by Virlyce
Gale’s face blanched. “Yeah,” he said and chuckled as sweat rolled down his back. “You got me. I can definitely build a raft. Leave it to me.”
Breeze smiled, revealing his pointy, black teeth. “Great,” he said. “I’ll be counting on you. The sooner we build that raft, the sooner we can get away from these damned undead.”
The two continued down the path, eventually exiting the forest and entering an open plain. Breeze squinted his eyes and stared down the horizon. “The shore’s over there. We’ll have to assemble the raft here and carry it to the coast.”
The two reentered the forest to gather materials for the raft. Breeze cut down trees by eroding away their trunks while Gale gathered vines to tether the logs together. “Why are you so afraid of the undead?” Gale asked as he attempted to lash two ill-fitting logs together.
“Me? Afraid of the undead?” Breeze asked. “We’ve already been through this. I’m not afraid of anything.”
Gale sighed. “Why do you want to go to a different continent to get away from the undead then?”
“That’s easy. The undead are totally creepy and unnatural,” Breeze said as he dragged another log over to Gale. “Don’t you think so? If they’re dead, then they should stay dead and not bother the living.”
Gale stared at the mass of tormented souls in the shape of a human. “Yeah. I guess you’re right,” he said, enunciating each word. “It would really suck to wake up to an undead being serenading you while you’re hungover. I can’t even fathom how terrifying that’d feel. I completely understand where you’re coming from.”
“I’m glad you understand me so well, brother,” Breeze said as he passed Gale another vine. “We should speed things up before night falls. I bet the undead will be more active at that time.”
45
Vur held Tafel’s hand as the two sat next to each other on a cushioned seat in a wooden carriage which had an undead horse pulling it along. A glowing sphere of light hovered in the air in front of the two, illuminating the small cabin. The full moon was visible through the window of the carriage.
Tafel sighed and closed her eyes as she rested her head on Vur’s shoulder. Her face was slightly flushed as her fingers traced the veins along the back of Vur’s hand. Vur smiled and rested his head on top of Tafel’s.
“This is degrading. Absolutely degrading,” a voice said from the golden sphere in the air. “I refuse to do this. I will not be used as a lamp for two love puppies. I have important things—”
Vur glared at the glowing sphere while emitting some of his aura. The voice stopped talking as the sphere trembled in the air.
Tafel exhaled and snuggled closer to Vur. “I wish today would never end,” she said. A tear formed in the corner of her eye.
Vur squeezed her hand in response.
“I love you,” Tafel whispered and raised her head.
“I love you too,” Vur said as he gazed into Tafel’s eyes. The two leaned closer to each other before locking lips.
The golden sphere flickered and disappeared. “That’s it; I’m leaving,” a voice said. “I hope you overexert yourself and die while you make babies. You’re never going to see me ever again. Have fun on your honeymoon. Goodbye.” The snogging couple completely ignored the god as it left.
Back in the Vault of the Spirits, the white crystals simultaneously shattered, filling the room with a golden smoke. The smoke condensed into a shining golden figure. It gnashed its teeth as it stomped out of the vault.
“First he eats me, then he uses me as maid. Finally, he degrades me and turns me into a lamp!?” The spirit screamed in frustration as it punched a hole into the wall beside it. “I’m through with him! I’ll run away to Fuselage. If he chases me there, then I’ll run back here! I’d like to see him try to catch me.”
The figure’s ear twitched, and it froze. “The formation’s been broken,” it said and creased its brow. It hesitated in the hall. “Eh, screw it. That guy is way too troublesome for me to deal with. The king can play with him instead. I’ll spend my days in leisure.” The figure nodded as it continued out of the building.
***
Vur and Tafel climbed outside of their carriage as the undead horse collapsed into a pile of bones. They had stopped in front of a city in the desert with stone walls and metal gates. A naga guard eyed them while gripping his poleaxe tighter. The sun reflected off the axe, revealing a layer of runes on the blade.
