The meeting had continued for another dreadfully slow hour until most of the nobles simply began their retreat back to their high tier estates. In the throne room remained only Helionna, face in her hands as she tried to stack small pebbles in an abacusian manner to evaluate the state of the state coffers.
"Helionna… I'm glad you remained behind." came Laurien's whisper in her ears.
Helionna perked up and jerked her head around in search of the voice. “L-lady Laurien?”
"Yes. I'm here." she said, floating down from the shadows to land in front of her. "I've taken an interest in you, little one."
Helionna swallowed. “M-me?”
"Of course." she said sweetly, standing before her now with a smile. "You did not bow, why is that?" she asked softly.
“It’s, it’s just…” Her eyes moved to the floor. It stared back with a stone-cold glare. “... You murdered her, didn’t you? My sister.”
"Your sister… What was her name?" the Goddess asked.
Helionna frowned. “Of course, you wouldn’t know…” She put the stones away and got to her feet. “I’m sorry, lady Laurien, but I have matters to attend to.”
With uncanny speed Laurien rested a hand upon her shoulder. "What was her name." she asked again, her smile turning into a neutral expression.
“Philia, my lady. Her name was Philia.” She twisted her shoulder. “Now would you kindly let me go?”
In the blink of an eye, Laurien's body changed to that of Philia and she smiled at Helionna. "She always was loyal to Polly." Her sister's voice said.
Helionna froze. “Ph-... Philly?” She reached out to touch her.
"Yes… and no." Philly said, leaning into her hand. "This is nice, isn't it?"
“... What… What’re you doing to me? My sister is… My sister--” She felt the warmth in her palm and felt her throat choke up. “... Am I dreaming?”
"Yes. I'm dead. And Polly got me killed by going insane." Was her response.
“Yes, she grew… Ill of mind towards the end of her life, but…”
“Lady Laurien,” came a call from the doorway to the throne room, through which walked Enigmaron, the Laurien-loving officer from earlier, and a small number of nobles. “We have come as you requested.” She eyed the tearful Helionna and the very familiar Nebulite next to her.. “Ph-... Philia? How are you--”
Philia molded back into Laurien's shape and the demigoddess left Helionna in tears as she walked over to the others. "Hello darlings. I'm glad you came. I was just asking Helionna some questions. She is not to leave the room."
The Nebulites stared in awe at the display until Enigmaron eventually broke out of the trance and saluted by hammering her chest with a fist. “Of course, my lady.” The officer next to her went over to stand behind Helionna, who had collapsed to her knees. “Now, how may we serve you?”
"I have a gift for my most loyal. One that can be used in many ways." she hummed. "Will you accept?"
“What is it?” asked one of the nobles.
"Power." she whispered seductively.
The nobles grinned at one another; Enigmaron couldn’t help but smirk. Helionna sniffed and looked up with furious eyes. “What--... What will we give in return?”
"Nothing but your loyalty and love. A simple thing really." Laurien said.
“I’ll accept it with all the joy and love I can offer,” Enigmaron exclaimed and bent the knee. The officer and the nobles did as well. Helionna remained frozen, not standing, but sitting on the cold stone floor while shiny trails of tears dried on her cheeks.
"Good." she whispered, looking at Helionna.
The sound in the room, suddenly ceased as the sun seemed to disappear, leaving the throne room eerily dark save for a dark purplish hue upon the sandstone, filtering in through the darkness outside the windows. Laurien rose her hands as she shut her eyes. Almost immediately afterwards, unearthly voices began to flood into the room, whispering a language none could understand. It was unnerving, and frightening and elicited a sense of fear so profound, the very air felt as if it could snap.
Laurien’s body began to shake- no, vibrate, as a purplish smoke began to course through her fingertips and onto the floor. It enveloped the floor of the room quickly, bubbling and rising, growing thick as the whispers became chants. Laurien continued to vibrate, her serene image becoming but a blur, growing in a ghostly light as a scream echoed throughout the chamber. The purple smoke then grew still, before pulling back to amass itself within a ball above the chamber. There was a loud clap of thunder, and Laurien grew still as the power that had amassed shot out and into the bodies of the loyal Nebulites in attendance.
The entire chamber, nay, the world began to flash in vivid scarlet before a simple snap, and everything was back to normal, as if what they had witnessed had never happened at all.
Laurien stood straighter, opening her eyes as a devilish smile graced her lips. She looked upon her people and knew that they were only the beginning. "Now listen… Listen and learn. "
She taught them how to use her dark magic, one she called, the Devil's Breath or the Blackness. She taught them how to manipulate it, how to use it to amplify their strengths and cure weaknesses through incantations. Words, sentences and letters that could be used to channel Devil's Breath properly. They had to speak what they wanted to do, but in time, Laurien told them it could be wordless. Then she taught the basics of hexing, small things akin to curses but not nearly as dire or far lasting, at least in the beginning, that was.
She merely opened the doorway and explained that the more they delved into the Blackness, the more powerful they would become. As more and more possibilities were explained, Helionna felt herself more and more drawn to this power.
“This… This power… Could I change, say, the direction of dice underneath a cup?” she asked quietly. The others laughed at her.
“Oh, here she goes again,” one of the nobles taunted.
“It’s a legit question!”
“I would agree if you weren’t already massively in debt to half the court. That gold necklace will be going soon, I reckon.”
Helionna clutched the medallion about her neck and swallowed. “N-not if this Blackness can fix this. Can it, my lady?”
"It can do anything you want. The solution to that problem could come in many forms. Practice and grow." she said with a smug smile on her lips.
“R-really?” Helionna whispered and looked down at her hands with a crazed look. “Th-then…”
“How do we practice it? Are there any rituals you can teach us?” Enigmaron asked.
"You practice like how you do anything else. Fighting, crafting, building and on and on. Do such practice in secret and with one another, there's no telling what could happen. Tell only those that can be trusted and do away with those who might speak unfavourably. I think you'll find that sacrifices are most useful. Rituals though… she mused, her smile deepening. "You will have to explore that route, but there is one I can teach you, one that should only be used as a last resort until you are powerful enough to control what comes after."
She walked forward and began to run her finger in a circle in the air directly in front of her. Following her finger, a glowing ring of inky purple materialized, etched with demonic runes not unlike the ones that now married her body.
"This is a minor summoning seal. This knowledge will be imprinted into your mind, but take note. Drawing the circle is only the first part. The second requires a great deal of power or a blood sacrifice, to properly activate the seal. Doing so will summon a demonic entity. Be wary, for at your current state the creature will not be able to be controlled. The larger the seal, the more will be summoned and the greater the cost. They are more likely to devour you then to obey you. Understood?"
“Forgive me, my lady, but… What exactly is a… Demonic entity? What do they look like?” Enigmaron asked. The other Nebulites nodded along slowly. “See, we have used the term often, but it’s more of an insult than an actual thing. Are they… Like us?”
"No… They are not." Laurien said as the ring pulsed. The letters warped into a shimmering opaque glass, before shattering out a creature withering in a mass of tentacles and eyes. It began to scream wretchedly from tiny mouths as the portal evaporated. Laurien looked at the withering thing and then snapped her finger, mutating the creature into a being of desire. The mouths and eyes retracted as it's flesh bubbled and grew. What began to take shape was a slithering creature of flesh, eyeless and mouthless. Like a giant worm, it slithered up her body and wrapped itself like a snake around her shoulders.
She stroked the creatures head, and from it a mouth of tiny, ripping teeth revealed itself as it smiled awkwardly.
"Any more questions?" she said after a moment.
“That is… Horrifying! What use will such a beast have for us? Can it create gold? Can it make me more beautiful?” The nobles broke into a disorganised rabble, aimed more inwards than at Laurien. Yet even those who didn’t join them appeared skeptical; the general frowned at the spell.
“With all due respect, my lady,” she went, “what use is a creature of might that will likely kill us and is only really useful for murder? We have slaves that can murder in our stead.”
There came some disapproving hums. Enigmaron glared. “Oh come on, everyone does it.”
"Be calm. Demonic summoning should only be used as a last resort. At least at your stage. But make no mistake, there will come a time when this city is under siege, when our enemies come crashing down with desire for revenge. All options will be considered to save yourselves and the people… Even if the option is unsightly and hungers. Let them feed upon your enemies." she said smoothly.
“What enemies? The Dari?” Enigmaron scoffed and many of the nobles laughed. “Savages with no concept of civility nor unity. They raid in packs because they cannot feed themselves - they are instinctively drawn to take from others. Such lowly life forms couldn’t possibly hope to form any army that would actually threaten Laurienna.”
The demigoddess began to pace as the demon around her neck lifted it narrow head to look at the General. "But what if they did? Would you be prepared to fight a united Dari army? And not to mention any outside threat you cannot see. Would you be prepared? Would any of you?" she said narrowing her eyes.
“There are no outside threats sizeable enough to challenge Asteria, Laurien. Starforged weaponry, flying soldiers, the protecting Natal - all of these have made our lands unconquerable. The only possible threat would be Talemon to the northwest, and we would be warned months before their armies would arrive.” The nobles nodded along confidently. Helionna swallowed and raised a hand.
“What?” Enigmaron asked.
“Apart from the summoning of demons, my lady, what other power can we use?” The others hummed agreeingly.
"If you say so." she whispered at Enigmaron before turning to Helionna. "Come here. The rest of you gather round."
Helionna approached her timidly while the rest did as they were told. Laurien smiled at her as the demon around her neck, curled tighter. "You desire coin, a stepping stone to greed or perhaps a coping method… Regardless, you need to quench it." Laurien reached out and tugged at the necklace around her neck, and then took it from her. Within the palm of her hand, and with a free finger, she drew a rune in inky purple in the air above it, and showed the symbol to Helionna. It looked like gibberish at first, but slowly she came to realize that it said, 'Forget me not', before the symbol leached into the necklace. Laurien then handed it back to Helionna.
"Put it around your neck." Laurien said.
Helionna blinked. “What did you do to it?” She lowered it down over her head and let it hang down over her chest.
Laurien snapped her fingers and the necklace ended up back in hand. She wore a smug smile on her face. ”That, my dear, is how you use a hex to get your fortune back.” she then handed the necklace back to Helionna again. ”One time use, you’ll have to hex it again for it to work. As you grow, however, I can see you expanding such trickery and put it to good use. Be careful now, for now they know a secret.”
Helionna blinked and rubbed her thumb over the sigil. “How… How will it help me gain all my wealth back? I’ve gambled it away, it’s long gone. Will it, perhaps, have it arrive back in my home vault?” She turned to the other nobles. “And stop eavesdropping, you!” They all grinned menacingly and rolled their eyes.
Laurien leaned in next to her right ear, "Sell it, or something else, and when you have the money and you know the item is out of knowing eyes, summon it back." she said, kissing quickly on the cheek.
Helionna flushed, looking at the medallion intently. “Yes… Yes, this is perfect. Laurien, thank you so much. Thank you!”
“Lady Laurien, if you would indulge me,” one of the nobles spoke.
Her eyes fell upon the noble in question, a man of starry green. "Yes, Alonis?" she asked.
“Would you oversee us practice for a spell? I reckon we could have a slave summoned up here and see what we can perform.”
“Oh, yes, a splendid idea,” a number of the others went. Enigmaron nodded approvingly.
"Of course my lovelies." she mused, petting the demon on its head.
“Guards,” Alonis called. A pair of palace watchmen, starforged halbers in hand, came over and saluted. “Go into the lower tiers and find us a human or something. Age is irrevelant, looks are irrelevant. If it breathes, it’s enough.” The guards, though reluctant, saluted again and ran off.
“A human? In the palace? An outrage!” a noble named Xenoluna shouted. Alonis wagged a finger.
“Now, now, my lady, it will not live long and it will be used to empower us, which is more than can be said for what it would be doing in the streets, gods be good.”
“The slaves will be scrubbing the floor for days after that filthy human’s been here,” Enigmaron sighed.
"Ah yes, an unfortunate side effect of nebulite reproduction. Oh well." Laurien said.
“Who’s idea was that particular quirk, if I may ask?” Xenoluna voiced in a surly manner.
"Orvus most likely." she shrugged.
“... Not to be rude to the gods, but… Was he, um…” Xenoluna made a face, “of a perverted character?”
Laurien giggled. "He molded all of you after me, so. Perhaps he is. I doubt any will ever ask."
“Odd creatures, the creators. I will be extra observant next Floodfeast to see if His Lordship brings any similar strange gifts this year.”
Thirty minutes passed before the guards returned, a maimed and struggling human child locked between them. She was crying, her rags sogged around the collar from the streams of tears running down her cheeks. She couldn’t say a word before the nobles all scoffed with disgust.
“Ugh, it’s so ugly! You just had to find the ugliest one, didn’t you?” Xenoluna complained.
“The lords and ladies made it clear that looks were unimportant,” one of the guards defended.
“Well, yes, but this? I would hardly wish to--”
“Be quiet, Xenoluna. Our subject is acquired. Lady Laurien, how should we proceed?” Enigmaron asked.
”What do you wish to achieve?” she asked, eyeing the child.
“Why, power, naturally. Human children are an untapped resource and let’s face it - they likely won’t live long after all. If what you say is true, we can trade the soul of this creature for magical might.” Alonis rubbed his hands together. “For now, I would like us all to achieve beautiful looks.”
"So be it. With the knowledge I have given you, create a circle with the child's blood and write the incantation runes within it, without killing her. That is vital. Her life force needs to consumed upon her death when the circle is complete and the words said. When the process begins… It will come naturally to you." she whispered.
“Fantastic. Guard, your dagger,” Alonis commanded. The guards brought the struggling child over as the nobles formed a circle. The closest guard unsheathed a knife and gave it pommel-first to Alonis, who held it high for all to see before sending it down in a swift motion to slice off the child’s hand. The girl screamed in agony and blood gushed forth onto the floor in multiple puddles.
“Ugh! I got some on my dress!” Xenoluna complained.
“Must she be so loud?” Enigmaron seconded.
“The faster you draw, the faster she’ll shut up. Guard, hold this.” Alonis gave the guard the still-attached hand, which the guard clutched tightly. The child sat on her knees, squealing, while the nobles dipped their fingers in blood and drew like their lives depended on it. Before long, a circle similar to the one Laurien had showed them before laid prepared. This time however there came new words in the form of runes. Each an expression of what was wanted; Beauty. The Breath began to take root in the seal, growing with power as it did so and glowing with energy as the child's blood filled the cracks and lines and began to have a mind of its own as it formed smaller, more precise runes.
Dark whispers began to flood the room as the fanatical process consumed their minds. Until at last the final rune was set within the circle. The seal began to glow brighter, signifying that the time had come for its completion.
“It’s working! It’s working!”
“I know it’s working! How do we complete it?”
“Shut up, you two - it’s supposed to come forth naturally, like an instinct.”
As they focused and let the Blackness guide them, the words deciphered into a phrase, over and over again; 'KILL. CONSUME. ENHANCE.' and one by one they began to chant the phrase in the devil's tongue. Alonis then took the mewling child from the guard, who by that point had lost far too much blood to remain wholly conscious. He placed the limp girl in the middle of the seal and the runes began to wrap themselves over her skin, becoming burned into her flesh as her body grew black and shrivelled, her life essence flowing freely amongst the Nebulites as they consumed it with glee. The seal then shattered as the girl died, and her body turned to ash before them. Laurien could hardly contain her giddiness as she looked upon the enhanced Nebulites… The beginnings of Devils.
After the Nebulite Noble meeting, Helionna sticks behind and is confronted by Laurien over some things. Helionna was the sister of Philia, who Laurien probably killed. Laurien then changes into her, and Helionna breaks down. The other loyalist Nebulites show up and she offers them power in exchange for their love and loyalty. Being the greedy fucks they are, they agree readily. She then gives them the ability to practice Devilry, (which I think I did a good job of explaining how it works in this post) and then teaches them how to do basics, before they ask to learn rituals and what not. SO she teaches them how to summon demons, but they don’t find the idea very appealing.
SO then Helionna asks for a specific spell, or hex, that can help her. So Laurien teaches her that and Helionna has some hope for once. Then another Nebulite asks if she can oversee them practice a ritual incantation, which quickly turns into a sacrifice. And so unbeknownst to them she teaches them how to do that.
Next thing you know, a human kid gets sacrificed so the Nebulite ‘devils’ can become more beautiful and it works. Laurien is giddy about this, and the post ends.
Happy Spooktober!
Laurien & Arya;
Start 3MP & 8FP
(Mutated a demon into a demon of desire for free, basically a Spy)
-2MP to teach Devilry to Laurien’s most loyal followers.
Groans and snarls emitted from the majority of the players while a small minority giggled and snickered as they collected equal shares of round and smooth pebbles. Lady Helionna squeezed the bridge of her nose in disappointment and slapped a new bet onto the stone table. Behind her, a pair of guard stared stonefaced down at their lady spending the remains of her family’s wealth so frivolously. Not that they cared much, though - they would be hired by someone else when the House of Philapoly eventually went bankrupt.
“Make your bets, ladies and gentlemen,” said the dealer with a grin and threw the dice into his cup. As he lidded the cup with his hand and shook it about, the other players began laying out their pebbles. Helionna bit down on her nail - these were her last pebbles. If she lost, she would have to--
“Alright, everyone!” the dealer said and slammed the cup opening down onto the table. “Evens or odds?”
The players shouted their bets: “Odds! Odds! Evens! Odds! Evens! Odds! Odds! Odds!” Lady Helionna knew there was little reason to bet alongside the majority: It was a fifty-fifty chance to win, and if she won with the majority, the output would be less.
“Evens!” she shouted at last and the dealer lifted the cup.
“One and two - odds!”
Colour left her fiery skin as her pebbles were collected. She considered screaming out loud that she had misspoken - that she really had said ‘odds’. Of course, no one would believe that. She was already well acquainted with this particular establishment, and its frequenters were even better acquainted with her, and since the other casino was destroyed along with the rest of the East River slums. Curse that fire rain - it set back her gambling weeks.
Oh, right, the loss of life and the slaves was gruesome, too.
Helionna turned to one of the guards behind her, fingering the golden necklace dangling below her throat. Reluctantly, she gently took it off and offered it to the guard. “See how much the broker will give me for this.”
The guards had never been loyal to her person, this she knew - they were bound by contract alone (or rather, the sums promised in the contract); however, in spite of this, the guard shook her head and said, “My lady, it would be unwise to exchange the family sigil for stone pebbles.”
