by Lucas Flint
The Spirit shook her head. “Your human language doesn’t quite capture what I meant when I said we were lovers. It isn’t quite the same as what you humans mean when you say those words, though it’s similar enough to justify me using that word.”
“So, uh, you guys were lovers,” said Bolt, unable to hide his awkwardness. “I guess the break up must have been messy.”
“Let me start from the beginning,” said the Spirit. “Perhaps you will better understand what I mean if you first understand the relationship between the Dread God and me.”
“Uh, sure,” said Bolt. “I guess we have time for a story … I think.”
The Spirit nodded. “Very well. As you no doubt know by now, the Dread God is millions of years old, as am I. Although our origins are different, our natures are very similar. We became aware of each other very quickly, the two of us did, though our relationship was at first merely platonic due to our rather sharp differences in worldviews.”
“Platonic?” Bolt repeated. He grimaced. “You mean later on, you guys—”
“I said your language doesn’t quite capture what I am trying to describe,” the Spirit interrupted. “But yes, our relationship deepened and we became closer until soon we were what you humans would call ‘lovers.’ We spent as much time together as we could, discussing our universes and what was going on in the multiverse as a whole. We explored the deepest depths of reality, but never quite understood it all, despite our great understanding.”
“How could you fall in love with a monster like the Dread God?” said Captain Galaxy in disbelief. “You don’t seem nearly as evil as he is.”
The Spirit shifted in her throne. “You humans would never understand. There are billions and billions of you, countless more if you count all the different universes out there. You don’t have to settle for any one individual human. You have a lot of freedom in choosing your mates. For beings of power such as myself and the Dread God—we are basically gods, according to your human criteria—we have fewer choices if we want a companion of some sort. Hence, our only choice is each other.”
Bolt nodded in understanding, though privately, he wondered how awful that would be, to have no other suitable companions for yourself other than a being as evil as the Dread God. Certainly, Bolt hadn’t chosen his own girlfriend, Blizzard, because he didn’t have ‘choices.’ It made him feel a little sorry for the Spirit because despite, her immense power and majesty, she was clearly limited in a lot of ways that he and the others weren’t.
“Like the Dread God, I originally had little care for humans,” said the Spirit. “To gods like us, you humans are little more than ants. You are just as easily crushed and live about as long as ants from our perspective. Remember, the Dread God and I are millions of years old. In comparison to that, the average human lifespan is but a blink in the eye of history.”
“What changed your mind?” said Bolt.
“Nothing in particular,” said the Spirit. “What happened is that I became aware of the Dread God’s true nature. His inherent cruelty … his desire to conquer and oppress weaker peoples … his constant need for worship and adoration from those same inferiors … and an unwillingness to help anyone, even his own followers, unless it benefited himself in some way. I am not a saint myself, but I’ve always been gentler and nicer than him, though I, unfortunately, lacked the spine to stand against him because I feared loneliness.”
“An immortal, omniscient spirit is afraid of being alone?” said Bolt, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course,” said the Spirit. She looked down at her nest upon which she sat. “Loneliness can be absolutely crushing to all living creatures. Even those who brag about not needing anyone suffer when they have no one with which to relate. I feared spending the rest of my eternal life alone because I did not know of any other gods like him. So I turned a blind eye to his cruelties and evil deeds until I eventually couldn’t take it anymore and told him so.”
Hypno scratched his chin. “What did he say to that?”
“What do you think?” said the Spirit. She chuckled. “He didn’t like it. He never liked being told he was in the wrong, and still doesn’t. He argued with me about it, but I wouldn’t change my mind and neither would he. So the two of us split up and went our opposite ways. It was the only arrangement which would work for both of us.”
“Was this before or after the Dread God’s first death?” said Bolt.
“Before,” said the Spirit. “In fact, I warned him that if he kept spreading oppression and cruelty wherever he went, that eventually, the multiverse would pay him back multiple times what he owed. He never listened to me because he believed himself to be invincible. He had a particular disrespect for you humans due to how weak you are. He never expected a human would be the one to take him down for good … and I still think he doesn’t understand that because it would shatter his massive ego if he were to understand it.”
“How come you never stepped in to try to stop him?” said Captain Galaxy, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re obviously powerful, maybe even his equal. Why have you just stayed back while he and his minions rampage across the multiverse?”
“Because I am technically not allowed to directly interfere with the goings on in the multiverse,” said the Spirit. “Now, I can act here in the Endless Forest as much as I like, but I am not allowed to leave this universe to fight the Dread God. I am tied to the Endless Forest and an under solemn vow to observe the multiverse but never act unless someone attacks me first.”
“That’s stupid,” said Bolt. “Why did you make that vow in the first place?”
“It wasn’t voluntary,” said the Spirit. “It’s simply an inherent part of who, of what, I am. I am a manifestation of the Endless Forest itself, which by itself is unable to act. My job isn’t to go about self-righteously ‘righting’ wrongs throughout the multiverse like some crusader of justice. I simply observe and provide a way for those who are lost in the void between dimensions to go home, thus restoring the balance of the multiverse.”