“We don’t take kindly to strangers here,” the naga said in snaketongue as he advanced towards the duo. A torch lit up behind him, causing a clamor to erupt on the city walls. Multiple nagas appeared with their bows in hand and their arrows nocked.
“Tell your chieftain the devourer is here to take him up on his offer,” Vur said back in snaketongue and crossed his arms over his bare chest. The naga frowned before signaling towards the city wall with his free hand. A lamia nodded in return and slithered off into the innermost parts of the city.
“You can understand them?” Tafel asked Vur as she shielded her eyes from the sun, squinting at the nagas on top of the city walls.
Vur nodded. “Auntie took me here when I was younger. She sold me to the coliseum and had me fight to make her money,” he said and scratched his head. “It’s been a while since I’ve spoken snaketongue though.”
“She sold you?” Tafel asked and raised an eyebrow. “Why am I not too surprised? Now I know why she’d send us here as part of our honeymoon.”
The metal gate behind the naga guard screeched as it opened, and the chieftain came out, looking unchanged despite the decade that passed. He wore a silk vest and had dozens of golden necklaces adorning his chest. A cerberus followed behind him with its heads held high. Its legs were as tall as the naga next to it, and its heads were wider than a human body. One of the heads glanced at Vur out of the corner of its eye and let out an involuntary yelp. The cerberus dashed ahead of the chieftain and lay prone in front of Vur while letting out tiny whimpers.
Tafel’s eyes widened as Vur reached forward and petted the beast’s middle head.
The chieftain sighed as he slithered around the beast and faced Vur. “Greetings, devourer,” he said and lowered his head. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon after your ceremony with your mate.”
“We’re exploring the continent and just happened to pass by,” Vur said. “Then I remembered your offer of hospitality and decided to take you up on it.”
“Of course,” the naga said and smiled bitterly. “Come. I’ll show you around our city.”
“It’s so cute,” Tafel said as the cerberus licked her hand when she approached to pet it. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It makes me wonder what lies even further south.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Vur said as he shot a glance at the cerberus. “But for now, let’s enjoy ourselves here. The antlions taste really good.”
“Oh, joy,” Tafel said and wiped the slobber onto the cerberus’ face, “more bugs.”
***
Michelle frowned as she wandered around Gale’s room. A human-shaped stain that smelled like vomit and alcohol was in the middle of the carpet. “Where could Gale have gone?” she muttered to herself as she rummaged through his closet, looking for any hints. “Don’t tell me he actually dissolved into a puddle of vomit.”
A knocking sound echoed through the room, causing Michelle to jump and knock over a pile of clothes. “Michelle? Are you in there?” Paul’s voice asked from the other side of the door. “The Corrupted One has a message for all the bishops.”
“I’m here,” Michelle said as she dusted herself off and opened the door. “Message?”
Paul nodded. “The bishops are gathering in the central room of the temple right now,” he said. “Let’s go.” The two headed towards the gathering spot.
“Greetings, ye holy peeps,” a skeleton wearing a top hat said as the duo arrived. “Welcome, welcome. Make yourselves at home.” The group of twenty bishops frowned as they glanced at eac
h other from across the tables. Paul raised an eyebrow but remained silent as he and Michelle took their seats.
“I have a proposal for all of you from our lord and resurrector, the Corrupted One,” the skeleton said as it bowed and swept its hat off its head while bringing it to its chest. It raised its head and made eye contact with the bishops. “Join us and become bishops of our religion.”
The bishops fell silent. “What?” one of them asked as he stood up. “Are you joking with us right now?”
“No. I’m being absolutely serious,” the skeleton said as its eyes glowed purple. Lindyss’ voice rang out of the skeleton’s mouth. “Your god and pope ran away from their responsibilities; I’ll be taking over. It’s up to you whether you want to join me or not.” The skeleton smirked.
Paul threw his hand up into the air. “I’ll join,” he said and scrambled to his feet. He walked over to the skeleton who nodded at him.
“Paul!” Michelle said and furrowed her brow.
Paul shrugged. “Vur ate a god,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually did run away after that, and Gale’s already been missing for a week.”
