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The Tired One
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Eurysthenes
Eurysthenes pondered. With one so hateful and hated trapped within, would it become more so? Or would the opposite happen? There was a hesitancy within This One to whether a being of such atrocity could change from any attempts to sway it over. That was the reason they had ended the likes of Vakk, unredeemable and unwilling of compromise. However, Vakk was now in a powerless situation, Eurysthenes knew this much and it was with this that it might be able to demand That One to some form of change. Eurysthenes’ mind went over the dissonant thought of a reformed Vakk before the idea was quickly cast aside at the memories of past pain Vakk had committed.
Yet, the simple of idea of reforming and reforming such a loathsome being continued to persist, and Eurysthenes knew that Vakk would seemingly do whatever it needed in order to survive. It knew that Vakk had not come to This One out of choice, but rather a despair of survival and sheer unwillingness to accept defeat. That much was clear, and it was with such desperation that made Eurysthenes believe that there could be some hope for Vakk. Though, the doubt still plagued its mind, unknowing if Vakk would trick This One or use the same magic to control its mind like it had before.
As thoughts began to formulate once more, the chiming voices of That One came back, ”You have been silent for some time, Eurysthenes.”
This One would have glared at Vakk if one could cast such a thing to something which occupied the same eye space. ”To you, yes. Why do you speak?”
”I am trapped in your body for the time being. I’d rather not allow myself to go mad through silence,” Vakk chimed, selfishly wanting Eurysthenes’ attention just so it did not suffer. The soul was right next to Eurysthenes own, pushing for the further scrutiny that the other had just given in to giving Vakk.
There was only a moment of silence before the voices spoke once more, ”Do you really think that you can ignore me and expect me to go away?”
Eurysthenes denied the observance of Vakk with a thought. [color=8ao886]”Longing and expecting are two different things, Vakk. Which raises the subject of when you get a new form and leave.”[/color]
”I will leave when I please,” Vakk said simply.
”No you won't,” This One said, forcing Vakk to feel the very real boundaries that kept it strapped into the form it hated so. The suffocating bonds of a foolishly heavy will to live.
”One doesn't abandon their problems so easily.”
There was a stubborn silence for a few brief moments before That One let out what sounded like many sighs at once. ”You may be right, but we both do not desire to be bound together. We both have plans that need to be tended to. You have.... Whatever it is you do in this maze, and I have a thief to give punishment to.”
As Vakk mentioned punishment, Eurysthenes caught sight of what That One really intended.
”Alas, Vakk, the terms I propose run parallel to your… punishment. Would one who witnessed it call it that.” it said. The words “terms I propose” hung between them, coaxing Vakk to acknowledge them.
”Terms? What terms?” Vakk questioned, many voices giving various levels of displeasure to the word. Its soul moved needlessly closer to inquire about what Eurysthenes may have meant with those ‘terms’.
Holding Vakk at arm's length, This One said, ”You will change your ways. I'm not asking for a new Vakk entirely, rather than one lacking spite and hatred. You will treat others as you would like to be treated, and show restraint when appropriate.”
There was a scoff followed by an insidious laughter that showed no end to whatever hysterical joke That One found. ”I did not take you for a jester, Eurysthenes,” Vakk said, some voices still laughing in the background. For a few moments, Vakk was calming itself, chuckling a light bit more before finally speaking with a many winded asserting, ”I did not change for K’nell when he offered me death. What makes you think that I will submit to you, jester?”
It seemed that ‘Jester’ was going to be a new nickname for Eurysthenes, giving Vakk much apparent satisfaction as the voices continued to giggle and laugh in their deceptive ways. This One frowned, not a thing of sadness, but one of disappointment.
”This,” it said, gesturing to the two souls in the one body, ”Would death not be better?”
The laughter of the voices suddenly came to halt, a moment of contemplation fell up them with the silence Vakk brought. ”I suppose not…” That One took a few moments of sickening thought, the soul feeling around the form of Eurysthenes for a bit, clearly looking for a nonexistent exit. When it was done, the soul meandered back to its spot next to Eurysthenes, who smiled smugly at it. Small victories.
”And how do you suppose I mend my ways?” Vakk asked.
This One sighed and took a step back. ”Oh Vakk, where would one start when correcting something so thoroughly wrong?” it asked, defeatedly. ”Your problems are… greater than the Architect. Tell me. What's something you think would be reprehensible?”
There was a long pause of silence, Vakk thinking for a good bit. It let out a long drawn out sigh before it admitted one of the many faults That One, ”I suppose my anger could be improved upon.” There was a light touch of Vakk’s soul against Eurysthenes own, pushing closer and closer as it seemingly bore into the very puzzling nature of the god, and felt nothing but tension.
”Perhaps if I could control my impulses, I would become one who is not tormented by ‘spite and hatred’ as you put it.”
”This is indeed a place to begin, though you must see more clearly, go with decisiveness,” it said. To Vakk, it would be clear that it was talking of trying and doing, advising the path of action rather than ifs and buts.
”But I am already decisive in nature, or so I thought,” That One contemplated, taking a moment to think of its past deeds and actions that were made out of blinded anger. Vakk let out a huff, the soul slowly moving away from Eurysthenes before settling down with a clear hit of impatience and annoyance.
This One significantly relaxed as Vakk moved away. The distance, while small, was welcome right now. ”Not so in the decisions to change,” it said.
”That is because I am being forced,” Vakk said in a simple manner, before sighing at the situation that it was in. If That One could shake its head it would, impatience growing as time seemed to drag on for the two.
”Now, how do we begin?”
”Practice,” it said, scooping some material out of the wall as if it were sand and silt.
With the wall material was combined the idea of something where there is nothing, claws, feathers, and finally, the subtle inclusion of anger where emotion had not yet existed. It was the combination of these things that made the Aroiox. Great colourful wings unfurling from a feathery torso, scaly appendages with angry claws. From the face, a proboscis-esque beak, filled with rows of quill teeth.
”And patience and fairness must be shown to these beings,” Eurysthenes said.
”And so I shall, because I no longer will have to worry about my anger,” That One commented, its voices far more relaxed and neutral as it observed the creatures that the two had made. They were not large beings, but Vakk’s anger made them stronger than one may perceive above the colorful plumage of the people. Even now, it could see see some of them fighting amongst each other like savages to display their dominance over the other.
Vakk could not help but feel a twinge of regret for pawning off its aggression into beings so new to this world, forcing a saddened sigh to emanate from Vakk. ”Without the anger, I can feel my own sadness and regret. I do not like the things I have done, Eurysthenes, the things anger has caused.” That One said, its words far more nuanced as the voices spoke in harmony.
A subtle shift in This One could be perceived. An uncertainty, perhaps of Vakk’s intentions, perhaps of its previous judgement against it. ”And so you must. This is the key to forgiveness and reformation. A sighting of the slight, even when it is ever so slight.”
That One could not help but watch them, the Aroiox flashed their teeth to one another and fought one another. However, through the brute strength and anger, there could be a sly cunning as the eyes focused on potential advantages. They were children of two cunning gods, capable of great anger yet also tempered by what seemed to be an endlessly tactical mind. Vakk felt a great pride towards their creation.
”I will speak to them. And we shall guide them.”
”And when you are new, they shall be let into Galbar in order to remind you why a change was made.”
Sprite & Atmav
It was quiet. Very quiet. In the distance, a single cicada sang its song, another responding with some delay.
Sprite was laying face down on Atmav’s toned belly, her face in between two of the abs. She mumbled and blew onto Atmav’s skin, then giggled quietly when Atmav moved her hand and put it on top of her, pressing her tightly against the warmth of her belly.
Atmav groaned lightly in her sleep and mumbled something, but quickly she went back to normal. Her hand remained heavily on top of Sprite, though. The body of the large woman shifted a bit, the hand moving away from Sprite’s small body before stretching into the air. Her body lurched upwards only a small bit as Atmav yawned, groggily rubbing her hand over the front of her face. The toned arms held her up, not enough to disturb Sprite’s little spot, but enough.
She gazed down upon Sprite before cocking her head to the side, inspecting what Sprite was doing in her stomach. “Sprite, what are you doing?”
Sprite looked up for a split moment before pressing her face back against Atmav’s skin, this time playfully biting into it. However, there was no immediate reaction from Atmav this time.
“Why are you biting me?” Atmav asked with a light laugh.
Sprite chuckled and looked up again, then crawled all the way up to Atmav’s chin and rested her own tiny chin on top of it. “I have successfully tamed youu! I bit you suuper violently and you did nothing but laugh, Attie! Now, heed my order my pet! Pet me!”
“You didn’t even break my skin, Sprite,”Atmav chuckled before scooping the small one up in her hand, sitting up in the process. She gazed upon the little one with a smile before crossing her legs, shaking her head with a laugh. “You continue to make me laugh, Sprite,” the warrior said lightly as her gaze eventually shifted to outside the cave.
