《The Elfclave Saga - [D&D Fanfic][Fantasy][Sci-Fi]》


 Prologues

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    Sephiroth


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    Cloud Strife''s lifeless eyes filled his vision.


    That impossibly painful sight, his best friend in the world, unmoving, bloodstained and lifeless in his lap, broke him.


    Seph Yroth screamed, and for the first time in his life, gave in to his darker urges. Always, he had been the perfect soldier, a Sword Mage unmatched, trained by the nation of Shinra to be the best. A magical warrior without peer.


    A super soldier.


    With his rage unbound, the poor souls that shared that nameless frozen battlefield with him got to experience his rage first hand. The last sight they saw amidst the chaos of war, was a figure rising into the air upon a single black wing, a burning sword with green flames in his hand.


    An unseen and malevolent force urged Seph to embrace his fury and his loss, and he did so. The surrounding snowfield was covered with fire and magical chaos, and Seph did not stop slashing and burning until he was the only one still standing. At that point, he fell on his back, and passed out.


    The world was white.


    Seph Yroth didn''t know how long it had been so. He''d been staring at the sky so long, time stopped mattering. Much, seemed not to matter in the wake of Cloud''s death. The unnaturally beautiful man, a Shadar Kai with long white hair, aesthetically perfect and objectively beautiful features, and an all too Human pale tan skin tone, sat up from lying on his back, the stench of the battlefield finally overpowering his nose as he looked upon the carnage of his latest battle, and found that he was weeping. Or had been, at some point. The tears were frozen on his face, but they started anew as he realized an awful truth. He didn''t even know where Cloud¡¯s body even was, anymore. Trying to find him now, would be impossible.


    Bodies, in various kinds of armor, littered the entire field. Friend, foe, it hadn''t mattered to Seph. They had all died for taking Cloud from him. He returned from the conflict alone, to their camp just north of Winterknell''s wall, and upon rendezvousing with a surviving unit of soldiers from his home nation of Shinra to the west of the wintry hellscape he now inhabited, the men treated him like a hero. They sang his praises, of his ferocity with a blade. They might have gone all night, if he hadn''t spoken a single word.


    "Why?"


    The men stopped, and stared at their unnaturally beautiful Hero as silence settled over the campfire. "Why what, Lord Seph?" One of the peasant conscripts lucky enough to survive, answered.


    "Why did all of our forces die...what killed the enemy, in the end? Why are we victorious?"


    Silence reigned, and then one of the older soldiers said, "It was a...spell, or something. From the Mages. Had to be. But it went awry. Whatever they tried to do...that fire...it burned us, too. Many wounded have severe burns. Many others¡­just burnt up completely"


    Seph went quiet then, for about a solid half minute, before he rose suddenly with unnatural grace. "I need a drink." He muttered, and then headed into the city itself. There were no officers left to stop him. Shinra''s command structure had also been murdered. By him. Despite what the soldiers thought, he knew it was a matter of time before his dark deed was revealed, but he no longer found any fucks to give, and thus, he turned to drowning his blood soaked memories in alcohol.


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    Avatar Yaang


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    "Your Duel in the Heavens is a twenty two? You hit!"


    "That''ll be...forty six damage, total." The platinum scaled Eastern Dragonborn said, as he rolled several small black and white dice, before the, arguably, most powerful being in existence.


    Master Saitama, the One Punch Monk, founder of the Way of the Weaboo, and renowned for his immortal and unmatched power which could and had rivaled even Gods, sat before him, with an array of paper, dice, and a long foldable screen that hid whatever he was rolling from Yaang''s vision. Saitama was completely bald, and had rather generic features, for a Human.


    As much as Saitama loved a good fight, in his ¡®old age¡¯ as he called it, he preferred running one-shot D&D campaigns for his students, every single one of whom had been taught to respect the chaotic power of dice. Master Saitama lived his life by the dice, as they even decided on where he traveled. The trick was having enough patience to get him to roll them for one¡¯s own journey. A trick only achieved by playing D&D. Yaang assumed those letters, D&D, had some meaning or importance, but every single time he or one of his fellow disciples had asked about it, Saitama avoided answering the question. To Yaang, he had once promised, that the young Dragonborn would indeed one day learn what they stood for. That would be the day that he ceased.


    Not dead, mind you, his exact words had been that all Yaang was would cease to be, and yet Saitama did not foresee death for him. Many close calls with it, but whatever fate he foresaw, was not death. Arguably, it was worse, but Yaang didn¡¯t let it bother him. In the privacy of his mind, he thought Saitama¡¯s god tier power had cracked his mind a little bit, and he took the master¡¯s predictions with a grain of salt.


    ¡°Forty six damage!?¡± Saitama said, looking slowly at the enemy¡¯s health.


    Yaang nodded. ¡°And thanks to my feat, I can split that among multiple enemies.¡±


    Saitama threw his hands up. ¡°You massacre them! The entire bandit camp can¡¯t possibly stand before your power.¡±


    Yaang frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill all of them¡­¡±


    Saitama raised a hairless eyebrow at him. ¡°Okaaay, then who are you killing, Yaang?¡±


    Yaang shrugged. ¡°Y¡¯know¡­the bad¡­bandits. Surely they¡¯re not all evil?¡±


    Saitama chuckled, and sighed. ¡°Alright. You turn most of the smelly, blood-stained murderers to paste, but the two weaklings who beg you for their lives, you decide to spare, in your infinite mercy. Not very Bahamut¡¯s Fist of you, but it¡¯s your choice.¡±


    Yaang sighed. ¡°Surely even Bahamut can find pity for the pitiful, no? Anyway. I loot the bodies. Search the tents. The usual.¡±


    ¡°Give me an¡­investigation roll.¡±


    ¡°Investigationnnn¡­¡­¡± Yaang said, staring at his sheet with his abilities, and their modifiers.


    Saitama glanced at his sheet, and then nodded. ¡°Right, you¡¯re still on the fourth edition. Uhh. Just roll the D twenty, and add your Int.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­that¡¯s...twenty five.¡±


    Saitama stared at him, and then just nodded, muttering, ¡°Yep. ¡­high level character¡­.mod the damn DCs¡­right. You find¡­three hundred and fifty gold, from across the bodies, and some¡­¡± He rolled several dice at once. ¡°Winged Boots.¡±


    ¡°Aww yes!¡± Yaang cheered. ¡°I put on the boots! Can I fly!?¡±


    ¡°You strap on the, slightly, blood covered boots, and encourage them to fly. It seems like they need a new activation word, for a new wearer.¡±


    Yaang pondered for a moment, then shouted, ¡°Yip-yip!¡±


    Saitama nodded. ¡°And with a Yip-yip, you soar into the air, not quite how you eventually wanted, with actual wings, but it¡¯s a solid start. And on that note, we¡¯ll call it, cause it¡¯s been¡­yea, about four hours.¡±


    Yaang nodded, having been aware of every second. He liked parts of D&D, but he was practically bouncing where he sat, after four hours. ¡°So uhh, where do I go next, Master?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Saitama paused in putting his shit away, and rolled a golden twenty sided dice, whose triangles were outlined in red. He rolled a few more, of varying shapes, but the same color scheme, and then looked at Yaang with a bored expression, now that D&D was over. ¡°Winterknell.¡±


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    From where they were in the mountainous Northern Wastes, which were just teeming with undead, Winterknell was south, technically on the other side of the planet from where Yaang had come from. But, Master Saitama¡¯s rolls were always accurate. If he wanted to grow stronger and walk his own path, free of the myriad forces trying to control or ¡®acquire¡¯ a platinum-scaled Dragonborn like him, he needed to go to Winterknell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll uhh, take your sheet. Like the others, you¡¯re being upgraded to a kind of ¡®version four point five¡¯ as I call it. It kinda takes the best of both worlds from four and five and smashes them together. And it works! Most of the time¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. Until next time, Master.¡± Yaang said, handing over everything that was related to playing the game. Saitama kept all of his pupil¡¯s things, just so they didn¡¯t get lost or damaged on the road. Using his latent Psionic power, Saitama punched a small hole into a pocket plane dimension, and stored everything related to D&D in there, where it floated in a nerdy heap. It was an entirely blank void of a plane, but his stuff was always where he left it, and it wasn¡¯t too hard to open a small, temporary gap to this plane. For the One Punch Monk, anyway. Psionic power surrounded his hands as he yanked reality closed again, checked its integrity, and then continued on his own path. He smirked, as he rolled his dice.


    It seemed he would be meeting with Jotaro next.


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    Xerex


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    The soft strumming of a lute filled the mountain cavern, sitting in the southern part of the Stormsummit mountains. Next, came the sound of a lute. Then some test drumming. Instrument by instrument, the brass scaled Dragonborn bard known as Xerex tested his traveling band¡¯s worth of instruments, and then, after a solid hour of tuning and lubricating, made his way to the center chamber of the draconic lair.


    His master, the Ancient Brass Dragon, Anachronos, was nowhere to be found. There was only Grimbul, the irritating Kobold that the merciful dragon had decided to spare instead of splatter. He looked up at Xerex, as he came closer. Grimbul was more sagging skin than anything else. Wiry gray hair grew from his vaguely draconian ears, and atop his head was a burning candle, as well as years worth of other, long burnt candles that formed a kind of waxy helmet. He was old for a Kobold, but nobody actually knew how long the tiny creatures lived for. Most died long before they reached old age.


    He pointed a gnarled finger at Xerex as the metallic Dragonborn came closer. ¡°You no take-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your gross candle.¡± Xerex interrupted. ¡°Where is Anachronos?¡±


    The Kobold seemed far too gleeful as he said, ¡°Gone. Gone, gone! Gone for some time. Not coming back¡­heheh. Said you should leave. Journey. Grow.¡± Grimbul scowled at him. ¡°More likely, become crow food. Heheh. Good riddance!¡±


    The Kobold scampered off then, and after some searching, Xerex found a note for him that essentially said exactly what Grimbul had. Anachronos was busy, gone, and he should resume traveling again. Irritated, Xerex made his way to the dragon¡¯s hoard, a part of the cavern open only to those with brass scales, and started looking through his master¡¯s spells. If he was going on the road, he was going armed.


    He found a bunch of scrolls, and started to sort through them. ¡°Prestidigitation¡­keep. Mage Hand¡­already have it¡­ have it, have it, have it, the bard muttered before finding something of worth, and low level enough to use. ¡°Scanlan¡¯s Hand¡­nothing else, just Scanlan¡¯s Hand¡­all right then." Everything else was beyond his current abilities anyway. Though he was a bard at his core, Xerex had sorcerous blood, and aspired to one day become a proper dragon, through sorcerer magic and apprenticeship to a good, or more accurately lawfully neutral, metallic dragon.


    Xerex left the lair, and pointed at an open area, as he spoke the incantation for Scanlan¡¯s Hand, which was just him, essentially singing the words ¡®Scanlan¡¯s Hand¡¯ in a high key. It took a minute to hit the note high enough, but eventually, a giant sparkling purple hand manifested. Xerex thought it felt like Mage Hand, but bigger, which was good, because his dexterity with Mage Hand was akin to a thief¡¯s. ¡°I wonder if I can ride on this¡­¡±


    The giant sparkling hand gave him a thumbs up, seemingly on its own. Xerex practically leapt in the air when it did so. ¡°Are¡­are you partially sentient?¡± The thumbs up didn¡¯t change, and Xerex nodded, keeping that in mind as he jumped into the hand¡¯s palm, and let out a whoop as they flew into the air. He decided to do a proper world tour from the west to the far east, and on his map, the westernmost town was Winterknell.


    Xerex knew almost nothing about it, other than it was cold, and had undead problems, but that was true of every northern city on the planet. With almost no preparation, Xerex flew on a spell he didn¡¯t know the duration of across an ocean. Luckily for him, it was tied to his own energy and would exist as long as he concentrated on it. He also had enough rations to survive, thus, as he always did, he managed to survive a potentially perilous journey on little more than luck.


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    Monkey D. Luffy


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    ¡°Uuughhh! It¡¯s so cold!¡± Monkey D. Luffy, aspiring pirate king, shouted loudly, drawing looks from the locals. The older teen was clad in an unwanted but necessary leather duster, and for some reason, he¡¯d put his red torn sleeve shirt over the duster. It did not work, at all, but it kept the monk warm enough to not become brittle and break, which was a real danger for him. Being literally made of rubber, after pranking the wrong old woman as a snot nosed youngster and being cursed with a rubber body, Luffy had made it work to his advantage.


    Unfortunately, his loud mouth had mentioned that he was going to be King of the Pirates, so the Hag had cursed him again, to be unable to swim, as well. Despite more than six feet of water being deadly to him, Luffy¡¯s dream remained unchanged. ¡°What are we even doing here guys? This is no place for a Pirate!¡±


    His ¡®crew¡¯ had met up with him after he¡¯d taken a ferry from Straw Hat Isle to Piravia, and after exactly one voyage with Luffy on the incredibly deadly Oceanus Tenebrae, they¡¯d parked their ship on the continent''s western coast, and had brought him inland, to Winterknell. His Captain for this voyage, a grizzled living stereotype of a pirate who went by ¡®Greg¡¯ smacked the teen¡¯s straw hatted head.


    ¡°Stop advertising that we¡¯re Pirates ye bloody fool. Nobody expects tae see Pirates this far inland unless ye an¡¯ yer giant fecking mouth give us away!¡±


    Another of the crew, a far less hygienic stereotype that called himself Jack, put a grimy arm around Luffy. ¡°Tell ye wot, lad. Go an¡¯ warm up a table fer us at tha pub, ya? We¡¯ll handle the cold an¡¯ such. It aint no climate fer a rubber man.¡±


    Slightly less enthusiastic, but eager to get out of the cold, Luffy made his way to the Frosted Flagon, and grabbed a table. As the hours ticked by, the bar became more and more crowded, and Luffy¡¯s ability to reserve a seat shrank, until the bearded barkeep just told him to move. Deciding to check on his crew, he learned from the gate guards that they¡¯d already left the city, in a hurry.


    As fast as his freezing rubber legs could carry him, Luffy made his way to the stormy seaside of the Oceanus Tenebrae, known to those who sailed it (and couldn¡¯t pronounce the Elvish name) as the Dark Ocean, so named because sailing it was almost always a death sentence. Luffy wanted to one day punch it clean of the massive monsters that lived there, and had trained with Master Saitama to make that dream a reality, but as he reached the edge of the cliffs they¡¯d anchored near, he saw the ship sailing away in the distance. Seeing his straw hat and red shirt, his former crew laughed raucously and waved at him, but made no move to head back to him.


    Luffy tried stretching his arms, but they were too cold and threatened to snap. He stood there, the wind howling, stranded and holding his straw hat tight to his head. Just as he was about to turn away, massive tentacles rose up from the Oceanus Tenebrae, as it lived up to its name. Luffy watched in horror as they utterly demolished the ship, and everything on it. When the brutal display was done, and the tentacles seemed to shift towards him, Luffy turned, muttering, ¡°Good riddance¡­¡± to the crew that had left him in the shithole that was Winterknell. He completely ignored the single childish tear that fell from his cheek as he remembered the good times he¡¯d had with the crew.


    They had been rough, but they were with him. Or had been, anyway. They¡¯d agreed to sail together, and to Luffy that made them as good as family, though, it seemed that they hadn¡¯t felt the same. He headed back to the Frosted Flagon to get a fresh drink, which was about all he could afford.


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    ¡®Stumbledore¡¯


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    The office of Albus P. Stumbledore was a magical marvel.


    Ripe with magic items from across Gaia¡¯s many ages, it was a trove of knowledge, as well. Even the picture frames were magical, having somehow been granted sentience. Great moments from across history lined each wall. The Splitting of Io. The opening of the Eternity Gate, a physically and magically manifested doorway to the divine realms of the Gods. Son Goku, and his epic but foolishly defiant battle in the seven Heavens.


    Currently, after their epic falling out at the dawn of time, there were seven Heavens, and nine Hells, each ruled by a single God.


    Bahamut, Pelor, Mystra, Corellon, The Raven Queen, Tymora, and Moradin ruled as the ¡®good¡¯ deities, and were generally uniformly worshiped across the world.


    Asmodeus, Tiamat, Bane, Lolth, Gruumsh, Cyric, Torog, and Orcus ruled in the hells, but the final dark god was a total mystery, even all the knowledgeable Professor knew about him was that his followers gathered in black pyramids, and were utterly, incurably, insane. And not ¡®hearing the voices of Gods¡¯ insane, proper ¡®we¡¯re going to snuff out all existence, and we¡¯re okay with that¡¯ insanity. Even Asmodeus would take a contract over total obliteration. The good pantheon was arrayed in their classic, stylistic images on the top of Stumbledore¡¯s office, namely across the arched ceiling, with a portion given to each.


    The bottom of his study was where the hated rulers of the Hells were depicted, slavering, burning, in chains, or just generally looking unpleasant. There was however, something new marring their masterful and unnerving depictions.


