon, with several smaller dragons flying around it like insects, and a smaller golden dragon that Akamori didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Val.¡± The smaller one pleaded. ¡°We must hide Theferis. If she gets ahold of it, we¡¯ll never be able to stop her.¡± Val? Akamori thought to the goddess¡¯s mind. Hnnn. Yes. Hravesvalgyr. We changed our names to shield us from her gaze. A miracle that cost us greatly, but purchased time. We are but a mere shadow of our former glory. But the larger white dragon moved languidly, stunned at the loss of her mother by her only sister. The larger glanced up after a few moments of silence. She¡¯d only just noticed her sister¡¯s silence. ¡°The All Mother is gone. Slain by her own brood. Hidros is already dead. Murdered by a puppet of Sauridius. Their darkness will consume the galaxy. She is a rabid kinslayer and will drown us all in darkness.¡± ¡°So will your sorrow.¡± A small woman with a golden glow said next to one of her sisters. Rage boiled through Hravesvalgyr¡¯s veins. The impudence of the vassal. She loomed close to the small lesser goddess, teeth bared. Electricity crackled and snapped in her eyes. The lesser goddess remained unphased by her show of power, staring her down pound for pound. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± She said with a faint nod. Hravesvalgyr leaned back, scaled brows furrowed. Was this up jumped mortal playing games with her? No. She was making her angry. Anger was good for focus if you possessed the strength to control it. Too much and rage made you sloppy. Too little and you remained complacent. She snorted dismissively. A small electrical storm puffing from her nostrils. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± The lesser goddess asked. ¡°Standing around and moping about it won¡¯t change the situation. But rushing off to challenge the darkness won¡¯t get us anywhere either.¡± ¡°Aeryn speaks the truth.¡± This time it was her sister Fahnes who spoke, who¡¯d been silent for so long. ¡°We have limited time to take action. A contingency plan needs to be made.¡± Hravesvalgyr paused. This was something her mother would have excelled at. As for herself? She believed in action for action¡¯s sake for far too long. Living by the blade. Given recent developments, she was likely to die by it as well. Her voice rumbled like crashing boulders as she purred thoughtfully. She closed her eyes and allowed her divine sight to reach out. Plucking gently at the web of divinity¡¯s threads. She followed them as they wound like trees of possibility. Each branch a choice and reaction. Some ended, most continued on. A solution presented itself. But she found it repulsive. Loathsome even. She would have to abdicate ground and time to her enemy to foster a chance of resurgence. ¡°Why not pit them against each other? Surely they know eventually they¡¯ll have to square off. Why not convince them that time is now rather than later?¡± Hravesvalgyr thought aloud. ¡°How?¡± Aeryn asked. More interest than skepticism in her voice. Good. She was a capable tool. Unruly though she was. ¡°We convince them we¡¯ve died. Ceased to exist. We scour ourselves from history and memory. Let them think they are the only two players left on the board.¡± ¡°While we move to the corners and consolidate our positions.¡± Aeryn said. ¡°That could work, but do we have the power to pull it off?¡± ¡°The cost will be great. And it will diminish us greatly, but whether the expense is paid in battle now, or later, it matters little.¡± ¡°This is very uncharacteristic of you, Val. I expected something more headstrong.¡± ¡°Yes, well, losing to you so many times at that blasted game you love so much has taught me that sometimes patience can be a virtue.¡± ¡°Long game it is, then. We concede the loss, repugnant though it may be, and pray the future presents us with the right opportunities to set things straight.¡± ¡°Val, this miracle will safeguard us, but what of the Great Fleet?¡± Hravesvalgry¡¯s hand ached for the Tsunami. The Great ship of air, forged in the shape of a massive katana. She¡¯d been without it a short time, yet missed it profoundly. When she wielded it, she was among the most dangerous in the Dragonsong war. She felt naked without it. ¡°I¡¯ll take the great fleet and run. I can draw them away from you two. If we time it right, we can give them the slip and be under their noses before they¡¯re any wiser.¡± ¡°We may never see each other again, or if we do, so much time will have passed, things will be different. So. It¡¯s been a real honor.¡± Aeryn said, giving them both a salute. A moment of silence passed as Hravesvalgyr¡¯s massive hand balled into a fist that drummed the scales protecting her breast. The tiny light goddess nodded, then disappeared instantly, transmitting herself to the bridge of the Theferis. When they sensed the great fleet departing, she and her sister began weaving together a complex divine ritual that consumed enormously large amounts of power. It was mentally unfathomable for Akamori to understand how much was being pooled out. The memory faded. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. You must return and prevent the spread of darkness. But first¡­ He felt the cold bracer slide free of his forearm as a series of wards wrapped around the black metal gauntlet and then burn themselves into its skin. He felt the muted conscious of the spell armor fade behind the magical walls placed on it. He tilted his head, confused. ¡°I don¡¯t understand? Why?¡± It is corrupted. I will not allow you to field something stained with her blood. ¡°This whole leaving me defenseless thing isn¡¯t exactly preparing me for what¡¯s next.¡± To face what comes next, you must embody that which makes air. Agile, adaptive, powerful. To conquer your enemy, you must become air. Then he felt power surge into him. Torrents of it, like crackling lightning. He felt it suffuse and merge with his essence, his soul. He didn¡¯t possess a body, and yet he could feel the power coursing through a phantom body. ¡°What are you doing to me?¡± He struggled out. Empowering you. Reforging a weapon. Deep within Akamori a cold pride eased out, numbing the sensations lightly. He knew it was the soul shard of Bahumet, looking upon his daughter with a mixture of sadness and pride. But there was nothing for the long dead wyrm to do beyond observe from within Akamori and pray for his success. All of creation depended upon it, and the young air warrior was nearing another nexus point on the web of fate. There was a brilliant flash of light, and then absolute darkness. The first thing he noticed was an absence of any light. The second was the smell. Where he was now, it reeked of decay. Like he¡¯d held his face right to a corpse exposed to the sun all day. The next thing he noticed was the floor was coated in a cold slime like substance. Extreme apprehension rolled off of Thanaton in waves. Akamori fought off the sudden onset of dizziness that threatened to knock him over. He was certain falling into the muck wasn¡¯t a prospect he wanted to be a part of. He drew the spell blade and channeled some aether through it, igniting the blade. The normally bright blade flickered in an oppressive pall of inky black. Danger. His spell blade warned. The blade¡¯s hilt all but writhed in his grip. If it could lurch free and fly away he thought it might. The glow from the blade was so bright in contrast to his surroundings it hurt his eyes, forcing him to squint. An icy shiver rattled up his spine and Akamori forced himself to not chatter his teeth. The other thing he noticed was how eerily quiet it was. All save for the soft mumbling and whimpers he could hear from up the hall. Cautiously stepping through the muck, he slipped and fell on his ass. Gliding through the slick muck like stinky grease, Akamori cursed several times. Finally, he gave up walking and channeled his air magic, floating up above the gunk. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this will never wash out,¡± Akamori complained. This darkness is deeper than a mere stain on fabric. It would be unwise to linger. Thanaton warned. Drifting closer to the sound, Akamori¡¯s stomach rolled at the sight that slowly faded into view. A woman coated in the black goo, sobbing and crying. It streaked the black gunk on her cheeks with tears. He floated there in front of her, the spell blade alight for several moments before she even registered his presence. Slowly, her eyes focused and then turned to face him. It was like watching the scene play out in slow motion. ¡°It¡¯s all darkness. Her mind is like teeth and nails on my mind. Corruption sinking in. All light¡­ all hope¡­ dead.¡± Akamori settled down into the goop and spread his feet out a bit for better footing. He held Thanaton behind his back to lesson the glare in the young woman¡¯s face. Her eyes were wild and distant. He placed a calming hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok. My name is Akamori, I¡¯m here to help.¡± Her eyes focused on him suddenly with hawklike clarity and he bit back the reflex to jerk away. He was committed. Recognition bloomed in her eyes for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ I¡­ I finished my assignment. I kept the faith.¡± Joy and relief flooded her expression, and he was afraid he¡¯d lose her to another fit of mania. ¡°What assignment, what faith?¡± She pushed herself up off the floor. He glanced down and noticed that the black goo was trying to climb him as well. Another cold shiver danced up his spine. She gestured for him to follow her. ¡°Come. We must hurry. I have to get you to your destination.¡± He followed her, jerking his boot free of the stinky gunk on the ground. It made a squelching sucking sound as his boot tore free of it. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he was being watched. Like there were eyes following him from all around. What the hell was this stuff? As they slogged along, the woman wrapped her arms around herself, streaking the black slime on her sleeves. ¡°I kept the faith. I knew you¡¯d come. I kept the faith. I¡¯m the last one.¡± Akamori frowned. This was edging close to cookey religious babble. ¡°Uh, thanks.¡± ¡°The designated place. I have to get you there at the appointed time.¡± She turned on him suddenly. Her eyes focused on him in a rare moment of clarity. He glanced at the walls, wondering if the black sludge was hallucinogenic or something. It is more insidious than that , Thanaton growled in his mind. A loud, thunderous roar shook the structure they were in. Everything trembled and the black goo warbled, threatening to fall free of every surface but the floor. Oddly, it held tight, with only a few globs dripping free here and there. The thought of all of it splattering down made his stomach spin in place. ¡°What was that?¡± Akamori asked in a cautious whisper. ¡°That¡¯s Helios. He was my brother.¡± ¡°Was?¡± She paused before responding. ¡°What¡¯s left of him is no longer the man I grew up with. He¡¯s been¡­.corrupted by the darkness.¡± ¡°Corrupted? What darkness?¡± She dragged a finger along the wall and held it out to Akamori. The black goop slowly leaked down her index finger. ¡°This. It corrupts and bends minds. The blood consumes everything.¡± ¡°This stuff is blood?¡± The woman nodded slowly, gesturing for him to follow. They stopped at the end of a corridor. The black blood looked like it was slowly draining from the door. A slow motion water fall of ink. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Thalara. I¡¯m the last rider of the Air Flight. Your last disciple.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ? Chapter 138: Contact Contact Nathan drew his pistol and ducked behind a large black goo soaked crate in the hanger area. Amara quickly channeled her maetrayopts spell and readied herself for combat. Yasiin teleported to a better vantage point and took aim with his spell rifle. ¡°Two hatchlings. They kind of look like the goon squad we fought on Eryn.¡± Amara¡¯s brow furrowed. Why would they be here? Are they after the Theferis too? ¡°We make our stand here. We can¡¯t let them have the ship.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°Do you guys run into this kind of situation often?¡± Nathan asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. ¡°More or less.¡± Amara offered with a shrug. Nathan didn¡¯t look reassured by that. He was clearly wondering what he¡¯d just gotten himself mixed up in. To his credit, though, he stayed his ground. There wasn¡¯t much ground to stand on. They weren¡¯t in their own timeline or reality. He was stuck here till they went home. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright?¡± Nathan glanced up and nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be ok.¡± He wasn¡¯t a stranger to trouble. He just didn¡¯t like how it found him so much. ¡°I¡¯ve had to fend off the occasional pirate or treasure hunter from time to time, but dragonkin hatchlings is a little out of my wheelhouse.¡± ¡°Fortunately, professor, hatchlings are our specialty.¡± Amara said with a grin. Nathan glanced down at the horrendous smelling black goop that felt like it was trying to crawl up his boots. It was like sentient muck. He allowed himself a moment to be distracted by the goop enough to rub it between his finger and thumb. It was like blood, but half congealed. Heavy footsteps struck the deck ahead and he flicked the goop free and wiped his hand off on a handkerchief and gripped his pistol. The hanger bay went quiet save for the two hatchlings who stalked into it silently. Where ever Amara and Yasiin were, he couldn¡¯t see them anymore. That left him feeling even more exposed. He hoped he hadn¡¯t gotten himself mixed up in something too seriously. Yasiin drew a silent breath in as he zoomed in his scope on the hatchlings. The light from inside the dock command center backlit them enough he could make out details. Both had muddy brown scales with patches of sickly greenish white. One bore a set of spell armor that set a shiver up his spine. The other wore simple robes, carrying a spell stave and an enchanted tome that looked a lot like Rozien. ¡°They¡¯ve got the book.¡± Yasiin said into his armor¡¯s mic. Amara hissed out several curses before taking a deep breath. When she¡¯d recomposed herself, she finally responded. ¡°I¡¯m going in. Let¡¯s get the tome back.¡± ¡°Understood. Going hot on your mark.¡± He knew she¡¯d cast an invisibility spell. A different form of concealment from the spell he¡¯d used. Pulling the shadows around himself and becoming more obscure. The effect would make him slip through someone¡¯s gaze like water spilling out of an uncupped hand. The target would see him, but not mentally register having seen him. He¡¯d positioned himself up and back, to provide the best possible vantage point to call shots and make them. The hatchling in the armor recoiled from an unseen strike to the abdomen, followed by a shot to the chin. He watched some teeth fly loose from the magnification of his optics with a grim smile. It was female-he thought. Instinctively, the hatchling tried to reach for her spell blade, but her arm recoiled and flailed instead. Both were female. The mage flapped its wings, scrambling to get away from whatever was attacking its companion. That¡¯s where he came. He sighted up his target and squeezed the trigger. The rifle thrummed, prying a small chunk of his AP away, and firing a negative colored beam at the hatchling. Scales boiled away on its wing, leaving a gaping hole and it shrieked in pain. The black goop on the ground splashed as the heavy dragon child fell. Yasiin saw Nathan lean out from his position and belt off several bursts of light bolts. Most of them caught the one in the armor, knocking her back as she fell. Yasiin focused, building up a solid level 2 bolt for the one in the armor. He wanted to test how much punishment that armor could handle. He¡¯d not seen custom armor like it, and had a feeling that hatchling was going to be a damn tank. He let the shot fly, feeling the expense of AP being pulled free of his chest. There was a pull in his chest from the magic taken. The bolt lanced into the armor with little effect. He grimaced in his veil of shadows. There was a moment of contemplation while he debated his next action. Fire a more potent shot? Or hit her with more destructive magic? More destructive won out. He fed the rifle some water and void, creating a voidice javelin in the rifle¡¯s barrel. The spell hurled itself free of the barrel and impaled the armored hatchling to the deck firmly. The wounded spell warrior hissed in pain, clutching at the void coated rod of ice. He caught the warrior¡¯s chin jerk upwards from an unseen impact. The weaver hatchling hurled a few bolts back at Nathan, who took cover behind his shipping crate. Where the bolts slammed into the black slime coating them, they burned away the slime, revealing olive drab green paint beneath. What appeared strange to Yasiin was that the underlying paint didn¡¯t appear weathered or aged. Almost like being encased within the black gel like substance had somehow shielded it from time? There was obviously some kind of magic at play. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The hatchling weaver reared its head back, inhaling deeply. Its chest distended cartoonishly large. Then a noxious green cloud billowed out of its mouth. Faces twisted in agony colored the smoke, and it made Yasiin¡¯s skin crawl beneath his armor. Soul magic breath attack spells always gave him the chills. Like watching a horde of agitated souls being ferried along on a cloud of jealousy. Yasiin¡¯s breath caught in the back of his throat as he waited for Amara¡¯s silhouette to show up amidst the pallid fog, but nothing came. She¡¯d maneuvered away. The Weaver twitched and jerked from unseen blows. A half woven spell sputtered into mana shards. A swift blow across the snout and a few teeth went flying as the Weaver spun on its feet and nearly fell, but the weaver¡¯s companion caught her. The bigger one in the armor drew a massive spell blade hilt. A massive, thick blade sprang forward from the hilt. Rather than raw aether, they composed it of solid ore. Earth aspected blade, no doubt. That was evidence enough they were both Sauridius. The warrior heaved that massive blade about effortlessly and Yasiin caught himself wondering if it looked easy or if had no weight to it. The weaver¡¯s hands flew into a series of signs that he recognized instantly. Tearing the magic from his pool and feeding it to the rifle, a counter spell lanced into the dispel the Weaver was casting, blasting it to shards. The warrior glared in his direction, then muttered something to the weaver. Yasiin cursed. The advantage of initiative from their hasty ambush had given out. Now the hatchlings were on the move. The pair soared straight at him, the warrior in front with that massive blade he didn¡¯t think he wanted to be struck by. A shiver rippled down his spine at the sight of the blade. At three meters away, Yasiin channeled a few points of AP into his armor and used a short range teleport spell to flit away in the darkness. The frustrated warrior hacked and slashed into the thick tangle of shadows like black vines. Amara shoulder charged the weaver, knocking the two of them out of the way and opening up the warrior for Yasiin and Nathan to attack. The dark spell armor blunted their shots and negated the effects minimally. Getting through that armor was going to cost him a lot more AP. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got enough AP to punch through that armor and be of any use once I¡¯m done.¡± Yasiin said softly into his helmet mic. Yasiin caught himself wishing Akamori were here not for the first time. He¡¯d have been able to draw the warrior into a duel and perhaps best her. But the situation as it stood? He didn¡¯t know if they had what it took to take out both dragons. The weaver belched out another pallid fog of keening, tortured souls. Their cries sent shivers up Yasiin¡¯s back as he drifted to another firing position. The shadows reached out, shrouding him and his rifle as he took aim at the warrior. He tore a massive chunk of magic from his AP, shaping it into another voidice spear in the rifle. The rifle trembled under the power of the spell in the barrel. Yasiin took a deep breath, focused, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked, and a black and white javelin of magic spiraled out, punching through the dragon¡¯s chest and spearing into a cargo container. The warrior howled in pain, but didn¡¯t favor the wound. He¡¯d punched through, just like he said he would. The problem was, it lacked the explosive flare that someone like Akamori might bring to bear. The dark armored brute slowly got back up. Green blood trickled out of the wound Yasiin had drilled into her shoulder. The hatchling rolled her arm a few times and flapped her wings. Like a machine running a diagnostics check. Satisfied, she turned to glare at Yasiin¡¯s direction, small pointed teeth bared. The armored hatchling¡¯s blade flicked back and her wings flapped powerfully. She soared at Yasiin¡¯s position, thrusting her sword tip out to stab. Reflexively, the shadows crawled up, wrapping him in their embrace and pulling him into the void. Tua¡¯s spellblade punched through black smoke finding no purchase. The hatchling roared, quickly scanning around for her prey. Nostrils flared and she grinned menacingly. ¡°You can run, little mage, but you can¡¯t hide forever.¡± The shadows peeled away from Yasiin who hovered in a darkened corner by the airlock from the control station. His gleaming spell rifle aimed at her. Magic flashed in the barrel before it discharged. Tua¡¯s wing thrust itself in front of her protectively and a large swath of scales boiled away. She splashed down into the goopy muck with a roar of anger and pain. To punctuate her frustration, a hail of light bolts splashed against her armor from Nathan. Cloaked in an invisibility spell that forced anyone¡¯s eyes to spill over her like water coursing through a stream, Amara prepared for another go at the weaver. She was smart for a hatchling. Unchecked, this one could grow into a real threat. The brutish warrior would get herself killed, eventually. But this one was squirrely enough to survive to adulthood. Lending her thoughts credit, Tanak¡¯s hands raced through a series of signs as she cast a lingering fog spell. That forced Amara to float up above it. She couldn¡¯t take the fight to close quarters where she wanted without giving away her presence and telegraphing her attacks. Clever girl. She drew her pistol and focused. Her AP was running low, but thankfully the expense of her counterspell would be negligible. She drifted to the weaver¡¯s backside. This would come down to sheer luck. Closing her eyes for a moment took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Fortunately, she made her own luck. She fired, a muted blast of magic erupted from her pistol. The discharge alerting the weaver, as she¡¯d expected. Then her second spell triggered a small void gate just large enough for the bolt to pass through opened, allowing the counter spell to pass through. Tanak¡¯s hands flew through a counter spell and shattered the opening of the gate into aether shards. Her counter spell crashed into the hazy, low hanging cloud of fog. Slowly, the mist unraveled around Tanak, leaving the hatchling weaver exposed and alone. Amara took a deep breath and lunged to strike. Not to be taken lightly, Tanak lashed out with her tail, catching Amara with a lucky strike, hurling the invisible mage into the black muck covering the ground. She saw Tua engaging the other two and cast two swift soul spells that zipped out like vengeful spirits. Her attacks surprised the other two, dropping them in soul paralysis. She cast a cleansing flame, burning away the insidious black slime that smelled faintly of rotting blood. She inhaled the burned stench and removed the soul bound tome from her robe. ¡°Now then, I believe you were going to reveal to me the secrets of this vessel?¡± Rozien remained silent. Tua fell in at her side as she approached the airlock of the massive spell ship. It was difficult to get a grasp of its full scale in the poor lighting, especially with it covered in the writhing black goo. She burned away a portion at the airlock to reveal its hatch panel and pressed it. The door slid open and revealed a human with red hair and striking blue eyes on the other side, who looked as surprised as she was to be facing each other. ? Chapter 139: You shouldn’t have. You shouldn¡¯t have. Akamori stared at the sealed bulkhead, doing his best to both breath through his mouth and his nose and neither at the same time. The air was rancid and foul and there was just no avoiding it. He gave his escort an uncertain glance. Whatever it was they were waiting for sure was taking its sweet time. That was the thing about prophecies and destiny that he hated the most. The lack of accuracy. Or maybe punctuality was the issue here. Was he too early? Or was it running behind? He never knew with these things. The best he could manage was hanging on as things went from calm to shit storm in nothing flat. For the first time in ever, on cue, the door groaned and cracked open before revealing a stunned-looking hatchling. The light spilling in from behind it was dim, but still enough to blind him. Squinting while his eyes adjusted, he realized this was the hatchling from Eryn. The pair of his team had been hunting and unsuccessful in stopping. Worse, she was holding the Captain and Amara¡¯s enchanted tome. Rosie? Ross? Rozzzzz something. Thanaton swished up, cutting the air, and the hatchlings hand off at the wrist so swiftly that Rozien actually started falling before the book caught itself magically. Akamori snatched it out of the air. ¡°For me? You shouldn¡¯t have.¡± He said with venom in his voice. The weaver hatchling shrieked in pain, clutching the wounded stump. Akamori spun, kicking her square in the jaw and hurling her across the hangar area. Tua, the warrior hatchling, grinned and readied for a fight. Eager anticipation in her eyes. She had an impressive set of armor but lacked a helmet. ¡°HUMAN! I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment. I will enjoy devouring every morsel of sinew from your bones!¡± ¡°You should really invest in a helmet. It would keep folks from having to see that ugly mug of yours.¡± Akamori retorted. He darting out of the corridor and into the greater hangar area, finally realizing he¡¯d been inside the ship the Captain sent Amara looking for. Tua¡¯s blade sliced an arc through the air in front of his face, missing the bridge of his nose by a hair. His own blade swished up to meet Tua¡¯s. Sparks flying from the clash. The two warriors traded several blows as each felt the other out. Tua then grinned at Akamori, the look of a cat playing with a mouse. Tua¡¯s tail jerked him out of position and hurled towards the deck. He slammed into the murky black goo and slid into a cargo container. He saw Nathan down, still fighting the soul paralysis. She raced in to spear him to the deck, but pulled up short at the last moment when he slashed the air. A vicious looking red ethereal scythe bisected the air in front of her. It missed her by bare milimeters. Tua bared her teeth at Akamori as he got himself upright and glared at her. ¡° Show her what we really are. ¡± Frank said in a low growl next to Akamori. Thanaton thrummed eagerly in his hand. Akamori burned up some of his AP to accrue the charge to his other gauges and triggered his Reaper transformation early. The eruption of void magic boiled away the black goo around him. An ethereal shrieking noise rippled out at the edge of the hearing. Was the blood sentient? His eyes locked with Tua who balked at the baleful red glow coming from his eyes. Then she grinned eagerly at the challenge. ¡°Show me power void tainted, warrior.¡± ¡°My name.¡± He said in two voices. His own, and Frank¡¯s in perfect unison. ¡°Is Akamori. And I am a Reaper.¡± Deep down, he felt the soul of Bahumet stir in agitation and excitement against the wards that held him back. Black crystal grew along Thanaton¡¯s blade, turning the long nodachi spell blade into a long scythe of void crystal. Tua looked on with genuine interest, ¡°Hooo.¡± she crooned with interest. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a being who fully merged with a voidsent. You merged with a soul echo? An interesting pact indeed. Your bonding clearly wasn¡¯t a chance occurrence. Father would have many questions for you, and will get his answers when I¡¯ve beaten you into submission.¡± Akamori gave Thanaton an experimental twirl. The menacing scythe left a carved a shadow in reality that hurt to look at. Tua surged forward, her sword skillfully probing Akamori¡¯s defenses. The cloak clad reaper casually blocked and parried her attempts as he studied her form and took her measure. He could feel Frank¡¯s contempt to Tua for what amounted to seeing an inferior swordsman riding on her physical prowess and some cheap magical trinkets. Their weapons banged against each other again and again. However, as they fought, Tua continually frustrated Akamori¡¯s attempts to end the bout. Either by guile or skill. Every time he thought he was about to close the match, Tua turned the situation to her advantage. It was like she was playing a long game of Darstrix and he wasn¡¯t able to box her in. Eventually, his Aether and Soul gauges depleted, his Reaper transformation reverted, and he returned to his human form. Frank¡¯s ethereal form ejected from his body, growling in frustration as Tua shattered the void glass of Thanaton¡¯s scythe with a wicked blow, spun, and then rammed her blade into Akamori¡¯s stomach. He coughed, blood splattering Tua¡¯s armor as the female hatchling grinned down at him. Her fetid breath almost making him gag, his stomach muscles twisted around her blade and white hot pain reverberated through his body like a struck bell. ¡°You put up a good effort but you are ultimately still just prey.¡± Tua said in a hushed voice just above a whisper. She wrapped a massive arm around his shoulders, pulling into her deathly embrace. He really missed his own armor. Hell, even having potions about now would be nice. In that instance he felt something ripple through his memory. Hravesvalgyr¡¯s words. To face what comes next, you must embody that which makes air. Agile, adaptive, powerful. To conquer your enemy, you must become air. They banged through his mind with all the subtlety of a cannon. Become air. Ok. He could do that. He hoped. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. With the last of his magic, he channeled the aether through his money. Disentangling himself from his phsyical shell and transforming into a formless cloud. It was white at first, but the void tainting his soul darkened the air, turning it into a storm. Tua snapped her jaws as she grasped at the massless cloud feebly. The clouds continued to darken until they crackled. A peel of thunder rumbled across the deck, and then the storm erupted into lavender bolts of lightning that latched onto Tua. The female hatchling shrieked and clawed, desperately trying to rid herself of the living void lightning. Scales boiled and singed as the living energy carved furrows into her armor and flesh alike, seeking purchase, but her physical resilience was strong. Not strong enough to protect her from what came next, though. The lightning, sensing the futility of trying to burrow through her armored surface, sought natural openings and poured into her mouth, her nose, ears, and eyes. Boiling away all the soft tissue and filling the air with the acrid stench of burned meat. Her body seized and spasmed as the void lightning raced throughout her body. Cooking her from the inside out. Passing through her breast, he could sense the soul of Tua, and deep within the recesses of the body, a malnourished soul, bound up in so many wards. The natural soul of the body, he thought. As Tua¡¯s body expired, and it ejected her soul from the body, the wards containing the smaller soul broke down. It fluttered free, echoing a muted thanks for setting it free back to the cycle. Now only twitching occasionally, Tua¡¯s body lunged as the void lightning erupted from her mouth, reforming into Akamori who stood revitalized and steaming hot. He called Thanaton to his hand, flicked the blade clean and re-sheathed it. Rozien flew free of his blue and gold trimmed tunic. ¡°My thanks for the rescue. That was rather close for a moment. I thought she¡¯d killed you.¡± Rozien said. He shrugged. ¡°Yeah, got a little closer than I¡¯d like.¡± He glanced around for the other one but didn¡¯t see her. She must have fled, most likely. A stifled groan issued from Yasiin and someone in brown leather clothes. Akamori trotted over, with Rozien following him. He got everyone back on their feet slowly. Amara scooped Rozien up out of the air and hugged the enchanted tome. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re ok. I was afraid they¡¯d bound you or something.¡± ¡°Those two amateurs? Nah. Too weak. Their father maybe. So. We found the ship. In what smells like a sewer.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Akamori said. Thalara¡¯s words still haunting him. He wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to bring up what it was yet. They had enough problems. He didn¡¯t want to add to them just yet. ¡°We should get the ship back to the captain.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll need it.¡± Rozien said glumly. ¡°What happened?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°As is now apparent, the Sauridius attacked the crew seeking myself for the Theferris. In a rare twist, they spared. But I suspect that will not remain for long. We should return with haste.¡± Amara studied Akamori for a moment and nodded approvingly. ¡°You¡¯ve grown stronger. Your father would be quite proud.¡± They all hustled to head back in side pausing briefly at Thalara who whimpered on the deck, the black slime slowly reclaiming her. ¡°We have to stop this and clear some of it out.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Rozien said. ¡°Yeah? How?¡± Amara asked. ¡°I have several spells stored. And I can also store anymore given to me. I also have my own AP. Lots of it. Watch.¡± Rozien spoke a soft incantation, and a sphere of fire billowed out, burning away all the surrounding slime. Thalara screamed in pain, as if being separated from the blood caused her actual injury. Then the survivor fell silent, fallen into unconsciousness. Amara cast a sleep ward on her. ¡°For good measure.¡± She said. The others nodded, agreeing with her. ¡°Maybe the healers on Eryn can cleanse her. At least this way she won¡¯t hurt anyone or herself.¡± The trek to the ship¡¯s control center took a little longer than normal on account of Rozien¡¯s burning sphere spell. They burned a path straight to it. Again, Akamori missed having armor to protect his ole factory senses. He glanced down at his arm at the black bracer. Blue and white runes glowed softly. The complexity was so deep he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Amara asked as they strode within the protective photosphere of the portable sun that Rozien created. He waved the bracer to her casually. ¡°Yeah, this black armor stuff that Kusinaki gave me. When I touched Anazi¡¯s mind, she bound it.¡± After the words left his mouth, he blinked. Mentally he¡¯d said Hravesvalgyr¡¯s true name, and yet, it came out as Anazi. Some kind of compulsion spell to alter the truth? Amara frowned, admiring the rune work on the wards. ¡°She must not have liked it to have warded it so heavily. I don¡¯t even think a ritual run by demigods or true gods would undo that.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Akamori muttered. ¡°That¡¯ll at least give Kusinaki something to chew on.¡± Finally, the last of the bridge revealed itself. Without the black goop covering everything, they could see the pearl white deck plating. The polished gold accenting. The refined artistic feel to it all gave the ship more of a religious college vibe than a warship. He arched a brow, glancing around at the heraldry. ¡°Are we sure this is the ship?¡± ¡°Quite sure.¡± The guy in the brown coat finally spoke up. Akamori pointed to him uncertainly. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Nathan. Professor Nathan Ford. I¡¯m a magical archeologist and professor from the Brotherhood of Man.¡± None of those were words that Akamori expected strung together in a sentence, leaving him only able to nod in response. ¡°Well, alright then. Let¡¯s see what we can figure out.¡± ? Chapter 140: The Legend Returns The Legend Returns Morwen coughed out acrid smoke, trying to fill her lungs with air. A thick haze hung in the bridge despite the large circular hole the hatchling ship hard burned into the ceiling. Burnt polymers and charged ozone stung at her lungs. Her eyes watered. But she was alive. Somehow, against all the odds, she¡¯d lived. Her crew were alive. But at what cost? Gingerly, she pressed herself up from the command chair and surveyed the bridge of the Cadaver Crasher. The old battleship had crashed into the side of a mountain, its systems collapsing under damage sustained in their retreating battle. ¡°Report!¡± she choked out. Sirsir and Arjun both gave her thumbs up. Good. No permanent injuries. That was a start. She gestured for Sirsir to take the offensive controls. ¡°Get me a sitrep on the tactical situation outside.¡± The over-muscled NCO slid into the chair, gripping the gold controls and taping a few buttons. Magic pulsed down his arms into the deck. A series of large cracks broke up the smooth surface of the main screen, bands of primary and secondary colors denoted catastrophic damage. The magi-holo flickered before a dream like display of the surrounding terrain pulled up. The air space was clear. ¡°Looks like the scaley¡¯s pulled out after they stole the book.¡± Morwen studied the airspace and the status of the Crasher. She¡¯d still fly, but whether she could fight was an entirely different question. They might need to send a recovery team out just to extract it from the surface. As the red dots continued to exit the combat airspace, Morwen felt as much as she saw the fold in the space above them. Like a singularity had spawned within reality, curving and breaking every law of physics before suddenly vomiting a massive vessel above them. Her eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. ¡°Theferis. The first legendary spell ship.¡± It was immense, like a massive ship sized spell staff. But something was off. It was dripping black ooze like they had extracted it from a planet sized tar pit. She watched as the massive ship hurled a series of void bolts that enveloped the remaining Sauridian vessels. Blossoms of fire and debris bloomed in the late afternoon sky, followed shortly after by deep rumbling booms and shockwaves that shook the Crasher¡¯s frame. ¡°No idea what the mess is, but I¡¯ve never been more glad to see someone blast a bunch of scaley ships to dust,¡± Sirsir said. Morwen had to agree. While losing Rozien had felt like giving away her best hand, she couldn¡¯t have known it would lead to her very goal appearing within reach. Not just that, but vaporizing her enemies. Smaller secondary batteries lining the long cylindrical rod fired smaller void bolts into the patches of ground troops harassing the marines. That¡¯s when she knew for certain. ¡°It¡¯s them. Somehow Amara found the spell ship. She found Theferis.¡± The comm system crackled. Sirsir turned and shot Morwen a grin. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯re being hailed. By Amara.¡± The magi-com crackled, on the verge of blowing its fuse. Then it projected a hazy pink and lavender projection of the Theferis¡¯ bridge and its crew. Amara stood front and center, Rozien clutched in both arms tightly. To her side stood Yasiin, and an unknown man in brown leather sporting a hat. He looked capable enough, but definitely out of his element. Last but definitely not least, she saw Akamori seated in the command chair. His long red hair framing his angular face again. ¡°Lieutenant!¡± Sala said from his crushed console. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be.¡± Sirsir said, a happy grin spreading. Morwen leaned forward, almost unwilling to accept the truth her eyes were sharing with her mind. ¡°Lt. It¡¯s good to have you back. We were told you didn¡¯t survive your personal sojourn.¡± Akamori shrugged impishly. ¡°To be honest, sir, I¡¯m not entirely sure I did either. But it looks like I get a second chance, so to speak. Unfinished business and all that.¡± ¡°Indeed. Then let¡¯s be about it then.¡± Morwen said, rising from her chair. ¡°I¡¯m picking up a small fleet of Sauridius ships at the system¡¯s edge. Would you like to join us, Captain?¡± ¡°I would.¡± An instant later Morwen felt the telltale frigid nausea of teleportation overcome her. An instant of blindness followed and when the effect wore off, she found herself on the bridge of the legendary spell ship Theferis. Cool chrome and gold surfaces and polished white gold accents hinted at the ship¡¯s prestige and power. This was not the grungy steel bruiser skin of the Crasher. Theferis felt more like attending weaver college, with less wood. ¡°Captain?¡± Akamori¡¯s voice said, cutting into her silent reverie. Morwen blinked, shook her head gently and gave Akamori her business face. ¡°The bridge is yours, captain.¡± Akamori said. ¡°I stand relieved.¡± Morwen nodded, taking the command chair and gripping the controls. Before she could begin the linking process, Rozien¡¯s voice cut in. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary. This ship¡¯s bridge is one massive spell control matrix. Just being here links you to the ship. You don¡¯t need to grip controls anymore than you need to voice spells. Simply channel the magic, and the ship manifests it.¡± Morwen blinked. ¡°Can more than one crew channel magic?¡± ¡°As many as you have mages capable of filling the bridge?¡± Rozien said, not understanding the thrust of Morwen¡¯s question. Her mind reeled at the impact of his response. Her ability to respond to threats had multiplied exponentially. Something caught her eye, and she turned to catch a thin trail of black hoop leaking from the wall. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s uh¡­I¡¯ll brief you later. For now, best not to touch or ingest the stuff.¡± Morwen¡¯s lip curled. That was all she needed. ¡°Noted.¡± She returned her attention to the system magi-holo. Her eyes noted the position and makeup of the Sauridius fleet. In the Crasher, it would have been a suicide run. Outgunned and outmatched. On this ship? She could do it. ¡°Prepare for combat.¡± She ordered as the ship surged for orbit. Atmospheric sheer and friction burned away more of the goo. Revealing the shiny and pristine hill beneath, untarnished by the black blood. As her mind merged with the vessel, her senses expanded outward. Every sensor became her eyes and ears, every hull plate became the flesh of her body, and every gun battery became her hands with which to strike. At the edge of the Anazi system, a small flotilla of Sauridius ships held position. Several of the self same missile cruisers that beat the Crasher out of Anazi¡¯s skies flanked by a larger battleship. Unlike the sleek vessels produced by the Artificers Guild, these ships were aggressive, crude and exuded danger. Blighting the sector of space they held position in. Morwen willed the ship forward, and the Theferis¡¯s massive spell drive rumbled to life, inexorably pushing itself free of Anazi Prime¡¯s atmosphere completely. Now freely in the void of space, much of what remained of the black blood crystalized along its hull. Morwen cast a simple flame spell along the hull, incinerating the last of the black blood. For now, at least. She¡¯d have to get that story from Akamori about its origins. She suspected it wasn¡¯t a good one. Without being ordered to, the others took up positions to flank her on the bridge. Consoles appeared from the ground to meet their waiting hands. As their consciousness linked with the ship, it created a small chorus of voices in the back of her mind. Linked by the ship¡¯s magic, they all realized they could all react as one one mind, though operate independently. A system designed to unify a crew for creating an aegis of mages. Whomever had created this vessel was as much an artist as a crafter. Her mother would no doubt love to sink her claws into the ship. But there would be no such thing. This was her ship. And she was going to use it to win the war. May the gods have mercy on any poor fool who gets in her way. Like the collection of poor fools roughly 5 light hours away at the edge of the system. She could have formed a void gate and jumped behind the fleet. But she wanted them to see her approach. Let them know fear, the way they¡¯ve so often beaten the concept into her people. Morwen wondered how far before the ships were in firing range, and a responding thought from Akamori showed the enemy fleet was well within the main batteries limits. She caught herself grinning. At once, everyone on the crew who possessed void magic fed their own portions into the spell drive. The ship then took on that magic, multiplying it exponentially much in the same manner Akamori¡¯s former spell armor used to. The lavender and black magic roiled and spun within the keel length barrel of the ship. Then two things happened. The ship cast a simple void gate spell just large enough for the maw of the spell cannon and positioned the gate a few meters ahead of the muzzle. Five and a half light hours away, a void gate opened perpendicular to the Sauridius fleet at the same time. Then the main cannon fired. The ship heaved violently as it dumped all that power into the blast, which then poured into the void gate like a raging flood that found a drain. In the distance, Morwen saw her attack rake across the entire fleet. They¡¯d caught them all flat-footed. Morwen zoomed in to inspect the damage she¡¯d inflicted. Her attack had punched through several wards on the smaller ships, but they were not defenseless or weak. Still, she¡¯d sent her message. I¡¯m coming for you, and there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me. She poured a bit more magic into the void gate spell, willing it wider, and took Theferis through. When the bulk of the legendary spell ship finished spilling free of its exit, it dwarfed the entire Sauridius flotilla with comic ease. She heard Sirsir sniffle to her right and behind her. She turned back to him with concern but immediately realized when she saw how amused he looked. ¡°It¡¯s just so gods damned beautiful. Puttin¡¯ those scaley bastards on the back talon. Never thought I¡¯d see the day.¡± Sala nodded to Morwen¡¯s left at his own station. ¡°We¡¯ve faced lifetimes of death and carnage in their hands. Now we can finally end it.¡± The Sauridius ships burst into motion now. Clearly, the shock of their situational reversal settled in and they scrambled to salvage it. Return fire burst from all vessels as they scattered to create distance from each other and put themselves on diverging fire solutions. No more freebies, Morwen thought. That was fine. Morwen backed Theferis off and took the situation in full. The smaller missile ships were forming a loose front wall. Two cruisers flanked the battleship, and they all focused fire on a singular point, seeking to punch through the legendary spell ships¡¯ protective wards. Sala and Yasiin were more than up to the task for now, both grunting against the return fire, not as insignificant as Morwen wanted to think. Hordes of missiles streamed free of the smaller ships, and the defensive batteries of Theferis went to work. Small beams of void and condensed light magic lanced out. They erased as fast missile tracks as they began. Snuffed out as beams of raw, concentrated magic swept through fuselages and detonated explosive packages with ease. Morwen sensed Akamori¡¯s unease, his need to dive into the fray personally. He could have used Indra, but it was still on the Crasher. No, wait, there might actually be a better solution. There it was, a Hoplite class, Spell Mech. He¡¯d sensed it at the same time she had. Down on the hanger deck. He was already leaving the bridge before she could even offer the suggestion. His combat awareness and initiative had grown considerably since the day she¡¯d conscripted him to fight. The ship buffeted and her focus returned to the fight in time to see several large flame and rock elementals helping strike the wards. The enemy had changed tacks, going from brute force to overwhelming fire. She prayed Akamori got to the mech in time and could actually make use of it. They were going to need him. ¡°Not sure how much more of this we can take.¡± Sala said through grit teeth. ¡°Hang in there, private. The Lieutenant will on site to assist shortly.¡± Yasiin and Sala both nodded grimly, remaining focused on keeping up the defensive wards for as long as they had strength. ? Chapter 141: Bahumet 0 Bahumet 0 Lieutenant Akamori Shinjo, Spell Warrior, Reaper, and hero of both Hidros and Eryn, ran into the hangar with his spell blade drawn. He was still weary of running in Thalara¡¯s loose brother. The roar he¡¯d heard still made his skin crawl, thinking of it. The longer he could put that encounter off? The better. Rounding a corner in the hangar bay, he found a series of spell mechs standing in stalls. All the stories his father used to tell him about the riders who flew and fought with the dragons in epic space battles came to mind. He wished his father could be here. He traced a finger affectionately along the hull of the mechs leg. An impact rocked the deck and shook him free of his distraction. ¡°Right. Bad guys. Asses to kick.¡± He summoned some air magic and felt himself glide up gracefully into the air before the mech¡¯s hatch and pressed the rune to open it. It turned pinkish translucent, like his old spell armor used to. He grinned at the welcome sight. ¡°Well, I was just feeling like I missed my armor.¡± He feathered his thrust and drifted through the entrance screen and settled down into the pilot¡¯s chair with a gust of air. He set Thanaton down next to the command chair, feeling a little naked without armor. Assuming the process worked just like spell ships, he reached out and grabbed the control sticks. He was partially right. There was a bond established. But it was a two-way bond. Just as he¡¯d merged himself to the mech, the mech had merged itself to him. Each imparting aspect the other lacked. The mech gave him size and mass. He gave the mech power and focus. The large spell rifle stowed on its back melted into the metal flesh of the spell mech. The head rippled and transformed, sprouting a series of metallic horns and fangs as its mouth extended outwards. The legs bent backwards, and the hands grew metallic talons. A pair of binders emerged from its back and a tail that ended in a barrel. When all was said and done, the Hoplite Mech no longer registered itself as a Hoplite Spell mech, but as Bahumet 0. The mechanical dragon roared, and Akamori felt something cold and amused stir deep within his soul. A sense of pleasure rumbled up, and the deep buried presence of the elder soul hinted its approval. ¡°What¡­just happened?¡± Akamori asked. You have asserted your will and your soul upon the mech. It has taken your form. Such as it can. Though it is imperfect. Unfinished. Just as you are. ¡°oh. Thanks. I think?¡± As you grow, so too will it. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s go kick some scaley ass.¡± The black and purple draconic spell mech lumbered forward. As it spilled through the vibrant blue energy curtain that held back the atmosphere of the hangar bay and into the void, Bahumet 0 banked gracefully and deployed it¡¯s void wings. He soared after one of the missile cruisers just as it unloaded an entire volume of Brotherhood stolen warheads. A seething cold anger boiled deep within Akamori. Just like Sauridius to use the weapons of his dead enemies against their survivors, the Elder dragon¡¯s soul resonated deep within him. Frank and Thanaton both remained quiet. When the dread wyrm spoke, no one else did. Bahumet 0 pulled up short, wings flaring open wide, and magic pooled within its mechanical maw. Motes of void and fire spiraled around together and tighter. Successive bands of runes formed like focusing rings. Dead ahead of him, the ship and its munitions bore down on him. The beam erupted forward. Blossoms of fire marked the destruction of the missiles as his beam smashed into the feeble ward of the missile ship. A small flash of light was the only sign it had washed the vessel from creation in a storm of voidfire. A storm of smaller acid bolts belted his metallic skin, causing him to flare his wings wide for stability in the void. A cruiser was adjusting to bare down on him. Apparently choosing the more appealing smaller target between himself and the legendary spell ship. Bahumet 0 gnashed its jaw as it banked and approached the foreboding cruiser of unknown make. As Akamori closed the gap, it occurred to him that no one really knew much about Sauridius culture. Who made their ships? Where did their people come from? His mind flashed back to the feeling he got as he electrocuted the hatchling warrior from within. The small atrophied soul thanking him for release. The black and purple dragon dipped and climbed as it swerved between spell beams. More than once it blocked an attack with a wing, just as a dragon naturally would. Akamori¡¯s heart raced with anticipation the closer he got to his prey. Before he could pounce, though, an adult wyrm slammed into him, tackling him out of the way. The pair spun off in a tangle of wings, tails, snapping jaws and slashing talons. Morwen leaned forward and slammed a fist in frustration down on the console next to her controls. Sirsir relayed the situation with the adult dragon attacking Akamori¡¯s flank and taking him out of play. Sala relayed Ward Strength levels. A tense edge to his voice. She knew that ship battles weren¡¯t quite his arena, so to speak. ¡°Adjust attack angle. Focus on the Cruiser, Akamori was about to engage. Let¡¯s not let them think they got off the hook easy.¡± Morwen ordered. ¡°Spell use is at your discretion, Sgt.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Sirsir said with a grin. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. An instant later, a roiling rod of molten lava punched out of the massive spell cannon¡¯s maw. It slammed into the cruiser¡¯s wards, which distended inwards, discoloring from the strain. Though the wards held, the attack shoved the cruiser out of formation and way off course. Morwen grimly smiled at the large, angrily glowing red circle in the cruiser¡¯s hull from where the proximity of the attack superheated the hull. She directed the perimeter defense arrays to fire full spreads into the missile storm as the smaller ships were hurling their way. She silently whispered a thankful prayer to any gods, listening that the Sauridius hadn¡¯t stolen magical nukes from the brotherhood. In ways, her magically celibate brothers in arms had given them a slight edge in crippling her enemies, who suffered from the unfortunate drawback of recycling personnel and weapons from their spoils. The main cannon primed with immense magic, preparing to blast the Cruiser again when the enemy battleship responding, blasting an ethereal white beam of soul energy that smashed into Theferis¡¯ wards pressing them inwards so much Morwen clenched the controls tightly until she realized the ship had no other crew on it except those gathered on the bridge. ¡°Lock down the compromised sections. Keep those wraiths out.¡± Morwen ordered. Sala gave a responsive nod, activating a series of light wards throughout the ship, keeping the wayward souls trapped. ¡°Compromised areas quarantined with perimeter fields.¡± ¡°Good Work. Bring us about. Target that battleship and hit them with a disintegrate.¡± The long-barrel shaped spell ship adjusted its angle to face down the battleship. Morwen had never faced a Sauridius battleship before. Seeing one in the system drove home just how much they thought of stopping her here and now was. She rose from her chair. ¡°Fire.¡± Fire and void splashed together in the main cannon¡¯s maw violently like matter and anti-matter coming into contact with each other. Runes along the inside of the cannon¡¯s barrel shaped the magic and fed the spell with its instructions. A moment later, a violent maelstrom of negative energy lanced out of the canons muzzle and bore down on the battleships wards. The disintegration spell drilled through complex layers of protection like a katana blade cleaving rice paper. Matter boiled away, reduced to single particles by the beam. In the attack¡¯s wake, a perfectly round hole remained, cleanly marking the spells passage through the hull of the ship. The battleship responded by hurling several level 6 soul beams back. Powerful battleship level spells backed by proficient and powerful mages. The pallid green beans slammed into the Theferis¡¯ wards, punching holes in three points clean through the ship. Each salvo deposited more angry wraiths behind to wreak havoc and thwart enemy efforts. It was akin to poisoning the ship or giving it a virus. Morwen both cursed the attack and was silently thankful the ship was running in only a skeleton crew at the moment. That would minimize casualties to the wraiths, since there were none to be had. The wards on the bulkhead leading to the bridge would hold any that found their way here off until they could purge the ship. That left her free to focus completely on the battle at hand. She glared at the main screen as the Battleship fell back while charging all three spell cannons. She needed to take that ship down, and fast. She had the equipment, but most of her mages were teetering on the edge of depleted from the day¡¯s battles. She needed a low cost magical solution. She leaned back, tapping her lips with a finger in thought. ¡°Rozien. I need a solution. An abstract one. Low magical cost.¡± The enchanted tome flew to hover next to her. ¡°A solution to what?¡± She jabbed an index finger at the ship before her on the main screen. ¡°That.¡± The book tilted to scrutinize the ship thoughtfully. ¡°In the previous war, a god would have wielded the ship like a massive staff. Unfortunately, we lack a war god to hold the ship.¡± Morwen chewed at her lip thoughtfully. ¡°No.¡± she said slowly. ¡°But perhaps we don¡¯t need one.¡± She turned to Sirsir, ¡°Back us off. String together a series of short range teleport jumps, but keep us aimed at the battleship.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± The big burly NCO gave her a confused look, but followed her orders. The ship dulled the stomach churning sensation of teleportation. After enough jumps to build distance, she held up a hand. ¡°That¡¯s good enough, thank you, Sgt.¡± Morwen noticed the uncertain looks from the rest of her people, but she couldn¡¯t give them reassurance for that right now. She had to focus and get this right. Low cost, and simple. It sounded easy in principle, but here¡¯s where her pedigree as a weaver and a mage earned its pay. She studied the battleship ahead of them. It was using soul wards. That meant for best results she should use void or light because those were the aspects soul was weakest against. She was equally strong in both, but her pool was limited and wasn¡¯t certain how best to proceed. Morwen decided. ¡°I need everyone with light magic to pour as much as you can into the spell drive. Maximum thrust. Everyone with void? Lend me your pool.¡± The ship thrummed as they dumped magic into both its engines and the cannon. A volcano of raw plasma erupted from the rear of the long cylindrical frame of the Theferis. The intense thrust throttled everyone into their harnesses until gravity normalized. Morwen focused on the front of the ship. As the long rod-shaped ship raced forward after the battleship, the void magic spilled out in front of the Theferis. Instead of lancing out in a simple beam or bolt spell, it instead created a long spear tip of void energy. ¡°I see now,¡± Rozien said, still floating next to Morwen. ¡°If Theferis is like a spell stave, then why can it not also mimic a thrown spear?¡± Morwen said. ¡°As if thrown by a god.¡± She added softly under the dull roar of the ship¡¯s engines. The ancient spell ship hurtled forward like a loosed arrow, slamming into the battleships wards like magical chain mail. The wards resisted, losing color and gaining vibrancy as the Sauridius ship¡¯s mages poured more AP into their protection, desperate to fend off assault. All the battleships¡¯ weapons fired, but the void devoured the soul beams. ¡°More thrust!¡± Morwen growled and rode the controls forward hard as her crew grunted from the strain of the ship, literally tearing the magic free of her crew to power the demand. ? Chapter 142: Making Shit go boom Making Shit go boom Akamori grit his teeth as talons and fangs raked the aether steel plating. Linked to the mech, he felt every injury, but for that weakness, he also could sense every strength of the mech. Piloting it did not differ from fighting in his own flesh. No skill gaps save his own against the adult dragon. He¡¯d fought them before, but now that he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t recall defeating them entirely on his own. He¡¯d always had help. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, little human? All alone with one to help you?¡± The dragon crooned playfully as a barbed tail slashed along the dragon mech¡¯s torso, acid bubbling and hissing in the vacuum. Boosting back to create some separation, Akamori couldn¡¯t help himself. A small chuckle spilled loose that turned into a laugh. Confusion rippled across the dragon¡¯s expression before melting into rage. ¡°You mock me?!¡± Bahumet 0 shook its black and purple head. Void eyes flashing. ¡°No. What you call a handicap, I consider a challenge. I know I¡¯m going to beat you, wyrm. And when I do, I¡¯m going to consume your magic.¡± ¡°HERESY!¡± ¡°Coming from a body jacking vulture like you? That¡¯s rich. I¡¯m going to smear your carcass across your command ship¡¯s bridge, and drag your soul kicking and screaming back into the cycle.¡± Akamori¡¯s opponent roared. The metallic skin of Bahumet 0 thrummed from the attack as it magically resonated through the vacuum of space. A feat typically impossible, but rendered real by the sheer virtue of magic itself. The dragon lunged at him, a viciously barbed tail thrust out to impale him. Bahumet 0 dodged with the grace of an Eryninan dancer on stage. The mechanical dragon acted quickly and seized the tail. Bone crunched and scales scuffed against metal flesh. Clamped between the mech¡¯s arm and side. It wiggled lamely, trying to find something to puncture. Akamori threw an open palm towards the stinger. Chitinous barbs snapped apart under the blunt force trauma of the mechanical draconic palm crashing into it. Limbs flailed and wings thrashed as the dragon tore at Akamori in the mechanical dragon mech with a renewed blood lust. It breathed a pallid cloud of woeful souls at him, but a series of ward rings deployed from a spell shield emitter mounted to his left arm. The attack blunted as it crashed into the shield, and the rings discolored, but blocked the attack. Bahumet 0 spun, flaring out the blade like void wings to buy space to move, pooling energies amassing into a blob of raw magic that was being shaped by slowly rotating ritual rings. Sensing a very impending danger, the Sauridian dragon flapped its large tan wings several times, both hands weaving a series of runes to form several large ritual circles with soul and water in varying arrangements. All providing instructions for the spell. Akamori watched a three layered Dome of Aether. Raw magic given shape by the runes. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s dance.¡± Akamori said within the cockpit and unleashed the spell. He didn¡¯t craft it himself, instead he¡¯d wove it with Bahumet¡¯s guidance. He felt the subsumed consciousness bubble up from the depths of his soul, like it had been summoned. It briefly touched his own. It is called GigaFlare. ¡°Little dramatic, don¡¯t you think?¡± You¡¯re piloting a magic mechanical construct that reformed itself in my likeness. We are beyond such simple concepts as dramatic. Akamori shrugged with a chuckle. ¡°Fair nuff.¡± Then he fired. The spell surged forth. It was a blinding colloid of light and magical energy, intensifying as it raced towards the dragon. The beast roared its fury, but it was too late. The spell exploded in a shower of sparks and energy that consumed the dragon in a brilliant white fire that licked at its wings and body, consuming it from within. Akamori shielded his eyes with one hand as he watched the creature¡¯s death throes. He felt an intense satisfaction as he watched his enemy succumb to his attack. When the light faded, ash floated aimlessly. All that remained was charred remains of what used to be an adult necromancer dragon. Bahumet 0 had done its job well and defeated its enemy with flying colors. Akamori patted the mech on the controls out of appreciation before setting off back to the main battle, having won another battle against the Sauridius in the war against darkness and despair. Bahumet 0¡¯s here swiveled to face the battle unfolding in space when he saw the Theferis ram into the Sauridian battleship like a massive spell spear. He watched with held breath as the kilometers long spear shaped ship plowed into the protective wards. The wards rippled and discolored as the Sauridian mages reapplied them several times until finally they collapse. Theferis crashed into the battleship sawing the vessel in two. ¡°Wow,¡± Akamori said. A small fiery spell window opened in his peripheral vision. It displayed Morwen¡¯s face with a grim scowl. ¡°If you¡¯re done playing with your food, we could use your help Lt.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Bahumet 0¡¯s wings flared wide and void magic erupted from exhaust vanes, hurtling the dragon mech back into the fray. As he closed the gap several massive soul bolts streaked out to intercept him. The ships began to lend more fire at him now that he¡¯d proven he was a threat. He batted a few away, but noticed the intense drain on his pool of aether. ¡°Anything else I can do with this defensively?¡± Yes. Bahumet¡¯s voice rumbled from the deep black of his soul. The dragon¡¯s soul lashed up to him like a man chained to a post. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Consume the magic. You are a demi god now. You are a child of the void. It is within your power. ¡°oh um...okay. How do I do that?¡± Have the mech devour the magic. It will intuit the process by your will. You need only want to do it. The mech will process it as an intermediary. ¡°How do you know?¡± Because I trained an entire pack of riders and named them my Black Wolves. ¡°That actually sounds kind of cool.¡± Akamori said with a grin. He flew straight at the next attack he could find, and the mechanical dragon fed on the magic like it was consuming livestock in space. What surprised Akamori was that the mech then fed him the magic through the connection in the control matrix. Large amounts of soul magic poured into him, creating a new pool of magic in his soul¡¯s core next to all the other magic stored. He repeated the process until the enemy mages stopped hurling spells at him. ¡°Damn, looks like they caught on.¡± He quickly checked himself. ? Soul Magic Infusion. Gained 3 AP Gained Soul Bolt Gained Manipulate Soul Magic. ? Akamori¡¯s hands shook as he gripped the controls of the massive mecha dragon, its void magic infused wings thrumming with power. He knew that this machine was his only hope for survival against the enemy fleet, but at what cost? As he rocketed towards the formation, weak bolt spells bounced off the scales harmlessly. The dragon¡¯s eyes glowed an eerie violet as it absorbed and disintegrated each attack. Akamori gritted his teeth, bracing for impact as the nearest enemy ship loomed larger. Mythril Steel hull plating screamed and groaned as the multi ton mecha dragon smashed into the Sauridius Cruiser at maximum speed like a magic drill bit. With its mechanical head firmly embedded into the hull of the ship, the jaw flapped down, and he began feeding the magic to fire off another Gigaflare attack. Fire, Light, and Void magic all roiled together and mixed in various sized colloids of magic in Bahumet 0¡¯s gaping maw. Once the pooling magic hit its peak, he fired. Various rune circle framed the spell, and the blast lanced out into the depths of the ship. On the other side of the hull, a beam of star hot magic that consumed everything like void fire melted its way clean of the ship and punched out into the black of space. Debris sparkled and glittered as it drifted free of the exit wound like metallic blood. Lights flickered sporadically across the ship as the spell drive sputtered. Listing to the side, the Cruiser¡¯s spell cannons drifted off azimuth of the Theferis. He watched a few of the legendary spell ships main turrets swivel to face the cruiser. The muzzles glowed as it prepared to attack. ¡°Time to go.¡± Akamori stated. He yanked Bahumet¡¯s head free of the ship¡¯s hull like a raptor tugging its head out of a fresh kill. Taking wing just as the Theferis fired, a rear facing scry screen showed him the points the attacks struck. Hull plates buckling and flaking off under the assault. Something about this felt wrong. It was a strong showing, but they didn¡¯t out match these forces that badly. He didn¡¯t sense Ominek here. It had his finger prints all over it, but it lacked his finesse. He wove two disintegrate spells with the mechanical talons of the mech, and fired them off into two fighters that deployed from another cruiser. Bahumet spun in a roll and Akamori let out a whooping call. ¡°What I would have given to have one of these during Hidros!¡± ¡°You an me both, sir.¡± Sirsir said. A flurry of spell bolts crashed into the mecha dragon¡¯s flank, throwing Akamori into a nausea inducing tumble. Another salvo of pallid green and spikes of rock slammed into the mech. He focused his senses outward, scanning for his attacker. There! A Sauridian missile cruiser. He watched as missile tube caps snapped open with sparks, revealing a waiting salvo of warheads and a few spell turrets pointed at him. All magic and menace, the cruiser fired. Theferis did what it could to thin out the swarm of offending missiles and spells, but the sheer numbers of it forced Akamori on the defensive, throwing out two protective wards, and solo casting a teleport spell with the other hand. His weaving wasn¡¯t as artful or elegant the way Amara¡¯s was. But his runes were serviceable enough to function. That¡¯s because all magic is will. You do not need pretty runes. Only functional runes. Your will supplies the instructions. Thanaton growled. It unsettled him that he often learned more about magic from his weapon than he did from any teacher. Something about that relationship felt odd. The hammer fell as the storm of missiles and spells crashed into his wards. Peppering them as they rapidly discolored and collapsed. Just in time for his teleport to take hold. On the opposite side of the battlespace a circular hole carved itself into the realm of reality and vomited the draconic mech. Frost glinting off its metallic skin. The main guns of the Theferis opened up, belting void and fire magic at startling levels into the enemy ships. Punching holes clean through the offending craft. Akamori again paused to marvel at the sheer destructive force of the ship, and how easy it was to get lost in the display of power. It was like the old fireworks shows he used to watch with his family back home on Hoshun. If he was going to end this conflict, he¡¯d need something big and flashy. You have the magic. All you lack is the will. ¡°I¡¯m no god.¡± He paused, realizing just how closely he was flirting with the border between a demi god and true god. Not yet. Magic is two things. Energy and will manifest. That is true of all magic, but especially divine magic. You possess both items. Now you have a desired outcome. Simply provide the magic, and will the result. The rest will see to itself. Bahumet¡¯s voice rumbled in his mind. Akamori took a deep breath, wiping sweat from his brow before nodding. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s make some shit go boom.¡± ? Chapter 143: The best play The best play Akamori studied the battlefield in space. Debris from attacks to ships friendly and not drifted lazily in the light of the distant star of the Anazi Prime system. He needed an attack that would destroy all the enemy ships in a single strike. A decisive cut his father would call it. A wise tactic , Thanaton mused. ¡°Hmph.¡± Akamori grunted. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Before he had time to think himself out of the idea, he threw the mech forward into max acceleration. He felt the accumulating g forces pressing him into the back of the pilot¡¯s chair. Acid and fire bolts rushed out to meet his advance, striking the arms and legs of the mech, scoring heavy damage. Sparks and ruined mechanics flashed as the mecha dragon soared through the combat airspace. A storm of missiles erupted from a nearby cruiser before Akamori evaded. He grit his teeth and brought the wings up to envelop him. The void wings rippled from multiple explosions. The missiles ripped apart the mecha dragon¡¯s wings, leaving Akamori vulnerable to attack. He had no option left but to continue forward and hope that his shield held out against the onslaught of fire that was now raining down upon him. He felt his body tense as he braced for impact, and then a sudden jolt as one shot struck true. Sparks flew around him, blinding him temporarily as he tumbled forward through space. He fought back the pain and readjusted the mech¡¯s thrusters in an attempt to slow his descent. The enemy ships fired relentlessly at Akamori, their weapons converging on his position in a deadly barrage. It seemed like all hope was lost until a brilliant flash erupted from behind, catching everyone off guard, including Akamori himself. The light filled the cockpit and he could feel his skin prickle with static electricity as it passed over him. When it dissipated, so did the rest of the damaged cock pit. Floating bits of mechanical flotsam. He struggled at first, gasping in the vacuum. Be at ease. You are beyond needing to breathe, but if you must, you can manifest air within your breast. Akamori¡¯s hand flexed around Thanaton¡¯s grip, the hilt of the spell blade reassuring him. His one steady factor in a world of change. Also, something of a tutor in most things magical. He did as the blade advised and channeled some of his air magic and puffed a frozen cloud of air crystals. So. I can live in the vacuum of space. Neat, he thought. He glanced down and frowned as the battle continued to unfold. Without the spell mech, it was going to be significantly more difficult to conduct a spell on the magnitude he¡¯d been planning on. Wrong. You are more than a spell mech could ever make you. The divine and beyond makes trinkets and baubles pale in comparison. Gather your magic and demand reality fit your will. If you are strong enough, you will succeed. Ok. Fair enough, he thought. He gave Thanaton an experimental twirl. The black blade traced a dark lavender trail in the void. He had magic, and will in abundant quantities. Time to do something with them. He closed his eyes and focused on the black blade. Void crystal crept forth from the hilt like a black glacier engulfing the sword in a scythe made of void glass. It glinted softly in the faint sunlight of the star at the center of the Anazi system. Home of Hravesvalgyr he mentally amended. Aether pooled along the blade¡¯s edge, like liquid magic, condensing and congealing into a nebulous blob of magic that jiggled before the edge of the sword. After he¡¯d poured a sufficient enough amount of his pool to the spell, Thanaton in turn contributed as well. Then he reached out with his will, with Than as his guide, a white glowing form of magic he¡¯d never used before coalesced along with his large pool of void magic. What is that? Akamori asked Than. Divine will. There are two sources of it. That which you accrue naturally. And that which is gifted to you via worship. The more worship a god has, the more powerful they are? Yes. Your worship can outstrip the vast reserves of magic you have at your command. It is what separates the divine from an arch mage. Sounds like elitist bullshit. It is how the underlying fabric of reality is designed. It sounds like a mess. Then you¡¯ll need to take that up with its creator. Akamori grinned. Y¡¯know? That ain¡¯t a bad idea. Akamori channeled more of the divine aether into the spell until his blade glowed a radiant and painful aura. His blade was a god in its own right. A god to destroy gods. The two observed the Sauridius ships below them. Watch as they scramble like insects. Quick to incite conflict, but never strong enough to see their will done, Thanaton hissed. I¡¯ve seen enough, Akamori said coldly. Channeling his void magic, his body transformed into his reaper state, bypassing the gauge building by expending an amount of divine will. After this, he¡¯d be tapped out, but the expense was worth the cost. His scythe spun at inhuman speeds. Hurling void laced wind slashes like an enraged void storm looking to destroy everything in its path. The ships beneath him withered under the assault. Theferis quickly aborted its attack run, shifting position with a hasty teleport to avoid his wrath. The Sauridius were less fortunate. Ships cleaved into chunks, which were then cut into even finer pieces again and again, over and over, until the battle space was a still graveyard of metallic glitter and severed souls. Akamori then held his hand out and gathered the souls of the dead to him. Pallid green energy congealed in his palm slowly as he summoned them to him. Once collected, he quickly sent them to the soul plane. He teleported himself from his position to the bridge in a blink of void magic. Frost gathered at the black cloak that covered his body. Red eyes peering from beneath a black hood. The rest of the crew eyed him curiously. Well, all except for Sirsir. Who gave him a mixed look of pride and amusement. He was the first to speak, breaking the silence. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°You know, sir. It scares the hell out of me when you do shit like that. But then I remember you¡¯re paid the big bucks, so slouches like me can sit back and watch the fireworks later.¡± The tension could only hang on desperately for another second before both Akamori and Sirsir exchanged amused looks. Akamori¡¯s void cloak dissipated into evaporating motes of void aether as he leaned against a railing. Exhaustion banging through him. ¡°When is the last time since you took a rest, lieutenant?¡± Morwen asked at his side. Akamori shook his head. ¡°Dunno. Time¡¯s been a blur.¡± ¡°No kidding. You somehow jumped millions of years into the future and back in the span of a day.¡± Amara said. Her tone was jovial, but there was an underlying concern that was matched by Yasiin¡¯s silent expression. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Akamori reiterated. The scry screen pinged with an incoming missive. Morwen accepted, and a flaming scroll unfurled, revealing a scowling dragon and a large flight inbound. ¡°You dare to attack dragonkin after the wrym mother granted you clemency? Does your heresy know no bounds?¡± Keimut thundered. Murderous fury in his eyes. Akamori didn¡¯t shrink from the challenge. ¡°If it¡¯s a fight you want, come and get it.¡± Akamori said coldly. His voice was cold as steel left in the polar caps of Hidros. ¡°We will see how defiant you are when I¡¯m cleaning my teeth with your femur!¡± Keimut bellowed and cut the transmission. Only after the missive ended did Akamori sag against the console he¡¯d been leaning on covertly for support. He took a moment, drawing in a deep breath before letting it out, and nodded. His body ached for rest. Ingesting more air and soul magic, plus the constant battles, were pushing him to the edge of limits. He physically feel his wall of exhaustion pressing in. ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯ve got another fight on our hands.¡± He said. His voice had a hint of levity, but there was a dark coldness in his eyes. ¡°Agreed. I¡¯d hoped we could have avoided this next confrontation, but it would seem its time to pay up for all the slights and insults we¡¯ve levied against the dragon flight.¡± Akamori sniffed. ¡°They¡¯re not the last dragon flight. They¡¯re just scaley bullies.¡± ¡°Hellz yeah!¡± Sirsir said, clapping his massive paw of a fist into the opposite hand eagerly. ¡°Anyone got some mana potions on hand?¡± Yasiin and Amara both fetched some vials off of their potion bandoleers, holding them out. Akamori made sure the Captain and Sirsir got some. Everyone gave him a quizzical look. ¡°What about you? You¡¯ve gotta be exhausted?¡± He nodded. ¡°I am. But I won¡¯t be needing any more than I have left, I think.¡± Morwen¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re up to something. What do you have planned?¡± Akamori shrugged impishly. ¡°Dunno. Just gonna wing it and see what kind of random bullshit I can come up with on the fly.¡± Amara blinked. ¡°That was refreshingly honest.¡± ¡°And true.¡± He grinned. ¡°Still not much of a plan to go on. We¡¯re low on resources and they have numbers.¡± Rozien scoffed. ¡°Theferis can hold them off for centuries before it depletes its reserves alone. Bigger spells will obviously need your contribution. They won¡¯t be getting in.¡± ¡°So we let the big ship be our crutch and our shield.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Do we care if Keimut dies?¡± Morwen¡¯s brows knit thoughtfully as her expression glazed over in a distant expression. Akamori noted the same kind of divine glow he associated with god magic. His just now created term for all things divine. It was less wordy and suited him just fine. ¡°Death isn¡¯t a necessary ingredient for this particular recipe.¡± Morwen said. ¡°But we should prepare ourselves for an offensive. We can¡¯t sit here while they gather strength.¡± A plan bloomed in Akamori¡¯s mind, and before long, he was ready to go into action. He walked over to the bridge window and looked out at the incoming dragon flight. The dragon flight launches its offensive, crashing into the defensive position of the legendary spell ship with a fury unlike anything seen before. The sky is filled with clashing forces, lightning arcs between dragons and their opponents, giving flashes of light that illuminate their silhouettes against the void. Wind whipped around them as they battle, roaring and screeching as spells are cast and countered by magical shields or other defensive measures. Fireballs and lightning bolts soar through the air from both sides, hitting shields but glancing off enough to cause damage when they land on non-defended areas of Theferis or their attackers. Hull plating and scales alike peel away as the battle begins. Intermixed with the debris from the defeated Sauridius vessels, the battle looked like it was taking place within a Brotherhood of Man snow globe set against a black backdrop. In the hanger deck, Akamori stared at the blue field separating him from space and breathable atmosphere inside. ¡°Sir, are you sure this is the best play?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yeah. It has to be me. No mechs. No ships. Just pure sword play. If I can beat him in front of his support, it will cripple his entire power base and let someone else more reasonable assert themselves.¡± ¡°Sure, but I still don¡¯t think having a 1v1 duel with the punk is the smartest play.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Maybe not, but it needs done. We have to do this by their own rules if we want to make it stick. Then we get someone more agreeable to step forward.¡± ¡°Matroness Azil.¡± Morwen added contemplatively via the comm. Akamori nodded. ¡°Yeah, she struck me as a better option for potential allies. Not that I¡¯m really enthused by anything I¡¯ve seen here. But of all the bad apples, she¡¯s the least of the bunch.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± the captain said. Akamori could hear the faint smile in Morwen¡¯s voice. ¡°Well then, Lt. the floor is yours, so to speak.¡± Akamori took a deep breath reflexively and strode through the blue veil into the icy black of space. ? Chapter 144: The Duel The Duel Akamori Shinjo drifted into the frigid void focused on Keimut and his approaching horde. The debris strewn battlespace of Anazi Prime¡¯s outer solar system sparkled like a dash of silver glitter spilled on black satin framing the backdrop for the coming confrontation. Angered by the defeat of his treacherous allies, Keimut has come to try and finish off the gang once and for all. This was it. No more pretenses were necessary in Anazi Prime¡¯s solar system. Keimut reared back and bellowed a challenging roar that rippled across space, knocking dust free of an asteroid field, and shifting the path of a great hydrogen storm on a nearby gas giant that would have taken it centuries to shift into on its own power. Draconic eyes locked on to Akamori with electrical hatred. Nonplussed, Akamori used some of his remaining pool of magic to channel his own imitation of the Dragon¡¯s Roar, a move he¡¯d learned from training with his father and modifying it to his own purposes. Only when he let loose his own, an opaque mirage of Bahumet¡¯s head appeared behind him menacingly. Keimut¡¯s charge faltered for a moment against the mirage of the Void Wyrm. His face twisted with rage. Foolishness and misunderstanding warped his interpretation of the gesture from knowing it to be a territorial challenge and posture, to that of trying to win with a cheap trick. ¡°You dare! To slay our kin, and then use our likeness to justify your heresy!¡± Akamori sighed exhaustedly. The small puff of frozen fading like gas from a maneuver jet. His body ached for rest and he felt like he¡¯d been bouncing from one disaster to the next with no end in sight. ¡°Look, I¡¯m over explaining myself to you. The fact is, I¡¯m already beyond your gaze. You just haven¡¯t been able to see past your own snout to realize it yet. I¡¯m not playing games here, this is serious. Stand down now and you might just walk away from this in more than one piece. But push the issue? And I will end you. I¡¯ve got a war to fight and I don¡¯t have time for side quests like you.¡± You mean to duel this fool? Thanaton, his sentient spell blade rumbled. ¡°He¡¯s not giving me much choice. And if I have to fight, I¡¯d rather do it on my terms instead of his. In a duel we can keep things contained. A large battle would just put everyone else at risk. This is essentially my mess. It¡¯s time to start cleaning house.¡± How uncharacteristically mature for you. ¡°Yeah well, don¡¯t get too used to it. He just caught me in a bad mood, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Are...Are you talking to yourself?¡± Keimut asked, slight confusion settling into his voice. ¡°No?¡± Akamori said in a pitch high enough to sound like a question. ¡°I¡¯m talking to my sword. Technically there¡¯s a difference.¡± A bolt of lightning lanced by Akamori but he made no move to dodge, simply swatting the spell aside like an annoying fruit fly. ¡°So here¡¯s my proposal. We duel. One on one. You finally get to put your scales into the ring to back up all this painful preening you¡¯ve been doing. If you win? You get my head. If I win? I get yours. Simple enough.¡± A gravely laugh purred from the dragon as it grinned the spell soldier turned void reaper turned demigod. ¡°Your terms are acceptable little mage. Prepare yourself.¡± ¡°Bitch, I came ready.¡± Thanaton¡¯s edge twirled, glinting in the sunlight. A promise of pain to come. By contrast, Keimut morphed into his humanoid form. An elegantly dressed draconic humanoid. Wings, a tail and wavy white hair that billowed like a shampoo ad from his back in a perpetual breeze. His way too handsome face made Akamori huff in disgust. Why were they always so good looking? It was just weird. Keimut extended a hand and summoned a long blade of solid air. Light and razor sharp. Akamori was certain Keimut¡¯s blade could cleave atoms if the aim was accurate enough. A notion he had no intention of testing. The two warriors began their duel with a flurry. Akamori ducked and weaved, parried and jabbed with Thanaton. His foe was fast as lightning, the air around him crackling with electricity as he moved. Keimut seemed to be everywhere at once, his strikes coming from all sides in a dizzying array of feints and ripostes. But Akamori was no slouch either. He kept up with the dragon¡¯s speed, using Thanaton¡¯s unique properties to manipulate the surrounding air currents and redirect his foe¡¯s blows away from him. The fight quickly became one of attrition, both sides looking for an opening in each other¡¯s defense that they could exploit before they ran out of steam. Keimut hurled a bolt of lightning at Akamori with a snarl. Akamori caught the bolt in one hand and allowed the energy to wind up his arm, across his back to the opposite arm and redirect the blast back at Keimut. The spell blasted the humanoid dragon in the stomach, darkening white and sky blue scales. Keimut¡¯s face twisted into a hate filled scowl, small dagger like teeth bared. ¡°You treasonous wretch! We should have devoured you the moment you revealed yourself.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Why, because I didn¡¯t just roll over and let one of your kind end me unopposed? No. We both know that¡¯s not how your kind work. And I have the soul of Bahumet coursing through me.¡± To punctuate his point, massive draconic wings made of void magic unfurled from his back. More display than function. But the point was made. Keimut trembled as he felt Bahumet¡¯s aura radiating free of Akamori and the soul seal. The closer Akamori drifted towards divinity, the weaker it became as the need for it diminished. He could still vaguely the remember the white hot burning sensation that racked his body when his home world was attacked. Now he felt cold and frigid. Like the void itself. He wondered if that was the result of his growth, or if he¡¯d just gotten used to the power. A little of both. Your body and soul has grown in strength to handle the surplus aether, and you¡¯ve also grown used to the feeling of channeling power beyond your own capability. Our soul carries with a will that defies conventional wisdom and understanding. You are still in your divine infancy, however eventually your soul will overwhelm the seal. Until then you must learn to control and regulate your arua and soul. Bahumet¡¯s rumbling voice echoed in his mind, but it was a private conversation. Not one for the much younger dragon warrior¡¯s ears. Akamori watched Keimut reign in his anxiety and recommit. Good. He wanted the cocky bastard back, not some whimpering wyrm. Electricity crackled around the emboldened Keimut. It was time to put this wyrm to the test and see if he was truly fit to be the unofficial leader of the last dragonflight. Akamori , Bahumet¡¯s voice whispered in his mind. You must learn to control the flow of energy within you. When the aether swirls around us, it is both an ally and an enemy. You must learn to manipulate it so that it works for you, rather than against you. Akamori nodded silently in agreement, preparing himself for battle. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the aether around him like a second skin. He reached out with his soul, feeling its connection with the natural world and the power of Bahumet surging through him. He could even feel Frank¡¯s power adding in as well. Slowly but surely he began to direct the flow of energy, letting it move through him in waves as if he was part of an oceanic cycle. He felt his body grow stronger and more alive as he embraced this newfound sense of power and control. With each passing moment he could feel himself growing closer and closer to perfecting this newfound art of manipulation and understanding. The two crashed into each other, this time with Akamori emerging as the superior bladesman. Keimut had some skill, but he¡¯d leaned on his raw physical attributes above any technique with a blade. Where those came up short, it was clear he¡¯d used political manipulation to further ascend. Akamori on the other hand had faced crucible after crucible. As though his life thus far was just one engineered trial after another. Blades danced off each other with a discordant song of struck metal. Spells hammered into each other creating a shower of ambient aether. A resonant pressure began to build with the two warriors in the center. Akamori and Keimut¡¯s auras crashed into each other. Their powerful wills pressing against each other. Keimut¡¯s was refined and eloquent, where Akamori¡¯s was raw and wild power untamed. Each daring the other to blink. Akamori saw an opportunity when Keimut overextended himself during an aggressive strike and left himself exposed for a moment too long. With a quick thrust of his sword he drove Thanaton into the dragon¡¯s abdomen, piercing it with deadly accuracy. Keimut roared in pain, falling back to cradle his wound with both hands. Akamori took advantage of the opening and continued attacking relentlessly, his blade dancing around the dragon¡¯s defenses as if they were not even there. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of dodging and parrying, Akamori landed a solid blow to Keimut¡¯s neck with a powerful knife hand chop, sending him crashing to the hull of Theferis in a motionless heap. Akamori hovered still for a moment, panting heavily. Each puff of air turned to frozen gas as it left his lungs in space. His lungs ached from exertion and sweat froze into tiny ice pellets that drifted free of his skin in the void. He had won. The consequences of the victory would completely alter the political landscape of the last dragonflight and dragon kind period. Slowly he walked over to where Keimut lay motionless on the ground. He kneeled before the fallen creature and looked into its eyes. They were full of pain but also understanding as if Keimut knew why Akamori was forced to do what he did even if it didn¡¯t agree with it. For a brief moment Akamori felt sympathy for the man that lay before him but quickly buried the emotion under layers of steel determination as he made his final declaration. ¡°I won¡¯t take your head in exchange for my own life. Instead, I want you to live knowing that I beat you. That an outrider beat you. As of this moment, I declare unfit to lead.¡± He said firmly as he withdrew Thanaton from its sheath and raised it high above his head for all to see. In one swift movement he brought down Thanaton one last time, sheathing the black blade swiftly. It is unwise to let this one live. He has already cost you much. Do not leave an enemy at your back, Thanaton hissed. ¡°No. There¡¯s been enough killing today. It¡¯s time to get over shit and start looking at the real fight. Besides, I want him to feel this everytime he sees me.¡± Keimut slowly rose, his air blade dissolved from his grip. A weary sigh easy past his lips. ¡°I stand defeated...¡± Matroness Azil arrived conveniently after hostilities settled with her smaller retinue. In one fluid beat of her wings she morphed from elegant elder dragon to smaller draconic humanoid form. The light blue silk of her robe billowed gently in the gravityless vacuum of the void. She cast a look at Keimut that almost settled on pity. Then to Akamori with something close to uncertainty. ¡°Matroness Azil. Good. We need to talk.¡± Akamori said with a look at Keimut. ? Chapter 145: Fallout Fallout Captain Morwen stood in the room the ship had transformed into something of a conference room after sensing her need for one. The gleaming silver hull plating and gold trim of the metallic table contrasted with the macabre black bleeding goo from the edges of the hull plating. The rate of bleed required her to burn it away every few hours, but it was like it infected the ship with some kind of wound. She¡¯d need to take it home. If anyone knew how to repair such an injury, it would be the Artificer¡¯s Guild. The thought of having to face her mother again sent a shiver up her spine that a legendary spell ship bleeding black blood never could. The lighting in the room was a comfortable glow provided by a circular light in the center of the ceiling. It cast a warm, healing glow that soothed the body and eased the soul. Already she could see Akamori and Keimut¡¯s bruises and cuts healing. Matroness Azil sat in a perpendicular position, placing each person in a square at an equal distance from each other. She was the first to speak. ¡°Captain Morwen, thank you for providing us with this space to deliberate.¡± ¡°Well, it was more agreeable than battling your people in your solar system. I came for allies, after all.¡± Keimut looked like he wanted to spit in disgust but had the good sense to simply look away. Akamori reclined in his chair, largely tuned out of the conversation for now, idly sketching away. At a quick glance, it looked like a good start on some kind of crystal with many facets in a roughly equal sized diamond shape surrounded by numerous others. He¡¯d initially protested being involved, but she wanted to lend his voice to the discussions since he technically beat Keimut. ¡°The first order of business is a formal end to all hostilities to my people and the Alliance as a whole.¡± Morwen said with a pointed look at Keimut. The draconic humanoid waved an arm dismissively with a haughty sigh. ¡°You won your battle. Hostilities ended with my defeat, did they not?¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Indeed, they did.¡± It wasn¡¯t necessary to rub his face in it, but she wanted him to understand how wrong he was to have supported the Sauridius on his world. How horribly it could have gone for them. ¡°But it¡¯s not enough that they end now. We came to this world looking for allies. And instead you¡¯ve given us nothing but problems and enemies.¡± Azil opened her mouth to protest, but Morwen held a hand up cutting her. ¡°Before you protest, Matroness, I¡¯d remind you of the fact that we came to this battle alone, and it was sometime before you and your forces arrived. Token shows of support only get you token recognition.¡± Azil closed her mouth and bowed her head, ceding the point. ¡°Very well Captain. Your point is taken.¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Good, because we need to talk about what comes next, and we can¡¯t do that with everyone checking their backs for knives. I came here seeking an alliance with your people and I believe that¡¯s still possible even if the extent is limited. Is that something you¡¯d support if you were put into power Matroness?¡± Azil again nodded elegantly. She appeared older than Keimut, but in a more gracefully aged way. Her light blue eyes flashed occasionally with lightning as most air wyrms did. ¡°Indeed, When Anazi was slain, we sought to isolate ourselves from the horrors of war and the sector at large. But I believe it¡¯s high time we reintegrated with the galactic community again. The last flight has much to offer, and gain from once again leaving home.¡± The parties thus proceeded to discuss the terms of alliance and what each side¡¯s commitment would look like. It was agreed that The Last Flight and the Federation would work together in times of need, share resources and technology, offer aid and support to each other in matters both political and economic. Both sides considered that a commitment to peacefulness was essential in order to honor their mutual desire for peace. Furthermore, it was agreed that any disputes between them could be handled by a neutral arbitrator. The representatives of The Last Flight and The Mage Federation stood side-by-side as they put their signatures to the parchment. This document, known as the Pact of Amity, was now a formal agreement between them, and it would be kept by each party as a reminder of their commitment to one another. To commemorate this momentous occasion, special tablets were crafted from Storm Crystal, a rare material found only in The Last Flight¡¯s home star system - a physical proof of its importance and permanence. As Matroness Azil and Keimut left, Morwen studied the tablet that was to be Federations curiously. She watched as a small electrical storm danced wildly within the skin of the crystal like a bottled lightning elemental wildly snapping at its cage. Akamori set his drawing upon the table with a contented sigh. She admired the artwork approvingly. ¡°You were surprisingly quiet. More so than normal.¡± Morwen mused. Akamori shrugged silently, his lips compressing with a thought. ¡°Didn¡¯t seem right for me to say too much. I¡¯d already kicked them in the nuts hard enough by beating them. Didn¡¯t strike me as a sound move to rub their noses in it too badly.¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Yes, gentleness wasn¡¯t one of your strong suits.¡± ¡°I can be gentle.¡± He protested. ¡°Like you were gentle with the Sauridius?¡± ¡°To be fair, they were shooting at us.¡± ¡°Or the necromancers?¡± ¡°They were hurling ghouls and phatasms at us?¡± ¡°Or my mother?¡± He flinched at that. Morwen had never verbally called her fathers paramour her mother before, but she¡¯d always been there in her life. Far more than her actual birth mother had been. She winced, realizing she¡¯d dropped that at his feet unceramoniously. ¡°Sorry...¡± She said. Akamori leaned forward and shook his head. His shoulder length crimson mane already growing back out again. Initially it took on other colors from magical infusions but once he¡¯d reached a certain threshold his body reasserted itself. ¡°No. I should be the one apologizing there.¡± ¡°I know you did everything you could. The blame ultimately lies with Ominek. He has a way of destroying families.¡± Akamori agreed softly, leaving the floor to Morwen to continue speaking. So she did. ¡°It¡¯s strange. To come out of this with a win. We have the legendary spell ship. We have allies. We have power. We have hope.¡± ¡°But we also have enemies at every corner. And we need to cleanse this ship. Something is...wrong with it. It¡¯s wounded or something.¡± Akamori shivered at the thought. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°True. Which is why we¡¯re returning to Eryn. I believe it¡¯ll bolster spirits of the people to see a tangible result of our victory. I know Ominek. Sooner or later, the hammer will fall. We have to be ready when it does. I only fear we won¡¯t be able to do enough.¡± He finally glanced up to her, a strained, sad smile. ¡°It does kinda feel like we¡¯ve been marching around to someone else¡¯s drumbeat huh?¡± ¡°Yes. It rather does.¡± His face softened as he glanced at the drawing of the crystal and it¡¯s ring of smaller crystals. ¡°I hate it. Feeling like I¡¯m just someone¡¯s puppet.¡± ¡°A puppet capable of incredible violence.¡± Morwen added with a note of jovial playfulness. It helped just enough to bring him out of his morose brooding. ¡°Yeah.¡± He added with a chuckle. ¡°Still. You may be right. Thus far we¡¯ve bounced from disaster to disaster.¡± ¡°Makes ya wonder what comes next, huh?¡± Morwen nodded. ¡°Indeed. I only pray we can handle it.¡± Akamori stood, stretched, and slid the drawing to her, it stopped next to the lightning crystal tablet. ¡°A momento.¡± She picked it up, brows knit curiously. ¡°What is it?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Dunno. Something I see every now and then. I get it in dreams and visions. Figured I¡¯d draw it, try and get it outta my head.¡± Morwen admired the pencil work. His use of shading and tight erasing of lines to create highlights in the tones struck her as a creative use of his materials. She looked above the sheet of paper and studied him for a moment. He looked tired. ¡°It looks amazing. I think you missed your calling as an artist.¡± Akamori gave her a rueful smile. ¡°I guess I missed it when the invading army murdered my world.¡± Morwen sighed, sitting on the edge of the table and watching the black fluid once again try to ooze free of the walls. A festuring wound that bled endlessly. So many problems. So much pain. She was tired of the fight, and dealing with the fallout. ¡°There seems to be a lot of that going around. But then, that¡¯s why you stayed isn¡¯t it? To make sure no one else suffers the way we have?¡± Akamori nodded silently, playing at the gold trim on the table. ¡°Yeah.¡± Morwen noted his sword missing. An item she¡¯d seldom seen him parted with. She began to wonder if her lieutenant was ok when he¡¯d finally glanced up to her with a tired look. ¡°Do you ever get sick of the games?¡± ¡°Games?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Akamori said. ¡°The nonsense politics and having to please everyone instead of just going out and fighting the people who need to be stopped.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Morwen said, realizing the source of his chaffing. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out how best to diplomatically respond. ¡°I¡¯m not a diplomat or politician. But for me to fight for the people that need me to fight for them, I have to be at times.¡± ¡°Like when you let those clowns take all our awards and pin it on Rayshe?¡± ¡°Correct. There are many powers involved in this conflict. The longer it drags on, the more will be pulled in. A certain amount of diplomacy should be expected, but you are right. Too often we get jerked out of being where we need to be for reasons that are inadequate.¡± ¡°So what do we do about it?¡± Akamori asked. She glanced down at him curiously. ¡°I¡¯m not sure there is anything we could do?¡± He scoffed at that. ¡°Please. We¡¯ve got the dragons share of the hardware and power. What¡¯s stopping us from just going where we want and fighting the fights we think should be fought?¡± ¡°Making unnecessary enemies?¡± Morwen ventured. Akamori rolled his eyes. ¡°Please. If you¡¯re talking about the Federation, who else is out there constantly risking it all? Sometimes I feel like we¡¯re the only one¡¯s taking this fight seriously. Everyone else is just content to let it be a news chryon.¡± Morwen didn¡¯t respond so he continued when she finally made eye contact again. ¡°Look, my point is this. We finally have all the things we need to get out there and really start fighting this war how it needs to be. I¡¯m done with out of touch brass telling me where and when I take orders. Or who they come from.¡± ¡°This whole thing for me started after you got a prophecy. A vision. You bound my soul to serve in the Federation because you needed me to win. And I stuck around because I recognized the threat. But now I think we¡¯re being held back.¡± ¡°What are you proposing Lt.?¡± Morwen asked. He shrugged before rising up from his seat and stretching. He paused to study his hands, his expression flashed through several emotions as he searched for the answer within. ¡°I don¡¯t know. A change. Everything has changed since Ominek burned my home to ash. Now it¡¯s time for things to change again. What that looks like? I haven¡¯t quite decided.¡± Morwen folded her arms and canted her head at an angle, she wasn¡¯t buying it. ¡°Yes you have. You¡¯re just afraid to voice it because you think I won¡¯t agree.¡± Akamori frowned and pressed his lips together firmly. Finally he turned to face her. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we left the Federation. We have Theferis, we have Indra. You, me. Between the two of us, we could buy out everyone¡¯s contracts with what the Dragons paid to save face.¡± Morwen had to admit the idea had merit. Run correctly, an adequately funded and well managed outfit could be vastly more effective than she¡¯d been capable of without divine intervention. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right Lieutenant. Perhaps it¡¯s time we divorced ourselves of the Federation. But we should do it carefully so we don¡¯t antagonize the leadership. We don¡¯t want to alienate ourselves. Take the idea to your team and proceed.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Morwen frowned. Was she really ready to leave? Could she? ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡± She knew in the back of her head though, that ultimately part of her couldn¡¯t leave because she couldn¡¯t stand the thought of letting the Federation die since it was her father¡¯s last great work. If it died, she felt like he truly would be too. She watched Akamori nod and leave the conference room. ¡°Not on my watch,¡± she whispered. ? Chapter 146: The Cusp The Cusp The cusp of godhood. ? Akamori drifted through the ship till he stopped at the quarters he¡¯d been assigned. The wall phased incorporeal at the press of a button and allowed him to pass through as though the metal turned into cloud. Once inside the room, it then hardened back into the same wall it had been with only the outline of the door frame to indicate it was a point of ingress. He shuffled to his bed, dropping down heavily and kicked his boots off with several jerks of his feet. A long weary sigh eased past his lips as he studied his sketchbook. Tucking his knees up, he rested the book against his thighs and began to work the pencil again. Time melted away to the scratching sounds of the lead against paper. He lost himself to the work. Eventually an image took shape of a tall and powerful looking woman standing amidst a crystalline structure. She had unusual eyes that looked almost like cross hairs meeting at her pupils. He studied the half finished sketch for a long moment wondering who she might be. There was a distant familiarity to it, like a relative whose name he¡¯d forgotten. His door chime pinged just as he was close to recalling the name. With a weary sigh he rose and pressed the button next to the door, it faded into a whispy pink illusion as everyone piled in with a can of beer. They swept in and took seats where they could leaving him standing by the doorway confused. ¡°What¡¯s all this about?¡± ¡°We all got to talking and thought the squad was due to relax.¡± Akamori noticed there wasn¡¯t any beer for him. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t bring any for me?¡± Sirsir chuckled, ¡°No sir. Not after that fiasco on Eryn. We gotta keep you fresh for the cage fights.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Everyone exchanged looks before glancing back at him. ¡°Nothing!¡± They all sang. Sala and Yasiin exchanged grins with Amara and Sirsir just leaned against the wall sat on Akamori¡¯s bunk. ¡°So you all brought down beer just to drink it in front of me? What for?¡± ¡°We thought we lost you in that death march nonsense those dragons sent you on.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°And we didn¡¯t think it was right that you came out of it ok without congratulating you.¡± When the dark skinned nco finished he looked to the empty space in the middle of his room. Astri shimmered into view standing in the previously empty gap of the group. She¡¯d been there along, cloaked again. Her face was covered, giving her a mysterious vibe, but it fit with what little of her he¡¯d known. ¡°You acquitted yourself well before the wyrm mother if you yet stand amongst the living. Though, I¡¯ll be honest when I saw your body disintegrate to ash in the lightning storm? I thought you were gone.¡± Akamori nodded, sweeping his cousin up in a fierce hug. ¡°Thanks. I couldn¡¯t have made it that far without your help.¡± Astri hesitantly patted his back before he disengaged from her. ¡°There are whispers already moving like a gentle breeze through the rider camps of the mysterious outrider who stood defiant before the dragons and faced the wyrm mother.¡± Akamori held his hands up. ¡°Not interested. I came here to clear my name. Not inherit some kind of savior problem.¡± Amara chuckled softly under her breath, catching a stern glare from him. ¡°Cousin, please. Just keep an open mind. You¡¯ve seen how poorly they treat us riders. I¡¯m asking nothing of you beyond that.¡± He folded his arms and nodded after a few pensive moments. ¡°Alright. But that¡¯s all I can promise. There¡¯s a war going on and that¡¯s my first concern.¡± ¡°Of course. The state of our local affairs will matter little if your enemies move unchecked.¡± One of the wall panels bled some of the black blood. A small finger tip length droplet that ooze free of its confine. Astri stopped talking to look at the drop. Slowly she raised a finger to point at it. ¡°Your ship is bleeding.¡± She said flatly. ¡°It¡¯s a condition.¡± Akamori said flippantly. ¡°Got any field dressings?¡± ¡°No, I left my ship sized roll of gauze at home.¡± Akamori wanted to laugh, but a long drawn out yawn broke loose instead. His entire body grew heavier with each passing moment. Exhaustion was banging at his minds door. Any moment he was going to collapse, he was certain of it. The lack of battles and need to press had finally allow the past day or so to press in on. ¡°Right. I¡¯m beat. Everyone out. Go on. Give a poor man a break.¡± A chorus of ¡°awe¡± rang out before the squad finally got up and moved for the portal into his quarters. As they filed out they each gave him a pat on the shoulder and a happy grin. It was a near thing, almost losing him. None of them liked that it was down to the whims of a god. He watched as they left and then waved his arms around checking for Astri. Just in case. Satisfied he had his room all to himself he unbuckled Thanaton, resting the blade against his bed and fell down onto it hard. He was so tired he didn¡¯t even remember at what point his eyes closed. Sleep however brought him no respite. Akamori spun in a slow circle seeing death in every direction. He was surrounded by the a host of spirits he¡¯d collected in battle. Spectral pallid green after images of a variety of dragons of various ages gathered around him like moths to a flame. They said nor did nothing beyond stare at him. He felt uncomfortable for a moment. Be at ease. They are simply the souls of those you¡¯ve bested in combat. In epics past, our soul used to ferry the recently departed into the afterlife. They recognize the mark of soul envoy, even if you yourself do not understand yet. Bahumet¡¯s voice rumbled in his mind like a voice dragged over a gravel walkway. ¡°So what do I do?¡± Lead them on a walk. Eventually they will find their own way. They simply need you as a guide. Shrugging, he strode, a spectral void dragon shimmering just out of sight at his side followed pace silently. Walking a long stone paved path, the details off the walkway got fuzzy, like they¡¯d been forgotten by creation. As his mind dwelled on that, a deep purring chuckle resonated. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Your mind only manifests that minimum necessary detail. But it can be deceptive and untrustworthy narrator. ¡°You¡¯re saying not to trust my own mind?¡± Always question. Like these spirits. Why do you think they¡¯ve gathered around you in death? ¡°I have no idea?¡± Nor would you. You are on the cusp of godhood. Spirits naturally gravitate around the divine. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t believe in you?¡± Correct. The divine pull of a god is strong enough to prevent a soul from traversing the maw and returning to the cycle. That gave Akamori something to consider. Were gods helpful to the cycle? What if they prevent the cycle from moving in a natural fashion? Another chuckling rumble purred from Bahumet. He glanced over at the shimmering mirage of the great void dragon. Then back to the souls who followed along behind him like a spectral entourage. You begin to scratch at some of the greater issues within the System. Gods and Titans did not always exist. Nor did their false counter parts the Icons. But the system needed a way to structure beings with that much power. Those who mirrored the faintest shadow of glory of Those who came before. ¡°Those who came before? Before what?¡± Before the system. Before the Severance. Akamori folded his hands behind his head as he strode along. Giving himself to the conversation completely. How often did one get to talk to his own soul like this? ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll bite. What are those and what should they mean to me?¡± To you? Nothing more than mere words. To our soul? Everything. ¡°You keep talking at me like me and my soul aren¡¯t the same thing.¡± Because you are not. All life comprises aether, flesh, and soul. All three things are required for it to be truly considered alive. If one possesses aether and flesh, it is merely a monster. A manifestation of ambient energy and need. But they lack souls. If they possess aether and a soul, they are a ghoul or a phantom. You may have seen some employed in the stead of necromancers of Sauridius. Akamori shivered. ¡°Ugh. Yeah.¡± A pity, that. They are pale shadows of what they once used to be. Necromancers used to revere the balance of the cycle and fought long and hard to maintain its balance. But they were overtaken by Sauridius when he recognized the potential to put them to work for his own ends. ¡°Wait. You mean he didn¡¯t make them himself?¡± No. Sauridius is many things, but a creator he is not. It is far easier for him to repurpose another¡¯s effort as his own. ¡°Do we have a shot at ending this war?¡± Bahumet¡¯s massive head dipped thoughtfully. A deep throaty bellow rumbled as he thought over the issue. There is a chance of success. Yes. But it will carry a price. One that may prove worse than letting Sauridius win. Akamori snapped his attention to Bahumet¡¯s hazy figure. ¡°Can we try going for something less ominous and foreboding?¡± The future is always in motion. Events pushing yet more events towards what may seem like destiny. Sometimes a strong enough being may be able to divine where those streams converge. But sometimes an even more powerful being can conceal certain key streams, robbing their enemies of the opportunity to counter act. Such is the ever evolving tapestry of creation. ¡°So everything I¡¯ve done could have been just me marching to someone elses drum beat?¡± Yes. Or your reactions are marching against someone elses drum beat to borrow your own wording. ¡°So how do I know if I¡¯m acting on my own, or just someone¡¯s puppet?¡± Is there truly a distinction? And would it even matter? Akamori opened his mouth to respond and paused mid thought. ¡°Hmm. Good point. So how do I break free of that and become self deterministic?¡± Amass enough power that none can decide your actions for you. Which you are well on the road to doing. Already you are on the cusp of godhood. Can you not hear the whispers of prayer? Those who cry out for change? Their words will always be ferried to you. The agent of change and chaos within the System. ¡°Certainly wasn¡¯t the first thing that popped into my head when my father asked what I wanted to do with my life. Oh wait! He didn¡¯t! He was trying to tell me what I¡¯d be too.¡± Akamori huffed. Bahumet chuckled in a gravely bellow. Fate is often cruel and has a warped sense of humor. Often what we want and what we need are seldom the same things. ¡°And what is it exactly I need?¡± A final push into divinity. But that will come in time. Close your eyes and listen. Can you not hear them? The prayers of those who worship you? Worship imparts strength. But that connection can work both ways. By taking a covenant, a follower may pledge their worship to you entirely. In exchange, you may gift them a small measure of power. As you increase in power, the amount of covenants you may give and the type of covenants will grow as well. Akamori stopped walking and closed his eyes. The whispers were there at the edge of his consciousness. Now that he was focusing on them, they grew louder, as though spoken softly by someone right next to him. A plea for help. A hope for change. Cries for justice, and wishes for aid. He wondered why him? Why was this coming to him? It¡¯s colored into your soul. Bahument responded. Akamori sighed in frustration. This was really starting to get old. He was about to force himself awake when the sky rippled a distorted lavender that settled out across his dreamscape. ¡°What¡­was that?¡± We¡¯ve been attacked with a divine sleep spell. ¡°That sounds bad.¡± Very much so as it leaves you physcially vulnerable. A massive draconic foot crashed down next to Akamori, very much a part of the reality of his dream. A black and purple head lowered next to him, facing off into the distance with a hyper alert glare. Bahumet bellowed, teeth bared as void magic rippled from his eyes. In the shimering haze of the sunny Honshu afternoon, a figure approached. ? Chapter 147: The Remover of Obstacles The Remover of Obstacles Akamori and Bahumet stood poised for a fight within the dreamscape. The gathered souls behind Akamori writhed anxiously, sensing the growing tension. With a wave of his hand they eased. The lone figure approaching them strode in confident even paces. A purposeful gait that wasn¡¯t rushed. It was here intentionally. Bahumet¡¯s tail flicked agitatedly, dragging a snag in the sky like a finger pulled down wet paint. As the great destroyer settled, so too did the environment. Akamori couldn¡¯t help feeling like he¡¯d just taken one too many hallucinogenics before going to sleep. These were all problems he didn¡¯t need. As the wanderer approached, details came into focus. Akamori noticed that a ragged black cloak covered a massive frame. Whoever was coming was built like someone stuffed the Sgt. into a too small set of spell armor, painted his skin grey and threw a tail on his face. At least, that¡¯s what Akamori thought from so far off. Eventually, as the man approached, Akamori realized it was some manner of trunk. The stranger stopped out of melee range and drew back his hood slowly, deliberately. As much an action of caution as display. ¡°What the heck are you?¡± Akamori said softly. ¡°My kind are very rare in many sectors. Fallen from grace, the few remaining dregs of an empire passed.¡± The stranger spoke in a voice that held an accent Akamori wasn¡¯t used to hearing. It was cultured, educated, and had a sing songy lilt to it. It was deep in tone, spoken from a powerful body that was threatening enough on its own. To challenge it would court death. His aura was also held in check very well. Controlled and subdued. Akamori sighed, already sensing this was going to be another one of those vague, get more questions than answers kind of talks. He started twirling his hand, gesturing for the stranger to hurry and get on with it. ¡°Yeah. Amazing dodge, but you didn¡¯t answer the question.¡± The trunk huffed, and the stranger bowed his head. Akamori noted he had a large, pronounced forehead. Large ears that looked like they could be flapped to cool him off but probably had sick sound pickup, and a set of tusks that protruded from his mouth. ¡°Observant. I was warned you would be¡­ different, but I confess this shade is not quite what I¡¯d expected of one that had once been so great. Perhaps that may change, but then, I¡¯d prefer not to leave that chance.¡± Akamori glanced up to Bahumet. ¡°Did people just talk around you the whole time when you were alive?¡± ¡°It is an acquired taste. But you get used to it,¡± Bahumet rumbled, eying the stranger cautiously. The strange alien, for his part, held his large powerful hands aloft in a show of non hostility. ¡°My apologies, but I am not here for violence.¡± ¡°Then why are you here?¡± ¡°Discourse.¡± was the stranger¡¯s simple reply. ¡°Regarding what, old one?¡± Bahumet spoke. ¡°Ah. So you recognize my kind.¡± ¡°Your forget your place, child of the stars. My kind are the eldest. From a time when creation was still figuring itself out. Now what are you here to discuss.¡± ¡°Him.¡± The stranger said, pointing a strong, thick digit at Akamori. Dark eyes pointed straight at him. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Your progress is¡­too rapid. So I¡¯m here to slow you down. I need you at a certain place, at a certain time, at a certain level of power. It¡¯s too early for the King of Hell to ascend just yet.¡± ¡°And just what are you going to do?¡± Bahumet¡¯s aura flared dangerously, and Akamori noticed that his own was doing so in tandem. Sometimes it was easy to forget just he wasn¡¯t exactly alone in his own body. ¡°Again, nothing so banal as violence. In fact, quite the opposite. My very presence here is serving the purpose.¡± ¡°He¡¯s stalling.¡± Akamori said. The tusked stranger gave him another nod. ¡°You¡¯re more perceptive than I expected. That is both good and bad.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Akamori demanded. ¡°Because in some ways we share a purpose. In others, we do not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the balance of that scale leans more into the do not catagory.¡± Akamori said. ¡°You have the right of it.¡± The stranger affirmed. ¡°So. You¡¯re here stalling me, from what?¡± The stranger gave Akamori a silent smile. Bahumet smashed a massive paw down on the man, raking his talons down into the soil, leaving deep furrows. But the stranger stood untouched. ¡°He¡¯s a projection.¡± Bahumet growled. ¡°Meaning he¡¯s not really here?¡± The draconic soul nodded. ¡°He¡¯s an astral projection in your mind in the dreamscape. Probably piggybacking the divine sleep spell.¡± ¡°The Destroyer of Worlds has it correct. I need you asleep while I go to work elsewhere.¡± ¡°Seems like a big risk to tip your hand off. You could have just left me alone. At least then I could have kept on dreaming.¡± The stranger nodded and held a finger up to gesticulate as he spoke. ¡°This isn¡¯t your first incarnation I¡¯ve visited like this. Though this time I wanted to try something a little different. See if I might avoid history repeating itself.¡± Akamori wiped his hand down his face in frustration and turned to Bahumet. ¡°Translation?¡± ¡°The Remover of Obstacles.¡± Bahumet growled. ¡°The what?¡± Akamori said, feeling the conversation pulling away from him. The Remover grinned, slowly applauding. ¡°So, if you¡¯re removing me as an obstacle, what¡¯s your target?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Ah. But that would be telling. And I don¡¯t think we¡¯re quite that far yet. Give it time.¡± The Remover winked. Akamori bit back a chuckle. But it eventually erupted in belly laugh. He held his hand for a moment, gesturing for a pause. The Remover glared at Akamori then looked to Bahumet for aid. None came from the black and lavender scaled dragon as it watched Akamori silently with a bemused grin. The Remover¡¯s trunk writhed with rage before he sucked in several deep calming breaths and regained his composure. When he opened his eyes again, the mask of casual control had returned. The grey skinned male spoke again, intoning his easygoing attitude of confidence and superiority. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten what traversing the maw can do to a soul. Your previous selves were less¡­ juvenile.¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed it took me this long to realize what a pompous dork you are. Seriously, who calls themselves the Remover of Obstacles?¡± Akamori devolved into laughter again. An awkward moment passed in the silence from the Remover and Bahumet. ¡°The name is a handle that I have acquired in the many years of my service.¡± ¡°Maleficus.¡± Bahumet growled. Talons scraped on soil, drawing Akamori¡¯s gaze. ¡°Who is Maleficus?¡± Akamori asked. The name tugged at something within his subconscious. Like a memory buried in fog. ¡°The master whom I serve.¡± The Remover said proudly. ¡°Your master is dead.¡± Bahumet said. ¡°Or else we¡¯d be speaking to her.¡± The Removers¡¯ mouth twitched. ¡°A temporary situation, as you¡¯re intimately familiar with, I¡¯m sure.¡± Bahumet¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°This isn¡¯t a reincarnation. Merely a soul union.¡± The Remover¡¯s large hands came up in a placating gesture. ¡°Of course. But while your intentions may not be to return, my mistress fully intends to return. We have unfinished business, as you know.¡± ¡°Burning creation to the ground is not a solution for what¡¯s coming. In dividing ourselves, we only strengthened them.¡± The Remover shrugged indifferently. The first time, he genuinely looked honest. This struck a chord with Akamori. ¡°Perhaps. But it¡¯s not my place to judge. I¡¯m merely following the mandate my mistress left behind.¡± He didn¡¯t exactly disagree with Bahumet¡¯s statement. He just stepped around it. ¡°What mandate was that exactly?¡± ¡°Prepare for her return.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not afraid we¡¯ll stop you? Seems kind of cocky to share your plan with someone who you¡¯ve been fighting with for centuries.¡± ¡°Millenia, to be more accurate. And no. I¡¯m not. To be afraid of your interference would require you to be capable of it. You are not.¡± ¡°Then why are we here?¡± The Remover grinned but didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Right. That would be telling.¡± Akamori said, rolling his eyes. He¡¯d had enough of this and began infusing his aura with wild electrical energy. Raw, undiluted air magic. The sky grew dark and gloomy as lightning cracked in the distance. The storms drew nearer and the Remover¡¯s brow arched. There it was. He¡¯d slipped up. ¡°You thought you could keep me locked in here. You didn¡¯t expect me to be strong enough to throw you out of my mind. But guess what? I can, and I am.¡± Instinctively, Akamori¡¯s aura lashed out, seizing the Remover¡¯s form up like a fiery hand made of energy. Slowly he squeezed the Remover who winced, but didn¡¯t react. Before attacking, he paused. Perhaps he¡¯d overestimated his own ability? Maybe the Remover was stronger than he¡¯d thought? Was this a bluff? The sky split open and a black blade stabbed down through the Remover¡¯s chest like a hurled javelin. Behind it, the black form of Frank, his soul bonded voidsent. Frank landed next to him in a crouch, aether hungry eyes resting firmly on the Remover like a wild cat eying up its first meal in a week. Banish this interloper! Thanaton hissed. ¡°Thanks for the visit, but we¡¯re full up on guests.¡± Akamori said. Then his aura blew violently into the Remover¡¯s projection like the afterburner of a fighter jet, boiling away the astral projection. Even in the still absence that followed, Akamori felt the cold shiver of abject confidence and arrogance. That level of arrogance made Akamori sick. It reminded him of the bastard that ruined Honshu and Eryn. When the last of the Remover¡¯s aetheric presence evaporated from the dreamscape, he could feel whatever constrictive magic holding him asleep had been burned away. Bahumet gave him an affirming nod, and he awoke violently. Bursting from his bed in a torrent of blankets and sheets, he ran through Indra¡¯s corridors with Thanaton in hand, wild-eyed looking for the massive grey skinned Remover. He checked each room and found everyone sleeping, except for Amara. ¡°Is everything ok?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Had a nightmare.¡± He added, following a pause. He glanced around and felt a light tingle on his skin. He couldn¡¯t explain it at the time and wrote it off as a side of effect of the Remover¡¯s spell that held him asleep. ¡°You ok in here?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°Yeah!¡± Amara responded quickly. She nodded, rising to slowly push him out of her room. ¡°I¡¯m good. Except for you. Get some rest. You look like a mess.¡± He stumbled backwards until the wall solidified separating them. He stood in the corridor and sighed. He couldn¡¯t explain how or why, but he was certain she wasn¡¯t telling him the truth. Something was wrong, and he wasn¡¯t sure what. That uncertainty was becoming a dagger in his side. A wound that never stopped bleeding. She¡¯s lying! Thanaton hissed. Frank, and even Bahumet in his human form, strode next to him. On Hoshun this would have sent him running. Now? He was so used to it, he wondered if he was losing his grip on reality. No, you¡¯re merely expanding your awareness of what reality is , Bahumet said. The Remover smelled foul. Like the void. He is tainted by it . Frank mused. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t like it either. But then¡­void magic is a big part of me now too. So I¡¯m not exactly strutting around pure of the sunshine.¡± His presence complicates everything. Expect him to not be far wherever there is trouble, Bahumet cautioned. ¡°Like Ominek?¡± Bahumet shook his head, a sad look in his gaze. No. Much worse. Where calamity struck, he was often in its shadow. Always moving the pieces around so that Maleficus could return. Now that he¡¯s out in the open, he will become a problem. ¡°We can¡¯t stop the fight with Sauridius to chase phantoms. We have to deal with him first.¡± Agreed. But then, I think that is factored into his plans. He will use that against. Forcing our need to act against Ominek and Sauridius to position both of us against each other, weakening any potential retaliation against Maleficus when she reemerges. ¡°We lose and she wins no matter what, huh?¡± Indeed. One thing is certain. Her return will change everything, assuming it doesn¡¯t end it first. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to stop her. One god at a time, I¡¯ll stop them all.¡± The void magic in his breast writhed eagerly at the call for destruction, but next to it. The light magic. It radiated powerfully with his desire to protect everyone. Like a beacon light in the darkest of nights. If only he knew how true that analogy would prove. ? Chapter 148: Opening your Eyes Opening your Eyes Amara glanced around, confused. She was sure she¡¯d been asleep. But now she found herself in a surreal dreamscape that seemed as whimsical and chaotic as it was real. Reality warped and twisted around her as she took a few experimental steps. This can¡¯t be real? ¡°That¡¯s because it is and it isn¡¯t.¡± She spun, hands up aether and aura channeled, ready to fight. ¡°Your mind and soul are being projected into the realm of minds. A dreamscape if you will. But I would advise caution. Should you suffer any injuries here, they would follow you back to your body when you wake. So, please. Be at ease. I would hate for any accidents to happen.¡± She narrowed her eyes. He¡¯d used the words she¡¯d just been thinking. Did that mean he was able to read her mind? ¡°Only your surface thoughts. In time and with sufficient power and training, I¡¯m sure you could shield them from me. But as you are now? They are easy to sift through.¡± ¡°Then tell me why I¡¯m here. Who are you? What do you want with me?¡± ¡°Two things.¡± The Remover said, holding to two large digits. His hands alone large enough to crush men¡¯s heads. ¡°To have a brief chat. And then to give you a gift.¡± ¡°A chat about what?¡± The grey skinned man smiled, his large tusks making the gesture look more garish than normal. ¡°Fascinating that you overlooked the gift for the discussion. I¡¯d always assumed you to be an intellectual. It¡¯s just refreshing to finally experience it.¡± Amara blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not following. What do you mean, finally experience it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve scryed this moment countless times in the past. But now I¡¯m finally living it. And after meeting your friend Akamori, you¡¯re a breath of fresh air.¡± Amara bit back the chuckle. That tracked. Akamori had a bad habit of pissing off the wrong people, and this guy was definitely the wrong people. ¡°Ok. That says you have power. Lots of it. You also have skill. And you¡¯re after something.¡± She said ticking off fingers with each fact. She turned to the large male. He was wearing black armor that almost hurt her eyes to look at. ¡°Which means you could kill me, but haven¡¯t. So you either need me, or need my friends for something. But you¡¯ve already met Akamori, so that rules out my friends.¡± ¡°I could be using you to leverage the Captain. She¡¯s a powerful mage with a divine power.¡± ¡°That you have as well. No¡­you¡¯re here for me. The question is why?¡± The Remover clapped his hands together; he seemed to enjoy the conversation. ¡°It has been quite some time since I¡¯ve truly enjoyed uplifting anyone. I can tell you¡¯re going to be the exception to the rule.¡± ¡°Uplift?¡± He smiled, halting himself. He¡¯d clearly gotten ahead of himself, and her question reminded him to pump the brakes. She almost mentally admonished herself. She should have let him keep talking. ¡°Perhaps you should have. Perhaps not. I¡¯m here because I have a transaction for you. One you won¡¯t refuse.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to gift you power. And then you¡¯ll use that power for me at a later time.¡± ¡°Too vague. You¡¯ll need to do better than that.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t. Because if you decline my offer, I¡¯ll go room to room and systematically murder everyone on this ship.¡± She folded her arms in protest. She was powerless to stop him if he wanted to make good on the threat. They both knew it. She knew he felt like he was in control, but that he also liked to talk and wasn¡¯t against the occasional slip up. Maybe she could use that against him. ¡°I think we both know that won¡¯t be necessary if you¡¯ve been studying this moment for so long, then you¡¯ve obviously seen how it ends correct?¡± ¡°Partially correct. You there are always branching possibilities and paths. For example, you could choose to decline my offer steadfastly. Be a person of true principle. And then watch as I paint this ship¡¯s interior red with your friend¡¯s blood. They would try to resist. The young godling with the red hair is the only one who would truly trouble me, but I¡¯ve prepared for that eventuality.¡± ¡°What have you done to Akamori?¡± ¡°Nothing negative. I¡¯ve just placed him in a divine sleep spell and left a mental shade to distract him.¡± ¡°So you really are here just for me. Why though? Like you said, he¡¯s already more powerful than I am. What makes me the better pick?¡± The Remover smirked. ¡°Your friend is strong and has skill. I¡¯ll grant him that. But I need someone with a more deft touch than he possesses. And for events to unfold as I need them to, you¡¯ll need the gift I¡¯m offering.¡± ¡°So if I¡¯m understanding your logic, you think investing power in me now is most beneficial to getting an outcome you want later on? So it¡¯s a this for that exchange?¡± ¡°In a less direct manner, perhaps. I¡¯m not doing this with the expectation of a favor returned. I just need you to be capable enough to do something at a time and place that would align events for the best outcome for me.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose I can get any hints on what it is I¡¯m meant to do or become?¡± The Remover pondered this for a long moment. His gaze went glassy as he stared off into the distance. Amara waved her hands in front of his vacant gaze for a moment, curious if she¡¯d somehow lost him. Like a bad connected to the Brotherhood¡¯s Extranet. Finally, the Remover¡¯s eyes refocused, and he glanced up. Apparently either having decided on his answer or seeing the consequences of it. ¡°You¡¯re meant to open your eyes. Divinity and prophecy swirls violently in your friends. Akamori is not the only one destined for divine ascension.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m going to become powerful like Akamori?¡± The Remover nodded silently. That interested her. She leaned against her dresser, tilting her head to study the large man in his black armor. His biology was truly alien to her. The long trunk, tusks, and large ears set him apart from any other humanoid race. She¡¯d never encountered one like him yet. ¡°And you most likely won¡¯t again until you traverse the stars far beyond this sector. My people are pale shadows of their past glory. The last specs of dust of a failed empire, crumbled to dust by both time and titans.¡± The Remover said again, in that all too annoying way of reading minds. ¡°I¡¯ll bet that annoyed the hell out of Akamori.¡± The Remover nodded. ¡°Quite so. But his is a soul chained to fate that desperately struggles against its bindings. He will always feel trapped by it. Unable to escape. As we all are.¡± The Remover said, with a more introspective tone and look at his hands than Amara had expected. ¡°You sound like you¡¯re talking from experience.¡± ¡°Perhaps. Or perhaps I¡¯m just good at manipulating people.¡± Amara shrugged. She didn¡¯t care too much whether she was right or not. Though she suspected she was, and he was just trying to throw her. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s both and you¡¯re just not used to people calling out your bullshit.¡± The Remover sucked in a long breath, his trunk curling around his waist to the right. ¡°It has been quite some time since I¡¯ve walked among mortals again, regardless of how close to the ledge of divinity they stand. I am rusty, as you mortals would say.¡± ¡°Well, you know what they say. You never really forget after your first time. Just have to blow the dust off. Now, I guess I¡¯ve wasted enough of your time. So this gift? I guess we should get to that now?¡± ¡°Indeed. Our allotted time is almost at an end.¡± The Remover held his massive palm up to her and a beam of radiant crimson and orange magic punched into her chest, swirling and pooling where all her other magic lived. It grew and grew so much that it outpaced all the other magic she¡¯d collected. She could feel the heat radiating off of her in waves. Her flesh felt like fire, and her bones felt like molten rock. She tried to suck in a breath, but the magic continued to flow in paralyzing her. Something flashed in front of her eyes, and she realized her Maetrayopts power was now permanently active. Something triggered by the divine raw influx of magic. She wanted to scream out, but couldn¡¯t. And just like that, it was gone. ¡°I have given you a divine infusion of fire magic. Your Maetrayopts are now active permanently. You will no longer need to trigger or channel them. As well, your other divination spells and abilities will be enhanced. You will have the strength you need for the days to come. But more importantly, the foresight to see what you need to win.¡± She¡¯d collapsed to the bed, the power still pulsing throughout her body. When she looked at the Remover she saw a negative black cutout in reality. A dark silhouette of himself. All she saw was pure void. But she suspected that was just what he wanted her to see. ¡°Very astute. Already your power serves you. My task is done, so I¡¯ll leave you at peace. I look forward to seeing future events unfold in real time.¡± Amara grunted in response. It was about the best she could manage as her body assimilated the vast reservoir of magic it¡¯d just been fed. Her head was pounding as her eyes now took in so much information that her mind was struggling to process it all. It wasn¡¯t just dimensional information she was processing, but also time and probability now as well. She¡¯d developed an alternative to the Captain¡¯s divine sight ability. But more than that, she also had the increased intellect to process the data. With a casual wave of his hand, the Remover of Obstacles had created one of the most intelligent beings to walk creation in millions of cycles. This was a thing she knew. She also didn¡¯t just know there possibilities she¡¯d denied the gift, but she could see the outcome. The convergent realities were too much information, and she had to close her eyes and focus her mind on what she wanted to see. To allow the excess raw information to spill away like water poured into an open hand. Slowly the mental strain bled away, and when she opened her eyes, she saw only what she wanted to, though the focus it took to maintain that was a different strain. It would take practice, like working a new muscle she¡¯d only just discovered. It would take repeated rest cycles. Rising back to her feet, she drew in several slow breaths. Now that she had her equilibrium, she allowed the rest of her body to relax. At least until her door flew open with a wild-eyed Akamori brandishing his black blade. He looked ready for a fight. The pieces clicked together for her with alarming alacrity. He was hunting for the Remover. Immediately she schooled her features into a surprised expression and rubbed her eyes. The exhaustion of her body processing so much raw magic was making a need for sleep a very real issue. ¡°Is everything ok?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Akamori said. ¡°Had a nightmare.¡± He added, following a pause. He glanced around like a wildcat sniffing the air to track prey. He could sense the Removers¡¯ presence, likely by the magic pressure he¡¯d left on the area. Like a footprint. ¡°You ok in here?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°Yeah!¡± Amara responded quickly. She nodded, rising to slowly push him out of her room. ¡°I¡¯m good. Except for you. Get some rest. You look like a mess.¡± She needed to terminate this encounter before he figured something out concrete and got himself into trouble. That was the last thing anyone needed right now. For all his good qualities, he definitely didn¡¯t know when to leave a situation be. When the door shut, cutting them off, she heaved a sigh and leaned against it sliding down. Her eyelids were heavy, her mind felt like they stuffed it with cotton and her limbs moved like she was stuck in thick mud. Even though her mind was addled by fatigue, she still had the mental alertness to wonder where exactly the strange being had gone after their meeting. Had he left the ship? Or was he still there, lurking somewhere waiting in the dark? She could feel something changing inside her. The nature of her magic, and the nature of her being. It was all being rewritten into something grander. Her skin tingled and through her Maetrayopts she could see something she¡¯d only seen a rare few times. Divinity blooming within her. Panic set in. She needed to leave. Soon. Fear of what exactly she was changing into overrode all logic. She needed to protect her friends, and the best way to do that was to create distance. Quarantine herself from the others until she understood what was happening. For all she knew the Remover had turned her into a giant magic bomb. On queue of that thought, a vision settled over her. A station in the deep void. It overlooked a human world. Surrounded by satellites. Weapons platforms? But they weren¡¯t facing out, they were facing in. Questions bubbled up in her mind as the vision continued, dragging her along with it. She and felt things within the vision that struck a chord of familiarity with her even though she had no waking memory of them. A sword and shield of blinding light. A scale to balance¡­something? And a location. That, above all, seared itself into her mind. She had to get to that station. She needed answers. A plan formed in her mind. One that made her sick to contemplate, but in her heart she knew was necessary. She only prayed the others would understand. ? Chapter 149: A deal for blood A deal for blood In the dark black depths of Theferis where Maleficus¡¯ blood oozed slowly, The Remover hovered just above its surface. He drifted at a slow pace, heading for his next appointment. He referred to them like that because it helped to frame the encounter as a necessary business transaction. The foul stench of his goddess¡¯s blood soaking the deep interior of this relic warship almost forced a gag from him. The need to breathe from his nostrils as a necessity had passed with his ascent to immortality. He knew of some who still indulged in the senses, opting for those shards of memory that spoke to who they once were. But for him? They were just the trappings of being weak. Useless habits to be shed like reptilian skin. The oppressive aura of his next appointment writhed angrily ahead. A corrupted dragon tainted by the dark blood. He could almost barely sense the air magic it was born of. The blood had so thoroughly soaked the creature it was now more void dragon than not. It was young and strong for its age. When it caught sight of his aura, it lashed out at him reflexively, talons crashing into a protective ward. ¡°Ah, so there is still a mind left in there. Good.¡± He wove a complex morph spell that forced the dragon into his humanoid transformation, startled to find that he lacked the telltale wings and tail. It was rare for dragons to develop such mastery of thier morphed form. If he had to list off how many he¡¯d known capable of the feat, he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d use up one whole hand. Before him, a shivering human with jet black hair cowered in the blood. ¡°You¡¯re him!¡± The humanoid dragon said, trying to backpedal in the muck. He arched a brow, fighting back the urge to grin. Introductions were such curious things. Impressions needed to be made, so you eliminated the need to posture. It always excited him when his reputation preceded him. ¡°Go on,¡± he encouraged. ¡°The Remover. His herald of darkness.¡± He chuckled, a lighthearted affair that looked and sounded out of place for someone as large, imposing, and clad in ebon armor as he was. Good. Now they could begin. ¡°Since you know who I am, that saves us both a lot of time. I know who you are Helios. I know that this is not your true reality. That you were brought here from a different one. One slaked in darkness and blood.¡± Suspicion immediately colored Helios¡¯ expression. All fear and anger immediately overcome. So, there was still some warrior left in the dragon. Good, he thought. That was precisely what he needed. One final nudge and all the required pieces would be poised. ¡°I propose an offer.¡± He said simply. ¡°An offer? Anything you offer would be tainted with darkness. I have enough of that already.¡± He sighed, his trunk swished side to side casually. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m well aware. I can sense it in you. Her dark touch. The corruption. The power. You can¡¯t return home. Not as you are. And there isn¡¯t a mage around who could cleanse you completely.¡± Helios looked confused. This much lucidity was clearly a rare thing for him. Trapped in all this blood after being tainted by it. The willpower to resist it all must be immeasurable. ¡°Exactly. So why should I take anything you offer? I¡¯m already a lost cause, and Thalara is safe now.¡± ¡°Is she really, though? Can¡¯t you sense that unsettling hum just at the edge of hearing? An elder god stirs. Close to awakening. If left unchecked, Suaridius will shackle the entire sector and bend it to his will.¡± Helios sighed wearily. ¡°If it¡¯s not one threat, it¡¯s another. I¡¯m tired of fighting.¡± He nodded, drifting in a lazy circle around Helios. ¡°Perhaps. But a lack of action on your part will mean certain doom for the sector. And your sister will just become another puppet for Sauridius.¡± Helios scoffed weakly. Centuries and millennia of struggle displayed plain in his tired features. ¡°So, what do you propose?¡± ¡°A simple this for that arrangement. A time will come when you will be capable of doing something for me. Do it, and I¡¯ll see to it that a ritual to cleanse your sister of the black blood succeeds.¡± Helios¡¯s eyes focused, and an ember stoked into a tiny flame. Hope rekindled in the young corrupted dragon¡¯s eyes. Followed quickly again by suspicion. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it work with your help?¡± He tsked at Helios¡¯ question. ¡°Come now, do you honestly think we designed the dark blood to be so simple and weak and that a run-of-the-mill purification ritual would cleanse her completely? Are you willing to take that risk?¡± And there it was. The uncertainty that he enjoyed preying upon all too often. He found Sauridius¡¯ reputation as a master manipulator to be grossly overblown purely because the elder god relied too much on bindings and shackles. He preferred to do things the old-fashioned way, with action, leverage, and words. ¡°What must I do?¡± ¡°Nothing too complicated. The occupants of this ship are vital for events to unfold as I need them. You will help them accomplish this. An offer will be made to join them. Do so. They will promise to help your sister, but without my help, their efforts will be worthless. In this fashion, we all get what we want.¡± Helios hissed out a long breath. He ran a hand through his grimy hair. Black blood dripped between his fingers to splatter into the inch deep pool of it coating the deck. He stared down into the inky black muck covering the deck, the walls and dripping from the ceiling. His eyes narrowed and menacing black axes teleported into his hands. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Helios asked. ¡°The Remover.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. Your name. Not your title or nickname or any other monicker. Your name.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He drew in a slow breath through his trunk, contemplating his response. Weighing the pros and cons. Typically, he avoided using his name outside of his master¡¯s immediate presence. But this was a rare instance he felt was an exception, not the rule. ¡°Ganeshti.¡± ¡°Alright Ganeshti.¡± Helios said, rising from the floor. He placed the axes on leather loops at his belt. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll help the ants that took this ship.¡± The bargain made. All that remained now was for them each to live up to their side of it. He bowed his large head in acknowledgment to Helios. ¡°The bargain is struck. As a show of good faith, I will ensure your sister receives the proper blessing for purification. But a Caveat Helios. Betray me, or betray my trust, and I will see that she is so corrupted by the black blood that my goddess could use her as a vessel to reincarnate within immediately. Am I clear?¡± Helios nodded solemnly. ¡°Crystal clear.¡± A pleased smile creased Ganeshti¡¯s features, and he leaned back. ¡°Then our business is concluded. I shall take my leave. Remember Helios. Your sister¡¯s fate depends on the choices you make.¡± And then he was gone. It was likely to look dramatic from Helios¡¯ perspective. In an instant, the corrupted dragon would just see Ganeshti disappear. The truth was far less insidious. He¡¯d simply used a divine ability that allowed him to instantly move himself any distance to any location. It was an ability all divine beings gained access to, even demigods. Though it was a double-edged weapon with a heavy cool down timer. He would need to wait an hour before he could use the ability again if he wanted. Fortunately, for now, he didn¡¯t plan to move for the time being. His laboratory was underway, producing more of the dark blood that Helios¡¯s reality had been overrun with. In the vast distance, he could almost feel her presence. The weight of her divine soul waiting to reclaim a place within the light plane. But now was not the right time. He still needed to cultivate resources and build an adequate pool of worshipers. ¡°All in good time Ganeshti¡± a raspy voice said from behind him. The Ehfant archmage whirled, spell stave at the ready. A trio of fire rubies swam around a midnight onyx diamond. Void magic writhed around the stones as Ganeshti¡¯s aura flared in agitation. ¡°It is unwise for you to be here now.¡± Ganeshti growled. ¡°Tominadara.¡± he added pointedly. Normally, the Ascilonian favored anonymity. He studied Tomin closely for a response. Tomin¡¯s black robes had gothic, almost tribal like designs trimming the cuffs and edge of his hood. The red mask looked similar to an artistic interpretation of a skull mask. Tomin offered the tall Ehfant a smile before calmly striding around the pointed weapon. He kneeled down to inspect the growing pools of dark blood as if inspecting it. ¡°How much longer until you have enough?¡± Ganeshti frowned. He¡¯d not erected any significant wards. They would be vulnerable to divine sight if one knew where and when to look. And yet Tominadara was being far too cavalier. ¡°We¡¯ve waited a long time for your master¡¯s return, Ganeshti. Nurturing events in the background. Moving pieces about like a game of Darstrix. Just as you yourself have, but on a grander scale.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be much longer now. Events are unfolding as foreseen rapidly. Soon Sauridius will awaken, and in the chaos that ensues, my master will return. And when she does, darkness will reign.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯re counting on it Ganeshti. Because if you fail? You will answer to him.¡± A cold shiver raced up his back. The Devourer himself? ¡°You needn¡¯t worry.¡± He replied after clearing his throat. Tominadara rose and faced him again, always with that warm smile. ¡°Good, because the reunion will happen. Another Calamity must transpire.¡± Ganeshti had lived through enough of those to know that Calamity was much worse than they sounded. Not only was it a horrific event in the prime reality, but it also meant the absolute collapse of a branching reality. With all its energies crashing back into the source. These violent confluences weakened the barrier between the Umbral and Astral planes. Soon the darkness would come flooding into the light. ¡°Of course.¡± Ganeshti intoned with a bow. Avoiding the fate that was due to all who opposed the darkness meant serving its needs. Everyone had their game. His master, himself, the Ascilonians. Plans within plans, and schemes within schemes. Allies of happenstance. ¡°In the meantime, there¡¯s someone I¡¯d like you to meet from the Mage Federation. He hails from the Artificers of Aeryn.¡± His curiosity piqued, Ganeshti allowed a thick, ridged brow to arch. ¡°Oh?¡± Tominadara continued casually strolling about the lab, making a play at inspecting things. ¡°Yes. We believe he¡¯ll prove invaluable to your future endeavors.¡± ¡°And what role is he to play?¡± ¡°He will be an artisan of unrivaled genius. Forging a body for your goddess that proves most difficult to destroy. When she returns? You will find victory most assured.¡± ¡°As you say.¡± Ganeshti said, bowing his head. ¡°In the meantime, we¡¯d like for you to go rouse more Icon¡¯s from their slumber. It¡¯s time the sector remembered to fear them again.¡± ¡°Of course. Preferences?¡± Tominadara stroked his exposed chin for a moment thoughtfully. ¡°Perhaps the Lord of Souls.¡± ¡°You mean to let Hades loose upon creation again?¡± Ganeshti asked. Tominadara turned and studied Ganeshti. The Ehfant sensed wry amusement from the black-robed figure. ¡°He¡¯s served his purpose many times in the past.¡± Ganeshti pondered at that statement. Did they have a titan chained up to act on command? Tominadara chuckled, drawing his attention. ¡°Relax. This would be an Icon. A mere shade of the true titan.¡± ¡°And where shall he be set free?¡± Tominadara tapped his chin thoughtfully again. All a show, of course. Ganeshti knew he already knew where. He wished the black robes could be less dramatic. ¡°The New XinJia colony. We¡¯re going to overrun it with the souls of the dead under Leviathos¡¯ watch.¡± ¡°You support his bid to return Sauridius?¡± ¡°My dear friend, we support all bids for chaos.¡± Ganeshti nodded. That was enough then. Troublesome to be sure, but he would simply have to work around the Ascilonian¡¯s plans. And then when the time was right, tear their little order down around them. Previously on… Hey there, I¡¯m TJ. I used to love seeing this on shows like Star Trek and stuff. Anyone remember that epic season 3-4 cliffhanger? The Best of Both Worlds? Where it ends with Riker firing on Locutus in the Cube? Man, that was wild. But it was also nice having that recap. So I figured hey, why not here? After all, we¡¯re 3 books deep and this shows only getting started, so it felt a little poignant to have my own Previously on at the same moment that my favorite show did it too. So, without further ado, let¡¯s get to it. This first one will be thick, but I¡¯ll try to limit the recaps going forward to more relevant bits where I can as the series progresses. *in suitably epic voice* Previously on Galaxy of Gods¡­ Volume 1: Spell Soldier First, we see the soul of Bahumet in the soul realm. He¡¯s just beaten someone called Maleficus (Totally not foreshadowing for a later plot at all). And he¡¯s the soul shard of a being called Xanofex. We meet a goddess of light who seems really friendly with him. Bahumet then heads towards the Ebon Maw so that it can recycle his magic and memories and return to the aether stream. Next, we meet Akamori and experience his clan on their homeworld, Hoshun, a far-flung air mage colony at the edge of the sector. Akamori does a soul walk as a rite of passage and finds out their people were sent there as a contingency plan by the dragons in the sector before a dark shadow fell over it. He¡¯s also called grandfather by the soul of the air dragon. What?! Then we have the poop meet fan moment when Ominek, a necromancer and arch mage dragon, comes along and dick kicks Hoshun. Akamori displays some fantastic ¡°No U¡± capability as Ominek goes for the finisher. Only Akamori, Amara, and Kusinagi survive the attack. Then we meet Captain Morwen, Lt. Rayshe, Sgt. Sirsir, and the gang. Morwen is there because she was handed a prophecy that if Hidros falls, the Sector would soon follow it. And of course she¡¯s the only one who can help. And she¡¯d love to! But she needs well¡­.everything. People, guns, and bullets. She¡¯s got no supplies. But luckily, the prophecy accounts for that, even if it didn¡¯t tell her. That¡¯s why she finds herself at Hoshun, just in time to rescue Akamori and friends. Unsure if they¡¯ll help, Morwen risks nothing to chance and soul binds the refugees to fight, according to the Federation charter. It¡¯s not illegal, but it is pretty dickish. But hey, rules are rules, amirite? After they¡¯ve been recruited, Morwen leaves Sgt. Sirsir in charge of their training. He¡¯s got as long as it takes the Cadaver Crasher to get to Hidros to have them ready for a fight. This sounds like the perfect time for a training montage. It¡¯s a montage! *queue Montage song from Team America*. Akamori and Amara get the basics. Kusinagi is, of course, no fighter, being an artificer and healer for the Order of Aeryn. Morwen then makes it to her second top on their little adventure. The Forge, home of the dwarves, in this sector. Legend has it that many artifacts of incredible power were made at the Forge. Now it serves as a home for the wee people who spend most of their time crafting beer and potions and trading. They summoned Morwen to Hidros asap. The dragons are laying siege and Hidros¡¯ defenses are crumbling. But Morwen objects, knowing if she goes, it¡¯ll mean they all die. They lack the manpower, and firepower. They need time. Time Hidros doesn¡¯t have. Morwen stays the course for the Forge, knowing the decision will probably come back to bite her in the ass later. Morwen trades away a finely crafted item for all the potions her ship can carry. Akamori is slowly warming up to the idea of service with the Captain. It strikes him as odd that no one else is bothering to fight the Sauridius. Almost like no one else with the magic to make a difference gives a damn. The crew finally reaches Hidros and finds it a mess. The dragons own the skies above the planet, and there¡¯s no telling how long they¡¯ve been active on the surface. So the team comes up with a daring plan to retake the sky. The wounded Brotherhood of Man ships hanging out at the edge of the system are sacrificed while the Crasher takes out a large dragon. While that¡¯s going down, Rayshe, Amara, Akamori, Sirsir, and Sala head at the station under stealth. Once aboard, they are attacked by hordes of undead. All the station¡¯s original inhabitants now turned into raving zombies. Progress is slow and costly. Eventually a beachhead is established so they can send in the marines. Unfortunately for the Marines, Rayshe wants to use them as human meat shields to thin out the enemy ranks. The problem with this logic is that the enemy can just use your own fallen to boost his ranks. When Akamori tries to raise this issue with Rayshe, he¡¯s hit with typical arrogant bluster. Rayshe doesn¡¯t care about the Brotherhood marines. But Akamori can¡¯t abide the orders he¡¯s given, and the situation almost boils out of hand until Amara hits him in the back of the head with a sleep spell. It¡¯s Treason then. Akamori and Amara go necromancer hunting and wind up breaking the station. Akamori does a great job of pissing off the necromancer and finding out how long he can hold his breath. But they scare off the dragon and free the station up for control again. All that¡¯s left now is to tackle the planet itself before it¡¯s too late. It¡¯s time to pay the price. Was it worth it? Rayshe is out for blood and he wants a big pound of flesh from Akamori. Insubordination, assault on an officer during a time of war, and dereliction of duty. He¡¯s throwing anything he can at the wall to see what sticks. Akamori doesn¡¯t fight it either. He owns up to his choice. Unfortunately, Morwen faces a tough choice. Her difficult XO, or the man she was shown in a prophecy vital to seeing it succeed. Pistol in hand, she fires, her choice made. Rayshe falls to the floor, his heart cored through. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s covered in the Federation¡¯s health plan¡­ Morwen gets the last of her supplies and a trip from her workaholic mom. Thankfully, Kusinagi is there to cut the tension and greet Akamori. He gives Akamori some fancy new armor loaded to the gills with all kinds of sick extras. He also makes sure Morwen gets everything she¡¯s asked for at no extra markup. Morwen¡¯s mother reluctantly agrees to his demands, recognizing Kusinagi has incredible skills at crafting and business management. She may be out to adopt since her daughter was such a disappointment! The Crasher¡¯s crew is ready to tussle! They got the guns, the potions and the troops. It¡¯s time to throw down. Landing on Hidros they are greeted to a hero¡¯s welcome. Strange, given all the panicked messages they¡¯d been getting prior to landing. The governor wants to throw a parade. *Record scratching to a stop* Now Morwen knows it¡¯s a trap. Unfortunately, she can do little about it but spring it. Playing right into Ominek¡¯s hands. He¡¯s stalling her as hard as he can, but she doesn¡¯t quite know why. She¡¯s fought him on three other worlds, and each loss cost the population dearly. Why is this one different? What makes it so special? An item of power maybe? Like a good villain, the bad guys attack while the heroes are knee deep in civilians. Shenanigans ensue as the squad goes to work, taking out all the undead thrown at the city. Once it¡¯s all said and done, Morwen reveals the Governor has had someone puppeteering him. With that problem dealt with, she¡¯s free to focus on what and where Ominek might be working. Morwen finally makes a breakthrough when she figures out there¡¯s a special water magic centric storm area focused around a mountain. Seems as good a place as any to look! The troops go marching, and the Sauridius forces, of course, make them pay for every inch gained. Finally, the squad finds our villain with a massive ritual circle. The squad breaks out into two teams. Morwen goes with the tanks and the rest flank out with the intention of disrupting the ritual. The fighting is tense as things wobble more and more in favor of the bad guys until Amara makes a clutch observation. They don¡¯t have to stop the spell. Just break it enough it doesn¡¯t do what Ominek wants. With a final mission, the crew goes to work. Morwen distracts Ominek who tries to eat her. And Akamori and the squad fend off his army of goons. After gratuitous butt kicking, the team comes out victorious when Amara finishes the Ritual¡­and wakes a freaking Kaiju sized Dragon. The entire mountain explodes, revealing Big Blue, Akamori¡¯s pet name for Anorax, the son of Hidros. Ominek was trying to shackle Big Blue to win the war early. But fortune doesn¡¯t favor cheating. At least not this time, anyway. Anorax chases off Ominek who flies away with his tail tucked between his legs. The team then have their own unique visions as the lingering soul and mind of Hidros engulfs the crew. They each get their own unique vantage point into the past, and walk away with some new magic! Big Blue won¡¯t eat the crew, but he won¡¯t join them either. He¡¯s still a bit bummed about Hidros kicking the bucket. But now that he¡¯s awake, he takes it on as his personal job to defend the world his family left behind. As for the rest of the crew? They ride off back home, triumphant. Volume 2: Void Reaper Time for consequences, and boy, were there plenty. Morwen is placed under arrest as soon as the crew lands. She¡¯s in for an inquiry that could lead to court martial. Akamori and Amara are untrained mages. So they have to go to school! And all of this is happening in the home of snobbery, Eryn. Which also just happens to be the heart of the Mage Federation and the home of the Elves. Ominek is up to his usual villainy, linking up with soul shackled servants and plotting his revenge on Morwen and her crew. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Amara settles into the Weaver school, and Akamori stubbornly goes to the Warrior school. They have entrance exams of sorts where they are tested. Akamori makes some impressions, having himself mortally wounded. Good thing it happened in the home of light magic in the sector! Yasiin, Sala and Sirsir take some much needed leave with family and friends. Meanwhile Ominek is out making friends, and kissy face with a menacing air wyrm named Ashkatoph. She¡¯s pissed the crew killed her biggest rival. Deprived of the only thing that interested her, she vows to devour the gang. Ashkatoph can¡¯t move on them while they stay on Eryn, but if they leave? They¡¯ll be fair game. Spoilers: They¡¯ll have to leave, eventually. Akamori gets his butt kicked for a few months while Amara spends her time learning more spells and thinking more like a mage. Morwen gets roasted in court to the point the only thing saving her is a shifty elf who holds a majority stake in the Order of Aeryn, the unofficial Artificers guild of the sector. So instead Morwen is demoted and reassigned. They have posthumously awarded all the awards and citations she wrote for the crew to Rayshe. And for the extra cherry on top, Morwen¡¯s father has another prophecy for her. Destiny has come calling once again. And this time, the target is none other than home! The crew, of course, handle it with mixed reactions. Akamori is pissed. Amara is dissapointed. The other¡¯s half expected it. Morwen is humiliated and feels lost. How can she fight now? But of course, her father¡¯s girlfriend comes to the rescue with a conveniently bought ship! Oh, did I mention she was soul shackled by Ominek? I might have forgotten to mention that. So Morwen now has a means to leave the planet. In theory. The ship she¡¯s given is little more than a few plates of steel held together by spit and hope. Morwen¡¯s ship hurts as much to look at as it does to fly, but it¡¯s something. And that gives her enough hope to press on. It sure beat staying on Eryn and getting drunk all the time. Time to rally the crew! Her first stop is her new XO, Akamori. He¡¯s an easy sell. If there¡¯s a fight against the bad guys, he¡¯ll step up. Amara was easily counted on too. Sirsir agreed to go, but Yasiin and Sala decided to stay home. They¡¯ve spent a lot of time away from their families and catching up is important for the Nomad and the Primal. Morwen tries not to take the rejection to heart and pushes forward. The fate of her world is at stake. But she has to find a world that can¡¯t be found. Or worse, doesn¡¯t want to be found. So she tasks Amara with helping her to do that. But before they can, Ashkatoph who was lurking in orbit, pounces. The attack beats the scrappy ship up badly, and the team barely escapes into the Umbral plane. Or so they thought. Ashkatoph chases them in, and the team sets off some brilliant magical fireworks to draw the creatures of the dark to attack. While Ashkatoph defends herself from unimaginable horrors of the deep, the crew escapes on their beat up rust bucket. Now they set a course for their destination with Destiny. However, no one said getting to your destiny would be an easy ride. As the now mangled ship, the crew are riding on needs to land. Which it does. In pieces. The crew quickly realize they aren¡¯t alone on the surface as a horde of fire wildlings swarm after them. After some creative applications of magic, the crew can flee to the Crystal Palace. A location that stands outside of time and space. An anchor point for all realities and possibilities. Inside, they meet the Librarians. A race of custodial creatures who tend and manage the great library contained within the Crystal Palace. The squad gets to rest before each being taken to meet the goddess Sashlu, the goddess of Destiny and Fate herself. Each member of the squad gets a brief conversation with her and receives a portion of her power. Necessary keys for the trials to come. Like Hidros, Sashlu is remaking them and forging them into tools to be used in the grand game. And just in time too, because Ominek is up to a lot of really bad things on Eryn while our heros are gone. With all the pieces in place, he launches his attack. Eryn is defenseless, with Morwen and the others gone. But all hope isn¡¯t lost completely. Sala and Yasiin are still on Eryn to hold the line until backup comes. It¡¯s definitely a Code Brown situation. Hatchlings and undead attacking everywhere as a distraction from the main thrust, a surgical attack against the Arch Priest. Morwen¡¯s old man is no slouch, but he¡¯s fighting a losing fight, and one that he saw coming the instant he gave Morwen her prophecy. This was a fated moment he couldn¡¯t escape. All that was left was to make it hurt, and he does exactly that. Morwen and the gang are on their way back and they get jumped by Ashkatoph again. But this time, they¡¯re ready with a sick new ride, the Indra, a corvette sized spell ship with 4 main spell cannons that can be fired from any spell console. It bangs as the kids say. The crew beats Ashkatoph and makes best speed to Eryn. They show up to an absolute warzone and Morwen is almost shaken. But training kicks in and everyone gets to work. The team focuses on containing the fighting in the capital and Morwen and Akamori make their way to the Arch Priest. The good guys kick names and take butt forcing Ominek to retreat. At the end of the day both sides win a little and lose a little. Ominek kills Morwen¡¯s old man, and leaves a vicsious scar on Eryn that won¡¯t heal anytime soon. And the gang prevented Ominek from completely destroying Eryn¡¯s capital city. However the city is reeling and affraid. Not to mention the socioeconomic climate is dramatically different now that the dwarves and humans have access to expensive magic materials. Volume 3: Kinslayer Book 3 begins shortly after where we left off in two. Eryn is still reeling from the attack by Ominek. The gang spend some time celebrating the lives lost and also take the opportunity to earn a little extra coin. They head to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild after a quick bar fight, and head out to fight an Icon, a false god conjured forth by the wild tribe in the forest. Ominek¡¯s attack caused unrest within the tribe, making them feel desperate enough to create a false god of aether and crystal. After the team puts down the false god, they get word that the new Arch Priest, Erlaut, has decreed an Inquisition against the Sauridius shacklers. This goes over with mixed results among the populace. And the progress is about 1 step forward, two steps back. During their missions, the crew encounters a nasty pair of hatchlings that really give Akamori a challenge. To think in the first book our crimson maned hero struggled against one of them. Our little boy is all grown up now. So after enough of this search and destroy missions, the crew feels like they¡¯re just banging their heads against the wall. Trapped in another losing quagmire. They need to take the initiative. Luckily, the Arch Priest wants Morwen to go to Anazi and try to woo the last of the dragons to Eryn¡¯s side before the Sauridius bind them all. So they all head to Eryn aboard the Crasher with Morwen back in command. When they land, they¡¯re greeted by a massive serpentine dragon that guides them down to the surface. Introductions are rough, so Morwen brings out her trump card, her secret in with the dragons¨CAkamori. It extremely pissed only the dragons off with him for going around and slaughtering their kin. Dragon slaying is very taboo between both the dragons and their riders. Soooo yeah. They threaten to just eat him on the spot, which wouldn¡¯t go over well with anyone. Eventually, it¡¯s suggested he do some kind of ritual death march. That buys him time, but one way or another, he¡¯s going to die. Either by combat, or by Anazi¡¯s judgement. The dragons as a result decline Morwen¡¯s invitation, instead offering to invite her to a party so they can swap cultural stories and rub elbows. Get to know each other, y¡¯know? Except, Morwen doesn¡¯t have time or patience for games. She¡¯s on a mission. She¡¯s after a weapon to win the war. She¡¯s after the legendary spell ship, rumored to be somewhere near Anazi. So she asks Amara to find it. Amara heads to the library, and eventually makes her way below the surface with an archeologist from the Brotherhood to help her, Dr. Nathan Ford. Amara, Yasiin, and Ford venture into the depths of Anazi searching for the lost spell ship. Akamori traverses the wilds of Anazi seeking judgement. Morwen wrestles with Anazi¡¯s political landscape. None of them are having fun. Except maybe Amara. Akamori finds another Icon on Anazi. This one is an Air magic based Icon. He defeats it and moves on. Then faces off against a cadre of warrior¡¯s hand selected to defeat him by the current leader of the dragons. Amara, Ford, and Yasiin stumble upon a special command center staffed by the shade of Fahnes, a Light Goddess. She helps coach Amara through using the Time Controls so they can find the spell ship. Morwen gets tired of Keimut¡¯s preening and soundly hands him his ass in a game they all pride themselves in. This naturally sets him off, making him determined to ruin Morwen. He allows the Sauridius hatchlings the gang encountered on Eryn to attack Morwen. They want Rozien so they can gain access to the weapon she¡¯s after. The attack overwhelms Morwen is exposed without Akamori, Amara, and Yasiin. Ominek¡¯s daughters steal Rozien. In the distant future, in a parallel reality where everything sucks and nothing matters, Amara, Yasiin and Dr. Ford find the legendary spell ship! Hooray. One problem. They aren¡¯t in Kansas anymore. Another problem. Ominek¡¯s daughters have found it too. Akamori wins his deathmarch and then gets incinerated by lightning. He chats with the goddess Anazi who is really just Hravesvalgyr going by a pseudonym. Like a Draconic god with a pen name. Her memories are disjointed, but she shows Akamori more snippets of the past. Then she takes his weird black armor and locks it up. She really didn¡¯t like it. Everyone¡¯s a critic. When she¡¯s done with him, she offers some parting advice cryptically before dismissing him into the aether. ¡­Where he reappears inside a dark, mucky chamber. He fumbles around before eventually finding a woman sobbing. She¡¯s almost covered in black goo. He finds out her name is Cerene, and she¡¯s supposed to take him to a door. When they finally get there, it opens up to reveal one of Ominek¡¯s daughters holding Rozien. They both do a cartoon double take for a moment before Akamori casually removes the hatchlings hand and takes Rozien back. Then he kills her sister by electrocuting her from the inside out. Lesson learned here? Always wear a helmet with your armor. Or not suck at spell shielding. Or maybe both? Ok, multiple lessons here. Good luck in your next life, moving on. Akamori, Amara, Yasiin and Dr. Ford manage to translocate the Theferis to the correct time and reality. Morwen, now armed with a series warship, goes on a rampage, and stomps a planet sized mudhole in the Sauridius forces. Before she¡¯s done, though, reinforcements arrive in the system at the edge, and everyone goes to work. In the bowls of the ship, Akamori finds a spell mech. The rest of the crew man the bridge. Lots of pew pew pew, and bang bang bang ensues. It¡¯s a real action move set piece. It all ends with Akamori kicking Keimut¡¯s ass. With him defeated, he cedes his position as de facto leader of the last flight. The story ends with Akamori realizing he¡¯s becoming more than just a spell warrior and finally acknowledges he¡¯s not entirely mortal anymore and needs to start buckling down and facing what he¡¯s become. As that¡¯s happening, Amara is confronted by a powerful demi god who enigmatically goes by the name The Remover of Obstacles. He offers Amara power and the opportunity to ascend to godhood herself. He also threatens to kill everyone if she tells them what¡¯s going on. Planting seeds of doubt and division in the crew. Then he departs. We close with a scene of the Remover meeting one of the strange black-robed men in masks meeting him. It would seem the Remover of Obstacles has a benefactor guiding his actions. So! Now that you¡¯re up to speed, let¡¯s get on with the show. Chapter 150 Approximately 400 years ago¡­ The rain beat down on Ominek as he crouched low in the thick jungle brush of a world whose only name was a combination of letters and digits that Ominek already forgot. Their war against this clan of primals was proceeding accordingly. Once they¡¯d taken out the Primals as the primary source of opposition, the filthy humans and elves could be made to worship the dragons again under Sauridius¡¯ watchful eye. His breath steamed in the air as he exhaled. His grip on his spell rifle tightened. His recon watch was nearly over, then he could return and report that he¡¯d seen nothing once again. Primal spottings had become rarer and rarer lately. A prick at his shoulder signaled a biting insect and channeled a point of his pool to summon acid to the region. It bubbled up like sweat, caustically burning the insect and melting its proboscis and legs, then its body and wings. Satisfied, he wiped the acid away into the foliage and soil. After a few more minutes of no activity, he slowly withdrew from his position and crept through the brush in a silent stalk back to their camp. He sighed in annoyance as the booming voice of his boisterous brother already pressed free of the jungle undergrowth and into his ears like unwelcomed guests. His brother was older, and stronger than he was, and did not try to hide the fact. Ominek was at the bottom of their squad¡¯s hierarchy. Once he emerged into the camp, they gave him the challenge and he offered the response. Failure to do so would have meant eating a void bolt through the heart. Then he passed through a Sensory Ward. The only bindings on his soul were those of Leviathos. No enemies had captured or subverted him. ¡°Ah, little Omy. Welcome back to Camp. Our conquest has made me hungry. Go find me something to feast on.¡± Ominek halted. A silent sigh eased passed the rows of sharp teeth in his maw. He wanted to fight back. To tell his arrogant brother to do is his own damned hunting. But he was too small to confront his brother head on. No, Tulak required a more delicate touch. Ominek bowed his head submissively and nodded to trudge back out into the jungle. As he passed the perimeter of the camp, he knew he was no longer being watched. Tulak was far too confident about any kind of frontal attack after they¡¯d broken the Primal flank a few weeks back. The simian¡¯s retreat had given them a great deal of breathing room to work with, along with an uncontested run of the territory. The freedom of movement has made his brother bold, reckless even. Each step in the soft damp soil Ominek made was deliberate, careful, and slow. His spell rifle was clutched in the high ready. The stock held firm to the bones of his cheek. The custom made scope allowed him to navigate carefully with the other eye open. His nostrils flexed and his forked tongue kissed the air, sampling the scents. The taste of prey made his pupils contract with focus. System Info : Perception check result: Success A small spiny creature highlighted in red stood out against the dense jungle brush. Not just any prey though. This prey was dangerous. Poisonous . He didn¡¯t know it¡¯s name, just that it was some ground dwelling mammal covered in spines laced with poison fed through hollow channels in the center of the spine. Draconic scales made them a minimal threat. Ingestion, however, was a more complicated matter, as they required specific handling. Skinning the creature had to be done with a light hand, otherwise the poison glands could rupture and ruin the whole catch. Ominek crept closer for a better look. The rest of his squad overlooked the creature as a prey item, favoring the larger, faster mammals that often bound along in long strides. Something about the thrill of the hunt. Trivialities to Ominek. No, what he saw in this little creature was an opportunity. Lining up his shot, he slowly squeezed the trigger. The spell rifle tore a small chunk of his pool, shaped it into a soul bolt, and fired. The pallid white spike bored through the creature, knocking it over. It didn¡¯t breathe or twitch. As if he¡¯d just kicked it¡¯s soul free of its body and the meat sack instantly expired. Good. Ominek approached it silently and eyed the creature¡¯s body with abject calm. A moment passed and the ambient sounds of the jungle resumed. Bugs chittered, birds sang, and life resumed. Just another day in the natural order. Under normal circumstances. Ominek was anything but a normal circumstance for this biome. A draconic hatchling nearing his first molt was an apex predator here, even with the native Primals included. He drew the small knife on his belt. The raspy whisper of leather and metal was drowned out by the sounds of the jungle. Ominek kneeled down and carefully opened the creature¡¯s mouth and began cleaning the kill. He carefully removed the flesh, and the attached spines. A mistake at this point would ruin everything, as the poison glands at the base of the quills being ruptured would discolor the meat, signaling contamination. While that could be covered, it¡¯s also just as easily detected with a simple scry spell. And if he was being scried, he wanted only the truth to be seen. A clean kill and dressing. The trick was to prepare the meat for eating correctly. Then he turned his attentions to the flesh and poisonous quills. He wove a quick illusion spell with a combination of mind and air signs. The magic pulled two points from his aetherpool and swam from his breast, down his arms, and ended into his hands where the signs instructed the shape the magic should take. System Info: Spell¨CTurn Invisibile. Turn your target invisible. Spell lasts for as long as the Aetherpool points are invested. A counter spell or scry divination spell can cancel the effects. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The violet pinkish magic billowed out like a soapy bubble and popped on the spiny dermis of the creature and bathed it in the magic. Slowly, the quills faded from view. Going by feeling alone, he took his time, breaking off a quill, and lightly working the tip just below the meal. The invisible poison could now free to spread without ruining the meat¡¯s natural color. A cold, toothy grin worked its way to his cheeks as he worked. Over the years Leviathos had either killed or eaten any of his spawn he felt were unworthy of his legacy. Those he didn¡¯t end died amongst their kin. Ominek¡¯s brother was the biggest and strongest. He¡¯d claimed the lives of many. But Ominek knew better. It wasn¡¯t the dagger in your breast that got you. It was the one that plunged into your back for your kidney. Ominek had no intentions of meeting his end. Not on some rain soaked Primal world, at the hands of his brother or in his father¡¯s maw. He was a survivor. And that meant being the last one standing. He paused to admire his handiwork. Pleased with himself, he wrapped the meat in large leaves he found nearby and headed back to their camp. Passing through the camp¡¯s checkpoint, he could see his brother in the rear at the cave they¡¯d chosen as their command post area. Ominek kneeled in front of his elder brother and offered the wrapped meal. Presentation was everything. Ominek the dutiful and subservient brother. ¡°Finally. I was contemplating just eating you when you came back if you took any longer!¡± Ominek lowered his head, his snout almost touched the damp soil of the ground. ¡°My apologies, brother. Prey options were scarce because of the fighting. All I could find was the barbed mammal.¡± His brother studied him for a moment and unwrapped the meat from the leaves, giving it a sniff. And here is where his genius shone. The large leaves he¡¯d chosen to wrap the meat in had left the meat with a slight herbal smell. Nothing obnoxious, just enough to throw off someone trying to sniff out the faint hint of a noxious poison. System Info: Deception Check Result: Success His brother leaned back and nodded approvingly. ¡°You cleaned it well. The cuts are straight, and there¡¯s no contamination. You missed your calling as a chef!¡± Tulak eagerly devoured the cuts without even bothering to cook them. Ominek allowed himself a small, unseen smile. By morning he would be the last of is line. Ominek silently withdrew from his brother¡¯s presence with a small nod and left for his own tent. The clouds above thundered in protest of their own weight, unable to contain the moisture building up, and in moments, rain fell. Each droplet beating the memory into stone. Deep down, there was a small pang of guilt and sadness. At birth, the clutch he grew up in numbered double digits. He had many brothers and sisters. Now there was just his brother and in a short matter of time, it would just be himself. He would have to face his father, and the looming shadow of Sauridius all alone. But he¡¯d spent years preparing himself to do just that. He only hoped he had the strength to do what he needed to when the time finally came. The present¡­ Ominek stood at the bridge of the Suaridius cruiser with a wistful smile. The end of the war was in sight. Leviathos had foreseen the rise of Sauridius. The sector would be theirs. Now it was just a matter of manifesting that possibility into reality. He left the memory of his brother in his past with the rest of the dead. Inconsequential and nearly forgotten by all but himself. He forced himself to remember so that he¡¯d never forget the lesson. Always strike when an opportunity presents. Better to be the one holding the dagger, than the one wearing it in their ribs. He turned to see Luffa staring out at the Rift on the spell screen. His latest prize. A crack team of primal war mages and weavers trained by his enemy. They would help ensure Morwen and her goon squad didn¡¯t get in his way ever again. He had far more important things to be about. Like setting the stage for Sauridius¡¯ return, rather than screwing around with a bunch of plucky mages. He¡¯d just opened his mouth to speak when time froze around him. All around, conversation stopped, and everyone halted mid action. He was the only one unaffected that could. A brilliant flash of white, and then he was somewhere else. The next instant, he was floating in a void. No light to illuminate his surroundings. Then two brilliant floating orbs of amber shone to prominence. The eyes of Leviathos. Those two small stars bore down into the very depths of his soul. The urge to flinch away nearly stole control of his body. ¡°Ominek. The endgame approaches. In the near future you are going to encounter the priestess from Hoshun. Amara. You are not to kill her. She must live.¡± Confusion swept through Ominek as he cast an uncertain glance at Luffa. Had the primal somehow gotten the word out to her friend? He knew the priestess and primal were friends. The fact she¡¯d been there during his assault on Hidros and had survived the attack on Honshu was problematic. His initial impulse was to dismiss Leviathos¡¯ request at the soonest opportunity, but Ominek knew to do so would be to court death. His brother flashed briefly through memory. Guilt, sadness, and resolve mixed with bile into a caustic soup within his stomach. He cleared his throat and nodded at his father¡¯s spectral eyes. ¡°As you will it, father, it will be.¡± He could set aside his own petty needs for the mission. Even if the fear of retribution from his father was a powerful motivator. But like his brother, there would come a day when his father, too, would choke on the poison of opportunistic betrayal. ? Chapter 151 Amara waited in the corridor for probably longer than she¡¯d have liked to admit to. Still, she needed to know if anything had happened to him after the Remover visited her. She could only handle so many cryptic threats to her friends in one night. Add to that Akamori¡¯s near manic look after the Remover left. Something was wrong, and she needed to know what. Akamori shuffled out of his bedroom looking like he¡¯d lost a 10 round wrestling match with his pillow. His eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and he wore an annoyed expression that threatened danger to anyone who spoke to him before he¡¯d had a chance to get to the magic food printer thingy to get some coffee. He passed Amara in the corridor, who avoided eye contact with him but fell in behind him. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve had better nights.¡± He grunted, holding up a finger. It was Akamori-sign language for ¡°no coffee, no talky.¡± They rounded the bend and entered the small mess hall. He shuffled right up to the device and bumped his head against the terminal. Amazingly, the device printed coffee. That meant Akamori must have taught the device this manner of input meant a request for coffee. Impressive considering it typically ran on a verbal request. How he¡¯d managed this was anyone¡¯s guess. ¡°Look, I wanted to talk to you about last night.¡± She started. He grunted again, holding up another finger to stop her, and then pointed at the divine brown fluid in the mug. He shuffled around her and slowly slumped down at a bench, careful not to spill his drink. Amara eyed the printer for a moment. She should eat, but her mind was buzzing as memories that didn¡¯t belong to her slowly integrated themselves into her consciousness. It was also giving her a headache, and as much as she wanted to indulge, she just didn¡¯t have the stomach. ¡°Maybe later¡­¡± she whispered and followed Akamori. She sat and waited patiently for him to work his way halfway down the mug before trying to interrupt him. She tried to speak and coughed from a dry throat. She cast a woeful glance towards the food printer thingy, but she¡¯d decided. ¡°Aka¡­ I wanted to talk about last night.¡± She finally looked up at him. Her maetrayopts blazed with iridescent, shimmering colors. He grunted again. His eyes danced about behind his eyelids, and visible magic writhed around him to her visual ability. It looked like a warding spell, but very specific. She suspected this was the handiwork of her visitor. The Remover . If he¡¯d placed a spell this complicated on Akamori, she suspected he¡¯d done so to the others as well. She tried to puzzle out just what all portions of the spell there were. She noted memory blocks, but there were also a few pieces of the spell that functioned like keys. Set to activate yet other portions of the spell. Like triggers. Triggers fired bullets. Amara¡¯s blood ran cold as Akamori finally looked up to meet her eyes. ¡°You look like someone just walked on your grave,¡± Akamori grumbled. He was holding his mug out to her. Amara forced a mask on, smiling lightly and pushing it back to him while shaking her head. ¡°No thanks, you look like you need it more than me.¡± Another grunt, followed by another sip. His eyebrow wrinkled after a moment as his mind started to catch up to current events. ¡°What was it you needed to talk about?¡± Amara frowned and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just over thinking something.¡± He shrugged. As he did so, the field of active magic around him relaxed. Amara studied it further. Did the spell have an awareness? That made it even more dangerous to be around her friends if it did. She had to get away from them, so she wasn¡¯t a threat. Figure out what the Remover did, and undo it somehow. He must be punished. Tampering with us and our friends cannot be allowed to go unresolved! She shook her head. The thought had come on so suddenly and naturally. It felt like hers, yet it was so distinctly different she wasn¡¯t so sure at first. What was that? I am you. We are Nemesis. We are being restored. Made whole again. For lifetimes, we have existed as opposites of the same whole. Soon we¡¯ll be complete again. Free to resume the great work. She glanced up at Akamori hoping for some kind of queue that something unnatural was happening. A concerned look, a quizzical stare. A joke even? But he just continued to drink his coffee quietly. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get my stuff packed. We¡¯re due for some leave when we get back to Eryn. Places to go,¡± Amara said cheerily as she stood up trying to fight off the sensation of panic that was slowly rippling throughout her body. She was watching, but she wasn¡¯t moving. It was like someone else was in control. That is correct and incorrect. Technically, you are still in control. Just not that you that you are typically accustomed to thinking of yourself as. ¡°This is you?¡± she hissed as she made her way back to her quarters. Yes. You are endangering your friends by risking bringing up anything to do with the Remover. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± Away. You¡¯ve wasted too much time moving in your companions¡¯ shadows. It¡¯s time for Nemesis to return. We must remand justice. The time is now. ¡°You know, I knew Akamori had been wrestling with his own ghosts lately. I didn¡¯t expect it to quite be like this.¡± His path is his to walk alone. Now you must walk on your own. ¡°And where will that be taking us?¡± Clear of your comrades for their own safety. To walk the future, you must know the past. There is more to you than simply being a Hoshun priestess. Have you ever not wondered why you could control Maetrayopts? Why the gift was given to you at all? ¡°I¡¯d assumed Anazi¡¯s daughter gifted it on Hidros?¡± No Amara of Hoshun. You¡¯ve always possessed them. For true sight is a requirement of Nemesis. ¡°Let me guess, so I can see where justice is required?¡± Amara said wryly. Yes . The voice replied matter-of-factly and sucked the wind out of Amara¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°It¡¯s less funny when you just agree with me,¡± Amara said with a sigh as her body marched into her bedroom and began packing a go bag. Clothes, a few books, a notebook and a map of a system near Brotherhood space, close to Hoshun. So they were going back across the sector. Towards home. ¡°Are we going back to Hoshun?¡± Her body paused. For a moment, it almost felt like her own. But she was sure if she tried to seize it now, it¡¯d just be torn free of her forever. So she let the moment lapse. No. What happened there is done. And you avenged the fallen admirably. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Privately, Amara felt like they¡¯d both done enough and not enough at the same time. She had conflicting emotions on the matter, but she¡¯d eased Akamori¡¯s conscious on the matter a few times. Perhaps she needed to ease up on herself, too. It is wise to not become too engrossed in vendettas. While justice is necessary, revenge can often lead to self destruction. It is a precarious path and one we¡¯ve fallen from several times. ¡°Oh. Great. Fallen sounds like failed.¡± Put reductively, yes. ¡°Care to share why? Or how, at least?¡± That will come. In time. For now, we need to put distance between yourself and your allies. We can¡¯t risk their elimination at the hands of the Remover before we are ready to face him. Amara¡¯s back rippled with a chill. Genuine concern and fear coiled around her stomach tightly. Nemesis was legitimately afraid of him. It gave her cause for concern. She zipped the pack up and wove open a void pocket attached to her armor and tossed it inside. The action was smooth and mechanical, but it felt so alien not being the one directing her body. ¡°Well, if the idea is to get away, running as far as possible from the fight makes the most sense.¡± Not an option. We are needed elsewhere. Just not here. To completely unlock your true self, you must first face it. She made her way into the armory, opened the capsule that held her spell armor, and wove the mind rune that turned it translucent. She waved a hand through the shimmering outline of the armor. Both halves amused, and Amara found that interesting. She¡¯d been thinking of Nemesis as someone else completely. Like a foreign presence. Maybe they weren¡¯t too dissimilar after all. We aren¡¯t. I¡¯m the divine portion of you that was separated before your previous death and sealed away. Amara donned her spell armor and sighed in relief as it hardened into the protective shell around her. It was the same old musty set she¡¯d been given when they were first picked up on Hoshun. She wore scout armor, so it was lighter defensively, and allowed for more mobility, but it was protection all the same. It also provided immense utility. Most of all, she¡¯d come to think of it as her second skin. ¡°Sealed away in what?¡± For a long moment, the silence made her uncomfortable. I was sealed in a teapot. Temporarily, Nemesis lost control of Amara¡¯s body as she did a spit take and burst out laughing. The helmet of her armor hissed shut over her head quickly as she cast an invisibility spell and a privacy ward before floating to the ceiling. This needed explaining. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to take this one from the top.¡± We don¡¯t have time for this. ¡°No, your dignity doesn¡¯t have time for this. I have oodles.¡± Again, another long silence, but Amara was significantly more comfortable this time. I was torn free of you and sealed within a teapot. The being who did so had¡­ a warped sense of humor. She said that when she returned; she wanted to slowly drink of your divinity and enjoy the victory. Unfortunately, her arrogance was her undoing. ¡°Yikes. So I¡¯m guessing the reason you¡¯re so worked up about having this training montage is to prep for said evil witch?¡± What is a training montage? ¡°I¡¯ve been spending too much time around Akamori and Sirsir. Anyway. Think of it like training I guess? Lots of it?¡± Then yes. We must have a training montage. Amara snickered again mentally. Nemesis pouted again. I do not see what is so amusing about our situation. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s nothing. Promise.¡± Your friends are bad influences. ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. So who sprang you from the teapot?¡± Her subordinate. The Remover of Obstacles. Amara if Amara were still in control of her body, she¡¯d have paused and blinked a few times in sudden confusion. ¡°But why?¡± That is what concerns me. Even more confounding still is that he reunited us. Our bond of nascent, but will grow stronger the more we retread old ground. Our first stop is in what you call Brotherhood space. There is a temple there, in it is a bow. We must retrieve the bow. ¡°What¡¯s special about it?¡± It contains a shard of your soul and memories. And you will be one step closer to being able to defeat both the Remover, and Ominek and Sauridius. A commotion was gathering near the ramp. The Theferis must has reached Eryn. Soon the new Arch Priest would be boarding along with teams of Emerald Knights to begin cleansing portions of the ship of the black corruption that festered within it. Amara felt a shift in control as she regained her body. An escape now would be unwise. We must see how the situation develops and then act when it best suits us. ¡°That sounds manipulative.¡± It is tactical. She saw her friends gathering and let the helmet recline into the armor, and dropped her wards. She shimmered back into existence behind them as though she was always there. Eventually Akamori happened to notice and half jumped out of his skin. ¡°Gah! Jeez. Warn a guy You¡¯re back there, why don¡¯t ya? Almost gave me a heart attack.¡± She smiled faintly. ¡°Sorry. What¡¯s all the fuss about?¡± ¡°The cleaning squad is showing up. We¡¯re heading to go meet them.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Oh boy. More stuffy elves. I can¡¯t wait.¡± Amara said, fighting the eyeroll. ¡°You might get to see your primal friend?¡± Akamori said. ¡°Luffa? You think she¡¯d be there?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Maybe. She was kind of Erlaut¡¯s personal assistant. Anything is possible, right?¡± Amara brightened up finally. She could tell Luffa what was going on. If anyone understood secrets, it was her friend. She¡¯d confide in Luffa about what was going on. Then, when she was ready, she¡¯d tell the others. There was a part of herself though that disliked keeping secrets from her friends, but she was worried what they¡¯d think. Akamori might understand. Maybe. But what if he got mad at her? Or jealous? ? Chapter 152 Akamori stood down in the hanger area watching Cenine and a group of Emerald Knights blast the black blood oozing from the bulkheads with astral magic. They scoured the walls clean with brilliant golden white blasts of raw plasmic energy. It was a process he¡¯d seen the Brotherhood employ with lasers once in his downtime. He couldn¡¯t be certain, but he thought he heard a faint shrill scream coming from the blood. He saw Amara walking away from Cenine looking crestfallen. Like the Knight had just kicked Amara¡¯s dog. ¡°What¡¯s eating her?¡± He asked the Knight. Cenine sighed haughtily. ¡°Little priestess just learned her favorite pet primal escaped.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Luffa rounded up a group of primals, opened a void portal and fled. They¡¯re now fugitives. And I would be chasing them were it not for the absurd request to cleanse this vessel. Now leave me be.¡± She said, blasting the wall with a beam of plasma from her palm. As she blasted along again, he tried not to imagine the poor woman he found almost covered in the black goop. The way it screamed when burned away almost made it seem alive. ¡° Ugh, that¡¯s a thought I need.¡± Cenine paused her work to glance back at him with a haughty but questioning look. ¡°What¡¯s that peasant?¡± ¡°The blood. I thought I heard it screaming while you guys were cleansing the ship.¡± Cenine nodded with a frown. She spun on her heel and gestured for him to follow. ¡°I suspected as much as well. Just what exactly have you dragged upon us?¡± Akamori turned back to the clean deck plates. The blood was gone, but he could still feel the lingering void magic presence. He shook his head, still trying to dislodge the nightmarish interior he¡¯d first been thrust into. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She scowled at him. He missed her attitude and how toothless it was. That was unsettling. He¡¯d actually missed her poor treatment of him. It was endearing in that hateful older sister kind of way. But there it was. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what it is. It¡¯s corruption. Absolute corruption. And it¡¯s extremely difficult to be rid of. Like a cancer that crawled straight out of the umbral plane.¡± Akamori bit back a shiver at the idea. ¡°You might actually be more right than you know about that.¡± Cenine¡¯s brow arched curiously. ¡°Is something the matter? I¡¯ve never seen you appearing so¡­. off balance?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just got a lot on my mind lately.¡± ¡°Remember your training, peasant.¡± He grinned, patting the scar from the wound he¡¯d taken during their opening spar. ¡°How could I forget?¡± The chestnut haired elf¡¯s eyelids fluttered as she tried to resist the urge to roll them. She opened her mouth to speak but paused when shouting caught both their attention. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be serious, Morwen! We need this ship now more than ever. You can¡¯t just keep it!¡± Arch Priest Erlaut said, fists balled up tightly at his sides. ¡°As I told you before, I brought back this ship to help us fight the Sauridius, not to languish in orbit on some jumped up guard mission. The fight is out there, Erlaut, and I mean to be in it. I can¡¯t sit around here and wait. The longer we let them have the initiative, the more they¡¯ll make us hurt for it. You used to understand that. What¡¯s changed?¡± Akamori couldn¡¯t tell because the two were at the opposite end of the hangar, but the Arch Priest seemed to glance around almost manically. Like he was coming undone. ¡°Is it me? Or does he seem a little unhinged?¡± ¡°The Shacklers and the attack on the capital have left everyone with scars. Some deeper than others.¡± Akamori frowned. The Archpriest really was fraying at the edges. He just hoped the guy could keep it together long enough for them to stop Ominek and the Sauridius. In front of Erlaut Morwen sighed. ¡°You sent me Anazi to find allies and weapons. I have. But those are no good if we don¡¯t actually field them. The whole point of getting this spell ship was to wield it against our enemies. Why anchor it to Eryn? What purpose would that serve?¡± ¡°To protect the wellspring and our people,¡± Erlaut said, his raised voice turning heads. Morwen placed a calming hand on Erlaut¡¯s shoulder and the mania seemed to drain out of him, leaving a weary mage in its wake. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Dealing with the Shacklers on our world has left me jumping at shadows. But make no mistake. Eryn is the final target. I¡¯ve¡­ seen it coming.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had a prophecy?¡± Erlaut hesitated. ¡°No.¡± He said reluctantly. ¡°It comes as a fevered dream. I wake up in a cold sweat. It feels real.¡± Morwen frowned. ¡°That explains why you look like you haven¡¯t been sleeping well. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t leave the Thefaris here. The fight is out there. And that¡¯s where we¡¯ll be. You have the Emerald Fleet here to protect the homeworld. That will be enough.¡± Erlaut frowned. Clearly he disagreed but had given up voicing the objection. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll not abuse the point with you. You deserve that much, at least.¡± ¡°Thank you. I also wanted to thank you for dispatching the teams you have to help with the cleansing of the ship. We could not reclaim many portions of the ship because of how rapidly the blood retakes any ground we force it to give up.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Erlaut smiled bitterly. ¡°Just imagine what we could do with it fully in our custody.¡± ¡°Erlaut. Don¡¯t push it.¡± Morwen chided softly. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m just saying. I have so much more resources we could fully put to field aboard this ship.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± Morwen asked with a raised brow. He¡¯d baited himself with that one. Even Akamori could tell he¡¯d really stepped in it. ¡°Because I can¡¯t fully commit to supporting you if I can¡¯t be certain you won¡¯t be there to help when your people need you most.¡± Akamori slapped his face into his palm. Even Cenine flinched. Morwen took it in stride. A ghost of a smile flickered across her features. She got him with that one. ¡°Ah, yes. Just like how my people were there for me when I returned from saving one of our allied worlds, no, the whole sector from soul shackling after Hidros. Just like how I was forced to strip all the citations and promotions from my people and pass them off to a petulant dead noble¡¯s son. Those people you mean?¡± Erlaut wilted and had the good sense to look like he genuinely felt bad about it. ¡°We both know I had nothing to do with that whole affair.¡± ¡°True. However, I haven¡¯t seen you exactly falling over yourself to set their wrongs right. I had to do all of it on my own. I see no reason that trend shouldn¡¯t continue. I can find allies when and where I need them.¡± Erlaut¡¯s features twisted for a moment and Akamori was worried he might have to stab a bitch. ¡°Morwen. Eryn is exposed, and an attack is imminent. I can feel it. You can¡¯t leave our people exposed.¡± The Arch Priest said after recollecting himself. ¡°And I won¡¯t. But I fully intend to take the fight to the enemy, and protect our allies who have been sacrificing of themselves for a lot longer than Eryn has.¡± That won some points with the Brotherhood marines in ear shot. It was always a sore point of contention that the Brotherhood seemed to supply meat for the grinder and got little in return. Akamori never liked how the relationship between the Federation and the Brotherhood shook out. He could still remember Rayshe¡¯s unabashed animosity and how callously he was willing to sacrifice lives like useless Darstryx pieces. Such moves are the hallmarks of weakness and feeble minds. Thanaton hissed mentally. The Black blade has the right of it. Useless sacrifices court an early betrayal. Bahumet added. It was hard to discount sage advice like that, so he said nothing whenever they felt like being vocal with him. In a lot of ways, it helped eat away at his sense of growing isolation from the squad and feeling alone. His path was taking down a road the others couldn¡¯t understand or walk. His journey was now well and truly his own. Morwen and the Arch Priest continued their conversation in more hushed tones, pulling Akamori¡¯s attention back to Cenine at his side. He was about to ask her how much longer they would need when the air went frigid. Frost raced along her armor and his breath turned into a white cloud. They both exchanged confused looks before alarm immediately set in for both of them. A very, very large umbral portal cracked open reality and deposited a vicious looking umbral dragon onto the flight deck. In a casual sweep of its front claws, it knocked over one of the sleek golden Erynian spell fighters. Sparks sprayed out in a wide wave as the fighter screeched to a halt against the far wall. The dragon¡¯s chest warped as it inhaled to roar. The Emerald Knights ceased blasting the wall with plasma and redirected all their attention to the dragon. Its eyes glowed umbral purple in a menacing challenge. The golden armored knights obliged. The knights attacked the dragon like golden flies badgering a horse. They didn¡¯t stand any chance, and Akamori knew that instantly. They lacked the power. But he didn¡¯t. With Thanaton in hand, Akamori casually strode towards the fighting. If the knights wanted to get smacked around, he would not disabuse them with the notion they could handle themselves. Let that be the dragon¡¯s job. Two of the knights fell victim to a tail stab, speared to the deck with a wet splat of blood. Cenine howled in anger and lunged, but was knocked aside casually as the dragon eyed Akamori¡¯s advance. She slammed against the side of the Indra and fell to the ground in a heap. The knights were an appetizer, Akamori the main course. Akamori rolled his head, stretching out his neck. As he did so, he let his grip on his aura slide. All that near divine power erupted in roiling black, gold and pallid white fire around him. Any remnants of the black blood boiled away in a pained hiss. The dragon bared its fangs, its chest distended with a great breath that was exhaled in a baleful plume of void breath. The black violet fire crashed against Akamori¡¯s aura like a solid wall, spilling around and scouring away any spots of black blood the purification teams missed. Akamori¡¯s aura wavered several times before surging into and against the attack. The only signs of struggle were the grimace on Akamori¡¯s face, and the subtle rasp of leather boots sliding against the deck from the force of the attack. The attack ceased, leaving Akamori standing defiantly. Everyone else had gathered the injured Emerald Knights and withdrew to a safe distance. He flicked a quick glance around to double check no one would be caught out in the open. Confident he was free to fight how he wanted, he turned back to the dragon as it settled back down on all four feet again. ¡°Well. Now that we¡¯ve settled who we are, how bout we make this fun? Let¡¯s have ourselves a duel. You win, and you can deal with whatever everyone else feels like doing with you. I¡¯ll be dead, so it won¡¯t be my problem anymore. But if I win, you stop screwing up our ship and we have ourselves a nice chat. Deal?¡± The dark dragon huffed, its head dipping in agreement. Then it shrank down and morphed into a man with two wicked black axes. He bore an uncharacteristically human look for a morphed dragon. For starters, he had hair and eyebrows. His ears weren¡¯t pointed, his teeth weren¡¯t sharp, he had an actual nose, and his skin was skin, not scales. Akamori had to double take just to make sure he missed nothing. ¡°I accept your terms, as I¡¯ll accept your head.¡± The dragon said with an accent that hinted at the faintest of draconian. ¡°Oh? Getting a little ahead of yourself?¡± The dragon in his morphed form wore a simple set of black slacks and a black blood-soaked shirt. He scoffed at Akamori dismissively. The dragon was handsome in that magic, over-saturated way. Features a little too perfect for natural attractiveness. Not that he had much room to talk, his own features were fast heading that direction too. ¡°No. As I said, I¡¯ll only settle for your head.¡± Akamori blinked and then squinted suspiciously. ¡°Was that a head pun because I said, getting ahead of yourself?¡± The dragon shrugged gently. ¡°Yes. So?¡± Akamori sniffed and leaned back, grinning. ¡°I changed my mind. I think I like you now.¡± ? Chapter 153 Akamori and the dark-haired dragon slowly sized each other up. The two duelists prowled in a wide circle around each other. Twice Akamori gestured for others to back off. Amara and Sala each. He had this. The void flexed in the dragon like a muscle of pure energy and then the dragon rushed forward, black axes blurring. But each attack failed to find purchase with Akamori as Thanaton swiftly darted back and forth, knocking away the axes blades. Akamori¡¯s economy of motion was such that he only moved as much as needed, gauging the enemy¡¯s style and skill. And that¡¯s how the first stage of the duel carried itself out. One would thrust or lunge, and the other evade or parry. It went on for a few minutes until the two paused once again. This time, though, the air carried with it a deadly tension. Akamori¡¯s aura tightened and contracted to his body. No more the raw malevolent force, but now little more than a sheen above his body. The dragon¡¯s control, while admirable, wasn¡¯t on his level. There was a roughness to it, like a partially domesticated beast. Or more accurately, partially feral dragon. ¡°You fight like you¡¯ve some skill, but you¡¯re still unsure of yourself.¡± Feral said. Feral? Let¡¯s call him Feral. ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ve been getting to know myself a lot lately. Turns out there¡¯s more to me than I realized. A lot more.¡± Akamori said no hint of irony. He could feel Bahumet and Frank¡¯s eyes on him even though they weren¡¯t manifested. ¡°But will it be enough¡± The dark warrior said, twirling his vicious axes before charging in to attack again. Feral combined both axes, which melted together into one large axe that bit down into the deck where Akamori¡¯s foot just was. In response, Thanaton hissed towards Akamori¡¯s opponent¡¯s neck. The sentient blade hissed with dissatisfaction when it only cleaved a few stray hairs as the Feral warrior leaned down to avoid the attack. He responded with a quick palm strike to the inside of Akamori¡¯s ankle, thrusting his foot out and throwing him off balance. A few years ago a move like that might have put him at a disadvantage. But having void magic and being able to tell gravity to go fuck itself put things in a different perspective. He rolled with the momentum, spinning in the air like a human pin wheel until he landed on his feet again. The move gave his opponent time to recover, split the axes and resume his guard. The two warriors briefly circled each other as the rest of the hanger evacuated to the safety of the entryway in case a hasty barrier needed to be erected. Akamori flicked a quick glance to confirm no one else was at risk and then back to the Feral again with a grin. ¡°Ok. Looks like we can cut loose now. What say we drop the kid gloves and get serious?¡± ¡°You court death with a dragon?¡± the Feral asked, confusion tinting his voice. ¡°Death? Pfft. The only thing I¡¯m courting is a good time, and a brief one at that.¡± ¡°You would be wise to show respect to your superiors.¡± ¡°Not the first time someone¡¯s pointed out my lack of wisdom.¡± Akamori grinned, twirling Thanaton eagerly. And yet you still fail to listen. Thanaton hissed, annoyed. The feral paused, confusion winning out. ¡°I don¡¯t think that means what you-¡± He stopped talking as soon as Akamori blurred forward in a stream of red of black. Sparks danced off the feral¡¯s axes as Akamori slashed with Thanaton rapidly flowing through several katas. His own movements, mirroring those of Bahumet before him. He channeled his aether, casting Greater Infuse Speed and Greater Infuse Strength spells. He felt a significant chunk of his aether melt into his body. The feral dragon struggled to keep up, relying only on pure skill alone to keep pace. To his credit, he did a good job. Akamori appraised the feral¡¯s skills as being better than his own, but not by such a wide gulf that the fight was unmanageable. He also possessed more magic than the feral, meaning he had more power. That meant he could leverage certain spell types to his advantage. He craved physical matches like these over spell casting bouts. Letting his body flow freely, riding instinct and training. An axe blade drifted towards his neck, but his physical enhancements increased his reaction speed, such that the Feral may as well have been moving in slow motion. Akamori tracked the blade¡¯s path as it cleaved a few stray hairs free. He could feel Bahumet and Thanaton grumbling in protest. He knew they felt he wasn¡¯t taking this fight as seriously as he should have been. And they were correct. He was having fun . For the first time in a while, he wasn¡¯t fighting for the fate of a ship, a colony, a planet, or even a system or sector. He was just enjoying the fight. Flashbacks of his bout in the bar tavern brawl flickered through his mind. Addled as they were by the drunk haze he was in. But now? He was in control. He was alert. And he was enjoying himself. Only children play games. You should end this threat and be done with it. Thanaton hissed. ¡°Why? He¡¯s a good fighter, and we could honestly use some more heavy hitters on the team.¡± He said to his blade. It thrummed in annoyance. The point was taken. Once Akamori decided on something, he didn¡¯t go back on it. ¡°Um¡­ you do know you¡¯re talking to yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah. Spell weapon conversation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sentient?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Thanaton hissed aloud for the first time in a while. The Feral lowered his axes, and Akamori lowered his own blade slightly. Still ready to defend himself, but not a complete assumption of his guard. Feral seemed to chew on the words spoken previously and glanced back up. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of asking me to join you?¡± ¡°Actually yeah. You¡¯ve got skill. Sure you¡¯ve got a sketchy past and the whole I¡¯m gonna eat you all thing going, but, eh. We¡¯ve all got things to sort out.¡± Feral blinked, clearly dumbfounded. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡± Akamori¡¯s head tilted. ¡°Why not? Look, you may not realize it, but we¡¯ve not lacking for enemies, and another set of axes on my side is a good thing I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°But you know I¡¯m corrupted by the black blood.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. But you¡¯re in luck. We¡¯re in orbit above the world that specializes in healers and light magic specialists in the sector.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°You would seek a cleansing ritual?¡± ¡°Would you want one?¡± A glimmer of hope flickered in the Feral, and he nodded immediately. ¡°Yes. Please, my sister first. I¡¯m a secondary consideration.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. We¡¯ve got some things they want that we can probably use to our advantage. But I¡¯ll need some things from you in return, though.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Well, your help, for starters. Like I said, we¡¯re not lacking for enemies, so any help will always be appreciated. The rest we can sort out as we go. Sound fair?¡± ¡°For now. Change the balance of fairness, or threaten my sister and I will not hesitate to devour all of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to press your luck if you want. But we can save the posturing for later.¡± Several armed knights approached with spell blades and rifles aimed at the Feral, who raised his hands. ¡°So what¡¯s your name?¡± Akamori asked the feral. ¡°Helios. The last of Shinjo¡¯s Riders.¡± Akamori grinned. ¡°Oh, I can tell I¡¯m gonna like this story. Play nice with these guys for now and we¡¯ll get things sorted.¡± Before the knights could escort their assailant to the brig though, a spell drive rumbled to life in the hanger. A big. The only one with a sound profile that big was the Indra. A beat later, the arrowhead shaped vessel lifted up and soared out of the hanger at top speed before shimmering out of view. Sirsir strode up to Akamori¡¯s side. They only knew of one illusionist. ¡°Um Sir?¡± Sirsir said at Akamori¡¯s side. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Did your friend just jack our ride?¡± The two stood there facing the exterior of the hangar as though they could still see the ship flying into the distance. ¡°Yep. Looks that way.¡± Sirsir hissed, kicking the deck. ¡°That¡¯s fucked up, Sir.¡± Akamori stared into the black for a while before nodding. ¡°Yeah. Yeah it is.¡± # Amara sat before the primary spell console, teams cascading down her cheeks as she pushed the Indra deeper into space. Her target was the shadow of Eryn¡¯s sister moon. As the starlight from the systems G class star gave way to a blanket of shadow cast by the moon, Amara wove an umbral gate spell. She watched as the void tore itself open, revealing the Umbral Plane. The spell cost her a few AP, with the ship supplying some as well since it held its own void infusion. The gate shut behind her as she plotted a course for the systems held by the Brotherhood of Man. Soon we¡¯ll have both answers and power, and the Remover will be little more than an annoying obstacle himself. ¡°You really dislike the guy huh?¡± He orchestrated the fall of multiple civilizations. We know little of him, and less still about him. The few that have, speculated that he answers to a power even higher than his dark mistress. ¡°I still don¡¯t get why he¡¯d risk feeding us power and putting us together. Seems like potentially creating an obstacle. Not removing one.¡± I confess to finding the move troublesome to figure out as well. But then, that¡¯s always been a problem where he¡¯s involved. There are always layers to one like him. I dislike layers in anything but chocolate cake. Amara puzzled on that for a moment. ¡°You know. That¡¯s actually a good point in this case. I don¡¯t mind complicated people. But complicated bad guys? Not as cool.¡± We will in the Umbral realm for several days. In that time it would be wise to train. One of the few good habits of your peers. ¡°This trip. It¡¯s not permanent right? We will be going back to them right?¡± Yes. It will take a pantheon to stop the Remover¡¯s mistress. ¡°Does said mistress have a name?¡± Yes. But because of complex erasure spells, the Remover has eliminated any trace of her past existences. ¡°Odd. Seems like you¡¯d want people to know your big, bad, evil boss was coming back to work.¡± Unless it¡¯s allowing her to catch the sector unguarded. One cannot protect against a threat they are unaware of. Amara eased back in the command chair. The main screen was absolutely black. She can¡¯t see anything, anyway. The Umbral plane lacked any natural light to see with. Even magical light. As the uncomfortable silence and darkness pressed in on her, the lack of crew sounds, the soft hum of the stealth wards and the powered down state of the ship while in Umbral transit, Amara sighed. Your friend is a traitor to her people. We must find her and bring her to justice. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± A pause. Then, No. It is not . She stood up, pacing the bridge of the Indra, weaving loops between all the command chairs and metallic spell control consoles. She was trying to figure out what exactly would have pushed Luffa to stage a rebellion and flee the planet with a company¡¯s worth of other primals. And how? She knew Luffa had void magic, but she didn¡¯t think the primal was powerful enough to open a portal strong enough to flee the planet. ¡°Something¡¯s not right. Whatever Luffa has gotten into, she might need our help more than our outrage. I want to hear her out. Learn why she left. And maybe we can stop Cenine from killing them all.¡± The pensive silence from Nemesis was unsettling. She knew the divine soul shard wouldn¡¯t hesitate to steal control of her body to drive her around if it wanted. If that happened, could she stop herself from doing something she didn¡¯t want to do? She hoped she had the strength later. She wouldn¡¯t kill her friend when she finally found her, would she? ? Chapter 154 Morwen stood outside the grand temple hesitantly. One of the Emerald Guards, a captain, stood next to her. She recognized the woman as one of her many escorts during trips to consult with ArchPriest Erlaut. Morwen¡¯s lips compressed with concern. Eryn was cracking at the edges, and it needed Erlaut to be the firm glue that held it all together. Just like her team needed her to be the firm glue holding them together. Amara was AWOL, and stole the Indra with her. She¡¯d heard whispers of Akamori quiting and taking the squad as mercenaries. That had given her pause. Why was she still in the Federation? She had the Theferis now. The Legendary spell ship. First of the First. Surely she didn¡¯t need the Federation¡¯s bureaucrats, right? Not completely. She still needed to purge the ship of the black blood. The job the Emerald Knights had done was a quick patch job. And that, sadly, meant she had to come here and beg. And do so knowing full well Erlaut would make absurd demands of either her time or her assets. Chiefly the Theferis. ¡°How is he today?¡± Morwen asked the captain. The gold spell armor shifted with a rattle approximating a shrug. ¡°About the same, to a little worse. People are whispering. He¡¯s been manic about the necromancers, but it¡¯s gotten worse. Now he¡¯s near mad about protecting the planet. Thinks some attack is imminent.¡± Morwen pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. Great. She did not need this kind of drama right now. Not with Ominek out there doing who knew what and the Sauridius end game moving into stage. She gave the captain a polite nod. They weren¡¯t exactly friends or comrades, but there was a kind of familiarity there. The guard captain gave her a nod back. Two professionals exchanging courtesies. Morwen strode into the temple. Erlaut was nowhere to be seen until she¡¯d found the ArchPriest¡¯s personal chambers. Because they had vetted her a trusted officer, the security wards let her pass without complaint. Inside, she found Erlaut pacing before the crystal eye of the Crystal Mother, an ancient relic used for divination fashioned as a dragon¡¯s eye. Everything became clear now. He¡¯d used the Eye and now he was aware of some impending attack. ¡°Erlaut?¡± she said softly, hoping to break him out of his manic pacing. He glanced up and for an instant; she didn¡¯t recognize him. The frenzied look in his eyes. She¡¯d only seen him a short while ago, and he¡¯d unraveled this much since then? How much had he come undone? She drew in a cautious breath. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you. Good. There¡¯s much work to be done.¡± He muttered quickly. Morwen strained to hear as she took a few hesitant steps deeper into his chambers. She studied the almost disheveled appearance. Normally Aeryn¡¯s relationship with light magic meant that they had a near beautiful appearance all the time. They made it look effortless. Erlaut was no exception being an archmage himself. But right now, he looked an absolute mess. Like he¡¯d slept in his robes for a week. ¡°Erlaut¡­what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sauridius. The dread lords are coming. I can feel it.¡± Another few cautious steps put Morwen at about 10 feet from the near manic ArchPriest. ¡°Erlaut, what did the eye show you?¡± Erlaut stopped as if he¡¯d just stepped on a pressure sensor landmine. He whirled back on her, the mania reaching near pitched levels. ¡°Nothing! That¡¯s the thing! It-it showed me nothing. I couldn¡¯t use it. I can¡¯t protect our people.¡± He started pacing again, shaking his head and clutching his arms at the elbows as he began muttering incoherently to himself. Morwen frowned, gently removing some flowers from a vase and grabbing it by the neck. She moved into Erlaut¡¯s path and threw the water in his face. He halted sputtering before his eyes finally cleared of whatever fog was addling him. ¡°We need to talk.¡± She said to him softly. Erlaut nodded weakly and toweled his face off. She wasn¡¯t sure why he was coming apart at the seams, but she needed him to hold it together long enough for her to win this war. Now that she had the Theferis they stood a chance. ¡°How do you know they¡¯re coming? And why didn¡¯t the eye show you anything?¡± Erlaut threatened to lapse into his mummbling madness but she grabbed his chin and forced him to focus on her. ¡°All divination magic is useless. No one can get anything.¡± Morwen frowned. And the only reason that would be possible was if someone was blocking it. But that didn¡¯t mean Eryn was the target. Eryn had a fleet of spellships. A flotilla that could defend their homeworld. But even a few elder wyrms could make short work of any colonial navy defending a Brotherhood world. She¡¯d bet her final paycheck an attack was imminent against one of those lesser protected worlds. ¡°Erlaut. Listen. I need you to help me cleanse the Theferis completely so I can go back out there and stop them. Our best hope is to intercept them before they can plan a strike on Eryn.¡± ¡°What? No nononono, why would I let you go? We need the legendary spellship here, with the rest of our fleet.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Morwen¡¯s back went stiff. ¡°Let me go? The Theferis isn¡¯t Federation property. You can¡¯t stop me from doing anything.¡± ¡°Morwen, please, understand. Our world is vulnerable and they plan to attack it soon. We can¡¯t let them! Not again.¡± ¡°Why? What is so important that we have to keep them from coming back? I understand wanting to protect the people, but this is far beyond that.¡± ¡°Our mother is ready to be reborn. The golden pool in the well is almost enough to bring her back.¡± Morwen blinked. ¡°You mean to resurrect Aeryn? As in the Aeryn herself?¡± ¡°We¡¯re so close, Morwen. And when we finally do, she can protect us. Don¡¯t you see? If we let the Sauridius come here, they¡¯ll take the magic for themselves. We can¡¯t let them have it.¡± Unfortunately, she could agree to that. And did. Morwen sighed, nodding softly. ¡°A compromise then. I¡¯ll leave Theferis here as long as I can. But once the Sauridius make their move, I have to respond. Deal?¡± She held her hand out to shake. Erlaut eyed her hand. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± She studied him skeptically. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been assertive about fighting the Sauridius. But you¡¯ve never done so without recognizing your place within the hierarchy. The way you talk now, it¡¯s almost like you¡¯ve resigned and you¡¯re just some mercenary.¡± She paused. ¡°hmm. I guess you have a point. Ever since the court martial I guess I¡¯ve thought of my career with the Federation as done. But my fight with the Sauridius isn¡¯t. And I intend to do everything I can to protect our people.¡± Morwen saw Erlaut¡¯s expression softly, briefly. She could see he believed her. That was good. Would it be enough, though? ¡°Theferis stays to protect Eryn. Promise me that, and you¡¯ll have your cleansing ritual.¡± Morwen sighed, folding her arms to study Erlaut. This was going to have to be addressed later. She was certain it was going to cause her problems, but she needed the ship cleaned, and Akamori had requested that she get Helios and his sister cleansed. Erlaut was putting the squeeze to her, knowing she needed the mage¡¯s help. ¡°Alright. Fine. But I still reserve the right to deploy where and when I see fit. If the fight isn¡¯t here, then I have to be where it is.¡± Erlaut held a hand out to shake. ¡°Very well. But I think you¡¯ll soon find that the fight will ultimately be here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Later that afternoon in the Wellspring of Light. ArchPriest Erlaut stood with Helios and Thalara laying on the ground. Around them stood several powerful light mages and accomplished healers. If anyone was going to purge this black blood taint from them, it would be those he¡¯d gathered. Inwardly, Erlaut had to thank Morwen for giving him a task he could both handle and focus on. The sense of dread he¡¯d been feeling lately was overwhelming, and he wasn¡¯t sure how he could get beyond or ahead of it. The ritual began, drawing on power from the nearby pool of golden white magic. The lesser mages all wove complex spells, weaving and sketching runes and glyphs to create a complex tapestry of a ritual the likes their company hadn¡¯t seen in quite some long time. Erlaut led the ritual by guiding the separate pieces together, like chapters of a book Erlaut forged the whole of the ritual. Grafting together its constituent sections into a resonant union. Motes of aether pooled in the air as the magic condensed powerfully to a fever pitch until it rained pure magic upon the two unconscious and tainted warriors. A psionic scream hissed in the air, just beyond hearing. Then a black ichor bled free of the pair. The tainted black blood of a malevolent god. As soon as it bled free of the pair, it sizzled and burned. Rendered to smoke under the oppressive weight of the astral magic at play. Erlaut kept the pressure up with his light mages, making sure the ritual squeezed out as much of the black blood as possible. The expense to the golden wellspring was costly and the nagging worry there wouldn¡¯t be enough to bring back Aeryn haunted him. Still, he needed the warship Morwen found protecting their world. The shadow of Sauridius was spreading across the sector. He refocused on the ritual after admonishing himself for getting distracted. Each rune and glyph was carefully woven together. Building the entire ritual to a peak. An orb of raw white magic formed out of pooling astral magic in the middle of the chambers and then blasted two beams of raw golden white magic into Helios and Thalara. Black veins appeared and faded as it literally pushed the corruption out of their bodies. They cleansed Thalara, but Helios had a core of darkness within him that couldn¡¯t be entirely excised. Seeing that they wouldn¡¯t cleanse both of them completely, Erlaut called the ritual off, cutting their losses before they depleted the well even further. Wearily, the ArchPriest wiped sweat from his brow. An oddity for a man who subsisted on magic completely. Extreme magical use was the only thing that could exhaust him or show signs of aging. Especially now that he was a demi-god. He left the two cleansed in the care of his subordinates for now. They could get the two warriors back to Thefaris for him. He wanted only one thing right now. For the eye of the crystal mother to reveal to him why darkness had suddenly fallen upon their people. Was it admonishment for punishing Morwen? Had his people been forsaken for not being more invested in Morwen¡¯s war? An insidious voice rose in the very back of his mind. It whispered death and despair. The Sauridius would come and end his world soon. And when they did, they would drain their wellspring, leaving the people with no hope of bringing back their lost goddess Aeryn. Now he could only hope that Morwen could save their world with Theferis. He turned to leave the ritual chambers, feeling a weariness in his body he hadn¡¯t known in a long while. He¡¯d been pushing himself too hard, and even the magic was failing to sustain him now. Time was running out, and fate was drawing closer. He could feel it clawing at him just beyond reach. The overwhelming sense that Eryn would fall and when it did, the sector was going to die with it. The only thing he couldn¡¯t understand was why this feeling was so pronounced? He needed to find out the cause before it resulted in the end of his world. ? Chapter 155 System J25 ¨C Brotherhood of Man Colonial Space In the umbral shadow of a nearby planetoid too small for classification as a planet and too large to be classed as an asteroid, a void portal slashed open reality and spiraled open. The Indra, a corvette gifted to the squad from a benefactor in the Umbral plane, ferried Amara, the reincarnation of the nascent goddess Nemesis. She stood on the ship¡¯s bridge with her arms folded, studying the region. A lone station drifted in the isolated debris belt. If one didn¡¯t know specifically where to look, missing it would be easy. She pursed her lips, studying the readouts. The station was abandoned and had been for sometime. No sign that anyone had been here in quite some time. She puffed a small sigh and started weaving together fire and mind signs, casting a low rank divination spell. A fiery clock face appeared before her and she scrolled time back slowly at first and then faster and faster. Nothing had set foot in the system for several decades. ¡°Means no ambush, at least.¡± Her shoulders loosened up a little and set herself back down in the command chair. She¡¯d been uncharacteristically tense ever since she stole the Indra. They still had Theferis at least. That was the real weapon. That¡¯s what she told herself for comfort, anyway. ¡°Tsh, who am I really kidding?¡± Amara fed the spelldrive some light magic, and the ship thundered forward on raw plasma. Akamori was the better skilled pilot, but she was capable enough to get from point at A to B provided she didn¡¯t need to do anything fancy. It may not feel right, but this course is necessary. Nemesis said softly. ¡°Stealing my friend¡¯s ship from them and slinking off into the void hardly feels like a just action.¡± Sometimes lines between what is right and wrong blur. There isn¡¯t always a black and white. Sometimes, the reality exists in shades of grey. ¡°huh.¡± What? ¡°Nothing. You just kind of reminded me of Akamori for a moment.¡± Most likely when he is closely embodying his past selves. The Traveler and the many faces he¡¯s worn throughout time have become a pillar of good in a reality that drowns in evil and darkness. Our paths have flowed together many times. It¡¯s expected that there would be some overlap in personality. ¡°You talk about Akamori a lot like you knew him before he was Akamori?¡± I have. He, like you, is this cycle¡¯s embodiment of an old being. A shard of a greater whole. His path has brought him into contact with more shards of his whole self than you have, thus his greater progress. But events to come require we ¡®catch up¡¯. ¡°Something worse than Sauridius is coming?¡± A truly cruel and predatory being. Maleficus may have started out with noble aims, but her means became more and more cruel, justifying the ends. The emergence of the Remover is a bad omen. The Remover is notoriously reclusive. He is sneaky and crafty. He often appears in key moments in history before a reality is irrevocably broken. The First has suffered through 5 Cataclysms requiring massive changes to the System to preserve stability. Amara went cold at the news. That dreadful feeling she¡¯d had around the Remover was more than just him being a powerful demi god. He was a harbinger of the end. But something didn¡¯t mesh. ¡°Wait, if he¡¯s that bad that every time he pops up, a reality ends. Why is this one still kicking?¡± Because it¡¯s the first. The Prime. The Source. The core from which all others were spun off. What you don¡¯t see is the collapse of those other stars. ¡°How many stars were there?¡± 20 after the Severance. There are now 15, though 2 of them are in such a weakened state they threaten to collapse anytime now. You may live long enough to see 4 Cataclysms in your lifetime. Longer if we can fend off Maleficus and ascend. Amara chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. This was beyond heavy. Until now she¡¯d thought that the war with the Sauridius was their biggest problem. But it went so much deeper than that. ¡°Who else knows?¡± Everything? Possibly Akamori. It¡¯s difficult to assume how much his soul shards have shared with him but it¡¯s a strong bet he¡¯s aware of much. The complete truth? None of you. ¡°So why tell me all of this?¡± Because the standard ascension path didn¡¯t work last time. You were too slow. You decided that in this cycle, things would need to be accelerated to match the speed of fate. Another scoff as she brought the Indra into the abandoned station¡¯s hanger bay slowly to land. What? ¡°Now I sound like Akamori.¡± Why? ¡°Because he hates the idea, that fate is tugging him along like a puppet. He has good reason to. This time it was Amara¡¯s turn to ask why. Because she has been. Lady Fate has helped the Crystal Mother move heroes around like game pieces on a Darstrix board. Taking territory and locking off advances, the Umbral Titans would otherwise employ. Amara sighed. The more Nemesis spoke with her, the more hopelessly lost she felt. Thankfully, the gifted intellect she inherited from Lady Fate enabled her to process everything so much more quickly. Once the Indra finished landing procedures, she powered down the spell drive and pushed herself back from the controls. ¡°Well, I guess I should go get ahead of fate, then.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it She turned, making her way towards the loading ramp at the rear of the ship. Descending the ramp of the ship, she noted the station still had gravity. Odd, given the power appeared to be off. So if the station had no juice, why did it have gravity? She deployed her helmet and sealed it with a hiss of air as it pressurized. She strode into the empty hangar feeling like a ghost. Only there were no living or dead here. The place was simply a shell. Whatever life had existed here had long since vacated. She passed through an airlock and studied the corridor for a long beat. Brotherhood of Man. Some kind of military R&D facility. How was she tied to this place? All will become clear in time. Nemesis had become more quiet. More pensive. Amara wasn¡¯t sure how to interpret that. Amara wove a fire sign and cast a small ball of flame. She held it in her left hand like a small star, casting light and long shadows down the corridor. Slowly, she advanced into the station. She studied the posters and charts all over the walls. Much of looked like standard propaganda, but much of it espoused the use of magic within the Brotherhood. ¡°Magic? They have magic? I thought they were magiphobic?¡± Not all, and not always. Small sects have always existed within the Brotherhood¡¯s government. For a time we held sway here. ¡°We?¡± Yes. She traced a finger along a dusty medical chart. It tracked vitals on a number of young children. Amara¡¯s brows knit. What were they doing with these kids? Curiosity pulled the weaver deeper into the station. She found herself wishing she had the ability that Akamori and Morwen had described. Morwen especially. Being able to see Time and possibility play out before her would be excessively helpful. Unfortunately, the station was too old to channel greater divination spells. She found her way to an area that looked like a managed quarters area. Only two access points existed, including the one she¡¯d just used to come in through. The other led to a communal latrine. The lay out was circular, with ten beds equally spaced apart. They had no names, only a number stenciled into the bulkhead to show who the bed belonged to. A footlocker at the front of the bed and a small nightstand next to the right side were the only furniture afforded to whomever the room belonged to in the past. She paused the number 9 bed. Her eyes narrowed. It called to her and she couldn¡¯t put words to how. Wouldn¡¯t know how to even if she tried. It was almost like a whisper. Slowly, she approached the chest and kneeled down, tracing a hand over the footlocker, and lifted the old hinge back to open it. Inside, she found a mesh body suit with woven flexible plates integrated into the material. Like an under armor. Her brows furrowed, and she reached in slowly, pulling it out. Gauging the size visually, she figured she could fit into it. ¡°Odd.¡± She mused. ¡°It¡¯s like I left this here for me. But¡­I was never here?¡± That you can recall. Not every generation carries all its memories forward into the next cycle. Standing tall, she wove the hand sign for mind magic, triggering the armor to go translucent, allowing her to exit. She took off the sweaty pilot under suit she¡¯d been using and put on the black under armored suit. It even had a hood and mask and could be vacuum sealed. Like they made it to enable her to sneak around easier. Because it is . ¡°How¡­how would you know that?¡± Because we left this here for you. Your future you when you did this in the past. Put it on. Time is limited, and you won¡¯t have much longer on your own. More than that, I cannot say. ¡°Right.¡± Amara slipped the mesh under the suit on and then donned her scout armor again. She flexed her hands a few times and couldn¡¯t tell the difference. She threw a few swift punches and kicks to stretch out and was surprised at just how quickly her body responded. Even her weaving sped up. System Info: You found a Soulbound Item. Nemesis Shadow Armor. This item gives a moderate bonus to stealth, speed and weave casting and a slight bonus to your Resolve. +1 Magical Rating for opposed checks. ¡°Whoah. Did you know about this?¡± Yes. We¡¯re not done. Proceed. With haste, please. Amara nodded, unable to respond and did as she was told. As she did, her vision blurred, and the station warped and changed. She was stood before a young woman who looked kind of like she did when she was younger, but there was something different about her. And similar at the same time. ¡°Ah. You¡¯re here.¡± There was a note of disappointment in her tone. ¡°I¡¯d almost hoped you wouldn¡¯t come.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± The young woman with the number 9 on her under suit shook her head. The same suit she was wearing now, Amara realized. ¡°She said you¡¯d come, and here you are. I trust you¡¯ve found the armor?¡± ¡°I did. Yes.¡± Number Nine turned and picked up a pair of gloves from off a table and held them out to Amara. ¡°These are yours now.¡± Nine crossed the short distance to Amara and put the gloves into her hands. They were a little heavy. With magic she realized, not material weight. ¡°Hopefully, they serve you as well as they did me.¡± Nine¡¯s eyes welled up with tears and Amara wasn¡¯t sure why. Then it occurred to her. ¡°Wait¡­are you my mother?¡± Nine smiled. ¡°I just found out a few days ago. Your father and I are leaving. We aren¡¯t sure if we¡¯ll make it. The Brotherhood doesn¡¯t like its conscripts leaving early or alive.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take these, then?¡± Nine shook her head emphatically. ¡°Yours in the future, that matters. That¡¯s when the convergences will occur. Mine is to pave the way. Besides part of me lives on in you now. Or will.¡± Nine shrugged with a mildly confused look and Amara realized it was a habit she¡¯d developed on her own. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left. It cost Nemesis a great deal of power to create this moment, and others will notice.¡± It was Nines¡¯ way of saying hurry with anything big. Amara felt put on the spot. She hadn¡¯t even known she was going to wind up here. ¡°Tell my father I turned out ok. That I grew up strong. I have lots of friends. And we¡¯re going to fix things.¡± Nine smiled and hugged Amara gently. After a short moment, she pushed Amara away softly back to the ripple in the corridor behind her. ¡°Go. We¡¯ll meet again.¡± Amara went to take a step back towards her mom but found she lost control of her body again. NO! She railed inside her mind, but deep down she knew Nine had requested Nemesis do this or she might not go back. Nemesis turned at least, letting her watch as her mother faded into the distortion, and then the absent dark corridor replaced her. Time and reality had returned to normal, leaving Amara alone and back in control of her body to collapse down, wrapping her arms around her knees and sob. ? Chapter 156 Ominek¡¯s cruiser eased up alongside the docking port of the derelict station. Initially, he was going to deploy a shuttle and take the hangar bay, but the Indra¡¯s presence had made him weary. He knew the Indra was the ship Morwen and her squad used to stop him on Eryn several months back. Not wanting to walk into an ambush for what was effectively a treasure hunt mission, he opted for the safest ingress point. The cruiser jolted as it docked forcefully with the station. His daughter turning to give him a nod. ¡°Thank you Tanak. Be a dear and help guide our new friends into the station. There could be pesky Federation spell soldiers skulking about in the dark.¡± Tanak bowed her head, her eyes narrowed to mere slits. He was proud that she was always suspicious of him and not the unquestioning loving idiot her older sister had turned out to be. It was likely why Tanak had survived where Tua had not. Well, that and the absurdly over indulgent penchant for violence and bloodshed. His daughter¡¯s wings ruffled irritatedly as she turned and began ushering the primals towards the docking tube. Ominek wanted the primals in the front in case a fight was to be had. Better to spend the primals than to waste more dragons. Once they were in position, his daughter threw the latch on the hatch and the door slid upward to reveal the tube leading into the darkened station. No one moved for a long moment, waiting for the inevitable incoming fire. When none came, all eyes turned back to Ominek who simply shrugged. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not all of them. Go on then and be careful. If you find anything of interest, summon me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Tanak said. Luffa stood at Tanak¡¯s side and stared daggers at him. Regrettable but necessary. He needed her to play her role. In another life, it was possible they could have been actual friends. She seemed nice enough, but that just honestly didn¡¯t interest him at all. Only for what purpose she could serve for him. As the pack of primals and his daughter strode forth, he folded his arms curiously. ¡°Just what will you be, Luffa? A sacrificial pawn? Or a key piece of the board?¡± Ominek whispered to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t like this one bit,¡± Luffa whispered to Tanak. She was a dragon hatchling, and thus, the enemy, but Luffa knew Tanak disliked her father as much, if not more, than she did. The enemy of my enemy, or whatever it was humans liked to say. ¡°Do you actually intend to allow my father to have the bombs? If we find them, I mean?¡± Tanak asked. Luffa tensed. Was this a loyalty test? What was Tanak¡¯s real game here? She knew Ominek was crafty. Perhaps he¡¯d sent his daughter with her merely to keep an eye on her. She turned to regard the corridors, long since abandoned and devoid of life. Were it possible for dust to accumulate, she suspected it well would have. Instead, they just found everything in disarray. She spent a point of her AP and allowed her manifest light magic to radiate her aura. Papers and light objects fled from the pressure of her aura. Tanak grunted and gave her some space, but gave Luffa a thankful nod for the light. Without power, the station was like an unlit maze. Tanak wove a few soul signs and cast an orb of soul magic. The billowing ethereal green orb floated above her hand. ¡°No. I won¡¯t hurt you. Yes, I¡¯ll release you when I¡¯m done. I promise,¡± Tanak whispered to the orb, which brightened some after the one-way conversation. ¡°Were you talking to your magic just then?¡± ¡°No. To the soul.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The soul.¡± Tanak said, holding it out. Luffa stared at the soul and blinked until she could feel the faintest pulse of it back to her. She stepped back, startled. ¡°I-you¡¯re a-a necromancer?¡± Tanak shrugged meekly. ¡°Barely. I know some basic spells. But I lack the power to do anything complex. Any souls I summon are volunteers or were bound to be for service by my father. I release them to the cycle when I can.¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Luffa asked, pointing to the small orb of soul energy. ¡°No, they are souls. They lack bodies to feel pain. But souls that languish in the light realm can feel phantom pain. Too much of it drives them mad. It causes them to mutate into malicious spirits like revenants, phantasms, Banshees and specters.¡± ¡°None of that sounds fun to be around.¡± Tanak¡¯s gaze fell again. ¡°They aren¡¯t. Unfortunately, learning to shackle, binding, and necromancy are requirements for weaving as a Sauridius.¡± Luffa studied her own hands. She, too, had been forced to learn things she might not have otherwise. She flexed her hands. ¡°I often wonder. Would I have learned to weave had I not been a war slave?¡± ¡°Would you?¡± Tanak asked her curiously. More than that, there was interest there. Luffa shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I had a friend who was a spell warrior. I think it would have been nice to learn some of his techniques.¡± She said, fondly recalling Private Sala. One of Amara¡¯s friends. The war primal that had pledged himself to Morwen¡¯s squad. Luffa wondered if she¡¯d ever get the chance to see him again now that she was stuck working with the Enemy. The idea of fighting him made her temporarily ill. ¡°Are you ok? You look pale suddenly?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. Thank you. Just worried.¡± ¡°As am I. If father finds these magi-bombs he¡¯s after he could really cause some damage with them, and worst of all, he wouldn¡¯t even need to be present to use them. It¡¯s not right. He needs to be accountable.¡± Luffa blinked, seeing Tanak in the whole light of truth now. Tanak was concerned for Luffa because she wanted to stop her father and Luffa was an unknown quantity. She wasn¡¯t being tested for Ominek, she was being questioned for herself. She smiled softly at that. Happy to have found a mutual ally in all this madness. Counting on her own brothers and sisters had proven a fool¡¯s errand. ¡°If it comes to that? We¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t then.¡± Luffa gave Tanak a serious nod. For a moment, she considered what a powerful duo, a primal and a dragon, could be on the battlefield. Tanak held a hand up silencing Luffa, she niffed at the air a few times and tasted it with her tongue for long moments. ¡°We¡¯re not alone.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Before Luffa could react, a few of her sisters rushed forward and around the bend. Tanak and Luffa trotted after them to find Amara, of all people on the floor, weeping. She was holding her knees to her chest, with her head buried in her knees, and Luffa suddenly knew great fear and panic. There were a multitude of reasons. This was just bad for everyone. Luffa and her brothers and sisters were traitors of Eryn. She¡¯d betrayed her friend. But Amara was also an enemy of Ominek. If he discovered she was here, he might actually kill her only friend that she¡¯d just reunited with. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Ominek!¡± Lira said, rushing off. She was showing herself as a quick pleaser of Ominek. The praise he lauded her with surely had nothing to do with it. Luffa huffed a sigh and crouched next to Amara. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Amara looked up with glassy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. ¡°I-¡± she stammered and cleared her throat. ¡°I stole the Indra and ran away. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be here.¡± Luffa frowned, wiping her friend¡¯s cheek. ¡°Oh Amara. What have you been through?¡± Amara looked up at her with tear streaked eyes. ¡°I saw them. I saw my family. It was in the past somehow.¡± Luffa¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Time magic? That¡¯s excessively rare.¡± Amara scoffed. ¡°Not if you¡¯re me. I¡¯ve done more time travel in the past few weeks than I¡¯d like to admit to.¡± Luffa sat down next to Amara protectively. ¡°Tell me what happened. From the beginning.¡± Amara gave Luffa a pained look. There was something she wanted to say but was afraid to. Luffa knew that look well. Fear. Whatever happened to her, she was genuinely concerned about it. ¡°Someone came to me. A demigod. Powerful Arch Mage. He did something to me. Woke something up.¡± ¡°Did you tell the others? Surely they would have helped?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Amara said, almost in a plea. ¡°He threatened them.¡± Luffa frowned, leaning back. ¡°And you believed him. So this demigod shows up making threats. He sounds like a bad act to be caught up with. Is that why you ran without telling the others? They seemed nice. Like they would have tried to help.¡± Amara shrank in on herself, deflating under Luffa¡¯s comments. ¡°I couldn¡¯t risk it. He proved he could reach them whenever he wanted. My only option was to get away. To get stronger. ¡± Luffa¡¯s brow wrinkled again. The logic made sense. The execution did not. ¡°So you came here?¡± ¡°I was¡­guided. By a part of my soul.¡± Luffa nodded solemnly. A wistful smile creasing her lips. ¡°It must be nice to move with that kind of certainty. To know something deep in your soul.¡± Amara¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears, and she shook her head. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m coming apart at the seams. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening. I don¡¯t enjoy doing it alone.¡± ¡°Shhhh.¡± Luffa said, wrapping an arm around Amara. ¡°You¡¯re not alone. Not anymore. This demigod can threaten your friends. But it won¡¯t phase me.¡± ¡°It should.¡± Ominek¡¯s voice sounded from the rear of the primals. He strode through their ranks and stopped short of Amara, Luffa, and Tanak. Arm¡¯s folded, and scowling down his nose at them. Luffa¡¯s heart raced and for a moment, she knew he¡¯d shift and eat them right here, just to be rid of one of his greatest enemies. Luffa knew of Amara¡¯s victory against him on Hidros. ¡°I should very much like to just devour you right here and now, child.¡± Ominek said to Amara. Luffa rose, her gold aura billowing outward protectively. Aggressively. She was close to channeling her stone skin spell, too. Oh, so close. The metal deck plates beneath their feet strained under the power. Luffa¡¯s and Ominek¡¯s auras clashed between them. Indomitable wills warring. Ominek¡¯s hand rippled, revealing crimson scales and black talons. Luffa was certain this was it. This was where it would all come unraveled. Ominek would attack. Her brothers and sisters would be torn, conflicted, and be drawn into the fight on both sides. Chaos would ensue. Most would die. ¡°Leave her to me. Erlaut had me training her at the Weaver college. She¡¯ll listen to me. She can be an asset.¡± Ominek trembled in front of Luffa, not from fear but from an almost contained rage. Luffa could taste that in his aura. The undiluted hate at Amara for ruining his ritual on Hoshun. She could tell just how close he was to giving into his primal urges and slaughtering the entire station and leaving on his own. But she also felt something else tether him back from beyond. Like a magical rope pulling him back from the brink. She couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. She was more of adept at fighting than divination. Not like Amara was. After a breathless moment, Ominek drew in a slow breath and let it out. His hand shifted back into human form. The darker skinned man regained his composure and his aura backed off from hers. As the dread lord stepped back, Luffa caught herself sighing in relief quietly. Now it was her turn to tremble out of fear and relief. Luffa knew how close they¡¯d come to being past tense. ¡°I have granted you a stay of execution. Don¡¯t make me regret it. Collar her and find me those damn bombs. We have a colony to irradiate.¡± With that, Ominek about faced, marching away from the gathering. Some primals gave him space. Others deferential looks to Luffa. Everyone wore concerned expressions. She turned to Tanak, who seemed apologetic for her father. ¡°I thought he¡¯d actually eat us just then.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he?¡± Tanak frowned, ¡°Grandfather. This has his talons all over it.¡± Luffa glanced down at Amara with a frown, pulling a mage collar from a storage pouch. She shook the frost off from being drawn out of the void. Crouching down, she snapped the collar on as gently as she could around her friend¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Amara. It¡¯s the only way.¡± Amara shook her head, giving Luffa a brave smile. ¡°It¡¯s ok. We¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Luffa stood, holding a hand out for Amara to take. ¡°Let¡¯s find these magi-nukes so we can leave.¡± Amara took her hand, rose with a sway. ¡°Whoa. Was it like this for you?¡± Luffa rubbed her naked neck. ¡°All the time¡­ But enough of the past. Let¡¯s go find the future.¡± ? Chapter 157 Akamori, Sirsir and Yasiin were in the hanger of Thefaris tending to their gear. They didn¡¯t have much left after Amara had stolen the Indra from under their feet. Sala was off with the Captain. The mood was heavy. No one said more than five words since watching the ship leave the hangar and cast an invisibility spell. Worse, it put their squad down a capable weaver, tactician, and scout being without her. Akamori tried not to dwell on the loss of his childhood friend as he polished Thanaton¡¯s edges. Even the blade had been dead quiet. He figured her betrayal had bitten even the unusually murderhappy blade¡¯s feelings. For it to be so bad that it didn¡¯t even indulge in its standard brooding spoke volumes about the injury. A beat later, Sala charged into the empty hangar. ¡°You guys have to see this.¡± ¡°You guys have to see, Sir.¡± Sirsir corrected the private as he addressed the primal with a nod to Akamori. But even the rebuke lacked its typical bite. Sala threw a flaming ball at the floor and it unfurled into a sector wide missive. The illusion took the shape of a colony world. New Xinjia by the look of it. Sweeping neo Chinese architecture accented with some of the smoother lines seen among neo American designs on New Eden. In the skies of the colony, a small swarm of ships and dragons descended into the world. Sirsir and Yasin went stiff. Past engagements recalled to memory. None of them good by the looks on their faces. ¡°My gods¡­¡± Sirsir muttered, studying the size of the force. ¡°That¡¯s the largest we¡¯ve seen yet,¡± Yasiin said between strokes of oil along his rifle¡¯s barrel. ¡°How is that possible? They couldn¡¯t have been holding a force this large back? We smashed an entire fleet in the Anazi system and flattened their necromancers on Hidros. Where did they get an army that big so fast?¡± Sala zoomed the missive in and pointed. ¡°Look.¡± ¡°What am I seeing?¡± Akamori asked, looking at Sirsir. ¡°An undead horde. All those troops? They¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Which means the actual percentage of live participants in that engagement is probably three times smaller than the scale of the whole force.¡± Yasiin said without looking up from polishing his spell rifle. ¡°Their defenses are getting chewed apart. Those civilians won¡¯t survive this. We have to get over there.¡± ¡°How?¡± Sirsir asked. ¡°Amara jacked our ride, remember? And this big beast isn¡¯t ready to deploy yet.¡± Akamori cursed under his breath. They had to go blunt the attack. He knew that in his bones. The question was how? ¡°How old is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s happening live.¡± ¡°What are the hold out estimates?¡± ¡°Most estimates put them at total planetary casualties by weeks end.¡± That gave them six days less the half day they were already knee deep in. Akamori slid off the storage crate he¡¯d been parked on, setting Thanaton on his back. He couldn¡¯t do anything about Amara, so he put a pin in that. He¡¯d deal with her later if and when that time came. For now, people needed help, and he intended to try and provide it. ¡°Alright then. If the Thefaris is out of the question, maybe we can convince the Federation to deploy us with the Crasher or something. I¡¯ll go ask. You guys get your gear as prepped as you can. We¡¯re going monster hunting.¡± He could tell by the grim and eager expressions that everyone was looking forward to this. They needed something they could handle. Some fight or conflict they could make a difference in. Suddenly, Akamori didn¡¯t feel as alone as normal. The rest of the squad went to work prepping their things and packing modest go bags. He¡¯d need to look at procuring them some armor to make up for their gear left behind on the Indra. His black coat billowed behind him as he stepped out of the hangar and summoned some air magic to him to fly. He liked the cleaner, less frigid feeling of flying on air magic. It also lacked the control of void flight. He stayed as low to the deck as he could, avoiding much of the arboreal overhang of the eternal forest. He dropped out of the sky near the business district that hugged the star port. He needed to visit the Federation Embassy. Setting down lightly, a few children gave him awestruck looks and gave him a nod and wink. Excited muttering with parents faded away as he strode into the Embassy. A lieutenant sat behind the desk in a well-pressed uniform. He frowned, realizing he hadn¡¯t worn his own in a while. The young officer barely glanced up from polishing her nails. She was human, like himself. A trait he¡¯d forgotten was so rare on Eryn while he was away at the last stronghold of dragons in the sector. She pushed a tablet towards him with a sign in roster on it. ¡°Name, Rank, and purpose of visit.¡± She said flatly, more interested in the small device she was watching than she was attending to guests. Akamori frowned, scribbling in his name, rank, and that he was here to go to New Xinjia to fight the Sauridius. When he finished, she tugged it back and then her eyes shot up to him and she sat upright in the chair, seeing him for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize it was you.¡± He canted his head, confused. ¡°The hero of Hidros. I¡¯ll let the General know you¡¯re here.¡± She shoved her chair back and practically ran into the general¡¯s office, boots thudding on the Erynian wood of the office. He folded his arms, brows wrinkling. Is that really how people saw him? Some kind of hero? They are witnessing your divinity. Your lack of religion is an impediment. Cultivating a religion with them now would be most wise. Akamori frowned, shooting the hilt of Thanaton a sidelong look over his shoulder. Making his own religion just felt grossly pretentious. He wasn¡¯t out here to bathe in adulation; he had a war to fight. It goes beyond mere praise. Aether is not the only form of power in creation. Worship is another form of power that can be tapped into. It functions as a symbiotic exchange between you and your followers. They give you a portion of their own power, and in return you can gift them boons. If you challenge a gold or diamond ranked god in your current state, you will be significantly weaker than you could be. It is an unnecessary handicap to assume. A system missive appeared and unfurled before him. Since he was waiting for the general, he read on. System Info: Codex Entry Updated: Worship and Divinity . There are many aspects of worship. Once a being ascends beyond Magic Rating (MR) 5, you become a divine being. You gain Divine Rating. (DR). The scale of Divine Rating follows: 0 ¨C Demigod. (MR of 6-9)Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. 1 ¨C Iron Ranked God (or shard of a whole god) 5 ¨C Silver Ranked God (Large shard of a whole god) 10 ¨C Gold Ranked God (Whole god, or fragment of a greater god) 25 ¨C Diamond Ranked God or Fragment of a titan 50 ¨C Crystal Ranked Half Titan 100 ¨C Transcendant Ranked False Titan 250 ¨C Astral Ranked True Titan Gaining Divinity - By virtue of the system, any mortal being can transcend their station and become divine. Every god, regardless of age and epoch, started out as a mortal aside from the original titans. The fastest way to become a god is to ingest divinity. All wellsprings consisted of Godsblood. Ingestion of enough purified godsblood will grant some initial points of divinity. The other method of attaining divinity is by worship. After a god has gained their first point of divinity, they may form Pacts. A pact is a spiritual link between worshiped and worshiper. The deity gains aether, and can pass on miracles in return. For a mortal to receive worship, they must receive 10 magical infusions. This number can vary based on potency and power of the wellspring visited and if they are not given infusions by gods directly. Permanent vs. Temp. Divinity - Permanent divinity determines a god¡¯s overall DR. It caps the number of miracles they can grant, the strength of their magic, and the types of divine miracles they can perform. Increasing permanent divinity is a new god¡¯s top priority. Any time a god gains a permanent divinity, it also refills their Temporary Divinity (TD), and many plan around these phenomena. The only way to regain TD is through worship or through performing Divine Deeds. Direct Worship scale - 1 Worship ¨C 10,000 followers 2 Worship ¨C 100,000 followers 3 Worship ¨C 500,000 followers 4 Worship ¨C 1 million followers 5 Worship ¨C 10 million followers 6 Worship ¨C 100 million followers 7 Worship ¨C 1 billion followers 8 Worship ¨C 10 billion followers 9 Worship ¨C 100 billion followers Indirect Worship Scale - 1 TD / Year ¨C 10,000 followers Quarter ¨C 100,000 followers Month ¨C 500,000 followers Week ¨C 10 million followers Day ¨C 100 million followers Hour ¨C 1 billion followers The deity gains 1 additional TD per hour for each extra billion followers they possess. Any divinity beyond thier max pool is lost. Akamori swayed at the information overload. ¡°Whoa.¡± He had no idea. He wasn¡¯t weak compared to most people. But when he looked at that scale and how high it went? He suddenly felt like a tiny fish in a huge ocean. And there were bound to be rather large predators out there, just waiting to gobble him up. ¡°Maybe forming my own religion isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡± He relented with a grumble. The whole idea felt so anathema to him. He didn¡¯t like the concept at all. But if it meant protecting the creation from any prick with too much power? Then maybe humiliating himself was worth the price. You are bumbling around like a toddler in a warzone. You may be among the more powerful mortals, but you are in exceptional danger against any god. The longer you disregard your divinity, the more vulnerable you leave us. ¡°Little god bad, big god good. Got it.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m sorry?¡± General Anderson said from his doorway as his slipped around him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I quite caught that.¡± Akamori smiled politely and shook his head with a dismissive wave. ¡°Nothing. Just talking to my sword.¡± ¡°Ah see. Izat somethin¡¯ ya do often?¡± ¡°More than is probably healthy to admit to. Believe it or not, it actually talks back, too.¡± The General studied him carefully. He wasn¡¯t certain about Akamori. Not that Akamori could blame the man. Anderson coughed into his hand to redirect the conversation. ¡°My staff tells me you wanna go fight the Sauridius on New Xinjia. Now normally I¡¯d have no qualms with sending more men into that shit storm. But the pointy¡¯s won¡¯t let any ships leave the planet. Too scared the boogey man is gonna come along and kick over their perfect little garden here.¡± Akamori folded his arms and leaned back, ignoring the dig at the Eryn¡¯s. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you do anything you could to protect New Eden?¡± Anderson nodded with a weary sigh. ¡°Yeah, I suppose I would. Which is why it pains me to deny your request.¡± Akamori shrugged. He opened a void pocket and fished out a big leather bag full of gold and gems. He set it down on the staff lieutenant¡¯s desk. ¡°That should cover the rest of my contract and my squad. We¡¯re tending our resignations, effective now.¡± The General¡¯s eyes narrowed until realization dawned and he leaned back against the wall. ¡°I see. It¡¯s a shame. I can¡¯t stop ya from going to help out on New Xinjia. Just like I can¡¯t stop myself from tellin¡¯ ya that the Crasher has a pretty limited crew. And I can¡¯t stop ya from helpin¡¯ yerself to the old girl if you were so inclined to assist us.¡± Akamori smirked. He liked this guy. ¡°We could use some gear. Most of our stuff was stollen recently.¡± ¡°Ah heard. Visit the quartermaster at the dock. He should be able to help. Fer a cost, of course.¡± ¡°Nothing of value is ever free.¡± Akamori said with a grin. ? Chapter 158 Luffa, Tanak and Amara led a group of reluctant primals through the research station. They were the first living beings to walk its halls in centuries. Amara would catch flickers of memories, but because of the collar on her neck, her connection to Nemesis had lessened. Deep down, she was secretly thankful for that. ¡°So. You and the primals are with Ominek now?¡± Amara asked, cutting into the silence like a heated blade through butter. ¡°It¡¯s an alliance of convenience. He hasn¡¯t enslaved us the way the elves did.¡± Luffa said as politically as she could manage. ¡°Yet.¡± Amara added. ¡°Father will use you like any other resource, and discard you when you become more of a liability than he finds acceptable. It is his way.¡± Tanak said in a soft, gravely tone. ¡°I know. And so will we,¡± Luffa said. ¡°Will we?