Sprite merely gave Atmav a coy smile as she hugged the woman’s thumb and pressed her tiny body against it. “Boo, getting distracted by looking outside the window when you have a pretty girl wrapped around your thumb!”
“A pretty girl cannot do much with other than talk to,” Atmav observes before her stomach let out a light growl of attention. The winged one could not help but let out a sigh before looking back at Sprite with a more neutral face. She shook her head once more, this time not in a playful manner but in a way to focus herself on an important task. “I will need to go get food,” she said, her voice losing the playful hint that Sprite had heard.
Sprite pursed her lips and frowned, before nodding. “Okay, where are we going?”
“You are not going anywhere, Sprite. You are too small and I don’t want to risk you getting lost. I will hunt alone,” Atmav said sternly. Slowly, lowering the hand to the ground, Atmav gestured for Sprite to move off.
Sprite looked at Atmav, mortified. She went pale and stammered, “B-But-!”
“I won’t be gone for long. I just don’t want that risk to be present and I would take you with me, but if something were to happen to you, I think I might slip back to a dark place that I do not want to go back to,” Atmav said before looking around the ground. She picked up several stones and moved them about, stacking them on one another before holding Sprite to it. A small hut made of rock against the wall of the cave. “When I get back, I will do whatever you say. Okay?”
Sprite pouted, but nodded and stepped off of Atmav’s hand, “Okay, but don’t take too long!”
“I promise,” Atmav said lightly before standing, tuning and walking to the entrance of the cave before looking back at Sprite one last time. Her hand brought the orvium blade out of the ground, dragging it across the dirt as she walked. “I promise,” she repeated before her starlight wings spread to launch Atmav into the air. She soared above the trees and out of sight in a matter of moments, leaving Sprite by her lonesome.
It had been a really long while. So long, in fact, that the shadows cast by the pretty light of day had shifted position!
She couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to do something, anything. And so Sprite paced in front of the rock hut made for her by Atmav. After some seconds, she froze and nodded to herself. She looked into her own translucent body and saw in the center of it all, her core. A solid fragment of a soul.
“Good! I’m so smart, very smart! I bet the others never thought of carrying their cores inside of their own projections. That’s ‘cause I’m reaaally smart, aren’t I?” She asked no one in particular, expecting an answer. After a few moments, she giggled and turned and walked toward the exit of the cave.
She walked and walked, passing by huge. normal-sized rocks, and then bathing in the warm light, and the delving into the waist-high maze of grass leaves.
Eventually, she reached the foot of a tree and looked up. Her eyes lit up and she stretched her arms upward. Of course, that made no difference.
“Ooh, that apple looks good! Maybe I could get it for Atmav!” She muttered to herself, chuckling.
Of course, reaching for it made no difference, as one would have to stack dozens of Sprites to even graze the skin of the red, juicy fruit. She realized this soon and drooped sadly.
“Wait-”
She perked back up, eyes sparkling with an intense silver glow and mouth contorted into a proud smirk, “My core is floating inside me, so… Maybe…” She closed her eyes and focused, and indeed! After a moment, Sprite began floating too. “Yay!”
From then on it was smooth sailing. Sprite flew up to the apple and dislodged it, making it fall to the ground far below. It might get a little bruised, but it didn’t matter to her. Food was food, and her best friend was hungry!
When she flew back down to the apple and stood on it, she noticed something… Odd.
The skin seemed to be bubbling, and something was pushing at it from inside the apple.
“Something inside… Apple… Squirming…” Sprite hummed and pressed a finger against her lips in thought. “Oh no… A wor-”
At that instant, a huge worm burst forth, bits of juicy apple flying everywhere! Sprite gasped and fell backwards, off the apple and onto the grassy ground. “Ahh!” She yelped before landing in a thick patch of grass.
She could barely see the apple, but she knew. She caught snippets of it.The green, absurdly long insect wiggled and shook and squirmed out of its hole. Sprite caught glimpses of it sneaking about on the surface of the apple.
It was terrifying, and Sprite knew.
She had to tame it.
She crouched behind a wide blade of grass and waited for the worm to slither near her, and when it did… She jumped onto it!
“Aagh, take this you big juicy bug!” She screamed and growled, wrapping her arms and legs around the insect as hard as her projected body could.
The worm froze and then immediately started wriggling and jerking around. At one point, it started rolling, crushing tiny silver under its weight numerous times, until she let go, panting.
“H-Hey, you beat me you fat sorry excuse of flesh… I give up…” She said breathlessly as the worm recovered its composure.
In this moment of calm, Sprite saw its true size. It was easily over a foot long. “... How did you even fit inside that apple, you freakdo? Wa-Wait! Don’t come any closer…!” She gasped and sat up as the worm slowly made its way toward her.
“C-Come on now, we can negotiate! I don’t have a reaaal body, so I’m not tasty!”
It rudely ignored her, and Sprite huffed and crossed her arms, “Figures, take a girl for the ride of her life and then ignore her. Boo!”
The worm started struggling. It tried to get closer to Sprite, but it only managed to do jerky motions. That’s how Sprite noticed… it was getting pulled back!
“What! No way!” She gasped, jumping up to her feet and running around the worm. She saw it, a long tongue wrapped around the worm’s midsection.
“Oh boyy! You’re about to get eaten, wormie! How do you feel about thaat? Scared? Excited? Scared and excited, perhaps? That’s the best combination I assure you!” She giggled and slapped her hand on the huge worm’s back. It shuddered and redoubled its efforts at resisting the pull of the tongue, which disappeared well above the ceiling of thick grass leaves.
“Oh, you don’t wanna be eaten? Ugh, fiiine, I’ll help you out, but ooonly if you let me ride you.” The worm didn’t respond. “Oh goooooods, you’re a such a lobcock. Fiiine.” She groaned and rolled her eyes.
Near them, there was a mature rose. So Sprite walked over to the flower and broke off the longest thorn she saw, then calmly walked back to the scene of the epic struggle between the worm and the tongue. In a lame, lazy movement, she pierced the tongue with the thorn.
Blood gushed out, a high-pitched cry came from nearby, and the tongue retreated.
The worm calmed down and, after a long moment, turned to Sprite. It slithered its large head towards her, but in a different manner this time. More docile than before. Sprite smirked and, once the worm’s head bumped into her, she pet it.
“Hah, recognizing your master now! You’re mine, Wormie! And I will call you… Worm… ox. Wormox shall be your mighty name! My steed! Hah hah hah!” She laughed proudly, hands on her hips as she struck a power pose. an intense ray of light seemed to shine upon her in that beautiful, intense moment…
Until Wormox bumped into her again and she tripped and fell on her bum.
“Ouchie.”
She stood up, patted at her clothes even though that was not necessary given she was merely a projection, and mounted her new steed. Wormox the Worm.
“To the Atmavian Cave, Wormox!”
It immediately set off for the apple it had burst forth from. Sprite groaned.
By the time Atmav had arrived, carrying her sword and carrying the corpse of a buck which had a blood running down its neck. What she saw confused her, random objects littered the cave and she cocked her head before looking around for Sprite, not initially seeing her among the clutter. She saw flower petals, twigs, a ruined apple, leaves, and somehow a mud pile. Despite the confusion, Atmav stabbed her blade into the ground before hoisting the deer up.
Cautiously, Atmav stepped over the clutter, before depositing the corpse at the back of the cave. Her head swiveled around to inspect the clover, walking over it slowly as she scanned for her small friend, growing worried when she could not see her. Atmav began to show signs of panic, not wanting to be left alone to her own mind once more.
“S-Sprite?” Atmav called with a slightly worried voice.
The silence grew thick. It could almost be touched, and its walls encroached into Atmav’s territory, little by little, until…
“PWAHH!” Atmav jumped at the noise.
Sprite burst forth from under the mud pile, with her a rather large worm. She was sporting a huge grin on her face as she turned to look at Atmav. The worm retreated back into the mud pile.
“Oh hey, Attie! I brought all these things for you! I give them to you, a symbol of my undying loove.” She drew out the last word, forming a heart with her fingers and placing it against her own chest. She and her clothes were spotless in spite of being in a mud pile.
Atmav let out a sigh of relief before kneeling down Sprite, a soft smile present on her face. “You are cute, I will give you that,” Atmav said with a light laugh before she moved back to the buck, beginning to rip fur off of the corpse to expose the bloody insides of the creature. The winged one took a sizable piece of meat out of the body, turning to Sprite and taking a large bite of it. Her lips smacked as she chewed on the raw piece of meat.
“You didn’t have to get me anything, Sprite,” Atmav said, speaking with a full mouth though still clearly happy.
Sprite watched Atmav eat, her mouth open in a little ‘o’. After a while, closed her mouth and tilted her head, “You like raw meat? People cook their food generally, probably.”