    The lifeblood of Albus Stumbledore himself, pooling across the smirking visage of the Lord of the Nine Hells burned into the memory of his murderer, a former student of his who once was known as Tom.


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    Some Time Later...


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    The office of Albus P. Stumbledore was a crime scene.


    The only evidence of the crime, the unnervingly spread out pool of blood, too much to have come from a still living person, and eventually identified as belonging to Stumbledore himself. It had eventually pooled to cover all eight of the leering, evil, demonic visages that covered the office floor. The ninth, represented by a shadowy pyramid, had oddly enough remained blood free, as if whoever had purposefully spread it to cover the dark Gods avoided that one on purpose.


    Of the Headmaster, there was no sign, only rumors that he¡¯d been seen fleeing Fogwarts, and departing into the wilds of the Shadowfell. The Headmaster''s store of magical scrolls and ink and paper enough to copy them had also been noted missing, along with quite a few magical artifacts: an artifact chess set, all of the Headmaster¡¯s robes, and anything that could¡¯ve been used as a wand or magical focus had been cleaned out. Even the Reins of Summoning, a gift given to the Professor after he defeated the dark sorcerer Grindelwald, had been stolen. Thankfully, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to find the pegasus they summoned within the Shadowfel.


    Unfortunately for the school authorities, the thief in question was not planning on staying in the Shadowfell. It turned out that crime was actually quite easy to commit, across multiple planes and realities. The man who murdered the Headmaster now assumed his identity, and thus, miles from the grounds of Fogwarts and well into their Death Forest, which was naturally just a short jaunt from school grounds, he used the Scroll of Plane Shift, and returned to the Prime Material Plane.


    Immediately, he felt cold, and looking around, he realized he¡¯d manifested in front of a tavern of some kind. The Frosted Flagon. Figuring that was better than nothing, the seemingly aged wizard entered the establishment, his lawful pursuers easily shaken by the power of jumping across Planes.


    The interior of the tavern was nothing special. A downright beautiful man with long white hair and a long sharp sword was taking up the bar with his aura. A brass scaled Dragonborn bard was readying for a set presumably, and chatting with yet another Dragonborn, this one clearly from the far east, judging by his lanky, serpentine form. His scales were silver, at least to the wizard¡¯s eyes, which finally landed on the only table with open seating, one occupied by a depressed, straw hatted teen who saw him sit, glanced the wizard''s way, and then left for the bar. Fine with that, ¡®Stumbledore¡¯ began properly Identifying and examining his ill gotten goods, amidst the revelry of the tavern.


    More than the artifacts and magic items though, he valued the large black tome the most. With a whispered Knock spell, it opened, and at last, the murderous magician found the information he¡¯d been seeking. Namely, details and potential information on the location of three legendary magical artifacts: The Wand of Instant Death, The Raven Queen¡¯s Shroud, and the Stone of Resurrection.


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 Winterknell

    Winterknell was a place of bitter winters and freezing summers. The sprawling northern town, encircled by a strong, thick, stone curtain wall surrounding the small city, seemed always cloaked in the pale haze of winter. Its people endured life with stubborn resilience, and a deep mistrust of strangers. Yet, even in this icy corner of the world, the warm glow of the Frosted Flagon tavern cut through the monotonous gray gloom surrounding it, and the entirety of Winterknell.


    The tavern''s smoky interior was filled with the sounds of a bard at work, as Seph Yroth walked in. He had, at least, Prestidigitated the war grime from his person, though the powerful stench of blood and feces never truly went away, it was overpowered by the scent of roasted venison and ale lingering heavily in the air. It was here, beneath the low-beamed ceiling and among the clinking of mugs, that fate saw fit to cross the paths of several strangers once again, and the world would shudder from the consequences.


    His dark cloak flaring behind him and briefly revealing the light armor he wore beneath it, Seph took his spot at the bar. The elf¡¯s long silver hair, falling like a cascade of moonlight over his shoulders, caught the flicker of firelight. His eyes were cold and dead as he took his ease and ordered his drink. Though his dark cloak hid much of his form, the hilt of a blade, a fierce weapon that Cloud had called the Throngler (since it both thrashed and strangled opponents, usually, when Seph wielded it in a reverse grip) was visible on his back, as the long-bladed greatsword could be comfortably sheathed nowhere else on his person. Yet, even as the locals raised their tankards in honor of his slaughter, Seph¡¯s focus remained on his mug and little else. He knew their well wishes would turn to accusations before long, and he simply didn¡¯t care.


    Nearby, a tall but lithe Dragonborn of the eastern regions stood out obviously among the drab patrons of the Flagon. The over seven foot tall platinum-scaled Dragonborn in orange and red monk robes radiated an aura of calm wisdom and genuine cheer. He was very much the life of the tavern, and also impossible to miss because of the firelight gleaming off his scales whenever he moved. Currently, he was cheering on the brass Dragonborn bard playing out the final notes of his chosen song, in the language of the east, of which the bard was not a natural speaker, and almost no one in the crowd understood. And yet, despite not knowing the words, or the meaning, the simple patrons of the simple tavern ate it up as he went hard on the final verse.


    "Kesshite yuzuranai!


    Shitsubo o sasenai!


    Kesshite okizari ni wa shinai!


    Kesshite nakasenai, Sayonara iwanai,


    Kesshite uso de kizutsukenaiii!"


    The brass scaled Dragonborn bard named Xerex finished his admittedly epic performance with a flourish on his lute. His tune rang out above the crowd as it rocked the tavern with his lute, and several magically composed instruments, a piano and drum in this instance, coming together to achieve a song that drew laughter and applause from those who could not help but tap their boots to the rhythm.


    Only one patron had a different reaction, that being Seph Yroth, who quietly let a single tear fall to the bar. Somehow, some way, fate had guided this...rather unlikely bard, to his path, at this moment. Playing the very song that, despite its slightly comical nature, Cloud had utterly adored, as the core message was about not giving up on love, something the now dead lovesick soldier had jived with. It also helped that the song absolutely slapped.


    Xerex thanked the patrons, who all mostly seemed to enjoy the song. Alas, the Mage Hand that passed around his tip can failed to get much support in the form of coin. But, that was what Xerex''s other Mage Hand was for, manipulated by his tail, he could cast two at once, and had become rather dextrous. He robbed the patrons blind, and then bought them all a round with a pittance of their own stolen money.


    By the bar, which Seph had all but commandeered with his brooding, dead eyes, another figure joined him, trying, and failing, to be as edgy and broodingly cool as Seph was. Said figure was a scrawny male, wearing a shoddy patchwork leather jacket with a red vest over it, and very wrinkled and torn jeans that seemed like they were usually rolled up. But on top of that already strange outfit, was the straw hat covering the kid¡¯s face. Seph took all this in, and assessed his threat level with a glance. He sighed as he found the kid simply wasn¡¯t worth caring about.


    Under the straw hat, the young man¡¯s grin stretched wider than seemed natural as he saw Seph notice him. His boundless energy and ridiculous antics had already drawn a mix of amusement and exasperation from the other patrons. The man¡¯s stupidity was as legendary as his resilience, and while few took him seriously, it was hard not to like him.


    Out of pity, and what seemed like the kid¡¯s last copper pieces, the barkeep gave him enough beer to keep him warm, on his way out, a suggestion the muscular, bearded northman verbalized. The straw hatted man didn¡¯t leave though, no, instead he turned around, still pretending to be cool as he leaned back on the bar and let his hat cover his face and purposefully deepened his voice, turning it in Seph¡¯s direction.


    Far too loudly for someone trying to be edgy and cool, the young man all but shouted in the quieter tavern in the aftermath of the song, drawing looks. "Hey! You there! You look like you''ve seen some stuff!" He pointed a finger at Seph, grinning wildly. "I bet you have some crazy stories, right?"


    Seph Yroth, eyes cold and distant, stared back at Luffy for a long moment. His mind was lost in a memory of a person who no longer existed. He snapped back to reality, as Cloud¡¯s smile became Luffy¡¯s, and that pleasant daydream of his friend faded for this blood-soaked shitstorm of a reality.


    The Dragonborn bard, Xerex, chuckled as he joined them at the bar. He raised his mug in Seph¡¯s direction, his voice smooth and full of mirth as he effortlessly defused the tension in Seph¡¯s glare. ¡°What my friend Luffy means to say is, you look like you¡¯ve fought battles, seen great pain, and maybe even survived it all. We¡¯d all like to hear a story from someone like you, if you¡¯ll indulge us. I¡¯m Xerex, by the way.¡±


    Seph didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, he reached for his drink, swirling the ale absently in his mug as he caught sight of the other patrons who seemed to be eyeing him. Already, stories of his ¡®heroism¡¯ had gotten around, it seemed. That would last maybe a night, before people started wondering exactly how so few of the foreign aid soldiers had come back alive from what was supposed to be a reasonably sized undead army descending from the frozen hell that was the far north. They¡¯d had enough numbers to crush it, an easy victory to notch on their Shinran general¡¯s belt, but nobody had expected a death toll like this. For a moment, he thought about Cloud.


    "Seph." He murmured his name in response. ¡°Who gives a fuck about stories. Words are air.¡± He drained the ale tankard, and growled at the barkeep. ¡°Another¡­sir.¡± With an understanding nod, the man got the war hero his ale.


    Xerex and Luffy shared a look, shrugged, and let Grumpy Seph be, as they went off to another table, to bother the solitary man sitting at it. He was also an elf from the Shadowfell, or appeared to be, with ragged white hair, a long white beard, and deep blue robes sparkling like starlight. The most obvious wizard that Seph had ever seen. Finally alone, he sighed, and downed his ale, then grimaced. ¡°Barkeep¡­not to shit on the quality of your ale¡­but I need something stronger, if I¡¯m going to sleep through the horrors I saw today. I can pay.¡± He put down eight entire gold pieces, and the barkeep shook his head.


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    ¡°Nah, mate. Not fer you. Way I ¡®eard it, you all but wiped out those undead fucks single handedly, while most of your Shinran pals died.¡± He winced, as that got a sharp glare from Seph. ¡°Erm. Sorry for your loss. Strongest I got, comin¡¯ yer way, Hero.¡±


    At that point, yet another weirdo bothered Seph, though this one was different. It was impossible not to notice the ¡®silver¡¯ Dragonborn, but upon closer inspection, Seph¡¯s superior eyes saw that his scales were quite platinum, and not silver at all. Soldier though he was, even he knew the importance of Dragonkin who bore platinum scales. The occasional Platinum Dragon, usually an Avatar of Bahamut himself, wasn''t unheard of. A mere Dragonborn blessed with such scales, was new. Let alone a Dragonborn clearly from the east. He was also definitely Trouble, but that didn¡¯t stop him from sidling up to Seph.


    ¡°The life of a Hero is fraught with loss, and pain.¡± The platinum Dragonkin rumbled with wisdom, his long serpent-like neck craned down towards Seph. ¡°Who did you lose?¡±


    Having had about as much as he could take, Seph turned suddenly, and glared at the latest bother, only to stop in his tracks. Two pure golden orbs, the Dragonborn¡¯s eyes, snared his very soul, and despite his inner turmoil, a sense of calm did reach him. The Eastern Dragonborn towered over him, sporting a pair of pure white horns akin to antlers, they starkly contrasted the mane of jet black hair that swept back from his head and ran all the way down his long-bodied form to a tuft on his tail. Up close, Seph also noted rather sturdy armor pieces skillfully woven into  and hidden by his robes. No mere pilgrim, then. Swayed by the monk¡¯s empathy, the soldier took his fresh drink and swigged far too much at once. Gagging, he said, ¡°I lost¡­my¡­best friend. It doesn¡¯t matter. Nothing in this shithole of a world matters.¡±


    The practically sparkling Dragonborn smoothly bobbed his head in agreement. ¡°This world is indeed in a bit of a state¡­but I believe¡­that it¡¯s still worth saving.¡± He gave Seph¡¯s shoulder a companionable pat, though he kept it brief, as the grieving man glared at him. ¡°I doubt your friend thought things were so hopeless. Surely there is at least one thing left in this world, left behind in Shinra, that he still cares for, no? Family? A woman, perhaps?¡± Seph must¡¯ve made a shocked expression, as the Dragonborn smirked, and chuckled sadly. ¡°Life happens whether you want it to or not, Hero. Even when we lose those most precious to us.¡±


    Seph quietly took another swig, as the potent alcohol made him somewhat introspective as it actually, finally, affected him and the monk¡¯s words left him with some small ember of peace in the maelstrom of his grief. But that was shattered quickly as Luffy, with a loud whoop, leapt to his feet, sending his stool tumbling behind him. ¡°I said I didn¡¯t take anything! Are you callin¡¯ me a liar!?¡±


    A very drunk red faced Dwarf was spitting, literally, with anger at the behatted human. ¡°Ai know ye took me feckin¡¯ gold ye land-bound sea rat! Give et back!¡± The Dwarf punched, and Luffy dodged. He dodged three more times, until the drunkard decided to throw a chair at the straw hatted goober. Unfortunately, it did not hit Luffy, who rubber banded his person away from the chair, but rather it smashed into Seph, shattering into pieces against his perfectly still backside. He didn¡¯t so much as flinch, but everyone else went perfectly still, and Xerex suddenly stopped playing.


    Seph¡¯s eyes narrowed, his fingers gripping the edge of his mug. Silence filled the tavern, and Seph slowly stood up, turning, his greasy long white hair covering his hateful eyes as he turned around. ¡°Who¡­is the dead imbecile that threw a chair at me¡­¡±


    Every finger in the bar aimed at Luffy, who tried dodging the pointing, only to trip, and fall into another table. He laughed as he stumbled, and swiped yet another coin purse, though the laughter ended as he suddenly felt his uncomfortable but necessary leather coat be gripped with inhuman strength by its collar. Before Seph could growl anything at him though, Luffy wriggled free of the coat, only to have his legs swept by Seph. They might have been rubber, but he still needed them to stay upright.


    A heavy plated boot pressed unnaturally into the rubber man¡¯s chest, as Seph glared at him and pinned him to the floor. ¡°Luffy, was it¡­do us all a favor¡­and shut the fuck up. And after you shut the fuck up, give back the coin you stole.¡±


    ¡°B-but Pirates don¡¯t return their loo-¡± His words stopped, as the pointed tip of the Throngler was at his float in a flash, and once again, the tavern was silent.


    ¡°I said¡­return. Their. Gold. Or lose your head. Your choice.¡±


    Admonished, Luffy returned the stolen coin purses, and then retreated to his tavern room. Yaang went up next, as he and Luffy seemed to be traveling together, or had just bonded enough to go halfsies on a room. Seph didn¡¯t care. The wizard and the bard retired too, after beating the Dwarf from earlier at a drinking game, leaving him properly blacked out on the floor. Hours passed, the tavern grew quiet, and the lonely barkeep set to cleaning up the mess his drunken slob patrons had left in their wake.


    All seemed quiet for the night, and after four hours, Seph Yroth rose again, fully rested, and resumed drowning his sorrows in solitude. The only other person up by then was Xerex, who was chatting quietly by the fireplace with Yaang, as he tuned his lute. The silence was absolute, but less so around the two giant dragon men than it was around Seph, who¡¯d been given the run of the bar, provided he paid for what he drank. At a certain point, the innkeeper drew a line on hero status, but Seph didn¡¯t really care. Gold had little value, like everything else in this depressing timeline without Cloud in it.


    Just as he needed an outlet for his newfound rage, fate handed him one. With a loud bang, roughly ten hooded black and red robed figures, cultists of some kind by the uniformity of them, ran into the bar. Through the door, and several through the windows, they almost immediately had the pair of Dragonborn surrounded. Seph was properly buzzed now, which was about as drunk as his body allowed him to get, and as such, he remained very much combat ready. A quick analysis of the enemy revealed every single one of them had a burning brass crossbow with a horned skull over the bolt slot that lit the bolt on fire as it passed through, and in perfect unison, they aimed for Yaang. Seph nodded. Dragon Cultists, then. Worshipers of the five headed dragon Goddess, Tiamat, gatekeeper to the second level of Hell, and disputed ruler of Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells.


    Yaang, for his part, seemed unbothered by the fiery bolts, as he shouted, ¡°Good! I wanted to practice my Firebending anyway!¡± And with a smooth wave of his hands and some energy manipulation, the Monk of the Four Elements sent the burning bolts that fired first at him soaring back at their targets, where they stuck fast, but didn¡¯t really seem to do much damage. Then, in a flash of darkness, Seph Yroth was there. This wasn¡¯t like before, though. When he¡¯d given into rage. He would never lose control like that again, but he was done with that part of his life, that much was certain. For the first time, as fresh blood coated him, he wondered just how far power like his could get him.


    Up until Cloud was taken from him, Seph had either brutally bashed or strangled his opponents by holding the Throngler¡¯s thick blade against his target¡¯s throats. This was not the sword¡¯s purpose, but it was how he had chosen to wield it, despite his superior¡¯s displeasure. Cloud and Tifa had approved of his choice, and that was all that mattered.


    No longer.


    He cut down three of them in as many strokes of the Throngler, and a few of the cultists, the smarter ones most likely, quickly understood they had no chance against Seph.