¡± a primal said from behind. Amara glanced back and noticed this one¡¯s hair was jet black like Luffa, only she kept it bound back in a single ponytail. Her bangs framed her slender face. Piercing green eyes stared out from the red skin around her eyes. Her fur was darker than Luffa¡¯s. Like burned crimson, where Luffa¡¯s was slightly brighter. ¡°Yes. Ominek may help us, but we still decide for what¡¯s best for us on our own. Be at peace Avoca.¡± ¡°We are fugitive war slaves. The Federation won¡¯t tolerate that. Better to stand with allies than to standalone,¡± Avoca said. ¡°I disagree. If the allies we choose may as well be enemies too, then perhaps alone is best for us?¡± Avoca didn¡¯t respond, only grunting. She disagreed, but didn¡¯t argue with Luffa¡¯s wisdom. Amara shifted the collar on her neck, pins and needles prickling her fingers. It was uncomfortable, and the way it numbed her magically felt stifling. Like being stuffed into a too small box. ¡°Is the collar too tight?¡± Luffa asked, concern on her face. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Amara said. ¡°You put up with it your whole life. I can manage.¡± Luffa nodded, appraising Amara just then. Seeing her as a whole new person. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it had to be this way.¡± Amara nodded. ¡°I want to say me too, but I¡¯m feeling like things would have gone like this no matter what.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°This feels like the most beneficial scenario for everyone involved, and there¡¯s too many hands plucking threads to risk things going sideways on a bad choice here or there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying someone is curating events?¡± ¡°Logically speaking, it fits. I¡¯ve already encountered one divine being that was manipulating events. It stands to reason the board has other players, so to speak.¡± Luffa¡¯s brows furrowed as she thought about that. Eventually, she turned to Amara. ¡°Then who are the other players?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Even if you assume that knowing who they are gives you the power to stop them from getting their way, they may be powerful enough to just force capitulation and get their way, anyway.¡± ¡°Resistance is futile?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s feeling. I hate this.¡± Luffa set a hand on Amara¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out. Together. So let¡¯s take it from the top. There¡¯s she who shant be named, your mysterious benefactor in the Umbral plane. Then there¡¯s the Remover. Tell me about him?¡± A cold shiver raced up Amara¡¯s back even through both layers of armor. Her breath caught in her throat, and fear gripped her heart. Should she tell them? The Remover had threatened her squad, but Luffa and Tanak? Tanak was technically an enemy. And Luffa was a deserter and branded a traitor, most likely knowing Erynian law. So one could make the argument she and the rest of the primals were technically enemies, too. But then, if she followed that line of logic, that would make her one too. So that would make them all allies, wouldn¡¯t it? He never threatened the people here, though. Just her friends that were on the Indra and the Theferis. She nodded finally, deciding to do tell them and thankful to them for letting her think it out in peace. ¡°He¡¯s an alien of some type I¡¯ve never seen before. Dark grey skin. White tusks, with a trunk where his nose should be? And he was big. Bigger than Sirsir or Sala. He was also powerful. Stronger than Akamori and three times as skilled at weaving. I think in a standup fight, Akamori might win still, but not without great cost.¡± Luffa frowned. Her dark brows knit together as she thought about the matter deeply. ¡°Then it seems we should find this Remover and deal with him.¡± It was said so simply and matter of fact that Amara wasn¡¯t sure how to process it. To so willingly throw herself into Amara¡¯s mess that she didn¡¯t even give it a second thought. She was going to protest, but held her tongue. ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to do that.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t have to. That¡¯s what friends are for, isn¡¯t it?¡± Luffa replied. They cut their conversation short when another primal ran from an adjacent corridor. ¡°We found them!¡± Luffa and Tanak both went stiff as a corpse, and Amara glanced between them. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is bad?¡± ¡°Very.¡± Ominek purred in a pleased tone from behind them. Tanak, Luffa and Amara all jumped nearly out of their skins. The dark-skinned dragon in his human form grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to cause a little mayhem. A little wanton destruction. Mass murder. That old chestnut. Speaking of what even is a chestnut, why do we talk about them when they¡¯re old? It seems rude. Human euphemisms can be so strange, but I find the vintage ones to be so alien .¡± Ominek circled around the three of them to greet the primal that rushed in. ¡°Now then, my dear, what is your name?¡± ¡°Sarada.¡± Ominek smiled at Sarada like a father might to a daughter he actually loved. ¡°Sarada, why don¡¯t you show me where the magi-nukes are?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Right this way.¡± Sarada said in an all too eager to please tone. Luffa and Tanak both exchanged a look. Unspoken concern flashed between, and Amara caught the undertones. A division was forming in the Primal refugees. This was going to end poorly for Luffa, and it tore Amara up inside. Her only hope was that there was a way of going forward to salvage what was shaping up to be an awful scenario. Ominek studied the dormant warheads approvingly before turning to Luffa. ¡°Load them up into the Indra. Take the priestess with you. Then go nuke the New Europa colony.¡± Tanak, Luffa and Amara all exchanged uncomfortable looks. Ominek sighed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Fine. Do it or I¡¯ll eat you all, or something equally dreadful and messy. I don¡¯t have time for this. Do as I say, or something, something bad, something.¡± Ominek said. ¡°As you say, Father.¡± Tanak said. Ominek regarded for a moment as though he doubted she¡¯d honor his command and finally nodded. ¡°Good. Rendezvous with me in the Nebula later. We have a war to win.¡± With that said, Ominek spun on his heels and strode back towards the hangar bay. His ship departed soon after, leaving the primals, Tanak, and Amara behind. Luffa turned to Amara apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Amara, but we¡¯ll need to use your ship now.¡± She shook her head, ¡°No, it¡¯s ok.¡± On the positive side, at least she wouldn¡¯t be alone. But then, ferrying around a load of magically charged bombs didn¡¯t sit well with her. Luffa reluctantly ordered a few of the primals to start loading them onto the Indra and returned to the isolated group they¡¯d formed. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. Ominek is acting unusual.¡± ¡°Father is up to something. I¡¯m not sure what, though. This plan has his kind of fingerprint, but at the same time, something feels off.¡± Amara thought about that for a moment. ¡°An Intermezzo.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a move in Darstryx. It¡¯s when your opponent expects you to make a move, but you present them with a different, more immediate threat first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying my father is executing this Intermezzo?¡± Amara shrugged uncertainly. ¡°It sounds like it. Magic nukes on a human colony sounds like him. But everyone expects him to go after Eryn soon.¡± ¡°So the Nukes are a distraction?¡± ¡°A very explosive distraction, if that¡¯s the case.¡± Luffa said sullenly. ¡°Is there no way we can screw with his plan?¡± Amara asked. Tanak shrugged, her wings bobbed with her shoulders. ¡°There are plenty of ways. It merely depends on the amount of risk we want to take on. Risking a confrontation with him would be unwise.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t exactly just take the bombs to the Brotherhood or Federation. They¡¯d never believe us. You¡¯re a Sauridian, and I¡¯m a traitor war slave. They¡¯d simply execute us on site.¡± ¡°What if¡­¡± Amara frowned. She touched the collar unconsciously and frowned. ¡°What if we made them think the threat was real by selling them a lie?¡± Luffa regarded the large warheads her people were moving into the Indra before turning back to Amara again. A grim look on her features. ¡°How?¡± ¡°We bring them the nukes and tell them we stole them from under Ominek¡¯s nose.¡± Tanak¡¯s head tilted thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s not completely false. We would remove them from his possession. And not destroying the sector¡¯s breadbasket should go some ways towards earning us some merit.¡± ¡°The elves will want us executed.¡± Luffa said grimly. ¡°Then we go to the Humans. The Brotherhood and the Federation¡¯s alliance has been tenuous at best. The fractures are there. Enough that we might slip into the cracks. At least long enough for our friends to help.¡± ¡°You mean your friends,¡± Luffa corrected with a pained smile. Amara shook her head defiantly. ¡°No. I mean our friends. Just because you push them at arm¡¯s length doesn¡¯t mean they care any less.¡± Luffa folded her arms, grunting. Sarada returned to the group but stayed a respectable distance away from the trio. The invisible line in the sand was plainly obvious. Sarada didn¡¯t trust them, but Ominek had left the decision making to Tanak and Luffa. ¡°The warheads are all loaded. We can head to New Europa to deploy them.¡± Luffa looked between Amara and Tanak, worried. Sarada didn¡¯t wait for a response, turning instead and marching back off into the station towards the Indra. Once the other primal was out of earshot Luffa turned back to them. ¡°She¡¯s going to be a problem.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we can talk her out of her support for Ominek?¡± Luffa pursed her lips in thought for a moment before finally shaking her head. Her wild black hair shook gently. Her tail twitched, agitated. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. He rescued us from Eryn after all. In her eyes, he¡¯s a savior.¡± ¡°All he did was open a void portal to his ship. And you¡¯re not exactly free. You just traded one master out for another.¡± ¡°I know.¡± There was bitterness in Luffa¡¯s voice. ¡°I just don¡¯t want anymore of my people to die. But I can¡¯t help but worry that getting into bed may have signed some of their death sentences without them even knowing about it.¡± Tanak placed a hand on Luffa¡¯s shoulder in as close a display of comfort as the young dragon could manage. ¡°The important thing is that the soul of your people pushes onward. You are warriors. And a very strong person. I¡¯ve seen Amara¡¯s friend trade blows with my people. Primals are every bit the equal of their draconic brethren. If anyone can find a way, it will be you.¡± Luffa nodded thankfully to Tanak¡¯s words, but Amara knew that distant and thoughtful expression on her friend. Luffa was somewhere in there, brooding. Whatever this was, it wouldn¡¯t end until they laid Ominek low. ¡°We¡¯ll take the bombs to the Brotherhood and turn ourselves in. The best we can hope for is a little leniency, since they aren¡¯t fond of the elves.¡± ¡°Your time in the Federation and being a hero of Hidros might help as well.¡± Tanak added, looking to Luffa, who was still a holdout. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s the best play we have. But we still have to deal with my brothers and sisters.¡± ¡°We have until we reach New Europa to figure it out.¡± Amara said grimly. The trio nodded and strode towards the hanger to confront thier decision and their fates. Chapter 159 In a world as magically saturated as Eryn, Icons are inevitable. It¡¯s also inevitable that the world would develop a response to these false gods. Such was the case when reports of the beast tribe native to the southern mountain range bordering the great forest had amassed enough aether crystals to attempt a summoning of their deity, Vulcan, the icon of fire. Long oppressed and looked down upon by the elves of the forest, the Katatska decided enough was enough. Now with a corruptive Icon, normal adventurers couldn¡¯t confront it. Not without risking succumbing to its influence and becoming another of its thralls. Enter the squad. Signing up for the job had been hard enough. But after passing a rigorous test administrated by the Guild, and the fact they took out Saphron some few months ago, it gave them special dispensation to take the job. ¡°We ace this Icon, and we¡¯ll have enough to finance some solid gear to bail out New Xinjia.¡± Sirsir eying the number of zeros behind the 1 in the payout. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have to if Amara didn¡¯t take off without stuff.¡± Yasiin said, sounding a little more moody than usual. Akamori studied the Nomad marksman for a moment before finally noding. ¡°Yeah. But we play the hand we¡¯re dealt. Besides, this needs done and there aren¡¯t many available who could take the job.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame you had ta 86 Morwen¡¯s step mom. She probably would have been who the guild went to for the gig. Rumor has it those two were unstoppable on the battlefield.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve seen some recordings. Lucinda and Morwen¡¯s old man were monsters to fight.¡± ¡°Demi-gods,¡± Yasiin added. ¡°Yeah.¡± Akamori said. He stared into the distance, through the buildings and trees of the capital and into the far distant mountain range. Somewhere out there, another Icon waited. He¡¯d faced two now. False gods that warped and corrupted aether and souls. Like mindless shacklers, bending others to their will to lavish them with worship and gross in power. Icons are like divine cancers. The previous Pantheon recognized them for what they were and culled them before they had the chance to take root. Without a pantheon, there is none to keep them from being summoned, Thanaton said in his mind. ¡°So. What are we gonna call ourselves now?¡± Sirsir said. Uncomfortable silences never set well with him. Akamori liked that about him. ¡°Sirsir¡¯s Soldiers.¡± The beefy sergeant suggested with a boyish grin. Groans issued from everyone as they strode through the forest towards the mountains. Bird songs and insects chittering filled in gaps between the suggestions as life went on with its routine around them. ¡°The Outriders.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°Nice. But I don¡¯t want us to be seen as just another pack from Anazi.¡± ¡°Yeah, no offense, but they can get fucked for trying to have you killed.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Technically, they succeeded.¡± Akamori said. ¡°What was it like? Death I mean,¡± Yasiin asked. ¡°Disorienting really. I remember feeling confused. It all happened so fast. And I lost all sense of time.¡± ¡°Sounds like a drag.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°The Big Man Squad.¡± Sirsir said, flexing with the new spell cannon he¡¯d bought. Everyone gave him blank stares that answered the unspoken question. No. ¡°I¡¯ve heard whispers from some that you¡¯re a demi-god, sir. Is that true?¡± Sala asked from behind. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s true.¡± Sala nodded as he strode along behind them before finally speaking after several strides in silence. ¡°I suspected as much. Your aether and aura feel different now. Stronger than mortals now, easily.¡± But weaker than all gods. Thanaton added dryly, eliciting a sharp glare from Akamori over his shoulder at the blade¡¯s hilt. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you.¡± Akamori hissed to the sword. ¡°Who?¡± Sirsir asked. ¡°No one.¡± Akamori said. ¡°What about Morwen¡¯s Boys?¡± Sala said. Akamori cringed. ¡°Makes it sound too much like we¡¯re her kids.¡± ¡°Or worse.¡± Sirsir said. Yasiin held up a fist to halt the squad as the trees thinned out. The brush and grassy forest floor gave way to rockier terrain. The temperature was also rising steadily. They scanned around the area, confident they were getting closer. A faint tinge of sulfur hung in the air that stung Akamori¡¯s nostrils and made his eyes water. The approach into the beast tribe¡¯s village was empty, making the hairs on the back of Akamori¡¯s neck stand on end. Sirsir clutched the spell cannon he¡¯d bought on loan from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild a little tighter. The leather gloves he wore issued a soft groan of protest as his hands flexed on the weapons grips. Sala balled up his fists, and Yasiin held his rifle at the high ready as the squad sans Amara progressed deeper. The village fed into the mouth of an open cave system. Within the cave, a tail blazed down to a ring of fire. Akamori paused and glanced back at the guys. This was typically where things got ugly. ¡°Watch my back.¡± Sirsir pumped the slide on his cannon. ¡°We got your back, sir.¡± Akamori nodded and paused. ¡°Technically, I¡¯m not a sir anymore.¡± ¡°Oh yes, you are. We ain¡¯t had no change of leadership discussion. You¡¯ve been the Captain¡¯s point man since Hidros, and that shit ain¡¯t changed yet. We can iron out the details later, though. For now, you got a fake ass god to put to down. Sir.¡± Akamori bit back the chuckle at the small twitch in Sirsir¡¯s eye as he tried not to blow a gasket. The man really was a soldier through and through. Looking back, he was thankful for Sirsir¡¯s help. The burly noncom had been the hardass he needed in order to shape up to survive this conflict. And then somewhere along the way, the two had become friends. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s get this done with so we can go save New Xinjia.¡± Solemn nods all around gave him the final reassurance he needed that they¡¯d be alright. No more gut punches by dick headed dragons. This time they¡¯d start punching back, and he wasn¡¯t going to wait around until someone said he could. If that meant going rogue and doing it himself, then so be it.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He descended further underground, and the temperature rose notably as he progressed. Soon there was a muted red glow of molten earth, fire, and magic. Thanaton thrummed on his back eagerly. Each Icon he slayed, he grew more powerful. He waved a hand, unrolling a fiery translucent scroll that held the AG¡¯s mission on it. Quest: Cooling Off Objectives: Defeat Vulcan. Pacify corrupted Beast Tribe. Rewards: Extremely large amount of Guildmarks. He waved the illusion away, and it dissolved into embers of fire and mind magic. Beat Vulcan, huh? No biggie. He could do that. Heat pushed warm air up the tunnel passageway until Akamori emerged into a wide, circular area. A small rock ring separated the area from flowing molten rock. His black coat gusted gently in the air, pushed off the lava like interior. Thanaton thrummed like a hunting dog growling at prey. A large horned form with a lion¡¯s face and flaming mane clawed its way up free of the magma. Red, hot glowing talons extended from Vulcan¡¯s fingers, carving shallow trenches into the stone. When the Icon was finally free, it floated up to study Akamori. ¡°A non believer.¡± Vulcan growled. ¡°Why have you come to defile my temple?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal. But I¡¯ve got some Sauridius ass to kick, and you¡¯re in my way.¡± Vulcan pulsed with aether, waves of corruptive energy washed out, but when it splashed against Akamori¡¯s aura, a ward on his soul protected him from the corruptive influence. System Info: Vulcan has cast Conscript on you. You have resisted Conscript . System Info: Effect - Blessing of Light : Immune to aether corruption and spirit binding. Treats the user as always having a Light Ward erected on their soul. Akamori whispered a thankful prayer for the effects of the Blessing. Suddenly, not having light magic wasn¡¯t so bad. He glanced down around himself as the aether clashed with his aura and broke the Icon¡¯s spell. Conscription worked like a willed shackling. Binding the conscripts¡¯ soul to fervent devotion and worship of the Icon. That¡¯s all they were. Self driven worship engines. Souless voids that just devour Aether and power for the sake of it. Vulcan¡¯s conscript attack gave him an idea, striking with his aura like that. A raw push of will. He flexed his hands a few times, mentally visualizing the attack. When he felt ready, he looked up to Vulcan¡¯s molten glare. ¡°My turn.¡± He focused on Vulcan. The heat roiling off of the burning god¡¯s flesh caused a shimmer in the air. Large ram like horns protruded from a flaming mane. Piercing yellow eyes glared down at Akamori. Obsidian black talons flexed idly from massive hands. Vulcan¡¯s fur was blood red, with licks of flame that whispered off the massive icon¡¯s body. Akamori tensed, and his aura surged out like a thrust spear. Vulcan trembled and his eyes shot wide. A soundless scream issued from the icon¡¯s mouth. Columns of magma erupted all around them. Eventually, the icon¡¯s aura erupted outward and pressed Akamori¡¯s own back. Though physically unwounded, Akamori could sense the spiritual wound he¡¯d just inflicted. System Info: New Ability learned! Soul Lance Effect: Use your soul to attack a target. Target suffers no physical damage, but takes direct damage to their soul. Damage: 5 Soul, 1 accuracy Range: 30 Defense: Soul Resistance Cost: 3* Soul Lance allows the caster to directly manifest a Soul Lance from their aura. Casting the spell allows the user to use the controlled Soul Lance for as long as they pledged the aether points, and they can cast this spell many times back-to-back if needed. Akamori studied the missive¡¯s information before waving it aside. He could review it later. He returned his focus to Vulcan, who was slowly recovering composure. The void reaper folded his arms, waiting on the icon. He canted his head to the side curiously. ¡°Still need a minute? I can wait.¡± Vulcan roared his disapproval. A sphere of raw fire magic formed in Vulcan¡¯s maw as its jaws distended to accomodate the rapidly growing orb of power. Akamori squinted as he noticed an orange cone appear from Vulcan¡¯s mouth. ¡°What?¡± EVADE! Thanaton roared mentally. On pure instinct, Akamori dashed to the side just as a beam of super heated flame roared out of Vulcan¡¯s mouth and slagged the far wall of the cavern. Vulcan then pounded the ground. Orange spheres appeared on the ground, as if marking target zones. The cave shook and flaming rock spears fell from the ceiling, crumbling into the cavern floor. ¡°Is this like Amara¡¯s ability?¡± He asked, while continuing to evade a progressively more frustrated Vulcan. No. This is a rudimentary and basic divine ability that you¡¯re only now just able to access thanks to your Blessing of Light . Akamori caught the veiled dig by the spell blade at his skill and sighed. ¡°Thanks. You¡¯re such a confidence boost.¡± And you¡¯re such a constant disappointment. Just when I wonder how much slower you can progress, you amaze me with yet again another blunder. ¡°Well, you know what they say. Better late than never!¡± Akamori yelped as Vulcan lunged with a swiping slash that he just narrowly evaded. Vulcan raised his arms, and the ground flashed with pulsing orange circles that soon blossomed into erupting flaming spears that surged upwards. Akamori jumped back and away to catch his breath and take stock. Vulcan had a variety of attacks, but now that¡¯d tapped into his divinity enough he could decipher them, he could counterattack. The icon didn¡¯t lack for power, hurling magnitude 3 and 4 spells easily, showing no sign of slowing down or stopping. This also said nothing about the icon¡¯s powerful physical strength. If he was going to beat Vulcan, he had to do it decisively, and in such a way that he avoided taking damage. He could mitigate some of it, but not all of it. He flicked Thanaton, preparing to strike. ¡°Alright. My turn again.¡± Air blasted behind him, hurling him forward as if fired from the Crasher¡¯s spell cannon. Blade held to the side, ready to slash, Akamori roared like a human bullet aimed at Vulcan¡¯s heart. Chapter 160 Sparks flashed as Thanaton¡¯s blade struck Vulcan¡¯s obsidian glass claws. Akamori landed on the smooth cavern floor in a slide that he augmented with a boost of air magic to avoid more flaming spears erupting from the ground. One tore through his environmental armor, shredding the black leather as he twisted to avoid the worst of the damage. He glanced back quickly and sighed. ¡°Come on, man, I¡¯m not made of money here.¡± At least, not after he¡¯d bought the squad¡¯s contracts out, anyway. You are too distracted! Thanaton hissed. The blade¡¯s hilt thrummed in his hand like a metal pipe vibrating from the impact. Without the spell armor he¡¯d lost in his fight with Lucinda, he lacked for all the convenient ui features like the heads-up display, letting him know what his AP and health levels were at. Now he had to go based on raw instinct. Crutches and weakness. You should have been training these skills from the start. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know,¡± Akamori grumbled. Vulcan fired another magma blast that heated a large sphere on the back of the cavern wall. Smoke and steam started to fill the cavern and Akamori narrowed his eyes as a large claw emerged from the smokey haze, nearly catching him. ¡°How come that one wasn¡¯t telegraphed?!¡± Your senses, such as they are, can¡¯t predict everything. You¡¯ve barely begun tapping into your Divine Sight. And this is getting filtered through your Blessing of Light. In time, you¡¯ll no longer need the Blessing to anticipate attacks. The stronger you develop your senses, the deeper into the future you¡¯ll be able to see, and more accurately. Morwen¡¯s already far surpassed this plateau. And Amara has a very specialized form of Divine Sight in the form of her Maetrayopts . Both are far superior to you. You have a lot of ground to recover. Akamori surged forward, slashing his nodachi length spell blade through several thrown flaming spears before leaping back again to avoid a magma column that erupted from the stone floor. When he landed, he sniffed the cooked leather of his boot and glanced down. The toe of his boot smoldered with a few remaining embers. A few years ago he might have flailed trying to put it out. Now? He just ignored it. Vulcan slowly circled him, standing easily three to four meters taller. The icon wasn¡¯t a true souled being, but it possessed a god¡¯s raw power. Immense quantities of divine fire. And his corruptive influence would threaten the elves in the capital. Vulcan surged forward, meeting Akamori¡¯s charge as the two slashed at each other rapidly. Sparks sprayed freely as talon and blade raked against each other. Akamori used his air magic to give himself another shove in the back, gliding under a hand large enough for him to make a snow angel on the palm. Or maybe an ash angel? Something like that. Popping back up to his feet, he dragged Thanaton along the flesh on Vulcan¡¯s forearm. The arm sprayed hot magma blood that sizzled on the stone floor of the cave as it cooled. Well, that was a helluva self defense mechanism. Blood that injures too. ¡°Why is everything in this world always trying to kill me?¡± Name three things. ¡°Lucinda, Ominek, and the wildlife.¡± I set the bar too low¡­ ¡°Yes. You did. Now shut up and murder icons with me.¡± The blade thrummed in what he associated as grumbling or pouting by now. The void reaper and his spell blade glided in, using his air magic to dodge Vulcan¡¯s attacks, positioning for a devastating counter when Vulcan roared. A shockwave of power and air slammed into Akamori hurling him back. He tumbled and rolled in a heap until he sprang back up to his feet. Akamori drew in a quick breath and let it out slowly. His aura contracted tightly, almost becoming a hard shell of aether. Then he flew forward, his grip on Thanaton tightened and the spell blade slashed through the air in a whirlwind of attacks. A flurry of razor thin blades of air hurled towards Vulcan. The front of the attacks crashed into a wall of fire, but the rest plowed through the openings to land. Several gouges and furrows carved into Vulcan¡¯s flesh. Molten rock sloughed out the wounds rimmed by flames. Vulcan retreated several paces, and a large orange cone appeared from its mouth. Akamori wanted to check his soul gauge and growled, realizing he didn¡¯t have it available in his ui. However, he could tell that he instinctively knew he had enough charge for one void shroud. Could he lay on enough punishment to make it count? ¡°It¡¯ll have to.¡± He whispered. He reached down deep, found the trigger for his void shroud, and activated it. Umbral aether violently erupted around him. When it faded into his aura, he stood in a ragged black cloak wearing semi chitinous armor holding a large black scythe made of pure void crystal. Vulcan wasted no time as it unleashed its attack. A massive blast of super heated fire magic in a large cone. The blast swept over Akamori obscuring him in a curtain of flame. When the flames cleared, a translucent black dragon wing extended from Akamori¡¯s cloak, shielding him. The effect was the same as having a divine void barrier erected in the shape of a dragon¡¯s wing blocking in front of him. Slowly, it unfurled and retreated into his back. While I can block attacks of that magnitude, it is unwise to waste the power casually, Bahumet counseled. ¡°Yeah. But now we have Vulcan doubting. Besides, you have twice the AP I have.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Akamori could sense it in the Icon¡¯s aura. The proud, arrogant certainty it would prevail had been broken. It doubted now. It knew instinctively what he was, even if it wasn¡¯t consciously aware of it. He was the end. He was its end. Yes, well, there¡¯s no need to use it frivelously. Akamori grinned. The deeper his connection with Bahumet grew, the more he could call upon that reserve. But he had plenty of power of his own yet. His most costly attack so far had been his Wind Blade Hurricane. Time to change it up and use an aspect that was unsympathetic to flame. Thanaton purred at the thrill of a new kill. The reaper dashed in, spending the points to teleport further than the standard 2 meters. He was down a third of his AP already. But he¡¯d gained valuable knowledge and had a plan. Thanton¡¯s sword blade was now encased in a crystal rod that led to the scythe blade. He had enough power for five attacks in his Void Shrouded form. He opened with a Void Reaper Slash. Thanton cleaved all of reality temporarily. Air, space, time, all of it merely ceased to be. A large slash across Vulcan¡¯s shoulder, and a vast portion of it simply no longer existed. Erased as though never there. The system began to slowly knit the tear in reality shut, but Vulcan could not regenerate the wound without expending a great amount of power. ¡°Not enough, hmm?¡± Akamori mused. Very well then. He would unmake this false god. He followed with a Reapers Judgement, a blast of raw Void magic that slammed down like a column onto Vulcan. The Icon resisted, roaring in defiance as it raised a barrier of raw, divine aura. It blunted the attack, but it didn¡¯t completely stop it. Three left. Flaming spears blasted from the ceiling and floor of the cave. Akamori blinked forward and left a void portal opened behind in case he needed to retreat again, spending 2 more points of aether. Thanaton whistled through the air as Akamori used another Void Reaper¡¯s Slash. This time across Vulcan¡¯s legs, removing large chunks of its thighs. A flaming massive hand with obsidian claws slammed down into the ground where Akamori had just stood. Vulcan howled in rage as Akamori emerged from the void portal just out of reach again only to trigger another Void Reapers Judgement. Vulcan¡¯s aura flickered and wavered. Just a little more¡­ He had one final charge on his shroud. ¡°Time to end this.¡± He held his palm out. Time for the big finish. Reality seemed to gasp before a massive bomb of entropic energies detonated right in front of Vulcan. Everything seemed to suck inward, as if filling some gap that was just created before a massive blast erupted, violently dismantling everything it touched. The attack created a perfectly carved sphere in the cave as smooth as carved stone. His final attack. ¡°Entropy.¡± The void glass encasing Thanaton cracked and crumbled until the gleaming blade of the nodachi emerged like a butterfly from its chrysalis. It gleamed gently in the soft red glow of the gathered aether of the former icon. Akamori extended a hand, and the power rushed into him. Divine red aether boiled through his body until it pooled in his breast. In his mindscape, a new crystal appeared. A new key in his soul shackle. More of Bahumet¡¯s power freed. Our bond grows as the cage between us lessens. You are one step closer to reclaiming your past in order to preserve the System and the future. He glanced down and noticed that Thanaton was now wreathed in a soft void flame. Black and red fire coated the sword. It thrummed eagerly. I grow stronger! As you slay divine beings, we can ingest of their power and grow stronger. As a war god, combat is your proving ground. Our crucible. Motes of void aether billowed off of him as his Void Shroud ceased. The black chitenous armor and void cloak evaporated into nothingness, leaving behind the tattered remains of his Brotherhood environmental armor. The black jacket was now ragged and the one¡¯s polished shoulder plates wrecked. He was a little sad since he¡¯d liked the look. Perhaps he¡¯d fashion a custom spell from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡°Something in blue maybe.¡± Thanaton and Bahumet voiced their approval. He turned to the mouth of the cave and flew out of the sphere he¡¯d carved out. He expected to return to the boys waiting for him going mad with bored. What he didn¡¯t expect was to come back to a pitched fire fight with a raving mad lunatic beast tribe. He sighed. ¡°Yeah, that tracks.¡± Things changed though when the squad as him fly out of the cave and slam into the nearest Katatska. It yelped as he rammed Thanaton into it, skewering the dark fured horned cat. It raked claws across his skin, but he resisted the attack easily. A quick spin and he flung it off, hurling the body into a crowd of its peers. He scanned them quickly with his senses, letting his divine aura billow out into the entire area. It blanketed everyone within a hundred and fifty meters. Like a giant invisible boot pressing down on their chest. Anyone unfamiliar with him would have been incapable of movement. His raw will holding them fast. ¡°I¡¯m going to say this once, and only once. Your false god is dead. By my hand. If you have need of a god? Then worship me. If you have grievance? Then pray to me. If you need power? Then take covenant with me. You are a strong people and I would prefer not to end you. But make no mistake, I will if I must. Now choose your fate. Do I erase you all from existence? Or do you become my people?¡± Even if they wanted to worship you, the Icon has tainted their aether. They are mindless thralls to it, and without its presence, they are mere husks. Bahumet cautioned. At the dragon¡¯s words, he could see it. Katatska¡¯s aether was off. Wrong somehow. Like it had been pushed askew. But he could fix it. He knew instinctively he could. Closing his eyes, he reached out and touched reality, finding the flaw in the System, and nudged the Katatska¡¯s aether, all of them collectively, back into proper alignment. He unmade them as flaws, and remade them as free thinking people. When he opened his eyes, so too did the Katatska, reborn as a new people. His people. ? Chapter 161 Combat in the mouth of the tunnel halted as a divine glow radiated from Akamori. A cleansing glow rippled over all the Katatska gathered, purging the corruptive damage caused by Vulcan. They were no longer thralls. Free to think and worship of their own accord. While Akamori didn¡¯t demand their worship, many took a covenant with him immediately. Those connections yielding automatic increases to his divinity. The golden energy clung to his aura like drops of dew to a blade of grass on a humid summer morning. Many others still yet had doubts, but none were hostile. He¡¯d earned much goodwill among the leonine Katatska. Now freed of their false fire god, he¡¯d effectively opened their eyes and shattered their faith in a singular blow. It would take time, but word of his miracle would spread. A costly expense, but a worthy investment if it meant he could begin building a power base. He wondered how Thanaton felt about his stunt. The sword pulsed silently on the question. There weren¡¯t any prompt recriminations, so that was positive at least. It is a start, but by no means is it the end. Akamori nodded to that, sheathing the weapon at his back. His ragged black jacket and environmental armor singed, battered and barely hanging together. Akamori drifted down to the ground, letting out a long breath as released the held aether points while he was channeling his air and void flight magic. ¡°Sir, just what the hell was that?¡± Sirsir asked Akamori. This wasn¡¯t something he wanted to discuss with the others yet. But there wasn¡¯t any avoiding it now. Akamori glanced at Sirsir, ¡°I¡¯ve reached a different level, and with it, comes different needs. I¡¯m a Demigod now, and to become a full god, I¡¯ll need worshippers.¡± Sirsir glanced back at to the Katatska. Some were hugging, others sobbed in relief. More yet seemed suspicious and aloof. Others were still just silently thankful to be freed of their corruption from Vulcan. Capable of making their own decisions and thoughts, and no longer being twisted out of balance. Sirsir nodded finally. ¡°Well, it sure beats havin¡¯ to put them all down. At least this way they won¡¯t be summoning back another iteration of Vulcan. Now they have a choice, at least.¡± ¡°It was more than I was given when my world ended.¡± Akamori lamented. ¡°Wonder if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild will give us a bonus fer not having to wipe out the Katatska.¡± Sala said as he healed a nasty burn on Yasiin¡¯s arm. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll find out. Can¡¯t hurt to ask. No one likes having to put down a full tribe because of an icon.¡± ¡°Reckon the Federation sends some investigators to question the Lt. about his little miracle?¡± Sirsir asked Yasiin. The injured sniper gave a gentle shrug as Sala continued treating the burn, the tissue was now less angry looking and just red. ¡°Hard to say. Our relationship with the Federation has always been kind of rough because of the Captain. Then again, he¡¯s a demigod. Those are pretty rare outside of the Arch Priest. To have one wandering around and performing miracles might raise some questions.¡± Akamori sighed, folding his arms. ¡°Great. More trouble with them. The sooner we¡¯re rid of this place and its politics, the better.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go do what we came here to set up. Head to New Xinjia and beat some Sauridius ass.¡± The hike back into the capital was quiet. No one brought up the miracle Akamori had created, and he found some comfort in that silence. He was still trying to wrap his head around the action. There was still so much he didn¡¯t know about being a god. Once again, he felt like he was just stumbling around in the dark, faking it till he made it. As the squad got to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, a lot of stunned expressions greeted them. Virtually everyone had expected them not to come back. Vulcan was notoriously dangerous, but isolated just far enough that the Federation was comfortable leaving the problem alone. That was until the Sauridius shacklers started causing problems in the city. ¡°Welcome back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Another job well done?¡± The front office clerk Sigbert said. ¡°Yeah Sig. I don¡¯t think the Katatska will make trouble again.¡± ¡°Yes. Terribly unfortunate the village had to be put down.¡± Sigbert said. ¡°Actually, they¡¯re still alive. We were able to undo the aether corruption from the Icon. They are a free people once again. I don¡¯t expect they¡¯ll make trouble for the city or the Emerald Forest.¡± Sigbert leaned back, looking one part impressed, one part skeptical, and two parts pleased. ¡°Well, quite the accomplishment, young master Shinjo. If you¡¯ll allow me.¡± He held his hand out to process their contract. Sigbert reached over and grabbed a large stamp, dabbing in magical ink, and then brought it down on the contract. System Info: You have completed Quest: Cooling Off Objectives: Defeat Vulcan. Pacify corrupted Beast Tribe. Rewards: Extremely large amount of Guildmarks. You have earned 20 Million Guildmarks Akamori blinked and turned back to the boys. ¡°Well. We have money we can spend finally. Question is, how? Do we gear up and grab a ship?¡± ¡°We already have a ship.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°There are other ways to get to New Xinjia.¡± ¡°Well, if we cut a ship out of the expenses, that leaves us a bit of room to work with to grab the best we can find. No more Federation handmedowns.¡± Akamori turned back around to see Sigberts expectant look. The clerk leaned forward with a friendly smile. ¡°How may I help?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°We need to go shopping.¡± Sigbert smiled and rose, gesturing for them to follow as he led them through the guild hall. As they strode, they passed magic pictures of past Adventurer teams. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯d be remiss if I failed to mention it would be in your best interests to register yourselves as a team.¡± ¡°We can do that?¡± ¡°Oh yes. Many of our best teams have been former Federation soldiers. There may be the occasional bad habit to be outgrown, but by and far many former soldiers find a comfortable life among our ranks.¡± They reached the end of a long hand, hung a turn, and entered what looked to be a shopping mall within the guild. Akamori recognized some vendors. There was a large stall for the Artificers of Aeryn, the largest Artificing guild in the sector, and, subsequently, the largest arms producer, as well. His friend Kusinaki worked with them. He idly wondered how his old friend was doing. Before he knew it he was idly standing in front of the Aeryn Arms section. To call it a stall was grossly understating the size. It was more like an entire wing of a building all its own. Rows of mannequins wearing various spell armors stood assembled like an infantry company. Akamori¡¯s eyes slid up and down the rows of armored dummies. Then he turned back to the boys with a boyish grin. ¡°Gents, let¡¯s gear up.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they all chorused, with matching grins. He missed the full body coverage of his old armor. But liked the agility the environmental armor afforded him. Thinking back to how he lost the armor Kusinaki had given him, he¡¯d been unable to dodge the surprise disintegrate that Lucinda had set him up with. Had he been less encumbered, he could have easily evaded. You are still thinking too much, like a mortal. Armor. Trinkets. These are the tools of lesser beings. You are nearly an Iron Ranked god now. Once you fully ascend, such things will be meaningless. ¡°I¡¯m sure my predecessor may have felt the same. But I¡¯m inclined to take every advantage that I can find.¡± The blade thrummed, annoyed at him. He took it as passive disapproval. He paused at a particularly interesting blue robe. It reminded him a lot of home, and when he ran a hand along it, it felt smooth. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Akamori turned to see a dwarf smiling up at him. She wore the apron and gloves of a crafter. ¡°It¡¯s made of Ash Spider silk. Nearly completely resistant to fire magic. You could be Vulcan himself and wear that, and it would be just as cool as the void itself.¡± She said with a proud smile. Akamori knew that look. He¡¯d seen it on Kusinaki enough whenever his friend had made something to help on Honshu. The blue robe looked to be about his size. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. ¡°Can I try it on?¡± ¡°Be my guest.¡± Carefully, Akamori shrugged out of his ruined gear and slid the robe on as if it were fragile and might come apart in his hands. He studied both arms for a moment, then caught the dwarf smiling at him. Her blond hair tugged back in a ponytail with her bangs pinned back to keep her hair free of her eyes. ¡°It suits ya,¡± she said with a confident nod. ¡°What¡¯re ye aspects?¡± ¡°Light, Fire, Void, Soul, and Air.¡± ¡°Ohhhh, you¡¯ve got some power in ya.¡± She flipped down a rune etched monocle and looked him over, nodding. ¡°You¡¯ve even got the touch of the divine in ya. Means you¡¯ll be needing the very best.¡± She eyed Thanaton appraisingly and nodded. ¡°I see you¡¯ve at least got yerself a capable weapon. It resonates with ya. But you¡¯ll be needing something to safeguard ya.¡± She turned back to the robe that Akamori had just slid off and glanced at his mangled environmental armor from the Brotherhood. ¡°Ya strike me as the light on your feet type, but still packing plenty o¡¯power.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s accurate.¡± She reached into her satchel and fished out a pair of large shoulder pauldrons with runes etched into their surface. They had a blue metalic finish to them, hinting to the water magic imbued into them. The dwarven crafter snapped her finger and floated up so she could fix the armor to the robe and floated back, studying the overall ensemble. ¡°Hmm. Still needs just a little something else.¡± ¡°Well, I could use some storage.¡± ¡°An umbral pocket. Can do.¡± she said with an exicted expression. Back into her storage pocket she went, rummaging around She pulled out a void rune and pressed it to the fabric. The rune dissolved into the weave of the robe. A shiver danced across Akamori¡¯s skin as the dark magic settled into the robe. The shop keep nodded and stepped back to observe. ¡°Better, but still a long ways off. It still needs a little extra fer someone of your stature.¡± Akamori wasn¡¯t quite sure if she was insulting him or complimenting him. He found the dwarves to always be a facinating sort even since his trek to the Forge. He felt the sword thrill at that. We must return to the Forge. There you can craft truly remarkable works. This mortal may make fine goods for mortals, but for you, it will barely serve and she knows this. ¡°Tell me. In yer adventures, what do ya feel ya need more of?¡± She asked. He sighed. Well that was a loaded question. Skill? Time? Luck? Armor? All of the above? Which was more important? Which was most possible to get? Think back to your training. Reflect on what you have learned and you the truth will reveal itself to you. Virtually all of the fights he¡¯d had so far, it usually came down to raw speed and brute strength. He could augment those on his own sure, but the AP might be better spent on other spells. ¡°Speed and strength are the most basic tenets of victory in combat.¡± ¡°Ahhhh. I think I¡¯m beginnin¡¯ to understand ya.¡± The dwarf strode away and came back with a pair of boots and fingerless gloves. ¡°Platinum Ranked Boots of Striding, and Gold Ranked Gloves of Strength. They¡¯ll give ya large bonuses to each that surpass racial limits.¡± Fascinating. So she could help equip him past his phsyical peak. He glanced down at her with a grin. ¡°Ok. You sold me. How much for all of it?¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°How much ya got?¡± ? Chapter 162 Eryn ? The Golden City An Umbral gateway split reality and opened large enough for a large being to emerge from. His flesh was dark grey, his limbs as thick as trees. He was clad in black armor that almost hurt to look at. He stood to his full height and inhaled deeply. Ganeshti, the Remover of Obstacles, looked on at the sprawling home of his next target. He fancied himself a builder. An artisan of works. Like all true creators, he required tools, materials, and a blueprint. He currently possessed the materials and the blueprints, he just needed the tools. One tool he required lay just within reach. But it currently belonged to another. He strode slowly out of the alleyway and into the streets, allowing a pleased chuckle to rumble up his throat. If Leviathos knew he was about to poach one of his top assets here, he would be furious. Perhaps even mad enough to risk a direct attack on himself. Leviathos was powerful and very cunning. Not quite on the level that he was, but close. Starting a nearly century long war and then using the corpses of it to create an undead army that would rival even the Necromancers as the Dead Fleet had a rather ingenious creativity to it. He had to give Leviathos credit where it was due. But the demi-god dragon had designs of his own. He sought to enslave the elder god Sauridius. For all his power and cunning, he was a fool. Passing the small box for parcels, the name etched into it read ¡°Allosius Rayshe.¡± Ganeshti had known for some time that Leviathos shackled Rayshe. A sleeper in the golden city. Eliminating the previous Arch Priest had been another inspired stroke of genius, but it was Ominek, Leviathos¡¯ spawn who¡¯d conducted the move. Ganeshti saw ambition and raw will power in that one. Definitely one to monitor. ¡°Which brings me to you Allosius Rayshe,¡± he mused to himself. Ganeshti paused at the edge of the property. The estate was immaculately kept. Rayshe likely had a team of landscapers and earth shapers to tend the plants and flowers. The house itself was forged from the trunk of a massive Erynian redwood. The bark was smoothed down with various towers of gold and steel that emerged like artificial branches. That was, of course, to say nothing about the wards protecting it. He drew a slender wand from his belt, which looked almost like a toothpick in his massive grey fingers. He could have used his hands to weave the runes, but he much preferred the artistry of sketching the runes out with his wand. Like working on a blank canvas and creating a work of art. He wove his spell quickly and with a flair that was unmatched if he said so himself. When finished, the spell crashed into the wards, shattering them instantly. He whistled softly as he strode through the collapsing motes of aether as they fell like the ash of a nuclear fallout. He rapped gently on the large door three distinct times. A short wait later, the door opened to reveal an armed Rayshe holding an elegant spell rifle to his face. ¡°Give me one reason I shouldn¡¯t blast your alien face off my lawn.¡± ¡°Because I can give you the one thing no one else can.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Power.¡± Rayshe¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Go on.¡± The barrel drooped slightly. Enough to show Rayshe was listening, but was still on edge. Ganeshti did him the favor of nudging the barrel down with a large grey digit slowly and confidently. ¡°But first, let¡¯s do something about your pesky backseat driver, shall we?¡± His wand flew into motion again, weaving a complex counterspell that targeted bindings and zipped into Rayshe¡¯s chest, shattering the final shackle that held him in Leviathos¡¯ thrall. Rayshe spilled to the floor, gasping and holding his chest. He heaved for several minutes before finally rising and looking Ganeshti with renewed awe. There it was. That look he enjoyed seeing so often. Reverence . The look of awestruck wonder when you performed a work that others deemed impossible. Some might even call them miracles. ¡°How did you even know?¡± He choked out between gasps. ¡°My friend, it was stamped there on your soul as loud as could be. Anyone with divine sight could see it.¡± ¡°The Arch Priest couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Ganeshti smiled softly, his small ivory tusks protruding notably. ¡°Because it was made to fool everyone here. I am not from here. But we are not here for me. We are here for you.¡± Rayshe nodded dumbly, still in the doorway. ¡°Shall we step inside?¡± ¡°Yes, please come in.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ganeshti strode inside the large estate and glanced around. He admired the decor and choice of style for the interior. Allosius was a true and through noble who wore his pride materially. With his hands clasped firmly behind his back, he followed Rayshe who glanced around his home uncharacteristically nervous. ¡°You can relax, Rayshe. I assure you, in Leviathos¡¯ schemes, your usefulness is far lower than you judge it to be. The wyrms eyes rest elsewhere.¡± The pair entered a lounge area accented with light woods, gold trim, and light magic lanterns styled into the ceilings and walls. On one wall was a wine rack, with a countertop and serving glasses set before it. White marble floor tiling finished the decor and gave Ganeshti the impression this room was well visited. Rayshe fumbled at a carafe of light wine, pouring a shaky glass for himself before offering the bottle to Ganeshti. He politely declined. There was work to be done, and imbibing just wouldn¡¯t do. The arch mage waited a moment for Rayshe to settle himself. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Now then. I¡¯ve a business proposition for you.¡± ¡°For me?¡± Ganeshti nodded his large alien head. Producing a bottle of black fluid, he placed it on the smooth polished blonde redwood counter top deliberately. Rayshe could instantly sense the thick magic and power within the bottle, eyes zeroed in on it like a pit viper sensing a small mammal in thick jungle brush. The Remover bit back a pleased smile. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°That, my potential new business partner is what old humans may have mistakenly once called Black Gold.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be coy with me. I¡¯ve been tricked before. I¡¯m not about to be tricked again.¡± ¡°Of course. My apologies. Doing what I do sometimes lends itself to being unnecessarily dramatic at times. The truth then. It is blood. Black Blood if you will.¡± ¡°Whose blood?¡± ¡°My goddess. She has gifted me with this marvel of a resource. A demonstration perhaps?¡± He tapped at the chest plate of his black armor and it melted into fluid and slithered down his large bulky frame and settled into a bracelet around his wrist. Allosius¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The prototype! I¡¯d heard of this. I almost thought it was the death of the Guild when Morwen¡¯s mother had the only prototype taken and given to that filthy mongrel that got my son killed. You¡¯re the supplier?¡± Ganeshti smiled and tilted his head in acknowledgement. ¡°I am. The prototype was inconsequential compared to what I have planned. But I need someone with a great sway in the guild to help nudge it in the direction I need for my vision to come to pass.¡± ¡°And what vision is that?¡± ¡°A profitable one in which you become the mogul of a capital ship empire built from black blood. Just imagine it. Vessels with unmatchable power, built at a quarter of the resources and time.¡± ¡°What do you need from me?¡± ¡°Your voice and vote when the guild decides important moves. In return, I¡¯ll provide you with a controlling stake in the resources that will ensure you bring the guild greater profits, and cement your position of leadership within the guild.¡± Allosius thought it over for a long moment. He¡¯d only just gained his freedom of Leviathos. That alone was cause for celebration. However, a tiny voice in the back of his head warned that this alien stranger who¡¯d freed him was only doing so for self profit. But then again, he wasn¡¯t exactly terribly altruistic. He could leave that to Erlaut. The decision weighed and made, Allosius reached out, seizing the bottle of black blood. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°You drink. A covenant of sorts. You¡¯ll gain power and experience divinity for a tiny fraction of a moment.¡± Allosius removed the stopper from the bottle and drank it back like a potion. It was bitter and tangy, like drinking melted coins. A coldness poured into his soul, like the void itself broke through the Astral barrier and filled his entire being. And then pure euphoria radiated outwards. Unfettered power. Allosius toppled back into a plush cushioned couch, his gaze going distant as divine sight and power slammed through him like an explosion through a barrel. As the wonders of the universe revealed themselves to him, Ganeshti watched with amusement. Allosius was a vital component to the puzzle of how did he bring his dark goddess back. With this piece secure and in place, he was free to move on. His armor slid back into place and he walked away, leaving Rayshe to his divine high on the couch. He could check back in later when he really needed Rayshe. For now, though, the elf¡¯s life was going to become very chaotic if events played out as he¡¯d foreseen. In the web of fate, more and more strands were converging. ¡°So. You¡¯re making your move, are you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Leviathos¡¯ voice rumbled behind Ganeshti. A warning and a flourish. The timeless arch mage turned to face the guardian of Sauridius. They exchanged greetings, even though it was largely a formality. Despite both gods being disembodied and scattered, the truce between them remained in play and applied to their followers. ¡°So many millennia and still you scheme in the dark and move in the shadows.¡± ¡°Well, in fairness, it was your master who showed me the value of applied deception and covert manipulation.¡± Leviathos purred thoughtfully, flicking a glance to Rayshe, who lay on the couch oblivious to the interaction. His tiny mortal mind was sectors away, scattered to the astral winds. ¡°What role can this insect play in your schemes?¡± Ganeshti tsked. ¡°Is that wounded pride? Come now Leviathos. This one is too far beneath your gaze. Surely you have no more need of him. Not with the size force you¡¯ve mustered.¡± ¡°There is always a use, even for the lowest mouse. You¡¯ve deprived me of a valuable asset, old one. Were it not for the truce, I¡¯d rip you limb for limb, and then bind your soul.¡± ¡°As fascinating as it is watching you bluster, I truly have no intention of fighting you. If you require a vassal here afterwards, I¡¯ll permit him being rebound. But for now, he belongs to my goddess while we see to our own designs.¡± ¡°Maleficus seeks to rise again?¡± ¡°Always.¡± Leviathos growled deeply. A deep throaty below that Ganeshti felt even from the spectral projection. ¡°Stay out of my way, wizard. My plans are near the end state. Once I¡¯ve completed my end game, you may move as you wish. But for now, I require you to avoid removing any further obstacles.¡± Ganeshti thought it over and lost nothing by delaying until Leviathos attempted his gambit. ¡°Very well. I shall pause my own designs to provide you time to execute your own. Lest we operate at cross purposes. I shall await when I can resume my great work.¡± Leviathos gave no further remarked and simply canceled his spell. The demi-god¡¯s essence faded rapidly. Ganeshti had waited this long to bring his dark goddess back. He could wait a little longer. Besides, he was curious to see how things ultimately played out. Leviathos¡¯ future was always difficult to see on the web. That often meant nothing good. Bowing to Rayshe, he tipped his head. ¡°Till we meet again, partner.¡± ? Chapter 163 Morwen frowned as Arjun handed her the latest sanitized report out of the Brotherhood¡¯s intelligence networks. Word had it that New Xinjia was getting pommeled and if they didn¡¯t get any help, the entire colony would fall in a week¡¯s time. She glanced up from the tech tablet. It reminded her of a magical tablet, but it contained its own power source and a connection to the Brotherhood¡¯s Extranet. ¡°Does Akamori know about this?¡± Arjun shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him much since we got back. I would imagine so though. Public Relations are trying to spin it so it doesn¡¯t sound as bleak as it looks. That might work with the civilians, but the brass all know. The Sauridius are putting the screws to us.¡± ¡°The Sauridius have begun to make their final moves. I believe we¡¯re witnessing the closing actions of this war. New Xinjia is a large target and it does demand attention but it feels too direct for Ominek¡¯s hand. This is aggressive, overt, loud.¡± She shook her head trying to piece out the greater flow of pieces. When she tried to channel her Divine Sight ability though, found the web of divinity shrouded in darkness and difficult to read. It also gave her a bad headache that forced her to actually consume a few points of aether to cast a healing spell. ¡°You ok ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Fine. Just weary. Fighting this war will burn you at both ends nearly constantly if you let it.¡± ¡°I hate to seem pushy, but what are we going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure unfortunately. The Arch Priest will fight us if we try to leave.¡± She looked back at the footage recycling in a loop on the tablet Arjun gave her. She wove the hand signs to cast a missive spell to the Arch Priest then stopped. No. She was done asking for his permission. The war was more important. She had her tools, and she had her people. It was time to start using them. Morwen rose, and called up a map of the Brotherhood¡¯s colonies. New Xinjia was now red. New Eden several systems away now looked even more vulnerable than ever. Morwen forwned. ¡°Why not attack the capital itself? Cripple the enemy and sieze the conflict all together?¡± Unless New Xinjia was just a feint. ¡°Gods¡­¡± She turned to Arjun. ¡°New Xinjia isn¡¯t the main target. New Eden is.¡± ¡°My family is on New Eden¡­.¡± Arjun muttered softly. ¡°If we leave now it would shatter the Federation though. The Arch Priest would probably break with it.¡± Morwen glanced at the now alarming distance between the Sauridius¡¯ siege on New Xinjia and their capital world. They were defenseless against a force using magic. She had to interpose herself between her enemy and her allies. But doing so would mean losing the support of the Federation. ¡°Screw it. Prep the ship for take off. We¡¯re going to New Eden.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± # ¡°I just need to get my head around this one last time. You want us to steal the Cadaver Crasher ? Just like that?¡± Sirsir asked. ¡°Yep.¡± Everyone exchanged nervous looks with each other before Akamori finally followed up. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Have we tried asking for a ride first?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°And?¡± Sirsir prodded. ¡°No ships in or out due to the orbital lockdown that Arch Priest Erlaut has enacted. Also, The Brotherhood of Man isn¡¯t able to commit the Crasher because they lack a crew fully trained in magic use.¡± ¡°What about Lt.-I mean Captain Fenix?¡± Yasiin asked. ¡°Water magic doesn¡¯t work well for propulsion through space. And he lacks the ability to open Umbral gateways.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the plan? We aren¡¯t gonna go storm in there blasting up those marines are we?¡± ¡°No, of course not. We¡¯ll go in stealthed and seize control of the bridge. Once we have control of the ship we can basically do what we want with it. No one has to get hurt.¡± Sirsir regarded him skeptically, and the looks he got from the others didn¡¯t fare any better. The collective opinion was bordering on uncertain skepticism. Akamori coughed, trying to break the uncomfortable silence of judgement that settled in. ¡°Guys. Seriously. It¡¯ll work out. Trust me.¡± ¡°Coming from the guy who was attacking dragons as a 2nd grade spell soldier.¡± Sirsir said with the faintest hint of a smirk. It was all good natured ribbing after all. ¡°Hey, I won didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Technically you survived.¡± Yasiin amended. He shrugged nonplussed. ¡°Still counts.¡± A beat passed and he clapped his thighs, rising up from the bench, the blue fabric of his new robe¡­duster¡­whatever this was. What was it? A god should have no need for armor , Thanaton grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ve got some final prep to set up. You guys go relax. I¡¯ll message when we¡¯re ready to move. Dismissed.¡± Before anyone could question him, he spent a point of his AP to channel his flight spell from air magic, and burst off into the air towards the starport. The pad that held the Cadaver crasher wasn¡¯t very busy. The detachment of Brotherhood marines posted to Eryn didn¡¯t get to see much activity unless Morwen was taking them out on some hairbrained near suicidal mission. Today there were a few maintenance techs doing routine services on the old ship that should have been done years ago. Akamori angled in for his landing and glided to the ground in a casual stroll. Greese and oil stained the worker¡¯s coveralls as they worked on replacing some component he¡¯d never seen till. They gave him a brief wave as he strode up the cargo ramp into the hangar bay of the ship. The musty, metallic scent gave him a nostalgic smile as he made his way to the bridge. Captain Astor Fenix sat in the command chair of the bridge, boots propped up on the spell controls, with a cold beer in hand wreathed by a cool halo of moisture.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Akamori folded his arms and leaned against the bulkhead. ¡°You get your own magic infusion, and you¡¯re reduced to using it to keep your drinks cold.¡± Fenix saluted his beer can and turned to take Akamori in. The bulky blond officer rose from his seat and sighed. ¡°You look good for a guy who just got out. What brings you here? I can¡¯t imagine it was for the memories.¡± Akamori shrugged. The enchanted shoulder plates of his armor bobbed gently. ¡°They weren¡¯t all bad. Can¡¯t have the good without the bad. Besides, I¡¯d say it all worked out ok. Mostly.¡± Fenix nodded with a sigh. ¡°Yeah. I reckon so. So what brings the esteemed hero of Hidros by?¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna steal your ship.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Akamori blinked. ¡°Okay? Just like that? You¡¯re not even gonna ask why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve fought with you enough to know you¡¯re one of the rare few who run into fights, not away from them. If yer lookin at stealin¡¯ the Crasher, it¡¯s because there¡¯s a fight yer eyein up. I¡¯ve never been much of a bettin man, but New Xinjia is under siege and it¡¯s just like you and the others to go rushin in to save the day. If you need the Crasher? She¡¯s all yours.¡± Akamori sighed, feeling a little deflated. ¡°I had this whole speech planned and everything. It was gonna be really cool.¡± Fenix chuckled as he took a pull of his beer. Akamori flopped down into one of the other command chairs, sulking. ¡°If it makes ya feel better, I won¡¯t tell the crew-what little there is. Funny thing about the Brotherhood? Not too many mages around to staff a ship like this. Be a shame if a few moved in an¡¯ helped themselves to the ship. All she¡¯s doin now is just gatherin dust.¡± ¡°On Eryn? More like leaves.¡± Akamori joked. His mood lightening slightly. ¡°Yeah. I think the maintenance boys are the only ones happy about it. They¡¯ve been doing a lot of repair work on the ship. Those scaley bastards have had us runnin from one fight to the next so damn much the poor girl¡¯s about to fall apart at the seams.¡± Akamori didn¡¯t realize just how much he¡¯d come to miss that New Eden drawl. It gave Fenix a really casual tone of voice. Unless he was kicking your face and ribs in. Water under the bridge, though. ¡°So when is this heist happenin?¡± ¡°Soon. We¡¯re got new gear. I figured I¡¯d give you some time if you had anyone who wanted to go fight with us.¡± Fenix sighed. ¡°I wish I could say I do. Unfortunately, we both know how poorly a buncha zeroes do against even first grade mages, never mind second and higher. Nah, you and yours would be better off without us. On the ground, at least. Up in orbit, we might be better at supportin ya.¡± ¡°I understand, and no hard feelings. Just wanted to give you the chance to fight if you wanted to.¡± ¡°We appreciate that. Honestly. But my time with the Captain taught me that sometimes, some fights yer best off stayin out of. There¡¯s a few of us who¡¯ll stick around, but I don¡¯t think our marines will be much help against spirits and necromancers.¡± ¡°No. No, they won¡¯t.¡± Sirsir, Yasiin and Sala dissolved into reality, glancing around. Confusion etched on their features. Sirsir stepped ahead of the primal and nomad. He scratched his head and gave Captain Fenix a nod. ¡°Hey Sir. Sorry about barging in on your ship like this.¡± Fenix chuckled, dismissing the notion and downing the last of his beer. ¡°Think nothin of it. New Xinjia needs help, and you boys are probably its best shot.¡± Yasiin shook his head, pulling up a magical holographic of the New Xinjia colony¡¯s system. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to ascribe us as saviors. We may not hold this assault off. They¡¯ve committed a lot to the attack.¡± ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯ll get to put the one to three rule to the test.¡± Everyone blinked at Akamori and rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, try not to look to shocked. I read some books. Yes. Besides, any good grunt knows that you usually commit a larger assault force to overwhelm a defending unit. Especially one as entrenched as New Xinjia is.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯d best get going. Every minute here is another life lost.¡± Fenix said vacating the bridge. Sala and Yasiin made room for the large broad shouldered marine to step through them on his way out. ¡°Wish I¡¯d have known they¡¯d practically give us the ship. I¡¯d have saved some of my guild marks on those invisibility potions.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°Quit pouting.¡± Akamori teased. ¡°Would have been easier with Amara.¡± Yasiin said. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, it would have. Strap in. We¡¯re got a planet to save, or die trying.¡± The four of them took seats, Akamori, Sirsir, and Yasiin in seats with spell controls, Sala taking a troop bench along the wall. Akamori grasped the controls, magically linking up with it. The sensation was almost like holding his spell blade, only the Crasher called no one its true master. Not the way Thanaton responded to him. ¡°Give me a moment to make sure everything is good,¡± Akamori said, his gaze distant and unfocused, as if looking at something else. He was actually pouring through all the various sensor feeds of the ship. Visually inspecting everything for signs of maintenance failure that would ground them for longer. ¡°Huh.¡± He finally said, looking genuinely surprised. ¡°They¡¯ve been working on her for quite some time.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Sirsir asked with a nervous look before strapping in tighter. ¡°Long enough. They fixed that rattling sound that was always coming from the air vents.¡± ¡°That was the air vents? I thought it was deck plating.¡± ¡°No, that was a different rattling.¡± Akamori corrected. ¡°Oh. Well, shit. Good for them.¡± Sirsir nodded approvingly. Once his preflight checks were good, Akamori prepared for takeoff. He fed the goliath vessel several points of void magic, feeling a slight fraction of power siphon away into the ship¡¯s spell core and his will mix with the Aureoliam fuel. A deep reverberating shudder banged throughout the battleship as its thrusters engaged and the magic lessened the massive ship¡¯s mass, making orbital ascend even possible. Akamori was thankful it even rose. As the battleship slowly came about and angled for higher orbit, two squadrons of spell fighters roared up from the ground to dock in the battleships hanger. A fiery butterfly missive spell turned into a translucent portrait of Cenine. ¡°I hear you¡¯re going hunting for the Sauridius after they attacked that human colony.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Akamori said hesitantly. ¡°We¡¯re going to join you. We have mutual interests, you see. We have reliable intel. The primals that fled have taken up arms with the Sauridius. If there¡¯s a chance you¡¯ll run into them? We want in on the fight to bring them to justice.¡± Akamori frowned. It wasn¡¯t like Cenine to hold a grudge. Despite that, spell fighters would help keep the dragons off the ship as it approached. ¡°Alright. Strap in We¡¯re about to burn hard for high atmo.¡± Cenine nodded, and the spell dissolved into motes of flickering aether. It would be a frightening day for the people of Eryn as both the Thefaris and the Cadaver Crasher rose into the heavens to make war on their enemies. The fleet of the Erynians remained moored to the ground. For now. ? Chapter 164 The Forge had remained silent for many epochs. No god had forged an artifact since the close of the previous Divine war. It had changed hands several times through history as various races discovered it, and used it for various means before ultimately abandoning it again. Few ever truly plumbed the depths of its capabilities. The Dwarves, however, were such example of people who not only understood its past, but its purpose. Masters of alchemy, creation, and stone craft, the dwarves could take the Forge to new heights it hadn¡¯t seen in thousands of years. This, of course, ebbed as their society crumbled under the crushing weight of expansion. Now all that remained of the Golden Empire were a few settlements held over across the sector. The Forge being one of the last. Without a flow of materials, it forced the dwarves to turn their idle hands towards their second favorite hobby. Drinking. And so many centuries past, the dwarves used the Forge as a massive brewery, manufacturing the sector¡¯s largest supply of magical beer and potions with which they would trade throughout the region. A commodity the Artificers of Aeryn were all too happy to sign contracts for trade with. Forge branded beer now flowed from almost every world in the sector in almost as many brews. It was this notoriety that drew Morwen here initially. Seeing the value of the Forge as a third party potion supply depot she could trade with. The dwarves were a quirky lot. They valued bartering and treated deals with utmost zeal. She¡¯d had some pretty lucky breaks here before and viewed this place and its people as her adoptive peoples. So it came as no surprise that with no one else left to turn to, she¡¯d come here. ¡°Another beer for the lass with the long look?¡± Pack said while drying off a mug with a towel. Pack was an old friend of Morwen¡¯s on the Forge. One of her first, in fact. He¡¯d been the first vendor she¡¯d struck a deal with. Since then, he¡¯d always been her first stop, and the crude brewist had become something of a reliable friend. ¡°Thanks, but I should really stop. There¡¯s a war to be won, you know.¡± ¡°Aye. That there be. But I notice yer missin¡¯ a crew. Short a¡¯ that lad with the glasses an¡¯ the wee mousey look about him, I don¡¯t believe I been seein¡¯ yer squad.¡± Morwen shook her head. ¡°They¡¯ve taken off to fight a different battle. One I suspect was designed to take them out of play. But we can¡¯t risk ignoring it. So here I am, which brings me to my point nicely. You¡¯re right. I need a crew. And I need healers. My vessel has a corruption that needs cleansed.¡± Pack finished the mug and set it back under the counter, then fished another one from the sink and repeated the process. ¡°So how do ya plan to be fightin¡¯ this war without an army? Ya can¡¯t be a commander with no army ta command.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well, if its help yer lookin for, old Pack might be able to help. Word has it the Sauridius are eying up the Forge. And us dwarves aren¡¯t interested in leaving one of our oldest homes.¡± Morwen gave Pack a wry grin, ¡°Are you suggesting a possible deal?¡± Pack smirked at her as he continued to clean mugs. ¡°Ah might be. Aye.¡± She propped herself up on her elbows as Pack¡¯s wife came out. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s here your terms.¡± ¡°Oh they won¡¯t be nothin ya can¡¯t accomadate. We¡¯re just lookin for some help if we ever need it. Word that if the Forge is attacked, there¡¯ll be someone here to defend her.¡± ¡°Done.¡± Morwen said with no hesitation. ¡°And yours?¡± Pack asked, as was part of the process of the deal. ¡°I need a crew. Mages with healing magic or experience with cleansing rituals. My ship is corrupted, and is proving difficult to cleanse, even for the elves.¡± ¡°Ahh. I see. The elves withdrew support and left ya high and dry, did they?¡± ¡°Quite so,¡± Morwen said as she spat in her hand and offered it. ¡°I find your terms acceptable. What say you?¡± ¡°I say I find yers to be acceptable as well.¡± The dwarf spat in his large hand and the two shook, then emptied a pint each before clinking the glasses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t conduct our last deal so formally. Time wasn¡¯t on my side,¡± Morwen said. Pack waved it off like a bothersome gnat. ¡°Eh. Their more like guidelines really. Truth be told, we just love to drink.¡± Morwen chuckled. ¡°How soon before your people can board?¡± ¡°Now.¡± Pack said, scribing a missive and sending it. The small flaming hammer split into dozens and dozens as it sought every recipient on the Forge. ¡°Ya¡¯ve always done right by us, Captain. It¡¯s time we paid it forward.¡± Morwen¡¯s eyes threatened to moisten up, and she drew in a steady breath before nodding. ¡°Thank you Pack.¡± ¡°Captain.¡± Arjun said, approaching Morwen¡¯s side with a tablet in hand. ¡°I think we should head to the cargo bay.¡± Morwen glanced back at Pack, who gave her an appreciative nod. She dropped the credits to pay for her beer plus tip and followed Arjun out of the market towards the docks. It wasn¡¯t too long ago she was leading Akamori here to barter for potions to keep their team alive long enough to have a chance at victory. Now the war was nearing, the conflict was nearing its close and her squad was away elsewhere. Something about Pack¡¯s words stuck with her even as she strode through the carved out corridors of the asteroid upon which the Forge lived. What was a commander without an army to command? Had she finally reached the point in her life that she¡¯d fight alone? As if to answer her question, she found hundreds of dwarves with small packs ready to board the ship. Her army awaited. # Aside from his squad and Captain Fenix, the crew on the Crasher was pretty light. They hooked a bunch of maintenance and technician dock workers along so the poor guys could keep working while they dragged the aging battleship off to yet another potential suicide run. That meant the number of marines posted to the ship when he and his squad borrowed the ship only numbered in a few dozen. Barely enough to man a few weapons emplacements when they reached battle. Akamori returned the pair of salutes the two solitary guards rendered him as he strode into the brig. Seated on the other side of a magic ward was Helios, leaning on his knees, dark raven hair draped over his face as he studied the toes of his boots. He stopped, folded his arms, and studied Helios silently. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Helios¡¯ head tilted up just enough he could see through his hair to look at Akamori. The movement was subtle, almost imperceptible, but Akamori had caught it. ¡°The prodigal hero returns. Have you come to gloat?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve come to make sure you honor your word.¡± Helios leaned back, gesturing widely with his arms. ¡°As if I have any room to break that word.¡± ¡°I held up my side of it. We ran the cleansing ritual on you and your sister. Some of the corruption ran too deep in you. You¡¯d been exposed for too long if I had to guess. We saved most of her.¡± Helios nodded, a sad expression on his face. ¡°We are the last, her and I. The dark one spread to every corner of creation. We fled to the great ship hoping someone would come to reclaim it, and bring it against our enemies.¡± ¡°But none came?¡± Helios shook his head. ¡°Only the blood. It consumed all it touched until all that remained was the blood. It sucked all the magic and life from everything. There used to be an entire flight of us, but centuries turned into millennia. As time marched onwards, our numbers dwindled. Given to madness, before the Darkness seized control. The possessed then would attack us. It was a war of attrition we could never win. We only hoped that the prophecy would come true.¡± ¡°What prophecy is that?¡± Helios looked, brushing his jet black hair free of his face and hooking his bangs behind his ears. Akamori got a full look at Helios¡¯ eyes. Draconic like most he¡¯d seen on Anazi Prime. The sclera were black with white irises and draconic pupils. The black was likely still the result of Helios¡¯ void poisoning from the blood. ¡°That you would find us, and save us from the darkness.¡± ¡°Oh. No pressure then, huh?¡± Akamori joked softly. ¡°None indeed. So what suicidal scheme are you intending to suck me into?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Akamori said, affronted. ¡°That hurts. You don¡¯t even know me for five minutes and already you assume I¡¯d drag you into something like that.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not a hopeless mission?¡± Helios asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s absolutely hopeless.¡± ¡°Then why so offended?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the principle.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pouting?¡± Helios asked incredulously. ¡°N-no. Anyway.¡± Akamori said, clearing his throat. ¡°We¡¯re going to go save some people from a bunch of dickhead necromancers. You¡¯re coming along. Emphasis on the lack of question mark.¡± Akamori punched the power button for the barrier ward. The runes dissolved, and the field dropped. Helios watched curiously. He held his hands out and Akamori removed the magic suppression binders and collar. ¡°Play nice, and I¡¯ll make sure these stay off. Step out of line and they¡¯ll go back on.¡± ¡°And if I feel like causing real trouble?¡± ¡°If by real you mean putting up a better fight? Try me. I¡¯m always game for a good spar,¡± Akamori said with a smirk as he let his aura flare. It heated the air with an imperiousness that was normally absent of Akamori¡¯s personality. Something deeper. Helios took the warning heart and nodded. He stepped out and next to Akamori in a subordinate position. Akamori grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go get you acquainted with the rest of the team.¡± The trip back to the CIC area was quiet, with Helios following silently, and Akamori content with the silence. He found it a nice respite from what would inevitably become a cacophonous and explosive experience to come. The initial reception went rather frigid the instant Helios entered the command center area. ¡°Helios. This is the squad.¡± ¡°The¡­squad? Then you haven¡¯t formed your mercenary company yet? How far back have I traveled¡­¡± Helios wondered aloud. ¡°Eh¡­we¡¯re still workshopping the name. But we have formed the company.¡± ¡°Will I be paid as well?¡± ¡°Provided you pull your weight. Of course.¡± Akamori said with a grin. Helios nodded, leaning back against the projection table. The image of that assault shimmered like a mirage as the dark-haired dragon broke the plane of the image. In each hand shimmered void weapons. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll find the weight I pull satisfactory.¡± ¡°Hold, we get paid?¡± Yasiin asked, glancing up from wiping down his spell rifle. ¡°Sure. Just as soon as we actually do a job.¡± Akamori said with a shrug. Yasiin and Sala exchanged glances with each other and nodded. Fair compensation for Federation troops was all but a joke, since the Federation didn¡¯t technically fund them. It relied on the noble houses on Eryn to back ships and troops. Being a cooperative alliance, each faction would contribute. The Brotherhood lent manpower, and Eryn sent their magical know how, and resources. The idea of being paid well appealed to the squad. ¡°So we save this planet, and we make bank?¡± Sirsir asked, his own curiosity now piqued. ¡°I have it on good authority that the Brotherhood will practically give us an open credit line for anything and everything we need.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a credit line?¡± Sala asked. Akamori shrugged. ¡°The implication was that we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about finances.¡± ¡°Means we can focus on sticking it to the bad guys,¡± Sirsir said with a sage nod. Helios continued to brood, but even the dour dragon seemed open to the idea of striking back and being well compensated for it. ¡°There¡¯s just one problem.¡± Helios said. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I want to talk about what happens to my sister.¡± All eyes shifted to Akamori, even Captain Fenix, who¡¯d just been observing. He wasn¡¯t officially part of Akamori¡¯s team and was largely here as the custodial commander of the ship. Akamori took a deep breath and nodded. He had to admire the stones on Helios for dropping this on him in front of the whole squad. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk.¡± ? Chapter 165 Luffa paced in the mess area as the other primals carried out the daily operations. She felt like an unwelcomed guest on this ship. It knew they weren¡¯t its original crew. Save for Amara. But regardless, the vessel felt hostile to her, she couldn¡¯t verbally articulate. Her presence here wasn¡¯t right. None of them being here was. And in that regard, it resisted her. She knew she¡¯d been hanging around Amara for that reason alone. Amara finished her meal and tugged at the magical binding collar as she swallowed. Her friend cleaned up with a napkin and gave her that look right before she was about to lecture her. ¡°If you pace any more, you¡¯ll wear a hole in the deck and decompress the ship.¡± Amara said. Luffa stopped, a ghost of a smile teased her lips. ¡°I know¡­ but everything is going so wrong. Ominek has my people. He has those bombs, and he has us. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. And now I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to get out of this.¡± ¡°We have a plan. We just have to trust and see it through.¡± Amara reassured her. She was right. She always was. Since she¡¯d met Amara, the priestess had always been smart and a quick learner. If her friend was confident, she should be too. ¡°You¡¯re right. Just nerves, I guess. I still have to tell the others.¡± Amara stiffened. ¡°That¡¯s a bad idea. It just provides them an opportunity to derail things.¡± ¡°But at least I would be honest and open with them. My sisters and brothers need that. We sure as hell aren¡¯t getting it from Ominek.¡± Amara sighed. The ease of her tension was visible, if only barely. ¡°Ok. But we should do it as a United front. If we show them we stand together in decision, it may dissuade some of the more on the fence of your people from acting.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯ll come to that?¡± Amara gave her a flat look. For a moment, Amara reminded her of Erlaut¡¯s teaching style. She nodded and shrank a little as if she¡¯d been scolded. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t shrink. You¡¯re free. You bow to no one now. Not even Ominek.¡± Luffa looked up, put some steel in her spine, and stood tall again. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a very real chance some of your people side with Ominek just because. But if you¡¯re going to lead them on to anything meaningful, stand for something. Otherwise, you won¡¯t stand for anything and lose them to Ominek, anyway. What that looks like is up to you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to build our freedom on the backs of more of our dead.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t. Show them what mercy looks like, and the wisdom to apply it.¡± Amara said. ¡°He¡¯ll just twist anything I do. He¡¯s a manipulate anything I do or say against me. I¡¯ll either be weak or don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°Eventually, all that he¡¯s done will come back to him. I don¡¯t know how, but I feel certain it will. Don¡¯t worry Luffa. We¡¯ll save your people. From Ominek and the Erynians.¡± ¡°I just hope I¡¯m there to see it when it happens.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s make sure we are. Come on. Let¡¯s go tell the others the plan and see how they react.¡± Luffa hesitated for a moment before nodding. It had to be done, and there was no better time than now. At least then she could figure out who her allies and enemies would be. ¡°Ok.¡± Tabak pushed off the entryway into the mess hall. ¡°Sorry. I was eves dropping but also making sure the coast was clear. Had anyone else heard, it might have gone¡­differently.¡± ¡°Thank you Tanak.¡± Luffa said. ¡°I requested they gather on the bridge. Most were already there and the few that weren¡¯t were close enough to avoid your conversation. Come.¡± The dragonborn extended a hand, and Luffa took it, squeezing gently as the trio stepped into the bridge. They saw the expectant faces of all the primals that had escaped Eryn with her. Even Sarada¡¯s judgemental glare. ¡°She finally graces us with her presence.¡± Sarada snapped. ¡°Ease up Sarada. She got us off of Eryn. She¡¯s been under a lot of stress.¡± Dakon said. ¡°What stress? Ominek took us in the instant we left. She hasn¡¯t had to decide anything since telling us we should leave.¡± ¡°She¡¯s under more pressure than you realize,¡± Dakon trailed off. Luffa cleared her throat, glancing to Amara and Tanak for strength. ¡°I¡¯ve given it a lot of thought, and I¡¯ve decided we don¡¯t need more enemies. We won¡¯t be using the magi-nukes on the Brotherhood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awfully arrogant of you to think you¡¯re the one in charge.¡± Sarada said coldly. ¡°Because I am,¡± Luffa said matter-of-factly. ¡°According to who?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, actually. Taking orders from the Elves for so long, trading them for Ominek feels like a step backward, really.¡± Dakon said in the back. Murmurs of agreement rippled out. Sarada silenced it with a hateful glare. Silence settled in. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I disagree. Ominek was the architect of our freedom. Luffa just spread the word. He opened the void portal. Severed our collars. Gave us our freedom, a home, and a new purpose. Luffa has done none of that.¡± Luffa sighed. ¡°It¡¯s true. He has done all of that. And he¡¯s also a skilled manipulator. He¡¯s also got his own agenda. He would see us make enemies of the Brotherhood, where we currently have no enmity. We have no true home, and many of our people are scattered. I want to give them that. Find us a world we can rebuild. Away from the war, away from the elves, and away from the Sauridius.¡± ¡°How do you know Ominek doesn¡¯t want the same thing?¡± ¡°If he did, then why is asking the only few primals he¡¯s freed to go on a suicide mission for him? Do you honestly think the brotherhood would let us drop into their system, deploy a bunch of magic nukes, and then flee unscathed?¡± At Luffa¡¯s question, everyone¡¯s gaze fell to their boots. ¡°Nor did I. We are simply sacrifices in his game of Darstryx. A game I¡¯d prefer not to be sacrificed in myself. Nor do I suspect any of you will lay your lives down for him so freely, either.¡± ¡°So what if this is how he uses us? He¡¯s earned that right. Without him, I¡¯d still be training petulant elves how to hurl light bolts at me,¡± Sarada said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be our choice, though? We chose to leave for our freedom. Not to wear new shackles.¡± ¡°Ominek is the only one interested in striking back at the ones who made us war slaves. If that means bloodying a few noses, then so be it.¡± Sarada said. ¡°Sarada, is there a way I can convince you off of this path you¡¯ve chosen?¡± ¡°No.¡± Luffa said, but gave a reluctant nod. It pained her to hear that, but this was the only way she could see going forward. They could still spill blood, but this way, it would be in a duel with rules. ¡°Very well. Then I propose a duel. If you win, we follow you. If I win, you follow me. Do you accept?¡± Sarada¡¯s folded arms fell, and hers danced around the gathered faces. A flighty, nervous look flashed across her features before, finally, Sarada nodded. ¡°I accept.¡± A ripple shuddered throughout the ship. Acknowledgement of a sacred and age-old rite and tradition. The ship teleported the entire group into a room she¡¯d not seen before. When the frost blindness wore off, she blinked, glancing around and found herself in the center of a magical ring with Sarada opposite her. Amara glanced around, just as surprised. ¡°The Indra made this dueling ring spontaneously. That or its always had one, and we never found it.