“Smart man,” the skeleton said as its voice returned to normal. Its eyes stopped glowing, and it readjusted its top hat.
“Don’t you worship our god?” Michelle asked. “Why did you even become a bishop if you’re so easily swayed?”
Paul scratched his head as the other bishops glared at him. “Well, Vur kinda just made me one,” he said and glanced at his feet as he took in a deep breath. “And, quite frankly, I like you, and I wanted to get closer to you.”
The skeleton laughed and placed its arm around Paul’s shoulder as Michelle’s face turned pink. The other bishops’ faces turned weird as they muttered amongst themselves. “Just one of you?” the skeleton asked when it finally stopped laughing. “Well, that’s one more than what I expected.”
“Won’t you come too, Michelle?” Paul asked, his face slightly flushed.
“I refuse,” Michelle said and crossed her arms.
Paul frowned. “Didn’t you tell me how much you hated being raised as the pope’s daughter?” he asked. “There’s a chance to leave now, but you won’t take it?”
Michelle shook her head.
The skeleton let out a sigh as it patted Paul’s back. “She probably feels obligated to take up her father’s duties,” it said. “Don’t worry. I got this.” The skeleton walked towards Michelle and placed its mouth next to her ear. It whispered something before pulling its head back and winking at her. “We know more about you than you think. Want to join us now?”
Michelle bit her lower lip and furrowed her brow. She sighed. “Alright,” she said and hung her head. “Count me in.” Her ears burned as the other bishops stared daggers at her.
The skeleton grinned. “Excellent. Any more volunteers?”
***
A young child was kneeling by his bedside with his hands clasped together. His eyes were closed, and his head was tilted towards the ceiling. “God, if you’re out there, please give me a sign. Something. Anything.”
A few seconds later, a skeletal hand popped out of the floor next to the boy, grasping a wooden sign that read, “Here you go.” On the bottom of the sign—in fine print—a message read, “From your newest local god, the Corrupted One.”
The boy opened his eyes and fell backwards.
That night, everyone’s prayers were answered by skeletons to the best of their ability.
***
Lindyss stood in a cave with her hands on her hips, looking up at a pile of crystals. Her skin was tinted blue by the light they emitted. Grimmy lay on the ground next to her with his eyes half-open.
“What are you going to do with all these mana crystals?” Grimmy asked as he clawed at the mountain of glowing blue stones. “Can I eat some?”
“No,” Lindyss said as a horde of skeletons walked into the cave, each one carrying a basket filled with crystals. “Where do you think the energy comes from to power over a million skeletons?”
Grimmy snorted. “I know how much mana it takes. You clearly have a whole lot extra,” he said as he split the pile down the middle. “This much is required to maintain the undead for a few weeks. This much is extra.”
“Well, those extras are used to help the patriarch recover faster,” Lindyss said as she picked up a crystal. “He’s going to wake up in a few months at this rate. I should’ve forced that god out of here earlier, so much wasted mana.” She shook her head.
Grimmy tapped his claws against the ground. “What about that spirit who injured the patriarch?” he asked. “Wasn’t the god suppressing it? Now that it’s gone, won’t that thing cause problems?”
“It’s already been freed,” Lindyss said and dropped the crystal in her hand. “The sealing formation was broken a while ago. I’m guessing it won’t take any action against us seeing as it hasn’t already. In any case, the best thing to do would be to wake the patriarch as soon as possible to deal with any potential threats.”
Grimmy sighed. “Fine,” he said and curled up into a ball with his eyes closed. “I won’t eat any crystals then. I bet they tasted sour anyway.”
Lindyss rolled her eyes. “You can have them after the patriarch wakes up,” she said and patted Grimmy’s snout. “Now quit sulking.”
“Who’s sulking?” Grimmy asked as his eyes shot open. “I’m just contemplating.”
“About what?”
Grimmy chuckled. “About what the patriarch would think when he wakes up,” he said and grinned. “You know how much of a stickler he is for order. Vur’s personality is the embodiment of everything that annoys him.”