A pang of guilt stabbed Helionna in the chest and she retracted her hand. Looking defeatedly at her feet, she nodded and said, “Yes… Yes, you’re right. That was… Reckless of me.” She turned to the dealer and gave him a nod. “I will be taking my leave.”
“You are always welcome back at our establishment, Lady Helionna,” the dealer replied with a knowing smirk. Helionna smiled uncomfortably and left, her two guards following faithfully behind.
This particular casino was in a third tier district infamously known as The Pits. It was the slum of the slums, far away from the finer establishments like the wine houses and night markets. In truth, two guards weren’t enough for a high-profile lady like Helionna, at least not ideally. However, every savvy scoundrel in these parts knew her well, and knew particularly well how shallow her pockets were. The creatures that roamed the streets here were either way wholly uninterested in her at the moment, their days already busy enough with survival. The lady sighed, donned her brown, shaggy cloak and moved towards the upper tiers. Flanking the streets were beggars by the tens, Nebulites cast out from the higher tiers, former slaves or… Or those disgusting things...
She passed one that same moment. Her stomach turned and she felt the need to gag. It was pink-skinned, but not the crystalline, beautiful hue of their former queen or any others who shared such a beautiful complexion. This was a greasy pink, utterly animalistic without a shade of divinity like the Nebulites. It had facial features similar to hers, but they were primal and beastly. Their builds were similar to the Pygmies, but wholly hairless except the top of their heads.
They had shown up not long after Pygmy slaves and emissaries came to Laurienna. She was quite aware of where exactly they had come from - the mothers were quite vocal about their relationships with the apes. Truly, it was only natural that the children would turn out like they did - being the product of an ape and a Nebulite.
One of her guards gargled up a ball of phlegm and spat it onto the child’s forehead. “Off the streets, you disgusting human!” The child barely made a sound and scuttled into an alley. The guard yelled after it: “Know your place!”
Human. The name given to these abominations. It had started as a joke - the first sound anyone made upon seeing one was, after all, a loud ‘ew!’ or ‘hyew!’, or something along those lines. As time went on, it stuck.
Helionna was glad the guard had gotten the human off the street - it was a dark reminder of what her people had done in exchange for gold and slaves.
It took them roughly fifty minutes to reach the upper tier and the palace. While her house was still a distance away, she had a sneaking suspicion the king was holding council - a duty she ought to attend to. She climbed the stairs up towards the pyramid palace, flanked by another noble who laid on a clay platform carried by eight ikhobos - Talemonese slaves. Helionna knew him well, this noble - it was Andrometan, head of House Terra. He offered her an absent-minded nod.
“Ah, lady Helionna, a beautiful day today, is it not?”
Helionna offered the blue skies a look. “Yes, I suppose it is. Flood season is right around the corner, His Lordship be kind. This should make for a good autumn.”
“So it seems, so it seems,” Andrometan agreed. “Tell me, where is your carrybed?”
Helionna swallowed and looked away. “I-... I felt like walking today. Even the noble houses need exercise occasionally, no?”
Andrometan replied simply with a smirk and patted the bed twice. The ikhobo increased their pace and were soon at the top of the stairs long before Helionna was there. She huffed and gave her wordless guards quick glances - their expressions remained wooden.
A number of uneventful moments later, she arrived at last in the dark throne room. There were cacophonous mumblings coming from all manner of noble cliques around the great hall, all of which formed a crescent around the throne in the room’s far end. Upon it sat the king, Omnipotens the Proud, a boy of four. Next to him stood Prospero, the royal master of wealth and the one currently powerful enough to hold the position as regent in Laurien’s absence. Helionna took her rightful place among the other noble houses, to the right side of the hall and opposite of the wealthy, but not noble. The regent Prospero motioned for all to rise and spoke, “His glorious Majesty, Omnipotens III, the Proud, king of all of Asteria and its people, welcomes you to offer your counsel. Let no word be unspoken; let no lie be told; let respect rule our actions; and our future shall unfold.”
The regent bowed and poked the boy king on the shoulder; he was playing with a toy in his lap. The king looked up and blinked, then said, “B-be seated,” and everyone sat. Prospero smiled gratefully at the king and spoke,
“The first point to address will be the situation in the slave markets. The royal court has noted that the number of slaves bought and sold has considerably dropped. As all are aware, this commodity is central to Laurienna’s economy, and the loss of the markets would grind this city’s production to a halt. Lord Zius, have you a report?”
A plain clothed Nebulite stood up from where he sat. His skin was black as night and he was bald. He was built well, and there was depth within his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deep and refined. “The report is much the same, Lord Regent. As you all know, a band of well armed Dari are disrupting the trade route between Laurienna and Talemon. They are also attacking and killing those slavers who are still brave enough to venture out. With the trade route disrupted, and the roaming bands preventing us from catching fresh slaves, these problems will not go away.”
“I see… So the Dari have still not been dealt with. Where is general Epsilon?” Prospero demanded.
“Last seen leaving Laurienna, I believe,” came a snarky comment from Andrometan, who was still lying on his clay bed. “He was in quite a hurry, too.”
Prospero wrinkled his nose. “Great… Vice-general Enigmaron.”
A tall woman clad in simple clothing and wielding a star-forged spear stepped up and bowed before the king and regent. “Yes, lord Prospero?”
“Congratulations. You have been promoted to general. Double the escorts for the slaver caravans and see to it that your old superior is not allowed to live past next week.” The general nodded. “Will this be enough, lord Zius?”
“It will suffice for now, but the Dari grow bolder each passing day. If they are not crushed completely, then I fear our good city will be their next target.” he said, sitting down.
Prospero hummed. “The royal coffers can perhaps offer additional bounties if the returns are high enough. Lady Phantasma, how did the last emissaries like the king’s tribute?”
Lady Phantasma, diplomat to the Talemonese, stood up and smiled. “Your Majesty, lord regent - the visitors quite enjoyed the gifts of brides and grooms, just as His Majesty predicted they would.”
Prospero nodded. “I take it demand is high for more?”
Phantasma nodded back. “Very much so, lord regent. The Talemonese ‘oludari’ are very grateful for our lovely sons and daughters, and their introduction have spurred more of the Talemonese to make high bids for a lover of their own.”
Prospero eyed Zius. “Lord Zius, your caravans are responsible for escorting concubines to Talemon. How many guards and carriers would you need to escort twenty?”
“Twenty caravans? A hundred soldiers, at least, if not more.” he said.
“Lady Helionna, what are the soldiers’ wages again?”
Helionna snapped into motion and bowed. “T-three sun dimes, lord regent.”
“Three sun dimes…” Prospero mumbled. “Three sun dimes… Per soldier?”
Helionna nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Prospero sighed and shook his head. “Three fucking sun dimes, by Orvus… It’s a marvel that the soldiers aren’t the wealthiest of us.” There came some chuckles from a number of the nobles and wealthy. Helionna’s guards remained stonefaced. Prospero pursed his lips. “The coffers will look into it, Lord Zius. Until an answer is found, you shall have seventy.”
The man narrowed his eyes and said, “So be it then. Let us hope the trip goes without incident. I would hate to see more Nebulite blood spilled.”
“Mhm, wouldn’t we all,” Prospero agreed. “We shall do everything in our power to ensure that you receive your funding. However, until we can be certain, you will have to make due.”
“Of course, Lord Regent.” Zius said smoothly.
“Perfect. Right, onto the next target on the agenda--”
“Lord regent, if I may,” said the general. Prospero nodded.
“Yes, general Enigmaron?”
“Do we even have seventy guards at our disposal?”
Prospero’s brows furrowed and chatter began to foment. “What do you mean? Of course, we do.”
“Lord regent, I think you are overestimating our numbers,” the general proposed. “The royal army is already stretched as thin as it can. Keeping order is far from a simple task, and--”
“Be quiet, general! Lady Helionna, you speak for the noble houses. How many soldiers can you offer?”
Helionna froze. ‘Speak for the noble houses’ was as far from her job description as one could get. She was a glorified accountant at best, one tasked with monitoring the spendings of her peers.
Not that she could monitor even her own, anyway.
“I-I… I reckon we can--”
“Twelve, lord regent,” general Enigmaron said with a frown.
“Twelve?” Prospero gasped. “And how many of those--”
“Nine are commanding the city’s guards - the remaining three are currently in this very room.” Her eyes shifted to three faces, all of which looked away to avoid her glare. “They are ‘off duty’, to be blunt.”
Prospero sighed. “And what of the conscripts?”
Enigmaron shrugged. “If we offer higher wages, we could--”
“No! The wages remain the same,” Prospero insisted.
“Less than five hundred, then,” Enigmaron replied coldly. “We’ll be lucky if we can even muster that many.”
The chatter in the hall reached a deafening volume. Prospero sat down in the only slightly less beautiful throne next to the king’s and leaned his head on a balled fist. Etherian, another market lord, shouted out, “How will we finance all of this city if the caravans cannot come through?!”
“Take the guards away from nobles. They don’t need them more than we do!”
“What was that?! Do you even know how many would kill us for the gold about our persons?!”
“Then leave it at home!”
The chatter turned to arguments, and the arguments to accusations. The boy king had long since left the room, escorted out by his royal guard. Prospero tried his best to calm the situation, but failed miserably. Helionna took a seat by the wall and laid her cheek in her hand as fights began to break out between the wealthy and the nobility. It was true that they hadn’t the numbers. Over the last ten years, their population had been halved - the worst of it transpiring but a year ago during the apocalypse. They were still just picking up the pieces.
It was then that a tall figure entered the throne room, shrouded in a cloak of night, silencing the room as the guards moved in close. It came to a stop in the middle of the room, but said nothing.
“What’s the meaning of this, then?” said Prospero and stood up. Helionna approached, hiding behind a number of others. The regent pointed at the figure and demanded, “You there! Reveal yourself or suffer the fate of all those who enter the throne room uninvited.”
”Do not threaten the one who had this city built at her behest.” the voice rang out, sweet and pure. ”Or have you forgotten the one who gave you everything you ever wanted?” the figure then pulled back her hood, revealing the beautiful face of Laurien.
The surrounding Nebulites gasped; a number of them fell to their knees; a number of them reached for their weapons.
“Oh, glorious Laurien, you’re back!” sounded general Enigmaron with joyful tears.
“You traitor! She murdered the queen and her closest!” spat another in the far back before being apprehended by a pair of guards.
”No.” she said, looking at the guards. ”Bring him here.”
The nobleman was brought to the front. It was immediately evident that he was related to the late Titanon - they shared the strong jaw-line and powerful build. Helionna noted that he had been among the officers who were ‘off duty’. He battled against the guards’ grips, but ultimately faced Laurien unmoving.
“You should have never come back, betrayer,” the officer spat in her face.
But Laurien simply smiled and touched a finger to his head. ”Your desire for revenge, is over. Now you will only have love for the one you seek most. An insatiable thirst, for the girl your heart desires. Let him go, he will not harm me.” she said to the guards.
The man unclenched his fists. Slowly, he knelt down before Laurien and lowered his lips to her feet. The onlookers were stunned. Prospero spat, “Wha-... What did you do to him? What manner of power have the gods granted you of all people?”
”Me of all people? Is that anyway to talk to a demigod? Especially the one who has cared for all of you, since the first day you entered this world?” she mused.
“A demigod? Blasphemic arrogance!” Prospero retorted. “Had His Lordship heard you say that, he would’ve--”
“You will be silent before our queen!” boomed suddenly the officer at Laurien’s feet. Prospero stopped and shifted around uncomfortably.
”Tell me… Who has helped you more, his Lordship, or me?” she asked, patting the man’s head before her.
“Th-that would…” Prospero struggled to find words. “That question is heresy in itself!”
”Now now. Heresy is such a convoluted word.” she said smiling. ”His Lordship provided the land you live on, and through his good graces, you have been able to endure. Worship of him, is paramount to the survival of this Empire but… Can you not worship another? There are many gods and goddesses, some who care, others who do not, but the ones who care for you the most, are the demigods of this world. I do not come to take over, or to be a queen. I simply come to ask that you love me, as I have always loved you.” she said.
“She -was- the hand of Polyastera, it’s true. Whatever she commanded, Laurien did,” general Enigmaron voiced supportively. “No one has done more for us than her. From summoning His Lordship to enslaving the Dari to undoing the rebels against the former queen.” She gave Laurien a smiling nod and bowed her head. “You have my love, o beautiful.” “And mine,” another noble said and knelt. More and more joined in, until the only ones standing were Prospero, Helionna, and another officer.
Laurien’s gaze fell upon them, but it was neither cruel or angry. She went from Prospero, to the officer and the finally Helionna. She gave her a wolfish smile, before looking at the others. ”Rise… All is well. What I ask now is that you spread this love to others, but never forget, His Holiness must come first, for not even I can defend you all from his wrath.”
The Nebulites all rose and let out warm cheers in Laurien’s honour. The three who hadn’t knelt stared uncomfortably at one another and then tried not to meet Laurien’s gaze.
”You make me all so happy. Now tell me… What is the current state of Laurienna and Asteria?” she asked. The cheers stopped. Prospero drew a breath.
“We were just discussing that, actually…”
“We are not doing very well, my lady,” Enigmaron admitted. “After you disappeared, no one knew who would take over, and then the Rain of Death happened, and…” The majority of the Nebulites were looking at the floor. “We are but half of what we once were,” she finished.
”Hmm. Concerning, but not completely unsalvageable. You must have many, many babies. The population of Nebulites must rise.” she said, walking amongst them.
“That would not be an issue, my lady,” Andrometan chuckled from his clay bed. “We are, after all, quite good at that. With time, our population will no doubt grow, provided the sky doesn’t rain fire again.”
“Unfortunate circumstance that.” she said absentmindedly as she paused before Helionna. The lady looked down at her feet and swallowed, saying nothing. She moved on from her and paused before the throne, running a finger on before looking at Prospero. ”And how are Polly’s children doing?”
Prospero smiled vaguely. “A-ah. The king and his sister are quite well, my lady. I believe they are both in their respective rooms as we speak. They… They still mourn their siblings from time to time, of course, but we’ll make monarchs of them yet.”
”Good.” she said simply, walking over to Enigmaron, and then whispering something into her ear. The woman smiled, as Laurien moved on and said aloud, ”Solutions to problems come in many different forms… And not always are they so easily discernible. One must think outside of the box, the mind per say, to come up with answers.” she said cryptically.
“W-what do you mean?” Prospero asked.
She smiled but did not answer right away as she moved to the center of the room again. There she turned to look at the Nobles again and said, ”Other times, you must take what you want. By any means necessary.” She looked between Prospero and Helionna again, ”So, what will you do?”
Prospero scanned the throne room and then let out a sheepish laugh. “I-... I, uhm… I believe we have an agenda to continue, so I will just… Proceed with that.” He swallowed, his eyes shifting to the throne next to him. A wanton pulse burned in his gaze and he barely managed to tear his eyes away from it. “R-right… The financing…”
“Financing,” Helionna mumbled to herself. “... Yeah, I could use some of that.”
The hall turned to her in confusion and the lady suddenly realised she had thought out loud. A supportive hand landed on her shoulder. “That’s nice, my lady,” said one of her fellow nobles, one named Geonosis. “But we are discussing the army now - not your personal coffers.” Helionna lowered her gaze.
”Go on then. Discuss and I shall listen. Pay me no mind.” she said smiling.
“Th-thank you, my lady,” said Prospero and sat down on his throne - only, it wasn’t his throne. He had sat himself in the king’s seat, and only after he noticed the troubled expressions clouding the faces of everyone in the room did he realise. He rocketed back to his feet and switched seats post-haste.
“Right!” he thundered. “The funding… Wait, we were past that, weren’t we?”
“Lord regent, are you well?” asked the general with concern.
“W-why, yes, quite well!” Prospero assured, furthering the worry of the onlookers. “What was next, lady Helionna?”
“... I could maybe buy the casino and…”
“Lady Helionna?”
The lady snapped to. “Huh?! Yes?!”
“What was next on the agenda?” Prospero asked again.
“O-oh! Uhm, I believe we were about to discuss the farms?”
“Ah, yes, the farms…”
We open up a post about a noble who likes to gamble or something, and then the nobles have a meeting and discuss things and characters are introduced and then Laurien shows up and says, ‘worship me’ and most gladly do.
She arrived upon the continent to the south, weary of flight and full of thought. Always so full of thoughts, most gnawing at her since she left Silver. As her feet settled down into the sandy beaches, she let out a sigh as she began to walk into the forest. Over and over again their conversation played out in her head. And each and every time she was disappointed. For decades she had placed Silver on a pinnacle, and in one day, it was all over. She should’ve felt angry, or upset, or even sad, but she only felt numb.
It was over.
But it had barely ever begun.
That was the simplest truth. She had only known Silver for what felt like, weeks before she died, and though their love had been young, blossoming even, it was bittersweet. Never meant to be, not really. If only she had realized that. Then perhaps…
No.
She couldn’t think like that. What happened, had happened and there was no changing that now. Her only regret was that she had done it differently. Secretly. Then again… It would never have been secret. Not with Gods like Abanoc and Arae, who knew everything. What power that would be... To have the knowledge of the world, and the knowledge of its people, at her fingertips. It would be delicious.
“Ichor would be delicious.” Came Aaldir’s angry voice, interrupting her train of thought. The black blade floated beside her, weaving in and out of the trees as they walked aimlessly on.
”Must you interrupt? You know ichor is out of the question and yet, you still persist. Why is that?” she chided.
“You have ichor.” The sword whispered hungrily.
”Yes and you will not taste it.” she huffed. The sword remained silent after that, before humming a dark tune. Laurien went back to her thoughts.
She had to become a ghost, no one could no where she was at any given moment. If Arae had deemed to punish her as a mortal, then there was no telling what the other gods would do to her, knowing that she had become divine. They would hate her, and despise her for what she was, and then they would most likely kill her.
She couldn’t have that, now could she?
And if the Gods could not, or would not love her, then their creations would. It was a surefire way to incur even more wrath, which was why she had to start small. Let a few love her unconditionally, give them gifts and powers, and they would spread her influence. This she knew. For she had been a mortal, after all. And the one thing she knew, was that power came in many forms and that mortals loved power.
It gave them an edge, made them feel special and capable. In a world with living gods, what more could one ask for? Besides divinity itself…
A sudden screech stopped her. Aaldir found her hand as she looked around for the source. With her new senses, she could tell whatever screamed was coming in her direction. So the Goddess flew up into a tree and waited with bated breath.
It did not take long for it to arrive. A creature she had never seen before. It looked like a small humanoid, bit it’s flesh was the wrong color and it wore no clothes. It’s eyes, there were too many of them, and the only desire in it’s heart, was to devour. But instead of doing that, it ran on past her tree and into the undergrowth. Laurien narrowed her eyes, and wondered what she had seen.