¡± Luffa wasn¡¯t sure which worried her more. Amara¡¯s surprise, or the fact the ship could have just created a dueling ring on its own. It didn¡¯t matter right now, anyway. She had to focus on Sarada. Sarada was primarily a front liner. What Luffa knew of the other primal was that she¡¯d spent a lot of time in the spell warrior college where Amara¡¯s friend Akamori had trained. That meant letting the other primal in close would be a poor choice for her. An instant later something happened inside the ring, and the walls of the ship and others gathered faded away, as though they¡¯d been teleported to a world. A dueling world? But they were in the void? Confusion and curiosity warred with each other as Luffa glanced around to understand the changes. System Info: Quest: Leadership Objectives: Sarada thinks you suck sweetcakes, and that Ominek is a better boss. Beat her up to prove her wrong. That¡¯s what you primals do for democracy, right? Rewards: Not dying (by Sarada), maybe leading your people. But mostly not dying. Luffa blinked at the sarcastic system scroll. She waved it aside, and it crumbled into wispy embers of mind magic and fire. She gave Sarada her full attention and cast a quick perception spell. Name: Sarada Magic Rank: Bronze 4 Divinity: Mortal Luffa frowned. They were about equal in strength. The rest she would have to piece together in combat. Sarada decided the same as she dashed in at full speed. Luffa had just enough time to raise several fire and light wards that blunted the Sarada¡¯s strikes as she tried to land a blow with her fists. Luffa responded by blasting Sarada with a point blank rank 2 light bolt spell that caught Sarada square in the chest. She flew away as if gravity had changed orientation to directly behind her, yanking the other primal away. Sarada rolled and recovered quickly. The dark red fur the covered her arms steamed with heat. They each had light magic since the Erynians exposed most primals to the golden well. One of the few wellsprings you could almost guarantee a successful infusion. That seemed fitting to Luffa since light magic gave shape to life. Where Luffa also possessed fire magic, Sarada possessed earth magic. That made her more defensive magically, but also limited her to nonsympathetic spells. Fire and Light paired well together. However, that made Sarada dangerous in that she could shrug off even heavy damage, as if it never happened. ¡°I¡¯m going to pound your face in.¡± Sarada growled. ¡°And then what? What happens to our people? You just grovel and bend to Ominek? Fawning for his false affection?¡± Sarada clasped her fists together, forming a massive stone mace that she brought down in an overhanded chop that detonated like a grenade when it struck the ground. She snarled as she followed up with a backhand strike that caught Luffa across the jaw. If not for her wards, her jaw and cheek bone would have shattered. She spun before righting in the air, wreathed in flame and light. The pain was already fading. ¡°How dare you! Ominek is the first person to show us any kindness. Who cares if its real or false? We¡¯re free!¡± ¡°Are we truly? We¡¯ve been free of Eryn for a day, and already Ominek has us committing war crimes. Have all those innocent people in the Brotherhood we¡¯re about to nuke done anything wrong to Primals?¡± ¡°They ignored us,¡± Sarada said low. She crouched and jumped, grabbing Luffa by the ankle and bringing her down into the ground, smashing her down back and forth. Luffa¡¯s wards flashed and rippled, discoloring with each blow but regaining their luster between impacts with the ground. Sarada was strong, one of the strongest she¡¯d known save for Sala in brute strength. But Sarada lacked finesse. Sarada took the high mount, offering Luffa no chance to guard her face as stone handed blows crashed down. Luffa quickly raised her aura and wards to blunt the shrapnel, but the force of the blast hurled her away into a sprawling heap. There was no pain and no injuries though, as her light aether continually blunted damage and encouraged healing. This would be a race to see who could outlast the other¡¯s Aether pools and cause the most damage. Luffa rose, resuming a stance that suited a spell weaver, ready to continue. She needed to win. Her people needed her to win. ? Chapter 166 Luffa braced herself for the right hook she couldn¡¯t avoid. It felt like a runaway freighter had just crashed into her face. The impact sent her sprawling and the only saving grace she had was that her wards healed most of the damage before it had a chance to negatively affect her. Sarada chased after her, arm cocked for another strike. The stone encased fist crashed down into the ground next to her and Luffa caught motes of mind magic as the soil stitched itself back together. She popped her aura in a radiant burst, buying her some space and pushing herself into the air. She spun tightly and landed on her feet. Luffa wove together a light and fire spell bolt and mixed them together, creating a plasma sphere and then added an extra point of aether to it. The spell grew in size. Sarada rushed in and feigned, throwing a strike she knew wouldn¡¯t land, and spun to avoid what she hoped would be Luffa¡¯s counter. Instead, Sarada came back around to eat the charged spell right in the face. Luffa roared as the beam hurled Sarada away. Sarada skipped off the ground like a ping-pong ball making an escape. Since the landscape was clear of any obstacles, like flora or buildings, it made it easier to track each other. Lufa had an idea. She created an orb of fire and then fused it with light. Light gave life. She knew void flame burned away until there was nothing left, but what about a fire that never extinguished? She hurled the orb and created another and hurled it, too. The bolts crashed into Sarada¡¯s stone covered skin and burned. They didn¡¯t melt the stone, but Luffa saw the stone glowed a dull orange and Sarada¡¯s movements labored as she burned more AP to hold off the injuries and pain. She circled around, peppered Sarada with a few more of the spells. She¡¯d dropped herself to half her remaining AP, but Sarada was nearly close to fumes. Spell Warriors were not known for their deep reserves of magic. Primal spell warriors had even less because they were front heavy on their magic use, channeling defensive and buff spells. Sarada tried to pat out the flames before she wove several earth signs and raised her fists above her head. A column of stone erupted from the ground, engulfing the primal, then sank back down into the soil as Sarada lowered her hands in a steady descent. Luffa cursed when she saw the steamy wisps of the living fire she¡¯d cast snuffed out. Sarada snarled as she closed ranks with Luffa again, punching and kicking, and used her body as a weapon. The full assault forced Luffa to keep a constant flow of AP into her wards, effectively mitigating her greater AP advantage. Luffa lashed out with a kick that blunted all of its force against Sarada¡¯s stone skin armor. This wasn¡¯t working, and she needed a better solution. Retributive damage. A magical parry. Rather than attack, she could let her opponent¡¯s blistering attack be her own downfall. Luffa leaned back, avoiding a stone encased fist, started a backwards handspring before canceling the movement and lashed out with her feet, nearly knocking Sarada down and standing on her before she jumped into the air for some much needed space. She channeled her fire and light aether. Increasing her strength and healing any injuries. As a result, her AP diminished, but she remained healthy. Strength surged through her, and her aura radiated with power. Luffa gazed down at Sarada, who¡¯d stood back up and glared at her. Her aura was tighter, being made of only light magic. Still trouble, but less so than Luffa. Slowly, Luffa settled down to the ground. ¡°Do you want to know the difference between you and me?¡± ¡°No. But tell me anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already lost. You just don¡¯t know it yet.¡± Sarada scowled. ¡°That¡¯s your problem, Luffa. Always thinking you¡¯re so much better than the rest of us.¡± Sarada howled like a banshee as she rushed, her fists growing massive stone maces. She swung for Luffa¡¯s face, who made no move to dodge. The blow landed squarely on a latticework of wards. That part didn¡¯t surprise Sarada. It was the detonating flame shield that blasted Sarada back in response. Sarada bounced off her back like a skipped stone and slid to her side before coming to a halt. She groaned and pushed herself upright. ¡°Yield.¡± Luffa said. Not just a request or plea. It was a command. The first time she¡¯d spoken with such authority. Her aura radiated with it. ¡°No.¡± Sarada growled and rushed again. When she struck, the shield blasted her away, super heating her stone skin. Sarada grit her teeth through the pain. The repeated blasts of fire and light were heating her stone skin up. She was fine against piercing and crushing damage, but the heat and astral damage weren¡¯t completely soaked. Her HP was dropping about as quickly as Luffa¡¯s AP. In a race to the bottom, having her HP against someone else¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t ideal. She¡¯d already burned most of her AP on defensive buffs and spells, and that was barely just taking the edge off of Luffa¡¯s assault. And yet somehow, Luffa was punching through all the same while remaining fine. In a race stamina race, Sarada wasn¡¯t entirely comfortable betting her life against Luffa¡¯s aetherpool. She¡¯d known the spell weaver to have prolific reserves in her training during her time in the Spell Weaver college. The magic college had produced some of Eryn¡¯s best weavers for thousands of centuries. That kind of legacy wasn¡¯t one that Sarada wanted to underestimate, but the problem was that she already had without even realizing it. Hastilly jumping into a duel with Luffa without even knowing the full potential the weaver possesed had been a grave mistake. While she was a capable warrior, Luffa was smart and powerful. Luffa had the strength to back her spells up. True, Sarada¡¯s defenses were second to none, but what good was durability and endurance when your opponent could power you out of the fight with retributive damage alone? If she wanted to win, she needed to be creative and decisive. She willed her stone skin into a large shield projected from her left hand. There, now, she could deal with Luffa¡¯s spell. Satisfied, Sarada rushed forward, stone hand mace crashing into Luffa¡¯s wards. A loud, deep ringing echoed out like a struck gong. Then Sarada was flying again. The ground rushed up into her left shoulder and it sent her tumbling. Limbs flailed uncontrollably until her momentum finally arrested itself as she sprawled out on her face. The shimmering translucent pinkish lavender of the arena floor rippled like solid water in front of her face. ¡°Yield.¡± Luffa commanded again. This time, Sarada was less inclined to bark back petulantly. She rose to her feet wearily. Her legs shook gently, and she did her best to mask the weakness. Her aura and stone skin defensives were waning. Her aether pool was nearly depleted, and she lacked armor or potions to make up for the difference. She was powerful on her own in short bursts, but she lacked sustainability, and burst damage to punch through Luffa¡¯s wards.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Sarada slowly pushed herself to her feet. As her strength ebbed, so too did her stability. She hated Luffa for being able to stay so poised. Floating there like their fight didn¡¯t bother Luffa, while she swayed on her feet. Sarada¡¯s left arm dangled limply, draped in front of her like stressed fabric. She spat at the ground in response to Luffa¡¯s command. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sarada, please. You¡¯ve lost. This doesn¡¯t have to end in bloodshed. There¡¯s a way forward for all of us. Together.¡± ¡°You want to risk ruining the one good thing that¡¯s happened to our people all because you can¡¯t trust Ominek!¡± Luffa drifted down to the ground, her radiant, burning aura retracting to a restrained level. Calmly, Luffa strode to Sarada, who collapsed under the strain and fatigue she felt. A disappointed frown creased Luffa¡¯s expression as she kneeled down and sat opposite Sarada. ¡°That¡¯s precisely the problem. I don¡¯t trust anyone to do right by us. Least of all Ominek. We need allies, yes. But we don¡¯t need to sell him our souls. We should be able to trust our allies.¡± ¡°Like your friend who¡¯s AWOL?¡± Luffa smiled softly and cradled Sarada¡¯s face. Some mild bruising began showing here and there. Blows Sarada¡¯s stone skin blunted, but didn¡¯t stop completely. ¡°Sarada. I want our people to thrive. I want a home for us. But I want us to find that together. Not because we¡¯ve been told or ordered where to find it. You don¡¯t have to understand me. I¡¯m not even asking you to. Trust that I¡¯m looking out for all of us. I got us this far, didn¡¯t I?¡± Sarada weakly shook her ok. At that, Luffa channeled some of the last of her AP to heal her opponent. Sarada shuddered as the golden white magic sank into her body. Bruises lightened, and small cuts closed. Luffa gave her a warm smile. ¡°There. Let¡¯s go back to our people then, shall we?¡± As Luffa rose, she felt something strange. The arena gave a portion of magic to her. A champion of the duel, but also the newest declared First Prime that they could remember. It swirled and flooded throughout her body, infusing every cell before returning to pool and collect in her breast. It was dark and numbing. She could feel her native light magic, almost magnetically repelled by it, and the fire almost blending in at the edges with it. She¡¯d been gifted void magic. The magic of entropy and translocation. As the Arena field lowered and true reality settled in around her and Sarada again, she swayed. Sarada gave her a questioning look. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just¡­different now.¡± She had more pool now. More total magic she could cast and channel. She also had access to even more destructive forms of magic. Void Fire, and it¡¯s more destructive cousin Amaterasu¡¯s Fire. She examined her hand and could actually veins of the magic coursing through her body. She¡¯d gained an infusion as a reward for winning the duel in the arena. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Amara asked, trying to keep the concern clear of her expression. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and so is Sarada, right?¡± Luffa asked, turning to Sarada with genuine concern. Sarada returned the nod but appeared slightly conflicted. That was to be expected, she supposed. She may have won the right to decide, but truly winning over Sarada would take time. Time she planned to invest, provided they had the time. ¡°So¡­what now?¡± ¡°We start small. We follow the plan and go to the Brotherhood and turn ourselves in, as well as the magi-nukes. If Ominek wants to slaughter innocents, he can come get his own hands dirty.¡± Luffa looked to the others for any further challenge and was instead met with nods of approval. No one else wanted to challenge her. She¡¯d earned the right to command her own people. The First Prime. ¡°Ensure the ship is prepared. We¡¯ll be exiting the umbral plane shortly.¡± Luffa ordered, and her people snapped to attention and go to work. As her people left, Amara leaned close. ¡°You seem different. It¡¯s good for you.¡± Amara whispered. ¡°Thank you. Earning the title of First Prime was unexpected.¡± ¡°How did you manage it? I was sure she¡¯d rush you down,¡± Amara said. ¡°As did I, but I found my determination during the fight. Along with a little tactical insight thanks to Erlaut¡¯s training, and I could win the bout.¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m glad you did, for your people¡¯s sake. Now, let¡¯s go pay the price for our choices.¡± Luffa regarded Amara curiously. ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother you? The prospect of facing up to your friends for the theft of their ship and gear?¡± Her friend frowned and shuddered with a heavy sigh. ¡°No. I think I¡¯m just ready to finally face it. I haven¡¯t been this afraid in a while and I played right into the Remover¡¯s hand. It¡¯s time I take charge and make my own choices. Take control of my destiny.¡± Luffa smiled, patting her friend on the shoulder. It tempted her to remove Amara¡¯s magic suppression collar, but banished the thought. She didn¡¯t think the others were in a place to accept that kind of move yet. She just needed time. ¡°Exiting the Umbral Plane now.¡± A voice rang over the ship¡¯s internal com. A detonation threw them all into the deck face first. ? Chapter 167 Morwen sat wearily in the chair before her mirror. Her hair sat matted to her scalp from exhaustion. She¡¯d spent the entire day in the bowels of the ship helping all the dwarves and a few of the mages from Eryn that defected with her to help with the cleansing. The work was hard but satisfying. With every patch of black blood burned away, she could feel her spirits climb. ¡°Sometimes, I feel like we might have a slim chance of pulling this off.¡± She told Rozien. The Enchanted tome bounced in the air, the text upon its surface glowing as it spoke. ¡°The dwarves are making extremely good progress, and the healers from Eryn that opted to travel with you are helping keep them in the work a lot longer than they could manage without. I¡¯ve even heard a few of them discussing installing a brewery.¡± Morwen chuckled at that. Give them a pipe and some water and they¡¯d give you an ale in an hour. Less if they were really motivated. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the stuff is, but I can¡¯t help feeling like it¡¯s important somehow. Either as a warning or a clue. Regardless, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re burning it out of the ship. How much of the systems and internal space have we restored?¡± Rozien glowed for a moment as he tapped into the vessel. ¡°We¡¯re at about 50% efficiency at the moment and climbing.¡± Morwen nodded. That was good. If the Thefaris, even at barely a quarter, could smash a Sauridius strike fleet, then it was worthwhile to get it. Now they just had to finish the fight. The question was, could she get the ship ready in time, and where would that fight be? ¡°How soon until we¡¯re ready to go into the Umbral Plane? I want to be at New Eden as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s wise to leave Eryn?¡± Morwen gave Rozien a flat look. ¡°They have the grand fleet at their disposal. If those ships can¡¯t stop the Sauridius or slow them down long enough for me to get back? Then this war is already lost and we¡¯re arguing a foregone conclusion.¡± ¡°ArchPriest Erlaut didn¡¯t seem completely¡­ stable last we saw.¡± Morwen frowned, nodding slowly. The pressure of leadership sat poorly on Erlaut¡¯s shoulders. Which came as a great surprise. He¡¯d been such an accomplished arch weaver. But then, he¡¯d been able to sit in his office, smoke his pipe, and ignore the dangers of the sector from the safety of his office. Times no longer permitted such frivolity. ¡°Ominek¡¯s attack left Erlaut unhinged. And that¡¯s only gotten worse with each passing day.¡± Initially it was small, like tiny paranoia. But now he was full on manic. She worried his mania would prevent him from being able to protect their people. Ever since the attack by Ominek, something in Erlaut had just been off balance. Time had an uncharacteristically reversed effect on his long term mental state. Rather than improve, he¡¯d regressed. ¡°If it comes down to it, can we alone defend the planet?¡± Morwen asked Rozien. Rozien¡¯s aura pulsed thoughtfully as the book bounced. Several moments passed before he finally spoke. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say without getting a good read on the opposition, no pun intended. I will say, however, that Sauridius is crafty, and I have to imagine his children are too. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll make a move unless they are certain of their chances at victory.¡± Morwen frowned, turning to face the dark leather cover of the enchanted tome. ¡°I fear you may be right. I¡¯m worried if I¡¯m not making a misstep by venturing to New Eden.¡± ¡°You are wise to plug a gap in the Federation¡¯s armor. Allowing the Sauridius to approach New Eden unopposed would spell doom for the sector. Eryn at least has its own magitech fleet with which it can mount a defense. How much of a defense that can muster against the Sauridius though, remains to be seen.¡± ¡°Then it falls to us to be shield when the time comes.¡± Morwen mused before resuming the work of combing her hair. She went about her end of evening routine as she always did. With methodical care. It was almost meditative for her. Few times during the day did she get to just be with her thoughts and in the silence before bed she found the time to unpack the day and digest all that she¡¯d said, and done. Once she was ready for bed she slid into the silk sheets and allowed the ache of her body to fade away as the light magic infused bed began to soothe her pain and any injuries with an aura of healing. As sleep came for her, something happened, her Divine Foresight triggered. Unlike before, however, events were clouded, too many potential options spun off, and she wasn¡¯t able to focus on a linear path of decisions. There were too many variables. Were she more awake, she might have been able to drive the vision better. Unfortunately, what she saw was enough to make her blood run cold. In the end, a draconic demigod descended to Eryn after destroying much of the grand fleet of Eryn. Erlaut dies in battle. And worse¡­ she snapped awake in a cold sweat. Heart racing. She tried to reach frantically for the vision, but as she did, it slid from the grasp of her memory like water between her fingers. The more she reached for it the more elusive it became and she found herself beginning to understand why Erlaut had been driven so mad. Someone or something was out there missing with divination magic. But who could do such a thing? And just how powerful were they to obscure or distort possible futures? There was still so much she didn¡¯t know, and more still she didn¡¯t fully understand. Morwen wished she had the time to truly study her power and master it. But so far, she¡¯d only been able to apply it in field combat a few times to any kind of effectiveness. She wasn¡¯t afforded the luxury of time and there was always some new enemy lurking in the background waiting for their chance to step forward and make life miserable for everyone she knew. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Rozien asked, drifting closer to Morwen. ¡°No. I want to say yes, but I know I¡¯d be lying if I did.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°I had a nightmare. A vision of a future. It was messy, chaotic, and violent. Eryn falls to a Sauridius assault, I think.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. What else comes of the attack?¡± Morwen¡¯s lips pursed as she wracked her brain for details. Anything she could glean of use. Frustrated, she shook her head. It was no use. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say, but the losses were heavy. It¡¯s safe to assume the planet falls to the assault. But if that¡¯s true, what difference could this ship? What if Eryn is just a feint?¡± There were too many possibilities to pin down the correct route forward. The divine web was too difficult to chart, and worse, she feared someone was actively obscuring paths forward that would benefit her. That raised more questions. Could they interfere with Divine Foresight? Like divine sensor jamming or something. ¡°Rozien¡­ how comprehensive is your list of spells?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite robust, but I have to confess to lacking a lot of the greater magic.¡± ¡°What about greater divination magic?¡± Rozien pulsed thoughtfully before dropping in place. ¡°Not as comprehensive as I would like.¡± ¡°Are you aware of any ways to manipulate or obfuscate the Web of Fate?¡± The Web of Fate, a divine instrument made alongside creation, tracks all trajectories of choice. Capable gods can read each strand of and follow it through all decision points to a definitive end. Morwen¡¯s knowledge of the Web was limited and her exposure even less so. She¡¯d only gained the knowledge of it during her trip into the Umbral Plane where she and the others discovered She-whose-name-won¡¯t-be-spoken¡¯s Crystal Palace in the void. Her exposure to the web was even younger than that, when she received the gift of Divine Foresight, a normal spell that exceeds 9th magnitude. ¡°I am not. But I know well enough to say that nothing is truly impossible without the correct amount of power.¡± Morwen nodded. That was sufficient. ¡°Thanks Rozien.¡± She laid back down to finish resting. Morning came swiftly, and she resumed her routine of preparing for duty for the day. Eventually she found her way to the furthest reaches they¡¯d cleansed. The black blood oozed and writhed as this shift¡¯s worth of dwarves scorched away the corruption. A few of them kept working except for one plucky female. She swatted her compatriots across the back of their heads. ¡°It¡¯s the captain, you anvil monkeys!¡± The group stopped and spun, approximating rough attempts at the position of attention, and one even saluted her. Morwen couldn¡¯t help the smile that threatened to tease at her lips. She inspected their progress. They¡¯d been blasting the corridors with what were effectively laser torches cast from their hands. She gave them a firm nod. ¡°Excellent progress today. I figured you lot could use some extra muscle. Mind if I tag in?¡± They all bobbed their heads eagerly. ¡°Aye!¡± The female who Morwen came to find out was named Siritalyn Graystone. Siritalyn was known as something of a community leader and, like Pack, she was good at wrangling cats and dwarves. Under her guidance, the Forge Dwarves had made great strides into the interior of the Thefaris. More and more of the great ship was being uncovered, though much of its function was beyond her for the moment. Content with the fact she had a divine artifact that she could wield against Ominek and the Sauridius, she¡¯d settle for anything the ship chose to offer her. Morwen assisted with Siritalyn and her group for much of the afternoon, cleansing the rest of the corridor and revealing the magitech core of the ship. The dwarves¡¯ eyes widened to full saucers. Even Morwen herself was awestruck at the complexity of the core. The corruption covering it did nothing to dissuade them from admiring it. ¡°Alright lads, let¡¯s get to work, eh?¡± Siritayln said. The dwarves snapped into motion, circling the core and sizing the corruption up. None of them acted. They were simply gauging what they¡¯d need. Siri stood on her tiptoes and then crouched and inspected beneath the core. As she circled around, the blood spread away from them. Morwen studied the blood and noticed it wasn¡¯t avoiding them. It was being burned away in a sphere around them. ¡°Siri, what spell are you using that is burning away the blood?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, I cast an astral sphere around myself. Means anywhere I walk it burns away the corruption. Takes a big chunk of yer pool to maintain, but at the right magnitude it¡¯s an effective area attack against this goop. Persistent shite it is.¡± Morwen mused on that. An astral sphere meant a sphere that did radiant and reverberating damage. Morwen figured it was the radiant damage that was doing most of that damage. If Siri knew this, she was no doubt already planning a plan that factored that in. She couldn¡¯t help a pleased smirk. If she¡¯d had any doubts about coming to get the dwarves, they were purged clean now, and soon? They would purge as well the darkness. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± ¡°Does it involve beer?¡± One male asked. ¡°No, ya drunkard. It does not.¡± ¡°Does it involve explosives?¡± Siri beamed. ¡°As a matter of fact, it does.¡± Morwen¡¯s brow quirked even as she smirked. This lot definitely reminded her of her squad. They all turned to her curiously. ¡°So. She can smile. What¡¯s got ya grinnin¡¯, Captain?¡± ¡°Morwen. Please, call me Morwen. And I¡¯m only grinning because you lot remind me of some friends of mine.¡± ¡°If the thought o¡¯ blowin shit up makes ya grin, then those be good friends in my not so humble opinion.¡± Siri said with a sage nod. ¡°Shall I explain?¡± Morwen gestured for Siri to continue. ¡°Please do.¡± The blood on the core seamed to thicken, like it was massing in anticipation of a pending threat¡­ ? Chapter 168 The airspace over New Xinjia lay choked with debris and the dead. The initial assault by the Sauridius proved extremely successful, seeing the necromantic host tear through the less than adequate Brotherhood of Man defense suite. Automated turrets, mines, and picket ships offered token resistance as the undead fleet tore through and ground the Brotherhood defense fleet underfoot. The orbital defeat came so quickly that even the Sauridius were a little surprised, spending an extra hour in orbit in hesitation, expecting the shoe that never fell. Once they had absolute control over the situation; they descended like vultures. Ravaging cities and defense strongholds while working their way towards the defense capital. The cities fared only marginally better than the orbital assets. The populace, most of which descended from Old Terran nations and states that valued martial proficiency and weapons, meant that the necromancer¡¯s hordes fared poorer than they¡¯d been used to in Federation colonies, but the difference was minimal. Most citizens found themselves victims eventually when ammunition dried up, or hordes gathered in uncontrollable mobs. Now, several days into the invasion, it was becoming obvious that New Xinjia was going to fall. The only question left now was how hard humanity would go out swinging while the undead swarmed over them. With so much of the Brotherhood¡¯s standard infrastructure knocked out, it did not surprise the crew of the Cadaver Crasher that when it emerged from an Umbral Plane portal in the moon¡¯s shadow, that no friendlies remained in orbit. Akamori and his squad were no strangers to arriving at the scene of a bloodbath. ¡°My gods¡­¡± Fenix drawled as Akamori helped the battleship free of the umbral aperture. ¡°There are no gods here.¡± Akamori growled. ¡°Not until now, at least.¡± The polished gold and silver controls of his console frosted over as his void magic pulsed with his anger, but there was something else buried deep in him now. A furnace of rage that was slowly being stoked as he took stock of the situation. ¡°Bets on how much of that mess is an ambush waiting to be triggered?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no gamblin man, but you won¡¯t catch me takin¡¯ that wager,¡± Sirsir said. Akamori wove a fire and mind rune combo to cast a missive spell. ¡°Cenine, deploy your people. We¡¯re making our push.¡± He waited until the sleek gold Talons deployed from the Crasher¡¯s hanger and then nudged the aging battleship forward. Sirsir, Yasiin and Sala were manning the other control consoles. As the battleship gained speed, the fighters surged away from it easily crossing the expanse of the void to reach New Xinjia airspace. Sure enough, dead dragons hiding among the debris stirred in pursuit of the fighters. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Akamori said. Akamori filled the primary spell cannon with a large amount of fire and void, hurling his own disintegrate spell from the cannon unassisted. The shot cored an undead dragon through the chest and lower jaw. Its body unraveled at the atomic level as the golden talon it was chasing banked hard and assist its wing mates. Akamori frowned. The Crasher was too big to attack nimble targets with reasonable success rates. He needed his own fighter. Better still, he needed his own dragon. ¡°Helios, join me on the hangar deck in dragon form.¡± ¡°You wish to join the melee?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Helios unstrapped his safety harness and made for the corridor. Akamori undid his own and stood. ¡°Sergeant, the ship is yours. Throw cover fire where you can. Helios and I are going to even this fight out. Don¡¯t take any big risks. This is our ride out, after all.¡± When Akamori got to the hangar, He found a large void dragon awaiting him. As he walked, he drew Thanaton from behind his back. The blade thrummed eagerly for violence. Using his air magic, Akamori flew to Helios¡¯ back, pointing the Nodachi towards the fight. ¡°Let¡¯s go say hello.¡± The dragon accelerated hard out of the hanger like a black and purple reptilian missile. Akamori blured into a blue and red streak through the void as he and Helios raced to join the fight ahead of the crasher. Helios aimed them at the next largest draconic zombie. A thunderclap of air that went unheard in the void issued from Helios¡¯ back and Akamori shot forward like a divine bullet for the offending dragon. Thanaton cleaved through a bone wing that was leveled to block a second too slow. Gore froze in the vacuum as Akamori blasted through. The zombie dragon snapped at him but lurched backwards as Helios clawed and slashed at its back. ¡°Knock knock bitches!¡± Akamori shouted. Even though he spoke into the void, it carried his words with divine magic. Air blasted from his feet as if he¡¯d just kicked off a ball of compressed air and shot back into the fight. He needed a bigger body. Something dragon sized. That would make this an even match. You need my body. Bahumet rumbled from deep within his soul. Even though the seal between them was lesser now, it still separated them as soul shards. Giving them both individuality instead of slowly merging them. ¡°Wait, you still have a body?¡± Akamori said back. I split my soul from body. It currently lives within my tomb, safe from the System. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. A soul bolt zipped out after Akamori but he slashed it apart with a void coated Thanaton who thrummed with glee. It had nothing to contribute so long as they were in combat. ¡°Where is this tomb at?¡± Not now. We will be going soon. For now, focus on your foe. A boney spiked tail coated with noxious poisons lunged for his face. It stoked the furnace in his chest. Embers smoldered into a small flame. Steam roiled off of him. Gone was the frigid cold he¡¯d been carrying. Now he was simmering. He felt his strength surge with it. Another blast of air hurled him at the draconic zombie. A rotten hand came about to claw him, but Thanaton cleanly removed the fingers at the base of the knuckles. A bone and gore coated fist swirled around, but Akamori stopped the attack with an open palmed block. He could feel them below. All the humans and their suffering. Slowly being snuffed out. Hundreds of zero magnitude auras winked out every minute. He didn¡¯t have time to dick around undead dragons stonewalling him. His soul gauge had enough charge that he triggered his reaper form. Black void cloak covering him and Thanaton transformed into its scythe form. He let his aura blast out as the fire in chest raged, growing larger. Spinning in place, the scythe cleanly removed the dragon zombie¡¯s head at its shoulders. Ichor froze as it slowly oozed free of the body. He felt a soul trapped within it, and pulse his aura, shoving it free of the body. ¡°Return to the system.¡± He said grimly before turning his attention to the remaining air space. The fighters had broken off after dispatching a few of the other undead dragons. Soon after, a portal opened, and they were gone. He sighed, and the air froze as it left his nostrils. ¡°Uh, sir, the fighters all just left.¡± Sirsir said through the earpiece he was wearing. ¡°We have control of the skies. That¡¯s all we needed them for. Anymore, and they¡¯d just get in the way. Use the Crasher to deploy to the surface. Helios, to me.¡± His void cloak dropped, dissolving away to reveal his blue gi and coat. Helios swooped under him, boots planted on the dragon¡¯s obsidian scales, covering its shoulders again as the pair hit the upper atmosphere of New Xinjia. They didn¡¯t even finish reentry before scattered spirits rose to stop them. Akamori dispatched them easily with quick clean slashes from Thanaton. When the fire of reentry cleared away and the cool lower atmosphere greeted him, Akamori¡¯s grip on his blade tightened as his eyes took in the slow murder of an entire planet before him. His skin heated up, and he felt like a star was being born within his chest. Use it. Thanaton and Bahumet both said. Akamori roared. Divine raw power traverse his voice and the entire world knew he¡¯d arrived, and he was pissed. Everything fell still for a moment as everything that could see him stopped to look up, and anything that couldn¡¯t turn its attention in his direction. Where Akamori had once stood on Helios¡¯ back now stood a man wreathed in flame. Angry red fire danced along his body like he was a star molded to the shape of a man. His hair was just one large wildfire that billowed in an astral wind. His eyes piercing red orbs of divine flame. His aura writhed with power and strength as it billowed out to blanket an entire continent, then multiple continents before eventually the world. ¡°People of New Xinjia. I am Akamori Shinjo, and I¡¯ve come to save you. If you seek my aid, pray to me. Pray and I will purge every last undead from your world. I will teach the Sauridius not to fuck with mankind.¡± He could feel it, all the worship. It thundered into him like a wave of aether that threatened to drown him. It suffused his entire being. Made him feel like he was made of raw power incarnate. Because you are. Bahumet counseled. This will be explained to you in time. But for now? Focus on your enemy. A human shaped comet exploded from Helios¡¯ back like he was fired from a canon. A wave of spirits rose like a sickly green wave made of souls. Reaching up to claim him. But Akamori was rage, and wrath, and power incarnate. His will was more dominant, and he blasted through the ethereal forces like a sabot round fired through a soft target until he smashed into the ground. Revenants, Banshees, Phantasms, Specters, Zombies and more all turned to him, seeking to devour him. But that would never happen. A beat later, Sirsir, Sala, and Yasiin landed in rough formation around him. Sala¡¯s golden aura erupted around him as his skin turned gray like stone and cracked here and there. Yasin lifted his rifle, a small cloud of darkness obscuring him like smoke that clung to his form. Only the barrel of his spell rifle ever stuck out. Sirsir for his part hefted the spell cannon up, racking a round into the breach to fire. ¡°I¡¯ll say this Eltee. Better to be behind you than in front of you.¡± Sirsir said, trying to make a joke to cut the tension. Akamori turned back partially to see him. A faint grin creased his lips, and he nodded. His bonfire hair waving like it was under water behind him. ¡°They have no idea how fucked they are.¡± Of course, they all knew it was bluster. This planet probably would devour them. Their only goal was to make it take as long as possible, and make the assholes running this murder show to feel it as long as they could. Akamori put Thanaton to his back. He wanted to do this with his own hands. The blade shimmered out of reality as it went to his astral storage pocket. The ground thundered and a thunderclap of air whooshed out behind them as Helios landed and shifted to his human form. A pair of black one handed battle axes in hand as he strode next to Akamori. He gave Akamori he was trembling with both the power and the rage at once over before nodding approvingly. ¡°Some legends were wrong. Perhaps there¡¯s hope yet.¡± The tension grew for a beat or two longer before a necromancer gave the unspoken word. Both forces gave their war cries. Spell fire erupted from Sirsir and Yasin as Sala, Helios, and Akamori crashed into the enemy ranks. Was it a hopeless situation? Of course it was. Did they care? Not a single fuck was found among the bodies. ? Chapter 169 The Indra emerged from the umbral shadow of a large semi planetoid at the edge of the New Eden system. Initially colonized centuries ago by humans as they migrated from their distant homeworld. New Eden became a mecca for non magical beings and technical innovators. The Brotherhood¡¯s foundations were deeply rooted in an old monotheistic belief system and an adherence to technology to disprove other magical deities. While the religious element of the Brotherhood had long since died out, their devotion to technology never wavered. Technology had slowly replaced outdated monotheistic beliefs as the Brotherhoods favored god. It responded to their input, and behaved in usually predictable means. Just don¡¯t ask anyone who works in IT. They¡¯ll tell you it¡¯s all powered by hamsters on wheels and hope. The Indra remained stationary as Amara conducted cursory sensor scans. Patience before haste was a mantra Amara¡¯s old mentor, Imrae would lecture and drill into her head for hours a day. Everything in Amara screamed to reach the planet and warn them. But they could see charging into Brotherhood airspace unannounced as an act of aggression. So they needed to be sure they would not be charging into a shit storm. Pulses of mind magic rippled out of the ship and she could feel objects scattered within the void. Invisible objects. She felt at them with her mind, probing them like a child might handle a new toy. Feeling them out. Defense platforms. Cloaked weapons satellites. The Brotherhoods famed Steel Curtain. A network of weapons, all laying in wait ready to ambush, would be predators. So how to convince the weapons grid they were friendly? She leaned back from her spell console, folding her arms and thinking. Technology was always tricky to work with since it played by different rules than magic, mostly. Some things were universally constant, however. Like being a visually dependant detection grid relying on actually seeing things. That was an easy fix. She could cloak the Indra from sight and coast by the first wave. But what else was out there? Would she be bypassing one problem for another she couldn¡¯t fix? Luffa crouched next to her. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking something again.¡± Amara glanced over, brows knit. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°You have this thing you do where your eyebrows scrunch together and your lips purse together. And your arms are folded.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pouting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pouting.¡± Luffa confirmed. ¡°So. What¡¯s caused your moment of pouting?¡± Amara nodded to the main screen. ¡°The Brotherhood¡¯s defensive perimeter. It¡¯s choked full of cloaked satellites, weapons platforms and mines. We step one inch into there and we¡¯ll be swamped with more hurt than we can manage.¡± Luffa chuckled. ¡°You sounded like Akamori just then.¡± Amara¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be insulted or thankful.¡± Luffa patted Amara¡¯s shoulder comfortingly. ¡°Thankful. He may not look it, but he¡¯s got a touch of genius under all that buffoonish act. He¡¯ll make a great commander and a fearsome opponent someday. Assuming he isn¡¯t already.¡± Amara nodded thoughtfully. They had been through of a crucible. Just a non stop cavalcade of crisis. Akamori was now becoming something new entirely. Worse yet, she was fearing she was undergoing a similar change. A part of her was silently thankful for the magic suppression collar. It meant that whatever Nemesis was, she could block it out. Those were problems she wasn¡¯t sure she was ready for. Not yet. ¡°So. If Akamori were here, what would he suggest?¡± Luffa asked, tearing Amara¡¯s mind from her brooding. She shrugged, heaving a subdued sigh. ¡°Well, he wouldn¡¯t want to just bullrush in since it doesn¡¯t fit the goal of the mission. If we can¡¯t blind the devices, then we should remove ourselves from view. Cast a cloaking spell and pray it¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°What if they have other means of detection?¡± Luffa asked. ¡°That was my worry too, but cloaking would at least get us closer to cross that bridge. We may get lucky.¡± Luffa gave Amara a flat look until Amara conceded. ¡°Ok, yeah. I know. Luck isn¡¯t something we have a lot of at the moment. But a girl can hope.¡± ¡°Cloak the ship and advance us forward. We¡¯ll see if they notice when we hit the next stage of defenses.¡± Amara nodded, happy that it wasn¡¯t her that had to make the tough decision. Leadership ill suited her. She preferred more suited minds to tackle that challenge so she could focus on other problems. Amara focused, channeling the proper magics through the controls into the spell drive. Then the ship rippled out of view. An instant later, it was no longer visible. It perfectly mirrored all the light that came into contact with it, giving the appearance of absolute invisibility. The reality was just a highly elaborate bending of light trick capable of magic. ¡°There. That should screen us from visible detection.¡± Amara said, glancing back at Luffa. ¡°Good. Take us in.¡± The Indra moved ahead slowly. It proceeded like a specter, unseen, unheard, and unfelt. It navigated the complex grid work of defensive emplacements with ease as Amara handled the controls. She saw what Akamori enjoyed about piloting. There was a sense of liberation in the act. Assumption of the senses of the vessel, effectively becoming it. The cloaked corvette banked lazily left and right, and dipped and climbed with a casual grace. A ship of its size shouldn¡¯t be able to manage. The desperate mages aboard the Indra had to collectively hope their camouflage would work. Unfortunately for them, while the Brotherhood didn¡¯t have natural mages within their ranks, they weren¡¯t slow learners. While the war with the Sauridius had taught them many things, chief among them was that lacking magic was in their worst interests. Ever adaptable, the Brotherhood sought the Artificers of Aeryn, a merchant guild of crafters and creators.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. What Amara had failed to detect with her initial sweep was a series of well hidden and enchanted detection arrays linked into the Brotherhood¡¯s defense grid. The Brotherhood knew the Indra was approaching. They just hadn¡¯t acted upon it yet, more interested in allowing the scenario to unfold for this once. The Indra¡¯s approach lacked the usual disregard for finesse the Brotherhood expected of the Sauridius who treated incursions more like nails to be hammered. This naturally made the Brotherhood leadership curious. Was this a new player? Friend or foe? Potentially spooking them with a response from the defense grid might spoil any chance of getting answers, so they allowed the ruse to persist. Military brass weren¡¯t keen on sacrificing many more of their soldiers to an alliance they were rapidly viewing as non-beneficial. Relations between the Federation and the Brotherhood were rapidly souring with each lost colony in the conflict. With new Xinjia under attack, talk of abandoning the alliance had rippled throughout the troops like a poisonous whisper. And now they had a golden opportunity. Non-Federation aligned mages were stumbling right into their doorstep. This was a prized opportunity to seize magic for themselves so they could resume the studies they¡¯d lost so long ago. Like Nuclear power in their past, magic wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to them, but they¡¯d sworn off as its initial appeal had waned. More was learned about it, but for each thing learned, misinformation and doubt spread like wildfire. Now the brotherhood was mistrusting peoples desperate for answers. Almost as though they¡¯d been manipulated into such a position by someone or someones with an agenda. A stealth watchpost reported the Indra¡¯s progress back to Orbital Command One, or OrbComm1. The watchpost commander, a young lieutenant who¡¯d been posted here in part of because of her love for astrometrics, and in part because she¡¯d told the commanding admiral¡¯s son to go fuck himself for cheating on her while they were in the Academy. She liked to think it was because they valued her keen scientific mind. It helped her sleep easier. ¡°OrbComm1, this is Watchdog Delta. We¡¯ve got eyes on the bogey. No hostile actions yet, but she dances like a ballerina. ETA at current speed and heading, fifteen mikes. How copy? Over.¡± There was genuine awe in Watchdog Delta¡¯s voice. She¡¯d seen her share of space jockeys, but this one put them all to shame. No doubt the ship had a void mage. She¡¯d heard rumors they could reduce the mass of their craft in order to make it pull some unorthodox maneuvers. ¡°That¡¯s a good copy. Watchdog Delta.¡± OrbComm1¡¯s communications officer replied. She knew his voice. They¡¯d been trading traffic a lot lately. Watchdog Delta often wondered if he was handsome. Maybe she¡¯d ask him out? Once the Indra reached OrbCommOne, it came to a stop just outside weapons range. By then, it was being actively tracked by a sophisticated series of interlinked sensor grids, and magical detection systems all woven together in such a way that even the Artificers guild would be interested in procuring the blueprints for. Sensing they¡¯d been spotted, the castaway mages opted to play along as well, making no overt moves but showing interest in reaching the orbital command post. ¡°Ok. We¡¯re here. So now what?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯ve had eyes on us since we got here. So infiltration is off the table.¡± Luffa said. Amara gave her a look. ¡°Was it ever on the table? We know nothing about what we¡¯re up against here, and clearly Ominek didn¡¯t care to let us in on the fact they¡¯d see us coming.¡± ¡°It was a suicide mission, after all.¡± Tanak barked with a gravely laugh. ¡°I vote we de-cloak and announce who we are and our intentions.¡± Tanak frowned. ¡°Are we sure that¡¯s the wisest move?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t got much choice. They¡¯ve got every gun in the system trained on us. We so much as twitch funny and it¡¯ll be the last move we make.¡± ¡°Assuming their weapons could damage us,¡± Tanak said. ¡°True. We could hold out. But for how long? And why? We came here to be honest with them. We¡¯re in a safe position. They¡¯re curious about us, and we might have something else we can offer them besides the magi-nukes.¡± Amara pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve watched brotherhood ships take down adult dragons before. Kidding ourselves into thinking the Indra will hold out for long enough that we figure out a Plan B is baffling.¡± ¡°And it poisons the well if we go anywhere else looking for help.¡± Amara focused a bit of magic and brought down the invisibility spell on the ship. The Indra shimmered into view before the station, glittering in the sunlight of the nearby star about 12 light minutes out. Then she wove a missive spell to link them to the station¡¯s communications network. It would magically transmit data like a wireless carrier signal. ¡°This is the Indra with Captain¡­Luffa, and her crew. We¡¯ve come to you to request asylum. As a token gesture of good faith, we stole several weapons of mass destruction from the Sauridius and are seeking protection from them under you.¡± Luffa said from in front of everyone, before glancing for support. Everyone gave her an encouraging look. The Brotherhood commander of the station gave away no visual queues and Luffa wished she had some insight into what he was thinking. Another officer approached him from off screen and whispered something hushed into his ear. His expression hardened. ¡°Did you come alone?¡± The question threw Luffa. Her confusion was clear in her expression. ¡°I have my crew, but yes.¡± She gestured around to the other primals, Amara and Tanak. ¡°Then it would seem you are under pursuit by someone else, and I¡¯m going to need some answers. Quickly.¡± ¡°Luffa. He¡¯s right. Two squads of Talons just dropped into the system from the same umbral aperture we came out of.¡± She felt the blood drain from her face as genuine fear gripped her heart. Had Ominek sold them out after all? She split the main spell screen in half and dread set in as her stomach fell away at the sleek golden shapes that approached them in formation. They wouldn¡¯t have long. Luffa swallowed hard and faced the station commander. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ? Chapter 170 The fragile tension of the spirits and undead snapped once the others landed behind Akamori and Helios, the temporarily allied void dragon from an alternate future. New Xinjia once sported a burgeoning thirty million people. The city sprawled countless miles in every direction and rose into the clouds. That provided the Sauridius with ample fodder to work with. Fodder that now regarded Akamori and his squad like chicken nuggets and tater tots on a child¡¯s plate. ¡°Sir. What sweet hell did we just drop into?¡± ¡°Another Tuesday.¡± Akamori replied as he shot forward like he¡¯d been fired from a cannon. A thunderclap of air snapping behind him. Sirsir shrugged, popping a cork off a gourd and taking a swig. ¡°If this is a Tuesday, what¡¯s a Monday?¡± He let the gourd go. It fell away before dissolving into nothingness. Hefting up the spell cannon he¡¯d bought from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild using the marks Akamori had earned them, he filled the weapon with raw light magic. The cannon bucked as he fired a bolt of plasma that exploded like a grenade, ruining zombies and revenants alike. He continued firing for effect. Between his training as a Spell Soldier and the family recipe potion he¡¯d just taken, he could keep this up indefinitely. ¡°Mondays are dragon slaying in the void.¡± Yasiin said as he punched golden white bolts of light magic through lines of undead and ghosts. Sala¡¯s golden aura flared, and his skin shifted into a cracked stone hue. His massive fists smashed, shambling corpse and spirit alike. Helios¡¯ void axes sailed into the mob assembled before being summoned back to his hands like they were called back by magnetism. He moved in a purple and black blur. Dissolving opponents¡¯ limbs as quickly as he removed them. ¡°You people are seriously weird.¡± Akamori chuckled as Thanaton whipped about several times to send Burning Wind Slashes that raked large canyons into their enemy. With Sirsir acting like a mounted artillery piece, that freed up the skirmishers to run havoc on the enemy ranks while Yasiin went ham, dropping multiple targets with casual ease. The throng of death continued to press in despite their efforts, forcing Sala and Helios to fall back to Yasiin and Sirsir¡¯s position. Akamori let go of Thanaton, and the blade continued slashing and casting of its own will while he went to work with his bare hands. Using a martial combat style very similar to the one Amara used only instead of infusing his opponents with regular aether, he was striking with radiant light aether, which had catastrophic effects on his targets. Jab, jab, hook, kick, leg sweep, double palm thrust, bounce back, jab jab jab, hook, uppercut, spin kick. Everything Akamori struck caught fire like it¡¯d caught the ire of a god. His battle focus allowed him to supervise the melee from a vantage point that would have required him to leave the fight to see. The dead pressed in with relentless vigor. Even though he trusted his team could hold a position like this for months, he knew it¡¯d be a waste of their time and resources. They weren¡¯t saving anyone slaughtering shambling corpses. ¡°Yasiin, I need those eyes of yours to find me where the leadership is hiding.¡± Akamori said between rearranging some zombies¡¯ face so poorly, it looked like he was striking a hamburger. ¡°Damnit.¡± He muttered. ¡°What?¡± Sirsir shouted between lobbing explosive light rounds into the mobs. ¡°I just reminded myself I was hungry.¡± Akamori said with a pout as he kicked a zombie backward. It shattered to pieces as it bowled over another seven more behind it. Helios¡¯ axes swirled around him in a tornado of void magic as he paused his charge to regard Akamori. ¡°You stopped to think about food in all this?¡± Akamori executed a three strike combo and finished it with a light bolt to the chest of a zombie before turning back to casually shrug at Helios. ¡°Yep!¡± Helios sighed, yanking his twin axes out of the sky and resuming his chopping spree. ¡°So weird¡­¡± A shudder rippled through the waves of enemies and Akamori caught the spectral tug of numerous strands of aether connecting the thralls to their masters. They were now being ordered to hurl themselves upon the squad. Good. Leave the people alone and give them a moment to breathe. It was all he could give them for now. Cold leathery hands latched onto him multiple times, forcing blows that would have connected to miss and counter spells to spark out. The seething rage that had been building within Akamori slowly over the fight now spilled out in an explosive wave of aura, radiant light, and fire. Everything immediately near Akamori charred to ash and blew away to dust on an astral breeze. Even Helios was partially singed being the closest one to Akamori when he pulled his stunt. ¡°Yasiin!¡± he barked for his scout¡¯s attention. Yasiin wove several hand signs together and cast a void clone of himself to continue firing. Satisfied, Yasiin used his spell armor to fly up so he could scan the area through his scope and swept the entire horizon line left to right. When he finished his scan he pointed before descending to add his fire to the void clones fire. ¡°That direction. Two hundred fifty klicks. Underground bunker at the foot of a mountain range that blocks the city off.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Akamori punched, kicked, and chopped his way through the horde. Each strike causing a target burn to ash or pop into spectral goo. It would have been a soul magic artificer¡¯s wet dream to gather all this magical material for crafting and enchantment. Given none of them besides himself shared the magic and he was more of a breaker than a maker, he saw little user in the resources. ¡°Squad up. Helios, I need you in dragon form. We roll for the bunker. Yasiin, give Helios the coords.¡± Akamori waited for his troops to gather at Helios¡¯ back, who roared and poured raw void energy into the masses, dissolving a massive chunk of the enemy as though they¡¯d never existed. Once everyone was gathered, Akamori used his air magic to fly up next to Helios and pointed into the distance, beyond the burning city scape, and packs of specters tainting the night sky sickly green. There beyond the hell that had once been one of the larger Brotherhood of Man colonies, New Xinjia, was the Fortress bunker housing the colonial leadership. There, the squad could make a difference. ¡°We ride the hells and damn anything that gets in our way. Understood?¡± The void dragon¡¯s head bobbed in understanding and took off. Akamori hung back to provide cover and agile support. Revenants and specters flew after the squad like ethereal green comets shaped like upper torsos. Akamori casually flung low level light spell bolts, bursting the angry ghosts easily. Initial conflict in the air was light at first, but as more spirits rose from ground level to greet them, the skies soon became choked with spiritual death. Helios fired a cone of void magic directly ahead of him like a dissolving field that evaporated ghosts on contact. The tortured and malevolent cries of the undead echoed in the squads, ears just beyond hearing. Sirsir sat comfortably on Helios back, bracing the spell cannon on a knee and firing it as soon as it would allow him, making himself something of a mounted weapons position on the dragon¡¯s back. With each shot to hurl into the masses and detonate, Sirsir gripped the cannon assembly to brace for the recoil. Yasiin was rapidly targeting and firing. Small spectral green clouds erupted in the air, every other second signifying another elimination of a ghost. Still, the throng of death pushed in on them, shrinking the area they had to maneuver in even more. Sirsir snatched another gourd off a strap, slapped the cork free, and drank the contents of the bottle with a pleased sigh. It was a grape-flavored speed potion. Special family recipe. Now the cannon sounded more like a machine gun compared to its usual slower paced tempo. Brilliant orbs of glowing light and fire filled the sky like small stars blooming and dying in a sea of ghosts. All the while, Sirsir whooped and hollered gleefully. ¡°Fuck yeah! Get some, you pasty dead fucks! THIS is big man shit!¡± While the squad lobbed rounds into the spectral horde, Akamori plowed straight through the undead host like a divine javelin that speared clean through its targets. Misty clouds of ectoplasm and gobbets of soul magic remained in his wake as his grim expression and spear tip like aura blasted through scores of enemies at a time. Sala had his spell rifle in the high ready, taking shots rather than weaving bolts. He sighted up on a revenant ready to take the shot before it exploded into a misty pale green cloud with a brilliant line running clean through it. He sat back slightly and glanced at the others. ¡°You guys ever seen the eltee this pissed?¡± Sirsir continued firing as quickly as the cannon would allow, which was alarmingly quick, given its size and purpose. ¡°Nah. He¡¯s in a mood, I think. Being here let him cut loose without it costing anyone. In fact, he probably needs to cut loose here or we may not be going home.¡± Lines of radiant light began to trace and weave themselves around the Dragon as it continued its flight. It bobbed and weaved as it did its best to avoid the thickest mobs of enemies, but the skies were becoming too choked now. Their forward momentum arrested itself to avoid colliding with the spectral horde. The writhing mob of spirits soon congealed into one baleful face. Thousands of spirits gave the squad of mages a hungry, contemptuous look. Akamori channeled the nascent divinity that floated around him like golden rain drops frozen mid fall, and summoned them into his body. It was slow at first, but sped up quickly. It wasn¡¯t a lot at first. With his worshippers numbering so few for now, but he could feel the total growing. New voices added to the fold. New covenants requested. More exchange of power. He blazed through the sky, his skin turned to fire, radiant golden white and orange flames wreathed him as he lanced through ghosts until he came to a halt in front of Helios. He cupped his hands before him, weaving the runes for a massive up-scalled light bolt, adding power to it. Not his own, but all the divinity that had accumulated to him. Was it foolish to waste it now? Perhaps. But this was practice. If he was going to fight gods, he needed to understand how this stuff worked. Normally Thanaton would chastize him with some kind of recrimination, but he found the sword supportive of the effort. We must explore our limits so we might surpass them , Thanaton counseled. The power continued to grow in his hands, threatening to burst like an overfilled water balloon, struggling to contain the pressure of its contents. He grit his teeth and focused ahead at the massive spectral head that was slowly looming forward, as if to devour them whole. Akamori drew in a slow breath as all sounds faded away. There was only himself and his power. Then opened his eyes, and they were glowing red embers that radiated divine fire. ¡°You want it? THEN COME AND GET IT!¡± The massive ghostly head opened its mouth and crashed forward. From a distance, any onlookers would have seen the giant, ghostly head devour a small star and a black dragon. Then there was a hush, followed by a flash, and they unleashed a shockwave as all that divine power. For several minutes after, as anyone who could see slowly regained their vision, a second dawn shone on the horizon of New Xinjia at the foot of the Second Great Wall. That quarter of the city was conspicuously empty of any undead, flesh, or spiritual. The second star remained in the sky, escorting the black dragon to the bunker¡¯s entrance on the ground. As they did, more worship flowed to Akamori, this time from New Xinjia. ? Chapter 171 The hellscape that had been New Xinjia extended even out to the border of the city. Lines of wheeled vehicles and hover craft sat bumper to bumper in one long metallic rope of passenger conveyance. Most of the vehicles had blood on them in varying states of freshness. Some were several hours old, while some were less than half an hour old. None contained any living passengers anymore. The city¡¯s occupants had fled, likely on orders by the government to make for the bunker in Ft. Washington. As Akamori and the squad slowly flew over the eerily quiet scene, it became obvious not all made it. The installation itself was large, nestled against the base of a mountain range the colonists had taken to calling the Second Great Wall in homage of a wall built by mankind on the homeworld they¡¯d fled so long ago. Where the city sported a fusion of asian and american design notes, the installation had a much more utilitarian feel. Simple architecture that placed function over form. The layout followed something someone with a focus on efficiency would have designed over someone going for an aesthetic vibe. No building exceeded five stories tall save the Hospital, and that was situated from the front gates. Small columns of smoke billowed from various points across the installation. The only sign of life was a chemical reaction as various materials burned. The smashed check points showed signs of struggle and rioting. Likely when order collapsed and the undead wave reached the installation. There were likely scattered survivors on the surface, but the VIPs would all be isolated underground in a bunker. Akamori clenched his fists, trying to keep the rage from boiling up and overtaking him again. It was useful for power when fighting, but giving into it blindly could cloud his focus and make him sloppy. For now, they needed to keep focused. He extended his senses ahead of them and halted, giving the hand sign for the others. Helios growled softly, awaiting more combat. There were enemies ahead. A siege on the fort, perhaps? ¡°Hostiles ahead. Several hundred meters. Unknown quantity. I¡¯m not picking up many friendlies. We might be too late.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible they¡¯ve hunkered down. The Brotherhood is pretty reliant on technology. I¡¯m seeing lots of automated systems ahead. Active systems.¡± Yasiin said with an eye to his scope. Several golden enchantment circles spun in opposite directions of each other, serving as additional lenses to focus his vision. ¡°That seems likely. Let your toys engage while you sit inside safely. It¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡± Akamori nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go introduce ourselves then.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°I think I hear some jackasses from out-of-town makin¡¯ trouble for the locals.¡± He racked a round on his spell cannon with a loud clack. Akamori gestured for them to continue ahead. They proceeded onwards again, weapons at the ready. Caution over riding the need to charge in blindly. Assess. Act. Those were lessons Sirsir had taught him. A good mage always had a good plan. Instinct and intuition only took you so far. The squad continued to cross the landscape silently from the air until they reached the perimeter fence of the installation. A bloody and gunshot riddled metal sign read ¡°Welcome to Ft. Washington. Brotherhood Centcomm¡± except someone had painted over most of the sign and simply wrote ¡°Hell¡± over Ft. Washington in what Akamori sincerely hoped was just red paint. Bodies lay strewn all about. Most unmoving but a few shuffled about aimlessly, oblivious to thier presence in the air for now. Automated weapons¡¯ fire clattered off in the near distance. They moved on more cautiously. A massive mob of undead were assaulting a specific building that had an unusually larger amount of weapons system active. It was protecting the mountainside curiously. Sirisir pointed out several rock golems lumbering towards the front from the rear. Akamori¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Summons. I can see the summoning spell inscribed on their backs in soul magic.¡± Yasiin said just above a whisper. ¡°They¡¯ll be a problem if they breach. I doubt the weapons the Brotherhood marines carry will do more than piss those things off.¡± ¡°Means we gotta put em down.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go say hi then.¡± Helios flapped his wings and surged forward. Akamori let the squad go ahead for a moment, weapons fire thinning out the undead mob even as spirit and ghoul alike slowly turned their attention from breaching to attacking the squad. Akamori was looking for a different sort of target. If the undead were the puppets, he wanted the puppet masters. They wouldn¡¯t be up front, they¡¯d be somewhere in the rear where they could watch and command free of risk. He opened his hand, and Thanaton appeared if he¡¯d teleported. ¡°One of these days, you¡¯ll have to tell me how you do that.¡± Indeed. Divine Teleportation is just one of many abilities you currently lack any skill in. ¡°You sure know how to make a guy feel great.¡± He found a target and surged forward on air magic like the lightning rolling ahead of a clap of thunder. Fast, bright, and dangerous. He found a necromancer dwarf on the ground, hands moving as though operating magical controls. His eyes clouded with magic for a moment before he blinked them clear and turned to face Akamori. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a peppy little spit fuck of a godling?¡± ¡°Release the thralls, or I¡¯ll burn your vessel till even your soul is burned clear of the system.¡± The dwarf grinned, soul magic swirling around him. ¡°Cocky shit, aren¡¯t ya? I¡¯ve died before. It didn¡¯t stick. But you¡¯ll make a fun toy to add to my collection. Maybe I¡¯ll make you gut them? Or better yet? Hold them down and let the other consume them. Maybe I¡¯ll send the Revenants for them. That wee stunt ya pulled at the city¡¯s edge cost me a hefty amount of em.¡± Akamori twirled Thanaton wordlessly as he lifted a crystal above his head. He fed it some aether, and it glowed blue. ¡°A recordin¡¯ crystal? A brilliant idea lad! I was just thinkin¡¯ we needed to spread word of the good work we were doin here. You can do it for me!¡± ¡°No. This is a teachable moment. Nothing more.¡± The dwarf¡¯s grin faded an octave, as something like dread slowly crept in and chill the diminutive necromancer¡¯s bones the Soul Realm never could. Akamori represented a true end. Not just an end. He was the end.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The dwarf opened his mouth and a noxious green gas spilled out. Faces of souls trapped within it cried out in agony and moaned in pain as the cloud writhed its way towards Akamori. It looked like he¡¯d burped out a bunch of souls. The baleful cloud billowed up like a cobra, fanning its hood and baring its fangs before lunging at him. Ice cold pain crashed into his body like death, trying to leach away his life. The radiant fire that coated his body and flickered and darkened when he realized it was feeding on the energy. Normally, he¡¯d make a joke. But there was no humor in him now. Just anger and power. He knew he¡¯d be spending it here just to deal with this half sized problem, but it was necessary, he told himself. He cut the flow of light aether and instead summoned his void cloak. The icy sensation faded. All sensations faded. Except for the anger. The anger remained. He didn¡¯t bother extinguishing it. Letting it continue to smolder and stoke it. The cloud of souls now surrounded him, trying to wear him down. System Info: You have been afflicted with Jealousy of the Dead. Health and Aether recovery speeds are reduced. This instance is stackable. More stacks further reduce recovery rates. Maybe not show off all that fancy light magic to the dead? The keening wails of the dead surrounded Akamori within a pallid cloud of death. A normal mortal might have been able to fend off such an attack for a short time. Weaker zeros would have simply died as their meager life forces would have been extracted almost instantly. For Akamori it was like having a hang nail. Inconvenient and annoying at worst. He tried to fuse his aura with void magic the same as the fire and light aether channeled, but it fizzled out before having any effect. He cursed under his breath and tried again. He found it strange that one use felt intuitive and came naturally, where the other was more difficult. It¡¯s because when you channeled fire and light aether, you were acting intuitively, running on instinct. However, now you¡¯re thinking about it too hard because using void magic relies on raw intelligence, which you are not as strong with. Bahumet said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Akamori said through clenched teeth. Don¡¯t force it, just focus on your need, and let your will shape it into the reality you need. As a god now, magic responds to your willpower. What you desire will manifest. You¡¯ve tapped into that intermittently already. Now it¡¯s time to fully grasp what you¡¯ve been doing. ¡°I don¡¯t even need to weave runes, do I?¡± No. This divinity stuff really needed its own manual. He took a deep breath and focused on clearing his mind. He knew what he wanted. As he let go, he felt the supernatural chill of the void creep over his flesh and into his aura, then it infused with fire and his body wreathed itself in void flame. Flames of black, purple, and dark red coated him, burning away at the spirit cloud. System Update: You have channeled Void Fire Aura. You gain Mark of the Everlasting Flame. Gain resistance to all effects requiring contact with your body. Inflict damage to any enemy, physical or non-corporeal. Any damage caused by Void Fire Aura inflicts Everlasting Burn. If an enemy fails a resolve check, they will take moderate damage each round. This effect cannot be dispelled normally. Void and Fire damage is enhanced significantly. Melee damage is enhanced significantly. Dodge score is reduced moderately. Akamori flexed his hand, studying the new Void Flame Aura. He watched as faces in the soul cloud boiled away as though they never existed when he waved his arm through them experimentally. He knew that void magic affected souls differently. It prevented their return to the System. Removed from the System, reality would be lesser for their absence. He knew that on an instinctual level. Knowledge from Bahumet perhaps? He stepped forward, evaporating the rest of the attack into nothingness. The dwarven necromancer hurled several more spell bolts at him. Normally, those posed a significant issue as they tracked their targets by homing in on their souls. The attacks fizzled out against the writhing void flame cloak. When Akamori¡¯s eyes returned to lock onto the necromancer, true fear gripped the short enemy. It permeated his opponent¡¯s aura. Akamori strode forward now. A heavy weight pressing down on him, like carrying a black hole. This must be the reduced agility penalty of the void flame cloak. It was the exact antithesis of the radiant flame cloak. Heavy, oppressive, and extremely difficult to punch through. Thanaton appeared in his hand, wreathed in his void flame cloak now as well. The divine blade radiated satisfaction with him. A pack of revenants emerged from the chaos and rushed him. Revenants usually tried to possess suitable targets and compel them to kill their allies. But the souls shrieked in agony as the immortal void flames covering Akamori¡¯s body burned them. He didn¡¯t look away as the various attacks crashed against him, all meeting the same end. He stopped just short of the dwarf. The two stared each other down silently as the squad slowly picked apart the undead assault harassing the bunker¡¯s entrance. Akamori¡¯s eyes blazed like stars set in his eye sockets. Orbs of radiant divine power that stood defiant against the void flame cloak covering him. The blue of his coat ripple through occasionally as the flame writhed and twisted around his body. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one chance. One shot at mercy. Dispell your forces and run. Flee far from here and I won¡¯t pursue you.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a mighty fine offer ye be making, lad. Y¡¯see there¡¯s just one wee little hitch.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got all the cards. Army of undead? Check. Army of Summons? Also check. Time? Check. Tactical Advantage? Check. While ye might cut an imposin¡¯ figure, it ain¡¯t enough ta convince me to pull the boys out. Fact, it makes me wanna just what exactly ya can do.¡± Akamori sized the necromancer up silently. The faintest hint of a smile cracked his lips. ¡°If you think that will be enough, you¡¯re welcome to try.¡± The dwarf sighed, a cold raspy sound. The surrounding air grew frigid as he channeled his soul magic through his aura. ¡°Very well.¡± Akamori knew intuitively what was done. A command issued to all his thralls. Attack. ? Chapter 172 Attack. An aura command sent by a dwarven necromancer to his undead thralls and summons. The response was immediate. Every undead creature for a hundred meters stopped what it was doing, turned to face Akamori and charged. Some came sprinting in, others loped or limped as quickly as their injuries would allow. The result was the same. Anytime they crashed against Akamori, the Void Flame cloak either set them on fire or disintegrated their appendages before they could affect him. Akamori stood unmoving, even as the dwarf backed off to cast spells as well. Assuming that Akamori was using some kind of ward that could be overwhelmed. There was only one problem. He wasn¡¯t . The void flame cloak devoured all that made contract with it, inflicting burning and reverberating, and void damage stacks at such alarming rates. They consumed anything that contacted it. Reducing them to nothing but ash. It was an Aura based defensive spell that had its roots in the Amaterasu¡¯s Fire spell. Instead of being an optical or woven spell, this version was infused in one¡¯s aura. Thus making it a persistent cast spell. And a powerful one at that. The Necromancer before him, with all his vast knowledge and eons of lifespans lived, had no functional knowledge of a Void Flame Cloak, or Amaterasu¡¯s Fire. Thus, he found himself at a severe disadvantage. One that Akamori did not have the displeasure of suffering. Anger took root in place of fear. Soon a mountain of undead began hurling themselves at him. The initial wave were reduced to ash against his aura, which he contracted in so that more and more of the dead bodies could press him in. He was like chum in the water for a pack of ravenous sharks. Hands and teeth desperately tried to reach him. When he couldn¡¯t progress any further, he took a deep breath, a purely semantic gesture at this point, and let his aura explode outward as he let out a wordless cry of rage. When his aura detonated like a magi-bomb, the Void Flame Cloak rippled outwards like an incinerating shockwave that scorched everything with it. Akamori stopped short when he almost consumed the Dwarven necromancer with it, singing some of his beard alone. Then he drew his aura back to himself again, allowing it to cling to his blue jacket. Again his eyes opened, and two piercing glowing orbs stared down the Necromancer. The ground thundered as Akamori began to stride forward again, slowly chasing after the necromancer like some kind of slasher movie villain. Then the world went spinning and Akamori was crashing through several buildings inside Ft. Washington. His momentum arrested itself with him upside down inside a building he¡¯d almost collapsed. He slowly pushed off the debris and stood up, shoving aside some heavy rocks like they were made of styrofoam. A stone golem stood where he¡¯d been moments before as the void flame on its knuckles burned like a pair of flaming brass knuckles. A thunderclap of air behind him and he crossed the hundred meter gap between them in an instant. He brought his fist around hard on the golem¡¯s face and it exploded into pebbles. He hesitated, throwing another attack when the golem reformed its head like it was made of clay. ¡°Well. That¡¯s new.¡± He muttered. He summoned fire into his body, enhancing his strength to divine levels and did the same with air, enhancing his speed. In a blur, stones and pebbles exploded off the golem with each blow he landed. At the speeds he could reach now, that was an impressive amount. In a matter of seconds, he reduced the golem to a gravel sidewalk. ¡°Regrow that.¡± He spat. Two more lumbered up behind him, kicking him hard in the back and sending him tumbling head over ass as he pinwheeled off a car into the second story of a nearby barracks. Bedding, linens, and furniture all ignited as soon as he contacted the materials, leaving a trail of black fire like a blood trail from a wounded game animal. Using his aura, he rose slowly and focused himself. Visualizing his attack before making it. The air exploded as he suddenly crossed the gap so fast the vacuum collapsed with a thunderous bang. He threw punches and kicks with murderous abandon as he tried to blow down the regenerative defenses of the golems. But having to split his attentions between the two of them was proving to be a disadvantage. As soon as he wore one down, its partner tagged in, forcing him to adjust target. An overhanded double fisted smash sent him crashing into the ground hard. He groaned as he tried to get up when a large stone hand grabbed him up by the scruff of his blue coat and hurled him off into the distance like a human bowling ball. A red sports car arrested his moment with shattered glass and a half dead alarm. Undead clogging the streets lurched after him slowly. Rotted meat burned, and enamel snapped and popped as teeth exploded from heat against his aura. Thanaton appeared in hand, and it didn¡¯t take long for the blade to claim the undead. Thanaton hungrily carved its way cleanly through rotten meat and bone with ease. With a few flicks of his wrist, he¡¯d cleared out a bubble of breathing space for himself, and then set to the work of cleaning out the street. He gave in to it fully, not stopping until every last undead in sight was down. By the time he finished, the two stone golems had stomped their way back to him. A fist the size of an engine block crashed into him, smashing him into a wall and catching the interior on fire. He kicked the hand up, flying under it to crash into the stone body, sending it sprawling across the street. He had just enough time to spin and catch the fist of the other Golem as it was trying to strike him from behind. Stone grinding against stone protested as the golem tried to push Akamori back, but he was done. Thanaton came about, shaving off slices of stone from the Golem¡¯s arm like a deli sandwich lunch meat. He popped forward in a short quick burst of air to drive his knee into the Golem¡¯s head, sending it staggering back before it regained its balance. Another quick pop and he was on the ground, slashing with Thanaton in a wide arc and severing the Golem¡¯s legs at the knees before removing its head as it fell back, flattening an abandoned car. Glass blew out like clear jagged confetti as metal shrieked from crush damage. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He took a moment to survey the squad. Helios and Sala held a like while Yasiin and Sirsir were dumping fire from the rear. There was a pile of bodies in front of them, showing nothing had gotten close enough to be a threat in a while. He nodded, feeling a comforted by their self sufficiency. Turning back to the street, the Stone Golems were putting themselves back together again. Whatever enchantments these things had, they were going to stop if he didn¡¯t reduce them to dust. Before he could begin casting a spell, a massive stone smashed him out of the air, sending him ping ponging off the cars choking the street. He groaned as he slowly got back to his feet just in time to block a stone foot the size of a riding mower as it crashed into him. The world spun like he was in a washing machine on spin cycle. It came to a violent and painful stop, and he groaned when the movement ceased, leaving only the pain. Even with his void flame cloak, he was getting knocked around pretty hard. He needed to be stronger. It was just like Thanaton said. The golem crushed him onto the pavement again. The air rushed clear of his lungs from the impact. His hands struggled to grip it and push it free even as it ground him deeper into the ground. The other golem lumbered back and worked its massive hands like jackhammers, driving blows down onto Akamori with steady and powerful beats. One golem picked him up as its chest split open, forming a massive mouth with large blocky teeth. The top half of its body angled back, and it dumped Akamori into its maw. For an instant, it looked to the necromancer that his stone golem summons had done the job and finished the adventurer off. He glided to the top of a building to laugh as he studied the scene of the battle. Sure enough, the warrior had dealt with the fodder, but the stone golems were a different problem. Victory was all but assured. Until it wasn¡¯t. The stone golem lurched to a halt. As though it¡¯d eaten something that disagreed with it. Acid bubbled and boiled from its mouth, splashing out and sizzling on the pavement. The air grew heavy with the tension of a crowd holding its breath before a jump scare in a horror movie. A long black blade erupted from the stone head of the golem like a broken bone breaking the skin. Then the sword carved several lines into the golem with the speed of hot steel cleaving warm butter. The golems jaw worked autonomically, not realizing it was already dead. The entire golem then exploded as Akamori¡¯s aura blew outward like a shockwave. Acid slid along it like rain splashing down a clear plastic umbrella. Thanaton flicked about wildly, but to a seasoned swordsman¡¯s eye, he was carving the remaining golem through several key points to choke off its aether flow to prevent it from reconstituting itself again. Then he blasted the remains with a magnitude 5 void bolt that carved a massive sphere into the street where the golem once stood. Once his breathing stilled, Akamori slowly turned to face the Necromancer again, as if silently challenging the dwarf with an unspoken question. What now? The necromancer grinned. ¡°Well, ma boy. You¡¯re downright interestin!¡± Akamori blurred the distance between the two and lunged to strike, hitting only air. The dwarven necromancer fell backwards into a slash in reality that made his eyes ache. A portal into the soul realm? Bahumet resonated deep within him. Akamori paused. That revelation alone was reason enough to stop and contemplate. The umbral plane wasn¡¯t the only one that could be traversed and jumped to? A high magnitude soul blast struck Akamori in the back and a frigid chill stabbed into the very center of his soul. It was like an icy hand clutched his heart and squeezed tight. Soul Agony , Bahumet said. The punishment of the dead cast down upon the living. Akamori had some soul magic, but the magnitude of the attack was enough that it overwhelmed his defenses. Gods are powerful, but not all powerful. Always be prepared for attack, even when none is coming. Thanaton growled. ¡°I know, I know,¡± Akamori said, annoyed as he struggled up to his feet. He could hear the dwarf chuckling, but it sounded distant and all around him. Something about that made his skin crawl. ¡°Ya may have beaten my golems. But ya haven¡¯t stopped me.¡± ¡°I was getting to that,¡± Akamori growled. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Ya may be a godling. But yer young yet. There¡¯s so much ya still don¡¯t know. Be seein¡¯ ya. Till then, I¡¯d like ya to meet a friend o¡¯ mine.¡± The surrounding air grew frigid, his breath coming out in steamy puffs. A nearby puddle of water froze over. Frost crept across an unbroken pane of glass in a window to a fuel station next to him. Someone had arranged the fuel price numbers to read ¡°6.66¡±. He spun and came face to face with a banshee. It regarded him for a moment, as though debating if she were the predator or the prey. Instinctively, he knew it was a banshee. Something about her soul spoke to him. Some kind of sense he¡¯d developed? He filed that away for further thought. She hesitated, sensing what he was. But only briefly. She opened her mouth, and his entire existence became pain. ? Chapter 173 The banshee howled. Only it wasn¡¯t just a sound based attack. Her voice dripped with soul magic. The effect was a resonance that scraped against any living soul with all the ease of steel wool on flesh. The kinetic strength of the attack forced him back as he tried to summon his aura to block the attack. Glass shattered around him as the decibel levels exceeded stress tolerances. One pump exploded, and the entire fuel station detonated next to Akamori. The blast hurled abandoned vehicles skidding across asphalt and into store fronts. More undead began lumbering free of damaged buildings, now that obstacles no longer prevented them from seeking more flesh. The more undead Akamori saw, the more the fire inside him raged. The more he seethed and felt his power surge. The cost in lives. The waste. The fire inside him roared to an inferno, stoked by a forge fueled by the pain of what had happened to him and his people, now playing out here. Not again. ¡°NOT EVER AGAIN!¡± He roared. His own voice infused with raw air magic and fire mimicking a dragon¡¯s breath attack played out through the sound. The Banshee reeled, flying back and away as the zombies and revenants surged for Akamori, attracted by the lure of living energy and flesh. Akamori flexed his entire body and soul, and his flesh ignited with radiant fire again. The work of dismantling the undead and spirits that poured out of the fort¡¯s infrastructure was grisly work. Work he lost himself. He needed to blow off some steam and work some things out. Fortunately for him, he had plenty of faces to smash. Unfortunately for the undead, he was in a very generous mood and was giving out hands and feet to all available. He¡¯d whittled down most of the squishy opponents when a massive tree trunk sized club smashed him in the back and he went flying again. The world spun like he was inside a washing unit. He slammed hard into a wall and flopped down into a heap, upside down with a grunt. While he may have been immortal, possessed a high pain tolerance, and require divine levels of damage to risk death, that blow still hurt. Why? In the distance, he saw an Orc holding an unusual club. It glowed with the same divinity that he and Thanaton did. Slowly, painfully, he rolled over and pushed himself back up. His body ached as though he¡¯d been run over by the Cadaver Crasher. He did his best to mask the shaking in his legs and arms. Another divine weapon¡­ How interesting. Thanaton purred eagerly. ¡°I am Scourge and I¡¯ve been summoned to destroy you godling.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, take a number and wait in line.¡± More melodious chuckling from the necromancer just beyond actual hearing. Akamori¡¯s eyes shifted towards the laughter. The Orc strode forward into the street. Glass and metal crunched under massive feet. Its dark olive skin lit briefly in periods as it passed by small fires and the few working lights left in the fort. It stopped conspicuously short of Thanaton¡¯s reach, even with a good lunge. So, the big guy knew who he was fighting. ¡°So. Scrub was it? Who sent you?¡± The Orc smirked. ¡°I¡¯m unpermitted to speak his name, but he¡¯s given me this divine artifact to use against you. Maul, the first hammer.¡± ¡°Scuff and Mark. Got it. Scuff mark. Skidmark? That works better, I think.¡± Akamori said, as though speaking to someone Scourge couldn¡¯t see. Scourge grabbed a handful of metal on a nearby vehicle and lifted it like a shield. ¡°I¡¯m going to scrape the meat from your bones and drink the marrow. Then I¡¯m going to do the same for your friends over there. This world is ours. It¡¯s souls, ours to consume. You¡¯ve lost godling.¡± Akamori glanced down at Thanaton for a moment. There was a time he would have needed the blade to take this clown. But now? He felt like he had enough power on his own. Use it . Thanaton said in an almost encouraging voice. The blade yanked itself free of his grip and levitated next to him. A spectator. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s dance.