Atmav stopped eating for a moment, swallowing what she had in her mouth before looking away in an embarrassed manner. “I- I don’t know how to start a fire,” she admitted before she took another bite out of the lump of meat.
“Oh,” Sprite chuckled and shrugged, “I don’t know either! Let’s call one of your servants to have them start it for us! SERVANT!”
“I don’t have any servants,” Atmav commented with a light laugh as she ripped another lump of meat out of the buck. She shrugged before continuing, “Not like I need one or anything, I know how to take care of myself,” she said through another bite.
“But you don’t know how to make a fire, silly! Besides, you end up covered in blood and yucky stuff. I think you like feeling dirty.” Sprite smirked and floated over to Atmav, the worm suddenly popping out of the mud pile and following her on land.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Atmav said, her head looking up at the roof of the cave in thought before continuing, “I guess I am just used to being covered in blood.” She took another bite, blood from the meat, dripping onto her chest. She did nothing to clean it off, allowing it to sink into her skin as she ate. “Besides, if I feel as if it’s too much I can just go wash myself.”
“Or, I could wash you.” Sprite said with a grin, pressing herself against the posterior of Atmav’s right shoulder, peeking out of the top to watch her eat.
“I suppose you could. Though, I do not see why I would need another to wash me,” Atmav said, looking at the body of the buck before letting out a huff. “Shame I cannot eat all of that. It’s a lot of meat that’s going to spoil,” she complained, as she finished stuffing herself. Atmav licked the blood off of her hands, the crimson being taken away to reveal her sturdy white hands.
“You can’t reach you back, can you? I can make that suuper clean for you.” She said, her tiny, bright eyes looking up at Atmav’s face.
Atmav seemed to think for a moment, nodding head, “You have a point… Maybe I can stop by the ocean when I get rid of the body.” She finished lapping the blood off her hands before holding up a hand for Sprite to step on to, which Sprite happily did, sitting down cross legged in the center of Atmav’s palm.
“What do you do with bodies? Do you have a private ditch to throw them in? Maybe an entire graveyard? That’d be kinda creepy, but interesting, and…” Sprite didn’t stop speaking, droning on and on for ages.
Atmav merely listened on to the droning words of Sprite, finding mild entertainment from her friend’s little rant. Eventually, she set Sprite back upon her shoulder, silencing her for a mere moment as Atmav got to her feet in silence. “I will show you,” Atmav stated before picking up the buck by its throat and dragging it to the cave entrance.
“Hold on tight,” Atmav advised.
Both hands gripped the skin of the beast tightly as Atmav began to spin, the speed slowly increasing until the corpse took little effort to keep lifted. Then, Atmav released the body and sent it soaring into the treeline, the sound of crashing branches and surprised birds came shortly after. The larger woman gave a small laugh before turning her gaze to Sprite’s position on her shoulder, “Do you think that was a good throw?”
Sprite had the widest, biggest, shiniest grin ever plastered on her face. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes wide and shaky with excitement, and she was breathing heavily, “W-Wow, Attie, you really are strong!”
Atmav has an equally large smile on her face at the compliment, letting out a light laugh as she went over to her normal sitting spot. “I don’t want to gloat, but I did lift a giant beast much heavier than that,” she stated proudly before sitting down, having to push some rubbish out of the way. She looked at Sprite before continuing, “The sword is also pretty heavy. So there’s that.”
Sprite’s eyes went over to the sword, but quickly turned back to Atmav, where she let her jaw hang open slightly, “Oooah… So that explains why you can carry me so easily! Aw, my big strong owner! Is calling you ‘owner’ weird? I think that’s a bit weird, but I like it. Owner, bestie... Same thing, really!” Sprite chuckled and cuddled up against Atmav’s neck.
“You can call me whatever you want, Sprite,” Atmav said softly, leaning her head over the soul fragment and putting a hand around her. It was a simple gesture that amounted to a hug, but it was a sign of Atmav’s favor nonetheless.
Sprite smiled and closed her eyes, “I’m having fun, are you?” She asked softly.
“Much,” Atmav answered, continuing her previous tone before letting out a sigh of satisfaction. “I would be happy to stay like this until Vakk destroys me,” she continued, a light hint of sadness coming to her voice as she knew that her joy would end once Vakk came for her. It was almost too good to last, in her mind.
“Ah, you dummy,” Sprite sighed and shook her head, “Vakk will never destroy you! I’m here to protect you, so is Wormox! And we can get many more loyal servants to protect you! All hail Queen Atmav, or something.”
Atmav gave out a chuckle before looking at the ceiling of the cave, a simple thought formulating in her head and burrowing deep into her core. She gave a wide smile before she spoke with a certain joyful lust clouding her tone.
“Queen Atmav… I rather like the sound of that.”
You can have my interest!
&
Atmav
There had been a long silence as Atmav set in for a lonely night under the stars, nestled in a small hole in the side of a hill. She could not sleep, however, the battle between Yimbo and herself were as fresh on her mind as it had been when she was with the Selka. The images of the Selka crushed under the weight of the great beast lingered, bringing a great sadness with them. Atmav had not meant to cause such death, she had merely been defending herself and those Selka were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
At least, that was what she told herself as the sadness of her deeds washed over her. She curled in a ball, still clutching the wing she had ripped out of her back, and began to sob. Her feelings and anger had blinded her rational thought at the time and it had caught up with her. After all, Atmav was new to these strange lands, scared and alone as the unknown of Galbar bore down into her very being.
She could not think. She could not see what was right nor wrong. Most importantly, she had been abandoned by perhaps the only being she was familiar with. Her enemy seemed to have known that she would suffer being away from all that she knew, and she knew that he would relish in that fact. It was this hopelessness and paranoia that had driven her thoughts, scared that Vakk would come for her and a fear that he was still around her, merely toying with her.
A foreign presence could be felt in her mind, with a ‘pop’. It was neither strong nor pervasive- but simply there, lurking. Then a layered voice spoke, smokey and baritone came honeyed words, ’What troubles your mind?’
Atmav’s head instantly snapped up, her hand moving to use the wing as a weapon against whoever was there. Yet, she saw no one. No living soul was around her, as far as she could tell and the fact disturbed her more than anything else. After a few moments of observing her surroundings, she let out a sigh before shrinking back down into her ball.
“I truly am going mad, aren’t I?” she asked herself, leaning against the wall of her natural shelter.
’I wouldn’t say so, Atmav.’ The voice came again, lingering on her own name before silence returned.
Her head moved up to observe her surroundings once more to find nothing directly speaking to her, resigning herself to her paranoia and fear. “You are a voice in my head, nothing more. That is the true definition of someone starting to become mad,” Atmav spoke, focusing her gaze upon the dirt in front of her. At least the voice she had come up with was something mildly comforting, if not the comfort mainly came from finally being able to speak again.
’Madness? Was it madness that compelled you to pray? To plunge yourself into the unknown asking for help with but a whimper? Mortal, this is not a figment of your imagination, but an answer to your cry. So tell me, how do you answer?’ came the voice’s honeyed words in but a whisper.
Atmav’s gaze shifted towards the night sky, looking for someone watching her and not seeing one but knowing that she was. She swallowed a dried mouth, as the mixed feeling of relief and shock flowing over her as she slowly got to her feet, sliding against the wall. “An answer to my cry...,” she repeated as she continued to scan the stars. “I thought the other gods had left me to my fate.” she admitted.
’Now we come to the question.’ the voice said, ’What is it that you desire? Tell me, so that I might know.’
“I want to be rid of the debt that I owe to Vakk,” Atmav answered, her words flowing out more quickly and desperately than she might have wanted. Her heartbeat was quickened, her breathe picking up as some semblance of hope filled her now.
’A debt to Vakk? The Kinslayer?’ the voice said, intrigued. ’What do you owe the God of Speech?’
“I owe him any task he may ask of me in exchange for my freedom from the prison he calls a home,” she said before her head cocked to the side. “The Kinslayer?” Atmav asked, confused of the title that Orvus had used while referencing her enemy.
’Vakk has murdered the Goddess Li’Kalla. Though she persists now in different forms, the crime has still been committed. I do not know the answer as to why, however.’ the voice said pausing for a moment before continuing, ’A task in exchange for freedom? A difficult choice to make, but you made the one you thought wisest. An admirable quality. Still, your heart is weighed down by what that task might be, is it not?’
“Yes, I am,” she started, her gaze moving back to the dirt as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I have already done so much wrong that I am afraid Vakk will make me do something else,” she began to let out a sobbing sound once more, “I already cannot forgive myself for what I have done.”
There was a long silence, the small presence in her mind abruptly vanishing as if it never was. This caused a light panic within Atmav. Then, from up above, there came a voice in the night. ”Look at me.” it said softly.