    Seph wasn¡¯t who they should¡¯ve been worried about though, as Xerex chimed in with a timely echoing cry of his spell. ¡°Scanlan¡¯s Haaaaaand!¡± His lute, tuned to sound more like a guitar (and sometimes an electric guitar, if he barded hard enough) screeched along with its musician, and a massive sparkling purple fist smashed one cultist into another, whereupon a final clenched fist smash turned them into red stains on the floor.


    About that time, the wizard from earlier burst out of his room with a cry of, ¡°What the actual fuck is going on down there! Some people are trying to- oh.¡± Seeing only one cultist left, Stumbledore shot his shot, as he traced a triangle in the air with his wand, and tapped its points. ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    ¡°We need one alive!¡± Yaang shouted, realizing his impromptu allies were getting quite serious. Stumbledore panicked, and redirected one missile, which looped around in time to strike Luffy, as he wiped sleep from his eyes and came out of his room. The force sent him reeling back inside, while the other two hit the cultist, and very nearly turned him into what his comrades now resembled.


    With a Healing Word form the bard, he managed to not bleed out and die, and the group tied him up for a proper interrogation. Luffy wanted to go first, because of course he did, and Seph let him, amused by the thought of this wannabe pirate goober playing interrogator. Needless to say, the goofy pirate with bedhead and minor force damage did not intimidate the cultist.


    Then, it was Seph¡¯s turn, and almost immediately the threat of branding from his Burning Blade made the cultist squeal.


    ¡°We¡¯re holed up in a fort to the south! In the Desert of the Lost! Just please, don¡¯t kill me!¡± The man shuddered, as the Throngler, and two snarling, but faking, Dragonborn put their fangs away.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it Daryl?¡± Stumbledore asked, as the group stepped away.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Derek¡­¡± The disheveled Dragon Cultist muttered.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m quite sure it¡¯s Daryl.¡± Stumbledore said, confidently. Xerex agreed. As did Yaang. Soon, Seph was also referring to their new prisoner/slave as Daryl, despite that not actually being his name.


    The next morning, after buying potions from a Gnomish shopkeeper with Alzheimers and way too much enjoyment from haggling, the group decided to visit the local temple of Pelor, the Sun God, to rope a cleric into joining them. With a bit of prep and skillfully timed lighting, as well as a timely organ solo from the rarely used organ the temple had, Seph Yroth interrupted the local priest¡¯s sermon, which he was giving to maybe five people in total, two of whom had been asleep before the organ started. The display, and ensuing explanation of their quest did not let them recruit the priest himself, though.


    Instead, they got Alan.


    Alan was, in kind terms, a yokel with minor healing magic. The exact same amount as Xerex, the bard accurately pointed out. Undaunted by this, Seph outfitted the freckled blonde teenager with standard chain mail, a kite shield, and a mace blessed by his God. More confident now that they had two ¡®healers¡¯, and Daryl, the group set off to the south, along the edge of the Desert of the Lost, as apparently they didn¡¯t have to actually cross the desert itself to reach the fort. It resided on the edge of the sands.


    Days passed by uneventfully, and aside from a standard trader, they met no one else on the road. The walking helped Seph¡¯s mental state, but after three nights camping with this eclectic group of would-be heroes, he was very ready to kill something. It was a new urge, but one he embraced, especially in his role as Daryl¡¯s jailer. He wasn¡¯t getting stimulated or sexually gratified from keeping the cultist, rather it was the act of completely controlling another¡¯s life that¡­seemed to really appeal to his newfound bloodlust.


    He did not see this as anything to be concerned about.

 Murder Hobo Tactics

    With their travels unimpeded, the hastily formed party reached the alleged Dragon Cult fort in a mere few days, by following the edge of the Desert of the Lost. Now, the moon had risen, their feet were sore, and it was time for a rest. Stumbledore was not sore however, as he had magic reins bound to his Pegasus, Torrent, who had carried him and Daryl throughout the journey. He¡¯d also been keeping a rather useful eye on their surroundings.


    In between peppering Yaang with questions about his scales, which he had quite easily realized were not just silver, Xerex had kept them entertained with songs. Luffy had also questioned Yaang once he saw him doing his morning workout, and learned that they had both studied under the tutelage of the legendary One Punch Monk, Saitama. This had, naturally, led to nightly sparring matches that Yaang won, every single time. As useful as stretchy limbs were, they couldn¡¯t stretch if they were encased in earth shackles, or ice, or melting into rubbery goo (that reformed once it cooled).


    It was during one such night, when they were less than a day from the fort, that things turned for the worse. Luffy, left on watch, ended up falling asleep, though thankfully Seph and his ridiculously perceptive senses were able to wake everyone. No less than twenty Dragon Cultists had surrounded them in the flat, open expanse that was the edge of the desert, and once again, they all wielded Hell crossbows.


    Without hesitation, the hastily awoken party, who¡¯d been sleeping in their armor, leapt into action. Seph became a burning green blur of murder, taking down four cultists in as many slashes, as he teleported amongst them. Stumbledore kept an eye on Daryl, who he¡¯d somewhat managed to befriend, after he and Xerex convinced the man that siding with them was better than siding with a five headed dragon from literal Hell.


    Arrows flew through the air, as the cultists finally fired, realizing their ambush had not gone as smoothly as expected. Yaang and Luffy were also among them in melee, but it was Yaang that took quite a lot of burning crossbow bolts all at once, while Luffy was largely ignored. Suddenly, the Dragonborn¡¯s bravado faded, and seeing his blood flowing down his platinum scales, the cultists around him focused on the object of their quest. That is, until a massive, sparkling, purple hand sent three of them flying at once, and then gave Yaang a thumbs up. Xerex followed that with a Healing Word, which helped, and once more, Seph continued to add to his body count.


    Drawing on his newest powers, Seph summoned a burning sphere of green flame in his palm, and for the first time, consciously felt the entity that he¡¯d barely sensed, during his rampage up in the north. In that moment though, he knew, it was real, it was powerful, and it seemed to like him. His Flare spell became a Giga Flare, boosted rapidly by his new mysterious friend¡¯s power, and Seph grinned as he watched it explode, taking at least twelve of the cultists at once, and utterly reducing them to ash.


    While Xerex kept the platinum Dragonborn alive, the panicked words of Stumbledore reached them. ¡°Uhh, guys!? Alan isn¡¯t¡­doing very well¡­¡± He tried his hand at stabilizing the cleric, by yanking out the bolts. Blood started spurting like a fountain, as he failed. Hard. ¡°Ohhh fuck. Ohfuckohfuckohfuck¡­a little help for the healer!?¡±


    ¡°Kinda busy!¡± Yaang shouted, launching into a brutal series of earthbending strikes that ended up taking down another three cultists. Luffy had his own style of attack, and took down just as many with his whirling rubber fists, who had popped up from hiding in the sand. Yaang also focused his power into what was commonly referred to as a Healing Surge, a basic spell that anyone could use, it varied wildly from individual to individual in how much it actually healed, but it stopped Yaang¡¯s bleeding, at least.


    Seeing that, and having promised the cleric of Pelor that they¡¯d bring Alan back intact, Xerex ran over, just in time to see the light in the young teen¡¯s eyes go out.


    Seph and Yaang finished the remaining cultists, and Yaang managed to catch Alan with his earthbending before he could get to the fortress. Once more drenched in blood, Seph walked towards the group as the fight ended.


    The dead blonde teenager¡¯s face sparked some serious trauma in Seph, as in an instant, he was back up north on that frozen hellscape holding Cloud again. ¡°No¡­not again¡­¡± He said quietly. ¡°Please¡­no¡­No!¡±


    Then, suddenly, a voice entered his mind. The voice of a God. It could be nothing else, and going by the green tainting his vision, it was not a good aligned one.


    ¡°You desire power¡­¡± Seph mentally answered the affirmative. ¡°You wish to save his life¡­there will be a Price. For you, and for him¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything¡­¡± Seph answered, unable to stop staring at Alan and seeing Cloud.


    With the deal struck, Seph reflexively moved a hand to Alan¡¯s chest. Ominous green light surged around him and Alan, and with a rasping gasp, the teen returned to life. ¡°Pelor¡­?¡± He croaked, as his wounds began bleeding again. This time, Xerex and Yaang patched him up, and succeeded in stabilizing the various holes in his body.


    The group was quiet, as Seph walked some distance away, and started looting the bodies of the cultists. Stumbledore went first, not quite sounding like an old man at that moment. ¡°What the fuck was that!?¡± He hissed at Yaang, Luffy, and Xerex. ¡°People don¡¯t just come back to life! And that light! So sketchy¡­¡±


    Xerex nodded. ¡°That kind of green is¡­usually bad¡­none of the good aligned powers are ever puke green.¡±


    ¡°What¡­happened?¡± Alan asked, as he looked down at the closing holes in his chest.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°You were hurt.¡± Stumbledore said, grimacing. ¡°Badly. Seph saved your life¡­¡± The wizard had a feeling he¡¯d done so for a price, though.


    Slowly, Alan got to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys¡­the first time I ever get in combat, and I went down immediately.¡± By this point, Seph had turned around, and looked oddly pleased. ¡°Seph, I¡­thank you.¡±


    Seph waved a hand, and Yaang arched his long neck curiously as he saw a new ominously glowing green symbol on the back of Seph¡¯s right hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Seph Yroth said both to Alan, and Yaang. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance they heard all that.¡± He gestured to the dilapidated but still defensively sound fort. ¡°At the very least, someone will be out soon to check on these fools. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    He looked at each member of the party and saw naught but a series of blank, expressionless faces. Daryl began cackling from behind them. ¡°It¡¯s useless! No plan you make will matter! Tiamat will conquer the World, and Dragonkind shall reign supreme!¡±


    Xerex just stared at him. ¡°You¡­know you¡¯re not a Dragon, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you think your ancestors were, before the Dragons elevated them?¡± Daryl countered.


    Xerex just nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair, honestly.¡±


    Daryl continued his tirade, spurred by his verbal victory. ¡°The Dragon Queen shall dominate the world! And nothing you weak apostates attempt will ever stop her!¡±


    ¡°I will stop her.¡± Yaang stated calmly, and then glanced around the group. ¡°You¡¯ve all noticed my scales by now. How they¡¯re not exactly silver. The monks I grew up with in the Far East told me that I was the Avatar of Io, that, somehow, a spark of our original God exists within me.¡±


    Luffy squinted at his brother in the Way of the Weeaboo. ¡°What¡¯s an Io?¡±


    ¡°Io¡­was Balance. The most powerful God that has ever existed, they were the first, and the strongest. They kept the other Gods balanced, and the world flourished. Unfortunately¡­more¡­elemental powers were jealous of the Gods. They wanted to be worshiped in a supreme pantheon. Thus, they convinced the more scheming and war-like Gods to turn on the others, and that alliance of the Traitors and the Prime Elementals ended up killing two Deities, and splitting Io into two equally powerful halves, by the time they were done. Those halves being Bahamut and Tiamat.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is Tiamat¡¯s deal, anyway?¡± Seph started. ¡°We nee-¡±


    ¡°SHE IS WRATH! SHE IS POWER! THE QUEEN OF AVERNUS!¡± Daryl shouted at the top of his lungs. Irritated, Seph glanced at Yaang, and gestured to Daryl, who was then bound by the earth around his mouth, as well.


    Seph growled. ¡°Fucking Daryl¡­we need to know all we can about this Dragon Queen before we march into a fortress full of her people.¡± He glanced between the two Dragonborn. ¡°Start talking.¡±


    At that moment, Xerex brought out his lute with a dextrous flourish, and strummed the durable strings with his claws. ¡°Sounds like a good time for a song!¡± Xerex started strumming, but Seph put up a hand.


    ¡°No. Just¡­just speak nor-¡±


    ¡°Too late!¡± Xerex shouted, continuing as his smooth baritone filled the air. His lyrics made Daryl¡¯s eyes roll.


    ¡°From Io¡¯s death, two Dragons came,


    One of Justice, one of Flame.


    Bahamut, noble, pure of heart,


    Tiamat, wrathful, had her start.


    Five heads of fury, greed, and might,


    She craved the world, consumed by spite.


    Her gold, her rule, her endless thirst,


    Among the Gods, she proved the worst.


    She sought to reign, to rule the skies,


    To make all Dragons bow, or die.


    Chromatic flames, her banner¡¯s call,


    She sought to cement Bahamut¡¯s fall.


    With venom''s touch, she split the kin,


    The pure, the corrupt, her wrath within.


    Dragons of greed, and those of light,


    Her power grew, but she lost the fight.


    The Gods did rise, their judgment clear,


    Bahamut¡¯s wrath, her greatest fear.


    In the War of the Gods, came her fall,


    The broken queen, who lost it all.


    Down to Avernus, bound in chains,


    Her hunger deep, her soul in flames.


    With Asmodeus, she struck a deal,


    In the burning depths, her fate revealed.


    Now she guards the Gate of Dis,


    A broken Queen, in Hell''s abyss.


    Once a Goddess, now bound by pact,


    Her power shattered, her ego cracked.


    Five heads of rage, ten eyes alight,


    Her hunger for power burns day and night.


    In Avernus, she lies in wait,


    Her heart still burning, filled with hate.¡±


    Yaang, highly amused, clapped loudly, as did Luffy and then Stumbledore too. Seph seemed to be pondering the words as Xerex gave them a bow. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Seph stared at him, deadpan, and said, ¡°So, she and Bahamut formed from Io. Her evil nature and greed made her aspire to rule all Dragons. She failed. Hard. In her failure, she was cast down to Avernus, where she made a deal. Become a guard dog for Asmodeus, or fall even farther. So now she blocks entry to the lower Hells, and uses her Cult to gain more power. Did I miss anything?¡±


    Xerex looked pleased. ¡°Nope, my music informed us with everything we¡¯ll need!¡±


    Seph pinched his brow, and sighed. ¡°Uh huh. Let¡¯s get closer¡­I¡¯m tired of just sitting out here.¡±


    Thus, Daryl in tow and the bodies of his allies picked clean by Luffy and Xerex, the party finally approached the fortress. Two cultists guarded the entrance, and Seph, feeling impatient, introduced them to a Giga Flare, once it charged up over about fifteen seconds. The detonation was massive. And loud. Louder than Seph had meant to make it. As the smoke cleared, all that remained of the guards were two pairs of ashy boots, and a giant smoldering crater where the path leading to the entrance had been.


    ¡°Oh, they definitely heard that.¡± Yaang muttered.


    "You blew up their loot." Luffy grumbled.


    ¡°Hide us.¡± Seph ordered.


    Grumbling about bending sand, Yaang managed to create a passable shield that, sure enough, managed to hide them from the incompetent Dragon Cultists. They seemed well armed, but weak, and numerous. Someone had opted for quantity instead of quality, and they paid the price.


    Through a small hole in their shelter, Seph launched another Flare, though this one only became a Mega Flare, as one of the guards did manage to notice the hole in their shelter they were peeking through, and the cultist decided to do the same. This was the last thing he ever did, as the Mega Flare shot out of the hole, and then detonated very close by. The party ran then, behind the fortress, and realized they were actually quite tired from all the casting and fighting. Seph could keep going, but Yaang and the others were properly spent. The downside of Healing Surges was how quickly they could tire one out. Reluctantly, Seph agreed to make camp, though about three hours into their rest, another pair of guards came looking for them.


    Their shelter was much better this time though, as Yaang had gone subterranean, hiding them completely as part of the outcropping the fortress sat upon in the otherwise completely flat desert. Time passed, another patrol came and went, and finally, everyone was ready to fight once again.


    As one, with a coordinated plan in mind to overwhelm the guards and storm the fortress, the party leapt up from the sand when the next patrol came by, and took both of them out. Another pair however, saw this, and blew some kind of brass whistle. Right before Seph introduced them to a Mega Flare empowered quickly, again, by his new patron. The loud explosion guaranteed discovery, and immediately after, four massive, winged draconic forms flew up from the top of the fortress. Two landed on the battlements, perched and peering down at the party. The other two, landed behind the party on the ground, and the sound of yet more cultists on their way filled their ears.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­balls.¡± Xerex muttered. ¡°We might be done, guys¡­¡± he said with genuine fear as he took in the draconic being¡¯s leering eyes and heavily armored lanky forms. Each had a pair of wings to fly with, and long spears burning with familiar fire, undoubtedly from Avernus.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± Seph asked quietly, readying the Throngler.


    ¡°These are¡­these are Abishai. Draconic Devils from the Hells¡­and infamously strong warriors.¡± Xerex confirmed, noting their Hellsforged armor. Hearing Xerex''s fear made them cackle with unnaturally echoing laughter.


    Seph just smirked, and looked at the top left one, sitting atop the fort. ¡°That one¡¯s mine.¡± And then, with a blur of shadow, he was gone, and engaged in melee. With that action, the other three Abishai advanced on the party far below their challenge rating, eyes and spears alight with the flames of Hell.

 Descent into...Sparkles?