Bolt frowned. “So why, exactly, did the Dread God attack you? If you cannot actively oppose him, I don’t see what threat you pose to him. Is he just pissed you left him or something?”
The Spirit sighed. “There is something here he wants, something I have done my best to protect. But he knows it is here and he is not going to stop until he gets it, if only because he does indeed have a legitimate claim on it.”
“Legitimate claim?” Hypno repeated in confusion. “Are you referring to the Castle?”
The Spirit shook her head. “No. He has no claim to the Castle, but there is something—someone—here that he desires more than anything else.”
Bolt opened his mouth to ask, but then it suddenly struck him like lightning. He looked at Kyra, who was still playing happily with that weird rubbery stick, and suddenly a whole bunch of things made sense to him all at once.
“Spirit,” said Bolt slowly, “you’re not referring to Kyra, are you?”
The Spirit nodded grimly. “I am. Kyra is not merely my daughter. She is also the daughter of the Dread God … and he wants her back.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Though the Ariopolitan hunters did a thorough search of the area around the Ruined Temple, they were unable to find even one trace of the Avatar’s body. Some of the hunters suggested that the Avatar had come back to life and was now some kind of zombie, but Beams guessed that the Avatar must have somehow survived the fall and fled via a dimensional portal while no one was looking. It was also possible that the Dread God saved him, though that was less likely because Beams knew that the Dread God rarely directly intervened even to save the lives of his most faithful servants.
Regardless, it was clear that the Avatar was gone and that he likely wasn’t going to come back anytime soon due to his injury. As for the Darzen warriors who the hunters had killed, they were left behind in the Temple, though Garus informed Beams that he would send some men later on to retrieve the bodies an
d melt down their armor into weapons and armor for the Ariopolitans’ use. Apparently, the Ariopolitans had a strong tradition of melting down Darzen armor and turning it into stuff they could use, a practice which had, like seemingly everything else in this city, started with Arius, who used the armor of a Darzen he killed to make armor for himself, which he wore during his final fight with the Dread God.
That was both interesting and kind of creepy because Beams often thought of the Darzens’ armor as their ‘bodies.’ But he supposed that it made some sense. It was certainly less wasteful than leaving a bunch of empty suits of armor lying around unused, after all.
They made their trip back to the Elder’s building very quickly. This in spite of the heavy snow and wind, which Garus claimed was but a precursor to a much larger storm that was scheduled to hit the city within the next couple of hours. That surprised Beams, who wondered just how massive the storm was going to be because the current blizzard seemed big enough as is.
When they got back to the Elder’s building, Beams was glad to see that Mr. Space and Shade were unharmed. The two of them stood off to the side, surrounded on all sides by six burly hunters. They looked rather annoyed at being held prisoner like this, but as soon as Beams, Pesa, and the hunters entered the room, the two of them smiled and waved at Beams.
“Beams!” said Shade as Beams walked over to them. “You made it. You guys were gone for so long that I thought for sure you were dead.”
“It was close,” said Beams, stopping before them and ignoring the guards who stood around them. “The Avatar himself showed up and nearly killed me several times.”
Mr. Space’s eyes widened. “The Avatar? Wow. This must be more serious than I thought.”
“Yeah,” said Beams, nodding. He gestured at Pesa, who was hugging her father, the head Elder, on the other side of the room. “He was trying to kidnap her. Said she’s important to the Dread God’s plans.”
Shade looked over at Pesa and frowned. “What would he want with such a skinny little girl?”
One of the nearby guards grunted fiercely and glared at Shade. He didn’t hit her, but it was clear he didn’t approve of her comment on Pesa’s appearance.
Beams leaned closer to Shade and whispered, “Hey, you might want to hold back on the comments about Pesa. She’s the daughter of the head Elder and is technically a princess and beloved by pretty much all of the Ariopolitans. I don’t think the Ariopolitans will take nicely to any criticisms about her, especially coming from outsiders like us.”
Shade shrugged. “Sorry. Cadmus always tells me I need to work on my diplomacy, but I’m just too honest. It’s a blessing and a curse.”
Beams raised an eyebrow at that comment, but then shook his head and said, “Never mind. Are you two all right?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Space. He raised his rope-bound wrists and shook them. “These ropes are tight and awkward, but the guards didn’t beat us up or mistreat us while you were away. The Elders upheld their end of the deal.”
“Good to hear,” said Beams. He gestured with his head toward Pesa. “I think me saving her is going to really help us win over the Ariopolitans. She also seems to like me a lot, which is another bonus.”
Shade smirked. “Likes you a lot, hmm? Do you like her back?”
Beams could not help but blush, despite the cold. “Does it matter? I’m not here trying to get a relationship. I’ve got more important things to worry about than whether a girl likes me or not.”
“Dude, you should totally go for her,” Mr. Space insisted. “I don’t know your type, but she can’t take her eyes off you. Look.”
Beams glanced over his shoulder and saw that Mr. Space was right. Pesa kept glancing over at him with an odd look in her eyes. She seemed to be explaining to her father how Beams had saved her, but she glanced over at him far more often than she really needed to.
Beams shook his head again, however, and looked back at Mr. Space and Shade. “I’m not interested in a relationship right now, however cute she might be. Remember, we’re here to get the God Slayer, not pick up girls.”