¡± The orc rushed forward, more strength than raw speed, and brought its massive weapon around. The weapon slammed into Akamori. The impact set him pinwheeling gracelessly through the air. He smashed to a stop in on base dry cleaners, clothes and hangers erupted everywhere like a laundry grenade just went off. Akamori needed more than a few moments to recover as he blinked away the stars in his vision. A meaty hand the size of an engine black wrapped python sized fingers around his body and hurled him through a wall. He crashed hard into the ground as debris threatened to bury him. Thanaton glared at Akamori¡¯s lackluster performance with contempt. Scourge casually swept his hammer through the pile of wood, cement, and glass like a broom through dust. He paused deathly still when he saw no sign of Akamori at the bottom of the pile, before quickly turning left and right rapidly. A fist bathed in radiant fire struck Scourge in the back. The blow staggered him as he wheeled around to see nothing. The massive orc was so preoccupied with tracking the last attack he¡¯d all but missed the faint shimmer of reality as Akamori¡¯s fist struck his jaw so hard it began an almost cartoonish spin as he bounced multiple times down the street, flattening bodies and vehicles alike. Scourge¡¯s jaw burned like he¡¯d leaned a little too close to the sun. Clamoring back to his feet, he gave Maul an experimental swing. A flurry of blows sizzled out of thin air and drilled into this torso in rapid succession. The force of impact drove the air from Scourge¡¯s lungs, eliciting a pained gasp as the massive green brute fell to his knees. The divine hammer Maul was brought around with all the strength Scourge could muster, effectively swatting aside half a building and hover car. Scourge recognized he was tactically ill equipped for this kind of fight and cast a few quick barriers and ward spells to slow down and blunt his opponent¡¯s attacks. But Akamori¡¯s strikes just didn¡¯t care. The protective wards discolored and cracked one by one. With the last layer left, Maul streaked a wide arc in front of Scourge. The orc smirked as the strike connected and flung Akamori through 4 buildings down the block. Glass, dust, and debris blew out of windows and doors. Scourge took too long to push himself forward. The damage the red-haired warrior did to him already having an effect. A hurricane force wall of air slammed into him, throwing cars, bodies, and debris from buildings with it. The eight foot tall orc swung his massive hammer from side to side, casually destroying a car, and a large chunk of wall, holding his ground. The gale calmed, and before Scourge, there was just a bald landscape. Akamori had literally scraped half a block free of the ground and blown it at Scourge. ¡°I believe now might be an opportune time to parlay.¡± Scourge said. Akamori appeared before him in a blur, as if instantly teleporting or moving so fast his eyes didn¡¯t register the movement. He floated before Scourge with his arms folded, eyes narrowed, and a studious expression on his face. ¡°Speak and make it quick.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I have no loyalty to the Sauridius. They are simply my employer. However, I am not a fool, and know better than to kid myself into thinking I can take a superior opponent.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your proposal?¡± ¡°Make me a better offer, and you¡¯ll have my hammer.¡± His weapon drips with divinity. This is no coincidence. Loathe as I am to suggest it. Taking him up on his offer may be the best tactical solution , Thanaton suggested. ¡°Bahumet? Frank? What do you guys think?¡± Akamori said. Scourge glanced around, looking for whoever Akamori was speaking with. His large green brow creased curiously. The first blade counsels wisely. We lose nothing by doing so. And might gain another asset. This is a battle of attrition. One we may not match alone. Bahumet¡¯s words were like gravel purred on by a dragon, and cut to the point. Frank¡¯s black form shimmered next to him. A faceless being made of pure darkness with red eyes. He wore a ragged black cloak and his body ended at the waist like a specter. Long talons finished each digit of his hands. He looked a lot like when he was summoned to co-attack with Akamori. What Akamori had subconsciously come to think of as Frank¡¯s battle form. ¡° Like the other two said. What do we have to lose? I wouldn¡¯t be here now if I didn¡¯t make a deal with you. ¡± Akamori nodded. All valid and fair points. He finally returned his focus back to the massive Orc in front of him. Akamori was floating, so they were evenly matched height wise, even though Akamori¡¯s feet missed the ground by two feet easily. He extended a hand against his better judgement. ¡°Deal. What¡¯s your price?¡± Scourge¡¯s expression flashed from disbelief to relief. ¡°We can discuss that later when I¡¯m certain I¡¯ll be able to collect my payment.¡± A shift rippled in the surrounding air. An unspoken command that pulsed out through the aether like a small tremor on the surface of the water. Akamori could almost make out its words, but it was gone too fast before he could know for sure. An instant later and he didn¡¯t need to know any longer. A horde of spectral green souls glared at them. Anger dripped in the air as a hundred auras bled together in one malevolent mass, with Akamori and Scourge at the center. The ring of ghosts all pressed in slowly. ¡°What do we do?¡± Scourge asked, his grip tightening on his hammer. ¡°We fight.¡± Akamori paused contemplatively, then add. ¡°Also, we link up with the squad. Don¡¯t want them taking you out as friendly fire.¡± Scourge grunted his approval. Akamori gave the massive orc a once over. ¡°How fast are ya?¡± ¡°Fast enough.¡± ¡°Good. Keep up when it happens.¡± Akamori held his hands forward and a blinding golden white light formed in his hands as motes of magic flowed into a growing orb. Akamori fired off his sun beam and turned a large chunk of the ghosts to ash, along with the buildings, bodies, and abandoned cars behind them. ¡°That¡¯s our way out. Let¡¯s go.¡± The tension of the stalemate broke as Akamori and Scourge sprang out. The noose of ghosts slammed shut. The two warriors making it out just as it closed. Scourge grunting with each thunderous crash of his feet in a mad dash for freedom and life. Akamori then detonated an astral landmine he¡¯d cast behind them to buy time. The ground and light erupted into the air in a column of fire and light. Again, the melodious chuckling that teased at Akamori¡¯s senses¡­no, not his ears, his soul. ¡°You can destroy as many of them as ya like, lad. It¡¯ll never be enough.¡± Akamori put a palm on Scourge¡¯s back and kicked off the air as though it were a solid wall. A thunderclap issued as they shot through the air at the speed of a hyper sonic bullet. At the last possible instant, Akamori stabbed his feet into the ground like plows. The sudden deceleration brought the two to a halt right next to the squad. Everyone paused to study the curious entrance the newcomers had made. Akamori gave the spirits and his squad alike an awkward wave. ¡°Uh, hey.¡± ¡°Eltee?¡± Sirsir said, trying to keep his jaw off the ground. And failing. ¡°Sarge. This big fella is Scourge. He¡¯s an orc with a divine hammer. He¡¯s agreed to help us out. Make sure no one hurts him.¡± Sirsir nodded dumbly. Akamori clapped his hands together and strode around the squad to study the scene behind them. A few stone golems lay in piles near a hole they¡¯d been digging in the mountain¡¯s side. He squinted at the mess and turned back to Sirsir. ¡°Were they trying to tunnel through an air ventilation duct?¡± Sirsir nodded silently before finally answering. ¡°Yeah.¡± Akamori nodded again and turned back to study the torn apart area. He gestured for Scourge to join him and pointed at the debris strewn area. ¡°Whatcha think. Is this a good spot?¡± ¡°To breach? I would,¡± Scourge said before studying the ghosts who were still watching with slight confusion painted unilaterally across their features. ¡°But if this is your way in, you¡¯re gonna wanna make it fast.¡± Akamori nodded as if Scourge had just said the most common knowledge thing he¡¯d ever heard, clapped the big man on his hubcap sized biceps and strode back a few paces to join Sirsir. ¡°Right. Well. We¡¯re gonna go in now. Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sirsir said again in that I have no clue what¡¯s happening, but I¡¯m not questioning it either voice. Akamori clapped the dust from his hands and rubbed them together. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll make the door.¡± ? Chapter 174 Fort Washington served as the New Xinjia colony¡¯s primary military outpost, star port, and emergency bunker. It was at the foot of a massive mountain range half circled the colony¡¯s city, sporting the nickname The Second Great Wall. Deep below Ft. Washington sits the fallback bunker for VIPs. Set 2,000 meters below the surface, the bunker is isolated from the surface world in almost every extreme. No signals can penetrate that deeply and while the Brotherhood lacks mages, it is not without money and resources. This resulted in a magically and physically hardened site impervious to all but a directed incursion. An incursion Akamori and his squad are currently fighting off at this very moment. With the access lift disabled and destroyed by the retreating leadership and a scant few marines left alive, options for getting down were limited. The squad determined the necromancers were using earth golems to dig open an air ventilation shaft large enough for ingress and made use of it. Using the awkward stalemate, his random appearance with Scourge the Orc who¡¯d pledged his allegiance to Akamori just moments prior, a quick and dirty plan was conceived. Akamori channeled a large burst of void magic and cast it into the torn open shaft creating an opening for the squad and then started shoving his people in. At the same time Sala dove in first, the confusion that held the collective host of souls back shattered as realization set in. Rage at being duped by Akamori¡¯s antics set in as they charged forward. Only to be burned to ectoplasm and soul crystals against Akamori¡¯s radiant aura. As the others plunged in one after another, Akamori slowly backed up to the opening. The spirits of the dead sneered at him. ¡°All ye¡¯ve done is our job fer us. We¡¯ll follow ye down an have our fill on the pathetic humans down there.¡± The dead all spoke with one voice. That of the dwarven necromancer. Akamori shrugged. This was a marathon, not a sprint. And it was only just getting started for his squad. So far, he¡¯d claimed several golems and hundreds of undead and revenants. ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. I¡¯m betting I¡¯ll get there first. I¡¯ll slow you down. And you¡¯ll drip feed your best at us. I¡¯ll deal with it one obstacle at a time until I¡¯ve exhausted your supply of goons, and you either come after me recklessly, or I come after you. Either way, when this is over? I¡¯ll win.¡± The ghosts grinned, taking the bait. ¡°Ohhh. Is that a fact, is it?¡± Akamori nodded, backpedaling slowly with his arms folded. A confident smirk on his lips, but his eyes continued to glare. Unable to completely mask the smoldering rage at the massive loss of life, this world suffered. ¡°It is. I¡¯m going to save this world¡¯s leadership and the survivors you haven¡¯t been able to claim. And then I¡¯m going to banish all the shackled souls you¡¯ve brought here. But you? You won¡¯t get absolution. I¡¯m going to remove your soul from the System.¡± ¡°Big words from an up jumped godling.¡± the spirits chuckled as the necromancer would. The sound was raspy, like breathing with cotton in one¡¯s throat. The revenants surged forward into Akamori¡¯s aura. Each popping soul was like a spark against his aura. The shock of it took Akamori off guard for a moment. Even as they plunged forward, they spoke. ¡°I have an entire world of death to command, as do my peers. If you think you and your lot can beat us? By all means, try. We¡¯ve been alive fer a very long time, and we haven¡¯t had a good laugh in almost as long. So please. Entertain us.¡± Akamori allowed himself a predatory grin. ¡°And here I was starting to think you¡¯d never ask.¡± Uncertainty flickered across the faces of the undead, who had yet to hurl themselves into his aura. Void magic surged within him as he used his Enshroud ability. His blue coat darkened as void magic turned it into a hooded robe. Chitinous armor grew from his clothing. Dark red and black aether radiated from him as Thanaton grew into a long, menacing scythe. Frank appeared next to him, eager to fight. Scourge was the last man in the breach, leaving just Akamori and the dead. Free of potential collateral casualties, Akamori was open to cut loose. He and Frank blurred forward. The front most revenants flinched, throwing up spectral arms to block as Thanaton cleaved through them as easily as a hot knife into butter. Vast swathes of ghosts ceased their existence in the astral realm with each sweep of the first blade. As he did, Akamori slowly began to notice that glowing orbs of radiant light gathered near him. They are the reclaimed souls you¡¯re freeing from the necromancer¡¯s control. They gather to you as a conduit back into the system . Bahumet said. Akamori ducked beneath a beam of soul aether that shot into the crowd of souls and banked around, coming back for him. It crashed into Thanaton¡¯s scythe blade, pushing Akamori back. His feet slid on the concrete a few inches before he summoned his void cloak. Shrieks of pain issued out that only Akamori could sense in his soul as revenants crashed into the cloak and incinerated. There¡¯s too many to fight. The real fight is below. You gain nothing burning time and resources against these useless souls. Bahumet advised. ¡°They. Are. Not. Useless.¡± Akamori growled, the skies darkened and cracked with thunder. Thanaton brimmed with eagerness. In the distance, a new golem approached. This one larger, and made of stone and fire. Gobbets of hot magma dripped from small streams that ran down massive elongated forearms giving the golem ape like proportions. I¡¯m in the camp of not wanting to hit by that thing . Frank said, shooting Akamori a glance that said he was nervous. Akamori cursed under his breath. He could destroy the golem, but Bahumet was right, and giving into the impulse to smash all the necromancer¡¯s toys was exactly what he wanted. Letting go of Thanaton, the reaper turned and strode for the shaft entrance and fell in. As the air whipped at his cloak, he twisted mid fall and aimed his palm at the opening and unleashed several fireballs of high magnitude that hit the shaft mouth like bombs, collapsing the entrance while spreading a sealing ward he¡¯d cast at the tail of the attack. Like hurling a magic lock on a door from a distance. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°That should keep him busy for a while,¡± Akamori said as he twisted to land, eventually. He wasn¡¯t pleased about walking away from a fight, but he stopped the necromancer from getting access. They would have to find their own way in. Of which he was sure they would. It would just take longer. When his feet touched down he landed softly, his void cloak evaporating away to reveal the blue and gold trim coat he was wearing. The metal shoulder plates glinted in the soft fluorescent lighting of the underground bunker. Ahead of him, a barrel waved right in front of his nose, with a Brotherhood marine behind it. ¡°You must be the backup,¡± the marine said. She was firmly built, with years of training and muscle packed into a small but deadly frame. She lowered her weapon and gestured for the squad to follow her. ¡°Dunno how the brass¡¯ll feel about your big green friend there.¡± ¡°He¡¯s new. But he hits hard. They¡¯ll want him.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because when the brown stuff hits the fan? You¡¯ll want big green there up front swinging that hammer of his.¡± She smirked and nodded. ¡°Just checking.¡± The marine, whose body armor had a name tape that read ¡°Rogers¡± swiped an id card. The reader flashed green and a lift door open. She and several privates filed in, and then the squad did. When the doors closed, turrets popped up out of the floor, ceiling, and walls. Akamori chuckled, half impressed. He doubted it would amount too much, but it was impressive at stopping a zero at least. As the lift descend her caught the gold orbs of the freed souls still floating near him and pushed down the urge to unconsciously swat them away. They seek release. Allow them to pass into the System. Bahumet said. He nodded, closing his eyes and willing them to move on from the astral realm. A spiritual breeze teased his hair and face like a gentle exhalation. When he opened his eyes, the souls were gone. No longer stuck in the realm of light and living. Freeing them yields temporary divinity, as it will imprint your mark upon them. That mark will carry through the Maw. When a new soul is formed, it will form to worship you. In this manner, you won¡¯t lose worshippers to war. ¡°Sure. I just have to wait for them to be reborn.¡± Akamori said mentally. True. A process that can take any amount of time. Bahumet replied. Dropping that matter for later, Akamori figured it was time to get the lay of the land. He glanced over at Rogers, who had two gold bars on her armor. He had a base familiarity with Brotherhood ranks and assumed it to be a captain¡¯s rank. ¡°Captain Rogers, care to brief us on the situation?¡± ¡°Not my place, sir. The brass will want to do that themselves. I can tell you we¡¯re holed up down here, but that it¡¯s only a matter of time before those ghouls find a way down.¡± ¡°Will your defenses hold out?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d have asked me about fifteen minutes ago? I probably would have said no.¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°Now? We might have a fighting chance.¡± Akamori nodded. He could work with that. Fighting chances were all he¡¯d been given of late. From there, it was up to him to make the most of it. ¡°That¡¯s enough to count for me. How many troops do you have left?¡± ¡°Three squads. The rest are too wounded to fight.¡± ¡°Keep the wounded with your command team. We¡¯ll set up a layered defensive position with sequential fall back points. What munitions are you working with?¡± Akamori knew brotherhood weapons for being chronically underwhelming against magic using enemies. Though they were worked just fine against undead. And he thought he¡¯d caught a rumor the Brotherhood was even developing explosive rounds that detonated salt to disperse spiritual opponents. He hoped it wasn¡¯t asking too much if they had those on hand. ¡°We¡¯re running pretty light, unfortunately. Every man has his battle rifle and a few spare mags. We¡¯ve got a few squad heavy weapons that are emplaced. Half a crate of grenades. We weren¡¯t able to get much out of the armory before the horde pushed us back to here. On the plus side, the brass paid the Artificers of Aeryn a pretty penny for all kinds of fun magical defenses. Traps, wards, emplaced spell weapons. The works. This place is locked up tighter than Ft. Knox¡­¡± she paused, looking a little confused as though she¡¯d made a reference she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What¡¯s Ft. Knox?¡± Rogers shrugged. ¡°Who knows? I¡¯m told no one broke into it, though.¡± Akamori nodded and looked up. He could sense the undead scrabbling at the cave in which he¡¯d caused. It wouldn¡¯t hold for long. ¡°Well, I hate to break it to you, captain, but they will break into here.¡± Rogers sighed, pulling the slide of her sidearm back and chambering a round. ¡°Yeah. We know. Our backs to the wall. Time to do or die.¡± ¡°Hell yeah. Let¡¯s kick those undead fuckers in the nuts.¡± Sirsir said with a broad grin. Everyone was feeling a little better morale wise now that they had some people to protect and a mission they could execute. A bell chimed and the doors slowly peeled apart. Akamori nodded. Time to get to work. ¡°Helldivers, let¡¯s move.¡± ? Chapter 175 Three formations of sleek golden Talon spell fighters cut as direct a path to OrbCommOne as they dared without setting off any perimeter defense weapons. Luffa and her crew of runaways had been in discussion with the station about surrendering when Cenine¡¯s pack of Golden Knights dropped into real space and went full Afterburn. That left the crew of the Indra with precious minutes to deliberate a response. Did they fight? Or run? Nestled in the heart of Brotherhood space at the Lagrange 1 point of New Eden, the Brotherhood¡¯s capital world, OrbCommOne served as both the naval command position and port of call for any vessels entering the system. Suffice to say, Cenine¡¯s squadrons were less than accommodating of the Brotherhood¡¯s comm policies. An act that wasn¡¯t winning them any favors from the local government. The lead units loosed bolts of golden light magic that slammed into the wards of the still stationary Indra. That was Cenine¡¯s freebie. Loofa immediately put the Indra into motion. The Brotherhood would just have to wait a moment while they dealt with more immediate concerns. Cenine¡¯s fighters continued to close, opening fire again. Their attacks struck the station, scouring the hull and leaving glowing pock marks behind as the craft raced along. ¡°Get me some distance from those fighters!¡± Luffa growled on the bridge of the Indra. Amara obliged, twisting the corvette into tight, impossible turns thanks to Amara¡¯s use of the ship¡¯s spell drive. A flurry of spell bolts light up the space they previously occupied as Amara gave them a grand tour of the station¡¯s hull a little closer than most of the primals were comfortable with. Her radiant eyes scanned back and forth rapidly like REM sleep, only she saw everything. The dagger shaped Indra twisted, rolled, and looped as it sought to evade and mitigate Cenine¡¯s Talon assault. Eventually the Emerald Knight¡¯s reckless assault against the Indra forced retaliation from the Brotherhood. Point defense turrets swiveled and opened fire against the golden Talons. The airspace soon choked with weapons fire as Amara poured everything she had into piloting while the others focused only on defenses. Two fighters blossomed into explosive balls once enough missiles and magnetically accelerated cannon (or MAC for short) MAC Fire riddled the Talons to explosions. A few MAC rounds struck the Indra as it swerved wildly to avoid a cluster of Light bolts that slagged a large chunk of the station. Keeping the station close was proving difficult as the Brotherhood emplacements began to slowly include the Indra in their targeting calculations. ¡°We¡¯re starting to attract more fire.¡± Luffa announced. Amara maintained a tight grip on the controls as she wove the Indra about like a precision fighter and not the corvette that it, actually. Chalk that one down to the mass reductive abilities of void magic. She swung the Indra about in a 180 swing and dumped several rounds out of each of the spell canons, then swung the Indra around the rest of the way and dumped the engines at full. Everyone grunted as the ship sped up hard, matching Amara¡¯s input into its own magical reserves, mixing in with the aureolium. The fighters were difficult to shake, though. Amara begrudgingly had to give them that. They were committed pilots and skilled warriors. The exact people Akamori would have enjoyed being pitted against. She could only wonder at what kind of cosmic nonsense he¡¯d gotten himself into now. No doubt he was off fighting some pitched battle for the future of some world he¡¯d only been in as long as he¡¯d been fighting on it. ¡°Surrender now, you traitors!¡± Cenine growled through the coms. Amara tucked the Indra into a tight roll as a volley of light rounds belted the rear spell wards. The ward lattices discolored from the strain and she fed them more magic to reinforce them. She could keep this up for a little bit, but those fighters could keep coming. Something had to change. ¡°Luffa, you have to convince the Brotherhood to give us asylum or they¡¯ll wear us down.¡± Lufa, the First Prime of all free primals regarded her friend for a moment. The weight of that leadership pressed in on her now more than ever that they were facing their existential issue. It was a problem she¡¯d created the instant she¡¯d chosen to take Ominek up on his offer of freedom. She went in, eyes wide open, knowing he¡¯d try to leash them. But trading one master for an even worse one was not what she¡¯d envisioned for her people. She wove a the fire and mind signs to create a missive spell and flicked it towards the station. The Brotherhood station admin popped back up. ¡°We need Asylum now. These lunatics are going to keep shooting until they either shoot us down or crash into us.¡± ¡°That is strictly a Mage Federation issue that the Brotherhood is disinclined to get involved in.¡± ¡°You will be if those light bolts detonate the magi-nuke in our hold!¡± Luffa growled. The Brotherhood administrator shifted uncomfortably. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works,¡± he said with a distinct lack of confidence. Luffa wasn¡¯t ignorant of that and pressed on. ¡°It is too. And the yield on this specific device is enough to reduce not just us, but your entire station and a sphere several hundred kilometers in diameter. I don¡¯t need to remind you just how bad that would be.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take your counsel into advisement. OrbCommOne Actual out.¡± Luffa slammed her fist down into the spell console as Amara cursed silently, continuing to take the Indra in a madman¡¯s dash for survival against the onslaught of the Erynian Talons. ¡°LUFFA! SURRENDER!¡± Cenine howled. She was in a blind rage. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I can¡¯t Cenine. Nor could you if you were in my position. My people had no future under your people¡¯s boot. I¡¯m sorry you feel like I¡¯ve betrayed you.¡± ¡°How could you just turn your back on all those innocent people? You bled for them! They gave you a home, training, and a purpose!¡± Luffa¡¯s eyes glowed with magic as her rage boiled, threatening to burst out. Nostrils flared as she spoke. ¡°And you think I needed enslavement for that? That we needed that? We were fine until your people came along and stole all of that from us, supplanting it with your own purpose and home. I¡¯m just trying to go back to mine, or make one of my own.¡± The mental incongruity Cenine was fighting was too much. Cultural programming won out. They¡¯d never been good friends, and barely associates at that. Luffa wanted to think that in another lifetime, perhaps, or different circumstances, perhaps they could have been friends. But here and now, Luffa had bigger things to worry about than how Cenine was handling this. ¡°I really need you to get over yourself, Cenine because if you keep pushing, we will finally start fighting back. I¡¯ve been doing you the favor of just running, hoping you¡¯d back off some. But if it¡¯s a fight you want? Then I¡¯ll give you a God¡¯s damned fight!¡± Amara glanced over to see Luffa clutching the spell controls in white knuckled grips. Cenine could only answer in a wordless snarl as she continued to charge after them in pursuit, the fighters belting out round after round of spell bolts. Several impacts struck the rear wards again, discoloring them and shattering patches across the Indra¡¯s rear flank. Amara cursed as she continued to do her best but their size was a prohibiting factor. ¡°Amara. Give them hell,¡± Luffa said as she pressed the button to disengage Amara¡¯s collar. Amara gasped as power raced through her veins like she¡¯d just jammed an iv bag full of bottled lightning in. With the color no longer restricting the spells and aether flow, it opened the floodgates. All of it came pouring back in. Even Nemesis. Gold radiant light spilled out of her eyes. Veins of golden white traced their way out along the ship¡¯s hull, starting at the front and etching their way along like small snakes of caterpillars working their way down a big juicy leaf. Reality became surreal for Amara. Time stopped. In that instant, she realized she wasn¡¯t herself anymore. Whatever had been changing in her, had continued to do so, she was just now feeling those effects. Brilliant light exploded from the aft of the Indra as it shot ahead, outpacing the shots from the Talons. Everyone in the bridge of the Indra suddenly shot a concerned looks at Amara, who looked completely neutral about the whole process, despite the radiant aura and magic pouring out of her golden eyes. The Indra banked about and thrusted again hard, this time burning hard at the incoming Talons. All four spell cannons primed magic in their barrels. She willed a missive to Cenine. ¡°Child of the light. Because you are a child of the light, I will give you one last opportunity to disengage. Fail to do so and proceed at your own peril. I won¡¯t repeat the warning. Failure to break off in the next minute will signal the forfeiture of your life.¡± Cenine continued to rave maniacally. Anger warred with pain and won out as the Emerald Knight failed to maintain a steady head. She was here for revenge. How dare the stupid priestess threaten her and her men? They should be surrendering. Only Cenine was blind. She didn¡¯t realize she was charging headlong into an immovable object. Nemesis was a goddess of fate and luck. She rebalanced the scales of justice. And Cenine had failed to be just by standard of metric. For a moment, Amara bowed her head, and whispered a soft prayer, seeking forgiveness. Luffa caught it but said nothing at the moment. When your pilot acts weirdly in a life and death situation but it¡¯s a good weird? You leave them alone and let them be weird. When Amara glanced back up, Luffa could physically feel Amara¡¯s will pulse out and into the ship, as all four spell cannons fired. Four beams of light magic cut paths through four Talons, resulting in four blossoms of fire. Fire and debris belched out into the void as the Indra lanced clean through one plume and banked hard. By this point, the weapons of the Indra were recharging. So Amara fired the spell missiles. Tracers of red launched from pylons on each wing that snapped open, then shut. Another three fighters fell. It was just Cenine and her new wing mate now. Luffa watched, partially in shock, partially horrified with the ease that Amara was making this look. The Indra swept about, using a short range blink spell to teleport away from a volley of fire that had it dead to rights, only to appear behind the fighters. Amara cut forward thrust, whipped the controls hard and spun the Indra around one eighty to face the fighters and fired. Cenine and her wing mate blew up the same as the rest, but everyone was sure they heard her rage filled screams for an instant longer than was normal. ¡°Amara¡­¡± Luffa said, her voice tight with the emotion as the moment was finally calming. Amara started to face her, but a system ping from the station drew their attention. ¡°We have taken your request for asylum. Proceed to these coordinates to disembark your vessel.¡± Luffa turned to Tanak and found the dragonborn with a mild expression of shock, awe, and panic. ¡°We made it,¡± Luffa said with an exhausted sigh. ¡°That we have. Thanks to everyone¡¯s efforts. But most especially, Amara.¡± When they turned to face up front again, she was looking at her hands. Luffa knew that look. The revulsion. The horror. She¡¯d just done something mortifying, and she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to live that down. Slowly, Amara gripped the controls again, fed the ship some magic, and maneuvered them again. This time, the feel of the magic was very different. It was like someone else was at the controls entirely. Even Amara¡¯s aura felt different now. Something had changed, and Luffa wanted to know what. She wondered if this was related to the issues she¡¯d been telling them about at that station they picked her up on. Had she been running from this? Worse still, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder, had she unleashed some kind of monster? ? Chapter 176 Morwen gripped her hands behind her back tightly as the Theferis raced through the gateway in the Umbral Plane and emerged in real space in the shadow of New Eden¡¯s only moon. Trepidation swept through Morwen like a tsunami. She wasn¡¯t an anxious type normally. However, over the years of combat and training, she¡¯d learn to mask her pre-combat nerves by keeping her hands busy. Usually by gripping the spell controls, or a stave. Now she lacked one, and gripping the controls felt¡­ superfluous when she only needed her willpower. She turned to regard Rozien who floated next to her watching the main spell screen. Sensing her attention on him he turned to face with a questioning expression. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I was curious. Are you capable of shape changing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a spell I know, yes. Would you like me to alter my form?¡± ¡°If you would. Perhaps something like a spell stave?¡± Rozien¡¯s face scrunched in thought, contorting the letters that made up the font of his title. Finally, he glanced up and bobbed in place. ¡°I believe I can. One moment.¡± Several ritual diagrams drew themselves out of raw magic in the air, locking him in a place like a magical gyroscope. Then the rings spun. The entire process fascinated Morwen because, as far as she knew, he had no hands to cast with. He was more like a spell weapon than anything else. A moment later, there was a bright flash of light. Then that¡¯s all he was. ¡°Tadaaaa. So. How do I look?¡± Morwen regarded his new form for a long moment. He¡¯d become a golden spell stave. One portion of his haft had leather wrapping. Runes etched a ring above the hand grip. At the top, three diamond cut sapphires floated in a lazy orbit of each other. They pulsed gently with light as he spoke. ¡°Like a legendary spell stave. Thank you. May I?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, please?¡± Morwen reached out to grasp the gently floating weapon, holding it with both hands. She twirled it once, twice, and gave a few lunging thrusts with it from muscle memory. She twirled it again and tapped the base against the deck plate authoritatively. She flinched at how loud it was. ¡°Like that? I infused the impact with magic.¡± Rozien said with a note of glee. She fought the wry grin that wanted to curl the corner of her lips. Schooling her features as neutral as she could manage, she cleared her throat to speak. ¡°It was rather effective.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just saying that to protect your hard ass reputation, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was a moment of silence as the pair chuckled mentally. Unwilling to let their amusement slip outwards. Lest it tempt disaster. A beat later, Morwen held Rozien out like a sword and made a slashing gesture, cleaving a wound in the Umbral plane that led into the Astral. The Theferis slowly crossed realms. She tapped Rozien against the deck again, her anxiety relieved, and confidence restored. She surveyed the ship¡¯s initial sweep with its sensors. It picked up lots of small debris clusters near the station. Nothing concentrated enough to equate to a Sauridius cruiser, but the spread and density patterns could mean a cluster of destroyed fighters. Maybe a few short handed squadrons. At the heart of it all was the Indra. Morwen¡¯s stomach twisted with knots. The situation suddenly got extremely complicated. She felt a migraine threatening to set in, pinching the bridge of her nose to relieve the pressure. ¡°The Indra¡­it¡¯s here?¡± Rozien asked, confused. ¡°Did Amara see something and come here before us?¡± Morwen didn¡¯t know. That thread of the web had been obscured to her. She tried not to dwell on its secrecy and the danger that implied. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it seems we¡¯ll find out shortly.¡± Morwen maneuvered the Theferis in slowly, respecting the Brotherhood¡¯s air space and following their traffic protocols. She didn¡¯t want to spark off an incident now. Not when they needed a united front against Sauridius if they wanted to prevent his rise. ¡°Rozien, send the station a standard greeting hail. Let them know we¡¯re here to provide overwatch against potential Sauridius assault.¡± The slowly orbiting sapphires pulsed silently for several moments like a visual morse code message being sent before Rozien finally spoke. ¡°Message sent Captain.¡± ¡°Morwen.¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°Please, just call me Morwen from now on. Thank you.¡± The sapphires blinked a few more times contemplatively before Rozien finally said he understood. The pair waited in contented silence as the station administration on OrbCommOne tried to make sense of the heaping pile of excrement that had suddenly been delivered to the administrator¡¯s doorstep. Station Administrator Jelco Tax sighed heavily as he sat back into the only comfortable chair in the CiC. His. His entire service career had gone relatively unremarkable. He came to work. Did his job. And he did it well. Most of his mistakes were barely noteworthy, and he was proficient in his skill set. He practically wrote the book on stellar traffic management and docking pylon utilization. And yet here he was stuck with two magician ships and a metric butt ton of debris from several squadrons of dead over zealous fighters. They¡¯d shot the hell out of his station, but thankfully, the asylum seekers dealt with the problem themselves, requiring minimal involvement on his part. He could explain away the mac rounds and missiles as token engagement, if only to bring the scenario to a swifter resolution. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. That just left the problem of what to do with the Indra and its occupants seeking asylum and offering to give the Brotherhood what he could only think of as magical weapons of mass destruction, and a Mage Fed Ship saying it¡¯s here to help protect them. ¡°I chose the absolute worst time to quit coffee.¡± He grouched. ¡°Cold turkey?¡± A sensor tech asked. He nodded. Slowly. His blood felt like syrup being pushed through his veins. Or concrete more like. But he was due to retire, and soon wouldn¡¯t need the stimulant any longer. Or so he¡¯d thought. Glancing back up at the primary command screen, he could see tactical specs on both ships. One was a corvette sized vessel sporting 4 cannons. He¡¯d watched tear apart the fighters. The bigger one further away sported multiple turret batteries, and one massive spell cannon that seemed to run the length of the ship from stem to stern. From a manufacturing stand point alone its construction bordered on a miracle, but the threat it presented was a thousand times magnified. The only reason he¡¯d stayed at his post was the fact that A. the Valkryie of Tohruun was its commander, and B. she¡¯d stated they¡¯d come to protect the capital from Sauridius assault. ¡°I knew I should have retired early¡­¡± Jelco grumbled. The messy business with the fighters had resolved itself, but had left him with two large elephants in the room. What to do about the two ships? If the big ship was from the Mage Federation, they would no doubt want those running and seeking asylum. But accepting the asylum seekers meant getting their magi-nukes, which he had to assume functioned as their name implied. That alone would be a boon worth pissing off the pointy-eared elves. Especially considering how little they ever contributed back to the Brotherhood. The bigger ship sent a message requesting permission to open a channel with itself, the station, and a leader from the capital world of the Mage Federation. Jelco again cursed under his breath. He glanced over at his communications officer and gave her a nod. ¡°If they want a communications circus, far be it from me to tell them no.¡± She nodded and coordinated with the bigger ship. After a few more minutes, his comms officer put it up on the main command display screen. Captain Morwen of the Mage Federation running the Theferis, an unknown make spell ship, appeared in an inset box on the left. Arch Priest Erlaut, newly appointed as if he¡¯d recalled right from the intel reports, appeared on the right. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, let¡¯s get to it then. Captain Morwen, what did you want?¡± ¡°I wanted to see if the Federation would honor its agreement to support the Brotherhood when needed. I wanted to give the Arch Priest a chance to answer for himself before you. I¡¯m not an official spokesperson, and until recently, I wasn¡¯t even an active commanding officer. I¡¯m not even sure I still am.¡± ¡°Morwen!¡± Erlaut snapped before reeling himself back in and recomposing himself. A deep breath later, Erlaut¡¯s mask came back, but everyone saw the cracks. Something in Erlaut was coming undone, but no one could quite put a finger on it. ¡°Forgive me. This latest bout of campaigns by the Sauridius are concerning to be true. However, given that the bulk of their focus has been directed at Eryn of late the Federation believes its most effective posturing of forces will be to bunker down and wait for the impending assault on Eryn.¡± Jelco¡¯s brow twitched in disbelief. ¡°Excuse me for interrupting. You expect us to just sit back and breathe easy after we¡¯ve been dying for your war for the last 60 years?¡± ¡°We all have our roles to play.¡± Jelco rose, tugging his dark navy blue jacket straight as he did so. ¡°Thank you, Arch Priest, for reminding me of that. While the Brotherhood finds it regrettable that our staunch allies have abandoned us in a dark hour, we will not forget .¡± Erlaut¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You seek to threaten me? Morwen, what is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°Quite the contrary Arch Priest. The Brotherhood has endured loss after loss with naught to show for it. Our people are bloodied. Our fathers and sons come home dead or harry us at the gates. My people are tired of propping your Federation up on the backs of our dead. You¡¯re within your right to deny reinforcements. Should you choose to do so. But do not expect us to look upon that act favorably.¡± Morwen sighed, rubbing her temples as her headache compressed on her skull. She thought if she pinned the two of them together they¡¯d see the reason to support each other, not dig in like obstinate children and pout. Erlaut glowered at both Morwen and the administrator himself. The connection then cut itself. Morwen sighed. ¡°Forgive me Administrator. I had hoped that he might see the value of supporting the alliance when I forced his attention away from his paranoia. It turned out to have quite the inverse effect. I pray it doesn¡¯t impact your opinion of the Federation and the need for a unified sector.¡± Jelco shook his head. He wasn¡¯t an unreasonable man. He understood the pressure the Arch Priest was under. Even the sentiment of wanting to protect his home. He just lacked the luxury of the capability to do so. Until now, at least. His attention turned to the Indra on the other screen. Its crew had waited patiently for him to consider their proposal and get back to them. Then the Theferis had arrived and its captain forcing him into a meaningless conversation with Federation leadership. First things first, though. ¡°Captain Morwen. I would like to take you up on your offer to watch our skies. These are troubling times and we¡¯ve seen our defenses fail twice in a few hours.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m seeing that. Speaking of, I¡¯d like to request the Indra be brought back to the Theferis.¡± And there it was. That same old Federation bossiness. They thought they could just order anyone around, like they were the gods of the sector. Well, not anymore. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°No. They have submitted a request for asylum with the Brotherhood. And we are seriously entertaining their proposal.¡± Morwen blinked. ¡°Oh. I see. Well then. I trust you¡¯ll handle the situation as you see fit. Unless you require anything else of me, myself and my ship will maintain over watch of your system and world.¡± ¡°My thanks to the Valkyrie of Tohruun. I had friends on that colony when it fell. I¡¯ve never been a fan of you mages in the Federation or our Alliance with you. But you¡¯ve been one of the better ones. I¡¯m glad to see their stain hasn¡¯t ruined you.¡± ? Chapter 177 Akamori Shinjo strode into the last bastion of humanity on New Xinjia ahead of his squad. Marines who all appeared to be seasoned combat vets surrounded them. Most of them looked tired and resigned to a fate worse than death. Combat fatigue was just as dangerous as an army of unrelenting dead led about by Necromancers. But they were sloppy. Check points set up throughout the bunker took care of inspections for injuries, as well as using purpose-built scanning devices to search for signs of being shackled by Necromancers to ferret out sleeper agents and infiltrators. Since the zombie plague spread physically, it was important to screen infections out. That meant most of these soldiers had to be hypervigilant for a while. These men and women were strung out and in bad shape. Passing through the inspection point was pretty simple. They each had blood drawn which was immediately screened for the virus. None of them tested positive which eased the tension in the marines. No one wanted to have their hopes dashed by a rescue team that was doomed already. ¡°The command team will see you once they conclude their morning brief.¡± A female marine said. Her rank sported the three chevrons of a sergeant. Her name tape was hard to read through the thick dark smear of gore over it. ¡°How long?¡± Akamori asked. ¡°Lately? It doesn¡¯t last more than a half hour.¡± The sergeant said. ¡°Longer or shorter?¡± ¡°Much shorter. In the beginning, there was more to talk about. But we¡¯re on our last leg now. Short of supply concerns, all we can really do is wait on the enemy to come down here and finish us.¡± ¡°Hopefully we can change that.¡± ¡°No offense, sir, but unless you¡¯re packing a miracle, our odds are long.¡± Akamori grinned. ¡°Long odds are the best kind.¡± ¡°What the eltee means is that he has a habit of making the impossible, sergeant.¡± Sirsir added from the back of the squad. She glanced back at Akamori, scrutinizing him more thoroughly this time. ¡°Sword, huh? Didn¡¯t see too many people using those here. None that survived for very long, anyway.¡± He shrugged impishly. ¡°It¡¯s all in the swing.¡± The noncom didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°Mhmm. So. You guys can use magic?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°So¡­what? You got like wands or something?¡± ¡°No. Though I guess technically our weapons could be considered wands? They channel the magic and do what we want with it. For the rifles, they shoot magic instead of bullets. My sword channels magic for different effects. Is that what you meant?¡± Akamori asked. The female sergeant watched them studiously for a moment and then nodded. Still unconvinced looking. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got rabbits in hats or anything?¡± Akamori blinked confused, ¡°What exactly is it you think we do with magic?¡± She waved the conversation aside dismissively as the massive metal doors behind them peeled apart. As they split open with a loud mechanical, pneumatic system, the checkpoint area opened up into a large circular command chamber. Akamori could see plates on the deck that could pop up and create temporary barriers to take cover behind. While of little use from a cover perspective, they would at least create flow jams and slow down the undead should they breach the position. A quick scan with his senses and he saw many other plates just like this one scattered throughout. The large chamber funneled its occupants progressively to the center, where the last living senior leaders of the Brotherhood of Man operating on New Xinjia were positioned. Flanking them were subordinates operating radios and checking on computer systems Akamori didn¡¯t recognize. It was like a beehive of activity that focalized around its leadership. The female noncom led them along a path marked off by black and yellow striped tape because led them around the outer ring of soldiers and up a short set of metal stairs. At the top of the command area, large screens showed video of areas around the base under surveillance by security cameras. Turret emplacements and more. The command team themselves comprised General Feng, Colonel Maddox, and a Captain Lee. They were all in various states of disheveled. None of them looked like they¡¯d shaved in a week. Their uniforms appeared to have gone that long, with no attention as well. Posters all around them warned of infection, and listed symptoms to watch for and advised action taken immediately. ¡°Bites are bad.¡± The sergeant said as they watched the command staff wrap up a meeting. Akamori nodded to the screen the officers were speaking to. ¡°Who are they speaking with?¡± She leaned over a bit to get a better look. ¡°Looks like Admiral Smits. He got a promotion after Hidros. He¡¯s in charge of 2nd Fleet now. They¡¯re probably on their way, but can¡¯t get here fast enough to save any of our bacon.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s enough bacon left for him to save,¡± Akamori said. ¡°I¡¯d be much obliged if ya did, sir.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name, marine?¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Corthon.¡± She said. ¡°Well Sgt. Corthon, it was a pleasure to meet ya.¡± She gave him a stiff nod before walking away to rejoin her squad. Akamori turned to face the command team. They turned and gestured for him and his people to join them. He strode up slowly, taking them all in. Weariness and exhaustion hung at their edges like fog. These men were running on fumes, stims, and no hope. They needed a miracle, and he intended to give it to them. One way or another. ¡°Lt. Shinjo. I understand we have you and your men to thank for blunting the assault on the bunker entrance upstairs?¡± ¡°Indeed, sir, and please, just call me Akamori. Mr. Shinjo, if you absolutely must stay formal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m comfortable with Mr. Shinjo.¡± General Feng said. The luster of his single gold star faded with wear and lack of polish. Similarly, his olive drab uniform top looked like he¡¯d slept in the thing for at least a few days. Akamori was willing to bet a gold scale the man probably hadn¡¯t seen a functional shower in just as long as well. ¡°We¡¯re thankful you and your men came to help. We¡¯re familiar with your exploits on Hidros, and frankly, having the heroes of Hidros here is a great morale boost to all the civilians, who, until five minutes, didn¡¯t expect to make it another thirty minutes down here.¡± Akamori nodded grimly. He¡¯d seen that look in peoples faces up close enough to know the feeling. What made it worse was that now he could taste their despair in his aura now. His senses blanketed the entire level gently, and every last civilian didn¡¯t think they¡¯d live to see another sunrise. It made bile rise up the back of his throat. Along with a smoldering rage at the Sauridius. Small wisps of steam lifted from his shoulders until a firm hand clapping his shoulder snapped his attention to Yasiin. ¡°Sir. You good?¡± Akamori blew the smoke free of his nostrils and nodded stiffly. ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡± Akamori turned back to the command staff. ¡°I¡¯ll need a quick brief on your defenses. What are we working with? And last, what can we expect of the enemy?¡± Quick nods flashed between the officers before they refocused on him. ¡°I¡¯m sure the enlisted soldiers will have explained some basics with you already. Currently, we have several emplaced weapons, scanning devices and defensive emplacements provided by the Artificers guild. Those elves are greedy bastards, but the tech they sell is second to none with magic.¡± The general tapped a few keys at his desk and weapons appeared from almost every square inch of the interior. If they did not bolt it down, it popped up, flipped out, or turned upside down to reveal something. Ward projectors, weapons, healing magic emitters. Overlapping fields of fire as well as fields of protection or healing. It would make a concentrated assault highly costly. It also funneled the enemy into one effective choke point, creating a kill box out of the entrance from the security checkpoint. Falling back through there put their backs against the wall, but forced the enemy into a magical meat grinder. Akamori grinned as the others whistled or nodded, impressed. ¡°Outstanding. Now all we need is a deck of cards.¡± ¡°We¡¯d like to place you in charge of defensive operations. We understand you have the most experience combating magic users up close. Some of our troops are veterans of other campaigns, but as you can tell, we lack for veterans that survive their first campaign.¡± ¡°Yeah. Being a zero on a battlefield clogged with mages makes for a dicey situation at the best of times. How many points of entry are there? Conventional and non?¡± Captain Lee gestured to the main entryway. ¡°That¡¯s the only conventional entry point. Intentionally designed so. Unconventionally? We have several air flow vents scattered around to keep fresh air circulating in. And before you ask, wards placed every other floor guard in the vents. Even if something wanted to come through the shafts, it would have to stop and claw its way past the wards.¡± ¡°So even if they do come, you¡¯ve got time to prepare because it¡¯ll slow them down.¡± Akamori nodded, satisfied. That was good. ¡°What about weapons for the marines?¡± Sirsir asked. ¡°Those little pea shooters are fine for the undead, but anything bigger than your average zombie is going to shrug off multiple shots. You want a quick time to kill ratio or we¡¯re all wasting our time.¡± ¡°Perhaps we can put to rest any concerns on that front then, sergeant.¡± The captain said to Sirsir. He pointed at rows of racks along the far wall that held many weapons. Many of them quite large. ¡°We even brought in some artificers to help with our standard designs to do things like reduce mass, or improve stability and fire rate. We¡¯ve found the Guild to be quite receptive to our input, provided we paid adequately.¡± ¡°How much did all this cost?¡± ¡°Much. But the expense will have been worth it if it ensures our colony endures.¡± The General said, though he didn¡¯t quite sound convinced. A chirping sound drew frantic responses from the outer ring of technicians and operators flanking the leadership. General Feng rose imperiously. ¡°SITREP¡± he boomed over the chaos, drawing imposing order by presence. ¡°We¡¯ve detected a breach in the magical sensors. Spirits, sir, they¡¯re pulling ahead of the physical undead.¡± ¡°Do the elevator shafts have the same layered defense system as the air vents?¡± Lee frowned. ¡°No. We do have something else though.¡± ¡°Deploying the shredders.¡± Several hundred meters above, weapons exited retracting doors along the elevator lift shaft. They were micro spell rifles rigged into the facilities¡¯ power systems. The system had converted all weapons to fire most effectively against soul magic and soul magic users. When the weapons fire, pallid green and white blasts of magic streaked out everywhere. Revenants, specters and more exploded into falling puddles of ectoplasm and soul magic. The weapons carried on for a long time and Akamori had to admit to how impressed he was that the weapon system was so embedded and functional. It lived up to its namesake by shredding ghosts up like strips of paper being fed to a garbage disposal. ¡°This will buy us time. Let¡¯s make it count.¡± Akamori muttered to himself. He fully appreciated the weapons the Brotherhood were using and what the cost sunk into procuring them. He only hoped he and the boys could live up to the automated defenses. The real trick, though, would be to make sure there were enough civies left alive to make this whole expedition worth it. Akamori spun and began barking orders. His squad immediately flowed into action. The marines sat gawking at first, unsure of what to do amidst all the alarms and squawking noises, but they too soon fell into order and helped. You were right in thinking they would need a miracle. However, I have doubts on whether you¡¯ll be able to deliver given you¡¯ve spent most of your worship and you¡¯re still just a nascent godling. Your followers are few. You need to expand. Bahumet said. ? Chapter 178 The emergency leadership shelter bunker deep beneath the Second Great Wall at the edge of Ft. Washington sported a maximum occupancy of roughly ten thousand individuals. That meant that of the total 30 odd million residents of the capital city, the bunker could only house .0333333333 percent of the survivors. The grisly math of the situation made bile rise in the back of Akamori¡¯s throat. Ever since the squad pushed down into the bunker, he and his people had been shoring up defenses. Helping the marines establish more effective lanes of fire that would better allow him and his team to operate while reducing friendly fire. He also ensured they were outfitted with better weapons. Heavier munitions would ensure they had a faster time to kill count. He didn¡¯t want them wasting ammo with follow up shots to drop single targets. Not in a war of attrition. Taking stock of the situation and the resources he had at his disposal took some time. He had Sirsir who was as close to an area denial expert as he had. Sala was a front line defender, and Yasiin made an excellent spotter and exterminator. They positioned the rest of the marines to support the boys as best as they could and were given assignments their weapons and training could handle. It was a risk keeping them outside the more secure command post, but he knew there¡¯d come a point in time where they¡¯d need the extra man power no matter how insignificant they might seem. To their credit, the Brotherhood marines were capable and proficient. They set up automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns facing down the corridor into the lift. Anything stepping out of those doors was going to face some heavy munitions. ¡°That¡¯s the last of the weapons emplacements set up, sir.¡± Sgt. Corthon told him. She had cleaned off the dark bloody smear on her vest and he wondered she found the time to tackle both the defense of the bunker along with cleaning that much blood out of her uniform. ¡°Now we wait.¡± He said, looking upwards. There was a deep rumbling coming from above. And a noxious unnatural aura that slowly sank down. It stank of death, but inverted. Akamori¡¯s lips peeled back in a snarl. ¡°Necromancers. They¡¯re coming.¡± Everyone locked and cocked their weapons. Yasiin faded from view as he floated up. Sala clapped his fists together with the dull thud of stone crashing into each other while his aura flared golden. Akamori breathed in and out several times, letting the heat radiate from his body the divine air and fire mixed within his body. The lift door bent out towards them once, twice, three times. Then a massive, misshapen fist punched through it. Akamori held a hand up and everyone held their nerve still. Overgrown meat paw wrenched back into the lift, then tore at the hole and peeled the lift doors apart like tin foil, tossing their remains aside. A massive flesh abomination lumbered out of the lift, threw its arms back, and roared. It was like a masculine banshee had just howled in his face. All the marines groaned and fell, their souls being assaulted by the magic resonance of the roar. Akamori¡¯s men stood their ground. He wanted to shove his aura out to shield them, but he wanted to wait and make it count. His sword hand opened in a silent summons, and Thanaton appeared in his grip as though it¡¯d always been there. The abomination lumbered forward, making room for more normal shamblers to lurch and stumble through. The flow of rotten undead flesh continued like a water faucet opened to full. The end of the corridor was packed shoulder to shoulder with undeath. Akamori waited until they¡¯d advanced a quarter of the way leaving them no room for easy retreat. Both sides were committed now. Sensing the commitment, the abomination broke into a sprint. Akamori¡¯s hand fell, and the defenders introduced the necromancer controlled horde to the concept of a kill box with an overwhelming volume of fire. Sala rushed forward, tackling the abomination. The abomination¡¯s flesh was bruised purple with occasional boney protrusions. It drove massive punched down into Sala¡¯s face and side. His stone skin and radiant aura blunting the strikes and healing any damage even as he returned the favor blow for blow. Akamori glided forward, watching random heads erupt with satisfaction as Yasiin called out targets for the others to avoid. He and Helios fell in shoulder to shoulder and carved through the fetid wall of necrotic tissue. Helios¡¯ twin void axes cleanly carved off limbs and created deep channels in abominations as he ducked and weaved in and around his prey. Akamori¡¯s blade cast wind slashes that projected out like razor thin blasts of air, chopping down three and four different undead at a time and creating a mobility obstacle for the dead to navigate even as Akamori surged forward. His skin glowed redder and redder than his anger continued to build. ¡°We¡¯re coming for your friends down there.¡± It was the necromancer from earlier. Akamori paused his assault. ¡°Oh good. You¡¯re back.¡± He was about to retort but an Abomination punched in square in the side of the head. The impact sent him into the wall hard, bowling over dozens of undead. ¡°Just stay down. Your end is inevitable. You knew that even before coming here.¡± The dead fell on him like hungry dogs on a solitary opened can of wet food. Their teeth cracked and fell out of thier mouths against his skin. They pressed in like a suffocating wave of cold. ¡°I can sense how tired you are. Just let go. Let us take away your pain. Let us take your life.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the eltee?¡± Sirsir said above the dull roar of his cannon barking explosive rounds into the mob of death. Severed limbs and gore splashed free with each detonation. One round burst near Helios, coating in the dead gunk and he turned on Sirsir with an annoyed expression. ¡°Really?¡± Sirsir shrugged half apologetically. ¡°Sorry scaley.¡± ¡°Akamori was pushing forward until an Abomination intercepted him. I lost him in the horde after that,¡± Yasiin said. What if he did just give up? There were worse ways to go. Dying in a valiant last stand had its appeal. The downside was having his soul be some necromancers dancing monkey. Not exactly that appealing. And more than anything, he just wanted to find a nice corner of the galaxy that wasn¡¯t in absolute chaos, curl up by a fire, and do some sketching. That or some more bar fighting. That was fun too, not that he¡¯d let the others know. They probably suspected as much, though. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He was just so tired of the constant crisis. When did it ever stop? It doesn¡¯t . Bahumet responded. That is our curse. We are the harbingers of change. When times of strife emerge? We come like a cleansing fire, and sweep away the rot. It is natural to want to stop. I of all have no room to speak, since I too gave up. Even though it was a tactical decision to benefit you in the long run. I didn¡¯t stay in the fight as long as I could have. I gave up. So why couldn¡¯t he? Why did he feel like if he did, then it would be the end? He could hear his friends shouting his name. They needed him. They counted on him. They weren¡¯t worshippers. They were friends. And that was enough. But he couldn¡¯t just leave them to this fate. It was one thing if he felt like throwing in the towel. But putting that on his friends? He couldn¡¯t do that. As teeth broke to powder against his skin, and congealed blood oozed down all around him, Akamori sighed on the floor reluctantly. ¡°I really wish this was over.¡± We fight not just because we can, but because we must. For who else would defend these people without us? That is the purpose for which she made us . Bahumet said. We¡¯re the last line between cold, harsh injustice and innocent people. Frank said. DESTROY ALL . Thanaton hissed. Against the lame struggling of the undead, Akamori slowly pushed himself up. His body¡¯s natural resistance to weak damage the zombies were dealing meant he didn¡¯t have to actively defend himself. His passive resistances did that work for him. Unbothered by his ascent, the horde continued to gnaw away at him eagerly. ¡°Uh. What¡¯s the eltee doing?¡± Sirsir asked when they saw Akamori stand up from a pile of undead. Yasiin frowned. That looked like someone who¡¯d tried to talk themselves into letting go and ending it, but being pushed back into the thick of it against their will. His observational prowess laid bare all the obvious signs. He quickly adjusted and cored the head of another zombie and burned the spine out of the ghoul behind it, toppling them both. Sala grabbed a pair of undead by the feet and used them as improvised weapons, swinging them wildly. They disintegrated slowly with each successive impact on their peers. An arm broke loose here, a leg snapped apart and spun off into the crowd. Eventually Sala was left holding a pair of shins before stabbing a duo of zombies closest to him into their foreheads. The soft crack of rotting bone sounded like snapping twigs. They¡¯d blunted the flow of dead, but it just kept coming. Most of them weren¡¯t burning high magnitude spells, so magical fatigue wasn¡¯t a huge concern. But eventually they¡¯d grow mentally or physically tired and get sloppy, or make a mistake. To say nothing for thier human counter parts. Akamori looked around as the zombies continued to chew lamely on his hands, arms, chest, and legs. So many souls. So much hate and jealousy for the living. So many souls twisted to fight, thanks to the necromancers. This world would slowly turn into a cancer in the system. But he was the antibody. He¡¯d fix it all. They needed to plug the hole and stop the breach. Unfortunately, earth magic wasn¡¯t something any of them possessed. That meant they¡¯d have to improvise. Which didn¡¯t really change the way they operated too much. Ninety percent of what they did sat firmly in the realm of improvisation. ¡°No¡­¡± He muttered. All sound but the steady beating of his heart filled his hearing. The oppressive silence was broken only by the earth shattering thunder of each beat. Bang bang. Bang bang. ¡°NO.¡± It wasn¡¯t a statement. It wasn¡¯t a request or order. It was a commandment. Every undead hesitated as Akamori¡¯s aura exploded outward, covering the entire corridor and killzone. Undead bodies and limbs flew away from him like fetid shrapnel hurled from a necrotic grenade. He trembled in place as a seething defiance and rage boiled to maximum, spilling out as his flesh ignited into flames that started as orange until they darkened when void magic spilled out as well. The undead backed off hesitantly, giving him room now, no longer trying to gnaw on him uselessly. ¡°Fuck fate. Fuck Zombies. AND FUCK YOU!¡± Akamori roared as Thanaton appeared in his hands, wreathed in black flames. His squad grinned because they knew it was time to really start grinding up the undead. The humans all fell back, scurrying away as their very souls told them they were in the presence of something unfathomably powerful and unknowable. Some rocked themselves back and forth on the ground in the fetal position. Sirsir conjured up a flask. This one was red with a big skull on it and drank heavily before discarding it casually. It evaporated into nothingness before it even reached the ground. System Info: You have used Family Recipe: Big Man¡¯s Haste. All attacks have increased speed. Reload and recharge rates are greatly increased. This effect is stackable with other bonuses and abilities. Duration: Extremely long time. Once Big Man¡¯s Haste goes into cool down, all AP is drained until you rest. ¡°You heard the man. It¡¯s time to get to work.¡± Akamori blazed into the mass of undead as Sirsir¡¯s cannon barked out rounds as quick as a machine gun. Clusters of bodies erupted into the air, coming apart wildly as blooms of fire and light flowered behind them. The explosions reduced many zombies to mush and vapor. All the while, Sirsir grinned from ear to ear as his cannon bucked like a running engine. ¡°Balance of the cycle. Still my hand and render my decree.¡± System Info: You have used the Judgement of the Guardian. All offensive spells cost no AP to use. Duration: Extremely long. Once this ability goes on cool down, all AP is reduced. Yasiin¡¯s sniper rifle turned into a long range void laser, sweeping it across the undead like a hose of disintegration. Where the beam swept? Nothing but atomized particles swirled in its wake. The squad was finally in serious mode. Like the Spartans of Thermopolis, this was their stand. ? Chapter 179 Akamori felt an explosion of power from behind him, followed by another. Sirsir and Yasiin had both used high power abilities that had long cool downs. A void beam that stretched the length of the room swept side to side, evaporating vast swaths of necrotic flesh. Sirsir¡¯s cannon banged like a machine, firing explosive rounds into the surging wall of decaying tissue. ¡°What good is being a god if I can¡¯t stop even this?¡± he growled to himself. He was a void reaper. More than that, he was a god now. Ascended beyond mortality. Time froze around him. The hyper compression of time a side effect of his channeled divinity. He¡¯d burned off most of his excess worship on his stunt topside. He was nowhere near full enough to try that again. But he could go beyond a normal mortal¡¯s limits and call upon the unnatural. Frank appeared a smokey black cloud that condensed into his umbral wraith form, slashing down into a Flesh Abomination, leaving deep tracks carved into its grotesque hide. Akamori back peddled, avoiding a follow up attack from the creature, and slapped his palm down on its cold clammy sin, branding it with his Death¡¯s Shadow curse. *System Info:* Death¡¯s Shadow: You may make a special attack that marks your target with the Death¡¯s Shadow debuff. Targets suffering the Death¡¯s Shadow mark feel the creeping cold dread of death. This ability boosts all the damage the target receives. He checked his Aether Gauge in his peripheral vision. Unsurprisingly, he¡¯d filled it up some time ago. Black viscous fluid poured down his sword hand along Thanaton¡¯s blade into the shape of a long haft, and a large scythe blade grew from the end. The entire form hardened with a snap into black void glass. Thanaton cut a wide sweeping slash across the Abomination¡¯s torso, disemboweling the massive creature. Rancid guts spilled out of the slash like a bowl of rotten spaghetti tipped over and covered in congealed blood and ink. The ungainly creature failed to maintain its balance as it tripped on its own innards and toppled over, making it an easy target for Akamori to lob off its head. Again he caught the dwarven chuckling like a whisper on a summer breeze. Akamori twirled Thanaton and rotated him with practiced ease. He became a bipedal lawnmower, and the undead were on his unkempt summer lawn. Limbs, heads, and chunks of gore flew free of their host bodies as they bounced and splatted against the deck plates with wet squelches. Meanwhile, to his left and right, Sirsir¡¯s explosive rounds and Yasiin¡¯s void beams were laying down mass swaths of the undead that pushed back the dead. And then it got eerily silent. He hopped back a step and quickly scanned around. Both Sirsir¡¯s assault and Yasiin¡¯s attack had stopped. They¡¯d depleted their abilities, and their AP was tapped out. As one, all the dead chuckled with the same singular voice in a raspy horse imitation that posed as a weak mockery of the dwarven necromancer. Akamori was thinking of the voice¡¯s owner as Chuckles now, since he¡¯d never had the courtesy to give his name. ¡°Seems like yer friends¡¯ve run outta gas, lad. I promise I¡¯ll be gentle with their bodies.¡± Chuckles¡¯ voice trailed off into the dead silence as the sneering expressions of the dead slackened back in the hungry ravenous and vacant gazes of the undead as they resumed their press forward. Sala was doing double duty now, using the undead as improvised flails to hammer their own ranks with. Burned flesh and decay choked the corridor as it mixed with acrid sulfur from the discharged gunpowder from the human¡¯s weapons. The marines barked for Akamori¡¯s mages to fall back and form up a line. ¡°Sala, get the others and fall back.¡± Two black void axes bisected a pair of dead faces. One was a dead man wearing a half eaten suit with dark brown stains near his neck. The other a woman with a professionally styled look before she¡¯d stumbled around dead for a few days. The color already drained out of her face. They toppled backwards as the axes squelched free of their faces into Helios¡¯ open hands as he strolled next to Akamori. ¡°Dicey situation down here.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Helios peered around, studying the dimensions of the corridor. ¡°We need some big guns.¡± ¡°We had them. They ran dry.¡± Helios picked his teeth with a talon for a moment. ¡°I was thinking more about teeth and claws rather than spells and bolts.¡± Akamori repeated Helios¡¯ quick scan of the corridor. ¡°Would you fit?¡± Helios nodded confidently. ¡°Yeah. I think. Probably? I¡¯m not an elder wyrm, so should do?¡± ¡°Do it.¡± The space around Akamori rippled with void magic as he tipped backward into the darkness. A withered hand seized Akamori by the wrist as teeth clamped down on his black Reaper armor. Ivory fragments pitter pattered to the deck as the zombie worked its jaws back and forth feverishly, trying to tear chunks of tissue from and getting nothing for its efforts. It may as well as have been gnawing on a piece of titanium. Akamori stabbed his fingers into the side of its skull quickly, and the body went limp, falling to the ground. Ahead, an alone Helios¡¯ body rippled as he transmuted himself from human back to dragon. Moments later, a large dragon stood like a scaled barrier against the undead. That brought him time to shore up their defenses. Akamori spun, his void reaper armor evaporating off of him like smoke as he strode to Sgt. Corthon. ¡°Pull your men back to the last position. Deploy the automated systems. And pray.¡± ¡°To who?¡± ¡°Me, I guess.¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m a god now.¡± Akamori called back over his shoulder as he linked up with his squad. They lay Sirsir and Yasiin back behind a barrier with aether potion bottles in hand. The air rumbled as Helios roared, spraying void flame into the hall like a dark scaled flame thrower. Bodies stumbled free of the firewall, dead flesh crackling like kindling in a fireplace. Helios raked his massive talons across the torsos of multiple undead, opening them up like rotten meat bags. Fetid organs spilled out. Zombies began slipping and falling on the horrid smelling slop of dead organs and coagulated blood on the tile of the floor. Akamori sighed from the back, watching Helios do an acceptable job of crowd control and stemming the tide. Watching undead drones comically slip and fall was just leaving itself open to a good joke or laugh. But the mood just wasn¡¯t there. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Ugh. Am I turning serious?¡± You could stand to get a little more serious. Bahumet counseled. FOCUS! Thanaton hissed again. The void crystal on Thanaton crumbled, revealing the exceptionally long nodachi blade beneath. It thrummed in irritation in his hand. He sank several points of magic into the blade, channeling a sheathe of air magic along it. The blade sang again and nostalgia threatened to creep in. Akamori advanced ahead of the defensive line, his blade singing as it used to it. We haven¡¯t used this spell in a long time. Thanaton said. ¡°Yeah. Sometimes it¡¯s nice to go back to the classics.¡± ¡°Sir! What are you doing?¡± Sgt. Corthon shouted between shots of her oversized pistol. A modified grenade launcher reduced to the size of a pistol and firing 20 mm rounds. ¡°Something stupid to buy you guys time.¡± He called back over his shoulder as two of her shots pulped two approaching zombies in small explosive pops. She snapped off several more rounds as the automated weapons activated. The tide slowed, but it still pressed forward. Undead crawled all over Helios, but his scales made him immune to their clumsy attacks, so he focused on clawing apart as many as possible. The marines faced a new threat when some of the dead grinned and lifted weapons of their own and returned fire. The aim was horrible since they were, well, dead. But in such tight quarters, even bad aim was good enough. Akamori¡¯s blade flicked wildly back and forth, sending a storm of wind slashes into the horde. The gap between death and living inevitably closed, forcing him and Sala into melee ranges while the humans went into panic mode. A thin haze of discharged weapons smoke clung in the air at head height, giving the entire battle a surreal haze. Thankfully, it also helped mask the scent of rotting flesh. The dead pressed forward, unconcerned with his or anyone else¡¯s attacks. To their credit, the necromancers had plenty of corpses to work with. Automatic weapons fire drowned out all sounds as mounted turrets, marines, and his own men fought. It was like using pebbles to stop a tsunami. The mob got so thick he couldn¡¯t even swing Thanton, having to resort to going to hand to hand. Eventually the speed with which the defenders dropped undead slowed to a trickle until the dead did what they always did under necromancer control. Claim the living. The first marine¡¯s scream turned into a bubbly gurgle. There was panicked shouting, and then another. Cursing under his breath, he left his own people. Their armor would protect them from these mundane zombies. A void portal opened above the marines, and Akamori spilled out like an azure and crimson cyclone of hands and feet. While they trained him to use weapons, he also was a weapon. He¡¯d depleted his temporary divinity, and was close to exhaustion himself. That was when he heard the dull thudding of heavy foots steps on the deck. A flesh abomination with a partially amputated arm courtesy of Helios slowly lumbered forward. The skin on its face had been peeled away, revealing the skull beneath. It had no eyes. Just two ghostly white and green orbs of magic. It looked past Akamori to the marines scrambling away. Several small arms fire slammed into its thick torso. In a last-ditch bid, the marines fell back behind the final stand off line and deployed a series of industrial sized saws. The blades whined as they sheered through meat and bone. It bought the marines time to form up. The automatic weapons emplacements rattled away, whittling at the mob of dead and leaving bodies in their wake, but gaps filled faster than they were created. A half chewed hand reached out of the crowd for a marine only to be sheered off at the wrist by the defensive saws. The abomination paused the saws as though it recognized even it couldn¡¯t take the damage they would deal and then turned back to its peers. Before Akamori could stop it, the lumbering brute hurled an undead over the saws like a sack of rotten flour. Marines called out, coordinating their fire and riddled the corpse with rounds. Another landed with a wet slapping sound, followed by another and another. Akamori paused, surveying the defensive line and found a number brutes who were now tossing their peers over the defenses. His own men were flying now having recovered enough to rejoin the fight, but they could only use basic spells since their armor and weapons required some magic. ¡°No¡­¡± Akamori stammered. ¡°Stop..¡± More bodies over the line. Hands seized him all over and pulled him down to his knees. ¡°please¡­¡± He said so softly it was barely a whisper. ¡°Anyone¡­ please.¡± Everything went still. All motion. All sounds. Everything stopped. He looked up and found a woman in a black dress before him. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You know who I am.¡± ¡°Death?¡± She nodded with a coy smile. ¡°But the real question isn¡¯t who I am. But why.¡± ¡°My¡­prayer?¡± She nodded. Somehow she had the room to walk in a slow half circle in front of him. As if the undead had cleared a space for her. ¡°Do gods answer other gods¡¯ prayers?¡± ¡°In a manner. We broker deals. It¡¯s how divine beings used to operate before the divine wars. It¡¯s time for a return to tradition. You¡¯re new at this, so you lack the power to execute what you truly need. A miracle. You had some temporary worship, but your following is too weak to pull off the kinds of feats you need. You need something more¡­ bold. More¡­ seasoned than you can manage. But I¡¯ll need something in return.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Death looked confused. ¡°Well. That¡¯s a surprise. Given your penchant dislike for fate, I¡¯d have expected more resistance than this.¡± ¡°My people are in a bind. We need this win.¡± ¡°More than you know, I¡¯m afraid. But I¡¯m willing to offer my help for a price. The flip side of the deal, if you will.¡± ¡°Name it.¡± ? Chapter 180 ¡°Name it.¡± ¡°As a god of death, I have dominion over the end of the cycle of life. All things die. They must.¡± ¡°A god. Not the ?¡± ¡°Magic is power. I am not the only one. But I am the most interested one in performing the task.¡± He nodded at that. It made sense there could be multiple gods of stuff since the power was out there to be had by anyone. Take himself for example. He was a grab bag of power. Even though he was pretty certain that was more by design than by luck or happenstance. ¡°You said everything dies, but gods don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Not of old age or hunger, but they can and have ended before.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re aiming at a point, can you make it?¡± Death gave him an appreciative smile. It liked that about him. His sense of urgency. For a being as long lived as it was, time was relative. On the order of eons, not minutes and moments like it was for Akamori. ¡°I know the Crystal mother has warded your soul with a Gold Seal. It maintains your soul¡¯s integrity as it traverses the Maw. It reduces the likelihood of you being broken down in someone or something new. It keeps you separate from the System. I seek to restore balance and right that inequity.¡± What she asks can¡¯t be granted . Bahumet said gravely. Death smiled. ¡°It can,¡± she said in direct reply. ¡°But I am not so callous as to remove the System¡¯s guardian from play. I will uplift you, so that you may do your duty. And when you are finished, your role will no longer be necessary and you can finally return to the system.¡± On a fundamental level, her words resonated within his soul he was ill prepared to articulate. She wasn¡¯t speaking to Akamori. He was just the most recent face in a line of them. She wasn¡¯t even speaking to Bahumet or Frank. Death spoke to the whole of the entity they unraveled from. Tentatively tied together by the Gold Seal like divine chain stringing the soul shards together. When Akamori spoke, it wasn¡¯t with his own words or voice, and yet, they sounded like him. ¡°This is either a great trap. Or a great gift. Effectively, they execute the same end. So really, I guess it¡¯s the outlook that changes. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll accept. The system needs protection. And I can¡¯t do that if I lack the power. But you¡¯ll need to explain the details, Lord Death.¡± Death¡¯s smile warmed, and she offered him a polite bow and nod. ¡°Always a pleasure Xanofex. After all, I¡¯ve been a great fan of your work across all your incarnations. But times are changing. Events are unfolding. The Ascilonians are moving again. Purgatory¡¯s streets will overflow if we are not careful.¡± ¡°And you need me to keep the genocide and murder at a stable level, is that it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a crude way to phrase it, but yes. Take your dance partners, for example. All those souls trapped in these wilting husks could not move on because of the necromancers. You have power, but not the right kind. To tackle undeath, you need true death. You need me. But my help does not come freely. I seek to alter your gold seal. An¡­ amendment, if you will. I will leave the Crystal Mother¡¯s trademark protection against aether corruption. But sealing away your strength?¡± Death tsked as she studied an undead man who¡¯d been pawing at Akamori before she¡¯d pulled him out of the time stream. Half his face was missing. Where an eye had been, now only a single ghostly white and green flame of an eye sat, locked onto him like a homing missile. Lord Death rose, studying Akamori for a moment, taking slight pleasure in the way he seemed extra cautious around her. ¡°So the rumors are true. You¡¯re not exactly fond of beautiful women, are you?¡± He shifted in the grips of several hands as though he¡¯d tried to shrug and remembered he was being held by several pairs of hands. ¡°They always seem up to something.¡± ¡°Here? You¡¯re correct.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re old, powerful, and well informed. Point taken. So you want to alter my seal, which I¡¯m strangely fine with. What else?¡± ¡°So he does read the fine print.¡± She noted with a hint of satisfaction. ¡°Dedicate your work to the truth of the system. Birth. Life. Death. Afterlife. Ideation. Rebirth. Honor the finality of that, and dedicate your work to my cause, and I will give you two miracles.¡± ¡°Two?¡± ¡°A fair price for the alteration of your soul, and an eternity of service.¡± ¡°Ok, but let¡¯s talk specifics, then. What kinds of miracles are these?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°The first is an aura modification. You¡¯re already able to lace it with aether and divinity, but it lacks that certain finality that only death can bring. So I will allow you to channel my aura in its place. I will set anything undead a blaze in a ghost flame that will work like void flame to the undead. It will cleanse the rot of undeath on the souls and allow them to ascend to the soul realm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one. What¡¯s the second?¡± ¡°That one, my friend. Is a surprise. But it will be well worth it. Now. Our time is coming to a close. Are the conditions of our compact to your liking?¡± ¡°I accept.¡± Xanofex said through Akamori. A sense of contentment about the decision rippled through him like a comforting summer breeze. Most would be too afraid to lose their get out of jail free card. But for him? It just made the journey more exciting. ¡°Very well. Conditions accepted Xanofex of Theferyis.¡± Her eyes flashed with divine radiance and something simultaneously warm and cold touched his soul, altering it. System Info: Ghost Fire: Channel the raw, undiluted aura of Lord Death itself. All undead must make a resolve or resilience save, whichever is higher. Failure means institutions dissolution of the undead. Success results in the curse of Ghost Fire being applied. Ghost Fire functions just like void flame but leaves the living and the inanimate alone. Undead will take on an escalation of soul damage. ¡°Good luck.¡± Death said, before disappearing instantly. Time crashed back into motion at the same time, except everything changed. Akamori sat there stunned for a moment. He had so many questions and no time to focus on them. At once, he felt Death¡¯s aura blast out of him, and not just him, but all his squad. Like a quarantine field, it locked off the end of the corridor and everything within it ignited with ghost flame as soon as he started striking them. Everything they touched caught flame. It reminded him of a spectral variant of Morwen¡¯s Amaterasu¡¯s flame spell, but cast by hand. Similar to Amara¡¯s method of fighting. He glanced down and saw his hands wreathed in ghostly white/green flames. It didn¡¯t burn at all, though. But he knew it would burn down the dead with zealous greed. ¡°What do we do?¡± Sgt. Corthon said as she tried to coordinate her marines into something of a concentrated effort. ¡°Pray that you survive this,¡± Akamori said back handing a zombie in the face so hard its head exploded in a puff of white flame that lit all the others up behind him. Until this moment, Sgt. Corthon had not been a religious woman. She¡¯d been spiritual but never a religious or worshiping woman. In that moment, she¡¯d converted. She¡¯d seen too many miraculous things to deny the power the mages brought to the table. She whispered a soft prayer; the action drawing equal reactions from her surviving squad mates. Sala raged his way through the undead ranks like a massive red furred were ape. Smashing and blasting his way with abandon until he liked up with Helios, and the two went to work dismantling the horde. Tapping the flesh abomination on the shoulder, he left little burning dots on its shoulders as it turned to look at him before Akamori punched it in the jaw so hard the bone shattered and its head was shoved into the saw blades, grinding it up like boney mulch. Akamori set to clearing the line in front of the defensive emplacements. Buy the marines some breathing room. He didn¡¯t have room to use Thanaton, so he stuck with hand to hand, just like his father had taught him. He gave himself to the work. A sort of battle meditation settled in for him as he flowed from patterns to patterns, striking and shifting position to capitalize on opportunity and momentum. He left a trail of blazing ghost fire in his wake that left him alone while it burned his enemies down to ash. The thrust of dead bodies faltered. The tide was pulling back slightly. Akamori surged with the flow, chasing the undead back even as rows fell to his newly gifted power. He could feel the divine gift Death had given him. Where before he¡¯d been but a mere spark in the darkness, he now felt like a runaway blaze given life by a powerful wind. Flow the wind. Become Air. It was the mantra that Hravesvalgyr had imparted to him. He took a deep breath and let it out. The divine fire within him pulsed for a moment, an ember gifted oxygen. Each breath stoked the flame. All the murders. All the suffering. All the loss. He looked up and saw his parents before him. They both smiled proudly. ¡°Let it go, son. Let it all go.¡± For Hoshun. For Hidros. For Eryn. For every innocent who¡¯d suffered to the Sauridius. The seething power that began as a spark exploded. System Info: You have activated the Unlocked Seal ability. While the entirety of Xanofex must remain sealed. It is now possible to unlock the seal at will. Doing so restores all resources, resets all cool downs and timers, and increases damage and speed by an order-of-magnitude times three. This includes divinity spent. Both temporary and natural as long as the expenditure is within the previous 24 hours. While your gold seal is unlocked, you will exist in a pure state of your true power. An explosion blew the undead free for several meters. It burned most to ash, others lost clothing, hair and flesh. A ragged child stumbled free of him with one of its arms burned to the shoulder. Ash crumbled from the cauterized stump. Electricity crackled around him as he trembled from the surge of raw power. He flexed his shaking hands, trying to get a grip on the power. We¡¯ve elevated beyond our level. It will take some time to acclimate to the power. Ease into it slowly or it could burn us out. Bahumet counseled. ¡°No time.¡± Two angry golden red orbs burned like suns where his eyes had been. All he saw before him was an abomination of the system that had to be purged. Turning back, he saw the sparks of life that were the marines and his squad. He could remember a time he lacked the power to save them. Strange that it was only a few years ago, and yet, it felt like so long. He blazed and surged forward, setting corpses to fire as they struggled to react. The curse of Death¡¯s aura combined with his own, countering the necromancer¡¯s power. He stormed his way into the tide of death like a massive fireball. Ghost Fire ran rampant. Undead crumbled to ash as he channeled high magnitude spells that would have drained him several times over. Large draconic void wings grew from his back, sweeping out like an autonomous pair of arms. Slashing and blocking. Some gods were kings of a single domain. Some were simple. Elemental and Planar gods. Others held both power and age, and their domains were facets of the very system itself. Death was one such being, and had gifted Akamori a substantial portion of power. He was no mere godling now. Even as he tore his way through the undead, a deeper part of himself was reawakening. And he knew in that moment he would never be the same. His concept of self was, once again, irrevocably changed. The more he grew in power, the more of himself he lost to Xanofex. The being loomed over him like a dark shadow that grew larger by the day. Akamori worried that there¡¯d come a time where he¡¯d see himself as less Akamori, and more Xanofex. What would happen when that day came? Who would remember those who died on Hidros? On Honshu? Who would make sure it didn¡¯t happen again? ? Chapter 181 The Ghost Fire rampaged outward like a ravenous wildfire through a drought stricken forest. Decayed flesh burned to ash, and shackled souls incinerated away from the astral plane. The undead sensed the shift in the fight because now more souls were being hurled into the fray. The Brotherhood marines clutched at their ears as the keening wails of the dead caused them agony. Akamori missed his armor. Being able to shut out the soul¡¯s screams left him with a strange sensation of imagined tinnitus. Several banshees battered the defenders as revenants and specters raced ahead to claim victims. A marine lurched forward like a puppet with half its strings broken and threw himself into the saw blades. He made no scream. Another turned his weapon on his squad mates before Sgt. Corthon put him down. Ammo was becoming a scarce resource for the survivors who were relying more on the defensive emplacements. The magic turrets ran on aureoliam batteries. The Artificers explained that during a sustained siege, those weapons could fire nonstop for a month. That claim was being tested heavily. The first wave of turrets were doing a decent job of holding back the specters that tried to charge ahead. Puffs of green smoke heralded the deaths of many maligned souls. That changed when the specters began targeting the turrets themselves, signaling a shift in tactics beyond the zerg swarm methods they¡¯d been using. The first series of emplacements were overwhelmed and torn apart several hours into the fighting. Exhaustion was becoming just as dangerous an enemy as the undead they were fighting. Especially for the zeros from the Brotherhood. Lacking magic, they ran into the wall far sooner, and had to rely on stims and hope. When the stims wore out, hope would soon follow it. The marines were down to half strength. Akamori checked on them between tearing through corpses. Each glance back made his stomach twist into knots more and more. Helios teleported to the rear of the defensive line with the rest of the squad. Sirsir and Sala dealt with corpses still clinging to his hide while Helios and Yasiin continued to send attacks down range. ¡°This isn¡¯t working. We need another plan!