    The air crackled with tension as the party engaged in a proper battle against Tiamat''s true minions, and the sandy battlefield erupted into chaos and became a theater of fire, steel, and desperate survival.


    Seph was a blur of murderous precision, his blade igniting with green flame as he squared off with a towering Hellspawn. Each strike was a masterful display of swordsmanship and violence, his Octaslash carving through the fiend¡¯s scaled hide with relentless accuracy. He moved like a shadow, weaving around the creature¡¯s snapping jaws and burning spear, striking at its vulnerable spots with ruthless efficiency. Within a few brutal but crucial moments, his Abishai was felled, collapsing into a heap of smoldering flesh at his feet. But as he turned, victorious, he found himself staring into utter chaos.


    Yaang lay sprawled on the ground below the fort, blood pooling beneath him, his chest heaving as though he¡¯d been hurled from the fort''s roof. Above him loomed an Abishai, its wicked spear poised for the kill, jagged edges glinting with malice. Before the Draconic Devil could strike, Alan surged forward, shield raised high, his golden spell of healing pouring into Yaang¡¯s broken body. The spell flickered with an unsettling green hue that made Yaang shudder, the divine energy and its source feeling foreign and unwelcome even as it knit his wounds together. Alan, oblivious to the eerie tinge of his magic and determined to not die immediately this time, planted his feet in front of Yaang, a living bulwark between his fallen comrade and certain death.


    Stumbledore soared above the battlefield, his Pegasus dodging fiery blasts as he kept Daryl from trying to escape again, bound and away from the action. With a flick of his dark wand, he unleashed a flurry of Magic Missiles, the glowing bolts weaving through the carnage to strike true. Each impact gave Xerex and Luffy the openings they needed to fight back against the relentless assault of their own foes. Yet even Stumbledore¡¯s aerial support couldn¡¯t stop the blood from flowing. Xerex was stabbed badly, his armor darkened with his own lifeblood. Gritting his teeth, the bard muttered a hurried incantation, his own magic sealing his wounds, though his breathing remained labored.


    Meanwhile, Luffy fought with his trademark ferocity, his strikes landing like thunderclaps against the Abishai¡¯s armored form. His movements were brutal yet efficient, his resolve unshaken even as claws raked his rubbery side. With one final swing, he brought his fiend down, leaving its body twitching before it disintegrated into ashen goo. Without hesitation, Luffy spun on his heel, charging to aid Yaang and Alan.


    Scanlan¡¯s Hand materialized in a flash of sparkling purple energy, a massive spectral fist shimmering with raw magical power. Xerex directed it with precision, his eyes blazing with determination as the Hand slammed into the Abishai threatening him. The fiend roared in pain, each strike of the Hand pounding it deeper into the ground, forming a crater beneath its thrashing body. With a final, crushing blow, the spectral fist reduced the draconic fiend to a lifeless heap.


    As Seph leaped into the fray to assist Alan and Yaang, his arrival turned the tide. With a flourish, his verdant flaming blade cleaved through the Abishai¡¯s guard, his strikes relentless. Yaang, newly healed and brimming with vengeful energy, staggered to his feet and drove a sharp, raised piece of earth into the fiend¡¯s exposed flank with a martial strike. Alan¡¯s shield smashed into its chest, driving in the rock spike, and staggering it further, before Luffy¡¯s devastating Gomu Gomu Bazooka drove it to its back, knocking it prone. Together, the trio unleashed a barrage of strikes that overwhelmed the creature, forcing it to shriek in agony before its form dissolved, banished back to Avernus.


    The battle ended as abruptly as it began, the battlefield littered with the remains of their foes. Smoke rose from scorched earth, and the party stood amidst the wreckage, bloodied but alive. Their first test against the minions of Tiamat had left them battered and shaken, but they had survived.


    Luffy groaned, as the draconic devils became molten goo. ¡°Awww¡­they took their loot with them back to Hell. I wanted some armor.¡±


    Yaang just peered at him. ¡°You¡¯re a Monk, Luffy¡­¡±


    The straw hat raised in his direction. ¡°Yea, you are too, and?¡±


    Yaang just stared at him, the last member of the party to finally realize and reluctantly accept that he was, in fact, an idiot. ¡°We don¡¯t wear armor! Not heavy Hell Plate, anyway. Bracers. Cleverly placed ceramic weaves. Rings of Protection. That¡¯s what we use for defense, y¡¯know, that and our awesome martial skills!¡±


    Ignoring the argument, Seph noticed another patrol of guards who saw the battle¡¯s aftermath, and started running. The entire party looked at him, as he detonated them once again with a Giga Flare, and a mad grin. There was, Seph was finding, something deeply fun about blowing shit up. Now that he was off of Shinra¡¯s leash, he was finally free to use his spells, what few he had, as he saw fit. It was liberating, and more than fun enough to block out memories of Cloud. For a time, anyway.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m properly spent after that fight. Again.¡± Stumbledore groaned, as he landed.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Xerex and Yaang said simultaneously.


    ¡°I could rest.¡± Luffy admitted.


    Seph sighed in exasperation. ¡°We can¡¯t take another rest, guys! They know we¡¯re here!¡±


    Xerex shrugged. ¡°They knew we were here before, and only sent four slightly more competent warriors at us.¡±


    Yaang nodded in agreement. ¡°That was probably most of their fighting power.¡±


    ¡°Besides¡­¡± Stumbledore said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Fucking Daryl never mentioned Devil Dragons! We should make him tell us everything he knows about this place. As we rest.¡±


    Out voted, Seph swore, and sighed. ¡°Alright. Fine. We¡¯ll spend another eight fucking hours outside of this fort. Sure. Awesome. Letting Hellspawn have time to do shit always goes great. Good night, I guess.¡± He kicked a pile of dissipating Abishai goo as he descended back into their earthbended hidey hole.


    The rest of the party brought Daryl back into the hole then, and tended to their wounds while Stumbledore, who was untouched, focused on Daryl. There was an uncomfortable silence, as the wizard straight up tortured the man, and seemed to enjoy it. The injured, good aligned monks spoke quietly to each other as they healed themselves and watched with disapproving eyes. Then, finally, the magical agony Stumbledore was inflicting ended, as Daryl finally broke.


    Through broken cries of pain, he said, ¡°Our leader¡­is the Duchess Starra¡­she¡¯s a powerful Erinyes¡­¡± He laughed, coughed, and then spat blood into the sand. He stared at Stumbledore with genuine hate. ¡°She would rip your pathetic party apart.¡±


    Seph sighed, coming over then, and the group coalesced around the torture spot. ¡°I guess resting was a good idea. A Duchess of the Hells is¡­a lot.¡± He said quietly, looking at their ragtag party. Though they were healed, the monks had holes in their clothing, Alan¡¯s proximity to the Dragon Devil had properly scorched his garbage tier armor, Xerex had the same problem as the monks, but Stumbledore and Seph were mostly fine.


    Luffy untied Daryl, while Yaang healed him with some waterbending and Chi manipulation. The monks shared a look, and Luffy spoke first. ¡°That was barbaric, guys.¡± Stumbledore rolled his eyes, eliciting a flame-spitting snarl from Yaang. ¡°If you want Yaang and I to keep helping you guys, we need to establish some ground rules. Like no torture!¡±


    Seph glared at them. ¡°Really? You¡¯re trying to split the party over Daryl? Really?¡±


    ¡°You just tortured an unarmed prisoner. And the Wizard enjoyed it. So yeah, we need some ground rules, unless you prefer we turn your names and faces over to every guard we can find when we leave you guys.¡± Yaang snarled.


    Seph got into his face. ¡°The entire reason we¡¯re here¡­is because of you, and your damned scales.¡± The symbol on his hand flared. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t we just turn you over to this Duchess, take the reward, and fuck off?¡±


    Yaang growled back at him, rising to his bait. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try, pretty man¡­¡±


    Xerex chimed in at this point. ¡°Making a deal with a Devil of the Hells all but guarantees your soul gets sent there. Even if that¡¯s not part of the deal. It is known.¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Stumbledore shouted, magic sparks flying off him. He pointed at Yaang. ¡°I¡¯m the one who tortured him. For information. So we don¡¯t fucking die, and end up the playthings of some sadistic Hellspawn!¡± He shifted the gnarled finger to Seph. ¡°And you! You¡¯re going through some shit, the way I heard it, so I can forgive you blowing people up every other fucking minute, but you need to tell us what the fuck is on your hand, and what higher power keeps empowering your spells.¡±


    Seph huffed. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    Yaang glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s literally all of our business. Dark deals made in your head for power have a habit of blowing up on the people around the one making them.¡±


    Seph looked at the party, still irritated, but saw he was outnumbered. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t fully know.¡± He lied. ¡°All I know is that whatever it is, is helping us. We¡¯ve mowed through most of a fort with an encounter spell. This power saved Alan¡¯s life! I¡¯m not going to abandon it just because you guys don¡¯t like the color!¡±


    The party shared a look. Yaang glared at Seph. ¡°Fine. Keep your secrets. When they blow up, they may well get you killed. By us.¡±


    Seph snorted again, and then returned to his bedroll. Eight hours passed in silence. Not a single soul disturbed the battlefield above, and when the time finally came to enter the fort, it was abandoned. They descended into its lower tunnels, and with Daryl at the front, he led them through the traps, with the agreement that once they reached this Duchess of Hell, they¡¯d set him free to fuck off to wherever he pleased.


    Alan, who had stayed quiet since returning from death, healed the man, which increased his good will, but Seph saw how he looked at the wizard. Daryl was going to be a problem, and while he understood why the man would seek revenge, the wizard was useful to have around. Seph had discovered, through matches of chess, that he knew quite a lot of spells, and had even shared a few with Seph. Being a Psionic Sword Mage, he absorbed the knowledge with meditation and focus, though he couldn¡¯t learn all of them. Some, it seemed, were beyond him at the moment. Eventually, they came to what was once a massive door, but it had since been blown apart by quite a lot of power. Behind it was a large, empty room with a large, empty, and mostly broken pieces of a coffin littering the area. In the center of the room was a massive straight vertical tunnel, leading even further into the earth, as it glowed ominously with a hellish light.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    From the depths of the tunnel, the quiet party heard the sound of ominous chanting. Then, Daryl spoke. ¡°Down there is where their Hell portal is. Along with the Duchess. I led you past the traps, now let me go!¡±


    Seph gave the man a look of contempt. The allure of dominating him had long since faded, with how easily he kept breaking before their efforts. ¡°Fine. You can-¡± He paused in his speech, as a low growl echoed up the long tunnel. Then,  rather suddenly, their world was awash in Hellish flames. Yaang and Xerex managed to dodge out of the way, Stumbledore and Daryl weren¡¯t close enough to the hole to be in danger, but Seph?


    Seph had been right over it. Yet as the flames faded, there he was, Throngler drawn, and smirking. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to move. ¡°Adorable flames!¡± He taunted the creature. His right hand began burning with an all too familiar spell to the party by this point. And then, that same unsettling green light turned it into a Giga Flare. ¡°Have some of mine!¡±


    The burning green orb was simply dropped into the tunnel, but that gleam in Seph¡¯s eyes was back again. The explosion went off, but rather than killing whatever was snarling at them, it instead decided to rapidly ascend the tunnel and with a roar of Hellfire and fury, the form of a mildly scorched Manticore twisted and empowered by the Queen of Avernus  rose up from under Seph, and bit into him, hard, with the fangs of a lion.


    This did not stop Seph from stabbing it with the Throngler, and the creature¡¯s thick hide did little to impede the long blade. Stumbledore, irritated that it seemed fireproof, theorized that its mouth was not, and after flipping hastily through his spellbook, found one that could produce an oil slick. He raised a magical shield, as did Alan, as the creature breathed Hellfire on them once again. Once again, the monks dodged it entirely, and Seph laughed as he tanked it, though multiple attacks and flame breaths were starting to take a toll. Now properly visible, the beast was mostly feline, with a tail like a scorpion¡¯s in that it had an exoskeleton. The tip was actually more akin to a spear, and also on fire. Blades of bone sprouted from each of the abomination¡¯s forearms, and a pair of folded, burning wings were on its back.


    Yaang and Luffy shared a nod, tag teaming with some masterful monk combos they¡¯d theorized about as they rested. Luffy was calling it the Gomu Gomu Hammer, as it required Yaang to encase his fists in boulders, before Luffy then proceeded to beat the life out of whatever was threatening them that day. This rocky beatdown, and Xerex¡¯s timely Scanlan¡¯s Hand, still present from the fight outside, gave Alan time to heal Seph, but Seph seemed to barely notice his injuries. As Stumbledore called out the incoming spell, he had a wonderful idea for their own tag team attack.


    The oil sphere launched, right as the Helltouched Manticore readied another forty foot cone of flaming breath, and as it gagged on the vile magical liquid, Seph was there, grinning like a madman. His Giga Flare launched, and the monks panicked, as they nearly also got crispy fried by the area of effect. It let out an ungodly screech as the flames burned its toothy maw and throat. In more pain than it had ever felt, it glared at the mortals, and then dove back into the tunnel to heal its wound, and report this intrusion to its master. Yaang, Xerex, and Luffy charged after it, eager to get stronger. Beating the Abishai had, somehow, made them more powerful after they rested, and Stumbledore claimed this was because of something only adventurers usually acquired, a form of measurable experience that, once it settled in one¡¯s body, somehow made those who¡¯d acquired it stronger than they were before. It manifested in different ways for everyone, but it was a known phenomenon of their world, and one of the main draws of adventuring, the other, naturally, being loot.


    As the moral side of the party went down the tunnel, Seph, Stumbledore, and Alan, who was riding behind Stumbledore on the wizard¡¯s pegasus, paused, shared a nod, and then looked at Daryl. ¡°Our time together, is at an end, Daryl.¡± Stumbledore said, letting his true malice creep into his tone. Seph, upon hearing that, launched yet another Flare at him, smirking as he did so. A few days ago, he wouldn¡¯t have considered murdering the man, after getting to know him somewhat and holding his life in his hands. Now, though, he didn¡¯t care. He wanted that Manticore, and Daryl was a loose end.


    The crispy fried pile of Human groaned as the Flare ended, and below, the other three realized their tank, healer, and magical DPS had not followed them down. Another roar, fiery and furious, echoed through the hundred foot hell tunnel, and Seph flew down without so much as another glance at Daryl. Nobody could long survive burns that severe. With a sigh, Stumbledore cut the loose end with a Magic Missile, as he and a deeply unsettled Alan dove into the tunnel as well.


    As Derek felt the bolts of magical force pierce him and end his life, he groaned out a single word. ¡°Re¡­venge¡­¡± It was an oath, and a prayer, an offer, to literally anyone that would listen, to help him gain vengeance upon this band of assholes.


    With several cosmic eyes having been drawn to the party, yet another dark power of the world reached out to one of its members, or rather, potentially useful trash that could murder them and make of them a proper sacrifice, with a bit of enhancing and empowering. Derek traded his soul for the promise of vengeance to the slavering God who answered his plea, and his body faded away to nothing as a result.


    At the bottom of the tunnel, the battle was actually going quite well. Seph had arrived in time to draw the beast''s ire with a fourfold Throngling, while the monks and the wizard hammered it quite hard, and kept Xerex from being eaten. All the guards that would¡¯ve normally helped it in such a situation were now reduced to ash, or occupied with the Duchess, so the five on one beat down was surprisingly easy, after how much it had damaged them up above.


    Eventually, once it was weakened, Seph tried his hand at handling the beast, and though it was an abominable fusion of several beasts and warped by the Hells, the God¡¯s own luck blessed Seph Yroth, and the Helltouched Manticore allowed itself to be bonded to this powerful, beautiful man forever more. As they took a short rest, it took a smaller, and much cuter form. About ten minutes into the rest, the chanting stopped, but since they were already healed up thanks mainly to Alan having enough time to spam his low level healing spells, they continued on.


    Despite how powerful it was as an ally, Seph had the Mantikitten, whom he had dubbed ''Cadet'', stay back, in case they needed some timely backup. Devils liked playing tricks, but most tricks would not be able to handle being derailed by an angry Hellbeast As they came upon the source of the chanting, the party found yet another stone room. Filled with pews facing away from them and towards a massive floating portal flickering with the flames of Avernus. In front of this gaping hole in the planes, a spot chosen because time and space were, for some reason, weakened here, was a tall, red skinned woman with crimson hair, and a confident grin. She had the standard Devil characteristics as well, unmatched beauty, marred by the pointed tail, cloven hooves, and gigantic, flaring bat-like wings.


    ¡°My Queen¡­they¡¯ve arrived.¡± The Duchess said, as her grin became unnaturally long. ¡°Just in time, it seems¡­¡±


    A gigantic burning eye filled with hate, true to Xerex¡¯s song, filled the portal, briefly, and they caught the flash of a crimson draconic smirk as the head moved away, and another figure approached the portal. The dragon who came through was as beautiful as she was Hellishly warped by the plane she was now bound to. In life, there was no doubt this dragon had been lovely. Deep purple scales that sparkled in the light, and lighter purple wings, with the same effect.