Lindyss let out a laugh and smoothed her dress before she sat down, leaning against Grimmy with her knees in front of her chest. “Says the person who gave him that personality. I’m looking forward to it,” she said and smiled. “You don’t think he’ll do anything too drastic, right? I haven’t interacted with him enough to know how he’ll react.”
Grimmy grunted. “No clue,” he said and yawned, “but I’m sure Sera won’t let him hurt Vur if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right,” Grimmy said. “Remember that time when Vernon rolled over in his sleep and knocked over a mountain with the patriarch’s favorite fruits?”
“No.”
“Oh. I guess that was a few thousand years too early for you, huh?” Grimmy asked and blinked. “Well, Sera stopped him from punishing Vernon too heavily. Of course, Vernon was never the same after that and gained a newfound respect for his wife.”
“Respect for the matriarch or fear of her father?” Lindyss asked as a skeleton handed her an apple. She bit into it and closed her eyes.
The ground shook as Grimmy thumped his tail against the ground and laughed. “Fear of Sera,” he said and grinned. “She convinced the patriarch not to punish Vernon, but she found out that the plant she was raising for a few centuries was crushed by the mountain right before it could bear fruit. She whupped him good.”
Lindyss shuddered as a bead of sweat formed on her forehead. “And I fed her child to a miro,” she said. She paused and stared at her half-eaten fruit. “Wow. That was stupid.”
“Very,” Grimmy said with a smile. “But it’s alright. If you died, I would’ve reanimated your corpse for you.”
“Thanks,” Lindyss said and rolled her eyes. “I guess even death won’t let me escape from you, huh?”
“Nope. You’ll always be my little elf.”
Lindyss smacked one of his scales. “I’m telling your wife,” she said and paused. “Where’s she been anyway?”
Grimmy yawned. “She flew back to the eastern continent to visit her family.”
“Oh,” Lindyss said and nodded. “Didn’t you promise you’d take me there?”
“Yeah, but you were all, ‘oh, the sunlight burns and is going to kill me’ for the longest period of time,” Grimmy said and s
norted.
“That was your fault, asshole,” Lindyss said and chucked the apple’s core at a nearby skeleton. It knocked its skull off. “I’m all better now, no thanks to you.”
Grimmy laughed. “Alright, we’ll go after the patriarch wakes up. I haven’t seen Leila’s family in a long time; I should visit.”
***
Vur and Tafel sat on a towel with an ocean-side view in front of them. The sky, sea, and sand turned red as the sun began to set. A few humanoid fishmen stood on either side of the two, fanning them with giant leaves. Their scales were blue, and a shark fin protruded from their backs. Their eyes bulged out of their heads, and their mouths had rows of razor-sharp teeth.
“I wonder what’s on the other side of the ocean,” Tafel said as she squeezed Vur’s hand.
“Want to build a boat and find out?” Vur asked and raised an eyebrow. “We can.”
Tafel laughed. “No,” she said and rested her head on Vur’s shoulder. “It’d be much easier if a roc or dragon carried us over.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Should we head back soon? We’ve traveled as far south as we could go.”
“We could go further if we build that boat,” Vur said and furrowed his brows.
“No. No boats,” Tafel said. “I get seasick. Tina had us travel across a lake in Fuselage by boat once, and I couldn’t even stand up.”
“A lake’s water is still though, isn’t it?”
“That’s the point. No boats.”
“Alright,” Vur said and sighed. A fishman flinched and offered him a glass of pink liquid from a platter in its hands. Vur waved his hand, and the fishman retracted the cup. “I wish we could understand what they’re saying. At least the lizard people spoke some snaketongue.”
Tafel grunted in reply as she hugged his arm. “Before we go back…” she said. Her face turned slightly red as she whispered in Vur’s ear. Vur nodded and shooed away the nearby fishmen as Tafel lay down on the towel.
A few fishmen children were hiding behind a tree peeking at the couple on the beach. “What are they doing?”