She flew up into the sky until she could see in the distance… And there was merely the green of the forests. Slightly disappointed and vexed, she flew on, now closer to the tree line. As her survey continued, she began to feel or sense, something rather odd. Instinctively, she wanted to fly away from that feeling, but her curiosity drove her forward.
Until she arrived at the source of her trepidation. Surrounded by flora that was sickly purple in color and had too many eyes and gnashing teeth, was a man-high portal, oozing with a miasma so thick it made breathing a chore even for a goddess. She was bewildered by the site, to say the least. The last time she had journeyed through this area, nothing like it had appeared.
Tentatively, she reached out to touch the portal and as soon as her hand grazed the darkness, she was sucked in. The first thing she knew, was pain. Terrible, biting pain that never subsided. It felt as if she was being eaten alive, slowly and alive for that matter. Next, what was left of her eyes feel upon the horror that was the portals destination. Suspended in a sea of magenta loomed a sphere the size of Veradax, its rock faces black yet oddly sinewy and its oceans a screaming purple. Yet it wasn’t the celestial body that warranted her pain-fueled attention, but what was on it. A million billion entities swarmed the planet, screaming war cries as they slaughtered one another with weapons without form. Giants slaughtered imps while flying serpents met foul ends by many armed beasts.
She should have felt afraid, perhaps even terrified but she felt none of those things. She felt pain yes, but also perplexed. What was this sphere? And who controlled it? Yet her questions would have to wait as she realized any more exposure would surely kill her outright. So, Laurien retreated back through the portal, or gateway as it might be and came out sputtering and coughing as her body began to heal. Aaldir hovered over her body like some protective beast as she began to laugh.
Neither of them noticed the film of thick purple liquid begin to glow with energy. As if a child were drawing in the mud with a stick, glyphs began to appear in the ooze, from her hands to her shoulders and all the way down to her feet.
Her laughter was cut short by the glyphs, and she looked at them with a wide stare.
“Laurien, you are glowing.” Said Aaldir, but Laurien ignored him. Her silence was met with a high pitched warble as the glyphs began to sear themselves into her skin and the purple liquid absorb itself into her body. She could feel every pore become choked with the unholy substance, its magical energies whispering to her in speech beyond her comprehension. Then she saw it all. The form of the ABHORRENT. It’s will. The creation of his servants. The betrayal of the Program. Her own directive, and the weapon, the authority to make unclean what was clean.
The disgusting energies of SHEOL bonded with the goddess.
And just like that, it was over and reality set back in. She breathed heavily as her body shook with pervasive knowledge. She looked upon her skin to see the glyphs now apart of her form, but it was no matter. She changed her form back to what her original body had looked like and stood up. It was abundantly clear what the ABHORRENT wanted her to do, and now she had a back up plan in case any god sought to kill her. Though she would have to make some alterations…
Laurien looked upon her hands to see a spark of black wrap around her fingers before disappearing. She smiled, it was time to find some mortals.
Laurien arrives on Atok, thinking about how things went with Silver and she comes to some conclusions and what not, then starts to think of future plans. She stumbles across the SHEOL gateway after seeing a demon wandering about. Curiosity overcomes her and she steps through, and is instantly in pain. She sees a moon like Veradax, yet crawling in billions of demons.
She leaves the Sphere, and the demonic energies bond in her as she learns about ANZILLU and his plans. She gets up and walks off, ready to find some mortals for fun.
He stood before the door as the light of Heliopolis rose to touch his back. A shaking hand rested upon the door knob as anxiety welled up in his heart. Orvus was afraid. He did not know what his family thought of his disappearance, or how they would react to returning after ten long years. It felt like a lifeage and he was tired, so very tired. Perhaps that was what it felt like to be mortal. A perpetual tiredness, mixed with regret and sadness. He unwittingly caused the entire world harm, which it was probably still going through and Kalmar lay dying or dead… And it was all his fault. He had failed them all, every single o-
The door began to open, and he recoiled his hand. Then standing before him was a starry nebulite woman of purple and pink swirls. Her long hair, the same colors, glowed faintly. She wore simple clothing. Her eyes went wide as she recoiled, before bringing her hands up to cover her mouth and nose. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she whispered, “D-Daddy…?”
Something broke inside, as a flood of tears began to fall down his pale face. He began to nod his head.
”L-Lily…” he breathed desperately. She then embraced him and Orvus returned the hug, clinging to his daughter as they both cried. She had somehow grown taller than him, but only by a small amount, and yet this did not stop him from seeing her as his little girl. With happy tears, she pulled away and grabbed the sides of his face. “Where have you been?” she asked.
”The Moon…” he said, the memories of that place haunting him still. Abraxas cruel laughter mocked him, before he blinked again and smiled. ”When did you get so tall?”
She laughed at that, before hugging him again. “Oh dad… I missed you.” she whispered into his chest. Orvus hugged her tighter, before another voice could be heard, one that had pulled him through the torture.
”Lily? Who are you talkin-” Rowan said, standing at the far end of the hallway, now frozen. Slowly as she registered what she was seeing, the woman with mahogany hair began to cry as she rushed to Orvus. Lily was quick to leave him, before Rowan almost tackled him to the ground. It took the last of his strength to stand up, but he did and he clung onto her for life as they slipped to the floor.
She hugged him tightly for a long time, neither of them wanting the moment to end. But Rowan eventually pulled back as her cheeks were wet. ”Never again.” she shook her head. ”Never again am I letting you out of my sight.”
”I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Orvus cried, falling forward into her lap. ”I’ll never leave again, I promise.” He felt a hand gently caress his hair as he cried. “M-Mom?” came a child’s voice. Orvus brought his head up and looked past Rowan to see a golden figure. A boy, with black eyes and he knew he looked upon his son. He felt a greater sadness well up inside of him, at the fact that the boy had never known his father. But that would change.
”Doron.” Rowan said, also looking at him. ”I’d like you to meet your father.”
The boy blinked, an uncertain look came upon his face as he looked between his two parents. “My… Father?” he said after a moment.
”H-Hello, Doron. My son.” he said with a bit of pride in his voice. Doron took a step backwards, before turning around and running inside.
”Doron!” Rowan called after him, but it was too late, the boy was gone. She turned to Lily, who was already making her way inside. “I’m already on it, mom.”
”Thank you, dear.” she said, before turning back to Orvus, who stared at the empty door frame. He felt many emotions, none of them good, but chief among them was his failure of being the boy’s father.
Rowan pulled him back into a hug and said, ”It’s okay my love. He’ll come around, I know it. He needs his father as much as you need him.”
He clutched her shoulder and said, ”I hope so. I do. I’m such a failure Rowan. I should have seen what she was going to do, I should have helped her. I should have known. It’s all my fault.” he broke down again.
Rowan rocked him and said, ”No, it is not your fault. It is Laurien’s fault. She did this to you. To us. She didn’t have to, Orvus. She didn’t have to hurt you. That was her fault, not yours. But you’re here now, you came back to us.” she said, crying happy tears.
The rational part of his mind wanted to believe her, but something held him back… Guilt. ”O-Okay.” he lied to her. ”O-Okay.”
“DAD!” Came another voice, one similar to Lily’s. Orvus looked up and back to see Ava running at them on the path. Following close behind was Arya and another male, holding something in his hands. Ava quickly bounded up the steps and just like Rowan, attacked Orvus before he could react with a fierce hug. He returned it with a hard squeeze. “Where have you been, daddy?” she cried.
He said nothing but pat her on her back, finding the right words to be difficult anymore. Ava finally pulled away to look at him and smiled warmly, “I have someone that would like to meet you.” she said getting up and going over to the male, who stood with Arya on the porch now. She gave him a quick kiss on her cheek, before taking the bundle in his arms with care. Ava then went back over to them and bent down, revealing a tiny face with large white eyes staring back up at him.
“Meet Ellowyn, my daughter.” Ava cooed.
The baby smiled up at him, and suddenly he felt much better. ”She’s… She’s beautiful.” he breathed.
And somehow, surrounded by his loved ones, Orvus knew everything was going to be okay.
Orvus meets his family again, and some new faces. Short, but sweet.
Portfolio: Compassion; Arya has taken upon herself the mantle of compassion. From her earliest days, the girl has cared deeply for everyone and everything she has ever met, save a few individuals. She’s struggled, and learned many lessons as she’s lived her life and throughout it, she’s remained the same, caring person. With her new divinity, she has the power to help the world unlike ever before. Her concern and care for the wellbeing of others has become utmost paramount.
As such, she can influence and control the compassion within others, by granting blessings or curses in special cases. She can prevent wars, calm disputes, and share empathy through species. She can even bestow compassion on those heartless and cruel, usually showing them the error of their ways as they feel nothing but remorse for their actions. She can grant charity and warmth to those that require it, healing the wounds of the soul or counseling those that need a shoulder to cry on.
It is Arya’s own desire, to alleviate the distress and suffering of all others.
Persona: After spending a lifetime caring for the world and its inhabitants, Arya has become the living embodiment of Compassion. However, not much has changed. She is still very much the same as she was, just more inclined to help those in need, wherever and whoever they might be.
Portfolio: Desire. Laurien has complete mastery over desire. Starting from her earliest days and heavily influenced by Shengshi, Laurien has transcended to be the ultimate want. Every fiber of her new divine body drips with carnal delight, from the way she talks, to the way she looks, all of her to be craved deliciously. She wants to be yearned, by any and all, no matter what or who they might be and she will do anything to get them when she wants to.
She’s been around mortals and even immortals, long enough to know that sentience comes with the need for more. Goals to complete, ambitions to triumph over, lust of the flesh, and emotional needs fulfilled. There is always a desire to be used for her own purposes so she can fulfill her ultimate goal of being wanted by all.
This portfolio manifests by being able to enhance the existing desires that lie in the heart, to extreme levels of obsession, or by suppressing those desires. She also instinctively knows what deepest, darkest desires exist within mortal hearts and how best to fulfill them. She rewards those who serve her with blessings and gifts to quench their burning appetites, but in the end, there is always an itch for more.
Persona: Most of Laurien’s personality has remained the same, though one noticeable difference is that her darker traits have come to the surface. Most people she sees as objects that should desire her, but to those she actually cares about, she regards higher.
Appearance/Form: The Divinity that ran through her veins, warping her into desire, altered the form she was born into. As such, she can appear before an observant eye in the form of their greatest desire. Whether it be a loved one, a deceased friend, the perfect sexual partner or anything in between. As long as they desire something, she can become it. But, she can only take humanoid shapes and forms that exceed her in height, are a no go. If one has no desire, she is seen in her original form.
Her appearance changes are not truly there, in the physical sense of the word, but they can be interacted with through sight, smell, touch, taste and sound, relaying to the mind whatever they want their own senses to feel.
His soul, his memory, his personality… all had been restored. What had been lost, good or bad, he could remember almost as if it had happened yesterday. His behavior and thoughts throughout the past day felt almost like that of a completely different person, yet they had been his.
He thought back to his earlier interactions with Arya, and grimaced. He had been cold, hostile, and downright ungrateful. It was as if his head had been full of fog. He had been capable of neither empathy nor gratitude. He had seen her almost as an object. One that was only worth his time so long as she had something to offer him. Even when she had been injured, his concern had been more because he needed her father to restore his soul than because of any actual care for her wellbeing.
Was this how Laurien had viewed him? When she smiled, when she showed interest in his stories, when she offered him drink, when she answered his questions… had it all been a pretense? Had she only seen him as an object, to be used or destroyed depending on what was most convenient? And in the end she decided he was more useful to her dead than alive?
The thought made him shudder. To live a life like that, only seeing others as expendable…
And Arya… he owed her a lot. She had looked after him when he was injured. She had stayed with him when the rest of her people fled to a safer location. She had let him sleep on her bed, and where had she slept during that time - if at all? She had tried to help him, even after he snapped at her and was bitter toward her. He couldn’t help but feel guilty.
Shortly after he returned to the house, Karamir had noticed a piece of clothing discarded on a table. It was a dress, torn and bloodstained. It didn’t take a genius to deduce that it was what she used to cover his wounds until Shengshi arrived.
He had taken it. He had drawn upon raw mana, and did his best to mend the shreds back together again. Then he had called forth his skill in water mana, and with great effort had managed to wash out the bloodstains. That done, he had folded it, and left it on a table beside her bed. It was not the most efficient way to use his powers right now… but it helped him pass the time, and it helped ease his own mind somewhat.
After that he had patrolled the interior of her house. Every now and then he would hear a noise or seem some movement outside, and go to investigate, fearing that Vrog or some pigguts had decided to pursue them here. So far, there was nothing.
He sat down on a nearby chair and looked down at her, then cringed as he recalled his earlier words to her. He had told her he wanted to become a god… an objective he long since believed he was abandoned. She had thought it foolhardy, and rightly so. Now, what did she think of him because of it?
He’d have to explain himself when she woke up. Maybe she would understand. But how? Discussing his past before he left the Palace always made him feel uncomfortable. He took a deep breath. Maybe… if he practiced talking about it before she woke up… it would be easier to tell her when she was finally awake.
“Kalmar made me as an experiment…” he said aloud, his own voice sounding jarring in the otherwise silent house. “He had seen mortals like you, and Hermes, and wanted to know what it was like to make one of his own. His training was harsh, but I endured, hoping it meant something… only to be sent away and told to seek out my own purpose,” he shook his head. “I met a woman named Atalantia, but all she did was mock me. Then I met Phystene, but she couldn’t put my concerns to rest. I felt abandoned. I was alone. I didn’t know what to do.”
He breathed deep. “That is what first made me want to become a god. Anger, and bitterness. It was unlikely to succeed. Even at the time, I knew that. That didn’t matter. I needed something to keep going. I couldn’t have children, there weren’t any others of my kind, I was alone… it was all I could think of. I thought if I could get enough power, I would matter. I would have a place in the world… I’d be able to do what I want…”
It was like sprinting downhill: now that he had started, he couldn’t stop. “I wandered Kalgrun for years. Then I found a drained river, and while I was exploring it, it refilled itself. I was washed into the sea, and Diana saved me…”
He looked away from Arya now, staring at the wall. He had never talked about this before. Not in detail, at least. “I was on a raft with her for… I don’t know how long. She made it as uncomfortable and as miserable as possible. I itched, I sweated. She wouldn’t offer food or drink until I was on the brink of passing out. My sleep was plagued by constant nightmares. She once nearly drowned me just because I annoyed her, and only saved me when I began to panic. It was… it was horrible.” He felt a tear roll down his cheek.
“Then… we reached Dragon’s Foot. I could have left her, but… I stayed. I can’t explain it. Some part of me wanted her to like me, believed she cared. Another part was scared. If I left her I’d be alone again, this time in an unfamiliar land. So… I stayed. For years, and decades. I continued to endure all the pain, all the torment… there were times when I wanted to die. When I almost…” he shuddered, as tears began to flow more freely. “I held on only because I thought dying would make me a failure. I made myself numb to the world. I told myself I was used to it. It was the only way I could deal with it…”
It was odd, talking like this to someone who wasn’t even awake to hear him, about such painful memories too. Yet with each word it felt like some unseen burden was lifted off his shoulders.
“Eventually she brought me to Tendlepog. When we left, I saw her drop the orb. I didn’t say anything. I thought it was an accident, and I was relieved to see it gone. But… it seems now she had meant to drop it, and we saw where that led. Part of what just happened could be my fault…” he shook his head.
“We arrived at the Palace. K’nell was welcoming… at first. But soon it was made clear that I had only been allowed there because of Diana. He refused to answer my questions or help me get what I wanted - which was no longer godhood, but just knowledge. I could either stay with her, or go back out into the world… alone. I… I wasn’t sure what to do…”
Karamir wiped tears from his eyes. “And then I met you…”
”I… I had found a library in the Palace. It showed me some of what was out there. Good and bad. That was… that was part of why I was uncertain. But meeting you? You were proof. You helped me make up my mind. You helped me recover…”
”I’m glad.” Arya’s voice said weakly.
Karamir nearly jumped at the sound, and then, wordlessly, turned his head back to face her. Black tears streamed down her face as she sat up in bed. She looked tired, painfully so, but even through that pain, she still smiled softly.
”If you had stayed… I would never have gotten to see you in person.” she said softly.
”I’m… sorry for the way I acted toward you,” Karamir said, recovering from the shock. ”Are you alright?”
”It’s okay, Karamir.” she said, ”I’ll be fine… But… How did we get here? How did you recover? What happened to Vrog and those… things?”
”Vrog hit you, and you were knocked out,” Karamir said, his gaze shifting to the bruise on her head. ”I was about to get us both away from there, but then Abanoc and someone named Mnemosyne intervened. The fight stopped, but Vrog only agreed to leave after Abanoc told him which god K’nell was closest to - which was apparently Shengshi. He took the creatures with him, but I... think some might still be on the island,” he said, rising to his feet and stepping toward the window. ”As for Abanoc, we came back here. He repaired my soul, Mnemosyne restored my memories, and then they left.” He looked away from the window, and back to her. ”Oh, and the asteroids stopped falling some time ago.”
Arya’s face was blank by the time Karamir had stopped talking. She seemed to sink back into her pillows and sighed. ”He cursed me.” she said absentmindedly. ”I feel fine now… Besides a headache but… I really struggled when I fought him. Everything was so heavy and I felt so slow, and sick. How can I… How can I protect people if I can’t fight?” she said beginning to cry. ”How is any of this fair?”
Karamir crossed the distance between them and sat down on the bed next to her. Tentatively, he reached out to put an arm around her. ”I don’t know if anything is meant to be fair,” he said sadly. ”Things were so much simpler when we were at the Palace, weren’t they?”
Arya laid her head upon his chest. ”It’s gone.” she said simply.
”The Palace. K’nell. Diana. Hermes. Xiaoli. Tendlepog. Most of the Dreamers. They’re all gone.” she said forlornly. ”They left the world… K’nell took them all to Paradise.”
”Paradise?”
”A place of infinite possibilities, a place of peace away from the eyes of the other Gods. An alternative to the Pyres that no one save a few know, Shengshi being one of them. I take it that’s why Vrog was so interested in K’nell… He wanted to know where he went but he’ll never get there. He can’t.” she sighed.
”So that’s why the Dreamers kicked me out…” Karamir whispered, and then froze. ”Wait. What do you mean… an alternative to the Pyres?”