    Now, in death and rebirth, the Dragon Queen had made her fierce, the sheen of her scales was gone, but as the Duchess gave her long snout scritches under her jaw, her scales began to sparkle again. Her form just kept growing, as more of her was transferred through the Hell portal, until finally, the adult sized Hellfire Wyrm was through in all her glory. As one, the cultists fell to their knees, and shouted, in Draconic, ¡°Moro Wah Sparkles!¡±


    ¡°Sparkles, dear¡­¡± The Duchess continued as she grinned at the party, ¡°Burn them all.¡± The sparkling Hellfire Wyrm, smoldering with a malodorous sulfuric stench even as she filled the chamber, inhaled, and the party readied themselves for another absurdly large, heavily damaging cone attack. The party watched, in horrified awe as purple light ran up her chest and neck.


    Then, several things happened at once. A massive, silver colored blur shot out of the portal behind Sparkles with a roar of his own. The party only got a glimpse of their draconian savior. Heavily muscled, armored horn to tail in platinum plate armor, which was thoroughly scorched, a winged crimson scaled Dragonborn wielding a massive similarly platinum greatsword radiating the punishing light of Bahamut leapt into the air behind Sparkles, just as Starra was turning to notice his presence.


    With a masterful display of swordsmanship and strength, the Paladin of Bahumt shone like a silver Sun, and brought his blade down perfectly on the sparkling Dragon¡¯s weak spot, between the jaw and neck. With a snarl of effort and a surge of light, the powerful paladin beheaded the dragon and landed in a three point stance, his body still burning from the oppressive heat that Tiamat¡¯s lair, and most of the Hells, possessed.


    Seeing the party, the Dragonborn roared at them, ending their state of surprise. ¡°Kill the Duchess! I¡¯ll handle the port-¡± His words were cut off by the enraged roar of an angry Dragon Goddess, a sound that made every being with ears recoil in pain, including her own minions. In a blur, Seph had Starra¡¯s attention, and with a masterful display of eight burning green sword strikes in a row, she stumbled back from him.


    A voice filled Seph¡¯s mind, as he struck. ¡°Bring her down¡­and I shall make you my Champion on this plane. The bearer of my will, and power.¡±


    ¡°I accept!¡± He answered, advancing fearlessly on the Erinyes. She raised her sparking whip to counter, but three Magic Missiles knocked her strike off balance. Then, Luffy and Yaang were there, flanking her, and all but guaranteeing they hit. Luffy focused his Chi to stun her with his Gomu Gomu Pistol, while Yaang began to glow with a platinum colored light that seemed to radiate from within his visible scales, and especially his eyes and horns. He took a perfect martial stance, his expression completely neutral as he focused on the Duchess.


    The eye through the portal burned, turning Tiamat¡¯s attention from it, as Bahamut, through Yaang, gave her a parting gift. The Dragonborn Paladin struck the portal with his holy greatsword then, dissipating both it and the enraged roar from the other side. For his part, Alan had called upon his God for a powerful area of effect attack on the cultists.


    Instead of Pelor¡¯s righteous flame, the divine flames that poured forth from him were as green as Seph¡¯s. Exactly as green as Seph¡¯s. The cultists were effectively stunned with divine fire, leaving them open to Xerex and Scanlan¡¯s Hand, which had been up for all of their fights, as Xerex kept his concentration on it. Alan seemed more disturbed than proud about his efforts.


    At that point, Starra stopped holding back. A massive wall of fire formed from nothing before them, ready to catch Seph, Luffy, and Yaang in its damaging flames, along with several not quite dead cultists. At that same moment, Yaang¡¯s glow, and firebending, sent the flames back at her, not for damage, but to obscure her sight for a moment. His platinum radiance shone through the evil flames, his fists now encased in much more refined and reinforced rock gauntlets, and the beatdown that followed made those watching it, waiting for an opening to hit her as well, wince from the focused brutality in Yaang¡¯s movement.


    As Xerex mopped up Alan¡¯s handiwork with Vicious words of Mockery, generally about how disappointingly weak the infamous Cult of the Dragon had turned out to be, the rest of the party watched Yaang in awe. He knew exactly where to strike the Devil, and did so without mercy, or even an expression. It was like he was possessed. A knee slammed into her solar plexus, and as she bent over in pain, an elbow came down on the midpoint between her wings as she slammed into the stone floor hard enough to shatter it.


    Broken and bruised, Starra finally managed to attack, snaring Yaang¡¯s throat with her sparking whip, which unnaturally straightened, to keep him at bay. Yaang continued forward, seemingly heedless of the damage the sparking whip was doing to his throat. Seeing his opportunity, Seph struck her diagonally along her torso and straight through her heart, eight times in the space of a second, and sealed his fate.


    With a defeated shriek, the burning green flames engulfed her, and then spread to Seph as well. Yaang shook his head free of the whip as his state of being Bahamut¡¯s avatar faded. Starra was reduced to flaming goo, and returned to the Hells, demoted, shamed, and now little more than another pitiful inhabitant of Avernus suitable only for torture. That was the price of failing Asmodeus though, and this wasn¡¯t her first failure either. Second chances were rare, but no authority in all nine Hells gave out a third chance to fail, unless it was part of some greater scheme.


    The paladin put a hand on Yaang¡¯s shoulder and they spoke quietly as the party watched Seph Yroth become changed and enhanced by the green flames surrounding him. When they faded, he was standing, unburnt, with a single massive black wing jutting from his shoulder. On his hand, the object of his gaze, a massive, intricate black plate gauntlet encased his right hand, radiating an absurd amount of power. Seph could feel it, bonding to his hand and forearm, searing and piercing his skin, but it was not unpleasant.


    Power surged through him, and after he got his bearings, he looked around at the party, who were staring at him with a mix of fear, dread, and anger. ¡°It¡¯s alright, guys. I¡¯m fine. We won!¡±


    Yaang just looked downwards and shook his head. ¡°At what cost, Seph¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand guys, we did it! We finally cleared this den of evil and stopped the Dragon Cult. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Stumbledore was frowning, but he had quietly eyed the power Seph was being handed with envy. ¡°The symbol on your¡­Gauntlet.¡± He knew exactly who it belonged to, there were few living who didn¡¯t, and now ¡®Stumbledore¡¯ saw his opportunity for power. All he had to do was follow Seph¡¯s lead.


    Seeing it properly now, the massive, heavily muscled paladin stomped forward towards Seph and snarled as he raised the man¡¯s newly gauntleted hand, turning it so he could see the obvious symbol blazing with divine power carved into it. ¡°Explain yourself, warrior! What exactly did you give up to acquire the Gauntlet of Bane!?¡±


    Seph just smirked at him, as the divine gauntlet finished attuning to him, filling him with a surge of his patron¡¯s power. His eyes burned sickly green as he wrenched his hand free from the Paladin of Bahamut¡¯s platinum grip and said, ¡°Everything.¡±


    <hr>


    (and for those wondering, here''s what Yol pretty much looks like.)

 Deals, Feels, and Obscene Meals

    Seph Yroth was victorious, and irritatingly, the people he called friends, or at the very least allies in combat, were dead set on bringing down his mood. Power like he had never dreamed of surged through him. He hadn¡¯t felt this great in¡­well, ever. Not even when he¡¯d spent his days with Cloud and Tifa. He blinked back to reality, the euphoria fading as the burly Dragonborn who¡¯d saved them, a red scaled Paladin of Bahamut who, up close, had a tinge of metallic gold to his scales, along their edges, grabbed his hand forcefully. Seph squinted as the rose gold scales caught his eye, as chromatics being part metallic wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible, but his focus shifted as he mostly tuned out the paladin, his eyes locking on the burning symbol of his new patron.


    Bane. The God of Conquest. The Black Hand.


    A merciless ruler of an entire plane of the Hells, one for each of the nine Traitors. His, was Banehold, and Seph had glimpsed that depressingly gray realm the first time they¡¯d spoken. Somehow, Asmodeus had come into the possession of his iconic gauntlet, after it was magically removed and stolen from Bane¡¯s own seat of power. The murderous deity had not mentioned who had managed that God-tier feat of thievery, or what became of them. Asmodeus had bestowed the gauntlet upon one of his loyal servants, who was working with Tiamat, and from Starra¡¯s corpse, without so much as an Identify spell, Seph had agreed to don the gauntlet, and for the first time in an age, bring the divine focus of a true God to the Prime Material Plane, under the control of one who now served Bane, body and soul.


    The gauntlet spoke to Seph, not with Bane¡¯s voice, but another, that seemed insane. ¡°The new wielder¡­finally, at last, at last! You are strong! You will feed me¡­make us¡­powerful. Do this¡­serve Bane¡­and you shall be rewarded.¡±


    Seph answered, within his mind. ¡°What does Bane require of me?¡±


    The gauntlet¡¯s sentience cackled. ¡°Rally his cultists, slay his enemies, Conquer the World in the name of the Black Hand, and he shall make you the immortal ruler over all of it, on this Plane. For the Gods can no longer exist here, and he needs a loyal, eager Champion. You have reclaimed his Gauntlet from the Cult of the Dragon. You, Seph Yroth, are worthy.¡± Power surged within Seph, as the Dragonborn asked what it had cost, and he answered honestly. Deep down, Seph knew. He would belong to Bane forever, for this. But he was okay with that, somehow, despite all he knew of the infamous deity. He was, he reasoned, a much more reasonable mass murderer than the other Champions of Bane who had manifested over the millennia, and as long as people bowed before him, there really wouldn¡¯t be any problems. Nothing the Gauntlet couldn''t solve, anyway. As he felt, and understood, his new powers, he knew he wouldn¡¯t have much trouble.


    Looking up, Seph realized his cool one liner had sent the party into a shouting match of argument. Most of them, anyway. Luffy was busy looting the area, and after some investigating, had discovered a somewhat hidden stone chest, which had been behind the now dissipated portal. Within, his eyes went wide, as he found two Astral Diamonds, worth twenty thousand gold in total. Namely, enough for his ship. There was space for a third diamond, but even with eight intelligence, he guessed it had probably been used as a component in whatever spell had ripped open a portal to Hell large enough for an adult Dragon. The pirate pocketed the diamonds without so much as a word to the other members of his group, and shut the chest. He stepped off the hidden mechanism in the stone floor that had revealed the chest, and it quietly sank back into the floor, as the party continued to argue.


    For some reason, Seph had started using Stumbledore¡¯s stash of paper to write messages to them, and each one only set off a new babble of argument. Finally, Yaang¡¯s voice, serious for one, grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Seph, you¡¯re literally playing with fire. A fire that desires the world under its influence. If you turn into another tyrant, I¡¯ll take you down myself¡­and I have a feeling I won¡¯t be alone.¡± Yol, Xerex, Alan, and Luffy nodded in agreement. ¡°Can you adventure with us, knowing that?¡±


    Seph, in that moment, decided to project confidence, as he waved his gauntleted hand nonchalantly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you guys, our goals are aligned. Bane despises Tiamat as much as you do.¡±


    Yol snarled at the beautiful but infuriating man, his tail lashing the ground. ¡°The enemy of my enemy¡­is still my enemy! Take that foul relic off, and let Bahamut¡¯s Light finally end its history of bloodshed!¡±


    Seph scoffed. ¡°I already told you, I can¡¯t. It¡¯s a God artifact, it¡¯s on there. Permanently.¡± This was a lie, but Seph had no intention of taking it off. If anything, since putting it on, his intelligent mind had started forming the concepts of an idea to enhance it further. Some Banites might have called that blasphemy, but the Gauntlet itself was ecstatic, and felt Seph had the right vibe. Even if it had sensed him communicating wordlessly so the intelligence within couldn¡¯t hear.


    After that, eager to support Seph and change the subject, Strumbledore spoke, and his words made the paladin¡¯s eyes narrow, as the wizard pointed at him. ¡°Who even are you, anyways? What¡¯s far more suspicious to me, is how anyone could survive being that close to Tiamat without dying.¡±


    Yol scoffed at him, ¡°Bahamut is always with me. Even in the depths of Avernus. My mission was to find out what the Dragon Cult was seeking in this land.¡± He looked at the platinum scaled Dragonborn. ¡°It seems obvious now, to me, that they seek Yaang¡¯s Divine Spark, to reignite their fallen Queen¡¯s power. My mandate is clear. I shall protect the bearer of platinum scales, until his destiny is realized.¡±


    In terms of levels of power, Yol was clearly much more experienced, and so the party accepted him, and began moving to their next destination; the pirate town of Piravia. Seph and Stumbledore shared a look as they passed where Daryl was slain, because there was nothing on the floor. Not even a blood stain. Looking around, Luffy spoke. ¡°I thought Daryl might be up here, waiting for us.¡±


    Stumbledore stepped in smoothly and said, ¡°Daryl told us that he¡¯s heading back up north, to find work on a farm, and renounce his ways. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy there.¡± Luffy nodded, accepting that explanation with blind trust. The rest of the party shared a look, but aside from a large scorch mark, there was nothing left of Daryl. Nobody cared enough to press them about him, either.


    Once again, the gods of luck smiled upon the party and their road travels were uneventful. Yol continued to shoot dirty looks at both Stumbledore and Seph, which only further divided the party along the lines of good moral alignments, and those who were more gray.


    As soon as they arrived in the town, which was a generous word for the place, Luffy sprinted ahead, walking up to the nearest pirate he said, ¡°Hi there, fellow Pirate! I need a ship, for me and my crew. Do you know where I can buy one?¡±


    As he said the word ¡®buy¡¯ the pirate¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Ohh ya, lad. I can get ye a ship. What¡¯re ye in tha market fer, an¡¯ wots yer price range?¡±


    Xerex¡¯s eyes widened, as he correctly guessed what the pirate was going to say. ¡°Luffy! Wai-¡± but it was too late.


    ¡°I want the biggest ship in the port, and I have twenty thousand gold for it! In the form of two Astral Diamonds!¡±


    The entire party, and the pirate, just stared at him, awed by his stupidity.


    ¡°Wow he really is¡­quite dumb.¡± Alan said, quietly.


    The random pirate grinned, and put an arm around Luffy, pulling him away from his band of strong looking friends. ¡°Et jus¡¯ so ¡®appens that I ¡®ave a perfect ship fer ya. An¡¯ it costs exactly twentee thousand!¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Came a thoroughly unamused voice from behind the pirate.


    Seph had been dealing with the rather violent voice in his head for days now, but eventually, even his will was overpowered. He stared with murderous intent at the pirate, who started to sweat. ¡°Tell ye wot lad, I can tell yer one o¡¯ us, so oi¡¯ll give ye a discount. Let¡¯s call et¡­fifteen. A proper Pirate discount, that!¡±


    The man glanced back at Seph, whose glowing right fist, bearing the mark of Bane, was radiating malice. Within Seph¡¯s head the voice was incessant. ¡°He¡¯s disrespected you¡­your friend¡­he thinks you¡¯re idiots¡­weak¡­take his Soul, Seph. End this trash. The world won¡¯t miss some stinking backwater Pirate. Kill, Kill, Kill, KILL, KILL, KILL!¡± Seph tuned the words out, struggling to counter the Godly artifact¡¯s power.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­at least¡­see the¡­ship first.¡± He mentally snarled, and that, mercifully, but unnervingly, shut the Gauntlet of Bane up. For context, the average inn room, at a decent to upper class establishment, was fifty silver. Cheaper inns, like the Frosted Flagon, had room rates at five silver. Most people traded in silver and copper. Only those who called themselves nobility, or Elves, dealt in gold, and only highly powerful magic users could condense currency into Astral Diamonds. Aside from being quite beautiful, and expensive, they were also components for quite a lot of high level ritual spells, and therefore very sought after. It also took quite a lot of magical power to condense ten thousand gold pieces into a single object, because of how matter works, so they were exceedingly rare.


    Seph quietly hoped, for this man¡¯s sake, that the ship he had in mind was actually worth fifteen thousand gold.


    It was not.


    The party quietly followed the man to the farthest northern edge of Piravia¡¯s docks, where he presented them with a ship that, while large, was absolute shit, and barely seaworthy. ¡°Thar she is, lad. Yer ship. More¡¯n big a¡¯nuff fer ye and yer crew, I reckon. Feel free tae rename her.¡±


    The party collectively stared, first at the ship, and then at Luffy. From Seph¡¯s shoulder, the Helltouched Manticore known as Cadet, hissed at the ship with distaste. Luffy however, had tears in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s beautiful! I¡¯ll take it! Can you uhh¡­split an Astral Diamond?¡±


    The pirate gave him a salty wink. ¡°Oi¡¯m one o¡¯ tha few in this port that can, lad.¡± He produced a large sack then. ¡°Fifteen thousan¡¯ fer yer ship, leavin¡¯ ye here with foive thousan¡¯. The Doimonds, if ye please.¡± He held out a grimey hand, and before anyone could react, the diamonds were his, and Luffy had the sack.