Her head snapped up to see the form of Orvus and for a moment she merely stood in awe at the figure, her sadness was still ever growing in her heart but the sight of a deity caused her to have a moment of reflection. She was silent before she slid back down the wall, the grip of her severed wing loosening before it dropped to the ground.
”You carry in your heart much remorse, for what has happened, and what will happen. Your rage and paranoia have blinded you from seeking the truth. I know this, for I have seen it. It was me. It is me. And it shall be me until this world fades to dust.” Orvus said, floating closer to Atmav with unwavering eyes. He spoke again, his tone kinder, ”Your freedom, has become your prison, and you don’t even know it. To forgive oneself of guilt, can be achieved by those willing to sacrifice. Yet even I can tell you it won’t be easy. To remove your debt, is to remove your choice. Vakk will come for you, either way. What would you do, knowing what you know, if you refuse?” the God asked, now but a few feet away from her face.
Atmav looked at the ground, thinking of the words that the god had said and in what she would do if she would encounter Vakk again. Vakk had become a being far more powerful than she could possibly fathom and to defy him alone seemed like a call of the embrace of death itself. She began to doubt herself as she shook her head away from any feeling of triumph that she may get out of this encounter. “You ask that I defy someone who has become a god. I-,” her voice began to waver before she covered her mouth with a hand caked in blood, “I don’t think I would have the strength to resist him alone.”
”To defy a god is to court death most certainly. Yet, we defy death anyways. It is in your nature to survive and to live, this I have seen. Whether death claims you now, or later, it will claim you. Perhaps it will even claim me and the others.” Orvus said, floating back but still gazing upon Atmav with glowing orbs. ”You have strength, Atmav, more than you think. It comes in many forms. From the mind to the body, even to those we might call friends. You must learn to shed your paranoia and fear, lest it consume you entirely and you become the very thing Vakk wants you to be- a weak toy. I cannot take your debt from you, but I can help you face it.” Orvus said.
“I don’t know if I want to face it… I don’t know if I can admit to myself that Vakk will win no matter what I try… I wish he had never brought me back from the dead,” Atmav said, her sobs growing louder as she leaned forwards, holding herself up with her hands. “I can’t bare to think of facing him,” she continued.
Two feet landed before the figure of Atmav, hardly making a noise as the God spoke, ”Perhaps we were all better dead, but we are here aren’t we? You might not have a choice to face Vakk, whether you want to or not. You simply need to be ready for it when he comes, and he will come.” Orvus said emotionlessly, as he paced back and forth infront of Atmav’s body. After a moment of disapproving silence, Orvus spoke again, ”It is not your place to cower or to hide Atmav. You are a warrior are you not? Why don’t you fight? Will you really let that worm dictate your future? Will you really let him control you like this? Crippled and broken and afraid? Powerless…” he whispered.
His words rang true within Atmav’s mind and slowly did her gaze turn back to Orvus, the sniffling and sobbing coming to a light halt. “You are right. My old master would have flayed me for thinking this way. I am a warrior,” she said, forcing herself to her feet before she stared back at the blackened being in front of her, “My future is my own and Vakk, nor anybody else will dictate it.” Her voice was still shaky and her emotions were still out of her control, but her statement had made it clear that she knew what would need to happen when Vakk came for her.
“I will try and fight my mortal enemy as much as possible. Vakk will have no sway over my actions.”
Orvus slapped his hands together in one quick motion, then as he pulled them apart, something formed within his hands, long edged weapon, crackling with red energy. In the blink of an eye, he slammed it into the ground before her. In the starlight before Atmav, there stood a greatsword almost as tall as Orvus. The handle and hilt were dotted with starlight, reminiscent of the night sky up above. While the blade was crude, and cracked with several lines of scarlet energy emanating from a central line running vertically along the length. The sharpness of the orvium glinted off the light of the Lustrous garden, revealing its sinister nature. Orvus moved to the side, and beckoned to the blade, saying, ”Then claim it.”
Atmav looked at the blade, merely marveling in what had just been created in front her very being. She gave Orvus one last look before her hands grasped the great hilt of the blade. With a heave, she pulled the Greatsword from the ground and held it above her for a few moments as she continued to gaze upon its glory. A great feeling of power washed over her as she looked at the god, a light smile coming across her face.
She leaned the ballads again her shoulder, allowing it touch the top of her upper wing before she bowed to Orvus. A genuflection to someone she thought to be truly worthy of her respect and admiration.
“I will prove myself worthy of being the wielder of such a blade,” she said, not looking up from her bow.
”I would expect nothing less from one so talented as yourself.” the god said eyeing Atmav. His gaze fell upon her back, to where a wing should have been. He moved closer, inspecting the wound with a god’s eye. After a moment, there came an icy touch upon her back, then a tingling sensation. ”Your wings are easily broken. No more.” and with his words, Atmav’s wings shrivelled and fell off, only to be replaced by an explosion of ethereal starlight as new wings sprouted from her back. Long, and elegant as they were powerful, the wings shimmered with pale, translucent light, twinkling with a million tiny dots of silver.
”Rise Atmav. Rise to claim your own future.” Orvus finally said.
Atmav looked up at Orvus before she got to her feet, moving the new wings with delight as she looked upon the wings with pure joy. “You are too kind,” she finally said, looking at the god with what had turned into a very wide smile. There was very little sadness left in her, having been replaced by the mixed feelings of pride and happiness, now knowing that she would not allow any other to own her.
”Kind? Perhaps or perhaps I simply saw a soul that reminded me of myself. You are not the only one with struggles, Atmav. Even Gods have their own challenges they must face and overcome. Remember this, maybe it will prove useful. Now, I must leave. Your path is your own, pray to me if you like but do not expect me to always answer.” the god said, beginning to float up into the air.
“Before you leave, what is your name?”
”Orvus, the God of Desolation.” he uttered, before vanishing in the night sky.
“Orvus…” she repeated as the smile slowly faded from her face, though the happiness very well persisted. Atmav sat back down, looking into the night sky, now content with her situation and no longer worrying about Vakk’s tyrannical hold over her. For once, she settled in for a sound sleep, the first good sleep she would have since arriving on Galbar.
Eurysthenes
There was something strange, a drifting consciousness floating through the air where time seemed to slow to an immense crawl. The consciousness, looked around, seeing three being standing over a body, one marred in the blood of a gruesome murder that could have been avoided. It stared for a few timeless moments, wondering what to do before it decided that it did not want to visit the Sky of Pyres quite yet. Such was not the fate of a god, at least, not a true god.
When it anchored with the bloodied one, it’s memories came back in a sudden flow of before it realized what had truly happened. Vakk had been murdered, perhaps a fate it may have deserved for charging in with no plan and no contingency. However, it refused to die in such a way not without fighting for longer than any would properly realize as even in death, Vakk lived. It hid within Eurysthenes’ presence, knowing that it would likely be none the lesser until it was alone.
By the time, Eurysthenes had made it back to the Infinite Maze, Vakk has made itself comfortable within the form and had begun to speak whispers into the back of Eurysthenes’ mind. The Lord of Speech allowed time to pass, knowing that it could do what it wanted with what the puzzling gods mind.
”We exist together now… two corpses, in one grave.”
Vakk’s words cast a long silence as the its presence was announced within Eurysthenes, but its words were far different than what Eurysthenes had known. These words were spoken by a cacophony of voices, no booming voice that Eurysthenes would find familiar but the weight of those words were all the same.
It seemed there was no getting rid of him. Eurysthenes wondered how it didn't see this before, back when they were celebrating victory. There was a space in the spirit where another lurked and festered, like a disease waiting for the time to spring. This would take some getting used to.
”Vakk… to be like, which is to be done. Who are you to decide that you are not?”
”I am a god immortal, dying would not be befitting in my nature nor would it be yours,” That One stated, giving an evil chuckle as it moved around Eurysthenes’ form. Vakk was clearly not used to such a small space as the body of Eurysthenes, finding it most uncomfortable to be in. However, it eventually settled in with another laugh next the other godly soul.
”Your body is my own now,” the voices chimed with a sadistic pleasure.
This One pushed against Vakk, smearing it into an uncomfortable position again. ”One which inhabits something does not own it. What lies maliciously in a body, bringing grief and pain to that which it inhabits?”
That One shifted once more, pushing back the oppressive soul of the other before speaking, ”There is no need for insults, Eurysthenes. I am no less a parasite than you are, gaining pleasure at the expense of myself.” Vakk’s voices did not give Eurysthenes the pleasure of being dissatisfied, instead continuing to speak with the sadism that only Vakk could carry.
”It is not parasitic to seek to right wrongs, Vakk,” it said, ”Were I you, I wouldn't be speaking with such cockiness.”
It said simply. Riddles weren't as entertaining if the other could see the answer in the riddler’s mind.
This One raised an arm, and touched the wall. ”Tell me, Vakk. Can you feel this? Can you see as I see?”