”Those that go to Heaven… Their mind remains there… Or something. I don’t know okay. He told me so long ago and I just don’t like thinking about it anymore. I can’t tell them about anything happening here. Why would they care? Why bother them with events they can never help with? They’re so happy…” she whispered.
”And nobody save a few know?” Karamir asked, still dwelling on that revelation. ”There’s an alternative to the Pyres, and it’s being kept secret?”
”Please… You can’t tell anyone, Karamir. Not yet. I can… I can teach you how to… Go there, if you want?” she said, her voice small.
”Not yet? When will other people be allowed to know?”
”I don’t know.”
Karamir looked at the ground, and took a slow, shuddering breath. In the time since K’nell had created this… alternative… and sent all his people there, how many people died? How many souls were burned in Katharsos’s pyres, or left to collect dust in Azura’s vault? Now there was an alternative, and it was being hoarded.
He was tempted to bring that up. Yet, Arya was distraught enough as is. She had likely considered that fact already, and if she hadn’t, then bringing it up would only make her feel worse. He ran a hand through her hair. ”You don’t need to tell me,” he decided. ”I won’t go. Not until there comes a day when everyone in Galbar has access to it.”
”But what if… What if that day never comes?” she asked.
Karamir shrugged. ”Maybe Azura will have found a solution of her own by then. Or maybe my soul will be burned in the Pyres. I can’t know for sure. I don’t even think K’nell would want me in this Paradise of his - he had the Dreamers kick me out of Tendlepog not too long after I left the Palace. But don’t worry about me. Whatever awaits me after death, I’m not afraid.”
”O-Okay… The Dreamers… I miss them. Why haven’t they come to say hello?” she said sleepily.
”I don’t know, Arya,” Karamir said. ”So… are you telling me that you had to keep this a secret for years… while leading and protecting this people… all on your own?”
”You have to do such things… When you become a leader.” she said, yawning.
”I should have taken your offer…” Karamir said. ”Maybe I could have helped you.”
There came no answer though, only the sound of steady breathing. She had fallen asleep. Gently, and reluctantly, Karamir laid her back down on the bed before rising to his feet. He was tired himself, but someone had to stay awake.
There were still monsters in the woods.
Arya woke up, a soft white glow illuminated the room. She rubbed her eyes and found the source, an orb of white floated at the end of her bed, as if watching her. She sat up, scooting her legs closer to her chest. The orb floated a little bit closer and though she had no idea what it was, she was strangely unafraid. Calm, even. A powerful feeling overcame her, a sense of pure longing and happiness washed into her as the light touched her skin. She outstretched her hand, a finger pointed as her eyes went wide. The orb floated closer, as her heart beat faster in anticipation. And as her finger touched the orb, she felt a spark of warmth, then the orb enveloped her like a gentle blanket. She felt warm, and so cozy, and then it faded into her skin.
Almost immediately, the cozy warmth became hot, unbearably hot. She began to sweat, and ripped the covers off her, as her head exploded in pain. She fell to the floor, clutching her head as her vision blurred. It felt as if her body was going to burst into flame. She screamed in pain, before a wave of nausea washed over her. She quickly got up on her hands and knees, before vomiting black blood.
In a flash, Karamir had flown up the stairs, and there was a thump as he slammed into the wall. He fell to his feet and nearly lost his footing, but managed to recover his balance, and then he saw her. ”Arya!” he yelled, running forward and dropping to his knees beside her. He placed a hand on her back, feeling the intense heat that radiated through her clothes. ”No, no, dammit. What do I do?” he asked nobody in particular, his voice edged with desperation.
Karamir’s cool touch was oddly comforting, and she focused on it, allowing herself to breath for once. Through her ragged breathing she said, ”You did nothing… I did something.” she said, throwing up more blood.
”How do I help you?” he asked, his voice no less urgent.
”C-cold… W-water.” she said weakly.
Karamir’s cloak then wrapped around her, and he pulled her close as they floated off the ground. He winced slightly, as he realized just how hot her skin had become, but the frostguard ring protected him from the worst of it. He went carefully first, maneuvering cautiously down the stairs, past her furniture - one unfortunate chair had already been knocked over on his way up - and out the door.
Then, as soon as they were outside, he accelerated. Their surroundings became a blur, then all of a sudden they were standing waist-deep in a stream of water. Karamir slid a ring of cold metal onto her finger, and then his cloak released her. Keeping a hand on her for steadiness, he then lowered her deeper into the water.
The ring soothed her, as well as the water, but the burning did not stop. ”L-Let go…” she said between breathes.
Karamir hesitated, and then released his grip on her.
Arya became submerged in the water, yet shallow as it was, she felt like she was sinking endlessly. The water began to bubble around her, and the water grew hot. Without the ring to protect him, Karamir had no choice but to step away as it began to burn his skin, and he began to regret letting go of her. ”Arya!” he called out.
‘Arya!’
It was a simple name, for a simple girl. But she was no longer the same Arya she had once been, so long ago coming into the world. She had grown up, and become who she was always supposed to be. A friend. A daughter. A sister. A companion. A sailor. A hero.
But there was so much more that she could attain. That she wanted to do and in that moment, the burning stopped. And with a powerful explosion of light, she erupted from the water and landed on the shore, breathing heavily. There was no more pain, no more aching, she no longer felt so angry and the sword’s influence… It was gone.
Karamir recoiled from the splash, his cloak wrapping around him to shield him from the boiling water. ”Arya!” he shouted again, and began wading toward her. ”Are you alright!?
She turned to him with a large smile and waded into the water as well. If it all it burned her, she couldn’t even tell. For she almost immediately hugged Karamir tightly. ”I’m fine! So, so fine. I feel wonderful actually.” she said giddily.
For a moment Karamir hugged her back, but then he pulled himself away, and looked at her oddly. ”What happened to you?” he asked in a worried voice.
”I don’t know.” she said thoughtfully. ”I woke up to see a white orb hovering above my bed. It’s presence filled me with… What I’m feeling now, actually. Huh. But then I touched it and it faded into my skin after enveloping me. My entire body started to burn and I threw up… Ew. But now… Now I feel fine.” she said happily.
”Are you sure?” he asked pressing a hand against her forehead. ”You lost a lot of blood.”
”Yeah, that was a little concerning, wasn’t it?” she said with a laugh.
”I thought you were dying…” he whispered with a shake of his head, before pulling her back in for a hug.
She returned his hug and then pulled back and said, ”I thought you were dying too. Look at us now.”
Karamir smiled. ”It seems Kalmar was right about one thing. Suffering has a way of making us stronger. Hey, I’d like to show you something…”
”Oh?” she said.
Karamir let go of her and glanced down at the water. ”Remember what I told you about mana?” he asked her, and then cupped a hand under the surface, before pulling it out. Instead of simply pouring out of his hand, the water formed into a round ball, which he now held before Arya. ”I… I wasn’t just talking madness. It exists. Do you still want to learn it?”
Her eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight and she let out an excited squeal. ”I never thought you were mad!” she said playfully, before poking the ball. ”I’d love to learn though!”
Karamir’s smile widened, and then he flicked the ball into her face.
The girl’s face went blank as she was splashed, and for a tense moment it looked like she was going to get angry, but then her lips turned into a smirk and she laughed, before shoving Karamir in what was meant to be a jest, but he was instead launched backward in an almost violent manner. He went under with a large splash, and did not come back up.
Arya at once recoiled and then rushed over to where he went under. And in that moment, something grabbed her legs, tripping her, and she too ended up underwater. Karamir resurfaced a moment later, with a smirk on his face, and waited for Arya to do the same. Yet, for some reason, she did not surface and with a keen eye, he could see her white glow swimming into a deeper section of the creek with ease.
Curious, he decided to wade in deeper to follow her.
Not a moment later, her head bobbed up out of the water in the middle of the deeper section. She had a concerned look on her face. ”This is going to sound weird but… I don’t need to breathe under the water. It’s like… It’s like I don’t need air. Even now… I want to breathe but it doesn’t feel necessary… And when I shoved you… I’m not that strong.”
Karamir froze, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. ”Maybe it was the orb…” he suggested. ”It must have done something to you. Where do you think it came from?”
”I’m not… I’m not sure, but I feel so… I feel so happy and strange. Like… Like I’m floating on a cloud.” she said, looking at her hands.
”Well, it’s good to see you happy again,” he said, remembering what she had been like at the Palace, ”But… just be careful. We don’t know how else it might have affected you.”
She tilted her head at him and gave him a warm smile, but her smile faded and turned into a small look of surprise. ”You… You care so much for me. I-I can tell. How can I tell?” she said blinking.
Karamir responded with an equally surprised look, his cheeks reddening slightly. ”W-well, you have always been kind to me, and I have been trying to repay you for it…”
”You… You say that like you’re only doing it because you have to… Do you really think that you have to repay me, Karamir?” she said, putting a hand over her mouth. Her eyes then went wider. ”But I know you’re doing it because you want to. It’s genuine...” she said, misty eyed.
Her words made him wince. ”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I… I’d still try to help you even if you hadn’t helped me, or at least I believe that I would. It’s just that…” he sighed. ”I’m no good at talking about this stuff, am I? I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Her hand dropped from her mouth as she blinked away white tears. She noticed the color change as it fell onto the ground, where it then shattered into small pieces. She stared at that for a moment before looking back at Karamir. "I don't blame you… This is a strange night, for the both of us. Come on, let's go back to the house." she said, pulling her leg out of the water and then beginning to walk on the surface.
Karamir stared in astonishment. ”Wait… how are…”
Arya turned to him with a confused look, ”Huh?” she said, before looking at herself. It was then she saw her feet were above the water, and it was the strangest feeling that there was. She looked back up at Karamir and said, ”D-Do you know who else can walk on water?”
”Kalmar, Fenris - that’s a creature Kalmar made - and D-Diana,” Karamir said, his voice growing shaky as his mind slowly reached a conclusion. But no… that couldn’t be possible, could it? ”Arya… when you say you know why I’m doing things… do you mean… can you actually sense my feelings?”
Arya felt herself pale, even though she was stark as white, and slowly nodded her head at Karamir. ”O-Orvus can walk on water… So can K’nell… Shengshi… Arae… The entire pantheon.” she said gulping, looking at her hands again.
”You’re stronger, you don’t need to breathe, you can sense other people’s feelings, you can walk on water…” Karamir stepped the water, turned to face her, then sank to his knees and closed his eyes.
Arya. Can you hear me?
She jumped at his voice. Then said, ”W-Why didn’t your mouth just move?”
His eyes opened. ”Because… I didn’t say anything.” Karamir took a deep breath as he stood back up. ”It was a prayer.”
”B-But only Gods can hear…” and it dawned upon her. The orb, her sudden condition, expelling her fluids, not needing to breath under water, her strength, her walking on water and her ability to hear his prayer- She had become divine. ”That’s not… That’s not possible… I can’t be a God.” she said
”There might be some other explanation…” Karamir suggested. ”But I can’t think of anything else. Maybe another god could confirm it?”
”C-Come on, let’s go back to the house.” she said, avoiding his question.
Karamir only nodded, and offered her his hand.
She took it, finding a small comfort in the gesture, as her thoughts ran amok in her head.
Karamir waits for Arya to wake up and in that time, he opens up about K’nell and Diana and how they treated him. Arya wakes up during this, but says nothing and then they finally talk about things and what happened between Vrog. Arya is happy to see Karamir back to normal, and she then tells him about Paradise and he’s like, “that’s troubling, but ok.” and then they move on and talk about other stuff before Arya falls asleep next to him.
Arya later wakes up, basked in a warm light. She finds the culprit to be a white orb, that drifts closer to her, but rather than be alarmed, she feels content. She then touches the orb, and it envelopes her before fading into her skin. All at once, she begins to burn up and starts to vomit her blood. Her screaming alarms Karamir who runs up to figure out what’s going on and sees her and he freaks out too. Arya then tells him to take her to water, and he does, leaving the house and out into a stream. Her body is burning so intensely that it physically hurts just to touch her, but he tries to help regardless. After a minute of holding her, he places her in the water and she submerges as the water begins to boil.
She has a moment, a reflective period in the water, before she bursts up and onto the shore, feeling fine. Karamir is skeptical at first but she assures him that she’s fine. They then play around and Arya shoves him really hard, way harder than she thought. She goes over and gets pulled under, but instead of surfacing right away she swims a bit before coming up and being like, “Yo I don’t need to breath under there.” and Karamir’s like, ‘yeah ok’.
Arya then sees how compassionate Karamir is, and tells him about it and he says something weird and she’s like, ‘really’ and then she walks on water and they put two and two together and figure out that she is divine now.
Summaries are hard.
(p.s. Arya is now a Demigoddess.) (P.s.s Arya has already been vetted by the GM’S and I have permission for this)
Laurien/Arya;
Starting 0MP & 4FP
Ending 0MP & 4FP
Karamir Beginning Prestige: 23 +1 for minor role +1 for major role +1 for collab Ending Prestige: 26
Laurien picked a room with a long view of the outside world. That night she had a restless sleep, her thoughts a jumbled mess of anxiety and worry and longing. Yet when she did finally fall asleep, she had a nightmare. In it she ran across the breaking ground, threatening to consume her as she was chased by a warped version of Arae. Her hand was outstretched at a figure in the far distance, with two smaller figures on either side. She knew she wanted them, she knew she needed them, but no matter how much she ran, she could never reach them. She felt as if her form kept shifting between the three, to be what they wanted to see. Silver saw her as her lover, while her children saw her as their mother and yet she was just Laurien.
She was angry at that fact and grew with a fury the likes of which she had never felt before. She tried to fly but couldn't. She tried to shout but her voice would only speak gibberish and in different languages and tones. Her anger turned to a burning sensation and she felt so hot. She needed Silver to soothe her. She needed her children to calm her.
But it was never meant to be, and at last the ground broke apart in front of her and the last thing she saw was Arae looking down at her with a devilish smile before a black orb consumed her entirely. The sensation was not a pleasant one and it felt as if she was swallowed up by it entirely as she grew hor. Almost as if she could burst into flames in the darkness where she could not see. Perhaps then it would have given her light.
She awoke with a start, breathing heavily as she lay in her sweat. The sun was just rising to caress the world in its gentle warmth but Laurien did not care about that. Instead she barely had time to sit up as she threw up her white blood all over the bed and herself. She was instantly horrified as she made her way into the wooden floor. She lay on the ground for a long time as her head pounded with such intensity, she felt as if it was going to explode.
And then as quickly as it came, it was over and she felt relief from the pain. In fact, there was no more pain. She felt oddly fine, even great. Perhaps it was the curse taking effect, did she need to leave so soon? With a sigh, she got up and made her way to the dresser, but paused to look at the bed. Hopefully Li'Kalla wouldn't mind. Before she could sit down at the dresser, she stared open eyed at the figure who looked back at her in the mirror.
It was Silver, wearing clothes far too big for her.
"Silver?" She said, but it was not her own voice that spoke. She heard Silver's and from her own mouth. She looked down at her skin and she saw the scars and faded cuts. Her chest grew warm as she gazed upon silver in the flesh again but it wasn't right and she began to panic. She felt her skin, ace and hair, trying to distinguish herself from Silver but it was no use. She had physically become her and perhaps the strangest thing of all, was that she wanted it.
But at the same time, she wasn't Silver. She was Laurien. Why did she look like Silver? What was going on?
"Li'Kalla!" She shouted, unable to move, her vision frozen in place in the mirror. The goddess would know what was going. So Laurien dod the only thing she could. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to wrestle her thoughts into place, thinking of the curse and how it might have played a part in this.
Yet it didn't work. The more she thought, the more she panicked and her breathing became quicker. When she opened her eyes again, Polyastera looked back at her, soliciting a small spark. It was the original Polly, not the monster she had become and Laurien let out a surprised gasp in Polly's voice. She shut her eyes again and tried to think of herself and once again opened them to another old face, Cassiopeia.
The flame headed nebulite blinked at her before she shut her eyes. A sudden jolt of pain in her stomach sent her crumpling to her hands and knees as she vomited more white blood. The hands holding her up, were her own.
The ornate door to her bedroom slammed against the wall with the handle bending beyond repair at the force of the impact. From behind the doors entered Li'Kalla in a hurried walk, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight of Laurien on her hands and knees on the floor, before shifting her gaze to the blood coated bed.
"Laurien?"
”S-Something’s wrong.” Laurien gasped. ”I… I… Can change… Forms?”
”Huh,” Li’Kalla tilted her head and went over to Laurien. The Goddess knelt down beside Laurien and caressed and patted her back, before taking a sniff of the air. ”I have one question, have you always smelled this Divine, Laurien?”
”Divin-?” Laurien began before her she did something strange. She saw an opening in Li’Kalla’s mind, a small gate and she went inside. She saw what Li'Kalla wanted most in a partner and her desire to be loved wholly by him. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she was seeing, and she quickly flung herself away from Li, leaving the Goddess sitting there alone with a hurt expression, hand outstretched for a moment before letting it fall onto her lap. The second she stopped caressing her, the connection was broken, but Laurien had learned enough. Another mystery, but what was not a mystery was the sudden desire she had for the Goddess before her.
”I...I’m sorry. Your touch is so… So nice and I know you don’t want… I’m just so hot and confused right now... Divine? What do you mean?” she asked softly.
Li’Kalla looked down at her lap and, after a moment, looked back up and brushed some hair out of her face, a slight blush on her otherwise pale face. ”You’re no longer a mortal or a Hero. You, are a step above that. Your soul irradiates the same intensity as that of my Son, Ya’Shuur.” Li’Kalla paused to observe Laurien’s reaction, who’s eyes went wide in disbelief, then continued, ”You’re a demigod.”
”W-What do you mean a demigod? I can’t be… How could I…? It’s not possible.” she said absentmindedly. ”But it is…” she said again, looking at Li’Kalla with intensity.
Li’Kalla frowned and looked away, her flawless white hair conveniently covering her face. She straightened her posture to perfection whether consciously or not and cleared her throat, ”Y-You just looked into my mind. I must ask, what did you see?”
She began to scoot closer, her heart beating faster. ”I didn't mean too, I swear it. But I saw… I saw what you wanted most Li’Kalla.” Laurien whispered. "I… I can't control this burning urge any longer… I'm sorry." she said shakily in a mix of excitement and sadness and she began to change again.
Li’Kalla glanced at Laurien through a gap in the wall that her hair made and her eyes widened and cheeks blushed. Her mouth fell agape and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to burst free at any moment as she sniffled back a sob. In that moment her posture broke down and she scooted up to Laurien and laid her hands on his new body.