¡± Sgt. Corthon shouted. ¡°I hate saying this, but I agree,¡± Akamori said. A burst of void magic and he reemerged next to her from behind the lines. He sent them through the blast doors and resealed them. This level of opposition wasn¡¯t a threat to him as much as they were to the others. Especially the marines. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Completing the mission.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Sala approached and gently restrained Sgt. Corthon. ¡°It¡¯s ok. The Lt. has this. We¡¯d just get in his way, and everyone needs a break.¡± The sergeant gave her men a once over. Half her squad was dead or shuffling around out there. They needed sleep, medicine, and food. Akamori had grown beyond mortal failings. He could hold the line. She gave him a concerned look only to find quiet acceptance. He wasn¡¯t offering himself up because it was the cool thing to do. He was the only one who could. Even the draconic Helios was tired and hung from Sirsir¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ok. But we all go back in 4 hours.¡± ¡°Eight.¡± Akamori asserted. There was a touch of divinity in his aura that brooked no further negotiating or defiance. She simply nodded. ¡°Eight hours. Then we¡¯ll be back.¡± Sgt. Corthon then saluted him. ¡°Make the most of it.¡± Akamori said, giving her a half-hearted return salute. When the blast doors sealed again, he saw the myriad wards reactivate on the doors. Likely to keep the spirits out. He glided up into the air and settled back down in the grasping, cold hands of the dead. They reached out to him eagerly, biting and gnawing at him like a tough piece of meat that refused to feed them. ¡°Really could use that second miracle about now.¡± No answer. ¡°Seriously? Silence? Because that¡¯s fucking cute.¡± ¡°You are a god. Even at such a low rank, these enemies should prove a mere trifle to deal with. So deal with them.¡± Death¡¯s voice resonated. ¡°I prayed to you for help.¡± ¡°And you have it. But the extent of my help is yet to come and not a moment sooner.¡± Death replied cooly. Akamori grumbled as he clapped his hands together, turning a pair of zombie heads into cold, smashed mush. He shook the fetid goop from his hands before resuming his attack. Getting no help meant he was in here alone. He noticed another shift in the dead as they halted. Then a large pile of them fell into each other like debris falling into a singularity. Flesh morphed and twisted. In a matter of moments, the unending wall of dead had been morphed into a company of flesh abominations that were as large as it could make them within reason. Akamori could sense amusement on the wind, no doubt the necromancer¡¯s doing. He muttered curses under his breath. Akamori back peddled slightly as he studied his opponents. All of them hulking monstrosities with macabre proportions. They looked like stuffed parodies of weight lifters that had too much stuffing in some places, and not enough in others. ¡°Well, if that isn¡¯t a set of faces on a grandmother could love,¡± he mused dryly. They are going to attempt to overwhelm you so they can tear into the bunker.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Bahumet was the wisest of those tethered to his soul. He was also the most battle experienced. From what Akamori knew, Bahumet was his previous incarnation in the system. Did that mean every time they spoke, he was talking to himself? In a manner of speaking. Technically no, but also yes. He couldn¡¯t help the corner of his lip curling up at that. Even in a situation as horrible as this, he could still find some levity. Maybe that¡¯s what was keeping him from tipping off the ledge and going full tilt crazy with everything going on. He knew his life was anything but normal. But then, neither is what happened to New Xinjia. Get ready. They¡¯re making their attack! Five flesh abominations advanced on him. One swung a fist the size of a box truck. He ducked under the attack easily, with enough time to strike up into its elbow, and shattered the joint alongside dislocating the joint. Ghost Fire exploded outwards from the impact, covering the abomination instantly. He didn¡¯t have time to follow up as a wrecking ball sized fist crashed into his back. Wind whipped through his hair as he careened into the far wall. Metal squealed with his impact into the wall. Peeling himself out of it just in time, a massive hand seized his head, the contact igniting the hand in ghost fire. The offending abomination then whipped him around, smashing him into the ground several times. His vision went spotty with bright spots as darkness pushed in at the edges. Everything ached, and he was pretty certain he had some broken ribs. An abomination lumbered after him as one made for the main door. It pressed a massive foot into the saw blade defenses and flattened the blade. Sparks and smoke screeched from the narrow slit in the floor. Akamori strained as he got back up to his feet. Dread bloomed like a thorny rose in the pit of his stomach. They intend to breach. We have to stop them. ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± Akamori grunted. Fire flashed in his chest with each drawn breath. Every movement felt like he was being impaled by red hot fire place pokers. The Abomination at the main door grew large boney spikes from its meat club of a hand, then rammed them into the door. If he was going to stop it, now was the time. ¡°One step at a time, Aka. That¡¯s how we persevere.¡± His father¡¯s voice echoed in his mind¡¯s ear. He nodded and took a pained, limping step forward. Followed by another. And another. With each step, they increased stride and speed until he was in a full sprint. His body protested with raw white hot pain that would have had him blacked out were he not a true god now. He mixed in short teleporting hops to gain more speed until finally he appeared next to the abomination who wore a large grin, the Necromancer¡¯s direct influence no doubt. Thanaton appeared in Akamori¡¯s hand, instantly summoned. In a blinding flash, the blade came down, whistling as it cut the air, the flesh, and bone of the Abomination, severing the arm cleanly at its elbow. An instant of confusion settled into the abomination¡¯s face as it brought the stump up to study. Akamori was already spinning, channeling fire and air magic to stay aloft and augment his strength. His foot whipped around like a supersonic wrecking ball that caught the Abomination square in the face just an instant before it muttered a resigned and raspy ¡°oh.¡± Its head exploded in a cloud of dark ichor and gore that splattered over the relatively untarnished defensive perimeter fallback line. The body toppled over as Akamori landed on both feet. The pain was still there, but his mind was already beginning to compartmentalize it, pushing it away to some distant back corner of his mind, effectively shutting it off. He flicked a small void bolt into the hanging stump on the door, burning it away into motes of particles that flurried away like a light dusting of snow. The abominations formed a line. Their faces a cruel mockery of each other as they spoke in a united, raspy breath. ¡°We¡¯re going to open that door and feed on your friends. Then we¡¯re going to dance on your corpse, raise you, and make a mockery of you. You are nothing little god, but a speed bump in our way.¡± ¡°Maybe. but you¡¯re just a workout session. This is just another Thursday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Thursday?¡± the wall of abominations said in unison. ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± Akamori said testily. ¡°Bottom line is you¡¯re nothing new. Just the latest in a line of pain in the asses I¡¯ve had to deal with.¡± The Abominations smirked as one before all but one rushed forward. One of them brandished a massive bone sword that made Thanaton look like an oversized needle in comparison. Akamori smirked at the weapon. ¡°Compensating much?¡± ¡°Says the godling with the smaller weapon.¡± The bone sword cut through the air with a loud hiss as it mashed into the deck plates. It was heavy and ugly, with barely an edge to it. It was less a weapon and more like a massive block of bone with a barely defined edge to it. Spinning around, the point of impact and bringing Thanaton down on the wrists of the abomination before jumping up and riding a short gust of air back. ¡°Yeah, well, you know what they say. It¡¯s not the size, but how ya use it.¡± He watched as the handless abomination burned to ash, flailing on the ground before another abomination took up the weapon with a grunt. This one¡¯s head was misshapen and positioned a little too close to its right shoulder. It made Akamori uncomfortable to look at. This was his crucible, though. He had to beat these beasts back so his people and the rest of the survivors had a chance. If he gave up now? This whole mission was a wash, and they might lose the Brotherhood¡¯s support in the war. Everything was riding on him, being able to hold the line. But gods did he hurt. To move. To breathe. All of it was just pain. It was getting to a point he couldn¡¯t remember not hurting. He wanted this to just end. He glanced back at the doors. The twin holes punched into it by the bones. He couldn¡¯t stop, though. Not yet. Not while they needed him. Gods damned, did it smell horrible in here too. They¡¯d dropped so many dead bodies in here that the deck was slick with gore and the air hung with a stench. All of it culminated in one simple thought. He missed home. A home that no longer existed, nor did the innocent young man that lived there so long ago. Now he was a true god, and it was time to act like it and save these people. ¡°So start saving them, Aka.¡± he told himself. Because the first step in manifestation was seeing what you wanted, then willing it to happen. Right? ? Chapter 182 Captain Morwen rubbed her temples with her fingers, trying to keep the headache that threatened to overtake her from setting in. The Federation was failing the Brotherhood by keeping all its ships posted in home waters. The Brotherhood was failing the Federation by refusing to lift a finger to help anymore. Even the token help it offered her was very much just a few acts of contrition, nothing meaningful. ¡°Status of the system?¡± She asked Rozien, who¡¯d shape changed into a staff to suit her needs. ¡°No vessels inbound that can be detected on our systems or theirs.¡± Morwen was thinking she¡¯d either been played or outmaneuvered. But staying here was just an over commitment of forces she couldn¡¯t rationalize. She was about to give the order to set a course for New Xinjia when a priority message request came from the station. It was the station administrator. ¡°Captain Morwen. They have asked me to inform you we¡¯ve taken in several asylum seekers. I believe they were piloting stolen property. They have asked me to arrange its return to you.¡± Morwen blinked. Did that mean Amara was there? Questions raced through her mind so quickly she didn¡¯t even think to use her ability to see the web of fate. She shook her head clear. ¡°Of course. Would it be too presumptuous to assume its original thief is among the refugees in your custody?¡± The administrator glanced off screen, likely seeking permission to answer. He turned back to her and nodded. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am. I can confirm. Private Amara is among them.¡± ¡°Would it be unbecoming if I were to request an audience with her?¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am. We kind of expected you¡¯d want to speak with her. Landing pad A2 please. We¡¯ll meet you there.¡± She brought the Theferis closer to the station. If an attack was coming, they couldn¡¯t see. It would have to pass the ship first, and it connected to her through Rozien who served as the key to it. Forged eons in the past for its former commander, Aeryn herself. Once the vessel repositioned itself in a protective posture, if at a healthy enough distance as she could manage, she finally willed the ship to teleport her aboard the station, directly bypassing any of its security emplacements. She felt a buzz and tingle as she circumvented the installed wards and screens of the Artificer¡¯s guild. Sensing her thoughts, Rozien spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s funny. Aeryn always dreamed of a sector that could use magic freely. But the dragons would hear none of it. Then they died out so much they fell back to their home world, and Aeryn left her legacy to the artificers. Who then corrupted it with profit and greed.¡± ¡°Well, without it, the Brotherhood would be completely exposed and vulnerable.¡± She replied, half playing devils advocate. ¡°True.¡± Rozien sighed as she Morwen left the bridge. ¡°When I fought, the sector was very different. Unexplored. Wild. Dangerous. I fear the only thing that¡¯s changed from my time to yours is the map.¡± ¡°And the enemy, from what I understand. There was another working with Sauridius wasn¡¯t there? One you¡¯ve been coy to discuss.¡± She could sense Rozien¡¯s hesitation, but didn¡¯t want to pressure him. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I don¡¯t want you to feel you have to speak out of turn. I¡¯m just teasing, mostly. I doubt having someone else to worry about would help the situation out all that much.¡± ¡°Not likely. Sauridius is more than enough of a handful. I just pray he doesn¡¯t awaken. If we can¡¯t stop him, his control and influence will spread like an out-of-control wildfire.¡± Morwen paused in the corridor. Some dwarves were hip deep in an access panel doing some repair work after they had cleansed the section. ¡°How was he stopped the first time?¡± ¡°First? No no no, you mean recent. He¡¯s risen and fallen many times.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mildly terrifying.¡± Morwen shuddered. ¡°It took total eradication of his religion to weaken his power base, and the sacrifice of an entire pantheon to tear him apart. Once Sauridius was sundered, his pieces were scattered and kept under watch. For a time, at least. But the watchers soon died, and they forgot the legacy of the old guard as the children rose to make their own destiny.¡± ¡°That explains how the Sauridius rose again.¡± ¡°Time is a great salve for the memory. Give it long enough and you can forget much.¡± Rozien said. ¡°Unless you write it down,¡± He added. ¡°Earlier you said the pantheon had sacrificed itself to stop him. What did that look like?¡± ¡°They went into fights intentionally positioned to make them lose, knowing it would cost them, but deciding the expense was worth the outcome.¡± Morwen frowned. In Aeryn¡¯s case, it meant she knew she was going to her death. But she still went anyway. That really re-contextualized her final moments. Morwen doubted the Erynian counsel cared about that. ¡°I see. If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m not sure I ever saw us making it far enough in this war to contemplate how to end it. I¡¯d spent so long going from losing battle to losing battle. The idea of shaping how the end will look never occurred to me.¡± ¡°You sound as weary as she was, near the end that is,¡± Rozien said softly. She leaned on the staff for strength, taking comfort in the small things like the support of an ally she found herself progressively confiding in more and more. She reached the hanger bay and took up one of the smaller shuttles, ferrying herself over to the station in relative silence. The pair hadn¡¯t said much more after Rozien¡¯s observation. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was willing to admit to how weary the war was making her. When she landed and met her escort aboard the Brotherhood station she found herself thankful for the distraction. She exchanged pleasantries and the requisite amount of small talk necessary before she was finally escorted to the small area the station¡¯s detention personnel had used to house Amara and her new friends. Sat before her was Amara in a poised seated position on the floor. She looked like she¡¯d been failing to meditate. ¡°You look like shit,¡± Morwen said. ¡°I feel like it, so it fits.¡± Amara replied. ¡°The others probably won¡¯t ask, but I have no qualms about it. Why?¡± Amara frowned,breaking eye contact and looking down. Was that shame? Guilt? Fear? Something was going on with her former spell mage. ¡°Amara, if something is wrong, then tell me. I can help, or try at least.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t risk bringing you into it. I-I have to deal with it on my own.¡± Amara said.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Deal with what?¡± Amara looked back up. Tears clung to the bottoms of her eyes. So it was fear and guilt. Morwen frowned. Willful betrayal, but there were likely good reasons then. Okay. She could work with that. After all, she wasn¡¯t exactly a straight shooter herself, and if Amara thought this was the best way to keep her friends safe, there wouldn¡¯t be any stopping her. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you Amara. Whatever it is you¡¯re going through, you took what you thought was the best course of action. I¡¯m certain of that. You¡¯re smart and strong. But you¡¯re only so strong alone. I can¡¯t help you if you won¡¯t let me, and it¡¯s possible you¡¯re being forcibly isolated.¡± Amara gave a self-deprecating chuckle. ¡°Possible? I am. But it has to be this way for now. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to find a way back to the squad once the danger has passed.¡± Morwen¡¯s brows furrowed in thought before arching with curiosity and understanding. The theft of the Indra and going AWOL. It was all premeditated. She was taking herself out of play without posing a threat to anyone else. Political asylum with the Brotherhood would mean she wouldn¡¯t face penalization by the Federation. She admired the boldness of the plan, but worried at the underlying threat that drove the actions. ¡°Amara. What is it that made you do this? What scared you so much you thought you had to be locked away?¡± ¡°Tell her Amara. She¡¯s your commander, right?¡± A voice said from an adjacent cell. Silence followed and Morwen didn¡¯t dare disturb it as Amara fought for the strength to give her fear a name. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say too much. But there¡¯s a powerful player who¡¯s making moves. He threatened my friends if I didn¡¯t do what he wanted.¡± ¡°And you thought being jailed by the Brotherhood was the best solution?¡± She shrugged. ¡°They put me in the path of Ominek and some really destructive magical weapons. I figured if I took both elements out of play, no one loses but me.¡± Morwen frowned, her mind going back to Rozien¡¯s words from earlier about powers other than Sauridius and how dire that would be for the sector, let alone the galaxy. ¡°Who Amara. Who is it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t. He promised he would end all of you. I couldn¡¯t risk it.¡± Morwen frowned. Whoever it was must have really frightened Amara for her to feel like they pressed her into such a corner. Her troops didn¡¯t spook so easily. Which meant it was someone with the power to back up their threat. She took a moment to scan the web of fate. A psionic spike of pain caused her to wince as they forcibly kicked her from it. She held her head and channeled golden astral magic to soothe the pain. ¡°What happened?¡± Amara asked, shooting up from the ground, eyes scanning left and right rapidly. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m fine. I tried to scry the web of fate, and they ejected me from it. Violently. Someone doesn¡¯t want us seeing what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°Morwen. We should speak later. When we¡¯re in private.¡± Rozien said somberly. ¡°Hey Rozien.¡± Amara said softly. ¡°I like your new form. But I thought you were better as a tome.¡± The staff remained silent, and Amara nodded, taking the unspoken rebuke as intended. ¡°Right. I deserver that.¡± She turned and sat down again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Amara. We¡¯ll figure this out. Somehow.¡± She excused herself and nodded absently as the detention staff explained the situation to her. Once on the shuttle and behind its wards, she finally addressed the golden rod shaped elephant in the shuttle. ¡°What was it you needed to speak about?¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Rozien said before casting several high power privacy shields. ¡°There.¡± Morwen studied them, poking the magical lattice work delicately, studying the magic , and the complex weave of runes carefully. ¡°You¡¯re worried about eavesdropping?¡± ¡°It still might not be enough. But I had to try.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Morwen said. ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡± ¡°What¡¯s been happening with Amara? I think I know who¡¯s causing it. And maybe why.¡± Morwen released Rozien so he could float before her. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She said, folding her arms and leaning back as though about to receive a debrief. ¡°Long ago, when the Theferis was the flagship of a great fleet of warships fashioned by the gods, a demi god served under a dark god. No one ever knew his true name, the result of some hex, no doubt. But everyone knew him by his title. The Remover of Obstacles.¡± Morwen sighed, unable to keep herself from rolling her eyes. ¡°How melodramatic.¡± ¡°The remover was a dangerous arch mage. Skilled in magic that has long since forgotten. He¡¯s among the most powerful diviners, and knows many if not all the greater paths, as well as a Divine Greater Paths. He may not be full god yet, but he has to be at the very peak of demi godhood. Under estimating him and what he is capable of is foolish and dangerous.¡± She glanced up at Rozien¡¯s words. She could hear the gravity in the tone of his voice. Foolish as it all sounded, this Remover scared him. It framed Amara¡¯s reaction rather neatly. Which meant he¡¯d approached Amara. ¡°So this Remover has paid our private a visit. I wonder why.¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say. He was so powerful at divination magic that he could obscure other strands of the web of fate, making other outcomes seem more likely than they were.¡± ¡°He can hide threads¡­¡± Morwen leaned back. The ramifications of that startling her. She¡¯d known it was possible to court potential strands and increase their probability of realization. But to isolate one from others and nurture it? That was a whole other level of dangerous. And then it hit her like a runaway freighter, with no control thrusters. ¡°Could others learn this skill?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is it possible this Remover may have taught any of Sauridius¡¯ allies?¡± ¡°Quite so. He and Sauridius spent long sessions studying the web of fate. It¡¯s very likely they exchanged notes on what they learned.¡± ¡°We have to go. Now.¡± She shot up and into the controls of the shuttle, sending it back on its way to the ship. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because Erlaut may have been right about a big attack coming to Eryn. Gods, I was so blind!¡± The shuttle, which had been running on void magic, shifted to light magic. The spell drive nacelles opened to full burn, and the shuttle boosted hard for the yawning bay of the Theferis. Morwen only hoped she got there in time or they¡¯d have lost everything. ? Chapter 183 ¡°Don¡¯t worry Amara. We¡¯ll figure this out. Somehow.¡± Amara watched as Captain Morwen turned to leave. She exhaled softly. That was too close. She wanted to tell the Captain so badly what was happening. She almost caved. Almost. ¡°Interesting. So you refused to tell her anything after all.¡± It wasn¡¯t the Remover¡¯s voice. Someone older. Someone different. She could see her breath and noted the chill that settled into the cell. Standing, she turned to see a black-robed figure with a hood. The hood obscured the face too much to see anything more than a pale face. ¡°You¡¯re not the Remover. Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Death.¡± Amara scoffed softly. ¡°That¡¯s melodramatic, don¡¯t you think? No really, who are you?¡± ¡°I am Death.¡± The figure repeated. Amara blinked, unable to shake the shiver that rippled up the small of her back. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re serious. So um. Why are you here? Did the Remover make good on his word?¡± ¡°No child. I¡¯ve come to fulfill an obligation to your friend.¡± Amara¡¯s brow arched. ¡°Obligation? To who?¡± ¡°Akamori, the shadow of Xanofex. I promised a miracle. You are it. But you are¡­embryotic as you are.¡± Amara rose and faced Death. Goosebumps raced down her arms. She knew why Death was here. ¡°Nemesis.¡± The hooded head bowed solemnly. ¡°I am here to awaken that which slumbers within you. Dereliction in this duty on my part will have negative ramifications that the system can not weather.¡± ¡°Okay. So what you¡¯re saying is if I don¡¯t let the scary voice in my head out, the system breaks?¡± ¡°Inelegantly put, but yes. You are correct. I believe Akamori¡¯s influencing you in negative ways.¡± Amara chuckled softly at the observation and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s rough on the edges, but he grows on you.¡± ¡°This is true.¡± ¡°So. What does this entail?¡± ¡°An investiture of power. You are currently not strong enough to ascend to true godhood. But I can elevate you to a demi god. This will awaken the divine soul anchored to you. The Remover took a great risk in gifting you a divine quantity of power. I do not know to what end his schemes function, only that fulfilling my obligation to Akamori requires that you be of a certain level to assist him.¡± ¡°Assist him with what? What¡¯s he gotten himself into?¡± ¡°He is currently single-handedly defending survivors on New Xinjia from Necromantic demi gods. It is¡­going unwell.¡± ¡°That oddly sounds exactly like something he would get into. Okay. Let¡¯s do this then. If I¡¯m supposed to help take the heat off of him, we shouldn¡¯t waste time faffing about in conversation.¡± Death tilted his head. Standing closer to him, she could see his brows furrow at her comment. ¡°I have frozen the time stream and removed you from it for this conversation. Not one second has elapsed since we began this discussion.¡± Amara blinked in mild shock. She¡¯d only worked with time magic once, so the concept of its use still came as a surprise. ¡°Right. Sorry.¡± Death held out two skeletal hands and channeled magic into Amara. She gasped as white hot fire poured directly into her soul. A beam of raw aether that had soul magic in its aspect punched right into her soul, pooling out and increasing her AP. Her body tingled with energy, like she¡¯d drank a gourd of the sergeant¡¯s home brewed beer. ¡°It will take time for your body to acclimate to your power. I will return once you are ready. You may find the acclimation process disorienting. I apologize in advance.¡± Amara¡¯s eyelids drooped with exhaustion and she toppled over, asleep. Death caught her before she could hit her head on the deck plate and laid her down gently. The timeless being rose, regarding her silently before disappearing from reality as though he¡¯d never been there to begin with. She awoke with a start, but disorientation set in when her senses perceived where she was. Or more accurately, where was not? Color faded to an off negative tone. Like looking at photographic film negatives from the Brotherhood. All around her, souls flowed like water. She rose and realized with sinking apprehension she was in the Soul Plane. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Because this is where I need you to be.¡± It was him. The Remover. ¡°You. Why me? Why here?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know my plans. You¡¯re going to do as I say because your friend needs you to. Failure means his end. The end of all your friends. I only offer you a chance of success. Nothing more.¡± ¡°Awfully generous for a guy so mysterious.¡± His trunk swished side to side lazily, but his dark eyes studied her curiously, as if calculating just how likely it was she¡¯d listen to him. Eventually she relented and allowed himself a pleased smile. ¡°Alright. Fine. Why am I here?¡± He pointed a massive, watermelon sized hand into the distance. His large stubby digit of a finger pointing out a massive pyramid. ¡°You must reclaim a piece of your past. Your true past. Not this shell you¡¯ve been existing within, but your true soul self.¡± Amara looked at the temple. Within, she could sense something glowing with divinity faintly. She tilted her head curiously, as it seemed to call out to her. Her brows furrowed with a question. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°What?¡­¡± She turned to where the Remover had been and found nothing. Rolling her eyes and sighing, she pressed onward. They crossed the nondescript distance to the temple, finding herself at the steps of a large pyramid. She discovered an entrance that led down beneath the structure. ¡°Did they build this within the soul realm?¡± She wondered. ¡°No. You did.¡± The Removers¡¯ voice said. She looked around and saw nothing. ¡°I am always watching,¡± he reminded her. Making her way inside, she came to a massive chamber with a large scale within it. A large statue was holding the scale. One that looked a lot like herself, she noted. ¡°Uncanny resemblance, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Amara gave the Remover a flat look. It had been easier to process the concept of Akamori having some kind of divine past, given all the weird stuff that seemed to happen around him. Now that it was happening to her, she was far less comfortable with it. Having it being pointed out by the Remover of all people just made it doubly weird. She strode forward and studied the inscriptions on the plaque. ¡°Lay bare thy deeds, that they may be weighed and judged.¡± The statue held a sword in its free hand, within reach of the scale. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the scale. Something within her pinged. The divinity pulsed out, washing over the scale and the statue. She felt the scale harden in place and the statue lowered its sword. She turned back to the Remover, who gestured for her to advance. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What just happened?¡± ¡°You were judged worthy to proceed. Had you failed, you would have wound up like all the other souls previously to try.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± ¡°They were cut down and devoured by the Maw. It¡¯s quite an effective security measure.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She didn¡¯t see any other bodies here. Which meant the Maw would digest any undesirables that tried to crack the tomb. The only other safer place for a tomb might be within the Umbral Plane, she supposed. Next, they approached a flaming sword. ¡°The fires of justice burn hottest for those guilty of hubris and arrogance. Take up thine blade to see if the fire of Retribution will burn thy soul.¡± Amara glanced back at the Remover. ¡°The language on this is so stuffy. How old is this place?¡± ¡°Old. Before my time even, and I have many thousands of years on you.¡± Amara moved to leave, but the statue was interposed between her and progressing. Her brows knit when she noticed the statue wasn¡¯t just holding the sword it¡¯d asked her to hold as a test. It was now offering it to her. She studied it for a moment. As blades went, it was a short sword. No larger than a gladius. A simple hilt, it was unfussed with looking ornate. A practical weapon for a practical user. ¡°I believe it¡¯s returning something to its true owner.¡± Amara glared at the Remover again before turning back to the sword. Finally she reached out and claimed the blade. She gasped when she did, sensing an awareness in the blade. It was simple, but present. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed the birth of many divine spell weapons, but none as unique as Nemeseikon. The Blade of Retribution.¡± Amara glanced down at the weapon the Remover had just named. It thrummed positively at the name. Recognition. ¡°You know your own name?¡± She asked. Again, it thrummed. She gave it a twirl, impressed with its balance and speed. It blurred through the air, leaving behind a faint trail of astral fire. Amara and the Remover advanced to the final chamber, this time a statue held a shield. Another plaque was positioned for her to read. ¡°An arbiter of retribution and vengeance must defend and protect as much as she must put offenders to the sword. Let a true soul of vengeance step forward and reveal her wounds, that she may prevent others from suffering as she has.¡± Amara¡¯s hand drifted down to the scar in her torso, where she¡¯d been injured in the attack on Hoshun. She¡¯d left it behind as a reminder. Where Akamori kept his wounds on his soul, she wore hers on her exterior proudly, covered up as they were. When she presented the wound to the statue, it glowed with divine energy being scanned and accepted by the statue of judgement. The stone shuddered to life, and it offered the shield to Amara. She took the shield and held it with the sword. A moment of deju vu overwhelmed her. She was suddenly no longer in the soul realm. She was battling a black scaled dragon and rage pounded through her veins. Every attack thrown was meant to end lives. She moved with a precision the dragon failed to match with anything but ferocity. Sparks geysered from talon and sword as they attacked, parried, and blocked each other. ¡°You fight well for an upjumped spell warrior. If I had centuries, I could train you to be the best weapon the galaxy has ever known. Unfortunate that I must put you down like a rabid hound.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve murdered my friends. Murdered worlds. You must answer for so much innocent blood on your hands.¡± ¡°How I choose to spend the lives of my worshippers is my business, Nemesis.¡± ¡°No, Maleficus. It is my business. Because unlike you? I¡¯m no Aspect God. I¡¯m an Icon god.¡± Maleficus bellowed a laugh, pausing the combat. ¡°What was that? Did you just say you were the same kind of divine being as death? Surely you jest. Only a fool would dare to utter something as so foolish and stupid.¡± ¡°Laugh all you like, dragon. You will meet your end of this day because I have decided it. Fate will not avail you. Your allies will not save you. It has been determined. Your reign ends here. Now.¡± Nemesis crashed into the massive dragon with righteous fury. Buoyed by an unexplainable surge in power. Perhaps it was the anger, the rage, and the determination to end Maleficus¡¯ terror and darkness. Nemesis had no answer. The trivialities of how power worked mattered little. Only the distribution of retribution. The dragon was skilled, but Nemesis was better. Every blow blocked, every attack parried. Nemesis had a response for every move. Maleficus grew frustrated. Among his kin, he was unrivaled for his skill. Even the great Bahumet and Hravesvalgyr were wary of engaging Maleficus in one-on-one sword combat. But Nemesis knew no fear. In the end, Nemeseikon plunged into Maleficus¡¯ heart. Nemesis watched as the light faded from the dragon¡¯s eyes. Nemesis tore the gladius free of the dragon¡¯s chest, sending a spray of black blood that flung out into space. Thus ended the black tyrants war on the galaxy for control. In the distance? All that remained now was the coward Sauridius, and Morfayus had foolishly squandered the Star Slayer murdering Aeryn, rendering him defenseless against Nemesis¡¯ might. Elder gods would fall, and everything would change. Mortals would rule themselves once again. ? Chapter 184 Amara awoke with a gasp. She glanced around to check her surroundings and backed up into the wall on the floor. She was back in her cell in the Brotherhood station. Only this time she had Nemeseikon and the shield from her¡­ dream? ¡°No. A memory. Gifted to its rightful owner along with a portion of its original power.¡± Death said. She glanced down at the weapons and then back up. Okay. She could process that. But later. Right now, her friends needed her. We must act. We are needed now. Nemesis urged. Nemesis. She had awakened, after all. She felt at her neck. The collar was gone. It twirled playfully in Death¡¯s hand on an extended index finger. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t mind. I took the liberty.¡± ¡°No. No, not at all. Thank you.¡± Death bowed its head again. ¡°So now what?¡± ¡°Now? You bring vengeance to the dead. And save your friends.¡± ¡°Can I take my friends with me?¡± ¡°You may. Should they choose to follow you?¡± Death waved its hand, and the wall went transparent, showing Tanak and Luffa. They each blinked and then looked through at Amara. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I have to go somewhere to help my other friends. I got the ok to bring you with me if you want to come.¡± Luffa shook her head. ¡°No. It¡¯s probably best I stay here. You were right to try and put distance between yourself and friends.¡± ¡°I would only bring danger to your friends for now. Perhaps later, when circumstances have changed.¡± Tanak said. Amara nodded. She was sad to have to go, but she knew she needed to. There was a burning need to go. The fire of retribution and vengeance. Knowledge she¡¯d gained from Nemesis. Her connection to the divine half of her soul. She turned back to death with an apologetic shrug. ¡°Guess it¡¯s just me then.¡± ¡°The funny thing about mortals is they always like to be offered the choice. Something you¡¯ll discover with divinity and immortality is that many often those more inured to the eons will consider mortal needs less and less the more detached they become from their mortality. Seeing it so urgent and considerate is¡­ refreshing.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think.¡± Amara said, rising. She glanced around uncertainly before turning her attention back to Death. ¡°So what do I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you something about divinity. Divine Translocation. End result? It¡¯s an instant teleportation of your person and anything you¡¯re carrying to another location, no matter the distance.¡± ¡°Wow. That¡¯s really powerful. Sounds like there¡¯s another edge to it, though.¡± Death bowed its hooded head. ¡°Astute observation. Yes. While it can project you to any location, you will. It comes at a great cost. The act of rewriting your presence in reality to a different position exerts a toll. The strain makes it impossible to execute the move again immediately.¡± ¡°So it has a cooldown. How long until it can be used again?¡± ¡°Thirty minutes.¡± She shrugged. That was fair enough. Maybe it was something about the strain on reality or the user. Possibly both? ¡°Ok. So how do I do this?¡± ¡°Visualize your destination. Note your absence. Then, visualize yourself there. Once you can see your presence in your mind¡¯s eye, will it so. Once you believe you¡¯re there, you will be.¡± ¡°That simple, huh?¡± Death gave no response. So Amara closed her eyes and focused. It turns out that it wasn¡¯t that simple. She opened her eyes and still saw Death watching her. ¡°I have stopped time and removed you from the time stream, so rushing will only impede your progress. Not aid it. Now, step by step, do as I¡¯ve instructed. Only once you¡¯ve finished each step will it work.¡± As a priestess, she was used to long periods of focused mediation. More so when she learned to be a spell weaver. With a reluctant huff, she sat down lotus style and closed her eyes to tune out sensory data her mind didn¡¯t need. She shut everything out of her mind she need her thoughts on until it was only herself. She existed within a white void. Then she reached out to sense Akamori. He shone like a bright star and made it easy for her to zero in on. He was deep underground, fighting the undead. There was a haze surrounding him. Like the power of a rival god, but diffuse. It was the aura of the necromancer controlling the undead. She knew Akamori wouldn¡¯t have a way to attack the necromancer directly and leave the squad. She couldn¡¯t sense many lives left. There was so much death in that world now. Now it was time to see herself there. She chose a spot near Akamori. Then she imagined herself there. Nemeseikon and shield of judgement in hand. She sensed a shift in reality. The air was thicker around her, heavy with the scent of death. The floor was sick was blood and meat. System Info: You have learned the ability: Divine Translocation She opened her eyes and saw Death¡¯s hooded form before her. Then almost flinched back, nearly falling on her ass. She saw Akamori paused in time along with the undead. She shook her head. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Time magic is so wild. Does he know I¡¯m here?¡± ¡°He will sense your arrival, but will not fully process it until I merge you back into the time stream.¡± Death replied. ¡°So I have time then.¡± She said, glancing around. ¡°I¡¯ve had some basic weapons¡¯ training, but a sword and shield were never my style.¡± ¡°These artifacts are forged to function in concert with your soul. If they are ill suited to you, then you need to simply reforge them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no artificer.¡± ¡°No. You are not. You are a demi-god now. Focus on your tools, and will their shape into something more useful, and you will find they¡¯ll meet your needs.¡± Now that she¡¯d had some practice at this, reshaping her divine weapons came faster and easier. It took her about half the time to reshape the shield into a bracelet and the sword into a pair of gloves with hardened knuckles. She flexed her hands, satisfied with the range of movement and flexibility. She could still weave and fight. ¡°Excellent.¡± ¡°You are ready. I will now merge you back into the time stream. Go forth, goddess of vengeance, and remind the undead that I am inescapable.¡± There was a perceptible shift, and everything was back in motion like someone had just hit play on a magi-holo. Akamori double palm struck an abomination across the corridor, bowling over the rest comically. He stopped, did a double take, and just stared at Amara. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. For now, we finish the mission. That¡¯s why you¡¯re here, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± They flowed into combat. Each time Amara struck an opponent, it lost the use of the limb or staggered off balance. Using her maetrayopts visual ability, she could see where to cut off aether flow points that the necromancers were using to drive the corpses. She was effectively cutting the puppeteer¡¯s strings. This did not go unnoticed for long. The focus of the combat progressively shifted from Akamori to Amara as more and more Abominations began shoving each other aside for the chance to either take a shot from her, or take a shot at her. It mattered little. Both Akamori and Amara drilled in air warrior kata on Hoshun for years as children. This duo was compounded by Amara¡¯s new found divinity. Each strike landed bought the survivors behind them time, but this was still a delaying action. Amara¡¯s arrival gave Akamori a slight reprieve, but they needed to take the fight to the Necromancer. Her eyes flitted left to right and left again. Searching and scanning the ambient magic, trying to see if she could find some exploitable anchor point tying the undead to the necromancer, who was no doubt lurking in the soul plane. She ducked under a lunging jab and retaliated with a punishing strike to the underside of the arm, sidestepping it as it fell limply to the ground with a wet slap on the congealed black blood pooled into large puddles. She glanced back at Akamori who struck an abomination in the head so hard it erupted into a cloud of mush and sprayed the back wall. On a whim, she broke off from the Abominations and sprinted for a faint distortion and slid to a halt, studying the anomaly quickly before the Abominations could bear down on her. Akamori interposed himself between her and them. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re doing. Make it fast. I¡¯ll buy you the time you need.¡± Amara gave him a nod and turned back to focus, squinting at the crack. It was like a wound in reality that was sutured shut. Only it wasn¡¯t a clean seal. The edges cut back and forth in occasional ragged patches, with small gaps showing. Cracks large enough to let an aura permeate out, but not be overtly obvious. It would take a powerful scrying spell, or a divine magic visual ability like her own to see this. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± She said absently. Weaving a few quick hand signs and channeled her mind magic. She lacked the skill to channel an aperture into the soul plane. She could however borrow a page from Akamori, and brute force her way in. If the portal was soul magic in nature, that meant the magic plugging the portal mostly had to be sympathetic in nature. Pallid white and green flames of magic flowed along her arms, writhing around Nemeseikon, and her bracelet. She tuned the fighting out behind her and focused on the cracks in reality, then struck. To her surprise, her hand struck a surface as solid as any wall. She noted a change in the crack. A slight widening where the attacks and the plug had interacted. So her hunch was correct then. This was an actual opening to the soul realm, partially sealed over to prevent anyone else from going in. ¡°Knock knock.¡± Amara said with a grin before she began methodically punching. Each strike she verbalized with a quick loud exhalation, calling to mind all her training and power. Each strike caused the seal to fracture more until it eventually shattered, revealing the soul plane portal. ¡°Go! I¡¯ve got this here.¡± Akamori shouted from behind her. She didn¡¯t look back as she heard more strikes landing as a chaotic fight unfolded behind her. She wasted no time deliberating, taking one steadying breath, and then stepping into the soul plane. A coldness seeped into her like a frigid winter chill that poured past skin into bone. It resonated in her very soul. A feeling that life did not belong here. For this was the domain of the dead. Everything had a surreal off lit glow. Like viewing film negatives. Black was white, and white was black. Colors were blander, and scents lacked strength. Her senses were duller, like they were being pushed through a filter that subdued them. Even below in this soul plane version of the bunker, she could see stars. Only they weren¡¯t stars, they were souls. These were souls anchored here by the necromancers. She focused and could see small strands of soul magic anchoring them down. The trapped souls reminded her of small Honshu spider hatchlings. They would anchor themselves to plants with their webs and reel themselves out into the winds during the spring time storms to be carried off to other areas, so they didn¡¯t over crowd their habitats. Only these souls all seemed to flow in one direction. Towards the distant Maw. ¡°You¡¯re unable to leave¡­¡± This perversion must be destroyed. Nemesis said, floating next to her. Or rather, her past self. Left behind to guide her next ascension. She summoned mind magic with her hands again, forming a knife edge at her palm and chopped a strand free, watching the soul wobble in the air before it floated off into the walls on its way off to the maw. Yes. We must free these souls. Weaken the necromancer¡¯s power and we will force it to show itself. ¡°I¡¯ll need a blade or something. I can¡¯t just go around and chop these loose with my hands alone.¡± Use me , Nemeseikon said. It sounded almost like a plea. ¡°I can¡¯t. I reshaped you.¡± I am ethereal. I am what you need. ¡°Alright.¡± Amara sat down, lotus style, and closed her eyes. She¡¯d need a unique weapon if she wanted this to work. Fortunately, she had just the idea. ? Chapter 185 Amara, the reincarnation of Nemesis, goddess of Judgement and Vengeance, held her legendary weapon, Nemeseikon. A weapon she¡¯d wielded in a past life and kept in a tomb in reserve. Unlike Akamori¡¯s blade, which reincarnated with him, Nemesis stashed her weapons away in her previous life. Amara knew now that it was because Nemesis felt that she¡¯d made a critical error in failing to learn more about being a weaver and magic. Her past self had committed fully to the art of war and martial combat at the expense of her skills in magic. A failure you¡¯ve remedied rather well , Nemesis said. ¡°Thanks?¡± She channeled some aether into the reforged hilt of Nemeseikon. A massive blade of pure energy erupted from the hilt. It reminded her of Thanaton, but with pure magic instead of a metal blade. Nemesis nodded approvingly next to her. This will do nicely. Amara flicked the blade out, severing the tethers holding down countless souls. She felt a small breeze as a hush of air blew past. The untethered were free to rejoin the cycle, and the necromancer had lost a fraction of its power. Revulsion and rage set in when she could see that the tethers didn¡¯t just anchor down the souls, but drained them of power as well. The necromancer was using them like batteries. Such is the darker side of necromancy. Bindings forged against a user¡¯s will, and then parasitizing the connection. Nemesis spat next to Amara as she continued to sweep Nemeseikon broadly, slashing free the bindings holding down so many anchored souls. Amara moved with a majestic and practiced grace. She could have been practicing alone in a dojo or in a training temple back on Eryn. Amara surrendered the mental flow of the work. She tuned out all the stress and all the worry. All the unanswered questions she¡¯d been holding onto. She let go of all of it. When she finished, she stopped to reassess the situation. The environment shifted subtly. The walls faded, going opaque and hazy. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m standing in a mirage now.¡± The soul plane is shifting. I believe we are being indirectly challenged by the necromancer. We must succeed. Amara relaxed, standing fully and taking a deep breath. She found it odd that the soul plane had air. She was about to ask Nemesis about that. No. It doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s just your mind manifesting the notion. Because you believe it does, it does. ¡°I can alter reality like that?¡± Only for yourself. Because the change is on such a small scale you aren¡¯t necessarily rewriting reality for anyone else. Just yourself. So your divinity takes care of that easily enough. It¡¯s possible to do so on larger scales, but such feats are divine works, and require the expenditure of worship. ¡°oh. You¡¯d think there¡¯d be a user¡¯s manual for this.¡± There is. You left me. ¡°You didn¡¯t have anyone?¡± No. There was an emptiness and loneliness to Nemesis¡¯ response that drastically altered her initial perceptions of Nemesis as some kind of revenge driven mad woman. She still thought the whole revenge kick was odd, but she couldn¡¯t imagine having to discover everything she¡¯d been fortunate enough to learn like she had without her main source. ¡°Thanks.¡± Nemesis paused and gave Amara an appreciative nod. Amara got the impression her past incarnation didn¡¯t get thanked for a lot. A strange notion, considering she was a justice goddess. Ahead, she saw a dwarf emerge as the surrounding area slowly morphed into a battlefield she didn¡¯t recognize at first. ¡°Not bad, lass. Not bad at all. Certainly much better than yer meat head friend back in the Astral.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Name¡¯s Karnifex. Son of Anorax.¡± ¡°Anorax as in the massive water dragon that was living on Hidros?¡± ¡°One an¡¯ the same.¡± Amara blinked and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t let the body fool ya. I had to swap a few times over my thousands of years. This is just the latest. I was actually plannin¡¯ to trade in once yer knucklehead buddy in the Astral ran outta gas. Till you showed up anyway. Not as powerful as yer friend, but you¡¯ll make a good temp until I can sink ma hooks into his flesh.¡± Pallid green soul magic poured from the dwarf¡¯s eyes as he grinned widely. ¡°Akamori won¡¯t be so easy to stubborn.¡± ¡°Oh, quite true. He¡¯s a bit stubborn that one. But in the end, they all break. Just gotta wear em down. An¡¯ I¡¯ve got plenty of souls and bodies to hurl at the poor kid. Unless you can stop me, that is.¡± His body rippled, and he suddenly grew larger, his body changing, looking more spectral. She got the impression she was seeing him as the iron ranked Soul god that he was now, and not the body he used in the Astral. ¡°Do you get it now? Just how well an¡¯ truly screwed you are? You¡¯re but a fly in a spider¡¯s web.¡± Nemeseikon melted back into her gloves. Against the contrast of her spell armor, it did a good job of matching the aesthetic. She might be a spell weaver, but she was still a girl. Her gloves or gauntlets? Gauntlets. They rippled with her power. Soul, mind, air, and Light magic radiated from her hands. Then she allowed herself a smile as she felt the line between herself and Nemesis blur. He¡¯s forgetting one crucial fact. He¡¯s merely a god strong mage. You¡¯re the goddess of justice and revenge. How many people pray to him? And how many pray to you? ¡°Did you know that on Honshu, there is a wasp that hunts orb weaver spiders? Its carapace is coated in an oil that makes it difficult for the webs to adhere to it. So it intentionally flies into their webs, triggering thier hunting instincts. And when the spider approaches, it lunges out and stings the spider. Inverting the Predator/Prey relationship at the last crucial moment. So tell me Karnifex, do you still feel like a predator here? Or are you just the prey and don¡¯t realize it yet?¡± Oh, that was good. Nemesis said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Karnifex however, glared at her. Unable to parse out if he should be enraged or afraid of what she was capable of. It was clear she needed to explain further. ¡°Let me put it this way. You¡¯re an iron ranked god, yes. And I¡¯m merely a demi god. True. However. There¡¯s more to divinity than simple raw strength. Tell me Karnifex, who worships you?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I have followers.¡± ¡°True. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve scraped together some kind of cult. Now tell me. How many worlds have the followers of Sauridius razed across the sector? How many lives have you torn apart? How many people crying out for justice? For vengeance?¡± Uncomfortable realization settled into Karnifex before he schooled his features neutrally. Small motes of golden divine power appeared around Amara like fireflies. She slowly waved a hand through them. She kept her attention on Karnifex the whole time, as she did. ¡°I can hear them. All the whispered pleas. All the prayers. All the requests. All the desperate cries for the wrongs against them be to be made right. I couldn¡¯t before, but now that my ears have been opened, I can¡¯t turn away from them. Not that I would have before, anyway.¡± ¡°Make your point, child.¡± ¡°I have been. This whole time. You came to this fight thinking you were the predator. But you¡¯re wrong. You¡¯re the spider, and I¡¯m the wasp.¡± ¡°An interesting theory. Let¡¯s test it, shall we?¡± Karnifex said. ¡°There won¡¯t be any tests. Just a singular lesson.¡± ¡°In what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when the lesson is done.¡± All the motes stopped, floated, then darted into Amara as one. Her aura exploded outward, blanketing the battle space. It was layered with authority and vengeance. In an instant Karnifex knew he¡¯d been judged and found wanting. All the lives snuffed out and used as fuel and fodder for the Sauridius necromancers on New Xinjia now weighed against his soul. It suddenly didn¡¯t matter how strong he was, or what the disparity was between them. The retribution of all those lives added up exponentially. Fear and panic set in as their eyes met. Amara blurred into motion, almost impossible to track. Her right fist streaked as it moved to crash into the Karnifex¡¯s jaw. The impact hurled him across the expanse of the nondescript battlefield, spinning as he did. The necromancer slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his jaw with a look of revulsion and horror. ¡°That¡­hurt! How did that hurt?¡± Amara¡¯s hands flared with her aura. ¡°I have come to level the scales of justice, Karnifex. There is much blood on your hands, and I¡¯m here to make sure you pay for every drop spilled. I am justice. I am vengeance. I am Nemesis.¡± Her voice boomed with authority and divinity. Her eyes glowed golden. She possessed Maetrayopts. For an instant, the past incarnation of Nemesis flashed behind Amara, and Karnifex truly knew fear. Nemesis was not a popular god. Or notably very powerful, because she was a concept god, not an aspect or planar god. Her power came more from her worshippers. And because she was a concept domain god, everyone knew of the concept of revenge and justice. Which meant she had entire civilizations at her back, making this up jumped weaver, one of the most dangerous gods in creation. He moved to retreat, but she cut him off, a sneer on her face as she read his actions and motives plain as day. ¡°Going somewhere?¡± ¡°Get away from me!¡± Karnifex howled. Amara appeared in front of him a millisecond later, hands crashing into his body like a fist firing machine gun. His body vibrated from the impacts until she hopped back a step and hit him with a point blank blast of pure astral energy that hurled him from her. Karnifex grunted as he crashed into the ground in a tangle of limbs. Amara let him get back up with as much grace as he could muster. She remained in a ready stance. Hands up, feet shoulder width apart, pointed towards her target. Her magic shimmered around her hands even as she studied the necromancer. Karnifex winced as he tried to stand upright. Amara could see the aether flow points she¡¯d sealed off. Channeling his aether would cause him more strain, resulting a net loss of double his AP for any spell cast now. A magnitude one spell could now cost 2 AP and rose exponentially. Worse still, Karnifex now realized this and had no recourse. Being a necromancer, he had no light magic to heal the damage she¡¯d caused to correct his aether pathways. ¡°Terrifying isn¡¯t it? Almost like being a zero and facing the unjustified wrath of a wannabe god,¡± Amara said in a husky voice tinged with anger. Anger boiled through Karnifex¡¯s entire being, terminating in his hands which were weaving signs. He went through an elaborate summoning spell. Amara watched him silently, waiting the whole time. He knew her speed was great. And yet she allowed him to cast. Was she taunting him? As soon as he entertained the thought, Amara winked at him with a cold smirk. She was almost a different person from the woman he¡¯d seen briefly speaking with Akamori in the Astral. This woman was like a wolf. ¡°You are god touched. I¡¯ll grant you that. But you¡¯ll never be able to bring your worshippers to the fight the way I can,¡± Karnifex crooned coldly. When his spell resolved, a dozen different spirits appeared, hundreds, until they were like ghostly snow with different faces. All blank and expressionless save the runes etched into their foreheads, denoting them as his. Just as Amara had ingested the worship of her people, so too did Karnifex. He literally consumed the souls. Horror and revulsion etched across Amara¡¯s features as she watched him consume a large score of followers. With each soul consumed, he felt that small fraction of power add itself to his own. Like pouring millions of drops of water into a bucket. Eventually, the bucket would fill. She was shaking as the last soul whipped by her and disappeared into his maw. Bright green veins of soul energy tracked along his body and Karnifex grinned. ¡°Ahhhh. That¡¯s more like it.¡± He crooned slowly. ¡°Nothing like a quick meal during a sparing match to loosen one up.¡± Karnifex soared in, lunging with pallid claws that left painful streaks in the air to look at. Like staring at a sun too long. He feinted a lunge, and she ducked right into a rising knee that lifted her up. He caught her with the other hand and spun, hurling her into a mob of souls. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? Death can¡¯t stop me. I am untouchable. We all are.¡± Amara chuckled. An honest, full-hearted chuckle that spilled into contemptuous mocking laughter. She carried on for several minutes, toppling over and rolling side to side while clutching her stomach from the strain until Karnifex grew angry. ¡°Stop it! Stop laughing!¡± She shook her head, waving aside the demand with one arm while wiping away tears with the other. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sorry. It¡¯s just when you say such stupid things? I can¡¯t help but give you the laugh they deserve.¡± When she finished speaking, her voice was back to the same old cold tone she¡¯d assumed with him. Her stone cold demeanor had returned. He surged forward, seizing her by the throat. A manic grin on spread across his draconic features. His soul looked more like a pale version of Anorax in a more humanoid form. ¡°Not so funny now, are you, little girl?¡± In a blink, she clutched his hand with both arms and wrapped her legs around his neck. An instant later he was on the ground and she had his arm in a very painful position with her legs acting like levers threatening to pry his arm out of its socket. ¡°I¡¯m glad you were stupid enough to maintain a body. Usually only wargods do that. The obvious benefit is a powerful and nigh indestructible body to work with. The downside is they tend to still come with weaknesses. As much as I¡¯ve grown to dispise Sauridius I have to commend it for being smart enough to make itself raw magic. Even in a broken and distributed fashion, he still lives on, even if he is functionally unconscious.¡± She grunted and applied more tension to the arm. It was so close to popping out. ¡°But you? No. Sauridius could be torn to pieces and still be Sauridius, just disconnected. But you? Your body comes with rules. Rules that are ingrained into our heads and even reality. Like bones and sockets, nerves, aether flow points, and so on. Some of these systems are easier to ignore than others, but bones and aether flow points are harder to ignore and thus, usually more persistent than the others. Translation? You can be an undead soul god, but still need bones and an aether flow system to regulate your magic.¡± She torqued a little more and there was a very loud dull pop. Karnifex¡¯s mouth opened in a soundless scream that never left his throat. He just lay in pure agony. Amara rolled off of him and upright, hands up again in a ready stance. Magic lacing her hands and feet again like spectral fire. ¡°Ready to give up? Or are you thirsty for more?¡± ? Chapter 186 ¡°You poor deluded little child. I¡¯m going to peel your soul free of your body, and use it as a decoration for my spell ship¡¯s bridge.¡± Karnifex said. Amara assumed a ready stance ahead of the soul god. ¡°I¡¯m not deluded. This is the soul plane. You believe we are within your realm of power. Purely on the merit that you¡¯re a necromancer.¡± Amara¡¯s eyes flashed with iridescent golden light. Her maetrayopts shimmering in the almost painful glow of the realm of the dead. ¡°But my domain transcends simple concepts like planes and realms. Because the dead don¡¯t forget when they¡¯ve been unjustly murdered. Or shackled against their will. My covenant supersedes the Astral plane¡¯s boundaries. Justice extends to every corner of the system.¡± Karnifex scowled, blurring forward and slashing at her with inhumanly long claws made of bone. As they cut arcs through the air, they blurred, and Amara could see they¡¯d cause soul damage and physical damage. She blocked, parried, and evaded Karnifex¡¯s attacks. While he may have been heavily soul aspected, his attacks were precise and dangerous. No matter how accurate Karnifex¡¯s attacks were, however, the goddess of Vengeance eluded him. She could read his moves, follow the flow of magic through his body, and anticipate its use. She¡¯d trained on a world full of air aspected warrior mages. She¡¯d faced down countless necromancers and soldiers. And now she¡¯d ascended with the aid of Lord Death itself. And on top of all of that? She possessed the eyes of Maetraya, eyes that revealed all truth. Karnifex lunged, and she batted away his strike. His large talons sank into the ground with a thick thud. She countered by attacking the aetherpoint nexus in his forearm, and the limb fell limp like dead weight. Karnifex slashed at her with his other arm, drawing sparks against her bracelet shaped shield. A pair of Banshees shrieked at her from opposite flanks. Forced to either take the attacks or block them, Amara went with the best of two bad choices. If she¡¯d had the Captain¡¯s gift of seeing the future, perhaps she could have expected the scenario. As it was, he thrust her forearms up and blocked the shriek attacks that hammered at her from both sides. Golden white wards flashed to life, discoloring at the edges under the strain as cracks began to spiderweb across their surface. Sure enough, as soon as she blocked, a binding spell flew towards her only for a golden warrior with a sword to emerge from her body and slash the spell into motes of spent aether before it shrank back into her. Surprise as much as joy and awe rattled through her. Karnifex was after her instantly, lashing out with a kick that connected square in her stomach. She tumbled back onto the ground in a mess. Stumbling back to her feet, she shook out of the soul chill debuff that was sinking into her bones after Karnifex¡¯s strike landed. She had to be swift about this and do it without suffering too much damage. The two clashed again, exchanging blows that were blocked or parried. But this time Amara went on the defensive with a focus on concentrated parries and retaliatory strikes. She never struck an open and clean blow that would leave herself open and exposed. Instead, she would slip a quick strike inside the soul god¡¯s guard, systematically eroding his defenses and ruining his aether point pathways. It was a long and drawn-out process that saw her needing to take hits in sacrifice. But she had a tactical plan to win the war, and thus could cede to him the battle of strikes. A great deal of time passed before realization began to slowly dawn in Karnifex. His magically imbued strikes were landing with less ferocity and causing less damage than their initial opening salvo. At first, he wrote it off as a budding Nemesis, having taken his measure, and she was content to let him think that. But only when it was too late did he discover that she¡¯d been baiting him in exchanging blows so she could continue to dismantle his ability to cast. Enraged, he lashed out with a roundhouse that caught her cleanly in the jaw and sent her spinning. ¡°What have you done to me, you foul witch?¡± Amara grunted, rising slowly from the numbing pain in her chest and face. She sniffed at the blood that drained from her nose a few times before wiping it along the bracer of her armor. It wasn¡¯t elegant, but she wasn¡¯t concerned about looking ladylike in the moment. Her vision blurred a few times, and she swayed as she fought to maintain her balance. ¡°Nothing more than you¡¯ve allowed me to do.¡± She said with a wince. Karnifex flexed his hands, trying to channel magic, but it refused to listen to him. It took a great deal of will power to circumvent the damage. Like rerouting the flow of a river around a dam. It cost him a significant expenditure of divinity and he was lesser for the act. And then he realized she¡¯d planned this all along. Worse still, the bitch had been waiting patiently for him to reach this moment. She¡¯d been playing with him since she came here. He sucked in a dignified puff of air. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Since our first exchange. I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to pass up playing with your food, so to speak. So all I had to do was keep you baited with the promise of pain and victory. All while disabling your AP paths. Either you left the damage and fought in a diminished capacity, or you reversed the damage and spent divinity to do so.¡± A troubling feeling took root in Karnifex. For far too long, he¡¯d enjoyed playing with people and things. And now, he was the one being toyed with. It was fear. The stark realization that he was no longer the biggest fish in the pond he played in. Amara blazed with golden fury. A righteousness born from the mountain of dead Leviathos, Sauridius, and their followers like himself and Ominek had caused directly and indirectly. Even in the muted, pallid wash of the soul realm, she was radiant and lively. As though she carried a pocket of the Astral with her. The radiance stung at his eyes like needles rammed into his retinas. ¡°You¡¯ve defeated me. Now what?¡± Amara approached him. No, not the little priestess she¡¯d been. This was a war goddess who kept a ledger of reality. Nemesis advanced. ¡°Now? I set you free.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Confusion rippled through him, but before he could respond, she placed a palm to his chest and she slammed a pulse of radiant power through him that felt like she¡¯d just punched his soul with a runaway truck. She snatched a spectral being up by the neck from behind him. It was withered, gnashing its teeth and feebly clawing at her, to no avail. Then she squeezed. There was a loud keening, and the sound of glass shattering. Disembodies moaning as the shattered soul shards glittered in the spectral winds until eventually they were drawn into the distant maw. With the aberrant soul driving Karnifex¡¯s body removed, he shuddered and convulsed. His spectral form changed. Claws and malformed limbs reshaped to normal proportions. An elegant white draconic tail emerged from his back, as well as a pair of wings which folded up after stretching out. Karnifex¡¯s body lowered back to the ground, and he fell to his knees, sobbing softly. ¡°How were you shackled for?¡± Amara asked, kneeling down. Karnifex stared vacantly into the distance for a moment, so Amara gave him time to process his rapid change in circumstance. Finally, he glanced up to her, relief and tears filling his eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡± He whispered weakly. Amara nodded to him with a smile. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been easy. To be trapped inside like that. Bound by a shackling spell and an invasive soul.¡± ¡°I resisted at first.¡± He started and trailed off. Overwhelmed by the influx of thoughts and information, he now had to process himself. ¡°But over time, it felt like a lost cause. My resistance only caused me more agony. Eventually I gave up hope.¡± Amara¡¯s maetrayopts shimmered iridescent and gold. Small rainbows contained within gold colored orbs. She was completely different now from when she¡¯d left the temple on Hoshun years ago. Karnifex studied her quietly for a moment. ¡°Why help me? It would have been easier to just destroy me and put down the threat together. I can sense the expense of divinity purging the binding cost you.¡± He was right, after all. She was dimmer than she¡¯d been. It was a costly expense, but it was the right one. And she¡¯d gladly do it again. She smiled and squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. ¡°Because it was the just thing to do.¡± Karnifex bowed his head. ¡°I owe you my life. And so. If you would have it, I would take a covenant with you.¡± ¡°I would be honored.¡± The two finished the covenant with each other. Karnifex would stand up for those down trodden by injustice, and in return he could gain access to a radiant bolt attack that harmed evil souls. Tears fell from Karnifex¡¯s face as he looked at his hands trembling. Amara took his face into her hands and brought his gaze up to meet hers. ¡°You¡¯ve weathered untold atrocities. You¡¯ve endured so much darkness. But the light is returning. Stay strong. And maybe go see your father.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± He choked out between sobs. ¡°Why not? You¡¯re his son. He has so little left. I think it would be good for the both of you. If nothing more than to know you¡¯re finally safe.¡± ¡°I almost shackled his soul.¡± Amara nodded, understanding. He¡¯d been a binder at the ritual on Hidros. He must have slipped out by a soul portal in the fighting. Or rather, the soul that had bound him was. ¡°You weren¡¯t in control. That was the soul driving your body. I know if you had control of your body, you¡¯d have been out there fighting with us, too. I can see it on your soul, plain as day. That¡¯s why I could dispel the binding. Justice and Vengeance. It¡¯s my domain now.¡± Karnifex nodded. His aura was turbulent with so much emotion he was still trying to process, but it was clear he¡¯d make the recovery in time. He gripped her forearm with an intense look. ¡°Make them pay. For all of us.¡± Amara nodded solemnly. ¡°I will. Before, it used to be about revenge. But it¡¯s more than. The system is out of balance. I believe it¡¯s my job to help restore it.¡± Karnifex nodded. ¡°I have no purpose. For so long, I was a prisoner in my body. Freedom is almost terrifying. Now that I have control again, I don¡¯t know what I want for myself.¡± She smiled ruefully and patted the human shaped dragon on the shoulder. ¡°You remind me a lot of my friend.¡± ¡°Did he ever find his way?¡± ¡°Eventually yeah. I think so. We didn¡¯t talk for very long, but he looked better than I remember. Like something finally clicked into place for him. Something he¡¯d been missing for a while. It was a good look for him. Hang in there, you¡¯ll find your own way.¡± Karnifex nodded, rising and giving his wings an experimental stretch. Then he flapped them several times and rose into the air, before the murky haze of their battleground swallowed him whole. Amara watched as the sickly white and green haze swirled in his wake before turning back to what she imaged was the way she¡¯d come. She needed a way back. Her eyes glowed with a radiant aura as her hands wove the signs and runes necessary and a portal opened back to the Astral Realm. In time, such actions would no longer be necessary, Nemesis said. ¡°I know. But it¡¯s good practice, and I always enjoyed weaving.¡± Without further delay, she strode through the portal. ? Chapter 187 She has ascended. Bahumet said reverently. There hasn¡¯t been a Nemesis since the last Divine War. Akamori blocked an engine block sized fist, but its follow through shoved him back, anyway. His boots lost traction against the smooth tile flooring, slick with congealed blood and rotten meat. He was moving on autopilot. Mentally? He was still trying to process the past couple of minutes. ¡°She¡¯s back.¡± He muttered, ducking under a strike that gusted a small breeze through his hair. Yes. And Ascended. No doubt this is Death¡¯s doing. ¡°Death? She did this?¡± I would suspect so. Some gods are not just hyper powerful mages. Some gods represent conceptual domains. Death is one such entity. While I was a powerful void dragon flush with magic on par with a god. I was not the god of death, life, or heroism or deception or corruption. Akamori frowned. This wasn¡¯t helping. Bahumet was giving him more to think about than he began with. He swept the legs out from under an abomination and watched as it ignited with soul fire. A horde of specters flooded the corridor from the lift. The screaming wail of a Banshee announced them. Akamori clutched his ears as white hot pain stabbed into his ears. He channeled some of his soul magic to blunt her attack. Like repelling like. Behind her, a quartet of female demons. Dark lavender skin, curved ram shaped horns protruding from the forehead, bat-like wings, and a tail. They kind of reminded him of dragons in human form. Each was armed with a wicked spell blade that made Thanaton quiver in anticipation. The spell blade snapped to his hands eagerly. Akamori gave himself up to the work of carving through the spirits. Each one burst in a hushed spiritual cry and puff of pallid green smoke. The demons did not wait, taking up his invitation. They blurred forward, using short range teleports to cross the expanse quickly. As they closed, he could see hazy soul runes stamped into their souls. ¡°They¡¯re shackled?¡± It would explain their presence here. Thralls to the necromancer, no doubt. He ducked under the attack, a high horizontal slash, and leaned out of an arcing slash by the demon behind the lead. A quick burst of air put Akamori into a controlled spin that avoided a stabbing lunge. The blade twisted horizontally and slashed, forcing him to lean into a back handspring. The Demons held back, allowing more specters to rush him, but they burned to ash against his aura as soul fire torched them in spectral soul cries. The demons exchanged looks. ¡°You have a pact with the god of death?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Fascinating.¡± The lead demon advanced, and the quartet attacked as a unit. The action pushed him to the limit, forcing him to commit more of his magic to enhancing his body. He needed to be stronger and faster. There was no room for error as he blocked, parried, and evaded. The brutality of the onslaught forced him purely defensive, and he knew he was in a losing scenario unless something changed. He had no way of fending them off without something intervening or a circumstance being altered. Unfortunately for him, the demons were all still alive, so his soul fire aura did nothing to them. We must break through our limitations and go beyond, Bahumet said. Mentally running through his options brought him up short. The Void Shroud wasn¡¯t enough. And he couldn¡¯t unlock his seal again as it was still on the 24 hr. cooldown. He was about to respond when a vicious kick in the stomach pressed him against a wall so hard left an outline in the steel wall. Then came the torrent of fists and feet. They wreaked of brimstone and hate. Riddling the wall and his body with blows. ¡°How!?¡± he grunted. Reach out to your worshippers. Ask them for power. Akamori¡¯s voice rang out across the void. Distance was no factor where a god and his followers were concerned. They may as well have stood right next to him for as little as it mattered. ¡°My people. We face an existential threat. One I face on your behalf. But I can¡¯t do it alone. I need your help. Pray. Believe in my strength. Know me to be powerful, and I will be so!¡± The worship slammed into him like a flood. Not just from the Katatska, but he also felt prayers from the Saphron too. Somehow, word had spread from the fire beast tribe to the astral beast tribe. The power slammed into him like a tsunami through a keyhole. Each prayer whispered, a mote of golden light that sank into his body. It began as a trickle and increased intensity. Soon he felt like he was standing in a monsoon of power, absorbing it all. The divine fire within him responded. A small element of Vulcan awakened. It smoldered with red hot fury and fire. That¡¯s right, he wasn¡¯t just here to protect the humans. He had his own followers to protect. He channeled that power in raw aether and unlocked the first gate of his seal. He spent a quarter of his total AP instantly. Power blasted through his body, pushing him to his limits and beyond. The eruption was so strong he wasn¡¯t able to contain the complete release of it. A blast wave shoved everything around his back, even the grimy blood on the ground. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Divine fire wreathed his form, and his eyes glowed red like Vulcan¡¯s used to. His hair writhed in currents of energy like snakes poised to strike. System Info: You have used the ability Seal Release, 1rst Gate, Gate of Unleashed: Costs Moderate AP. Moderate melee damage boost, Small spellcasting damage boost and reduces damage taken from physical attacks by a small amount. Activates a small AP recovery when landing physical attacks. His body ached with the power, trembling on such a scale that he felt like he was vibrating out of his skin. He flexed his hand a few times, trying to get a handle on it. He¡¯d never imagined what having this much power might feel like. The experience was akin to being awash in the sea of power that was a god¡¯s mind. Except instead of being a visitor then, now it was his own body. Akamori? ¡°Yeah?¡± he replied quickly. Are you ok? ¡°Oh yeah! I¡¯m good!¡± You¡¯re acting like you¡¯ve just eaten aether mushrooms. ¡°Sounds like something you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Akamori rattled off like a machine gun. Indeed. ¡°Can¡¯t talk. Gotta dodge.¡± A massive engine block sized fist crashed down into the tile he¡¯d been standing on just a moment. Akamori simply vanished from the abomination¡¯s perspective. For Akamori he merely hopped out of the way and circled behind the brute. It studied the ground and inspected its hand, looking for any sign it smashed him. Akamori put a palm on the creature¡¯s back, and put his fingertips on the creature¡¯s back, and made a fist a few inches away. When he punched the beast in the back, the impact shattered its spine, pulped meat and blasted it across the corridor. It bounced off the wall, leaving a large splat stain. He leaned out of the path of an incoming lunge and punched up into the elbow joint. Bone and tissue exploded upwards out of the arm as the joint shattered and hyper extended. The Abominations now felt slow enough and weak enough to deal with easily. So he did. As he ripped and tore his way through the necromancer¡¯s minions, the Brotherhood recorded his work via small camera drones. They recorded the action as their savior carved his way through the horde. Proof positive that humanity was under the protection of a god once more. With each abomination he felled, more indirect worship flowed. Word of his deeds spread across the Brotherhood like a divine wildfire, leaving only one word in its wake. Change. It was due for so long and had finally come. The people of the Brotherhood would suffer no longer. And Akamori was the one who¡¯d finally upset that power imbalance for humanity. As the last abomination stopped struggling, he dropped its still body to the floor with a wet slap. He turned a weary gaze to the blast doors protecting his people and the survivors. The small camera drones hovered in the air, flanking him. Their camera lenses whirred as he stopped at the doorway, waiting for them to let him in. Light cast a thin stream that widened as the doors peeled apart with a pneumatic hiss. When his eyes adjusted, he stared down the barrels of everyone¡¯s weapons. Behind those? Relieved expressions. Several of the soldiers in the back began clapping and soon all the brotherhood staff joined in. The commanding officer strode up and offered his hand to shake. ¡°Well done, son. Thanks to you, we¡¯ve got a fighting chance in this war.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the endgame now. Whatever the Sauridius have planned, it¡¯s happening now.¡± General Zhang gripped Akamori¡¯s hand firmly and nodded. He had a mix of brotherhood features, being a blend of two of old humanity¡¯s biggest nations. Zhang was a no-nonsense leader. The man who brought everyone he could to the safest and most defensible position to hold out for help. ¡°All the more reason for you to take the fight to them.¡± Zhang said. Akamori nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to finish securing the site. Keep your people here for now.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± Sirsir said. ¡°You, uh¡­you good?¡± ¡°Yeah Traze. I¡¯m good. I understand now, I think.¡± He glanced around, looking at everything with a newfound appreciation. Perspective, he supposed. Or maybe it was just growing into the understanding that often the path we want to walk, and the path we need to walk, don¡¯t always align, and that¡¯s ok. If he¡¯d had his way, would he ever have been able to protect his friends and allies like this? Not likely. For all his bluster about hating fate and destiny, he couldn¡¯t deny that he needed the power it had placed in his path. That didn¡¯t mean he still had to like it, but at he at least understood the why. He clapped his friend and former mentor on the shoulder, giving him a thankful nod. Then strode out of the bunker and gestured for the doors to shut. One tech in the bunker threw the switch and the blast doors sealed again. Everyone¡¯s weapons came back up, ready to throw fire down range if they had to. Sure enough the soul chilling cry of specters and revenants could be heard spilling down the elevator shaft. Akamori took a seat as the doors closed behind him. His friends¡¯ safety buoyed his soul. He would become whatever he had to in order to protect them. But his drive went beyond that. He fought not just for them, but for the system, too. Because ultimately they would all return to it. It was the way of things. He closed his eyes and let his aura spread out. In his current state, with the first gate opened, it gave him even greater reach. He could feel everyone within it like a protective bubble. Shelter in the storm. He couldn¡¯t be here to save them all when it first began. But he was here to draw the line in the sand. No one else. No farther. All the senseless murder and corruption it ended here. He found the Soul Fire ability that Death had gifted him and he triggered it. Like a lit match to kindling, the Soul Fire spread out, igniting all the undead souls that flooded down after him. His eyes opened, and he focused with an intensity that drove fear into the undead for the first time since they¡¯d reached this rock. For all their hunger for the living and uncorrupted souls, the undead discovered there was something they feared. Akamori. He was a mere sliver of something older . Something more powerful. And he was still growing. ? Chapter 188 Eryn Arch Priest Erlaut paced frantically as he muttered just beneath his breath. His mania had grown worse in the past few days. Rest came sparsely, if at all. He¡¯d done the best he could to prepare. All that he could. That fool Morwen, always so rebellious, had taken the Theferis and run off on one of her fool¡¯s errands. Always the dutiful soldier, but always so insistent that she was the correct one. But she didn¡¯t know like he knew. He saw it every night when he closed his eyes. The dragon¡¯s final siege of Eryn. Every night he was forced to walk the ashes of his world as the dragons brought ruin to it. Every night he was forced to stand witness to true evil as Sauridius reawakened. Every night he was forced to watch as they robbed the golden well of its vitality. Every night he was forced to weep as his world burned and the sector fell to darkness. He¡¯d taken every precaution he had within his ability. The Grand Fleet had been mobilized and stationed above the planet and placed on alert. He¡¯d evacuated the populace to shelters designed to withstand sieges after Ominek¡¯s attack. He¡¯d even erected a powerful shield over the city, the complexity of its wards among the strongest he¡¯d ever woven. Something shifted, almost imperceptibly. It rippled over him softly, like a gentle summer breeze. He wouldn¡¯t have noticed it had it not been for the augmentation spell he¡¯d cast on his divination senses to warn him of potential shifts in the divine web. Since he couldn¡¯t see the future, he¡¯d rigged up a sort of trip wire to warn him of something dangerous. That trip wire spell had just pinged him at the same time as the shift. He froze. Something powerful and evil was approaching. He bolted for the window and leaned out to look above. In orbit, a massive void portal opened. Even from the surface, Erlaut could see a massive fleet roll forward from the aperture. He wove a quick teleport spell and crossed the vast expanse between himself and the capital ship Aeryn¡¯s Grace, in orbit. He appeared on the deck of the Erynian flagship, already in motion, striding for the bridge. The frost clinging to his clothing from the long distance umbral jump steamed softly as it melted. He and the crew watched with dread as a score of dragons spilled out of the void like a bag of snakes being dumped out. And at the rear of the massed force? Leviathos himself. The father of all Sauridian dragons. Dread seized Erlaut locking him in place. His nightmare manifest crippled him. A panicked crew member crashed into him, drawing his attention from the chaos above him. He blinked, trying his best to regain his composure and control. Like a pestilent cloud, the dragons descended upon the gathered fleet above Eryn. Teeth, talons and tails gnashed as spells flickered back and forth inside the cloud. Above it all towered Leviathos, the demigod guardian of Sauridius. Architect of the elder gods return. Somehow Erlaut knew these two facts deep within his soul, as though a hot brand had stamped them there. The massive dreadlord coiled around the small planet covetously. Erlaut risked a glance back at the surface, sighed in relief at the raised shield. It would hold for now, but for how long? Long enough for a miracle, he hoped. They lacked the legendary spell ship and Morwen and now more than ever he realized what a mistake it had been to spurn Morwen. He should have put Rayshe in his place sooner, but that damage had been done under her father¡¯s watch, not his own. Now all he could do was make up for previous mistakes. Erlaut reached out to the web of fate hesitantly. He was curious if the block was still up on divination magic. No doubt a powerful hex cast by Leviathos to prevent possible counter planning. To his surprise, he could sense the web and all the possibilities it yielded. ¡°You¡¯ve made a grave miscalculation, wyrm.¡± Erlaut said. Releasing his stranglehold on the web meant Leviathos was confident enough in his preparations that nothing that happened here would stop him from succeeding in his goal. But winning the battle and winning the war were different matters. Erlaut just needed to find something that would ensure his people lived on. However, instead of hope, he only found despair. ¡°ArchPriest!¡± the captain shouted, desperately trying to get his attention. Erlaut blinked away the web and his focus returned. ¡°Yes, captain?¡± ¡°We need you now.¡± And there it was. The thing he needed most. It didn¡¯t live on the web. It lived in the here and now. Time. It had such a strange way of affected judgement and priorities. He gave the Captain a reassuring pat on the shoulder and flashing his most confident smile as he nodded. It was a confidence he didn¡¯t feel whatsoever, but his forces needed it more than he did . The Emerald Guard needed it. The people of Eryn needed it. Leviathos¡¯ talon pointed to the shield. An unspoken command issued, and all the dragons poured down, crashing into it. Spells and breath attacks slammed into the shield, and it held. Erlaut directed his fleet to focus on the smaller and weaker wyrms first. They would work their way up and thin out the numbers as best they could. It wasn¡¯t the greatest approach as strategies went, but he wasn¡¯t on Morwen¡¯s scale with applied tactics. He was a mage, not a warrior. Unfortunately, right now, his people needed him to be both. So he would do his best to protect his people, and more importantly, the wellspring. A wyrm crashed onto the deck clumsily, and Erlaut immediately dispatched it with a disintegration spell that blasted away its head. He noticed it was missing large chunks of its body. As though they¡¯d been blasted away already. Had the dragon already been dead when it attacked? He didn¡¯t get time to verify the theory before the ship fell under attack by a trio of dragons. ¡°Roll 20, Pitch minus 10, all mages to the port side. Fire!