Vakk took a moment before the many voices spoke once more, ”Yes. However, it is strange. I am still not used to inhabiting your form.” The soul of That One began to stir once more finding refuge away from Eurysthenes’ soul in order to find some figment of comfort.
”Now, you tell me. Were my crimes truly worth death?”
This One considered the question for a second, which was more than it thought Vakk deserved. ”Yes.” it said. There was a certain sternness to its voice which said more than the word alone could.
”That means you would be deserving of death as well. Breaking me in this maze, just as I had broken Li’Kalla,” Vakk said, its voices chiming with a chilling tone as the words flowed with the same power of Eurysthenes own words. That One finally settled into a spot on the opposite end of the form, briefly thinking to itself in a light silence between the two. It had brought back up the time of the Maze, the time when Eurysthenes tortured Vakk as it had attempted to reach the Sky of Pyres.
As Vakk shrank back, Eurysthenes advanced, pushing That One even further into the recesses. If the soul within a body could smile spitefully, this is what This One’s soul was doing.
”Yes,”, This One admitted, ”but you were the one that died. Why is that? Because there were more of us who were in agreement with me. And what does that tell you of deserving? What does it say about how others perceive right and wrong, Vakk?”
The tone in its voice was what you could call petty and smug. It had won, it was in the superior position, and it knew it.
”It tells me that you are no better than I. But you have committed the far more heinous act of murder,” Vakk retorted, not allowing itself to be fully pushed without resistance to the words of its host. The soul pushed back, asking, ”What gives you the right to live more than I?”
”You only condemn it because you were the one affected by it. Nothing gives me the right to live more than you,” Eurysthenes says simply. ”however, the will of others gives me the means to.” it concludes.
”If that is your prerogative, murderer,” That One responded before the soul stopped pushing against Eurysthenes’. There was a long silence between them as the two figured out what to do next, neither coming across a suitable topic to insult each other on. Many long drawn out sighes happened at once before Vakk chose to speak again, this time commanding, ”Build me a new body so that this may not plague either any longer.”
Eurysthenes shrugged. ”I won't do that. You're too cruel, and you will hurt innocent people. No,” it said
”Innocent? So you defend thieves now, hm? How odd that you and the other gods would defend so heinous crimes,” Vakk commented, its many voices filling with a disdain for Eurysthenes denial of his request.
This One hid a snort with the back of its hand. ”Woe betide you, Vakk. Truly you are the epitome of suffering.”
”Well… I did get killed. I suppose it is justified.”
This One didn't deign to reply.
The Guardian and The Hunter.
The scent of the soul led the beast, over the oceans once more and onto the continent of Kalgrun, an unfamiliar land but a land the beast must go. It moved through the night sky, following the scent quickly before it was inevitably led back to the ground, following the path of the thief nearly perfectly. When its massive paws hit the ground, the creature stalked upon the ground, flicking its tail occasionally as it moved through a forest. While it may have once gotten bored and killed a small animal for fun, Ya-Shuur had taught it only to kill when hungry which made the beast ignore many smaller creatures.
It eventually happened upon a beach of a large lake, the way to Hunter’s Eye, but the water did not stop the creature of Vakk. The water was merely ground and it walked across it with ease, the fragile tension of the water being untouched by it. Soon enough, the scent lead it to the coast of Hunter’s Eye and the being was unaware that it had stepped onto more holy ground. It followed the coast, leaving massive pawprints in the ground as it eventually came to an area where Hermes had stopped. There was a moment of pause with the creature as it began to sniff the air around the spot, attempting to determine which direction the thief had gone.
The Hunter was not alone.
Across the water, another shape, and a new scent appeared. A colossal wolf with dark black fur. As he approached, Fenris stared at the Hunter and let out a menacing growl. Fenris knew the beast was unfamiliar. It did not even carry Kalmar’s scent, it was not native to this region, and he had not been told to grant it passage. It did not belong here. It had to be driven out.
The Hunter’s head snapped towards the direction of the growl, its tracking halted for the time being. Something dared to challenge the hunter. In response, the beast raised the spikes on its back and unsheathed its claws before letting out a bastard noise of a growl and a hiss. Its fangs were pointed right at Fenris before it slammed the club of its tail on the ground, displaying its own stubborn dominance.
Fenris was unphased. He was larger, and, he assumed, more powerful. The Guardian of the Hunter’s Eye continued his menacing approach, teeth bared as he continued his low growl. This was his home, and his purpose was to guard it. He would not submit.
Despite the size of Fenris, the Hunter continued its display, backing away as Fenris attempted to come closer. The Hunter let out of bark warning the wolf to back away from interfering with its work. For a singular moment did the beast look away to consider retreating before it let out another bark at Fenris.
Fenris barked back, even louder. He inclined in a direction away from the lake. The message was clear. He would accept nothing less than the Hunter’s retreat or surrender.
It growled before it dug its feet into the sand, flicking its tail towards the spot the Hermes had fished at. The Hunter did not know if Fenris would be able to smell the trail the thief’s soul had left, but it could not retreat without giving up the hunt. Its loyalty to Vakk’s orders was not going to be questioned and the resolve of the Hunter would not break. A roar was let out in a final attempt to end the conflict before blood would be shed between the two.
Fenris did not care. In response to the Hunter’s roar, the Guardian charged, surging across the water with immense speed and aggression.
The Hunter took to the air, leaping onto unseen ledges and inclines with great speed as well, yet it was not retreating. It moved towards Fenris, still gaining altitude before eventually allowing itself to free fall towards the massive wolf.
Fenris leapt up to meet the Hunter. Although it could not defy gravity, the speed from his charge and his powerful legs allowed him to reach the same height, putting the two on a collision course.
Yet, the smaller hunter leapt out of the way of the collision, landing on some invisible ground before it pounced onto the passing Fenris. The Huner’s claws dug into Fenris as teeth began to stab into skin and it away. The attack was nearly insignificant Fenris, but the determined hunter held on for dear life.
As they fell, Fenris rolled in mid-air so that his belly faced the sky. With the Hunter clinging to his back, he intended to ensure that the smaller creature would take the impact first, and then be pinned by his vast weight.
With a split second of instinctual thought, however, the Hunter saw the water not as something to plunge in to, but as a ground that Fenris would surely shatter it against. It lead to the Hunter disengaging from Fenris and using the beasts back to jump away from being crushed, but a bit too late to slow down as the creature still hit the water with force, though not so crushed by the weight of the wolf. The Hunter let out a loud yelp as it skipped along the water only once before it treated the water like earth once more.
Fenris too landed as if the water was solid ground, and quickly recovered. Lightning quick, he rolled back onto his feed and began charging toward the Hunter as it was still recovering itself. Which only gave the intruder enough time to get to its feet and attempt to spin, accomplishing nothing for Fenris had been anticipating some sort of clever maneuver.
The wolf stopped short just before it reached the Hunter, and only after the Hunter finished its movement did Fenris strike, jaw opening as he lunged at the beast.
The Hunter could only respond by leaping at Fenris’ face, aiming to attack the wolf’s eyes before the two met with tooth and nail.
Fenris’s jaws closed around the lower half of the Hunter’s body, the long razor sharp teeth biting through the smaller canine’s flesh. It was then that one of his eyes came under assault, as the Hunter desperately scratched and clawed. But Fenris did not relent. The pain only made him bite down even harder. He flailed his head left and right, ripping the Hunter’s flesh even further.
Then, finally, the pain became too much. With a mighty heave, Fenris flung the mangled Hunter across the lake, sending it soaring, but he did not pursue it further. Half his vision was gone. His right eye was a ruin, crushed and scratched, hanging from a gaping socket. He threw his head back and let out an anguished howl.
The Hunter skipped across the water upon landing, the lower portion of its body bloodied to a rather alarming notion. However, free from the grasp of Fenris it did its best to do a limping run away from the massive wolf as he dealt with his ruined eye. The Hunter knew, at the very least, of what path it must take now, but it knew it would need to heal for some time which would serve to slow its progress. Yet, the time now was to retreat, moving away from the Hunter’s Eye and towards a different area of Kalgrun.
It ran and ran, unknowing if Fenris was still following until it collapsed upon the ground, exhausted and the adrenaline of the fight wearing thin. The Hunter let out a low whine before it looked around for its adversary, who was nowhere to be seen. Vakk’s beast let out a low sigh before it began to lick its own wounds. These wounds would be with it for a good while, but that would not stop it from completing its task.
Its task would be delayed even further.
There was a whistling from above, the sound of something falling from great height, and suddenly the Hunter was struck directly in the head. Its vision darkened, and everything went black. Little did the hunter know: it had not been something, but instead… someone.