Taller than her by a few inches, strong, muscular and agile looking, with a noticeably well-developed bone structure and ideal muscle insertions. He looked like his female self which Li’Kalla loved so much but couldn’t actually love, but in a male body.
She let out a breath of steamy mist and the room became warm and comfortable as Li’Kalla carefully placed her hands on the new Laurien’s chest while looking up into his eyes. ”M-My knight...”
“Yes… I'm here.” he said, his voice pleasant to her ears. He then leaned in and gave her a small kiss on her lips, before looking back at her. “I’ve wanted to do that for such a long time.” he smiled. "From the first moment I saw you… Because you're so perfect." Laurien said, letting himself channel his new divinity. It was a rush of power and excitement and his earlier fears and anxieties washed away. There was something about the whole thing, that just felt right. At long last, he was wanted and no matter the form, it felt good.
“P-perfect?” Li’Kalla’s voice cracked a little as she gingerly wrapped her arms around the male in front of her, ”You truly think so?” Li’Kalla’s voice was soft and small as she rubbed the side of her head against the male Nebulite’s chest, over his heart.
"Yes. Absolutely." He said, caressing her back. "You've always been and always will be."
Li’Kalla took a deep breath, kissed Laurien’s neck and gave it a sniff, and exhaled. Then she stood up and flapped her wings, blowing a gust of air on Laurien’s face, and all manner of bashfulness and elation left her, replaced by a pleased smile after she wiped away her tears, ”Ah, that felt great. This is enough for me, though. As a new demigod, I cannot simply mate with you right here, it must be an official affair with ceremonies and purification rituals in place. For now, let’s go test your new abilities. Aside from the one that shows me what I want to see and smell and touch, of course.”
The man blinked and frowned but said nothing as his form changed back into Laurien herself. ”I made it physical. I think I can change into anyone I desire too… But seeing your own mind… It allowed me to become exactly what you wanted.” she mused, then frowned. ”I can’t see what your desires are now though… I wonder why…” she said aloud before rubbing the back of her head. ”I… Um… I’m sorry about the mess.” she said sheepishly, looking around the room at all the blood.
Li’Kalla waved her hand dismissively and began walking out of the room. ”Do not think about it too much. It is natural you’d excrete copious amounts of mortal fluids after becoming a divine. There’s no reason to be ashamed.” Li’Kalla gave her wings a small flap again and she looked over her shoulder to confirm Laurien was following. ”We’ll be taking a bath now, as we cannot train and experiment with blood all over ourselves, can we? My faithful have crafted an exquisite fragrance for us. Do you like the scent of lavender?”
”Lavender?” Laurien said out loud. The smell unfamiliar, but at the same time sounding pleasant. ”I've never smelled it before, I’m afraid.”
”Oh, it’s lovely. It’s been my favorite scent for as long as I can remember. After all, I grew up next to-” Li’Kalla suddenly fell silent, but continued walking as if she’d said nothing, though the way she kept her wings stiffly half unfurled was anything but relaxed.
”Almost there,” She said after they went down the staircase and past the recreation room, and at the final, unassuming door, Li’Kalla stopped and turned toward Laurien. ”I’ve designed this room like a hot springs, like the ones you’d see in the western coast of Be’r-Jaz. It is much safer and cleaner, and the water has deep cleansing and relaxing properties, so please feel free to use it whenever. And do invite me, there is nothing quite like a chat in the mixed baths.” Li’Kalla said with a genuinely warm smile as she opened the door and gestured Laurien inside.
As soon as the door opened, a faint scent of sulfur reached Laurien’s nostrils, and then a luxurious mix of floral and natural scents made themselves apparent. Merely breathing in the air felt as if she was in a sanctuary, a sacred land that one could truly rest on.
As for the room itself, it looked like an open air hot spring, with the sky visible even though she knew for a fact there were rooms on the second floor just above them. The ground was soft, and a ring of boulders circled most of the large, clear hot spring. The water itself seemed to reflect water unnaturally, and emitted a soft white glow.
Li’Kalla smiled reassuringly at Laurien and nudged her inside, before walking in herself and closing the door.
”Well?”
”It’s beautiful.” Laurien said, taking in the fragrances. ”And the smell… It’s so lovely.” Without saying anything else, she took off her blood stained nightgown and set it to the side. She then hesitantly dipped a toe in the water. It felt… It felt nice. Not too hot, not too cold. She then began to submerge herself within it.
Li’Kalla watched Laurien intently, studying every inch of her body, before undressing herself and submerging in the water, where she continued to stare at her. After a few moments, she sighed.
”How are you?”
Laurien smiled sweetly at Li’Kalla. ”I’m doing good, I think. You are very kind, and I am very grateful for your help.” she said genuinely, relaxing in the pool.
The winged Goddess pursed her lips, ”You’re extremely mentally resilient, Laurien. Most mothers would be broken for months or years after being forced to leave their children behind in a world this dangerous. How do you manage?”
Color seemed to drain from her face as she remembered her children. She had… She had forgotten about them. She squirmed where she sat and then said, ”I… Um… Arae won’t hurt them. I know that. They’re probably as safe as they ever will be. And one day… I’ll get them back.” she said softly.
Li’Kalla smiled, ”You’re adorable, I love it when parents show their love for their offspring. It’s so refreshing.”
Laurien gave her a soft smile and then looked around. ”So, when do the servants come in?” she asked.
Li’Kalla tilted her head, ”Servants?” She asked as she scooted across the edge of the hot spring onto a small wooden table on which a clay pot lied. Li’Kalla dipped her finger into the pot and it came out coated in a green-ish paste which she then dipped into the hot spring. Immediately, the light scent of lavender filled the room. ”Servants and slaves are best used for important matters, not for pampering nobility. We can do this ourselves, can’t we?”
”Interesting ideology.” Laurien said. ”But we aren’t nobility, we are divinity. I know… Other gods have bathhouses with servants who will clean you. They love doing it, but I can respect your stance.” she said, beginning to scrub her arms.
”I can see why mortals would enjoy laying their hands on divines, however the fact that we are superior means we cannot become lax. I will clean my own body if I’m able to. I will tend to my needs if I’m able to, and then I will tend to my faithful’s. Taking time away from a mortal’s limited lifespan just to clean my body would be cruel, and also stain my body and threaten my purity.”
Laurien nodded. ”Very noble of you.” she sid, submerging her head under the water. After a moment she came back up, hair dripping wet. ”So… What exactly am I able to do now?”
Li’Kalla submerged as well and came back up completely soaked, then started messing around with her left-wing’s feathers. ”You can walk on water.”
”Oh? That could come in handy. What else?” she asked excitedly.
”You can also walk on air, with enough focus and time. Not to mention extreme levels of physical strength, speed, agility, an unlimited lifespan and a body that’s always in its prime (not including permanent injuries). And most likely some reality altering capabilities.” Li’Kalla shuddered a little and gasped as she touched the base of her primary feathers.
Laurien rose an eyebrow after nodding. ”Everything okay? Do you need help?” she asked softly.
Li’Kalla looked at Laurien and chuckled, ”Having someone else groom my wings would make it faster indeed. Do be careful around the roots of my feathers, though. They’re quite sensitive. And the base of my wings, too.” With that, Li’Kalla moved over to Laurien and sat down with her back facing the demi-goddess, and fully extended her wings, keeping her back straight.
As Laurien began to groom her wings, she said, ”You know, your wings are very pretty. Another perk of divinity huh?” she mused.
”Thank you. I like my wings a lot. If my memory is correct, the inspiration for them was Azura. You could have feathery wings as well if you wanted to, I could groom yours in return.”
”Maybe one day.” Laurien giggled. She took her time grooming the Goddess, taking great care not to be too rough. When she reached the base of her wings, she went slower, not to cause Li any unwanted pain. After a while, though, the Goddess let out a soft moan and stretched her wings as far as they’d go and scooted closer to Laurien.
”T-That feels really good.”
The demigoddess smirked from behind Li and did nothing but continue her grooming at the base. ”It’s the small things in life that give us the most pleasure.” she whispered in her ear after a while.
Li’Kalla gasped and shuddered, pressing herself up against Laurien and squirming. And then, an extra pair of hands began caressing Laurien’s back and shoulders. Soft, green hands followed by the rustling of leaves.
Laurien’s head shot up and she let go out Li’Kalla as she stood up and turned to see who had touched her. ”Wha-?” she said looking at the odd creature. It was a humanoid plant, with puffy round leaves for hair, a pair of black orbs for eyes, and soft features vaguely resembling Li’Kalla’s. Her lips were curled in a warm smile and her eyes were half-lidded. The plant female retracted her hands and crawled up to Laurien, taking a sniff of the demigoddess.
At this point, Li’Kalla, who was panting for breath, furled her wings and swam to the opposite side of the hot spring once more. ”L-Laurien,” She said, a blush present on her face and slightly disheveled hair from having rubbed the back of her head against Laurien, ”Meet Laven. She’s a foreas, a new sentient species. Unfortunately she cannot speak or hear and her sight is awful, but she’s got a good heart and likes physical contact with warm bodies.”
Laurien looked upon Laven with giddy joy as she realized how easily it was to read the desires of a mortal. The foreas had such simple wants, to be cuddled, to have her head patted, and to be outside under the sun. All, so easy to accomplish. Laurien touched the creature and was astounded at just how soft she was. She sat down at the edge of the spring and grabbed the plant’s hand, guiding it to sit down in her lap, which Laven happily did. There, Laurien began to pet the creature as she looked over it’s entire body.
”It wants nothing more then to have affection… Where on Galbar did it come from?” Laurien said, rubbing her cheek on to of the plant’s head, who simply hugged Laurien and pressed her face against the demigoddess’ chest, her leaves rustling excitedly. ”It’s so easy to just… Make her obsessed with it.” Laurien gushed, her voice dripping with wanton desire. Laven looked up at Laurien’s face needily, almost whimpering before turning and straddling Laurien’s lap. She grabbed Laurien’s hands and tried to put them on her soft, delicate body and head. Laurien did as what she wanted, enamored by the small being.
Laven seemed to shudder and twitch more and more with every caress, eventually twisting and turning her head until Laurien’s hand was on her face, then she bit gently on one of her fingers and teared up.
At that point, Li’Kalla cleared her throat. ”Do go easy on her, Laurien. I don’t think she can handle much more. ”
Laurien blinked and looked to Li’Kalla before looking at Laven, seeing the poor thing in such a state, it sent shivers down her spine. She then relaxed Laven’s desire to be loved, and she calmed down and fell asleep. Laurien then rubbed the creature’s head and looked to Li’Kalla again. ”Yes… Sorry about that.”
Li’Kalla shook her head, ”Do not worry about it, you were merely testing your capabilities. As for your earlier question, they come from the Eternal Tree to the west of here, near the natural hot springs.”
”I’ll have to go visit there sometime… These Foreas have potential.” she said, kissing Laven’s head.
”They sure do, as it was me who created them.” Li’Kalla said nonchalantly, scrubbing her body.
Laurien raised an eyebrow in surprise. ”If Laven is anything to go by, all they want is to be loved. How simple a need is that…” she said thoughtfully.
Li’Kalla blushed and perked up, ”D-Don’t go getting any ideas! N-Not all my creations reflect a part of me, okay?!” Li’Kalla huffed and crossed her arms.
Laurien smirked playfully. ”Who said anything about them reflecting a part of you?” she teased.
Li’kalla opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, and then she closed it and huffed again, turning to look somewhere else. ”I-I suppose we’re sufficiently clean now. Shall we move on?”
”Where to next?” she asked, standing up while also cradling Laven in her arms.
”The balcony. It’s a sunny day, which doesn’t come often, so we will sundry. Leave your clothes here, I will wash them for us later.” Li’Kalla said before stepping out of the hot spring and walking out of the door.
”Okay, that sounds lovely.” Laurien said, snuggling her cheek against Laven’s, the plant’s eyes fluttering open as soon as Laurien began following after Li’Kalla. Slowly, Laven began exploring Laurien’s body, her hands touching every surface they could reach.
The trio walked through a semi-hidden side door and went up a small staircase leading straight into the large balcony on the second floor. Li’Kalla immediately went to a sunbathing chair and laid down on it, stretching herself with a small moan of relief.
”In order to lay down on the chairs like I am you will likely need to alter their shape, Laurien. Manipulate the object’s composition and configuration with your inherent divine abilities.”
Laurien stared at the chair, pouring her thoughts into it and slowly she was able to see it for what it was, raw information. She then began to expand the chair, with a heavy grunt as she willed it to expand to fit her. It got a few feet taller, before she let out a frustrated sigh. But, Laurien then shifted her body, making it slightly smaller, and then sat down upon the chair, letting Laven lay on top of her. ”Will that get easier?” she asked.
”Maybe. Divines as creatures are vastly different from one another. Some may not even be able to achieve the level of creativity required for finer reality manipulation, but may be stronger in the usage of their range of other abilities. Personally, I’m not a combatant. I’m quite sure I’m physically the weakest among the Gods, but I can do things like this and recreate electricity within my own home.”
Laurien stroked Laven’s head as she listened, the foreas girl curling up into a ball on top of her. ”I see. Well, guess I’ll just have to find out what else I can do, in time.” she mused.
”Of course. I could probably make us both dry right now, but I find doing things like a mortal would to be more satisfying, don’t you think? Breathing, eating, sleeping...”
”I was mortal yesterday… It all feels so surreal. But yes, it is nice.” she lulled.
Silence fell upon them, but it was a comfortable silence, in which one could relax and watch the world move leisurely. And so they watched the Heliopolis slowly move through the skies and out of the corner of Laurien’s eyes, a small snake of fire could be seen, slithering towards her…
Laurien has a nightmare. In this nightmare, she’s trying to get to those who she cares for most, but they are always out of reach. She fails, and is consumed by a black orb. She wakes up in a really bad sweat, her body burning up and then she throws up her own blood. When she stops, she looks at herself in a mirror, but finds that Silver is looking back at her. Kinda wack, I know. She then begins to freak out, changing into Polyastera, and Cassie before throwing up her blood again. Li shows up and she’s like, woah, you smell divine and Laurien is like what?
Li touches Laurien, which allows her into her mind, mainly because Li had her defenses down (She cannot naturally peer into a God’s head, afterall) and then sees what she desires most. Laurien then turns into a male version of herself, and this prompts Li to have a moment before calming herself down.
The two then go take a bath because they are covered in blood. They have some wholesome chat in the bathroom before the Li’s foreas, who she named Laven shows up and Laurien can see what the plant desires most, and that is to be loved. So, she unintentionally enhances that desire and then begins to pet, and hug the small thing before Li tells her, “Hey she’s going to explode if you keep that up” and Laurien is like, “whoops” and suppresses that desire back to normal levels.
The girls then go sunbathe, and we end on the curse saying hello.
(p.s. Laurien is now a Demigoddess.) (P.s.s Laurien has already been vetted by the GM’S and I have permission for this)
The dark clouds above the Maelstrom loomed ominously in the air as Kalmar approached the churning water. He had sprinted across the ocean on foot and had now reached his destination. All the while, meteors had continued to fall, and all he could do was hope that those he was leaving behind could hold out until the crisis was stopped.
He had expected opposition, but so far there was none. There was nothing stopping him from simply flying up into the black clouds that would take him to Veradax, and that felt odd. Surely a gateway with a set location should have some sort of defense?
He stood upon the edge of the whirlpool, and stared up at the clouds for only a few moments, until a meteor struck the water nearby and sent up a colossal torrent of foam and spray. Every moment he wasted was another moment in which Galbar was assailed by meteors, and so he had to act. He flew upward, intent on passing through the gateway.
The moon loomed overhead as he ventured up, but slowly he began to realize that he was not alone after all. Tiny white motes flooded down through the gateway in droves of thousands. Outwardly, they looked harmless as could be, but his divine senses saw through this disguise and showed their true colors. They were capable of decaying souls.
Kalmar shook his head in disgust. Orvus had once claimed he wished to decay every soul in existence, and at the time it had seemed mad, but now? If these weren’t stopped, then such an outcome was entirely possible. He increased his speed. Ever careful to avoid the motes, he sped into the place where all things forgotten go, with a hollow sense of foreboding. The Gateway shot him out above the plains of grey dust, littered with remnants of fledgling societies. Broken stone, torn tents, and the hum of stellar decay fell before him.
In the far distance, a beam of light shot up into the air, and upon closer inspection- It was the motes. Where he would find answers, but closer, was a dimly lit fire, settled amidst ruins.
Smoothly, he pulled his bow from his shoulder and slid an arrow from his quiver, nocking it in place on the bow’s string. The arrow was well-made, fletched with the feathers of a Gardener and tipped with coldforged ice. Taking care to be aware of his surroundings, he advanced toward the fire.
It did not take him long to reach the ruins. It looked vaguely familiar, Azuran in design. Nestled in a small courtyard was the fire, just a piece of burning wood. More alarming were the figures who surrounded it. Perched above in the nooks and crannies of fallen pillars, were what was once gardeners. Now they had hollow, white eyes, their plumage was black and dotted with stars and they stared at him emptily. Surrounding the fire itself, were malnourished forms of the same color, but stood upon two feet. They turned to look at Kalmar as well, their faces and eyes, empty and black, arms outstretched to the flame, as if they were trying to feel something. Their ears… They were pointed.
He stopped, and he winced. Then anger filled his stomach, and he breathed deep. With a calmness he did not feel, he raised the bow, drew the string back, and released.
The arrow pierced straight through the chest of a gardener, but then Kalmar waved a finger and it changed course to the next one, then the next. They did not fight back, or try to flee and they never stopped staring. Once all the Gardeners had dropped, the arrow then moved on to the humanoid figures, striking them down one by one, before coming to a stop in the chest of the last. There was hardly any recognition for what it had witnessed.
“I’m sorry,” the Hunter whispered, nocking another arrow. Then he took flight and carried on. It was time to find the source. As he flew towards the beam, he noticed dotting across the land, many more figures, but there was no time to waste now and he sped on. Eventually, the beam was only noticeable by the faint white glow touching the sky, as a valley of mountains overtook the view. Conveniently, a passage between the mountains became clear as he approached. He could either fly over, or go through it.
Kalmar opted for the former, levitated himself higher, and continued on. He passed over the top of the peak after several moments, the beam becoming visible once more, but it’s source, still a mystery. He pressed on, the quietness a stark reminder of the nature of Spheres. The beam drew closer, and he could see the extent of the motes that were flooding into Galbar, they seemed to be legion, and at last, he found the source. Dipping down into the valley, he could see a black tree crackling with energy, impaled upon it… Was Orvus.