    At that point, Seph followed after the pirate, while the rest of the party investigated their new vessel. Yol didn¡¯t board it, rightly gauging that his gigantic plate armored form would fall right through the mostly rotted deck. Seph¡¯s quarry turned down an alley between a pair of ramshackle buildings, where three other pirates were sitting around on various barrels and other pieces of wood.


    ¡°Oi! Toime to skip port, lads! We¡¯ve made a bloody fortune.¡± He held up the Astral Diamonds and the other sea scum looked at them with awe. Seph quietly entered the alleyway, after making sure nobody was around, or looking his way. When the greedy con artists finally turned, they found Seph, Throngler drawn, waiting for them. ¡°Ohh shite.¡±


    The Gauntlet of Bane was practically screaming at this point, urging him to murder and mayhem, but Seph¡¯s greatest asset was his mind, and for the moment, it was still his. ¡°Give back¡­the diamonds¡­and you¡¯ll all get to¡­leave here alive.¡±


    ¡°Come on, mate.¡± The scammer began, ¡°Yer friend made a fair dea-¡±


    ¡°My friend is an imbecile¡­¡± Seph snarled. ¡°There¡¯s no chance that pile of rotten wood¡­is worth fifteen thousand gold. Give. The diamonds. Back.¡± His Throngling hand was shaking by this point, and the pirates mistook that as fear and bravado.


    ¡°Yer outnumbered, mate¡­¡± The con artist said with a sleazy smile. The other pirates stood up then, backing the man up. It wouldn¡¯t matter. They¡¯d just made cutting them down even easier. ¡°Take yer shaky sword an¡¯ yer pretty face back tae yer party.¡±


    The pretty face comment, was what did it. Seph went perfectly still, his face obscured by his silver hair, when suddenly, the Throngler lit with green flames, and from Seph¡¯s perspective, he was back on that northern battlefield. He was intelligent enough to know he wasn¡¯t really there, but it helped him cope with slicing relatively innocent men into chunks of bloody meat.


    Once he was done, the Gauntlet drew the pirate¡¯s souls into its grasp, and claimed them for Bane. Seph sensed his patron was pleased, but the gore only made him sick. He Prestidigitated the blood from himself and the bag holding the diamonds, as well as about a thousand more gold pieces he looted from the rather well off pirates, and then left the alley. He found Luffy and Stumbledore still by the ship, and Luffy was negotiating with about four men of the port who seemed to be skilled in carpentry, judging by their gear.


    Seph tossed the diamonds back to Luffy, and said, ¡°Luffy, that man conned you. Thankfully, he decided to give your money back. Let¡¯s go find an actual ship. I want to get to a proper city soon.¡±


    A smooth, charismatic baritone, almost out of place amongst salty dogs of the sea cut in then. ¡°You¡¯ll be wantin¡¯ to head to Storm Wind then, friend. And if you¡¯d like a proper ship, you¡¯ve come to the right port.¡± The voice belonged to a handsome but rugged man with a decently maintained smile in a port full of people who definitely did not brush their mouth bones. He held out his left hand, and Seph hid the now seemingly sated Gauntlet as he took it and shook it.


    ¡°You can get us a proper ship?¡± He asked, and the man nodded. The price turned out to also be twenty thousand gold, but this time the ship was freshly finished, galleon sized, and unused. This, Seph thought, was a much more reasonable offer for the price. Luffy dubbed it the Going Merry, and used his leftover five thousand gold to commission the figurehead he wanted, making him utterly broke once again, between the figurehead, and purchasing six cannons, and ammo for them.


    While Luffy was busy, and the moral majority of the party was in the local tavern, which judging by the sound of things was now rocking out with a sea shanty Xerex was going rather hard on, Stumbledore approached Seph, as he spoke with the charismatic man, who was apparently the ¡®mayor¡¯ of this lawless little port.


    ¡°¡­and if you manage to clear the bandits and their leader out, I¡¯ll have my parrot send your reward to your ship. I can offer five thousand gold.¡±


    Seph nodded, in agreement. Bandit souls would hopefully keep the murderous God item living on his hand sated, until he figured out how to either remove the sentience, or replace it with something less murdery. ¡°We can do that, Mr. Mayor, not a problem. Taking down a stronghold is going to take some firepower though. Are there any¡­magic shops in town?¡±


    The mayor glanced at the wizard behind Seph, and then rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Magic, huh? I mean¡­there¡¯s the old lady, in that building with the alleyway next to it, but uhh¡­¡± He shrugged, and a strange look came over his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure she has whatever you¡¯d need, and if you have any little ones with you, you should bring them shopping too.¡±


    Seph squinted at the man. ¡°We¡¯re uhh¡­adventurers. We don¡¯t have kids here. But thank you, we¡¯ll check that out.¡± The mayor walked off after that, claiming to be busy, and Seph turned to Stumbledore. ¡°That was weird, right?¡±


    The wizard nodded. ¡°An implanted magical suggestion, or I¡¯ll eat my wand. About as weird as a magic shop being in a Pirate port. I wanna go there.¡± His eyes gleamed with avarice, but faded soon after. ¡°Also¡­I uhh¡­I want to get in on this Bane stuff. I want stronger spells too.¡±


    Seph grinned, and the Gauntlet woke up. ¡°Ahh, my first convert. Alright, I¡¯ll-¡± He paused, as the Gauntlet spoke. ¡°Grab his skull! I¡¯ll mark him with Bane¡¯s symbol! Use my power! Dominate him!¡± Seph shook his head free of the words, and nodded at Stumbledore. ¡°I¡¯ll put in a good word for you. Let¡¯s get the others before we go into the creepy magic shop.¡±


    Xerex had the most well built building in the port rocking so hard, it threatened to collapse. Seph and Stumbledore arrived for the last line.


    ¡°Shipping up to Storm Wind! Woah-oh-oh!


    Shipping off to find my wooden leg!¡±


    The crowd of unwashed sea murderers cheered and clapped, though literally nobody donated as Xerex passed his tip bag around. Several of them tried stealing from it, only to find it empty. Xerex usually left his audience with a little money, but these people, he robbed blind, getting a solid five hundred gold in total. ¡°Barkeep! Get all these generous souls a round on me!¡± He shouted, to cheers, and it cost him about one entire gold piece to get them all drinks.


    Seph gathered the party around where Yol and Yaang were sitting and told them of the magic shop, and their next quest, to wipe out a fortress of bandits in the mountains between Piravia and Storm Wind. Unfortunately for Stumbledore, nobody wanted to go shopping after a long day of walking, so only Xerex joined them in visiting the shop.


    The streets of the port town were cloaked in darkness, the dim glow of lanterns doing little to chase away the shadows. The air was thick with the scent of salt, and fish. Stumbledore led the way with purpose, his steps eager and quick as he, finally, found a magic shop on the Prime Material Plane. Xerex followed close behind, his lute slung over one shoulder, while Seph trailed slightly behind, his hand ready to reach for the Throngler as his sharp eyes scanned the alleyways.


    "You¡¯re sure this place actually exists?" Xerex muttered, glancing around nervously. The dimly lit streets had a way of playing tricks on the mind, and the distant laughter of drunken pirates didn¡¯t help.


    "Of course it exists," Stumbledore snapped, irritation creeping into his voice. "You think I¡¯m dragging us through this cesspit for fun? The shop is supposed to be just around the next corner."


    "Great," Seph said dryly. "Nothing like a late-night shopping trip in the creepiest part of a town full of Pirates. What could possibly go wrong?"


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The alley they turned into was narrower than the others, the walls of the buildings leaning inward as though conspiring to keep secrets. At the end of the alley stood the shop. A single flickering lantern hung above the old wooden door, casting long, twitching shadows across a faded sign. The image of an eye surrounded by stars had been crudely carved into the wood, the paint peeling and weathered by time, so the name was no longer readable.


    The door creaked loudly as they pushed it open, and the three of them stepped inside. The air within was heavy and stale, carrying the faint scent of burnt herbs and something metallic that set Xerex¡¯s teeth on edge. Shelves lined the walls, crowded with hand-made hats and scarves, most of them moth-eaten. Old tomes with cracked spines were stacked haphazardly in one corner, and odd trinkets dangled from the ceiling on frayed strings, swaying gently as if moved by a breeze that didn¡¯t exist.


    "This place is¡­ charming," Xerex said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He sidestepped a table covered in what appeared to be jars of dubious yellow liquid, careful not to touch anything.


    "Focus," Stumbledore said, making a beeline for the counter at the back of the shop. Seph lingered near a shelf displaying what looked like potion bottles, his sharp eyes studying each label as if trying to decipher their secrets.


    Behind the counter, an old woman slowly rose to her feet. She was short and hunched, her back curving under the weight of years, but her presence filled the room in an unsettling way. Her skin was deeply lined, and her wild silver hair spilled out in every direction, adorned with beads and small bones. She wore layer upon layer of colorful, mismatched fabrics that jingled with the sound of bracelets, necklaces. Her grin revealed teeth that were black and shiny, like polished onyx, and her dark eyes glinted with a mix of amusement and something darker.


    "Welcome to mi shop," She said, her voice thick with an unplaceable accent that rolled like the waves outside. "What bring ya ¡®ere so late, eh? You three lookin¡¯ for trouble, or maybe ya just be afta¡¯ somethin¡¯ special?"


    "We¡¯re here to shop," Stumbledore said bluntly, stepping forward without hesitation. "I was told you sell magical items. I need Spell Scrolls. Fireball, Invisibility, Flight, Shield, and some Cantrips if you¡¯ve got them."


    The old woman let out a low, throaty laugh, the sound sending a shiver down Xerex¡¯s spine. "Ahhh, spells ya say? Yes, yes, I got Scrolls for ya. Plenty o'' spells fer a Wizahd like you. But ya know, child, ya only get two Cantrips at once. So, choose carefully, eh?"


    "Mage Hand, Light, Mending," Stumbledore replied without missing a beat. "Anything practical."


    The woman nodded and shuffled behind the counter, her movements slow and deliberate. Every step she took set her many pieces of jewelry jingling like a morbid wind chime. She began pulling out rolled-up pieces of parchment from various drawers and shelves, muttering to herself as she went.


    Meanwhile, Xerex wandered over to a display of small red vials, his curiosity overcoming his discomfort. He picked up a handful and carried them over to the counter. "We¡¯ll take these, too," he said, after figuring out they were healing potions.


    Seph, who had been silently inspecting the shop¡¯s wares, finally spoke up. His gaze was fixed on a ceramic jug sitting on a shelf behind the counter. "That Alchemy Jug," He said, nodding toward it. "What¡¯s the price?"


    The old woman glanced at the jug and then back at Seph, her grin widening. "Ah, ya gotta good eye, fer a young, beautiful man. Dat¡¯s a fine piece, dat is. Seven hundred gold, no less."


    "Anything else of interest?" Seph asked, his tone cautious but intrigued.


    The shopkeeper¡¯s grin turned mischievous. "Oh, plenty. Plenty. I got two special bottles, one dat never stops smokin¡¯ and one dat never run outta breath. Endless, ya see? Two hunnid each. An'' maybe¡­ a few more surprises if ya got de coin."


    Xerex exchanged a look with Seph and Stumbledore, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like she¡¯s got more than just surprises."


    The old woman cackled, her laughter filling the shop like the sound of creaking ship timbers. "Oh, mi dear, I got all kinda tings. But only if ya brave enough to buy ¡®em."


    The group hesitated, the weight of the shop¡¯s eerie atmosphere pressing down on them. Finally, Stumbledore reached for his coin pouch, his eyes locked on the pile of scrolls and the strange old woman who seemed to know far more than she let on. Seph and Xerex produced their own money, and after taking their purchases, were now almost as poor as Luffy.


    ¡°Come again!¡± The old woman cackled, as they left, and made their way back to the tavern. Not until they were almost at the tavern¡¯s door did any of them speak.


    ¡°That woman¡­is creepy.¡± Xerex muttered.


    ¡°Definitely something sketchy about her.¡± Stumbledore agreed.


    ¡°Did anyone else notice the disturbingly large amount of missing children posters she had near the back wall?¡± Seph asked, and the other two just stared at him. ¡°No? Just me? It¡¯s weird, right?¡±


    ¡°No weirder than anything else in there.¡± Stumbledore muttered as they entered the tavern.


    Things were quiet now, as the locals who kept the port running had gone back to their homes. A few passed out pirates littered the room, but in the center was the platinum armored, massive frame of Yol sitting on a shitty wooden chair that looked like it was going to break under his bulk at any moment. He was sharing a dark bottle of alcohol with Yaang and Alan, who both seemed much more affected by it than the paladin. Luffy was nowhere to be found.


    Yol nodded at the trio, as they pulled up similarly shitty chairs, and explained what they¡¯d found. By the end, Alan was grimacing, and with a knowing shudder, he said, ¡°Sounds like¡­a Night Hag. We had one up north, once. It ate over twenty children. Cooked them, into various mockeries of local dishes.¡± He looked a bit green, but then, the cleric steeled himself. ¡°If there¡¯s one here, we need to kill it.¡±


    Yol emptied the bottle, and pounded it on the table. Cracks appeared on the bottom. ¡°Aye¡­definitely a Hag¡­good. This party could do with some proper¡­good deeds, after all the torture and death.¡± He stared directly at Seph, who started to sweat. The fucking Gauntlet, of course, chose that moment to awaken again.


    ¡°This Paladin¡­this slave of Bahamut¡¯s order¡­he would make a Fine offering¡­¡±


    Seph answered immediately, in his head. ¡°Absolutely not. He¡¯s Yaang¡¯s protector, and our party¡¯s strongest member. Even with you¡­I doubt I could take him. Something tells me your mind control powers won¡¯t work on him. Better to sate his lust for Justice, and keep him on side.¡±


    The Gauntlet sighed, but for once, saw reason. ¡°Fine¡­you are correct¡­but some day, Seph Yroth¡­you will end up facing him.¡± The insane consciousness went quiet again then, and Seph sighed, ordering another bottle for the table, which Yol ended up paying for, and drinking most of. He was also the richest member of the party.


    Finally, Stumbledore spoke, his raspy voice laden with greed. ¡°Then tomorrow¡­in the light of the Sun¡­we go back, ask to see her¡­special wares¡­accuse her of eating children, kill her, and loot her stuff. I have a feeling she has quite a few useful items¡­¡±


    Yol nodded. ¡°At Dawn, then.¡± He rose, and he, Yaang, and Xerex all went to their room, as the party agreed it was better to keep their unwashed dragon musk in one place. After days on the road, it was¡­quite potent, and a pirate tavern wasn¡¯t exactly equipped with baths or showers, let alone those large enough to fit a beast like Yol. At dawn, the party, sans Luffy, made their way to the Hag¡¯s shop a few hours after the sun rose, and their hangovers lessened.


    The old woman¡¯s shop had always reeked of stale incense and the faintest tinge of rot, but there was a fresh foulness tainting the air this morning. Yol ducked through the doorway first, his massive frame almost blocking the light behind him. He crouched slightly to clear the lintel, then strode across the creaking wooden floor with all the grace of a plated juggernaut. With a glare that could strip paint from walls, he leaned against a wall in a far corner, arms crossed over his broad chest. Platinum armor gleamed even in the dim light, and his eyes swept the room, daring any danger to manifest. It was clear he was waiting, waiting for the others to need him, waiting for an excuse to act.


    ¡°Don¡¯t break anything,¡± The old woman muttered from behind the counter, eyeing Yol¡¯s bulk and nauseatingly Lawful Good demeanor with undisguised distaste. Her voice had the timbre of dried leaves scraping together.


    Seph Yroth stepped forward with an air of deliberate elegance, his long coat trailing behind him, the Gauntlet of Bane glinting faintly as if pleased to be acknowledged. His voice, smooth and low, carried just enough weight to make the old woman flinch, as the party filed in behind him. ¡°You said you had other kinds of things available for purchase. We¡¯d like to see your real collection.¡±


    Xerex, ever the consummate performer, took the opportunity to lean casually against the counter. ¡°I mean, unless this is it,¡± He said, gesturing to the faded trinkets and cloudy glass bottles lining the shelves. His smile was genuine, but the old woman hadn¡¯t lived this long in a port full of pirates by being an idiot. She knew danger when she saw it, and the plated paladin was the epitome of trouble, at least up here.


    Yaang stood silently nearby, his platinum scales catching faint light in ways that seemed almost deliberate. He folded his hands calmly, a monk¡¯s posture of unshakable serenity. But there was tension in his lanky frame, and undisguised hatred in his eyes. He could forgive robbing people at sea or on the road. He could forgive attacking him in the name of one''s dark Hell Dragon Queen. He could even forgive people trying to make use of his natural divine gift for their own ends. But he could not abide those who went after kids, lethally, romantically, or any other way. The littles were where Yaang drew his line, and Hags were the prime example of the kind of creature he hated the most.


    Stumbledore cast his gaze around the shop with deliberate slowness, his fingers twitching faintly. He murmured something in Elvish, too quiet for anyone to hear, but the crackle of latent arcane energy around him spoke volumes.