¡± Several things happened at once. The ship banked, so the port side had a clean shot at the offending dragons. As this happened, it tipped into a soft dive. Two squads of mages lined the port side gunnery positions and hurled powerful light magic blasts. The blasts shredded through the trio of smaller dragons. A massive acid blast slammed into the exposed side of the ship, but the Erynian Redwood planks that made the ship¡¯s hull were sturdier than steel. Recognizing the threat, Erlaut barked a follow up set of commands. ¡°Roll 35, pitch 25, proceed for 200 meters, then adjust heading to 275 degrees. Mages, split deck, select targets of opportunity, and fire at will!¡± The ship rolled in the other direction and climbed slightly. The mages split their squads up to one each side and readied another salvo of spells as dozens of others filled the airspace. A large white dragon with milky white eyes and a hole bored into the center of its head and several other spaces on its body hurled a lightning bolt at them. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Erlaut counter spelled, sending a streak of red magic out that nullified the spell. Erlaut needed to take control of the fight, and quickly. He felt a pulse from his spell staff. Acknowledgement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old friend. I never dreamed this day would come.¡± He felt it respond to him with sadness and acceptance. As if it said back to him wordlessly, ¡° It¡¯s ok. This is the purpose for which I was created .¡± Erlaut released the staff as it hovered next to him. Now free, his hands wove signs the opening signs. Slowly at first and speeding up in speed. Magic began to glow and resonate around him as he continued to channel and weave. When it became almost too much to bear he gripped the spell stave and a blast of pure, raw, aether explode from the top focused through the floating ruby at the top, creating several kilometers long spell blade from the staff like a god sized weapon. Then, Erlaut swung his weapon and wiped away a vast swathe of dragons, boiling them away with undistilled power as though they were never there. Where the blade passed, it simply evaporated their foes. High above the battle, Leviathos watched with delight. It was only a matter of time before the guardian of this pathetic little world would begin spending large portions of magic. He casually blocked the spell saber with a flick of his talon, oblivious of the fact that the attack was removing large quantities of his horde. Most of them had been dead, and brought here for this attack. This was it. His final gambit before he brought his dark father back. Erlaut staggered on the deck of his flagship as he continued to sweep his weapon across the battlefield. Eventually, the horde of dragons got wise to the weapon and began dodging its attacks. It still claimed victims, but far fewer than the initial surprise caught. The spell lasted a few moments longer until the ruby began cracking under the strain before shattering and exploding into fractured pieces. The haft itself turned to ash, leaving nothing behind of the spell staff he had carried for years. Leviathos gave the command, and the dragons regrouped and fell upon the shield once again. Even with fewer numbers, they struck with twice as much ferocity. The shield discolored under the assault and cracked in several places. Erlaut brought his flagship above the fray and sprayed luminous fire on the dragons, physically attacking the shield. Golden fire scorched the undead dragons who kept up their attacks, ignorant of the damage done to them. Scattered among them was the occasional living dragon that flailed in the fire. But it was too little too late. The remaining ships in the fleet were overwhelmed fighting their own battles. Erlaut watched Leviathos rear back a massive talon and bring it down, crashing into the shield. The wards discolored, cracked and shattered like glass. Chaos ensued below as the massive talon of Leviathos slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust in all directions. And then he was gone. Erlaut tensed as a powerful elder wyrm like that disappearing meant bad things. The Cadaver Crasher blazed through the skies above Eryn. Captain Fennex barked orders as the gunners operated the spell and mac cannons. Magnetized ferrous slugs and bolts of elemental aether slammed into thick draconic scales with little effect. It was like Tohruun, Kofex, and Hidros all over again. ¡°Where is Morwen?¡± He growled, not for the last time since the battle began. The ship bucked as mages on loan from the surface poured magic into the main gun and fired at their target. He watched as a massive firebolt slammed into a draconic zombie¡¯s body like a flaming spear lancing it clean through. Secondary fire from Brotherhood mounted tech munitions poured on afterwards, bathing the corpse in explosions and tearing gaping holes into its body. The corpse dropped the ship it had been tearing apart and pounced on the Crasher. The weapons began firing with frantic zeal, trying desperately to dislodge the great undead beast to no effect. Its ivory talons and teeth tore at the metal flesh of the ship violently. The undead dragon savaged the Crasher¡¯s hull. Systems blew out across several decks, and the ship started losing altitude. Fennex cursed as he did what he could to seal the small hull fractures in the bridge. ¡°Get everyone out. Now! We¡¯re going down.¡± Crew members frantically evacuated stations and rushed to the hangar of the ship. Most knew it was their only way out. Fennex struggled and fought with the aged battleship as she began to tumble end over end in an uncontrolled fall. He emptied every weapon at his command into the undead dragon until it eventually released the ship and flew off to attack another target. ¡°Come on you blasted ship! Fly!¡± The spell drive whined as Fennex ran the throttle forward and did his best to stabilize the descent. The best he could manage was stopping it¡¯s spin, but it was still going to crash. He eyed the corridor off the bridge. If left now, it was a sure bet half or more of the crew would die. He sighed, leaning back in his harness. ¡°Well hell. Always knew I¡¯d bite it fighting these scaley bastards. Never figured it¡¯d be on the pointy¡¯s own blasted planet.¡± He reached down and fished out a beer. When the plea for help came in over the long range comms he knew it was against his better judgement to come back to Eryn, but some golden lady had made him an offer he couldn¡¯t say no to. Come to the planets defense and she would bestow some of her power to him. So now he could use light magic to fly. Of course it was a suicide run, no different than his trip to New Xinjia, but at least on Eryn, he could fight instead of acting like a glorified armed taxi. He blew at the can, coating it in a thin sheen of frost. A flick of his wrist popped the tab up top with a hiss of compressed gas. He saluted to the lush green forest of Eryn as it grew in shape and proximity to the wounded battleship. This would be her last flight. He knew that. An ignoble end for the old girl that¡¯d saved his and the lives of many of his friends many times over. He wouldn¡¯t abandon her in her last moments. Fennex patted the console. ¡°You did right by me and mine. I won¡¯t leave ya now.¡± He saluted the ship, the Brotherhood, and Akamori as the Cadaver Crasher slammed into the surface, plowing a trench into the soil and landscape several hundred meters long. And thus ended the last flight of the Crasher. ¡°The wellspring¡­¡± Erlaut said, realizing the gambit too late. ¡°Protect the skies. No one else reaches the surface!¡± Erlaut barked and strode into a teleport spell. He shrugged off the magical nausea and the frost from his robes. Dragons rained down in the skies above Eryn when the defense shield fell. Anti-air cannon fire filled the sky from batteries along the ground. Even mages and beast tribes alike contributed fire. The entire world rallied for its defense. Rounds from spell rifles shot into the air like embers of magic floating in the air from a fire. Mages contributed their spells as well. The beast tribes in the countryside also lent their power while praying to thier new god for support. The combined arms worked to overwhelm the remaining dragons, taking them down one at a time. Chaos reigned even still as the wyrms descended upon the city and lay waste to it, forcing the defenders to focus on them instead of Leviathos. In the great temple just ahead of the passageway that fed down to the golden well, Erlaut stood with his spell staff. Before him stood Leviathos in his human shifted form. His wings folded elegantly behind him. Jet black hair that fell down past his shoulder blades was swept back out of his face. His eyes glowed with sickly green soul magic. His attire was elegant and regal. That of a draconic noble from an age forgotten by most. Meanwhile, across the sector, the pleas of many desperate tribes cross the expanse of space to reach their patron, Akamori. ? Chapter 189 Erlaut watched Leviathos stand before him, ready for combat. Worse than that, he looked eagerly for it. Erlaut himself had dreaded this moment for months. Somehow he¡¯d known this scenario would come to pass. Even with all divination magic blocked, it¡¯s like something was there in the back of his mind whispering this would happen. He would face Leviathos. And he would die. Still, he would not cower from that destiny, but greet it as the bulwark he intended to be. He tapped his golden spell staff against the floor, small sparks sprayed out with each loud strike. ¡°Your move wyrm .¡± He¡¯d used it as the insult it originally began as. Overtime, most commoners simply used dragon and wyrm interchangeably, despite there being a physical difference. Though it began as derogatory, nowadays, most used it in shorthand instead of saying dragons. Leviathos¡¯ lips peeled back in an amused grin. ¡°So full of defiance and life. Beating it out of you is going to be so delicious.¡± The elder wyrm extended a hand, summoning soul magic into it, until a scimitar appeared that made Erlaut¡¯s eyes ache when he looked at it. Otherworldly soul energy shaped into the form of a large scimitar. A haze shrouded the weapon as it gave off an ethereal chill. Erlaut channeled his divine sight, and he watched as the engagement unfolded. Leviathos had a variety of openings, all of which he could block or parry. The two clashed like titans, but Leviathos¡¯ age and skill with a blade eventually won him the victory. Erlaut knew he wouldn¡¯t survive his clash. He saw himself die a thousand different ways. But living didn¡¯t always mean defeat. There were some possibilities where he could tweak the outcome just enough that it gave the future a chance. So he borrowed a page from Leviathos¡¯ book and obscured that potential outcome away, shrouding it in the murky abyss of probabilities and possibilities. This allowed other, more obvious outcomes to come to the fore. Most of which ended in his demise, and Leviathos rising triumphantly. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to trust the future to you Morwen.¡± He said with a soft whisper. The words carried off on a spell to project his words to her. She was no doubt realizing she¡¯d been played, as they all had, and was rushing back to save them all again. Only this time, she¡¯d arrive too late to win the day. ¡°There¡¯s a sort of grim satisfaction in knowing you¡¯ll lose.¡± Erlaut said matter-of-factly before Leviathos moved. The elder wyrm hesitated, genuine curiosity blooming behind those reptilian eyes. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°It frees you up to otherwise previously denied trains of thought. I don¡¯t have to survive you. I already know the forgone conclusion thanks to you. However, I wonder just how much I could wound you? How much pain and agony can I cause? How much frustration I wonder?¡± Leviathos¡¯ previously cocky demeanor shifted dangerously. Not that Erlaut would have expected the wyrm to make sloppy mistakes in the endgame. No, he needed Leviathos distracted. Focused on his anger and not his goal. Everyone had their vice. It was just a matter of finding the right button to push. Leviathos charged forward, his soul blade biting at his staff as it twirled and spun around him. In between blocks, he snuck the weapon between the dragon¡¯s feet for a leg sweep, but Leviathos frustratingly jumped above the attack and lowered himself elegantly with a few controlled puffs of his wings. Then the sword came back again with a fury. His footwork would have impressed even some warriors in thier own spell college. Some of those late training sessions with them in long hours of his near manic psychosis now paid off dividends as he worked behind Leviathos and blasted the dread lord in the back with a full powered light bolt. The attack vaporized the air in a massive sphere in front of his palm. Thunder cracked as the atmosphere fell into the temporary void he¡¯d created, and Leviathos was hurled across the chamber to crash into the far wall. Erlaut offered his opponent no quarter, knowing caution had no place here now. Instead, he needed to sell that he was giving this his all. This confrontation mattered little, save for its conclusion. All these frontal moves were just feints and gambits to keep the dread wyrm entertained and distracted. The death throes of his greatest enemy. The dragon clawed his way back to his feet in time to parry a relentless assault from Erlaut¡¯s golden spell staff. Glee filled the dread lord as the two demi gods battled. A fight that would be sung about for ages. The day the defenders of light were laid low. That was the childish dream driving Leviathos at least. He was so empty-headed of his own drive and ambition, he may as well have been a sock puppet for Sauridius. So contaminated and corrupted, so hollowed out. Devoid of anything resembling whatever he may have initially been. Unlike Erlaut, who, some could argue, had been trained for this very moment. The fact has disheartened many he was coming up short. A cut here, a shallow stab there. His injuries were minor, and his magic could hold it at bay for now. Prolonging the inevitable. Stretching out Leviathos¡¯ amusement. He struck the Leviathos in the gut, then brought the haft of the staff up, snapping the dread lord¡¯s chin skywards. A few teeth clattered to the stone tile of the floor as the dread lord slowly lowered his gaze onto the arch mage. Erlaut¡¯s hands were already weaving a complex series of glyphs and runes. He activated his Astral Guardian ability, then stabbed his staff into the ground and hopped back. System Info: Astral Guardian: Channel the full power of your divinity, and that of the Golden Well temporarily into a singular spell. Increase Spell Attack by an incredibly large percentage for a singular attack without consuming divinity points. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The staff now stood between himself and Leviathos and began projecting a series of pre-enchanted rune circles of gradually increasing sizes. Then he began to pool aether into an orb cupped in his hands. It began as a small amount as first and soon snowballed in size until the act could be felt from across the sector. ¡°Let this be the first true divine shot of the modern Divinity War.¡± Leviathos stopped, accepting Erlaut¡¯s challenge. The Arch mage grinned. Good. So he was going to stand there and eat this. Erlaut knew it wouldn¡¯t stop the dread lord. But it would force him to burn off a good share of his divinity that could play pivotal later. But Erlaut would see him denied that option. All his life he¡¯d plummed the depths of magic¡¯s knowledge. Learned rare spells, gathered rare weapons and items. At first it was just because he could. Now he knew it was all for these moments. Moments that when played in correct order would buy the future the chance it desperately needed. Most had thought he¡¯d been given to mania, and perhaps they¡¯d been right. But he¡¯d seen the danger coming long before it got here. A parting gift of Ominek no doubt, when he¡¯d been bound some months earlier. A wry smile creased his lips. Ominek had caught him in a moment of pure arrogance. A moment he¡¯d paid for. A moment Eryn had paid for dearly. And might still yet again if he failed here. They were so close to bringing back Aeryn. All he had to do was thwart Leviathos. He¡¯d already began that process, that fighting back even fiercer than the dread lord had expected, forcing him to fight seriously, instead of toying with him as he¡¯d previously expected. That had innately triggered the dragon¡¯s hunting instincts. While normally those instincts served a wyrm well, they also lured them into easily avoidable traps on occasions where they were just as easily avoided, but pride was involved. Erlaut grinned at the pride brimming in Leviathos now. It was personal for the dragon. Before he¡¯d just come here as an emissary of Sauridius, but now he wanted this fight. ¡°Smile you sonuvabitch. ASTRAL CANNON!¡± System Info: Astral Cannon: A spell that increases attack power by an extremely large percentage. This effect is stackable. Channel the unrestrained, full power of light and bring it to bear on your enemies. The blast that issued from Erlaut¡¯s hands was akin to a doorway on the side of a G class star. Power exploded forwards, crashing into the enchantment rings his staff had been forged with. Each ring increased, and spun the spell in a circular manner, focusing it, like a magic rifling to a spell. Each ring of runes then did the same on an order of magnitude greater and greater until the blast destroyed the wall of the temple, leaving a smoking ruined hellscape. When the ringing cleared from Erlaut¡¯s ears, he could faintly hear small bits of debris fall down from walls and ceilings, clattering off the ground. That attack, while it began at such a low level of divinity, would have given even a True God pause. In the distance, a smoking lone figure drifted up into view and flew back at a casual pace. Scales boiled back into place as sinew covered bones in more damaged areas. Then a set of immaculate robes were created on top of the nude body, as Leviathos clapped slowly. ¡°Well done. I was almost concerned I couldn¡¯t handle the magnitude of that attack. It¡¯s just too bad you¡¯re so weak and pathetic you can¡¯t do it again.¡± Erlaut¡¯s expression flattened. ¡°Astral Cannon.¡± He said deadpan. A golden rod of power punted Leviathos out of the temple for a second time, sending the demi god skipping off the surface of the planet like a sports ball. That time Erlaut had used his own divinity and some of the well¡¯s power in the attack. It was petty, true. But fuck Leviathos. Hands smoking, he fell to a knee, panting heavily. They were drawing inexorably closer to the end. He knew that much. Everything he could do? Had been done. Now it was simply a matter of fate, whether it was all in vain. Had he squandered his one chance to protect the well by gambling on a future he knew he¡¯d never live to see? ¡°That¡¯s for the historians to decide, I guess.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s for me. And I¡¯ve decided you¡¯re a foolish pest who has wasted enough of my time.¡± An icy fire exploded in his shoulder as the soul scimitar bit down into the meat of his shoulder, followed immediately by a heel strike to the solar plexus that sent him sprawling down the stairs that fed into the Golden Wellspring¡¯s chamber. He crawled along on his uninjured arm, reaching for the well. If he could drink enough of it, he could deprive the dragon of his prize. But then he stopped. ¡°The moment¡­¡± He whispered. He¡¯d almost let himself be distracted. Instead he laid his head down, feigning defeat. Leviathos strode down the stairs. Confident, but cautious. He¡¯d grudgingly been forced to give Erlaut respect. ¡°I misjudged you mage. You were worthy of respect. But I am superior.¡± He strode forward, taking a knee, and scooped his hands down into the warm golden pool. Then scooped large mouthfuls of the pool down, letting the magic infuse him. More and more. He consumed like a hungry dog who¡¯d just been given a full bowl after starving. What he was too distracted to notice was Erlaut weaving a curse one handed and hurling it at Leviathos¡¯ back. The curse sank down unnoticed as Leviathos was too distracted with his infusion and the euphoria of the power he was absorbing. ¡°And so¡­I leave the future to you, Morwen.¡± ? Chapter 190 Erlaut watched with morbid satisfaction as his curse settled into Leviathos¡¯ back. The dread lord, demi god, and guardian of Sauridius had all but smashed Eryn under foot. Now he was drinking from the golden wellspring. Robbing them of precious magic that he¡¯d been tasked with safeguarding, hoping to resurrect Aeryn, that she might stand guard for her people once again. That dream was dying, but he¡¯d done his part to purchase a future scenario in which they might have a chance. Leviathos finished after taking his fill and strode back slowly to Erlaut who still lay prone. The dread lord looked down at him with a sneer. ¡°My father will rise. Thanks to your dead goddesses¡¯ contribution. I only regret that I won¡¯t be able to see the look of absolute defeat in your face as we spread our rule across the sector, and soon, the galaxy once more. Sauridius¡¯ power will soon envelope all.¡± ¡°The only thing you¡¯re going to see is your own defeat. My only regret is that I don¡¯t know how it will happen. Only that it will.¡± Leviathos crouched and grabbed a handful of Erlaut¡¯s hair. The dread lord torqued his head, so they were face to face. Erlaut hissed with pain as he struggled in the dragon¡¯s grip. ¡°You¡¯re awefully mouthy for an arch mage I¡¯ve defeated. If I were a sportsman, I¡¯d take a trophy. But such things are beneath me. Still, you¡¯ve earned a place of respect in my mind. So I¡¯ll make this quick.¡± His other hand summoned another soul blade. This time, the blade was straight and slender. A stabbing weapon. Leviathos rammed the blade into Erlaut¡¯s chest up to the hilt. White hot agony slammed into Erlaut and he gasped. ¡°You have been a worthy opponent, Erlaut of Eryn. I hope you come back, that we might battle again. With time and fate, you could prove a challenge.¡± It was such a curious thing. To surrender to his end. Others he knew, like Morwen, would fight and fight. But here he was, practically offering himself up to Leviathos. All to conceal a future that was fast approaching that would undo the dread lord and bring him to ruin. An outcome that Erlaut hoped would come swiftly and definitively. ¡°Normally, the opportunity to drink the life force out of such a strong and challenging foe would be too strong. But out of deference to your skill and defiance in the face of defeat. I¡¯ll allow you a warrior¡¯s death.¡± Leviathos said as he laid back Erlaut. Perhaps his paltry defense had appealed to some kind of buried kernel of honor deep in Leviathos. Few knew much of anything at all about the dread lord as he¡¯d kept to his molten world beneath waves of magma for decades, scheming in secret. Erlaut¡¯s vision blurred as blood loss and weakness pressed in on him. He tried to heal his injury but a cold icy spike remained where the blade had punctured him. ¡°It¡¯s a soul injury. Your body won¡¯t be able to heal it because I¡¯ve wounded that piece of your soul. Your death is assured.¡± The darkness pressed in on Erlaut¡¯s vision, as the last of his life bled away. Though his tenure was short as Arch Priest, he would forever be remembered as the man who challenged evil itself. Though he¡¯d died fighting it, Leviathos had made a martyr of him. This world would need time to grieve. Time that would allow Leviathos to complete the last piece of his plan. Before departing, Leviathos would pause and reflect on his fight with Erlaut. He¡¯d treated it like a game at first, and Erlaut was just another pathetic ant for him to step on. But Erlaut had forced him to learn a very humbling lesson. He was no true god, yet. A problem he would soon remedy. High in orbit, the Thefaris arrived. The great fleet was in shambles. Many ships were on fire or adrift. Some were little more than flotsam and debris clouds. Among the carnage were dragon bodies. From the bridge of the Theferis, Morwen looked on with a heavy heart. Twice now her home had been attacked, and this attack was more savage than the last. ¡°I should have stayed, like he¡¯d wanted.¡± Morwen said. Rozien¡¯s azure gem pulsed with light silently. Eventually, he broke into that silent reverie. ¡°You did what you thought was right. And it was. We shouldn¡¯t have left our allies unguarded. There¡¯s no telling what kind of damage could have been wrought. It¡¯s not like they were as defenseless here.¡± She frowned. Seeing her world torn to the ground once was enough to crush her. She¡¯d promised it would never happen again. Seeing it happen was enough to gut her. She gripped the golden spell staff tight. ¡°I promised myself I would stop this from ever happening again. I got the legendary spell ship. And it still happened.¡± Rozien thought again before continuing a few beats later. ¡°True. But you can stop it again. Now you have the weapons.¡± Morwen nodded. She did. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For bringing me back from the brink of collapse.¡± Had Rozien been anyone else in her squad? She wasn¡¯t sure she could recompose herself as elegantly. She sucked in a deep breath, held it, then it let it out slowly. ¡°Arjun, notify the crew. Warn them to assume battle stations. I¡¯m taking us in.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± She gave the crew a five-minute head start and then rammed reached into her connection with the ship. Her sense of self pulling away from her body and into the hull of the ship. Its senses became her own. It¡¯s hull, her skin, its engines, her legs, and weapons, her hands. She had a lot of hands. Turrets and missile emplacements all over the long barrel like vessel slewed to targets in the battle space. Once the ship confirmed she had a target lock on over forty-seven different hostiles, she opened fire. Gold beams burst from rod-shaped ship, lancing into dragons all over the battle space. Cheers erupted over the battle comms and it took her a moment to get it all under control. ¡°I need radio discipline on the comms please. All combat capable units report in.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. A list of call signs rattled off as ships reported in and gave their conditions. As they did, icons appeared on a holographic battle map next to her. She frowned. The most advanced battleship in the sector and she was still fighting this war the old way. She waved the map aside and dove into the senses of the ship, becoming it. Then she repeated marking vessels, this time marking their actual positions and using imagery to project course headings, speed, and weapons. The Theferis surged into the combat space, blasting dragons of all types. They tried to retaliate, but it availed them little good. Not only did the wards protecting the ship hold up, they straight repelled most attacks, venting them back at their casters sometimes. She watched with detached amusement as one dragon hurled a massive acid ball at the shield grid, only to have the spell bounce off and return, melting away the hand that wove the runes. If she wasn¡¯t so heavily integrated into the ship¡¯s infrastructure when she watched it happen, she¡¯d have laughed. No, that was a lie. She found it amusing, but laughing wasn¡¯t a luxury she afforded herself often. She unleashed a volley of missiles that collided with a Sauridius cruiser that was harassing the right flank of the Eryn fleet. The brutish vessel adjusted its bearing to bring its cannons to bear on her. It was a foolish move. The Theferis was a massive spell cannon with a propulsion system. It was literally just a giant barrel with a spell drive bolted on, along with living quarters and a plethora of amenities strapped the to exterior of the barrel. And now she brought said kilometer long barrel in line with the enemy cruiser, who immediately realized one fact. ¡°I am not to be fucked with right now,¡± Morwen declared as the spell cannon fired a beam of void magic that disintegrated its way clean through the cruiser. Morwen would have blinked if she was not mentally immersed in the great ship. ¡°Rozien, has anyone ever noted how the Theferis is like a massive spell blade hilt?¡± ¡°Several actually. I believe that was intentional in its design. The ship has many uses.¡± She watched as the cruiser listed, and crashed into the surface of the moon. A few stragglers tried to flee, and several weapons batteries on the hull lit up, picking them off. Then she focused on the battlefield once again. Something caught her eye. Something familiar. ¡°That¡¯s the air wyrm that chased us into the void.¡± Morwen said of the massive draconic corpse that was currently clawing its way into the deck of an Eryn warship. Splinters created a cloud of debris as its talons continued to slash away. Its milky white eyes unfocused as its jaws gnashed mindlessly. It was like it was on autopilot. ¡°Most of these dragons are already dead.¡± Rozien observed. ¡°It would seem Leviathos was gathering this army for decades. Every dragon we felled. Every hatchling slain? Was just fodder for this one thrust. But what could be so important a target to merit a force on this scale? This is bigger than the strike force Akamori stopped on New Xinjia¡­.¡± And then she lowered her focus to the surface. It was the lack of shining divinity she expected to sense from the pool. As though it¡¯d been moved, or worse, emptied. Immediately her mind was in her body again as he gripped Rozien and channeled a teleport through the ship to the surface. She¡¯d never done it before, but now, she needed to do. Smoke and blackness appeared as a cloud as she emerged from it mid stride. She saw the grand temple in an absolute mess. Bodies lay strewn everywhere. One entire side of the temple had been blasted away, and the damage was too extensive to determine just who¡¯d done that. The air was thick with charged ozone. Lots of magic had been discharged here. She raced down the stairs, her heart beating a thousand beats in that short time it took to get down to the well. And then it stopped. Her heart sank, and she fell to her knees with it. On the ground lay Erlaut¡¯s dead body. This was the second time she¡¯d presided over the death of one of their head of state. Worse, it had come at the hands of the Sauridius again. They¡¯d gutted their naval fleet and stolen most, if not all, the magic in the golden well. Where before they hopefully thought they could bring back Aeryn with their stock? Now there was but a mere pond. ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­. all of it gone.¡± Hope and light died in the darkness that Leviathos had brought here. She had nothing. No cunning strategy. No ass pull of a plan. None of it. She¡¯d been soundly out maneuvered and her people had once again paid the price for it. ¡°I need to be better. They needed me to be better. And I failed them.¡± She said, looking down at her hands. ¡° There¡¯s still a chance, Morwen. I sacrificed myself to buy you the time you needed. Make the most of it. Save our people. Save our world,¡± a disembodied voice said softly. It was feminine and had an edge to it that reminded her alot of herself. Disciplined. Composed. The voice of someone who¡¯d waded knee deep into a war and weathered it until it claimed her along with all others. ¡° Tell her old friend. She need only drink.¡± ¡° And drag her into your war?¡± The voice chuckled, amused. ¡° Oh Rozien. She¡¯s already been in this war for centuries. In fact, she was learning how to cast while you were sitting on Erlaut¡¯s shelf catching dust. Hope is not lost. Light is not faded. You are the future, child. But to seize it, you must make the most of all the sacrifices that have come before you.¡± The air shimmered before Morwen, and the golden outline of a woman emerged. It was very translucent and just barely visible. But Morwen couldn¡¯t mistake the way it reminded her of some of the older renditions she¡¯d seen of Aeryn. ¡° The time has come for a new warrior to take up the mantle and safeguard the sector. I¡¯ve chosen you. No politics. No drama. Just a dedicate to the cause. All you need to do is drink.¡± Morwen shook her head, confused. ¡°I had to have hit my head on the way. This must be a hallucination.¡± ¡°Nothing of the sort, I¡¯m afraid. Come, watch.¡± Aeryn held a hand over the shallow golden pool. It was so low she could see the marble bottom. Aeryn looked up at Morwen and grinned, then lifted her hand. As she did, the pool bubbled and surged, rising to meet her hand as she did. It stopped at a quarter when she finished. ¡°Ta daaa. It¡¯s magic!¡± Unable to help herself, the golden shadow of the Goddess Aeryn burst into laughter, leaving a very confused and dumbfounded Morwen to simple ogle the once drained, now partially refilled golden wellspring. ? Chapter 191 ¡°It¡¯s ok Morwen. It¡¯s really her. Or a snapshot as she was just before her death, anyway.¡± Rozien assured her. Captain Morwen continued to stare at the golden ghost of the goddess Aeryn. She wasn¡¯t at all anything Morwen had expected. She¡¯d never been deeply religious, but she never expected this. This woman was too casual, too¡­normal? Ok, well, not exactly normal, but she lacked the regality that the nobility and clergy all insisted she¡¯d be. Were she not a spectral image, Morwen could have pictured her in the ranks of her squad. Aeryn stood up after a few minutes of Morwen silently gawking at her. ¡°What? Do I have something on my face?¡± Morwen shook her head. ¡°What? No. Sorry, I just¡­¡± Aeryn smiled with a nod, standing up and clapping her thighs as slapping off imaginary dust. ¡°Not quite what you expected, am I?¡± ¡°Not exactly. No.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I never was one for the pomp and circumstance. This whole religion nonsense you guys have built has me out like some kind of stuffy matron. The Wyrms insisted it would boost my worship. Unfortunately, I hate to admit it worked.¡± ¡°And the reality is you¡¯re just a soldier.¡± Morwen finished. ¡°Just like you.¡± Morwen stiffened, tugging her jacket uniform down tighter. ¡°Relax. For me? Being a goddess wasn¡¯t any different from just being a much stronger spell soldier. But before we do any bonding or anything, you need to drink.¡± Morwen approached the well cautiously. This was some kind of trick. It had to be. ¡°No tricks. I¡¯ve chosen you to be a replacement. The Divine War is about to resume. Our people need a warrior, not a politician, to protect them.¡± ¡°How did you?¡± ¡°Read your mind? I was a goddess, after all. I may be a shadow, but I still have some of those abilities. You¡¯re a strong mage. But we need to get you prepared for when the brown stuff hits the fan.¡± She kneeled, watching Aeryn cautiously. She cupped her hands together and began scooping handfuls of aether and drinking. This would be her second time consuming magic from the well. A soothing warmth spread throughout her and a need to consume more quickly gripped her. She was no novice and was used to resisting that siren¡¯s call. ¡°Don¡¯t resist it this time. You¡¯re strong, but not strong enough yet. Keep going.¡± Morwen scooped more and more. She drank and never felt full. Eventually the euphoria overwhelmed her motor skills, forcing her to drop back from the lip of the well and stare off vacantly until she passed out. She awoke sooner than she thought she would. Until she immediately recognized she was riding shotgun in someone else¡¯s memories. ¡° Mine .¡± Aeryn said. It was strange. Morwen was acting out the memory, with Aeryn¡¯s divine shadow standing out of place in the memory as though she was superimposed into it post fact. Dream Aeryn pushed herself out of bed, not bothering to make it. She strode over to several crumpled uniforms that lay on the floor and eyed herself over in the mirror. Bags under her eyes showed a struggle with sleep, even though she was a goddess. ¡°Once you¡¯re a god, your mentality determines your reality. If you think you¡¯re exhausted? You¡¯ll feel exhausted. Puts a whole new spin on the whole manifesting what you want thing all those crystal queens push in markets, huh?¡± Crystal queens? Morwen thought more than said. ¡°Yeah, those vendors who pose as mages trying to cash in on any poor zero¡¯s naivete. They sell those crystals they say will charm them or boost aether flow around them to improve their health, or something. It¡¯s all a scam. There¡¯s magic out there, but none in those crystals. Those peddlers just sell rocks and rosey words.¡± Dream Aeryn had made herself as presentable as possible, throwing on one uniform from off the floor. She strode out of her quarters and found Rozien in his uniform in the corridor; he held a spell staff that resembled the one he¡¯d forged himself into in Morwen¡¯s time. Dream Aeryn sighed heavily. ¡°The night watch was quiet. Too quiet. The fleet is still making best speed away from Maleficus¡¯ seat of power. Many have concerns we¡¯re flying headlong into an ambush by the Sauridius. Most of us are running on fumes and Maleficus¡¯ darkness is spreading.¡± Aeryn nodded, accepting the spell staff from Rozien. Known rather plainly as the key, it was the item through which they could control the Theferis. It, along with the rest of the grand fleet of spells, ships crafted by gods were more than just vessels. They were temples of religions. Portable cities to house worshipers. Batteries of power. And last but not least, weapons for gods. Aeryn lingered at a window, looking over the great fleet of divine warships. The gods who once wielded them were no longer with the fleet. Mustered as a last desperate gambit to stop Maleficus and Sauridius, the fleet lacked their divine counter parts rendering the ships without the gods. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was part of Xanofex¡¯s plan all along. For all the gods to take each other out, knock down the pantheon and make room for the mortals to flourish. Rozien remained there, waiting silently for her to say anything. He¡¯d grown used to her silent interludes dragging on longer and longer. Becoming a goddess had made her more deliberate and less hasty. Less human. She¡¯d lost that mortal edge. Every minute was now dissected forwards and backwards for maximum effect. Gone were the days of her acting recklessly. Brashly charging off with the barest hints of a plan. Now she¡¯d become just as slow and contemplative as the other gods had. Inured to the power of divine sight and the ability to touch the web of fate. To perceive its many threads. To get lost in its complexity. ¡°I miss the days when I was reckless.¡± Rozien¡¯s brow arched curiously. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Not quite the response you expected, was it? I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Just tired, that¡¯s all. The war is long. Everyone¡¯s faith is tired. We need to give them something.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Like what?¡± Aeryn shrugged, ¡°Hope? Relief? Maleficus has us on the run and Sauridius has us doubting everyone.¡± Rozien frowned. ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°We stick to the plan. Xanofex never led us wrong. We just have to hope.¡± Rozien snapped to attention and saluted firmly. Aeryn made her way to the bridge of the ship. Technically, with the key in hand, she was the bridge. But she¡¯d gotten her start as a mortal with magic, so the all too familiar bridge was like a security blanket or a creature comfort. ¡°Status?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the black. We should be reaching our exit point any moment.¡± One of the crewman manning the controls said. Aeryn nodded. They¡¯d come so far, and given up so much to make this last ditch run. She only hoped that Xanofex was right. ¡°Last chance to turn back.¡± Rozien said. Aeryn shook her head. ¡°No. We have to move forward. Everything we¡¯ve lost, everything we¡¯ve given up, it has to be for something. If we give up now? It¡¯s all ash. But no matter what happens, going forward makes it worth something.¡± ¡°Generating exit gate in 3, 2, 1, mark,¡± the helmsman said. Ahead of the massive staff shaped spell ship, space cracked open like an astral zipper being pulled down. It wasn¡¯t a clean crack, though. It was jagged and fluid, like space was resisting the tear in reality. Blinding light spilled in as even a little light in a void of black was still enough to hurt. There was a lesson in there, she was sure. She gave the sensors a moment to recalibrate and get used to the change in planar shift. Then she plunged into the ship, merging her own consciousness with its hull. It¡¯s body becoming her own. She gasped as the data feeds poured in. She was starting into an eye. A massive eye. As large as a supermassive star, and a matching eye flanked it. She had to magically pull back her senses and only then did she truly feel small, as she found a platinum wyrm that made her feel like an insect compared to it. The pair of massive eyes blinked lazily at the tiny spell ship before it, and the wyrm yawned, revealing rows of planet sized razor-sharp teeth. ¡° Why have you come to visit me, little godling ?¡± Morwen crashed back into her body with a jolt. All eyes on the bridge were on her. Rozien gave her an encouraging nod. She tried to speak, but found her mouth dry and took a moment to compose herself. ¡°I-you¡¯re him. The Wyrmfather of all dragons. Midgardzormir!¡± All of creation rumbled with bemusement as the platinum wyrm bobbed its head. ¡° Indeed, I am. But you have yet to answer my question. Why brings you before me? A feat few have accomplished. ¡± ¡°We come with a plea most urgent. A pair of dark gods are rampaging across the galaxy, spreading darkness, death, and dominion. We came to beg your aid.¡± Midgardzormir raised his head, narrowing his eyes as if gazing at something far off. Perhaps looking right at Maleficus and Sauridius themselves. His lips curled back in disgust, followed by an icey sigh. ¡° Alas. I am bound by the system. This is my cage. I can not leave it. ¡± Aeryn¡¯s gaze fell to the deck. ¡°Then you can¡¯t help.¡± ¡° Fret not, child of light. I may be bound by rules. But what is a rule, if not something to be broken or ignored when times have need of drastic action? ¡± ¡°Then you will help?¡± ¡° I will. It has been an age or two since I collected a noble deed. And this will be a good one to trade with an old friend.¡± ¡°What can you do? You mentioned being chained here?¡± ¡° Child of light. ¡± Midgardzormir began affectionately. ¡° I am not bound here against my will, but by choice. An arrangement I am all too happy to breach when and as I see fit. And right now? I see fit. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s it then? You¡¯ll break the accords and risk a full scale conflict?¡± A black-cloaked figure with a red mask said. Aeryn blinked. Had they always been there? Lurking? Midgardzormir¡¯s gaze shifted to the black robbed being who flinched so slightly only an expert eye would have detected it. They were here because the platinum wyrm allowed it, but that could easily be remedied. ¡° Do not presume to lie to me and pretend this is not already a full scale conflict that is threatening to break the system. I know full well the plans of your peers. You would be wise to remember that here in this tiny domain, you fall under my command. ¡± ¡°Of course, Midgardzormir. I wouldn¡¯t seek to antagonize the father of all dragonkind. I merely wish to state the importance of deliberation before action. After all, interference on our part could destabilize the system and bring ruination to everything. The suffering of a few mortals shouldn¡¯t merit risking the entirety of the system.¡± The masked man said. ¡° Zeretheus. ¡± The platinum dragon began with a sigh. He sounded like a grandparent counseling a child. ¡° We both know that your words are honeyed and full of deception. Even now, one of your own has been backing and supporting Maleficus and Sauridius. Such deception will not be tolerated. Thus. An act for an act. You and yours have thrown in with my errant children. So I will support these poor souls that seek my aid now. ¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Zeretheus boomed. Midgardzormir roared. All of creation within this tiny pocket domain shook. It was defeaning and yet, Aeryn felt no pain. In a strange way, she felt like someone had draped a warm blanket around her shoulders on a freezing afternoon. ¡° I can. And I will .¡± His words were final. Judgement rendered. The vision faded to black after that and Morwen couldn¡¯t help shake the feeling that this was important. Somehow, the platinum dragon would prove vital once again. ? Chapter 192 Deep in the heart of the Gaian Nebula Leviathos appeared above the rock that had once been the stone titan Gaia¡¯s heart. Now it served as a terrarium for himself and, by extension, the sleeping mind of Sauridius. The ambient magic of the world spawned many bestial drakes that, given enough magical exposure and time, would mature into full-fledged wyrms. A never ending supply of troops that Leviathos had cultivated for his campaign. Flush with life magic, he practically tingled. He turned and saw the looming false star. Sauridius was a curious elder god. Rather than forging a war body that made combat easier, while also providing more easily identified weaknesses? Sauridius had made his body of pure magic itself. Thus, all that had been of his mind, his consciousness, had become this star, or rather, a false star. From a distance, he appeared to look like a star, but up close, it gave off no heat. For this star shone with a spectral brilliance. Soul magic. The roiling cloud of aether shone with the tinge of a soul. He¡¯d followed the plan meticulously. He was to harass and wear down his enemy enough that he could make an assault on their wellspring to pillage enough light magic to jump start the sleeping elder god. Only Leviathos had no plan to be a puppet for Sauridius once again. He enjoyed his freedom of the god far too much. However, possessing Sauridius¡¯ power would prove useful. That decided his choice for him. He would bring back the elder god. But instead of simply resurrecting Sauridius, he would fuse the elder god and himself, granting himself control of the vast wealth of power. In effect, he would become instantly as powerful as Sauridius was and bypass the ascension process. Leviathos began his work, weaving and sketching a vast tapestry of runes and glyphs. A spell of this magnitude and complexity meant it would need to be cast as a ritual. He anchored the spell to several points, using rune jars of the same make he¡¯d given to his son Ominek. Reflecting on that failure, he was forced to admit that Ominek truly had been the best of his only clutch of offspring. Ominek found his father in the Gaian Nebula. Forced to sit the assault on Eryn out, he¡¯d been given a task of his own. In the end, Luffa and a handful of her stubborn primals had betrayed him. The rest he¡¯d been able to maintain their allegiance. Sulking about not being able to assault Eryn, he¡¯d opted to remain at home in the Nebula to await his father¡¯s return. If Sauridius was to be reborn, he wanted to witness it firsthand. He drifted there in the vacuum of space, observing Leviathos¡¯ ritual. No stranger to complex spell casting, Ominek appreciated the chance to study his better at work. Finally, it was all coming together. ¡°All the sacrifices and loss.¡± He mused to himself softly. How many brothers and sisters had he killed personally and by order? The blood and souls of so many could have filled a vast ocean in his estimation. Nevermind that of their victims. Death was simply a condition, not an end. Dread lords didn¡¯t let it stop them from continuing their work. He continued to study his father¡¯s work when a nagging feeling overwhelmed his attention. Something wasn¡¯t right. But about what? He studied the spell and immediately spotted it. It wasn¡¯t exactly small or innocuous, but his father continued weaving the ritual oblivious. The words were traveling up his throat to his voice box when he bit down hard and forced himself to stop. No. Not here, not now. There was something in him, something bitter and angry at all the pain, fear, and torture he¡¯d endured as a hatchling that stopped him. He wanted to see what exactly would happen. Conceptually, he understood what his father was attempting. Awaken Sauridius and bind the elder god¡¯s consciousness and soul to his will. It was a grander, more complex version of the ritual he¡¯d been given to raise Anorax. And then it hit him. He¡¯d made the same mistake that the little witch Amara had torn into Ominek¡¯s ritual. Leviathos had left the binding half of the spell undone and disconnected. A cold, wicked smile crept across Ominek¡¯s lips. He could still remember the casual scorn his father gave him after his failure at Hidros. They¡¯d expected failure there, given how many unknown variables were in the mix, but it didn¡¯t stop Leviathos from being harsh with him, anyway. The thought of watching his father¡¯s own foolish mistake devour him felt like a divine treat, gifted to him from on high. Leviathos finished his spell, with the flaw included, and executed the ritual. Designed to both jumpstart Sauridius, and bind the elder god¡¯s soul and mind to the caster. The Ritual served as both ascension rite and divine binding spell. And now that spell was executing. Ominek watched with held breath as the spell fused and went into motion. Vast channels of aether flowed into the inert mind of Sauridius slowly rousing it from its thoughtless slumber. This is where the binding spell would have immediately gone into play. But unfortunately, that piece of the ritual was tied to the rest, leaving the mind free to target Leviathos. Long tendrils of pure magic reached up from the surface of the false star, grasping for Leviathos and coiling around him. ¡°NO!¡± the demi god roared. But his struggles were in vain. He lacked the power to resist the splintered elder god¡¯s pull. Leviathos struggled in vain as the tendrils of Sauridius slowly drew him down to the surface of the star. Ominek couldn¡¯t resist the chuckle that bubbled up from deep within him that burst into full on laughter. Finally, his father turned back, noticing him for the first time. ¡°Ominek! Help me!¡± ¡°Oh father. You poor fool. You were so consumed with your own victory you neglected the flaw in your ritual that was so brazenly obvious. I can only assume you were cursed by that second hand arch priest before his death. Now grand father will devour you, as you¡¯ve threatened to devour me so many times throughout my life.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Leviathos¡¯ magic flared as he tried to resist the pull as more and more magical tendrils rose from the star¡¯s surface, seizing his father like a celestial cephalopod. Powerful wings tried to unfurl open and flap, instead trembling weakly under the tightening pull of Sauridius. ¡°I¡¯ll give you anything you want! Anything! Just help me!¡± Ominek¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°But father. This is what I want. Tell grandfather I said hello.¡± Ominek watched his father¡¯s struggle vainly as he was eventually consumed by Sauridius¡¯ Mind. And then, he saw his true opportunity and seized it. The binding half of the ritual was still primed and ready to use. Because it was been disconnected from the primary ascension spell, it remained active in a limbo state. So Ominek quickly wove a series of runes and cast it. In place of Leviathos, he¡¯d placed himself. He would become the dominant portion of Sauridius. Like the humans in their spell mechs. He would be the controling portion, and Sauridius his spell mech. As the binding spell took effect, Sauridius reached up for him, but the touch wasn¡¯t forceful and hungry the way it had been for Leviathos. This was like the arms of a mother, reaching out to hug him. He felt the divine magic wash over him as he sank beneath the surface of the false star. His body broke down, his consciousness merged, and Ominek both ceased to be, and ascended at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m a god. Truly a god.¡± ¡°Yes. But you merely pretend where I simply am.¡± It was Sauridius. Ominek could feel his grandfather already sifting through his memories, like pages of an old book. Reading the dread lord page for page, word for word. There was an odd moment of jockeying as Sauridius tried to assert himself over Ominek and clashed against the restraints of his binding. ¡°So. You have fused our essences together and bound mine to yours. Interesting.¡± ¡°It was a genius capitalization of opportunity if I do so say so.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But the plan has not gone completely to plan. We have many enemies still at large, and we currently lack much of the magic and resources I once had.¡± ¡°Tell grandfather, just what exactly are we capable of?¡± There was a contemplative silence for a moment as Sauridius thought about the situation. Ominek felt as though he¡¯d been scanned, but it was more like Sauridius¡¯ mind had studied him. ¡°You have many aspects of magic in small detail. But the only divine portion you have is soul magic, though you have much of it. We must seek more magic if we want to stay ahead of our enemies. We must also cultivate worship to further grow and augment our power.¡± Ominek thought for a moment and felt that was a sound conclusion. ¡°Shore up our positions. Sensible. What do you suggest as our first target?¡± He felt Sauridius ripple with approval. Ominek was canny, smart, and open to input. That would make him an excellent heir to groom. ¡°We will require divine quantities of magic. The closest is what remains of my heart.¡± Ominek followed Sauridius¡¯ gaze into the distance and found it settled on a vast crimson nebula. A massive red giant star surrounded by a massive orange and red nebula that pulsed with vibrant fire magic. Ominek no longer possessed a mouth, but if he had one, he might have salivated at the prospect of ingesting so much magic. Which got him wondering. ¡°Grandfather¡­ what are the advantages of possessing a body versus not?¡± Sauridius rumbled with something Ominek might have guessed to be a chuckle. ¡°Having a body lends itself to martial combat. A warrior clashing with armies, or other gods. Not possessing a body means you¡¯re are harder to kill. There is no shell upon which you can be destroyed. After all, thanks to the conservation of energy, we can not be destroyed in this form. Merely¡­altered. Much as you¡¯ve already done.¡± So. That was his secret. His grandfather had survived so long by avoiding confrontations himself, and in the unfortunate instances, he found himself overwhelmed by a warrior god. He wasn¡¯t truly destroyed, more like disembodied would be the closest appropriate term. ¡°You understand as close as you can come to being correct for possessing such a young mind. In time, you will know more. But for now, your limited world view suffices to grasp the concept.¡± Ominek became alarmed as he realized that his thoughts were becoming foggy. It was harder for him to remain focused. ¡°Be at ease. It is merely the torpor of post ascension wearing you down. As a mortal, it is easy to shrug it off. But ingesting large quantities of magic in divine levels induces a state in which you go into hibernation as your soul and body realigned with each other.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ll be vulnerable!¡± ¡°Correct. Let this be a lesson to plan your consumption more carefully to allow contingencies to take effect, lest we find ourselves pounced on while we¡¯re weakened.¡± Ominek wanted to issue a biting retort, but his grandfather was right. He¡¯d taken part in the ritual without even considering any other factors. Now that he was a god, he needed to move more carefully. Plan better, and act where he needed. He made a mental note to make a new body when he awoke, so Morwen could see the pleased smile on his face as he tore down everything around her with sheer divine might. Finally, he would get both his revenge and dominion. After his nap, of course. ? Chapter 193 New Xinjia Akamori watched as the survivors slowly pressed forward from their bunker. Searching and clearing, and eliminating any stragglers they may have found along the way. Exhaustion clung to him like a thick sheen of sweat. His temples banged to the beat of his pulse. He¡¯d spent just about every ounce of his resources to narrowly secure what amounted to little more than a pyrrhic victory. It would take the colony decades to recover. If not a century or more, just to break even. That was the time Akamori was certain they didn¡¯t have. Another camera drone buzzed into his face, the small lenses whirring as it took footage for the Brotherhood news casts. They¡¯d sell it as a win. Even if they had to hide the costs. General Zhang approached. The brotherhood commander¡¯s olive drab uniform sported wrinkles from days of consistent wear. The general himself looked a decade older than he had just before the invasion. He offered Akamori a salute. ¡°On behalf of the Brotherhood of Man, the military, her people, all of us, allow me to extend our deepest thanks. You and your people came to us in our greatest hour of need. We won¡¯t forget that. You¡¯ve given of yourselves much, and the people of New Xinjia, what¡¯s left of us at least, will always remember you and yours as heroes of the Brotherhood.¡± Akamori stood before the rest of the squad as its highest ranking officer. In reality, by now they were all effectively equals. Elite spell soldiers who fought in multiple campaigns. He viewed more like comrades than subordinates. More so ever since they¡¯d resigned their positions within the Mage Federation. Amara nudged him free of his thoughts, returning his attention to the general who¡¯d been expecting a reply. He cleared his throat before speaking. ¡°We just came because it was the right thing to do. I only regret we couldn¡¯t have gotten here faster and done more.¡± ¡°Your presence was enough, that you could fight the invasion at all is testament enough to strength. Though the damage done may prove mortal enough to the colony¡¯s future. If you and your boys are open to it, I¡¯d like to extend a long-term invitation to assist with our planetary defenses.¡± Akamori turned back to the squad, who gave him a confident nod. He gave the General a grinning hand shake. ¡°General, I think that would be agreeable. Me and my people have been wanting to fight the good fight for a while.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s safe to say you¡¯ve found it here. We¡¯ve been on the wrong side of the Sauridius¡¯ aggression for too long. But we¡¯re a stubborn lot and refuse to take this abuse layin¡¯ down. We¡¯d be much obliged to have you and your people on contract.¡± ¡°Consider it done, General. I didn¡¯t become a mercenary to profit off of war. I did it because I was tired of not being where I was needed most. We all did. If the Brotherhood needs us and wants us? We¡¯re glad to stick around.¡± Marines pushed out around them, securing the area, bayoneting the dead and burning the rest. The hover drones still buzzed around Akamori like mechanical flies. Their camera lenses whirring as they zoomed in and out, getting footage of the scene to play back home to boost morale. ¡°And here they are. The heroes of New Xinjia. And former Mage Federation troops, no less. I¡¯m told they were all subordinate to the former Captain Morwyn, the Valkyrie of Tohrun.¡± A reporter said, speaking into a microphone as a drone floated in front of her with a light shining on her. She turned and strode over, giving the General a nod. The elder human general excused himself, giving the reporter the space to conduct her propaganda interview. ¡°Lt. Shinjo, I understand you¡¯re the one we have to thank for our survival?¡± Akamori nodded with a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m not sure lieutenant is a proper rank for me anymore. I resigned my commission to the Mage Federation. As for the survivors, we¡¯re glad we could save what few we could. We honestly came expecting to make this place our grave.¡± ¡°Why do you think the Mage Federation declined to send a rescue team?¡± ¡°As I understand, ma¡¯am, this wasn¡¯t the only battlefield. This war is hitting everywhere now. No where is safe, and we¡¯re all fighting.¡± ¡°So you believe we should all be doing our part?¡± The Reporter said. ¡°I do. Yes. That should have been the result from the jump, but it¡¯s too late in the conflict to come off the bench now. This is a war to preserve our right to self determination. Free will. We either win, or lose and become soul slaves to Saruidius.¡± Deep down, Akamori almost felt like mocking that statement. But the people back on New Terra needed to be roused. They¡¯d never faltered in thier contribution to the war, but they¡¯d also viewed it largely as a border skirmish. Some strange threat harassing far off border colonies. New Xinjia was a center system world for them. The game had changed. It also felt like a mockery because he had a sinking suspicion most of this conflict resulted from some ancient gods plotting. Stacking up game pieces to slowly knock down. Self determination and free will are fun concepts in theory, but he was learning enough to know he had no agency of his own. Not truly. He was just the latest in a long line of people marching to the drumbeat of destiny. The shards of Xanofex do not get the luxury of self determination, Bahumet mused. We are destroyers. Draped in darkness, we purge creation of its defects, Thanaton hissed. The blade had been unusually quiet of late. The dark ones will come soon. They will try to break this reality to match their own. We must protect the First. Frank¡¯s words sent a shiver rattling down Akamori¡¯s spine. ¡°Mr. Shinjo?¡± Akamori shook his head and flashed an embarrassed smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guess I¡¯m a bit more beat than I thought. Spacing out on you. You were saying?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all, honestly. I was just asking what you and your team planned to do next?¡± ¡°To be honest, we hadn¡¯t planned that far ahead.¡± ¡°Then perhaps I might offer a suggestion?¡± General Zhang offered from the side. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I have just spoken with the President of the Brotherhood. He has requested you and your squad¡¯s presence on New Terra, where he would like to honor you and your team¡¯s contributions to the defensive efforts here.¡± Akamori glanced back, noting that Amara was absent. Had she translocated herself away? He mentally frowned, making a note to look for her later. Side conversations of their own had distracted the others. Sirsir was speaking with a few of the marines. Yasiin and Sala were standing on their own in as clean an area of the corridor as they could find. ¡°Hey boys!¡± Akamori shouted at them. They all paused, glancing at him. ¡°Wanna go to New Terra and meet the President?¡± They all shrugged, nodding at him. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± They all said at the same time. An aide approached the general, who nodded with a frown. ¡°What? What is it?¡± Zhang cleared his throat uncomfortably. ¡°It would appear that during the battle, Captain Fennex deployed the Cadaver Crasher to Eryn to respond to a distress call. Sauridius had made his primary attack against the elves. Most reports show that Fennex and the Crasher went down in the fighting.¡± No. Not like this. Not again. Not one more life. Two words banged around his mind, his heart, and his soul. Fuck Fate. Instantly, he was gone. Half the sector traversed in the blink of an eye. He found himself atop the wreckage of the Crasher. Smoke and small electrical fires burned through the holes in her hull. The nose of the ship was crushed and compacted. She would never fly again. Akamori dropped to the soil and slowly strode around the smashed ship that had once been like a new home to him. He traced a hand along its folded titanium hull. He¡¯d been reborn within this ship. No longer a farm boy, Fennex and Sirsir had made him a Spell Soldier. Now it would serve as Fennex¡¯s coffin. Thanaton appeared in his hands and cleaved a hole into the metal skin of the ship. His skin ignited with fire as he strode into the bowels of the crashed ship like a walking star. Steel glowed with heat, plastic smoked and sizzled and oil ignited. The deeper into the ship he got and the closer to the bridge he drew, he noted a strong spell at work. Then he saw it. A protective field deployed around the bridge, but it wasn¡¯t Fennex¡¯s spell. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± It belonged to the ship. The last of the ships power and consciousness had cast it, protecting him. At his approach, the spell stopped with a hush of relief in the air. He traced a hand along the hull, heating it at his touch. ¡°Rest now. You¡¯ve earned it,¡± He said to the ship. He knew now that Spell Weapons possessed intelligences and souls. So it stood to reason that ships did too. There was a ripple in the air that he felt more than heard as the last vestiges of the ship passed on. And then the soul flitted to him. Curiously, he studied it. It was gathering to him. ¡°What is it, little one?¡± It swam around him excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re pledging yourself to me?¡± He reached his hands out and cupped the small glowing soul of the ship in both hands, like a scoop of water that might slip through his hands. Careful to hold it. ¡°No, my friend. It¡¯s I who should pledge myself to you. I can never repay you.¡± But there was no rebuttal or refusal from the soul of the crasher. It simply wished to attach its soul to him. Another follower. He smiled and nodded finally. ¡°Very well. I wouldn¡¯t deny you that even if I wanted to.¡± With that, the small orb faded as it passed on to the soul realm, ready to face the maw. A noise drew his attention from inside the cockpit and hope sparked in his heart. Was he hearing things? Did he dare believe it? Another groan. Akamori smashed his way into the damaged bridge area, ripping anything and everything out of his way until he¡¯d cleared a path to the command chair. He gently tore Fennex free after assessing the man¡¯s injuries. He¡¯d live. Fennex stirred painfully. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You challenged the ground in a game of chicken.¡± ¡°Who won?¡± ¡°You did.¡± Fennex barked a pained laugh. ¡°You liar.¡± Akamori shrugged with a grin. ¡°Figured I¡¯d try to salvage what dignity you might have had left.¡± Fennex laughed again and then winced. He¡¯d suffered a lot of internal injuries that would need healing. ¡°I can teleport you to the city. The healers will need to do a few passes on you first. But you¡¯ll make it.¡± Fennex looked around for something and sighed. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I dropped my beer.¡± Akamori snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll get you one at the bar.¡± Fennex eyed him suspiciously. ¡°Uh¡­no thanks. I heard you turn into a demon when ya get drunk.¡± ¡°Lucky you then. I¡¯m on your side.¡± The air around them turned frigid as the void itself wrapped its cold arms around them and then melted away, leaving them coated in a layer of frost on the ground in Eryn. Sirens and alarms blared everywhere as emergency response crews rushed about to tend to wounded and injured. The Emerald Guards were doing their best to manage foot traffic. ¡°Did the Captain fight?¡± Fennex asked. Akamori nodded. Even without knowing for sure, he knew that she¡¯d be at the heart of any trouble that Sauridius and Ominek caused. And now, so would he. ¡°Let¡¯s go Captain. We¡¯ve got a war to end, and a god to slay.¡± ? Chapter 194 Leviathos¡¯ Gambit had left two worlds deeply scarred. One may never recover, where the other would only just limp along. Morwen had to admit that she was more than impressed with Akamori¡¯s rally cry among the beast tribes. Calling a temporary truce, they¡¯d come from out of the forest and mountains to help with the cleanup and support. The Erynian¡¯s however, were still reeling from the loss of a second Arch Priest in as many years. It was fast becoming a position few wanted. Even the noble houses no longer vied for it as they once did. However, it came as a great shock when the people had chosen her to become the newest Arch priest. She¡¯d never been religious at all. Even when her father was the Arch Priest. However, it was hard to deny that she was fast becoming divine now. With Aeryn¡¯s guidance, she was no longer mortal anymore. Not even . It was strange now, to be treading ground Akamori once had only a short time ago. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. He¡¯d told her that divinity didn¡¯t come with an owner¡¯s manual. But it helped to have people who knew things. So she¡¯d kept him in her back pocket, so to speak, whenever something occurred to her she didn¡¯t know. The Executor of Erlaut¡¯s last will read aloud the proclamation declaring Morwen to be the next in line as ArchPriest, praising her skill as a warrior and a mage. She came from outside the noble houses, and had largely avoided needing to navigate Eryn¡¯s political landscape, leaving her untarnished. This, Erlaut had argued, made her the strongest candidate to protect their people and lead them to the right path they needed for their future. To call the uproar that followed as deafening would have been stating it lightly. It was clear that while none wanted the responsibility of being the ArchPriest now that the previous two to occupy the position were dead, they still coveted the positions prestige and power. The mere notion of being the ArchPriest and doing nothing to benefit their people made Morwen gag on bile. War as at their doorstep. There were no guarantees they¡¯d even live to see the next sun, and already the vultures were circling high above to feast on the carrion of political ambition. ¡°SILENCE!¡± The executor shouted above the cacophany of voices. Eventually quiet settled in over the arena like chambers. Morwen spun slowly to look at all the leading members of each noble house. She felt like she was on some kind of stage, up for offer or sacrifice. ¡°There is no time or space for debate in this matter. ArchPriest Erlaut selected his successor. Accept that it was not you with grace and move on.¡± It was simple and sound advice, but Morwen knew that few would accept it. While none of them were willing to stick their neck on the chopping block themselves, she also knew it would be a hot day in the Umbral Plane before they¡¯d accept her as their leader. She¡¯d been slowly warming up to Akamori¡¯s perspective of late, that all this bickering and posturing amongst the major divisions of the house would becoming more of a distraction than a help. Eryn could ill afford political upheaval now, and that bastard Erlaut knew she would do everything in her power to keep the people from tearing each other¡¯s throats out. The ampitheater drew quiet as the executor summoned the twelve houses down to begin the rite of ascension. Morwen waited, uncertain if this was still the path she wanted to commit to. She never liked the zealots of Eryn and the way they always seemed to fantasize about what Aeryn was like. Having met the dead god¡¯s astral shadow clone only shed light to the lie that most had come to believe in even greater detail. Speaking of... ¡° Chin up. You¡¯ll never every ounce of power to win the war, and this will definitely give you a boost. ¡± Aeryn said with a grin. Morwen glanced at her curiously and then around those gathered nearby. They were just far enough away to be out of immediate ear shot, and began chanting the incantations for the ritual as they proceeded to weave and sketch runes. ¡°Be honest with me. Do we have a chance?¡± Aeryn frowned, folding her arms. Her gaze was distant and Morwen recognized the look as someone focusing on the Web of Fate and all its various threads of possibility. She remained silent for an uncomfortably long stretch of time. Finally she looked, her expression was grim, but hopeful. ¡°There¡¯s a slim chance. But it¡¯s only that. You¡¯ll have to make the absolute best of it you can. But nothing is ever certain. Only how strong a chance it has.¡± ¡°In other words, give it our best and hope for the best. Not exactly my preferred method.¡± Aeryn placed a reassuring hand on Morwen¡¯s shoulder. She was surprised to actually feel the weight and warmth of the spectral woman¡¯s hand. She drew some measure of comfort in that touch. Like somehow she knew things would be ok, even though right now her world was in absolute chaos. To say anything about the Sector itself. ¡°Trust me. It¡¯s not the most uplifting advice. There¡¯s too much left to chance I know. But right now? That¡¯s all we¡¯ve got. The bad guys really worked us into a corner, and there¡¯s a small sliver of a snowballs chance in a volcano¡¯s armpit.¡± ¡°Easy now. Don¡¯t oversell it.¡± Morwen whispered dryly. Aeryn smirked, giving Morwen a gentle nudge in the side. ¡°Oh come on now. It¡¯s not all so bad. Someday you¡¯ll get to be a disembodied astral clone mentoring the next generation to fight the forces of darkness.¡± Morwen glowered as the ritual picked up the pace. A sheen of golden white energy drifted up from the circle around her. A few motes of sparkling light, followed by more and yet more. It looked like a drops of brilliant magical light sprinkling up from the group. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to just stop them and be done with it myself.¡± ¡°And that my friend, is what we all hope ultimately happens. Failure means we may not get a second chance. The path that got us here was paved on the backs of many gods sacrificing themselves. A road made of bricks carved from the bodies of many greater than I.¡± Morwen thought about that for a moment. She was just the latest player to take a seat at an ongoing game being played by those with minds far keener, and blades far sharper than her own. At that thought, she couldn¡¯t stop the small grin that creased her lips. True, she had her faults. But where she lacked, the others more than made up for. They were as tight a squad as she could hope for. And gods help the poor soul that looked to get in their way and stop them from completing a mission. ¡°The road stops here. No further.¡± Morwen declared. The ritual reached its peak, and gravity¡¯s pull on her lessened. She felt herself drift into the air, as the magic swirled around her. Like a million golden fireflies that melted into her merging with her soul. Her limbs tingled with power. She struggled to keep her focus on the here and now as the web of fate and all its possibilities loomed in the distance threatening to overwhelm her sense of time. Morwen hissed, not in any real sense of discomfort, but just struggling to keep her under control. ¡° Hang in there, kid. You¡¯ll get the hang of it. The first time is always a doozy. ¡± Aeryn said. She floated back to the ground as the ritual reached its climax and the Executor approached, handing her a staff that had belonged to Erlaut. ¡°He wanted you to have this. He hoped that he¡¯d never need to use it. May it serve you well.¡± Morwen accepted the staff in her other hand. Rozien floating next to her like a guard dog. The staff was lesser than Rozien was by a longshot. It lacked an intelligence, and even its own magic was lesser in a way, but she sensed what made it so special. In his frenzy to sense the coming disaster that hit Eryn, he¡¯d imbued it with the ability to read into the future deeply. With this weapon, she could peruse the web of fate far more easily. As though it were a simple spell scroll or dragon¡¯s scale. She held it with reverence. ¡°Thank you Erlaut. I¡¯ll do my best to honor your legacy and deliver our people safely.¡± She whispered. A soft warm breeze teased at her cheek and smelled of honey and smoke. Erlaut enjoyed honey in his tea, and often smoked at a pipe. She missed the man deeply now. There was a time when the two had flirted with the idea of coupling. Before her commissioning in the newly formed Mage Federation. Before the War with the Sauridius. Before a dark shadow spread across the sector that ultimately split the two. He¡¯d trained her, and recognized her potential, but had always felt she¡¯d wasted that future on the war. What future might her world have had she never left? Would he still yet live? Would she have been strong and smart enough to help stop the threat? Again, the comforting hand on her shoulder and she saw Aeryn, but also Erlaut behind her. There was a sad, but proud look in his eyes. Morwen¡¯s throat grew tight like she¡¯d suddenly swallowed an apple. He gave her a confident nod, before regarding Aeryn one last moment. ¡°We can still save her, Morwen. She can still yet live. Bring her back. Save our people.¡± His voice whispered to her. Then he faded away as his soul passed on to the spirit plane. As Erlaut faded from her sight, a tear fell down her cheek. She was tired, and overwhelmed by both the losses and gains. The exhaustion slammed into her out of nowhere and she swayed on her feet, bracing against the staff she¡¯d been gifted. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡°Easy ArchPriest. You¡¯re weak from the ritual. You should get some rest.¡± The Executor said. ¡°Ma¡¯am? Here. Let me help.¡± Arjun said and held an arm out for her to lean against. Arjun turned to Rozien with a nod. ¡°Do the teleport thing, Rozien.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± There was a flash of magic, and their surroundings were different. She was back on the ship. Safely inside her room. Arjun helped her reach her bed, and she fell down onto it exhausted. She wasn¡¯t even aware of them leaving her in peace. As sleep overtook her, she found herself in the dream plane. ¡°Where...are we?¡± Morwen asked, turning to take in the semi translucent lavender landscape. It shifted and warbled as though it couldn¡¯t ever settle on quite what exactly it wanted to be. A forest. A city. A dune swept desert. A canyon. The void itself. ¡°Think of it as a divine training room. I crafted this small space in reality as a kind of divine play ground for you to flex and home your skills. Time has almost no meaning here. So you spend as long as you need without sacrificing physical or mental alacrity.¡± ¡°Meaning I won¡¯t get hungry or tired here.¡± ¡°Not that you wouldn¡¯t have anyway now that you¡¯re truly immortal now.¡± ¡°So what happens now?¡± ¡°We make the most of the time we have, and you train.¡± Rozien appeared next to Morwen and she siezed the spell staff, twirling the weapon and assuming a ready stance. A mix of weaver and warrior styles coming into play. A form she¡¯d keyed in on from Akamori. Ready for martial combat but capable of weaving a spell or two if need be. Where he could fight better than he could weave, she was the inverse. But now? She was ready to train better. Harder. She needed to be ready for when Ominek and Sauridius returned. Because she knew they would. Ever since her ascension, there was something deep down that she knew. Aeryn¡¯s grave held one final secret. The question she needed an answer to was what exactly it held? ? Chapter 195 Amara studied Ganeshti, the Remover of obstacles coldly. She wanted badly to put him down, but for now? He still held dominion over her. She was in the soul plane. Where the dead both lived, and passed on into the cycle. Her Maetrayopts glowed as she scanned all around. ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°Because there are still steps you must take that I need you to take.¡± Amara narrowed her eyes. She was starting to understand Akamori¡¯s dislike of games and manipulations more acutely now. Before her lay a vast expanse, and in the distance lay a great temple. Much like he¡¯d taken her to before. Her brow creased as she turned to the Remover. ¡°Another tomb?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Mine?¡± ¡°Correct again.¡± ¡°Why help me? I thought you were on the opposite team?¡± ¡°I am. I¡¯ve been over this with you. The strongest possibility to my dark mistress returning lays in helping you and yours defeat Sauridius.¡± ¡°And if I refuse?¡± ¡°Then I slaughter all of you and allow the sands of time to grind onwards. I¡¯m a patient man. I¡¯ve waited for untold millennia to reach this nexus point. It¡¯s a trivial thing to wait for another when you know the signs to look for. The Crystal Mother¡¯s meddling is not so easily missed. Her moves are...predictable when you know what you¡¯re looking for. More so when you¡¯re the one instigating her movements.¡± Amara wasn¡¯t able to tell if he was lying or telling the truth. She figured there were some grains of it in there somewhere. ¡°Ok. You¡¯ve made your point. I¡¯ll play along. Lead the way.¡± The massive grey skinned alien bowed his head in appreciation. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. This way.¡± He strode off without looking back to see if she was following. The sounds of their footfalls were muted, like she had earplugs in at the range again. Eventually, the Remover spoke again. ¡°Do you know where we are currently?¡± ¡°The Soul Plane, beyond that? Not really.¡± ¡°How much about it, do you know?¡± She gave the question some thought. This conversation was taking on the tone of an informative lecture, and she wasn¡¯t against picking up new information if she could get it. She shrugged when she realized her knowledge was surface level at best. Nemesis knew more, but the shade of the previous goddess wasn¡¯t being very generous with the information. At least she knew it wasn¡¯t willing to carry her. ¡°Not much, I¡¯m afraid. I know it¡¯s a part of the cycle of creation. Once something dies, its soul exits the astral plane and emerges here in the soul plane at the point of death. Then it moves on to be devoured by the Maw so it can return later on.¡± The Remover nodded. ¡°As I suspected. Most have only a cursory understanding of this realm. Only Necromancers and soul gods understand the realm on a deeper level. You are correct because it is a column of creation and that serves as a cleansing point for the dead. Washing them of memory and self and returning them to crystal plane as constituent aether. However, some souls are strong enough to resist the pull of the maw. Over the eons, so many gathered here that they created a city of their own and named it Purgatory. It exists as the last civilization to exist between life and death as most know of the concept. The populace consists mainly of Necromancers, dead gods, strong soul mages, and a few very willful souls that refuse to move on, but made peace with their deaths.¡± As he explained, Amara could see details of the city come into focus. A main street with residences that branched off made of ethereal materials and ivory like bone. She wondered if that was a conscious choice, or if it just worked out that way. Like someone sat back and said to themselves, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s make soul magic skeleton and ghost themed¡± and ran with it. The Remover chuckled softly and gave her a knowing glance. He¡¯d been picking up her thoughts again. ¡°You¡¯re not far off from the truth. I¡¯ve often wondered about that myself. In the end, the answers were elusive, and I wasted more time looking for the truth than working on my purpose.¡± Amara nodded. So, he wasn¡¯t against cutting bait on something if it was a waste of time. Somehow, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to manipulate the situation to her advantage using the same process. Not yet, at least. She needed to step back and see all the angles. What was objective did he want her to complete? Why? Knowing those two items would give her the leverage to figure out how to dislodge him from her orbit. Purgatory grew in size at an unreal rate the closer they approached. By the time the pair strode onto the outskirts, it had become a sprawling necropolis. Amara¡¯s sense that she was being watched went into high gear the deeper into the city they walked. Her skin crawled like someone had walked over her grave. ¡°It¡¯s the opposite, really. Technically, we¡¯re walking over their graves. This is the last city of the dead before the Maw. The afterlife, if you will.¡± ¡°How many people live here?¡± Ganeshti smiled around his tusks at the unintended pun. ¡°The population of Purgatory fluctuates. Many are necromancers who come here to take breaks from the Astral plane.¡± Amara shivered, rubbing her arms as they passed a large ethereal archway that shimmered like a desert mirage. As she studied the architecture, she wondered how one went about building here in the soul plane. As far as she understood, everything reflected the astral plane, but this place didn¡¯t exist in the realm of the living. ¡°The Necromancers ages ago fled to the Soul Plane after they were persecuted in the realm of the living. Once here, they applied their knowledge and built this place. A refuge foremost, but also a place of study. The oldest of the first applied what they¡¯d learned in building this place and used it as a university to study and further refine their skills. Though mostly reviled in your sector, there are some areas of the galaxy where Necromancers are the dominant way of life.¡± Amara chewed on that for a moment. That there was so much more beyond their own sector. The pair strode into a marketplace where souls and necromancers bartered goods. She saw rods of ivory, jars of necroplasm, and aether crystals infused with soul magic. She gathered these were the building materials necessary for necrotech. One necromancer paused, turning to regard her and gave her a regal bow. She caught herself gawking. Eventually she pried her jaw off the ground and returned it. ¡°They recognize your budding divinity. Nemesis held much power here as hers was the domain of vengeance. Many wrongly deceased went to Nemesis for retribution for both the dead and those living they left behind. In past epics, Nemesis often used Necromancers to commune with the dead in order to determine where best to focus her justice. That tradition, while unpracticed in her absence, has not been forgotten here.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°What are you saying? That I¡¯m some kind of queen of the dead?¡± Ganeshti stopped, looking down at her. His large head framed his small dark eyes peering down at her curiously. ¡°No. I¡¯m saying you are a vital component of the System to maintaining balance. Your absence as been sorely felt for centuries. Your return has long been prophesied. Welcome to your kingdom, Goddess of Vengeance.¡± She turned away from him, back to the crowd, stepping back a pace when she noticed that the entire marketplace had taken a knee before her. Small motes of golden light gathered around her. Like tiny little yellow fireflies dancing before a flame. Small embers of worship that coated her aura like morning dew. She could hear their prayers. Feel their words. Their devotion. It suffused her. Gave her power. It was heady, like drinking a strong ale. ¡°You are gaining worshippers. They are the true power of divinity.¡± Amara glanced at him, unable to help, feeling like a fish out of water. Ganeshti led her forward through the crowd, which parted before them. ¡°Your lack of understanding is only natural. There are two types of divinity. Elementals, Planars, and domains. Elemental divinity is a divine presentation of an element of creation. Air. Earth. Fire. Water. Void. Astral. Mind. Soul. Then there are domain divinities. Domains are more...conceptual. Columns that pin up creation. Like Vengeance and Justice, for example.¡± He said, gesturing to her at the end. ¡°If I¡¯m a domain divinity, what is Akamori?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Your friend is something that goes even beyond divine understanding.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ganeshti smiled, as though he¡¯d always intended for this to be the topic of the discussion. ¡°What do you know of Titans?¡± ¡°As much as I know about being a god.¡± Ganeshti faced forward with a pleased smile. ¡°They are to gods as gods are to mortals. More than just merely being able to alter reality in ways. Titans can outright reshape it.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re saying he¡¯s one?¡± ¡°Sort of. Think of a titan like a glass. Now knock that glass off the counter.¡± Ganeshti¡¯s large grey hand swept a glass off a counter as they passed by and it shattered on the ground. He kneeled down and picked up several fragments. ¡°Your friend is more like these shards. They once made up a whole. But now exist as broken pieces. But. A clever titan can bring themselves back together, just like a god. What started as a mere mortal is now undergoing a metamorphosis into a growing being that will soon rival titans.¡± ¡°Is that what you want?¡± Ganeshti frowned. ¡°Unfortunately not. You and your friends serve my purposes for now, but the time will come soon when we¡¯ll face each other as true enemies. But that is not yet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why help us if we¡¯re going to fight it out later?¡± ¡°Because now is not the right time for our conflict. There are other events required to transpire first. If those events failed to happen, then circumstances would change the outcomes of the scenarios and alter the web of fate.¡± ¡°Right. You need your goddess to come back. You¡¯d mentioned that.¡± ¡°Not merely just that. That is my largest goal, yes. But there are...other objectives as well. The goal is to not achieve just one, but to satisfy as many as possible.¡± ¡°You¡¯d probably enjoy talking with Morwen if you ever meet her before we really start throwing spells at each other.¡± Ganeshti chuckled. ¡°Perhaps. Though I suspect not, given my rather antagonistic role in your life thus far. Still, I remain skeptical. In the many eons of my existence, few have intrigued in any substantive way for very long.¡± Amara frowned, folding her arms across her chest protectively. ¡°Sounds so isolating and boring.¡± ¡°A rather mortal way of putting it, however correct it may be.¡± ¡°Guess I haven¡¯t lost the mortal perspective.¡± Amara said, glancing around. ¡°Give it time. They all do eventually.¡± He stopped at a small structure and gestured to the door. ¡°We¡¯re here. What you require will be inside. What¡¯s inside is for you alone. This is where we part ways for now.¡± Amara glanced around, noting all the spirits and necromancers stealing glances at her from around corners and behind curtains. She still didn¡¯t get why he was helping her, but she assumed his statements about the long-term benefits outweighing the short-term disadvantages it might convey had to be reason enough. Morwen was more of the predict the future and make it happen type. She was usually more of an at the moment type of person, like Akamori. But she assumed it wasn¡¯t always the case. ¡°Thanks. I think?¡± Ganeshti turned and vanished into a soul rift. Reality mended itself back together in his absence. She took what passed for a deep breath in the realm of the dead and stepped inside. It was a small room with a rune circle on the floor. She sighed. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s another portal.¡± She missed the squad. This was really something she didn¡¯t want to do without them. Yasiin especially. She wondered what he was doing right now. If he was keeping Akamori out of trouble, or maybe spending time with his family on Eryn. There was probably a lot of chaos back there if Ominek made another push on Eryn. The only way she could find out was going forward, though. ¡°Here goes nothing...¡± She stepped forward. Her skin tingled. She felt disembodied for a moment, like she was floating. She¡¯d clenched her eyes shut involuntarily when she stepped in, but now she was keeping them closed partially out of fear. She heard a melodious, soft feminine chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re right on time.¡± Amara slowly opened her eyes and saw a magnificent woman dressed in a flowing white dress with blue accents. They floated in a massive cave made of crystal, though on some instinctive level, she knew it wasn¡¯t a cave. ¡°Welcome to the Crystal Palace Amara of Honshu. Or should I say Nemesis?¡± ¡°I guess both are technically valid.¡± The woman smiled again. ¡°Which would you prefer?¡± Amara frowned as she struggled for an answer. ¡°Until recently? I¡¯d have said Amara without hesitation. But now? I¡¯m not so sure who or what I am.¡± The woman extended a hand. An invitation to come with her. ¡°Then let¡¯s find out.¡± Amara slowly reached out to take her hand. Ready to face what she was becoming. She didn¡¯t know why, but she felt like she could trust this woman, whomever she was, unlike Ganeshti. She¡¯d learn everything she could, and then return home, and end the war. ?