It was a gruesome fate. One that Kalmar would not even wish upon his worst enemy, which Orvus had once been. And now it was clear that Orvus was not behind this, for why would anyone, even he, subject themselves to such a thing? Kalmar couldn’t help but feel a shred of sympathy for the god he once wanted dead.
He set himself on the rocky ground, and walked forward. Orvus did not move. Nothing appeared to challenge him. He couldn’t help but feel like this was a trap, yet he could see the power being drawn from Orvus, and so he was the key to stopping this crisis. He came to a stop before the tree, and reached for Orvus’s legs, intending to pull the god loose.
Before he could touch Orvus, the god’s eyes shot open and he looked down upon the hunter. “You…” he began weakly. “Should… Run…” before he turned his attention behind Kalmar. Almost at the same time, there was the sound of something large landing behind him.
Kalmar nodded slowly. Then, with divine speed, he wheeled around and loosed an arrow.
The arrow distentagrated before a dark mass of smoke. Staring at him were only scarlet eyes, and then the laughter started. Hollow and empty, and fleeting like the wind. “Welcome to Veradax, Kalmar. You once made Orvus a promise. Have you come to complete it?” it said.
Kalmar said nothing. He cast his bow aside, and then, in his now empty hand, a blade of coldforged ice appeared, as he gave the Avatar a grim stare.
“No answer… Very well.” the Avatar said, as two blades of Orvium appeared in both of it’s hands. “I will get you to scream yet.” it said, before in an unbelievable burst of speed, was before Kalmar, bringing the blades down.
With unnatural speed of his own, Kalmar sidestepped the attack, allowing the twin swords to slam into the barren earth beside him. Before Abraxas could bring the weapons back up, Kalmar then stepped onto the Avatar’s wrist and launched himself upward at Abraxas’s face.
The avatar’s aura exploded around him, and from his face, came a beam of red energy right towards Kalmar. The God of the Hunt had no choice but to abandon his attack, darting to the left as he changed course mid-lunge. But the red beam still grazed his shoulder, and pain ripped through him. Still, he did not relent, and instead went for another attack, lunging toward the Avatar’s side.
It’s aura did not relent as it twisted to face him, but for some reason, the avatar did not go for a block, instead allowing Kalmar to stab him with the blade, as he laughed. In an instant, his aura constricted itself, before exploding outwards again.
Kalmar was flung backward. He willed himself to come to a stop, and then looked at the coldforged blade, which was now nothing more than a hilt with a broken blade. The rest of the sword remained embedded in Abraxas’s chest. He dropped the now useless weapon, pulled a fistful of coldforged arrows from his quiver, and then while veering to the side he began flinging them in a torrent, as if they were darts.
Several hit the avatar, and he stopped laughing, before he fired another beam of energy, destroying the rest as he targeted Kalmar again.
Kalmar dodged the blow, and then once again surged forward, the Knife of Friendship materializing in his hand as he attempted to plunge it into Abraxas’s chest.
The Avatar poised itself to attack the god, but at the last second, dropped both it’s blades and embraced Kalmar as he was stabbed, in a death grip. Despite the blade’s small size, Abraxas would still feel a painful sting, for it had been made to cut gods, and it drank at the Avatar’s ichor hungrily. Then it vanished, and there was another burst of pain next to the first wound. Kalmar was teleporting the knife from hand to hand and thrusting it into the god with blinding speed. Soon, there were dozens of wounds. All the while the Avatar’s aura attacked him, biting into divine flesh with ease.
The Avatar finally grunted and let go of the god, then flung itself backwards. It brought a hand to it’s chest, and looked upon it’s shadowy ichor that bled from the wounds. It then looked upon Kalmar intently.
Kalmar dropped to the ground, his breathing ragged, but he rose back up to his feet. “What do you think you’ll gain from any of this?” he asked in a low growl.
“Absolution.” the Avatar said, before leaning over placing a hand upon the ground. It looked at Kalmar, and then erupted from the lunar surface towards him like a comet.
Another Coldforged blade appeared in Kalmar’s hand, and the God of the Hunt leapt into the air above Abraxas’s head, swinging the sword in the Avatar’s path as it passed.
On a dime the avatar shot up to collide with the god, his speed blindingly fast. And collide he did, but not without another sword being rammed into his chest. Then, the Knife of Friendship reappeared in Kalmar’s hand, and the flurry of jabs began anew. But this time the avatar was prepared as it reeled from the new wound, it grabbed both of Kalmar’s arms and then swung him into the ground, his beam of energy whipping after Kalmar.
But before the beam could fire, Kalmar focused his Might, and his legs swung up to give the Avatar a mighty kick, with a force that was extraordinary even for a god. The shockwave of the blow kicked up dust and debris, as Abraxas was sent up and into the horizon.
With a groan, Kalmar rose to his feet and spat a glob of red ichor onto Veradax’s floor. He shifted his gaze to the tree where Orvus was impaled, and despite his aching bones began to run toward it. He pulled himself up the branches, then there was a flash of steel as the Knife appeared in his hand, and he began sawing through the branches which confined Orvus to the tree.
“Kalmar…” Orvus said weakly. “Thank… You…”
Kalmar said nothing, and with grim determination continued to saw, until at last the branch was cut and Orvus was falling to the ground.
The god fell, but the ground seemed to rise to meet him, and then brought him back down to the soil. He then reached for the tree, but was unable to reach it himself. “Kalmar… The… Tree…” he wheezed.
“How do I stop it?” Kalmar asked, landing next to him.
“Drag… Me…” he said weakly. And at those words, Kalmar reached under Orvus’s shoulders and pulled him closer to the tree. The god then placed his hand upon the bark, and it’s hum began to die down, until the last mote left the tree. It then stood eerily silent and Orvus began to heal slightly.
“It’s… Done…” he said exhausted.
“There’s still Abraxas to deal with,” Kalmar said. “Can you fight?”
“No. Not yet. Just be pre-” his words were cut off by a loud explosion. He pointed to see a large asteroid colliding with mountain overhead. Chunks of large rock began to fall in the clearing, threatening to crush them both. One such rock nearly landed on them both, but Kalmar caught it, groaning as the weight brought him to one knee. Only when the rest of the rocks had stopped falling did he throw it away.
And then the Avatar was on him, sending a punch at his jaw that seemed to cut the very air itself. Kalmar’s head snapped back, and teeth skittered across the ground. “Go!” he spat toward Orvus, as he rose to his feet and the Knife once again reappeared.
Orvus rose to his feet, holding his chest as his wounds began to heal up. The god stood defiantly, but did not run as Abraxas lashed out with his aura at Kalmar directly.
Kalmar retreated, leaping back just out of the aura’s range. The bow which he had previously cast aside lay nearby, and it flew to his hand. “Who… are you?” he coughed as he nocked an arrow.
“The end.” it spat, before whipping an arm around to send Orvus flying as it faced Kalmar again. Kalmar loosed the arrow, and just as quickly had another nocked, as he began to release his remaining projectiles at a rapid speed.
The first arrow turned to ash before the aura of the avatar, but the second and third hit in the upper chest and this time, it did not shrug off the attacks. It tumbled once, then twice, before using that momentum to rocket itself at Kalmar, a fist raised high to strike him.
It was then that Kalmar took notice of an item lying between them, and he rushed forward to meet the attack, only to drop low and slide at the last possible point. Time almost seemed to slow, as his hand closed around one of the orvium blades that Abraxas had discarded, and then thrust it upward to shear through the passing Avatar.
There was a terrible silence, before the thing roared in agony as it’s body slid across the lunar surface. It lay still for a moment, before trying to move itself, but there was only an attempt made in vain. Orvus finally sat up from where had been discarded and looked on at his avatar with a sense of relief.
Kalmar, however, did not believe the threat was over. Shouldering his bow, and reversing his grip on the sword, he leapt toward the Avatar, intent on plunging the blade through the back of Abraxas’s skull.
In the middle of his jump, the avatar did something unexpected. It twisted its head around to see Kalmar, a dark vigil upon it’s smokey face, and in that moment, the sword he had been holding, exploded. Orvus began to yell.
Kalmar had no choice but to close his eyes, as his face and arm were assailed by jagged shards of black metal, which cut at his flesh. Only one eye had been blinded, but by the time he opened the other one he was nearly upon the Avatar... and he had no weapon.
By that time, the avatar had risen again, and grabbed Kalmar by the throat, slamming him into the ground, over and over again. Deep craters were left in the ground, but each time there was less of a blow. Kalmar attempted to call the Knife back to his right hand, only to realize he no longer had one.
Something dark and fast whipped into view, slamming into the avatar. It dropped Kalmar to balance itself, as it turned to face Orvus. But the avatar simply laughed. “Please!” it grumbled as it threw a punch at Orvus, only for the god to catch it. But then Abraxas brought his other hand up, slamming into Orvus’ underside and the God flew a ways with such force, he left a trail of broken rock as he came to a halt.
The avatar then turned to face Kalmar again, and he went to pick him up. A familiar glint of metal appeared in Kalmar’s remaining hand, and the Hunter lashed out at the approaching arm.
He found his mark, right in the palm of the avatar. The thing recoiled and growled, then began a barrage of stomps and punches down into the crater that Kalmar was in. He did his best to fend them off, cutting and blocking, but he only had so many hands. Then one stomp pinned his wrist. Kalmar attempted to kick the Avatar off of him once more, but could no longer muster the energy. With a yell of frustration, he attempted to sink his remaining teeth into the Avatar’s ankle.
His teeth found their mark, and so to did the avatar’s aura, which began to flow into Kalmar. Kalmar continued to resist, biting harder, attempting to pull his hand free, and even resorting to punching with his bleeding stump. He was not sure how long it went on, but as time passed and the pain increased, his efforts became weaker and weaker.
The avatar finally shook him free and with a grunt, pinned his arms to his chest as he picked him up and squeezed. He then climbed out of the crater and made his way to the Mar Tree. “I will admit… You put up a fight… But in the end… I am inevitable,” the avatar breathed. ”And now… You… Will… Die.”
It came to a stop, and then wrenched it’s arm back, before plunging Kalmar forward upon a branch of the Mar Tree. A scream was torn from Kalmar’s lips as the black branch burst through his chest. Even then, Kalmar did not give up, grabbing the branch and attempting to pull himself free, inch by agonizing inch.
The avatar then drew in close, headbutting Kalmar before grabbing his throat. “Your ichor… Is mine,” it said, before the avatar opened his mouth, and began to pull Kalmar’s divinity into himself.
The sight of the world before Arae after exiting the Dragon’s Crown left her in a shocked silence. Meteors raining from the sky, and strange white motes that seemed to harbor a dangerous element within them. More importantly, though, was that Arae could sense Orvus’ divine energy within them. Arae’s worst suspicions were starting to become reality. That new entity that had come from him, Abraxas, was most likely the cause. If that was the case, then he had to be stopped. Arae shot towards the direction of the Maelstrom, intending to go there and put a stop to it. With any luck, the other gods would not sit back and let Galbar be destroyed either.
When Arae reached the Maelstrom, she found it odd that it seemed strangely calm. She had vague memories of it being fiercer than this when she had gone through it last time, and hoped that it wasn’t a bad sign. But then the storm spoke, and the reason for its calm became clear.
“Arae.”
Two orbs of lightning and a face of cloud appeared before the draconic goddess, a calm in the storm surrounding her as she flew deeper. There were also no motes within the calm. “Do you also seek Orvus to cease this desolation?”
Arae recognized this divine energy, at least by what her senses were telling her. “Ashalla! Glad to see I’m not the only one here,” Arae exclaimed with pleased surprise. “But it’s not Orvus that’s doing this, at least not directly. There’s a being called Abraxas that’s using Orvus’ power. I couldn’t find much else about this being, but he’s definitely intent on causing chaos in Galbar. Kalmar’s inside fighting him now; we should aid him as soon as we can.”
“Kalmar?” There was a pause. “Yes, I can taste his trail. If Kalmar is fighting this… Abraxas, then we had better make haste.”
The wind carried Arae faster. The clouds of the storm grew darker until they were almost pitch black, with flashes of scarlet occasionally illuminating the clouds. They soon reached the centre of the storm, Veradax looming overhead in the eye of the storm. They flew upwards, and suddenly they were no longer gazing up at Veradax, but up at Galbar. Around the two goddesses stretched out an endless plain of grey dust.
From the Gateway behind Arae poured out dark clouds. A storm of titanic proportions poured into Galbar, weighed down heavily by water. The storm spoke, “A being using Orvus’ power - likely an Avatar. This makes sense. Abraxas would share Orvus’ essence, which would explain why I could not sense any other divine trails where Orvus had been wounded.”
Arae grimaced. Short of another god, an Avatar was about the worst thing a god could face. This would not be easy, but hopefully with three divine beings, they would defeat Abraxas. “This way,” Arae said, following Kalmar’s familial trail. From this direction also flowed a stream of corruptive motes.
As the goddesses flew, Arae could spot below the remains of the fallen Vallamir. From the looks of their wounds, it seemed like Kalmar was their slayer. It pained Arae to see them in such a state, but could tell it had to be done. In any case, there was no time for grief right now. She returned her focus on the task ahead and continued onwards.
The billowing storm which was Ashalla trailed behind Arae, squalls flitting about her form. There was a rumble, then Ashalla asked, “Are you aware that Orvus had been grievously wounded some time ago?”
“...Yes,” Arae said dejectedly. “I did.” She did not know what to say after that, and any excuse would sound hollow.
“Do you think Abraxas inflicted the wounds?” Ashalla asked.
Arae glanced at Ashalla, then back in front of her before answering, “No. The one who did that was Laurien, Orvus’ daughter. Her attack was most likely what caused Abraxas to be born.”
There was a peal of thunder and the great cloud trembled. “A mortal wounded Orvus?!” roared Ashalla’s voice like nature’s wrath.
“I visited Laurien not too long ago, and found a blade at her side, likely forged with Orvus’ power,” Arae explained. “I guessed it to be the weapon that wounded him, and cursed it appropriately. Laurien has been given her punishment, and all I can hope for her now is that she finds peace of mind and forgiveness at the end of her journey.”
“She still lives? I would have destroyed her for such blasphemy.” There was a huff. “No matter. Laurien has been punished for her hubris. Neither she nor another mortal shall underestimate the gods, if your punishment was adequate.”
Arae was about to say something when a scream pierced the air. Arae’s eyes widened, fearing the worst: that Kalmar had fallen. “The time for discussion is over,” Arae said, trying to fly even faster. It wasn’t long before they reached the Mar Tree, and what they found only confirmed what she had suspected. Impaled on an orvium branch was Kalmar, mutilated and bleeding. His head was slumped, he did not seem to be awake, and his weakened aura was the only indication that he was even still alive. In front of Kalmar stood an imposing figure of writhing black shadows and crackling scarlet energy, Kalmar’s ichor being sucked into his maw.
“No… NO!” Arae exclaimed, her mind consumed by rage as she flew just above Kalmar and Abraxas before dropping down towards them. She opened her mouth and unleashed a stream of fire, directed right at Abraxas.
In a flash, the avatar flew backwards and away from the flame. As he did so, his wounds began to close and another laugh ripped through the air. "Have you come to die as well?"
A searing white flash engulfed the scene as a bolt of lightning arced from the great storm which was Ashalla to Abraxas with an explosive CRACK. “Cease, Abraxas,” commanded the thunder.
Abraxas was flung backwards and grumbled something unintelligible before pulling himself to his feet with a snarl. "I was wondering if you would show up, Ashalla," and then with a pull of his arms, a great storm of scarlet lightning came to confront her.
Ashalla billowed forwards and reached out with a limb of cloud. The desolate lightning arced to her form, but when she seized the storm it twisted and contorted under her will. Then another bolt of bright white lightning struck down at Abraxas, followed by the scarlet electricity of Abraxas’ storm following the new path to earth.
The avatar was struck and howled with pain before being flung out of the way and into the side of the mountain walls. Stone and dust rose from the crater. Before it could settle, a beam of red energy struck forth and into the storm that was Ashalla. The beam penetrated deep into her clouds, and while it surely did some harm Ashalla did not express it. Out from the clouds, above the beam, flew a large chunk of ice, hurtling in an arc at Abraxas.
With a resounding crack the ice hit, and shattered against the rock wall, its target missed as the Avatar used his speed to dive forward. Then he slammed a fist into the ground and all across the valley floor, small spikes of orvium rose from the ground, then were cast into the storm cloud, where each one exploded. The explosions thundered through the cloud. Rapidly the cloud contracted inwards, retreating from the spikes, and condensed into an enormous globe of water directly above Abraxas. Lightning arced down at the Avatar as Ashalla fell.
The lightning hit its mark and the Avatar lit up as he was electrocuted, but he did not fall to his knees. The base of Ashalla froze into a broad icy spike moments before crashing down on Abraxas with her titanic weight. The Avatar was crushed within a blink of an eye. No sound came forth from under Ashalla, but the aura of Desolation exploded forth. Ice was disintegrated around Abraxas, but more spikes of ice shot out within the new void aiming to run the Avatar through. It became a battle of wills, as both pushed themselves harder to avoid the damage the other would cause.
While Ashalla battled the avatar Abraxas, Arae had turned her attention to Kalmar. She had pulled away from the fight, her rage dissipated after getting Abraxas away from Kalmar, and was now looking over him with concern. “Kalmar?” Arae asked as she pulled him off of the Mar Tree, laying him down on the ground. “Kalmar, speak to me. Are you alright?” She summoned a few flames of the hearth, having them circle Kalmar in an attempt to accelerate his healing. Strong squalls threatened to blow them out, so Arae coiled her body around Kalmar to keep them protected.
Kalmar only offered vague, unintelligible mutterings in response. The bleeding stopped, and most of his wounds were sealed. His body, however, remained limp. His arm was still a stump, and his right eye was still blinded. He had lost too much ichor, and his soul was badly damaged. All the hearth flames could do was stop him from declining further.
Arae’s healing was too weak, and she knew that. Kalmar would not recover from such a meager attempt, not from this level of damage. Her mind raced furiously as she tried to figure out what to do. She wasn’t sure how long Ashalla could keep Abraxas at bay, and she doubted she herself would fare any better. They would need the aid of another of their siblings.
An idea sprang to mind. Orvus! If he was still around, then surely he would aid them. After a cursory look around, Arae managed to spot his familial trail, which led to the sight of his body partially buried in a pile of rocks. He didn’t appear to be moving either, which meant he would need aid as well. Arae looked back at Kalmar, then at the hearth flames that were stabilizing his condition. Arae concentrated, condensing them together and molding a stone pit to place the resulting ball of fire into. Hopefully, it would be enough of a defense from the winds.