“Can’t you do both?” said Shade, tilting her head to the side. “Bolt’s got a girlfriend, you know. Maybe you should have one too.”
“Why do you even care?” said Beams, unable to hide the frustration in his voice. “I didn’t ask you to play matchmaker.”
“Oh, I really don’t,” said Shade with an even larger smirk than before. “I just like playing with you. Your reactions are funny.”
Beams was now starting to understand why Bolt always seemed so impatient with Shade. “Right. Well, maybe you should focus more on your own relationships rather than mine. We don’t have time to play around.”
“Fine, fine, whatever,” said Shade. “You need to lighten up a bit. Yeah, we’re saving the multiverse, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun while we’re at it.”
“Fun at my expense,” Beams pointed out.
“What other kind of fun is there?” Shade shot back.
Beams opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head. He didn’t have an issue with high blood pressure, but he was starting to think that he would by the time he was done talking to Shade.
“Young outsider!” Scorius’ voice boomed behind him. “Come here!”
“Sounds like they want to talk to me,” said Beams. “You two stay here. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
With that, Beams walked back over to Scorius, who still sat on his throne like before. The only difference now was that Pesa stood next to Scorius’ throne, holding onto the back with one of her hands. She smiled at Beams when he approached and waved at him subtly, but Beams did not return the gesture because he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about Pesa or what Scorius would say if he suspected there was anything going on between them. Given how hostile the Ariopolitans were toward outsiders, he doubted Scorius would be happy with him dating Pesa.
Garus and the hunters were also present, but unlike before, they merely stood behind Beams, rather than surround him. Beams wasn’t sure if that was a sign that they trusted him more now or if this meant they were going to take him down from behind if he tried anything. In any case, Beams tried not to look afraid, because he didn’t think the Ariopolitans would take him very seriously if he seemed skittish.
“Elder Scorius,” said Beams, bowing at the waist as respectfully as he could. “As you can see, your hunters and I brought back your daughter, Pesa, safe and sound.”
Scorius nodded. He still hadn’t removed his hood, though Beams caught a glimpse of his brown eyes due to the light from the burning fire in the center of the room. “Indeed. Pesa and Garus told me all about your help. In particular, Pesa praised you for your bravery and said you seemed like a true son of Arius to her.”
Beams could not help but smile. “I don’t suppose that means I can skip the Gauntlet, does it?”
“It does not,” said Scorius, shaking his head. “Pesa’s opinion is just that, her opinion, and certainly does not override millions of years of tradition. Nonetheless, I must thank you for your efforts. Whether you are a son of Arius or not, you have shown a bravery and selflessness that we rarely see in outsiders. For that alone, we are more than willing to let you and your friends leave our city and go back to your home unmolested.”
Beams’ smile instantly turned into a frown. “Go home? What are you talking about? I want to do the Gauntlet. Remember? That’s what we agreed to.”
“I know,” said Scorius, “but I just wanted to let you know that if you wished to go home, we would allow you to do so. That is a rare privilege we have granted to few outsiders. Typically, we kill outsiders who invade Ariopolis and mount their skulls on pikes outside the city as a warning to others.”
Beams gulped. “I didn’t see any mounted skulls outside the city.”
“They were probably hidden by the blizzard,” Pesa chimed in. “I can show you them later if you like. They’re a testament to the strength and ferociousness of our warrior
s and a warning to anyone who might be thinking about invading our home.”
“Uh, no, thanks,” said Beams, who found Pesa’s casual mention of the skulls like they were some kind of public attraction disturbing. He gestured toward Mr. Space and Shade. “Though I would appreciate if you guys could take the ropes off my friends. I can vouch for them. They won’t try to attack anyone or steal anything or whatever.”
“Fair enough,” said Scorius. He glanced at the guards surrounding Mr. Space and Shade and nodded once.
The guards nodded in return and immediately began cutting away the ropes around Mr. Space and Shade’s wrists and ankles. Relieved that his friends were free, Beams looked at Scorius again and said, “So, when will the Gauntlet start?”
“Within the hour,” said Scorius. “I have sent some of my servants to prepare it for you. It won’t take long to get ready, but it does require some preparation, especially since it has been three hundred years since the last person to attempt the Gauntlet.”
“Cool,” said Beams. “What happened to the last guy who tried?”
Scorius smiled grimly. “He died. Horribly.”
Beams gulped. “Really?”
“That is what my grandfather, who was in charge of the Gauntlet at the time, told me,” said Scorius. “Truthfully, no one knows for sure what happens to challengers of the Gauntlet. They simply go in there and never come out. We have no way to monitor their progress, no way to communicate with them. Once you are inside, you are entirely on your own and cannot rely on any outside help.”
A chill went down Beams’ spine when he heard that. He had already known that he would be tackling the Gauntlet alone, but he hated the idea that he wouldn’t even be able to keep in contact with the surface. He hoped that he would be able to handle whatever challenges awaited him within because he would have to if he was going to get the God Slayer and defeat the Dread God.
Wonder how Bolt and the others are doing on their mission, Beams thought. Hope they’re having more luck than us.