    The old woman hesitated, her beady eyes narrowing as if weighing her options. Then, with a slow, deliberate sigh, she shuffled to a locked door at the far back end of the shop. Producing a ring of keys that jingled faintly, she muttered, ¡°Come ¡®dis way¡­I got everyting ya could evah need down heeyah.¡±


    The basement was worse than the upstairs, in terms of stench. Stone walls damp with condensation seemed to close in around them, the flickering lanterns casting jagged shadows that danced unnaturally. Jars of pickled body parts lined shelves, their contents floating serenely in viscous liquids that glimmered faintly green. Bundles of dried herbs hung from the low ceiling, their scents clashing in a way that turned the air oppressive. At the far end of the room, a locked door stood forebodingly, as someone had gone through great effort to padlock it, and bolt it shut.


    The woman made her way to yet another counter, at which point she pulled out various other items, and gestured at them for the party to peruse. All of them noticed when she slipped one of the items, what looked like something square and roughly the size of a deck of cards within a sparkling deep bluish purple pouch, up her sleeve.


    Seph Yroth wasted no time. He approached the basement¡¯s shop counter with a measured stride, gesturing at the shelves. ¡°We¡¯ll take another Alchemy Jug,¡± He said, his voice as casual as if he were ordering tea.


    ¡°Oh, and that pouch of magic beans,¡± Xerex added, his grin wide as he read the instructions on how to use them. ¡°I have ideas.¡±


    Stumbledore¡¯s voice, dry and precise, cut through the air. ¡°The cloak.¡± He didn¡¯t need to elaborate. The old woman¡¯s face twitched at the mention of it, but she didn¡¯t argue. She retrieved the seemingly hidden sparkling black cloak with shaking hands, laying it on the rough wooden counter. Stumbledore cast Identify, and whistled. ¡°This is the real deal, madame¡­might I ask where you acquired this?¡±


    She glared at the wizard. ¡°No, ya might not. De price be twentee thousan¡¯ gold pieces. Up front. If ye be wantin¡¯ it.¡±


    Stumbledore flinched, as they had nowhere near that amount. ¡°Surely we can come to some kind of agreeme-¡±


    ¡°Not for dis.¡± The woman said with finality. ¡°Dis be too precious an item ta haggle over. De price is de price¡­an¡¯ ya can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    With a swish of fabric, the party stared at Stumbledore, as he leveled his wand at the old woman, and tension filled the foul air. ¡°Put. The cloak. Down.¡± The old woman turned to him, glaring, but did as he asked. He lowered his wand. ¡°We are not as poor as we seem, madame. And I have long sought this Artifact¡­¡± His eyes were practically glowing with greed.


    The woman grinned, her black teeth glistening in the lamplight of the rank basement. ¡°Artifact, ya say? Den de price be thirtee thousan¡¯, as it seems I¡­undacharged.¡±


    Stumbledore glared at her. ¡°That¡¯s insanity! You can¡¯t just arbitrarily add ten K to a price!¡±


    The woman gave him an evil smirk. ¡°Dis be my shop, Wizard. I can raise de prices as I wish, for de tings I keep here.¡±


    ¡°And where, exactly, do you keep the children?¡± Yaang finally spoke, his body still, but his eyes were already faintly glowing with a familiar platinum rage. ¡°Y¡¯know, before you eat them¡­¡±


    The old woman froze, then smiled, a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. ¡°Ahh, ya¡¯ve come for da children,¡± She said, her voice shifting, warping, and losing the accent as it became closer to an insane grandma than a Jamaican woman. Her hunched form straightened unnaturally, and her eyes began glowing with a sickly yellow light. ¡°You should have said so sooner, dearies...¡±


    By the time she finished speaking, her true form had revealed itself, to no one¡¯s surprise, as a twisted Night Hag, her blue-tinged flesh pulled taut over a skeletal frame. The air thickened with the acrid stench of sulfur as a second Night Hag materialized from the shadows, by the padlocked door, her grin even more malicious than the first, from under her hood.


    ¡°Die!¡± The shopkeeping Hag hissed. Her gnarled hand reached into a fold of her tattered robes and produced a card, one drawn from the Deck of Many Things. The image of a crescent moon was upon it, crossed by three shooting stars. As it began to shimmer with arcane power, she cackled, the sound grating against the stone walls. Three blindingly bright lights sank into her foul form as the card¡¯s power was expended, and it faded into dust.


    ¡°I Wish,¡± She said, her voice dripping with malice, ¡°for the most powerful assassin of the Lord of Murder to join us here! Immediately!¡±


    Stumbledore, ever pragmatic, was already sprinting up the stairs. ¡°Yol!¡± He bellowed. ¡°Shits kicking off!¡±


    The Dragonborn paladin didn¡¯t need further explanation, and sprang into action. With a speed that belied his bulk, his greatsword already in hand as he descended the stairs, he sprinted into the basement, each plated step reverberating like thunder. The door slammed shut behind him, sealed by thick iron bars that slid down from the stones above it. Yol paused only for a heartbeat before unfurling his wings with a defiant roar, taking to the air in the cramped space. As he leapt into the air and spread his massive wings, striking at the Hag and burning with Bahamut¡¯s holy light, he sent the shelves and their narsty contents falling to the floor, heedless of the mess in his haste to smite the foul child eating monstrosity.


    The assassin of Bhaal arrived in the same breath, stepping from a portal of blood red flames. Just as quickly as he appeared, the pale hooded figure vanished, becoming invisible and untrackable. His twin blades, blessed by his new God were already drawn, and his eyes locked onto Seph Yroth with the unerring precision of a predator, and the purpose of one who sought vengeance.


    The battle erupted like a storm. Yol clashed with the first Hag, his Holy Avenger cleaving through the air with righteous fury. The second Night Hag hurled curses and fire, only for Yaang to close the distance with blinding speed, his eyes burning as bright as Yol, as he redirected the flames and pummeled her with a barrage of burning fists. Stumbledore nullified the curses and Xerex counterspelled her next attack as well, infuriating her. The wizard had, upon running from the basement, grabbed the Cloak of True Invisibility as well, and donned it as the basement became chaos. Not even the True Sight of an Ancient Dragon could see through this cloak, or follow its whereabouts, and attacks made while invisible did not break the invisibility.


    Seph also focused on the first Hag, and as Yol smote her with his Holy Avenger, Seph finished her off with eight burning strikes, ending in his right hand, bearing the Gauntlet of Bane, plunging into her chest, and ripping out her foul heart. The black organ disintegrated in his palm as he absorbed her power, her knowledge, and, with a wide grin, her remaining two wishes. ¡°A most worthy offering¡­¡± The Gauntlet proclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what you Wish for¡­¡±


    Before Seph even had time to think about what he might wish for, what he even could wish for, the assassin struck. Time slowed, and Seph¡¯s eyes widened as he recognized his killer. The entire room heard him rasp, ¡°Daryl!?¡± Before things went quiet, and Seph Yroth¡¯s head fell to the floor in a pool of white hair stained with red. Furious, Yol struck at the assassin, only for his blade to pass through the now insubstantial form of Daryl.


    Daryl disappeared again, vanishing completely, as Yaang, Alan, and Xerex beat down the second Hag, countering her spells and hammering her with the elements, a holy mace with Pelor¡¯s blessing, and words that physically injured her, as the basement was a bit cramped for Scanlan¡¯s Hand.


    Stumbledore hid from Daryl, as best he could, but the assassin had the gifts of the Lord of Murder on his side, now, and the wizard still possessed blood. A pair of daggers appeared from thin air above Stumbledore¡¯s hiding place, the far right back corner of the room, where they screeched as if they were sliding down metal against his hastily cast Shield spell. Hearing this, Yol once more leapt towards the now visible Daryl.


    As the battle continued, the sounds became dimmer, to Seph Yroth.


    His entire view was clouded by a gray hellscape, and he knew exactly where he was now. Yet, the land on which he stood was strange and soft, and the mountains around him oddly straight. Then, he looked up.


    The titanic form of Bane, the Master of Banehold, leered down at him, and Seph realized he was standing in the God¡¯s palm. His eye were gaping black holes, and a mask surrounded and covered his face. His armor was impressive, and matched Seph¡¯s gauntlet. Bane had its twin on his other hand, but Seph was standing in the right palm.


    ¡°You have a choice to make, Seph Yroth. You have the means to return to the Prime Material Plane as my Champion. Or¡­you can remain here, and return my Gauntlet to me now. I will make you a Duke of Banehold, and you shall rule a portion of this Hell for all of time.¡±


    Seph pondered for a long moment. ¡°Can¡¯t¡­you just bring me back, like you did with Alan?¡±


    The hand he was standing in almost closed on him, and two fiery lights appeared in the pits of his eyes, green, and burning with anger at his impudence. Yet, Bane did also admire the sheer testicular fortitude it took to try to bargain with a dark God, while one was on the edge of death, and had two wishes readily available.


    ¡°Your head was severed. This is not like my new Cleric. Now make your choice, before the offer expires¡­¡±


    Grumbling inwardly, Seph looked up, at the gaping hole above Banehold that, if he knew his lore correctly, would lead to the plane of Hell above this one. Up and up the layers would go, until one could reach the portal back to the Prime Material Plane. Crossing over was not so easy though, and all but impossible for a mere soul. Mortals who yet had bodies could cross, but everything else, namely the Traitor Gods and their Devil servants, could not.


    ¡°I Wish¡­to return to life, in the Hag¡¯s basement, in Piravia!¡± His mind raced, and then, a thought occurred. From what he intrinsically understood of the Wish spell, as a spellcaster, he had only one ¡®and¡¯ or ¡®with¡¯ that he could add to the initial wish. ¡°With Cloud Strife alive, by my side!¡±


    Like a reverse meteor, his soul shot out of the Hells, and though several of its denizens tried to stop him, not even Gods could interfere with a wish once it was cast. As he shot out of Avernus into the cosmic space between the Nine Hells and the Seven Heavens, another light descended towards him at the same speed, and he knew he''d managed to save both himself, and his friend. He quietly praised whatever merciful God allowed people to add that ¡®and¡¯ or ¡®with¡¯ to a wish, and the next thing he knew, he was back in the foul basement, his head once more on his neck.


    Daryl had continued to dodge Yol, mostly, and was currently bound by divine platinum chains that burned even his insubstantial form. Seeing Seph¡¯s head return to his body, his eyes burned with crimson rage. ¡°NO!¡± Daryl sank into the floor then, the chains going limp, and Yol whirled, beholding Seph, and another figure by his side. He was handsome, though not quite as beautiful as Seph, with spiky blonde hair, light leather armor with a single heavy metal piece, much like Seph. The Throngler returned to his hand, and the blonde kid had a blade of his own, a massive greatsword that started humming with divine light.


    In a flash, Daryl popped up by the revived pair, and Yol leapt towards him again, empowering his own blade with a Divine Smite. Radiant abilities seemed to affect Daryl the most. With the Throngler and the Gauntlet of Bane, Seph blocked Daryl¡¯s enraged strikes, and counter slashed him hard. Cloud did the same, his radiant sword also damaging Daryl. Seeing he was outnumbered, his Hag allies were both now dead, and he was in need of healing, Daryl broke away from Seph, only to turn into the waiting, enraged face of Yol.


    Platinum light burned through the basement, as Yol struck with a beautiful upwards diagonal strike that separated Daryl into two halves, and turned them to dust within the blinding light. Heavy breathing filled the room as Yol and Seph shared a nod of respect. Then, Seph dropped the Throngler, turned to Cloud, and brought him into a tight hug. He was real. He was warm. Cloud Strife was alive, again, and Seph¡¯s world was a little brighter.


    Gasping for air as he broke free of the embrace, Cloud looked around in confusion. ¡°Seph¡­where¡­how¡­¡±


    ¡°You died¡­¡± He said, bluntly. ¡°In Winterknell. Against the undead. You fell¡­as did, uh, most of our army. The officers too. I¡¯ve become an adventurer since then¡­and I managed to use a Wish to bring you and I back to life. It¡¯s a long story, actually.¡±


    Yaang shouted from across the room, where his own stinking pile of Hag goo was. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for us, guys, we¡¯ll just loot this back room while you catch up. Yol, can you do something about the door so we can get the Hell out of here?¡±


    Yol nodded, and went to work on prying the bars off the door. Xerex swore, by the padlocks. ¡°Fucking lockpicks¡­yea, I can¡¯t unlock this.¡±


    Yaang nodded calmly. ¡°Go help Yol, then. Maybe a switch or something is behind the counter. Stumbledore? Any magical solutions? If there¡¯s kids in there I don¡¯t really want to Earthbend it down.¡±


    The blurple starry hatted head of the Shadowfell native popped out of thin air, as he was still wearing the cloak. ¡°Yea¡­let me umm¡­here we go. Knock!¡± The spell fizzled, and Stumbledore swore. ¡°Fucking¡­hold on. Dispel!¡± The magic wards over the locks vanished. ¡°Knock!¡± Several tiny blue hands knocked once on the locks, unlocking them all at once. Stumbledore closed his book of spells with an exasperated sigh, and gestured for Yaang to go first.


    ¡°Opa!¡± Xerex said, as he found a button, and hit it. The bars shot back up into the stonework, and Yol gave him a thumbs up, before leaving the truly foul smelling basement. Seph, Cloud, Xerex, and Alan followed him, after looting all the Hag¡¯s items, of course. The ones that were not pickled body parts.


    In the back room, the smell was the worst, and Stumbledore vomited as it wafted out. Steeling himself, and bending air around his mouth and nose, Yaang walked in, a flame in his palm, and his best attempt at a smile on his slender draconian features. ¡°It¡¯s alright, little ones. Your ordeal is over.¡± The sobs of very traumatized kiddos filled the room, and Stumbledore magically cleared a path through the sharp glass and viscera for them, all the way to the exit.


    Piravia hadn¡¯t had a large child population in the first place, but over the past few years, what few there had been had disappeared one by one, with their parents either not noticing, or not being brave enough to properly search the creepy old woman¡¯s shop. Once they were outside, the kids sprinted away as fast as their little legs could carry them. Only one remained, a toddler, and Xerex entertained the poor baby with some music, as the rest of the party turned to face the shop.


    ¡°We looted everything of worth?¡± Yaang asked. The others nodded. ¡°Alright. Then how about we burn this fucking place to the ground?¡± That got an enthusiastic yes.


    The three Dragonborn readied their breath weapons, with Xerex using his first, as the poison was indeed combustible, and he was on baby duty. Flames came forth from Yaang and Yol¡¯s toothy maws. Stumbledore launched a Fireball inside, all the way to the back, and down to the basement level, with his magical guidance, before it too combusted. Seph raised the Gauntlet of Bane towards it, adding his ominous green flames to the mix, which made Cloud frown, as he saw and recognized the symbol on the Gauntlet.


    The rising smoke, and the screaming, crying children running about, who until that day had utterly vanished, caused the majority of Piravia¡¯s populace to take to the streets. Thus, when the party returned, carrying the toddler with them, there were cheers and whoops, and Xerex quickly found the toddler¡¯s mother. The baby had honed in on her almost immediately, and he subtly wiped away a single tear at the happy reunion.


    What followed was a proper pirate potluck party right there in the middle of the ramshackle city. Cooked fish, boar, and of course, more shit tier ale than anyone could ever want, was brought out to celebrate the death of not one, but two Night Hags. Xerex, naturally, recounted the story, and this time his tip container actually got a few coins. With Alan mentioning his own experience with a Hag, the locals figured that this was the end of the Coven, as they tended to come in threes. The running theory was that one had been either sent north to get more children, or exiled, for some unknown slight against the Coven¡¯s leader.


    Seph was chatting with the mayor by the time night fell, and most of the citizens were in drunken comas. ¡°You know,¡± The mayor said, ¡°We had another recent, grisly murder in one of our alleyways. Three grown men, just absolutely ripped to pieces. I¡¯d be willing to pay you all to investigate that¡­it doesn¡¯t seem like a Hag¡¯s M.O.¡±


    Seph subtly moved the Gauntlet of Bane behind his back. ¡°Ahhhah, well, uhh, we already have that bandit quest from you, remember? And we really need to be getting to Storm Wind.¡±


    Thankfully, the ¡®mayor¡¯ was too drunk to notice Seph¡¯s body language. Cloud, however, was not. ¡°I understand. In that case, we of the humble port of Piravia wish you luck on your voyage. Be careful out there¡­there¡¯s been reports of gigantic beasts in those waters, but if you stick near the mountains, you should be fine.¡±


    With that, Seph thanked the man again, promised to be in touch about the bandits, and the party boarded the newly refurbished and outfitted Going Merry with enough supplies to get them to the city of Storm Wind. Luffy was properly salty that he¡¯d missed the entire Hag adventure, but his excitement at finally sailing his own ship with his own crew balanced him out.


    As a bloody sunrise colored the skies to the east, the large galleon headed north to yet another adventure.