Arae uncoiled herself and launched herself towards Orvus, flying over to him as quick as she could. Once she had landed, Arae gave him a quick look over and determined that he was not too injured. At the very least, it wasn’t at the critical condition Kalmar was in. Arae swept away the rocks and lifted Orvus up, placing him on her back. Then she proceeded to fly him back to the campfire and placed him nearby, where he could more easily recover. “Orvus, we need you. Please wake up,” Arae gently urged Orvus as she patted his face a few times, hoping he could hear her. The winds continued to buffet their location, but Arae continued to endure. The flames flickered under the winds as well, but continued to burn.
The god’s eyes slowly opened, and Orvus looked about in a daze, his eyes settling upon Abraxas and Ashalla fighting, and then to Arae and finally to Kalmar. A pained look fell across his eyes as he tried to stand, but only managed to sit up. “Kalmar... “ he said before looking at Arae, “I’m sorry… This is all my fault.”
“...Just recover for now. We can talk about that later.” Arae said, conflicted. Now that Arae could get a proper examination of Abraxas in relative safety, she could see things about him that were hidden from Spekatha. Abraxas was a malevolent being. He cared naught for the variety of life that filled Galbar, and seemed more interested in causing… well, desolation, the very trait that Orvus rejected from himself. Arae could not say that it wasn’t Orvus’ fault because she wasn’t sure if that was true. “You need to get your strength back so we can subdue Abraxas.”
Orvus shook his head. “There will be no subduing this hate, Arae. I have lived long enough to see my evil come full circle and I say… No more. An avatar is but an extension of the god who made it, willingly or not… Remove the god… And what is left? For Kalmar’s sake… For Galbar’s sake… Godhood… Does not suit me.” he said, standing to his feet. “I know what I have to do…” he said.
“Orvus…” Arae said, wanting to dissuade him from his choice, but knowing that his mind was made up and that there was nothing she could do. Reluctantly, she allowed him to pass.
As Orvus approached the two battling divinities, he struggled in the wind of the battle. Abraxas had finally managed to pull himself free from Ashalla, and in a blink he was skyborn, with an Orvium blade in his hand. His eyes glowed like scarlet coals as he watched Ashalla. From behind him came many objects in the far distance. Abraxas then flew at Ashalla, as fast as he could go, over and over again, cutting and slicing her watery form, as shallow as those cuts were. Ashalla shot a lightning bolt at Abraxas, but he outraced the lightning leaders. As Abraxas approached another time, clouds suddenly billowed out from her and shrouded her form. The clouds provided no resistance to Abraxas’ charge, but then suddenly out of the cloud loomed a solid wall of ice directly in Abraxas’ path.
He stabbed the wall with the sword, then used his momentum to push off and as he did, looked back and sent from his maw a beam of energy. It did not not hit the wall, but the sword, which then promptly exploded in a great inferno of destruction. The ice shattered, and was promptly absorbed back into the storm.
Unbeknownst to the two fighting, Orvus was sent flying back a ways by the explosion and realized he could not get any closer. He sank to his knees, and outstretched his hands on either of his sides.
The storm cloud which was Ashalla had expanded considerably around Abraxas, and the Avatar found himself flying through a flurry of sharp and heavy shards of ice. As the avatar was assaulted by the ice, it screamed in pain.
It was then that the meteors arrived, pelting Ashalla as they came down in fiery explosions. Most were tinged with orvium. Ashalla looked up at the incoming projectiles, then rapidly contracted and froze into a hard dome of ice flush with the ground. The explosions around her washed over her and debris scattered off her.
In those moments when Ashalla had receded, the legion of squalls which had formed from the energies of their battle closed in on Abraxas. The squalls swarmed the avatar, before he quickly exploded into a smoky ball of destruction. Those who were about him were snuffed out of existence, and then the avatar mutated some of the squalls, who then began to attack their brethren while the largest of asteroids hurtled towards Ashalla.
Ashalla knew her current defence would not hold up to a direct strike. In an instant she melted and flooded across the lunar surface like torrential rapids, evading the asteroids as they slammed into Veradax, and drawing closer to Abraxas. There was a flash of white in what could have been watery eyes, and a bolt of lightning arced between the squall-storms, Abraxas and the ground. The Avatar flew up instantly, then opened his maw to attack Ashalla, a beam of scarlet searing her form.
Meanwhile, between the squabbling of storms, Orvus sighed. A tear, like so long ago, fell upon the lunar surface and in that moment he thrust both his hands into his healing wound, and pulled it open. There was a scream from Abraxas, who then went ballistic and charged towards Orvus. Yet Ashalla would not let the Avatar. Ashalla reared up in front of Abaraxas, an imposing wall of dark clouds and floating hunks of ice. Abraxas tried to force his way through Ashalla to get to Orvus, but lightning crackled at Abraxas nearly continuously and a mighty pseudopod lashed out at Abraxas to engulf him. The Avatar roared defiantly as he was overcome, water pouring into the pseudopod faster than Abraxas’ aura could destroy it. Then Orvus expelled from his body a mass of black and white swirls that shot off instantly into the void. The God, now mortal, fell upon his back and looked up into the sky as Veradax began to calm.
Within her pseudopod, Ashalla felt Abraxas’ desolate aura falter. The Avatar thrashed futilely against her divine strength. Two orbs of lightning in the storm stared down at Abraxas, and a voice like thunder decreed “Cease.”
The pseudopod froze around Abraxas and crystallised into multiple spikes which skewered Abraxas from all angles with a sickening squelch, spraying out dark ichor. The frozen end of the pseudopod dropped to the ground and shattered, leaving the mutilated corpse to lie in the dust.
The ice and water dissipated into the cloud, which was noticeably smaller and lighter than it had been when she arrived on Veradax. Ashalla billowed over to where Orvus lay. Rain fell about Orvus, and the rain asked, “You sacrificed your divinity. Why?”
He looked up at Ashalla as his blood flowed again. Weakly he murmured, "Ashalla… I am tired of this… I don't… I don't think you… Will ever truly understand… And that's okay..."
Ashalla huffed. Then a pseudopod reached down from the cloud, wrapped around Orvus and picked him up gently. Ice froze around Orvus’ wounds, slowing the flow of blood - not ichor. She carried Orvus over to Arae’s fire and laid him down beside it.
"Home… Please…" he said softly.
Arae walked over to Orvus, returning to her human form and placing his head on her lap. “Orvus… you fool,” Arae said, concerned more than ever about his well-being. Arae wasn’t sure how long the ice on his body would hold back the blood, but she couldn’t imagine it would enough to heal him.
Arae concentrated, dipping into her reserve pool of energy. She held her hands just above Orvus’ chest, pouring energy into it. The ice began to melt, and the resulting water was pushed out as the wound began to fill itself and close up. Soon, the wound was gone, leaving behind a scar. “There,” Arae sighed. “You’ll be fine now, Orvus, though I still recommend you rest up and recover properly. I only healed your wound, not your blood loss.”
A look of relief washed over Orvus as he sat up. "Thank you, Arae." he sighed, then looked to Kalmar. "What of him? Will he make it?"
“I don’t know,” Arae sadly shook her head. “It is one thing to heal your wounds and stop the bleeding, but Kalmar’s injuries are something else entirely. They’re beyond my capability to heal. I don’t know if he can recover from this, if it’s even possible at all.”
"No…" he said sadly. "This is all my fault. If I had just seen that she was in distress…" his voice faltered and went silent.
"We need to get to the Eye." he finally said.
“The Eye?” Arae blinked. “What will we find there?”
"My family… They should still be there, right?" he asked, looking to Arae.
“I suppose we shall find out,” Arae said, transforming back into her dragon form. “Get on, and put Kalmar on my back as well. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
A pseudopod reached down from the cloud which was Ashalla and wrapped around Kalmar. A thick layer of ice froze around Kalmar, chilling Kalmar’s body. Ashalla picked up the frozen Kalmar and put him on Arae’s back. “That will preserve him for your journey.”
Orvus climbed up on Arae’s back, near the front and to where he could steady the Kalmar’s body. Orvus then looked to Ashalla. “Thank you, for everything.” he said forlornly.
“You are welcome, Orvus,” said a voice like a river.
As Arae took off, flying back towards the Gateway, Ashalla cast her gaze upwards to look upon the blue and green orb which was Galbar. Occasional lines of fire streaked through its atmosphere, and the desperate prayers of terrified mortals rose up to the gods. Although Abraxas was dead, his plans for desolation were not over.
Something else was on its way to Galbar as well. The divine power that was Orvus was in a battle. The white swirls wanted nothing more than to be whole with its other half, but the dark swirls only wanted one thing, and that was freedom. So they struggled, and fought in the depths of space until they tumbled into the great Blue. It was there, at the top of the world, they split into two orbs. One of white, the other of dark. They looked at each other one last time, before going their separate ways.
The end… Was only the beginning.
Kalmar goes to Veradax. He finds some Forgotten Elves and Parrots, then kills them. He then goes to the Mar tree and finds Orvus in a tree. Abraxas shows up and they fight and wail on each other. Kalmar eventually yeets Abraxas away so he can get Orvus free and succeeds, allowing Orvus to turn the tree off. Abraxas then comes back and sucker punches Kalmar in the face. They fight again and it looks like Kalmar is going to have the upper hand but Abraxas manages to wound him severely. He then beats him up and Orvus tries to help but gets swatted away. Abraxas then pins Kalmar to the Mar Tree and starts to consume his ichor.
Arae and Ashalla show up, they talk for a bit and then hear Kalmar’s scream. Arae uses fireblast, but it isn’t very effective. Then Abraxas and Ashalla fight as Arae tries to heal Kalmar and Orvus. The battle between the two is matched and Orvus decides to do the Sacrifice play. He then gets rid of his divinity and it disappears, allowing Ashalla to end Abraxas for good. They all regroup and Arae heals Orvus, but lacks the power to heal Kalmar. Arae, Orvus and Kalmar then head for the Eye of Desolation.
Though Abraxas is dead, his forces still wreak utter havoc upon Galbar. It’s not over yet.
Kalmar Beginning MP: 1 Beginning FP: 1
Expenditures -1MP (discounted to 0 via Hunting portfolio) to mercy-kill the soul-decayed Vallamir and Gardeners. -1MP (discounted to 0 via Cold portfolio) to generate two coldforged swords. -1MP to yeet Abraxas across the horizon.
Ending MP: 0 Ending FP: 1
Ashalla 0 MP (Oceans/Storms Discount, Water Enhanced) to bulk up before heading through the Maelstrom.
Arae Beginning MP: 9 Beginning FP: 16
-1MP (discounted to 0 via Hearth portfolio) to create a healing campfire. -1MP to heal Orvus’ gaping chest wound.
Final MP: 8 Final FP: 16
Orvus/Abraxas -1MP(Discounted by Desolation) To create an Orvium blade. It got destroyed. -1MP(Discounted by Desolation) To create an Orvium blade. It got destroyed.
She knelt in front of a puddle, staring down at her reflection. The person who gazed back up at her, was someone only vaguely familiar. She felt broken and lost and afraid. Leaving her children behind… Was like leaving a piece of her soul behind. They grounded her, they made her feel loved and she loved them so much… But for their own safety, she had to leave them. She had to. It was the only way, even if it felt wrong.
She felt so tired. Even more so than ever before. She had flown for a day, crossing into the shrubland of the deserts edge, watching as the world around her came crashing down. She realized, after the meteors didn’t stop, that Abraxas was the culprit. Who else would it have been? No… He was trying to destroy the world. Yet she couldn’t find it in her to care about that. All she could do was run… Just like Arae had wanted.
Arae. The family goddess, who tore families apart. It was ironic.
But Arae was only one god who she was mad at. It all came back to Li’Kalla.
Li’Kalla had opened the oldest wound she had, and because of that, she sought validation for everything after. It was not, she realized, her fault. But the Goddesses. Yet she still… She still wanted to be loved by her. She didn’t know why.
And as she wandered through the shrubland, the sun beating down upon her, she thought of Li only and Silver.
Hours passed. At noon, when the heliopolis was at its strongest, a lonely, pure white cloud passed overhead and shielded Laurien from the blinding, burning light. There, from a crack in the cloud, a figure erupted. Steam trailed behind it beautifully, turning into drops of water that reflected small rainbow halos each. The figure approached, flapping its great white wings gracefully.
Laurien froze.
As the figure landed a few meters in front of Laurien, there was no mistaking her. The beautiful Goddess Li’Kalla was there, looking at her with icy gray eyes.
Slowly her expression went from anger to sadness as Laurien fell to her knees before the Goddess, exhausted as she was. She looked up at her with tears beginning to flow. ”W-Why are you here…? I-I didn’t pray…” she said in a shaky voice.
Li’Kalla looked at the cloudy sky above them, then back down at Laurien and sighed, closing her eyes. With her eyes still closed, the Goddess walked up to Laurien, knelt down in front of her and embraced her in a gentle hug. After a short moment, she patted the back of Laurien’s head and guided her face onto her shoulder. “There, there.”
The sudden display of affection was something Laurien did not think would ever be possible, but she did not push the Goddess away, nor make any attempt to fight. She simply let herself be held as she cried. Eventually she asked, ”A-Are you going to p-punish me too?”
”Why would I, Laurien?” Li’Kalla asked softly.
”Because I stabbed Orvus.” she whispered.
”Ah,” Li’Kalla leaned back and broke the embrace, ”Did he not kill your lover after sending you away from her?”
”Yes.” she said softly, wiping away her tears. ”Arae came… After ten years… And she cursed me and I had to leave my… My children.”
Li’Kalla raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, ”Children, huh? I thought you were- Nevermind,” The Goddess sighed again, ”One would expect a Goddess of Families to try to keep families together. And to think I invited her to a sleepover... Oh well, would you like for us to go pick up your children?”
”You… You would do that?” she said, her eyes misty again.
”Of course, offspring are the most important thing in our lives. It is what gives us strength to move on. A mother should never have to unwillingly leave her children behind.”
”Where would you take them?” she asked.
”Them? I will be taking you and your children to the settlement my Faithful have been developing for the past ten years. You will find sanctuary there from the conceited, inefficient Gods of this world, and enjoy the chance to truly find who you are without a Divine telling you what to do at every turn.” Li’Kalla puffed out her chest a little in pure pride for her own words.
”But my curse… I have to keep running. That’s what Arae demanded. I can never stay in one place for too long, else tragedy will strike. It’s why I left them behind…” she said sadly.
At this, Li’Kalla cracked a smirk. ”If the Goddess of Families is as efficient at placing curses as she is at protecting families, then finding a workaround should be no problem.”
Relief washed over Laurien’s face as she began to cry again. ”Thank you Li’Kalla… Thank you.”
Li’Kalla looked at Laurien for a while, then nodded and stood up, offering the woman a hand.
She took it graciously, dusting herself off after standing. She then stood a little straighter and composed herself before saying, ”I know the way.” she said, beginning to float up.
And soon they were soaring through the skies. The trip was mostly silent, so determined Laurien was to get to her children before some other Nebulite did. She hated herself for leaving them, when a solution had appeared so readily. She put them through so much in a span of weeks, how would they ever forgive her?
The flight to the city was shorter, with how fast she flew. There was no stopping and in a matter of a half a day, they reached the outskirts. It was much the same as she had left it, but rather empty. There was barely anyone outside, and she soon realized why. Motes of white hovered over the city. She flew closer to one and inspected it, and instantly knew just how dangerous the thing was.
She panicked and at once shouted. ”No no no!” before flying towards the upper city. Li’Kalla followed in silence, deftly avoiding any mote.
Laurien arrived at her home, just to see looters leaving through her doors. At the sight of her, they ran off into an alleyway, but Laurien did not care. She ran through the doors and screamed, ”ANDROMEDA! PHOSET!” only to be met with silence. She ran up the stairs, yelling for them as she went, but was met with only quiet. She arrived on her balcony to see the guards bodies gone… and it was there she broke down again.
”Arae must have taken them. Come on,” Li’Kalla said, ”We will draw up a plan to get them back, but first we have to go to your new home.”
As if in a daze, Laurien stood up and made her way to the door, following behind Li. Her heart was a mess… But if Arae had taken them… Then they would at least be safe, she hoped. ”Where will we go…?” she said dejectedly.
”As I said,” Li’Kalla cleared her throat and grabbed Laurien’s wrist, pulling her away from the empty building and taking flight. ”Your new home. Though, there are some conditions and rules you must follow to stay there for a prolonged time.”
She let herself be pulled. Eventually, as the city became small Laurien asked, "What are those?"
”There is no need to discuss them now. We will do so when you’re settled and recovered.”
And just like that, the city disappeared beyond the horizon and before they knew it, they found themselves over the vast oceans. Laurien said nothing during this time, far too lost in thought as she was and the newest loss hitting her hard. She had been so close, but it wasn't good enough. She looked at Li'Kalla from time to time, wondering what the Goddess was thinking, wondering why she was helping her. It didn't make sense… Or perhaps it did in a way. Perhaps...
Eventually the pair saw land on the horizon, and in that land over a large plume of steam they circled, then swooped down and landed gracefully on a balcony on a large Manor on top of a hill. There was a lot of fog that day, and it was only thanks to Li’Kalla’s godly senses that they found their way so precisely.
It wasn’t raining.
Li’Kalla shook her wings and furled them against her back, then walked inside, followed by Laurien. As they walked through dimly lit hallways, the Goddess spoke for the first time in hours.
”This is my home. You will choose a room to stay in. All the doors are locked, so the first door you try to open will unlock and become your room. Beware, this applies to recreation rooms so unless you enjoy sleeping on a billiard table you’d better stick to opening a door on the second floor, which is where we are right now.”
After the long flight, Laurien's mood had barely improved and she had no idea what a recreation room or a billiards table was, but nodded and said, "Second floor, got it."
”This Manor is like my own body, in a way, and I consider any and all uninvited entrances a violation of my trust. Therefore, do try to keep guests to a minimum, and give me notice when you intend to bring someone here. Otherwise, make yourself at home as my first true guest since I’ve recovered my body. You can find sustenance in the kitchen, as I’ve recently seen to it that the chiller be stocked with local flavours and ingredients. If you require complex meals, report to me and I shall get our best cook here. Do try to be self-sufficient, however...” Li’Kalla kept talking and laying down rules and guidance about her home as she led Laurien down a set of ornate stairs and into the main hall. A modest door to the side had light spilling out from underneath it. ”That’s the kitchen. Are you feeling hunger right now, Laurien?”