Kalmar stood before the unconscious beast, his expression one of puzzlement. He had been wandering Kalgrun when he heard Fenris howl, and he rushed to the wolf’s aid only to find that it was missing an eye and the attacker had fled. Naturally, he tracked the trespasser in the direction it had fled, and was surprised at what he saw. He had not made this. And there was no trace of Phystene on it. Why was it here? Why had it went to the Hunter’s Eye? Why had it fought Fenris? Who sent it?
There was only one way to find out. He pressed a hand against the beast’s forehead. In its unconscious state, any resistance would easily crumble. He began to sift through its memories, most of which had been of a relentless search, until finally he reached the beginning. A memory of a creature… no, a god, the very same god who was said to have attacked Li’Kalla.
Vakk.
It was he who created this monster. But it had not been for the purpose of invading Kalgrun, no, for Kalgrun had merely been one step on its journey.
It was searching for Hermes, who Vakk called a thief.
Before he could even ponder as to why, he heard yet another howl, once again from Fenris. Another intruder?
He hurried back, leaving the beast where it fell.
A Lauder & @Not Fishing Production
Broken
Slowly, Atmav’s senses came back to her, the spreading of pain in her left wing and hushed voices as she began to stir in the night’s sand. She moved her head to look her wing, torn and dislocated from the fight with the lizard, a problem she could not afford. However, her head short to see a group of Selka huddled around a large pile of bones, partially rotting meat attracting flies and other carrion eaters. Attempting to lean up, she felt a hand press firmly against her chest, pushing her down.
Instinctively, she grasped the arm with an almost crushing force, causing the Selka that hovered over her to let out a light yelp before trying to retract the hand. Atmav looked at the Selka and gritted her teeth, wincing from the pain that had spread from her wing. The woman leaned back in the sand before the Selka put a finger to its mouth to hush her, something that was met with a bit of resistance as she asked, “What?” The voice she used was perhaps a bit harsher than she had intended, but the feeling of helplessness was not something she liked nor wanted to continue before she shoved the Selka away and sat up.
The pain that spread from her wing was immediately unbearable, and she let out a minor cry as her hand went to grip her shoulder. Atmav turned her head an what she saw was a matter that she did not like, the wing had nearly been pulled out of her back. Her noise had attracted the attention of the Selka who rushed over to inspect her, suffocating her in a crowd that was most troublesome. Moving to stand and pushed through the crowd, Atmav did her best to ignore the pain trying to find some fresh air away from the following Selka. A hand gripped her arm as she moved.
“Stop. You are unwell,” the Selka said, a female, smaller than the others but noticeably more stout.
“I am fine,” Atmav growled ripping her hand from the grasp of the Selka before a man stepped in front of her, holding up his hands to get her to stop.
“No, you are not! Your wing is close to falling off. We have to do something for you, after all, you ran towards danger rather than away,” the male said, earning a light scoff from Atmav as she straightened her form to tower over him. For a moment, it looked as if Atmav would rip the man asunder before she let out a sigh and looked at the ground, knowing that without her wing a lot of her mobility had been compromised.
“Fine, but do not mob me,” Atmav said, slouching as her hand gripped her shoulder harder.
“You heard her go back to doing whatever,” the man said, raising his voice to the crowd. They slowly dispersed to doing differing tasks, some doing strange games and others merely talking, it was a strange sight to Atmav who was very much a stoic warrior. The male grabbed her attention once more and motioned for her to follow back to the place that she had awoken. She sat down to see the male before looking at the ground disgracefully, though of course expressing her dissatisfaction completely was hard given she just had a mouth. The male cocked his head and motioned for her to lie down and she begrudgingly obliged the man.
“My name is Ihorangi,” he said as he looked at her wing, clearly not knowing what to do. He gave her a smile before he asked in a light-hearted voice, “Do you have a name? Or should I just call you, Broken-Wing?”
Atmav scoffed before looking the man over, being silent for a few moments before she answered in a more neutral tone, “Atmav.”
“Well, Atmav. Your fight was quite something to watch, you did not have to do that for us though,” Ihorangi said, moving to touch her wing. Only for the hand to be intercepted by Atmav’s own, wrenching it away from its path.
“I did not do it for you. That thing was probably the only source of food I could find, do you know how long it had been since I had fresh meat?”
“I do-” Atmav interrupted the words of Ihorangi.
“A good while! You are lucky I did not descend upon your tribe too and eat them!” Atmav threatened before releasing his hand, clearly frightening the poor soul. Seeing his shocked and frightened expression made her stop and think for a moment, knowing that they were only trying to help her at this point. “I’m… sorry,” she paused to look into the night sky and watch the stars, the man relaxing in her presence, “I am not used to being in this position. I have come from a place of pain, somewhere I don’t want to go back to.”
Ihorangi gave a solemn smile to her before said, “I am sorry to hear such-”
“You have no reason to be sorry for me,” Atmav interrupted again before her head turned to face that of his again. She saw his whisker twitch as he got annoyed look, having been interrupted twice would have probably done that to anyone. She turned back to look upon the night sky before she spoke in a neutral tone, “I’m sorry.”
“I would like you to know that you can stay with us until your wing is healed,” Ihorangi looked at the wing before meeting her face, “That may be a while.”
Atmav sighed, looking over at the other Selka, watching them dance and play like the innocent beings that they were. She knew that she would disturb this innocence if she stayed, for she was a killer among bystanders that held her in high regard. “I do not want to be a burden,” Atmav stated, moving to get up again before Ihorangi pushed her down, this time not receiving resistance from the wounded one.
“Nonsense,” Ihorangi said, earning a sigh from Atmav who merely turned from on her side, sand clinging to her and staining her feathers. The selka sighed and stood up and in one last display of hospitality said, “Let us know if you need anything.” Then he went off to join the others.
The wounded one felt like crying, letting out a few stuttered breathes and curling into a ball. It was not the pain from her wing that made her feel this way, but it was the kindness that the Selka were showing her that made her feel this way. The unwounded wings on her right side moved over her, acting as a blanket as she let out more stuttered breaths, emotions of mixed happiness and unbelief flooding her. This was the first kindness that had been shown to her in this world ever since she had escaped Vakk and the little hell that he had created. Everything felt wrong though, she did not want to believe such kindness could exist in a world where Vakk called himself a god.
Atmav allowed herself to drift off into a sorrow filled sleep, however, her dreams did not comfort her as they only brought back memories of Vakk filling her pain. Her creation, his words, the endless talking of the echoes in her ears, it was all a hell. Soon her memories turned to that of paranoia, images of Selka stabbing her in her back as she slept drove her dreams to a rampant curse. If it were not for the stabbing pain in her back, she would have likely remained in that hell for the rest of the night.
She jumped, awakening with her heart racing and looking at the sleeping Selka with paranoia racing through her mind that they were a measure Vakk had taken to keep her under watch. Atmav refused to trust them, but she would stay with them to make sure that Vakk did not call for some form of a hunt on her. However, if Vakk truly were a god, surely there were others that would break her from her binds to Vakk, ones that were some form a benevolent or really just not like Vakk. The berserker got to her feet and walked towards the water, going in enough to where she was ankle deep in the ocean.
“If there is any other god out there, release me from my debt.”
She waited for a moment, wondering if anything to happen and after a long while of silence, she released a sigh before she kicked the water up.
“Fine! If it is only you, Vakk! Then- then!” words failed her as she fell upon the water and released a pained cry, no longer knowing what to do with herself. She continued to cry out, hoping for some answer before she felt the hands of someone on her back. Atmav looked up only to see Ihorangi, her emotions ran rampant as she broke down again. Soon, she felt other hands placed upon her, comforting hands that did not hurt her or wish pain upon her.
She knew not what to think.
Mr. Vakk and Mr. K’nell
There had been a silence, even in the crashing of the ocean against the rocks of the small island, as Vakk merely stared into the air in a deep thought. The thoughts of K’nell spreading his attack amongst the gods deeply troubled him, knowing that any future plans would be destroyed if all the gods were rallied against this minor offense. He had not thought that Li’Kalla would have been allied to any other god given her seemingly anti-social disposition, apparently she had been deceptive.
The Lord of Talk let out a sigh before he retreated to the depths of Sanvādam, mentally preparing himself for what may happen in his meeting with the likes of K’nell. The Dream God was an unknown entity and Vakk knew that he would have to tread carefully, past experiences shaping his plans and easing what was a natural aggression. The darkness of his realm allowed him to concentrate, looking back into Li’Kalla’s memories to find the essence of K’nell and grow familiar with it. A mental lock had been made as Vakk came out of the false memories, preparing to speak through Galbar and directly into the other god’s mind.
”Vakk wishes to speak with you, dreamer.”
Vakk’s word ran through Galbar, silent to all others except for K’nell’s mind. With that, Vakk relaxed his senses, his muscles, and his thoughts as he simple let go of reality for a moment to attempt to drift to sleep. However, as much as he tried to deceive himself of this relaxation, Vakk felt that he could not sleep as it was not in his nature. The power he would be surrendering was what concerned him, there would be no escape if K’nell meant him harm, but it was a gamble he would have to take. Knowing the price, the Lord of Speech let out a relaxed breath before the whispers of his Echoes faded into the background.