 A Ballad of Beans and Bandits

    Monkey D. Luffy was having the time of his life. His ship was perfect, and with his rubbery body, he was able to basically crew it himself. The rest of the party just had to focus on not tripping over or bumping into his extended, rubbery limbs. He¡¯d even figured out a clever trick involving the cannonballs, which thankfully, they had a metric ton of. Between Luffy practicing firing them and bouncing them off into the horizon with varying degrees of accuracy, and the partying that came from their metric ton of ale barrels, they made a swift but quite loud journey northwards to the city of Storm Wind.


    Stumbledore spent most of their days at sea magically bolted to the ship, as he strove to copy all the scrolls he¡¯d looted from the Hags into his spellbook. Seph and Yaang collaborated to create a small forge on the ship, but it ran into several difficulties, namely, that ships were absolutely terrible for forge work, and they nearly set it on fire with their initial attempt to ignite it. The constant motion of the ocean made hammering any ingots quite difficult, and Yaang had to combine Cadet¡¯s fire and his own metalbending to make the materials they¡¯d acquired into ingots, though Piravia had only had basic ones, like copper and iron.


    Alan spent his time speaking with Yol and Cloud, and those three eventually took to practicing their martial moves on the deck, with Yol instructing both of them, as he was quite familiar with all kinds of weapons. Xerex, for his part, had retreated into his room, and for three entire days, meditated upon the nature of the Bag of Magic Beans he¡¯d acquired from the Hags. Not even leaving to eat or relieve himself, the Dragonborn bard had, for some reason, become properly obsessed with divining their true nature, as he sensed their awesome potential, yet despite his best efforts, could not figure out how they worked, or all the things that might happen, were he to plant one. He hadn¡¯t even been able to get them to explode, and after Luffy walked in on him trying to make them do so, he¡¯d finally given up, and tended to the needs of his mortal body.


    When he came back, he found Yaang, his platinum scaled counterpart, eyeing a single bean. With a goofy grin, he called Stumbledore and Xerex over. ¡°I think I have this figured out guys. Stumbledore, conjure a rock or something for me, if you will. Xerex¡­watch, and learn.¡± Once the wizard did as he¡¯d asked, he shouted, ¡°Pull!¡± And with his airbending, launched the bean with ridiculous speed at the magically created rock. The air above the ship detonated, becoming a brief but fiery inferno, and Xerex was just left holding his bean bag, one eye twitching, as he stared in disbelief at Yaang.


    Stumbledore interjected before the bard lost his shit, though. ¡°Thanks to my new spell, I can give you essentially infinite beans, Xerex. It¡¯s called Clone Object. I can create exact clones of any object I¡¯ve seen, though magic ones disappear after twenty four hours. If we¡¯re just going to blow up the bean though, that¡¯s fine. We clone a real one, and then launch the cloned bean, and bam! Infinite exploding beans.¡±


    Seph came over, a glint in his eye, after the difficulty with the forge. ¡°Say¡­Stumbledore, you can clone any object right?¡± The wizard nodded. ¡°And as long as the object isn¡¯t magical, it doesn¡¯t disappear?¡± Another nod followed. Seph¡¯s eyes gleamed with greed. ¡°So, say, if we were to clone a barrel, and its contents weren¡¯t magical, it would make an exact copy of said barrel?¡±


    ¡°An entire barrel of something would burn through my energy fairly quickly¡­but yes, so long as it¡¯s not full of magic items, I could create¡­probably four barrels of something per day. What, are you thinking of the ale? We could try selling it, but compared to what a port city like Storm Wind gets, it¡¯s probably considered little better than piss water.¡±


    Seph grinned at him. ¡°Or, we cut out the ale entirely, and just clone barrels full of gold coins. Or platinum, if we find any. Astral Diamonds probably wouldn¡¯t work¡­but gold itself is not inherently magical.¡±


    Yaang frowned. ¡°Seph¡­that¡¯s¡­very illegal. Not to mention, each coin has a unique number marking it. And too many added to the circulation would disrupt the economy of any city we try this in. I¡¯m sure Stumbledore isn¡¯t the first Wizard to have this spell, nor are you the first person to think of this idea.¡±


    Seph waved his gauntleted hand, as it hummed with ominous green light in response to its wielder¡¯s avarice. ¡°Who''s going to stop us way out here? Besides, ships are legally considered private property, effectively countries unto themselves, under the command of their Captains. In a port city especially, property laws are probably quite strict. And so long as Luffy keeps his dumb mouth shut¡­we can have you alter the coin¡¯s numbers with your Metalbending. So long as we don¡¯t use too many, and keep the authorities off our ship, we¡¯ll be fine. Infinite gold, for infinite materials, food, drink, whatever the fuck we want, really!¡±


    Yaang crossed his arms, and frowned. Eyes closed, he contemplated the plan, as proposed, one clawed finger tapping on his scales. ¡°I mean¡­so long as we don¡¯t start spending hundreds of thousands¡­it¡¯ll probably be fine¡­the only problem is, we have no idea what the latest printed numbers on the coins are. New ones are minted in Arcadia, and that¡¯s on the other side of the world. If we knew what the current numbers were, we could mark them sufficiently far enough ahead to not worry about coins with the same serial numbers. The only problem is figuring out that number.¡±


    They examined their gold then, pooling it together. Alan and Cloud joined them, after Yol went to bed. Stumbledore cloned him a keg of ale he was going to keep all to himself, which markedly improved his opinion of the wizard, at least for the moment. Luffy was kept similarly inebriated, and Seph had Cadet entertain him by being absolutely adorable. After they pooled their gold, they concluded that the serial numbers were far too variable to accurately guess the current number. That, was when Stumbledore had an idea.


    ¡°I have another spell. Scry. I¡¯ve never seen the gold reserve, but technically, all of our gold has, at one point. It all comes from the same place, the heavily fortified palace of Arcadia¡¯s Sun King. With a name, location, and a vague connection¡­I could probably Scry on it.¡±


    Seph shrugged. ¡°Worth a shot. I¡¯ll lend my magic, too.¡±


    The sword mage and the wizard sat opposite each other then, the only sounds in the calm night the gentle lapping of waves against the ship, and the noises of Cadet rather violently testing just how durable Luffy was. In his inebriated state, he seemed to find the Hell Manticore¡¯s claws ticklish more than painful, and Cadet found a new favorite toy. After a few long minutes, Stumbledore opened his eyes, and was grinning as wide as Seph was.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they didn¡¯t ward it against Scrying¡­though, I suppose looking at how the gold is made into coins isn¡¯t really something ne''er do wells can make use of. Until now!¡± The wizard cackled, and stood with a swirl of his robes. ¡°Given the rate of gold production¡­the number of major cities on the planet¡­and the current serial numbers¡­¡± He wrote down a number on one of his many pieces of paper. ¡°Yaang, you¡¯ll need to do the next part. Start with this number. They shouldn¡¯t reach it for a solid three decades, and unless someone checks, nobody is likely to even notice.¡± The serial numbers on each coin were carved into the edges, and oftentimes were worn away over time. This did absolutely nothing to their worth, though Arcadia encouraged people to send such coins back to the city for reprinting, very few people actually did so. Most people of Gaia didn¡¯t even notice their currency had serial numbers. The party had considered just making them illegible, but having ¡®faded¡¯ numbers was also a hallmark of fake currency, especially if all of their gold pieces lacked them.


    In short order, Yaang had used his bending to levitate their combined wealth before him, alter their serial numbers, and then place them in one of their barrels in a way that allowed for as much space as possible. Platinum pieces, being much rarer and more valuable, simply bore Bahamut¡¯s mark, a stylistic depiction of his head, as proof of their legitimacy and thus were very easy to clone. Fortunately, platinum as a mineral was exceedingly rare, hard to find even for magic users, and even with the Clone Object spell, a spell that was, according to their wizard, also quite rare, hard to find, and rarely reproduced in Scroll form, most people only had access to a small number of them, and they were only worth about ten gold pieces.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Once the barrel was full, Stumbledore cloned it four times, before he was properly drained, and could no longer cast it. Yaang once again levitated their fortune before him, filling each barrel with future serial numbers, and by midnight, they had five entire barrels worth of gold coins, namely, more gold than they would ever realistically need. What the party did not know, was that gold, especially on the sea, had a unique scent. Even within a barrel, there were creatures whose greed was the stuff of legends that could pinpoint a single coin from miles away, and had great enough swim speeds to reach the object of their avarice rather quickly.


    With their fortunes secure and their destination on the horizon, the morally gray parts of the party went to bed. Yaang opted to sleep on the deck, to make sure that when Luffy finally woke up, he didn¡¯t touch the barrels they were keeping within a small hold built into the front end of the ship¡¯s deck. Being a pirate¡¯s ship, this smuggling compartment was ideal for storing such things and keeping them safe and dry on the high seas.


    The next morning was beautiful, a perfect day to be on the ocean. Blue skies, calm waves, and a hearty breakfast put everyone in a good mood, and helped Xerex overcome his bean-related exhaustion. He had now gone from obsessing over the bean¡¯s power, to pondering what would happen if he planted one. Seph, for his part, was conceiving of a weapon that could activate a copied bean, and launch it like a bow launched an arrow. Ideally, such a weapon would be able to clone, ignite, and fire the bean, meaning essentially infinite ammo.


    After managing to spot man-made fortifications in the mountain chain they were sailing by, and seeing no threats from the sea, they left Luffy on the ship, and ultimately decided to let him in on their gold scheme. He didn¡¯t know the specifics, all he knew was that there were four barrels worth of gold stashed in his hold, which, hilariously, he claimed made him a ¡®real pirate¡¯. Content to spend the day fishing and not fighting bandits, he stayed on the ship, while the rest of the party disembarked.


    They had Alan, Yol, and Cloud bring up the rear, as Yaang, Seph, Cadet, and Xerex acted as the advance party. They managed to find the fortress, built into a cave system leading into the mountains, and in short order, found the entrance. True to its description, it was a heavily fortified cave entrance. Wooden walls blocked it up from below and above, and sharp barricades lined the outside. Three bandits with modern era crossbows, the quickly reloading kind, sat as the guards to the stronghold.


    ¡°I say we plant a bean, and see what happens!¡± Xerex said in an excited whisper, practically salivating now that they had land upon which to plant a bean.


    Seph bonked him on the back of his skull with his gauntleted hand. ¡°Stop spazzing out over your bloody beans, and focus. We need a way to bring down that entrance, and not get swarmed by bandits. Wizard, any thoughts?¡±


    Stumbledore grinned, a look similar to Xerex in his eyes. ¡°Fireball, motherfuckers!¡± A small orange spark lit in his palm, and Seph closed his hand around it, killing the spell before it could waste magical power.


    ¡°Will you idiots focus? Yaang? A little help?¡±


    Yaang, naturally, was absolutely no help.


    He had a grin that matched Xerex better than Stumbledore¡¯s. ¡°I say we do both.¡± He pointed at Stumbledore. ¡°Clone three beans. Prepare le Fireball.¡± He pointed at Xerex. ¡°Throw le beans.¡± He pointed at himself. ¡°Guide the beans to the structural weak points of the entryway, the fire ignites them, and then Earthbend the rubble and corpses out of our way!¡±


    Seph pinched his brow, and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­actually not a terrible plan, honestly¡­I just wish it involved less beans¡­¡± His objections were ignored, as the wizard was already cloning three beans at once, huddled up with Yaang and Xerex.


    Seph just groaned, once they were ready. ¡°How do we know when to fire? What¡¯s our signal?¡±


    Just then, they heard the very loud clanking of their paladin and their cleric, chatting in a normal tone with Cloud as they strolled through the mountains on this genuinely gorgeous day. Yaang grinned wider, as he saw one of the guards notice, and start to alert the other two. ¡°Now!¡±


    Xerex threw, and Yaang summoned the air, guiding the beans to their target. Perceptive as they were, the guards noticed, and the trio were close enough to hear them.


    ¡°Oi, Jimmy. Is that a focking bean flyin¡¯ towards us?¡±


    ¡°Looks like one, dunnit. Oh, shit, there¡¯s three o¡¯ them. Wait, wots that orange¡­oh fu-¡±


    The screams of the gate guards were drowned out by four consecutive explosions that rocked the entire mountain chain, and echoed all the way to the coastline. Luffy frowned, as he saw the fish swim away, glared at where the party was, and grumbled as he started moving the ship elsewhere. He had to waste another ration to toss in the sea as bait, but the fish did eventually return.


    Back by the gate, the advance party emerged to admire their handiwork, while Yol stomped up behind them, furious. ¡°What the FUCK was that!? Now the entire base knows we¡¯re here.¡±


    Stumbledore smirked at him. ¡°They already heard your plated ass stomping up here, O¡¯ mighty Paladin.¡± Yol¡¯s mouth sparked with flames, as he considered wasting his fire breath on the wizard.


    Seph interjected. ¡°Who cares if they know we¡¯re here. They¡¯re just bandits, guys. They don¡¯t even have a Hell portal. Compared to the Dragon Cult, this will be nothing.¡±


    Cloud piped up then. ¡°They could have a lot worse than a Hell portal vomiting out a few Abishai, Seph. I thought we were going for a stealth approach. You could¡¯ve taken them all out silently, or gathered them together with diplomacy and then killed them. Now they¡¯re all on high alert because their base just exploded four times.¡±


    Seph gave his resurrected friend a dark smirk. ¡°Let them come. They¡¯re only bandits. This will be easy.¡± He strode confidently into the ruined, but now cleared tunnel. The only real resistance they met, was a locked steel door, and after realizing nobody had lockpicks, or the skills to use them, Seph listened to the Gauntlet of Bane, and just tried punching.


    The power of the divine artifact easily knocked the door off its hinges, and the party¡¯s continued. They came across two bandits having a somewhat hurried card game, and almost immediately cut them down. They also freed an old man they¡¯d been torturing and keeping prisoner, but when he heard they were going deeper into the fortress, he left on his own power, after getting some healing.


    After punching down several more doors, finding some grappling hooks, gold, and metal bars clearly looted from other people, the party finally found the center of the fortress. And an entire cavern of smelly outlaws, waiting for them. With two ballistas, loaded and ready to fire.


    Stumbledore tried going invisible, but the gods of chance chose to help the bandits on the ballistas instead, and a large bolt nearly pinned him to the wall. Furious, Yaang once again dove headfirst into danger, turning into a fiery tornado as he went straight for the large greataxe wielding bandit who¡¯d given the order to fire.


    Seph and Cadet leapt into the fray as well, taking on the slightly higher ranked looking bandits, and easily turned them into ash. Alan doubled back from advancing on the ballistas beside Yol, and tended to Stumbledore, who managed to yank out the massive bolt, and then received enough healing to not bleed to death. Once he was healed, the wizard launched an angry Fireball into the bandits around Yaang, who used flames to his advantage.


    Yol, meanwhile, bisected another ballista bolt as he simply walked towards them, with murder in his eyes. ¡°They¡¯re just Bandits guys. It¡¯ll be easy, guys. Fucking imbeciles¡­¡± Cloud reached his ballista faster, and managed to take out the scum manning it. Right as his partner aimed at him from the other position. Yol had reached it by that point though, and as he did, the air cracked as he Shouted, ¡°Yol! Toor! Shuuuul!¡± And bathed the bandit and his weapon in dragonfire worthy of being called a breath weapon.


    From above, Xerex watched with a bit of envy as he used Scanlan¡¯s Hand to flick beans at Yaang¡¯s opponent¡¯s, and gave him more fire to bend. The bandits the monk had chosen to solo were not so easily killed though, and all three managed to hit him with their axes. Once again, Io¡¯s Avatar found himself in a rough spot, but by this point, Seph and Xerex had caught on to his tendency to leap into danger, and backed him up.


    As quickly as the battle began, it ended, with the party violently claiming victory. A few of the bandits tried to run, and Yol walked after them, dispatching them easily. He found a storeroom full of more gold, food, and weapons, but in that moment decided not to reward his greedy ¡®team¡¯ further for their lack of tactics and stealth. Using a magic message, he informed the Order of Bahamut that there was a mountain of free loot at the spot he¡¯d messaged from, and very quickly, they responded that someone would be heading over to claim it.


    Heading back to the party, Yol said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing but a toilet down there. The bandits are all dead. Now let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡± The party agreed, eager to leave with no one seeming to think that the Paladin of Bahamut would lie to them.


    In short order they left the bandit fortress behind, marveling about how strong they were now. Luffy and the ship were intact, and the party boarded easily, setting sail once again for Storm Wind. Seph magically notified Piravia¡¯s mayor of their success, and by the end of the day they had added even more gold to their hoard.


    There is, however, a very good reason that pirates bury their stashes on land and only sail with small amounts of gold on the open sea. Especially around Storm Wind.


    The next morning, Luffy called out from the captain¡¯s deck, shouting, ¡°Uhh¡­guys!? There¡¯s like¡­a giant mountain moving towards us! Very quickly!¡±


    Yol, hearing this, ran up to the starboard side of the ship, and snarled as the others, who were having breakfast on the deck, joined him. The closer the ¡®mountain¡¯ came, the further away they realized it was¡­which meant it¡¯s true size was actually Gargantuan.


    ¡°That¡¯s no mountain¡­¡± Yol growled, drawing his giant gleaming greatsword.