Though she barely had an appetite, her stomach grumbled slightly. "I could eat." she put simply.
Li’Kalla nodded and the door opened of its own accord, revealing a kitchen filled with strange, sleek appliances. The Goddess led Laurien to a stool on a counter and then moved over to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out two eggs and washed them in her sink before setting them to the side. She then went to the hob, pulled a pan and salt and pepper from a cabinet next to it and placed the pan on the hob. With a turn of one of the four knobs on the hob, fire was created under the pan. Li’Kalla couldn’t hide her smile and the little bouncing of her heels, and then when the pan had heated enough, she cracked the eggs and poured them into the pan.
They sizzled immediately, and she quickly added salt and pepper, then covered the pan with a lid.
A minute or two later, she opened the lid and the scent of fresh fried egg flooded the room. Satisfied with her handiwork, she turned off the flame and moved the eggs from the pan to a plate she’d prepared for Laurien, grimacing a little as a small piece of the eggs stuck to the pan.
She then took the plate, along with a fork, to Laurien and set it down in front of her, then sat down herself opposite to Laurien on the counter, glaring at her intently.
Laurien looked down at the food before and began to eat peckishly. After she chewed and swallowed she gave Li a small smile and said, "This is very good. Um… What is… All of this?" she asked looking around at all the oddities before taking another bite of the eggs.
”My home. Bits and pieces I remember that I’ve chosen to recreate here. I remember watching a maid cook two fried eggs for me as breakfast one day. I took the eggs out of the chiller, washed them in the sink, and cooked them on a pan on the hob. I added salt and pepper and then moved them to a plate. I am quite proud of my culinary achievement. I’m glad you find the eggs satisfactory. Do not burn your tongue, Laurien.”
She nodded with a mouthful, blinking at Li. Did the Goddess… Did she only know how to cook eggs? She mulled it over before swallowing. ”You should be very proud, they are very good and hit the spot.” she said again with a smile, which after having raised her eyebrows, Li’Kalla returned as she leaned forward over the counter, resting her arms on the surface.
”Thank you, Laurien. I also know how to cook some vegetables, like boiled carrots. What about you?”
She twirled her fork on the now empty plate and said, ”I learned some things, here and there when I stayed with the Dreamers. But nothing like what you have here.”
”I suppose these are all leftover pieces of technology from where I come from. I cannot remember the name anymore, but there were knights, I was royalty, and I wanted to be married to a strong, beautiful person. Well, since I’m here now I suppose that never happened.”
”Silver spoke of knights once…” Laurien said quietly, before looking at Li. ”I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’d do without you, and your hospitality, but I have to ask… Is she really gone?”
Li’Kalla furrowed her brow and sighed, ”Who knows? I don’t think so, at least. It depends on your definition of ‘gone’, I imagine.”
Laurien sat up straighter, her gaze more intent upon the Goddess. There was desperation in her voice now, ”Could you… Could you bring her back? She’s a part of you, isn’t she?”
”I’m afraid I haven’t-” Li’Kalla pursed her lips, then continued, ”I suppose she is.”
”Please.” Laurien said, getting up from her seat and going over to Li, she got on her knees. ”Please. I d-don’t have my kids… I-I don’t have a home… Silver could… I just wanted to say goodbye. Just… Just let me say goodbye. Please.” she said her voice breaking as she began to cry again.
Li’Kalla’s face twisted and she teared up. Turning away, she said, ”I-I thought we could...” She fell silent for a moment, and then turned to glare at Laurien with icy eyes, ”... Have it your way.” Li’Kalla’s skin seemed to crumble away and the cracks in her skin widened. From those cracks a bright light suddenly started seeping out, and Li’Kalla’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and the ends of her hair turned a reddish hue. Li’Kalla’s body shivered as it changed form, turning from the beautiful, refined, delicate Li’Kalla to the somewhat athletic body of Silver along with her rough hands and scarred arms.
It was then that the bright white gaze settled on Laurien, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
”S-Silver…?” Laurien cried, planting her head in the woman’s stomach as she wrapped her arms around her. ”I’m s-sorry. I’m so sorry. I should n-never have l-left.” she mumbled into her dress.
“Laurien…? What happened? Where am I? It’s been so long, I’ve missed you so much...” Silver asked, tears falling freely from her eyes as she gently and slowly caressed her fingers through Laurien’s hair.
She looked up at Silver. ”I’ve missed you too. So, so much.” she cried softly. ”I never got to say goodbye, chickadee. You… You died, remember? But now, now you live on again, in Li’Kalla! You got put back together… but…” her voice broke.
“Oh, right, I died, huh? I guess I hurt you by hitching a ride with the grim reaper’s carriage. It all seems so far away and still… I guess we made it? We took back the body and drove out the beast? Laurie…” Silver gasped, the white pupil-less eyes widening as she looked down and saw Laurien’s face nuzzle up against her stomach, “Laurie…! Laurie! You’re back! You’re back!” Silver repeated breathily, “I did it, you know! I stayed up late every night waiting for you to come home, no matter how hard the day was. Sometimes I thought you’d abandoned me, you know, maybe I wasn’t a good enough lover or you’d just forgotten about the lonely girl you met at your father’s farm, but here you are! You came back!”
Her face was a wash of emotion, a deep hurt broke across her face as she realized the sheer amount of sadness she cause Silver. ”N-No… I’d never abandon you. I was… I was just kept away and then Orvus told me… He killed you and I… I never forgot about you. I even… I even tried to avenge you. But you’re here now… And I can finally see you again.”
Silver’s tears dripped off her chin and nose onto Laurien. The red-haired girl sniffled and shook her head, “You make me feel so loved, Laurie… Reacting like this to not having seen me for just around one year. I-I thought for sure I was going to be the one bawling all over you.” She said with a shaky chuckle as she hugged Laurien’s head close.
”S-Silver… I-It’s been decades.” Laurien said. There was a stunned note in her voice, as she was surprised that Silver had no idea. To her… It probably felt like waking up for the first time, in a long time. She squeezed her a bit harder.
Laurien pulled her head away to look up at her again. ”So many things have happened… I-I don’t even know where to begin…”
Silver’s skin took on a grey hue, and after Laurien pulled away, she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as the cracks in her skin widened and at point, made it seem like her limbs would fall off. She doubled over, gagging and coughing, the white eyes growing dim and brightening randomly. Her form twisted and tried to change, and the veins beneath her crumbling skin seemed ready to burst with god blood.
“Uuggh…” She grunted lowly. In a split moment, she shifted on her seat and the stool tumbled and she fell to the ground where she began convulsing.
Laurien stumbled to her, placing her hands on her back in comfort. ”Silver! Silver! Listen to me.” she said quickly. ”I love you, so so much. Okay? I want you to know that. I-I…” her voice broke.
And just like that, Silver was still. She exhaled, and closed her eyes.
A blinding, suffocating light flashed in the room, and when the pure white light subsided, the body in front of Laurien was returning to its original form, that of the pure Goddess Li’Kalla.
”Li’Kalla! A-Are you alright?” Laurien asked.
Li’Kalla’s eyes shot open and she immediately took in a large breath and started gasping for air, her nails digging into the wooden floor and her wings spazzing out. That is, until she saw Laurien. At that point, she froze and composed herself. The cracks in her skin went back to normal, and she relaxed and stood up.
”Huh, did you manage to say goodbye?” Li’kalla said, picking up the stool and sitting on it again as if nothing had happened. But the almost imperceivable twitching of her right leg was hard to miss.
Laurien bowed her head before the Goddess. ”I… Did. At least… I tried too. T-Thank you for doing that your grace. It meant a lot to me.”
Li’Kalla shook her head, ”I will not do this again, it takes a great mental toll to awaken slumbering shards like Silver. I only did this because...” Li’Kalla’s eyes glazed over for a moment, before she perked up and raised an eyebrow, ”Yes, I only did this because you appreciated my cooking. It is natural that I would return the compliment with a selfless action, isn’t it?”
”Yes, it was very kind.” Laurien said, looking up at her. ”I-I think I’ll go pick out a room, with your permission of course.”
”Yes, go ahead. Remember the rules, Laurie...n.”
The girl blinked and a small smile fell on her lips, before she nodded and said, ”Thank you, Li’Kalla.” before taking her leave from the Goddess, who remained sitting alone in the kitchen. After a few minutes of lonely reflection, Li’Kalla walked to the window and looked at the bright falling star trailing across the sky. It was too close and luminous to be a part of Veradax, and the Goddess watched it closely. Eventually, she huffed and walked away deeper into her Manor.
Laurien uh, is pretty sad man. She wanders around for a day or so, and thinks about what led her to that place. It’s Li’Kalla, who then shows up because yeah, story. Laurien opens up to her, because she actually likes Li’Kalla deep down. Li’Kalla is like ‘Yo, you can come live with me, bring ur kids’ and Laurien is like ‘Fuck I left my kids’ so they go back to Laurienna only to find out that they are gone, probably taken by Arae.
Li and La then hurry along to Li’s manor, long journey made short through the magical editing of text. At the manor, Li shows Laurie the ropes and tells her to pick a room, because unlike some Goddesses, Li cares about rehabilitation. Eventually they go to the kitchen because Laurien is hungry and Li makes her some eggs which she eats. Knights then get brought up and Laurien is like, ‘wow is Silver, like, alive?’ and li is like, ‘eh, probably bro’ and then Laurien asks to get closure. Li is like, ‘Alright ugh’ and Laurien and Silver get to see eachother again.
I teared up tbh.
But yeah, then Silver went away and Li came back and Laurien was super greatful. The hero then goes to pick out a room, and the goddess looks out the window to see a shooting star, not a meteor, before wandering off. Dun dunn dunnn.
Li’Kalla MP 11 FP 16 Used 2 MP to awaken the Silver Shard temporarily in order for Laurien to be able to say goodbye to her.
Remaining MP 9 FP 16
Laurien; Lady of Laurienna, Warrior. +12 Prestige Starting +1 Prestige for Minor Role +1 Prestige for Major Role +1 Prestige for Jolly Collaboration = +15 Prestige Ending
”Quickly Phoset, grab your things. Andromeda! Hurry darling.” Laurien said, rummaging through what was left of her belongings. The ones that hadn’t been burned, looted, or destroyed anyway. After the brief encounter with Karamir, and his escape, Laurien realized it was time to leave. If he survived… Even if he didn’t survive, someone would come looking for her. The man had been right about one thing, Abanoc would know, and he would spill her secrets.
Her children scampered about, getting their meager items and throwing them into sacks. They could only take so much after all, she just hoped it would be enough. She had her own sack of items, from a few gold pieces to clothing and food. There was no time for anything else, she hadn’t even notified the slaves about the bodies yet. Her paranoia had finally caught up to her.
“Mommmmmmy!” Andromeda whined, “Why are we leaving? I thought everything was safe?”
She turned to see both her daughter and son waiting in the doorway, their eyes large and innocent. ”Mommy… Mommy made a few mistakes, okay? And we have to go someplace far away, so we don’t get in trouble.” she said, shooing them downstairs.
“But I don’t want to leave.” Phoset complained.
”Pho, we don’t have a choice. I’m sorry. I know you like it here, but I promise, we’ll find somewhere new and great and we can start over.” she said, entering the garden.
“But what about Omni and Polly?” Andromeda asked. “Shouldn’t we get them too?”
”They’ll be okay. Do you remember Aster? Mommy’s friend? He’ll watch over them.” she lied. Aster lay dead on the balcony. She had no idea what the nobles would do to those children after they figured out she was gone. Nor did she care, they had to go. They passed the Pygmy and Dari girl, who cowered in a corner. Laurien gave them a side glance before saying, ”Go home, don’t ever come back.” Before leaving them to their own business. They walked to the front door and out onto the street.
Laurien bent down in front of them and said, ”Now… We are going to fly, okay? Can you both do that? If you get tired, tell me.” They both nodded silently, soft smiles on their lips. They loved flying. Laurien then stood up, and looked up into the sky. With sword on her back and her possessions in hand, she began to float off the ground. Phoset and Andromeda, began following.
A loud roar sounded off in the distance. From the horizon appeared a figure that was flying towards them extraordinarily quickly, and it was evident that despite the distance, it would close in on them soon. Laurien... The name rang in their heads menacingly, calling to them in a feminine voice. A few moments later, the creature caught up to them and began to slow down, circling them in the air. Its wings flapped occasionally to keep it aloft, its sky blue scales glittering in the sunlight, and perhaps would have been quite beautiful to watch were they not aware that they were in deep trouble. The serpentine dragon kept one eye on them at all times, particularly on Laurien. You have much to answer for, Laurien,” the voice rang again.
Andromeda and Phoset clung to Laurien’s legs as they watched the dragon circle them. They looked behind her with wide eyes and shaky bodies. Laurien did not go for her sword, her heart sinking in her chest as she realized who was before her. ”Holiness Arae… Please… Just let me explain…” she gulped, suddenly feeling very small.
The attempted murder of your father Orvus, the abandonment of your sister Arya, another attempted murder on Karamir… these are but a few of your crimes. What, praytell, is there to explain? Arae asked her.
”I… I…” she stammered, her heart beating through her chest. ”Please… He took Silver from me… He killed her and didn’t even let me say goodbye… He-he made me an errand girl for years to find someone who he could have found himself if he had just gotten over himself.” she said, beginning to cry.
“Mommy…?” Phoset said, grabbing her hand.
Your blame on Orvus for the death of Silver is unfair to him. Arae remarked. If I know him correctly, I’m sure he would’ve at least explained himself to you had you given him time. But you didn’t. In your grief, you tried to kill him.
”Unfair…? Was it unfair that she came back in the form of a person who wouldn’t even look at me? Who said we could never be together? Did you know that? Did you know that Li’Kalla lives again and that Silver is dead? How fair is that? How can you preach to me about what isn’t unfair when you did nothing when he attacked Phystene! Your sister! Or did you forget about that because I’m mortal and our crimes are more heavily weighed by you gods.” she said angrily. Phoset and Andromeda began to cry softly.
I did not go to Phystene when she needed aid, but that was because she already had it from other siblings. Orvus, though, was not so fortunate. When Orvus was still confused about his role in this world, and the rest of my siblings saw him as the enemy of Galbar, I was one of the few who met with him to help him. To keep him from causing harm to our siblings like that again, and guide him to a better path for himself. While he may have rejected me, the seeds were sown, and he found his path, Arae explained.
As for Li’Kalla and Silver... Arae went silent for a time, thinking about what to say as she received information from her Sphere. Finally, when she was sure of her info, Arae continued, Silver was a fragment of Li’Kalla, and made the choice herself to reunite with her other fragments and return to being Li’Kalla. Orvus may blame himself for letting Silver go, but he is not responsible for her fate.
And as for me… I will not deny that I have been a fool in the past, Arae admitted. I have made mistakes before, and will continue to make mistakes in the future. But those mistakes are ones I have faced and made my peace with. You, on the other hand… you chose to run. You ran away after nearly killing Orvus, and now you’re running away again. If this is the path you wish to take… then run. Forever.
Arae’s eye began to burst into flame. At the same time, a searing heat suddenly emitted from Laurien’s sword, and dissipated just as quickly. I assume that is the blade you used to wound Orvus. In that case, it is a cursed blade, and will be made as such. As long as you wield that blade, you shall always be on the run. Tragedy will strike if you aren’t.
Laurien began to laugh wildly. ”This is too surreal. You’re such a hypocrite.” Her demeanor then suddenly changed to anger. ”All of you gods are!” she screamed, her hands balling into fists. ”Of course you’d help him! But where was my help? Where were you? Another mistake huh? Now, to ease your guilty conscience, you curse me and my children. You’ll never understand! How could you even begin… No! No no no! This isn’t fair!” she growled again, her face contorted into rage. ”Go on then. Leave us to our fate, like all of you do.” she said as he children cried.
This pains me as much as it does you, Arae said glumly. Still, I will at least tell you this. This curse is yours alone to bear. It will not affect your children, as they are innocent from your crimes. If you wish to leave them, I will swear on my word as a Goddess that no harm will befall them.
Arae then began to turn and leave. While doing so, she left some parting words for Laurien, If you wish to break your curse, find peace within yourself. And go see Orvus when you do. Soon, she was but a mere speck in the distance, flying out of sight over the horizon as quickly as she came.
”Monster…” Laurien whispered as she watched the goddess leave. She suddenly deflated and floated back to the paved ground. It had all caught up to her… And now… She had to make the hardest decision of her life. She turned around to see Andromeda and Phoset, the two crying. Laurien gave them a small smile and wiped away their tears.
She voice was shaky as she spoke. ”Listen… Mommy… I have to go away.” she said crying. Their faces suddenly shattered and both gripped onto her.
“No no no! Mommy please, don’t go!” Phoset cried out, his small voice quivering.
“We’ll go with you! Please let us go with you!” Andromeda said. Laurien shook her head. ”No babies… You could get hurt… I could get hurt and who would protect you? Running forever is no life. You’ll be safe here, I promise. Andromeda you need to be strong, for your brother. Phoset, listen to your sister, be good to each other. I’ll be back one day, I promise and we’ll be happy, okay?” she said softly beginning to stand up.
Phoset would not let go of her leg as he cried out for her to stay, prompting Andromeda to pull him off. Laurien looked down at them, her soft facade beginning to break. ”I love you. The both of you, so, so much. Okay?” before turning around and flying away. It was then, and only then, that she broke down completely as her heart shattered. And for once… The only person she could blame was herself.
Phoset and Andromeda cried out her name, but it was too late. She was not coming back. The two children were alone, like two sheep in a city of wolves. But at least they had a god protecting them… Right?
Up above, the first Meteor streaked across the sky.
Laurien and her kids are trying to make a break for it to leave Laurienna because she’s paranoid AF and they almost get away with it, but Arae shows up and they have a discussion. In the end, Arae curses Aaldir, Laurien’s sword. Laurien then leaves her kids behind because, such a life of endless running is not for them.
Arae: 1 MP spent (discounted to 0 MP by Hearth portfolio). Censure Laurien’s sword, turning it into a cursed item that summons fiery creatures to attack her if she stays for at least one day in an area. The longer she stays, the stronger and more quickly the creatures appear. When she leaves, the creatures dissipate into nothing, and the curse is reset. MP: 9 | FP: 16
Laurien; Lady of Laurienna, Warrior. +9 Prestige Starting +1 Prestige for Minor Role +1 Prestige for Major Role +1 Prestige for Jolly Collaboration = +12 Prestige Ending
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