Sleep had come.
A black plastic telephone rang sharply. The secretary's veteran hand came down quickly and scooped it up to her ear. She nodded and carefully placed the phone back down, standing up from her cushioned computer chair, “Mr. K’nell will see you now.”
Vakk blinked, his form having been replaced with that of a brown haired man in a simple brown suit who sat in a cotton seated chair. The smiling secretary stood by a door across a thin blue carpet, her freshly painted fingertips on the copper knob. Other people who were waiting in their own chairs looked at Vakk expectancy.
The Lord of Talk looked around, exceptionally confused at the sight that surrounded before he looked down at himself, only adding more to his confusion. He looked over his hands, he remembered having those once but it had been a long while since he had the experience of opposable thumbs. Perhaps, all would bring them back into fashion. Vakk shook himself out of his stupor before standing from the seat.
Vakk straightened his tie, something that came naturally to a foreign object. His steps rang against the hard floor as Vakk felt truly nervous approaching the door, making sure his hair was slicked back correctly and that his suit didn’t have any wrinkles. How Vakk knew to do these things, he did not know nor did he exactly have the mind to care. The secretary pushed the door open for Vakk and the man stepped through.
There was a click as the door closed behind him. In front of him was a wide, spacious office with long and low cabinets and drawers on one end, and a bookshelf on the other. In the middle sat a squat yet regal desk, with floor to ceiling windows behind it, revealing the twinkling city skyline amid the purple dusk sky. A wide smiling man sat at the desk. He was dressed in a midnight black suit with an equally black tie and a freshly shaven face. Combed silvery white hair sat atop his head and sparkling eyes were held underneath a creased brow, “Mr. Vakk!” A grainy smooth voice called to the Lord of Talk, “Please take a seat.” His hand motioned to a padded chair facing the desk.
“Could I get you anything? A coffee, perhaps a drink?” The smiling man lifted a tiny tin, “Smoke?”
Vakk skeptically moved forwards, giving a suspicious look. He stepped towards the desk as he began to speak, ”For someone who slanders me, you are remarkably… generous.” There would be a silence following before Vakk rubbed the lower part of his nose as he glared upon K’nell, eyes narrowing further. ”Why?” he asked, leaning back into his chair.
“Ah,” K’nell let out the sound as he pulled the tin towards himself, “Before we get into it, I don’t suppose you mind if I smoke, then?”
”By all means,” Vakk said, making a nonchalant motion for K’nell to do what he wanted.
“Very good, then,” K’nell said as he stubbed a brown cigarillo between his lips and struck a match. He brought the glowing stick to the end of the cigarillo and let out a few puffs, his hands illuminating as the cigarillo caught. Exhaling, he let out a smooth cloud of smoke.
Vakk watched silently for a few moments, before he spoke, ”Now, onto business.” His voice was cold and calculating as both men knew what the subject was about, only there being the matter of who went first. It was Vakk’s initiative that dove him to go first, asking a most curious question, ”What is your relation with the goddess, Li’Kalla?”
K’nell dabbed the end of his cigarillo onto an ashtray and sat up, “Now, Mr. Vakk, it has come to my attention that you had filed a complaint in regards to the process against you for the harassment of a Miss Li’Kalla. As you are aware, I have approved your hearing and have been provided the security VHS for review, but as always, I’m here -- for you.”
“Please,” K’nell folded his hands together and smiled, “I’m all ears.”
Vakk blinked a few times, ”VHS?”
“Yes, you might remember that one of our stockholders’ is avidly against betamax, now please,” K’nell leaned forward and wiggled his nose free from some lingering wisps of smoke, “I’d like to hear your complaint.”
The Lord of Speech gave K’nell a confused look for a second longer before clearing his throat and playing along with whatever K’nell was on about, ”These accusations are unjustly placed on me. You do not know enough to divulge such a conclusion, as ludicrous and outlandish as the situation may seem.” He cocked his head before meeting K’nell’s gaze, his voice going into a more professional tone, ”I would like to see the evidence of this harassment.”
K’nell smiled behind steepled fingers. He let his arms fall to his desk and furrowed his brow, “I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. First could we define the situation you are referring to so we can both work on this issue, together.”
”I believe we both know the situation..” Vakk stated before a smile came to his face, before he continued in a voice most familiar to K’nell, ”Mr. K’nell.”
“Ah, I hope you will understand; this is all for the sake of clarity,” K’nell raised a hand, “Before we move into the details of the processing case, it would benefit us both if you could define the situation you believe you are in, and how you see it.”
Vakk leaned back into his chair, his smile still across his face before he spoke in his normal voice, ”Very well. I believe that the situation I have been placed in is one of sabotage and greed. For you see, I do not deny having harassed Li’Kalla, I will say that I had been tricked and controlled. It was Eurysthenes who had ordered my assault and it was him who was pulling the strings. He was in control of me and I had no power to stop him. It was not until the brief fight between Li’Kalla and I that I had broken free of his control.” His eyes went over K’nell’s form once more before he asked a more off topic question, ”What exactly is this place? I am not familiar with any of these… things.” Vakk made a general gesture around him before resting his head in a hand.
K’nell sat back in his chair, “I see, now please correct me if I am misrepresenting your story: Mr. Eurysthenes had taken control of your body and forced you upon Miss Li’Kalla, to which only during physical violence between you two did you regain control and-- then what?”
”I ran. She had become... something else. Also, it should be made clear that Eurysthenes was after an artifact, a box that he sought to weaponize and take control of additional gods.”
“And what box was that?” K’nell steepled his fingers.
”A music box to soothe, Li’Kalla. She found my form to be quite terrifying and I could see she was anxious. I made it as a gift to calm her” Vakk fiddled with his tie again, finding it mildly uncomfortable, ”You will have to excuse my motions, I am not used to this form.”
K’nell waved a hand, “Don’t worry, I understand that these sorts of situations can be stressful.” He opened a lower draw on his desk and looked up, “If you’d forgive me, but before we go any further, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I took a few notes to better aid the process?”
Vakk motioned for K’nell to continue with a smile. K’nell gave Vakk a thankful nod and pulled out a pad of yellow paper and a pen. He clicked the pen and pressed it against the first leaf on the pad, “Right, so you had made a music box for Miss Li’Kalla in order to soothe her anxiety around you, correct?” He started to jot his words on the paper. Vakk nodded in response.
“And Mr. Eurysthenes had confronted you and told you he wished to turn this box into a weapon?” K’nell peeked up from his notepad.
”Indeed, he thought I would comply. As you could guess, I did not.”
“Certainly not,” K’nell agreed with a wide smile, “As I said, we are here for you. Now, did Mr. Eurysthenes explain how he planned to turn a music box of soothing anxiety relief into a mind control device?”
Vakk sighed, growing more annoyed at K’nell’s antics as time wore on, ”We are gods K’nell. He would most likely have used some of his divine magic to transform it.”
“I see,” K’nell scribbled something down and cleared his throat, “So upon denying him access to your box, he did what?”
”Overpowered my mind and compelled me to assault Li’Kalla.”
“Okay,” K’nell continued to write, “So, if I have this correctly. You had created a music box for the purpose of soothing miss Li’Kalla’s anxiety. Mr. Eurysthenes desired this music box and asked you to give it to him so he may weaponize it into a mind control device, upon your refusal he took control of you mind regardless and forced you to assault Li’Kalla, to which you were broke from your reverie when she had transformed into something different. Does this sound correct?”
”It may sound like madness, but yes.”
“This is a safe space, Mr. Vakk, no one here is accusing you of madness,” K’nell gave a reaffirming grin, “Now if you please, what are your prior relationships with Mr. Eurysthenes and Miss Li’Kalla before these incidents took place?”
”Eurysthenes has been… troublesome to me. I tend to try and avoid it most times, but there is something about him I am drawn to. It could be the mystery and cryptic nature of it that I would like to solves,” Vakk said before he looked down and gave a sorrow filled face. Some tears welled up in his eye but none of them would fall, ”Li’Kalla is a kind girl. I like to talk to her, K’nell, she is such a lovely being to be around. To hurt her… it makes me…”
He stopped speaking a turned away from K’nell, wiping his face on his sleeve ”Forgive me.”
“It’s quite alright, Mr. Vakk,” K’nell produced a handkerchief from his front pocket and handed it over the desk, “Would you like to take a break?”
Vakk accepted the handkerchief, wiping away his tears, ”No… no… I must see this through without interruption.”
“Very well,” K’nell nodded, “You are strong to do so, do not doubt that for a second. Now if you don’t mind, could you go into detail about what you mean when you say that you and Mr. Eurysthenes have had a troubled past together?”
”He trapped me in its maze and nearly drove me to insanity, is what itdid. That’s how it was able to easily take control of my mind, driving me to unending agony by being forced to complete his puzzles and riddles. Yet, it is my fault for going back to it to try and solve the true enigma that is Eurysthenes.”
With a furrowed brow, K’nell tapped his pen against his chin, “And how did this scenario end, on what terms between you two?”
”It made me sacrifice part of myself to escape. It made me attack myself. I am sure you could imagine I am not very fond of it.”
“Certainly not,” K’nell agreed once more, “So would you say this scenario ended with you two as enemies?”
”Yes.”
“And how long after this incident did he approach you to reveal his machinations?” K’nell looked up.
”Not too long after. I was a bit broken at the time so the timing of things was… strange, I did not know what to think other than to try and get away from it.”
“And if you could, what were his exact words to you when he revealed his grand scheme,” K’nell placed his pentip on the paper in preparation.
”Please, do not make me relive the memory, K’nell. I do not wish to have a healing wound, reopened,” Vakk detested, clearly looking quite emotionally spent from having talked about the subject.
“Mr. Vakk,” K’nell let his pen rest on the pad and he leaned his elbows against the desk, “While I won’t force you, I want to remind you that I am here for you, and this would only serve to improve the process. Would you like to give it a try, or should we continue without this statement in particular?”
Vakk kept silent for a few moments, merely looking at K’nell before letting out a drawn out sigh. The next time he would speak would be in a quite maddened voice, one much different from, ”Vakk. What is the desire that I possess? It is material yet not, corruptible and able to control thought? What is it?” His voice went back to normal, ”Those are the only words I can explicitly remember. Though I remember the answer was music. After that, it gets harder to remember until I was assaulting Li’Kalla.”
“So he never explicitly mentioned the box itself?” K’nell flipped a page in the notebook, hardly looking up.
”No, but I see no other reason for it to send me to Li’Kalla it other than to retrieve the music box. But it was not there, for it had been stolen by a ‘Hermes’.” Vakk said, remaining unblinking at K’nell, watching him write.
“I see,” K’nell looked up, “So his capture and plans for the music box is an assumption?”
”I suppose, but it would be a strong assumption, given our rivalry.”
“Of course,” K’nell nodded, “And so to recap so far: you have a rivalrous relationship with Mr. Eurysthenes to which the last time you spoke, he mentioned a riddle denoting neither a plan nor substance to which afterwards you found yourself assaulting Miss Li’Kalla and then so on.” He waved his pen and flipped the page, “What brought you to the conclusion that he had taken over your body in explicit desire to retrieve your music box from Miss Li’Kalla?”
”Because it was all I could think about during the assault. I could not control what I was doing to the poor girl before I came back into control.”
“Oh,” K’nell sat up, “So during your loss of control, he was feeding you his plan mentally?”
”More or less, feeding instructions to me. Basic ones to where I eventually could piece it together.”
“Ah!” K’nell nodded in agreement,” So it wasn’t an assumption?”
”Given that he is not directly state his intentions, it would still qualify as an assumption. At least, as far as the weaponization goes.”
“And how did he come to know about your music box?” K’nell bit the end of the pen, “Did he ever say?”
”No. I do not know how it knew of the box, but it did.”
“I see,” K’nell paused for a bit, “Do you think --to the best of your knowledge-- that Mr. Eurysthenes and Miss Li’Kalla have had social interactions before this encounter?”
”No.”
“Very good,” K’nell put his pen down and folded his hands together, “Could you by any chance, describe the events of the actual assault, both leading up to it and during.”
”I remember it vividly. I had gone up to her mansion, no doubt my aggression at the time had scared her into hiding so my tendrils invaded her home before dragging her out. I asked where the box was. She said she did not know, so I tortured her. I- I broke one of the wings Azura gave her. When she told me that Hermes had taken it, I remember getting out a single warning to her, not to trust anyone. It was those words that broke her, I-I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did but I was not in control! I- I… I fled the moment I could gain control of myself.”
Vakk looked at the floor, keeping his head in his hands before repeating a few words to himself. ”I am a coward.”
“Now, now,” K’nell comforted, “What did you do as soon as you regained your composure?”
”Like I said, I ran,” Vakk said before continuing on with his repetition of the word ‘coward’.
K’nell finished catching his notepad up with a quick swipe of his pen. He let the pad fall to his lap and steepled his fingers, “Mr. Vakk with your permission, I’d like to lead us through a hypothetical.”
Vakk looked up, breathing a little before shakily nodding his approval. K’nell inclined his head and began, “Let’s say --as horrible as it may be-- that you succeeded in your assault and came upon the music box. With it in hand you return it to your rival; why do you suspect they needed the box to control minds, and how would it be used to do such a thing?”
”Music can sway the hearts and minds of those who listen to it, my box is technically the same in that it soothes the listener. Yet, if Eurysthenes got a hold of it, no doubt he would have the melody be of control, the box could be used to amplify his powers to work on multiple gods, simultaneously.”
“So the box was already somewhat of a manipulation, if you will, and Mr. Eurysthenes would simply alter it to make that manipulation suit him?” K’nell tapped his chin in thought.
”I suppose,” Vakk shrugged.
“Is this not a correct statement?” K’nell picked up a small white vial, “Wouldn’t Mr. Eurysthenes in this hypothetical simply be altering the manipulative nature of the device to serve a devious purpose?”
”Yes,” Vakk nodded.
“Good,” K’nell put the vial back down and put the pen back to the paper, “Pardon another hypothetical, but let’s say you had the box and were of a similar ire of Mr. Eurysthenes; in this case, what would be your end goal, or in other words, the reason you felt the need to torture Miss Li’Kalla and steal away a box of manipulation in an attempt to control the Gods?”
”I cannot think of such things, K’nell. I will not discuss the possibility,” Vakk stated, shaking his head to dismiss the subject.
K’nell placed his pad down and leaned back in his chair. After a moment or two he laced his fingers together and smiled, “Mr. Vakk, I must say I am inclined to believe your story.”
Vakk allowed a small, restrained smile to come across his face before he spoke in a more grateful tone, ”This brings much happiness to my heart. Does this mean you will recall those ‘magpies’?”
“I’m sorry,” K’nell steepled his fingers, “What I mean to say, Mr. Vakk, is that I believe your story, up to the point you claim it was not of your own doing. In other words, Mr. Eurysthenes was never involved.”
”Do you suspect another god?”
K’nell blinked, “You. I believe by your own admission that you had assaulted Li’Kalla with no further help from any other God, in an attempt to retrieve your box of manipulation to which you planned nefarious deeds.”
“You see,” K’nell picked up the pad and began to flip through it, “Mr. Eurysthenes has no history with the box or Li’Kalla, and your story is ever changing up until the assault, to which you define and describe in match with other evidence. You admit to the assault. You admit to the creation of the box. You admit it is a tool of manipulation. You pose plans beyond Mr. Eurysthenes that match your own mindset, in other words, since Mr. Eurysthenes is not a possible character in this incident, these ideas and machinations are your own. You further go on to claim Mr. Eurysthenes is your rival and then accuse him of atrocious crimes in your own defense, creating a bias that cannot be ignored and on top of that you denied being able to think of such things after directly posing and assuming them yourself.”
Vakk’s eyes narrowed, any form of emotion draining from his face, ”You dare to assume I intended to harm Li’Kalla? You dare?” He raised himself from his chair and put his hands on the desk before, he lowered his voice to a growl. ”This is an insult to me, Dreamer.”
K’nell raised his brows and looked up at Vakk, “Did you intend to harm Li’Kalla?” He folded his hands.
”I would never,” Vakk growled, moving his face closer to K’nell’s face as anger and rage began to fill his expression. Then, the feeling passed causing Vakk to turn away from the other god, his hands behind his back. ”Very well. But considering this insult, I must remind you,” he began before his voice went to that Li’Kalla’s before speaking in a cold and sinister tone, ”Hermes. She will be trampled like a flower in my path when the time comes. Like you. It was your creation who caused this thus the true fault is to be put upon you, Mister K’nell. Justice will be served for her thievery, whether it is paid in her blood or your own, I care not. For soon, the box will be mine once more.” With those parting words, Vakk calmly walked towards the door, to leave.
“You're as contradicting as the day is long, Mr. Vakk,” K'nell rose from his seat, his voice still unusually stalwart “I'm afraid this won't look very well on the final report.”
”And I am afraid that any peace between us has been burned. Yet, what could I have expected of a god of dreams? That is where you live, your own deluded world. It is that deluded world that will be your fall, dreamer.” Vakk stated, before opening the the door and slamming it behind him. He could hear gentle laughing from behind the door, the other people sitting in shock as they looked up from their seats.
Then.
He awoke.
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