by Reiter
“Sometimes you just can’t help it,” Virgil shared. “You have your man moments! The answer is just screaming at you!” Virgil waited for a moment, watching Austin frown as he tried to guess what Virgil might have meant. “Should I use Sign Language?!”
“No need to be cruel.”
“Hello, whoever made the gravity thingy and the elemental water thingy get together, decided to make it a woman! And what do stressed-out, chasing-their-tails women do when they can’t get their heads together? They go and put someone else together! So she either needs a significant other–”
“Or a child!” Austin said in an airy breath, wrapped up in the genius of the notion.
“There he is!” Virgil declared. “Speaking of my better moments, what’s the update the OmnahtI couple?”
“We actually shared an agreeable meal,” Austin shared, nodding. “Cobalt and I have even gone in together on a project to help fortify their pantheon. That reminds me, I need to check on the next batch of Power Clones.”
“Well done, Austin! You’re making Power Clones for Cobalt?!”
“Ten thousand of them, actually. He’s putting together an enchantment to give them power and fortitude. And in return for the clones, you and I are the proud owners of a fully-staffed chalet in the Blackburne Mountains.”
“Aahhh… the mountains?!” Virgil nearly screamed.
“I remembered your fondness for skiing,” Austin said with a soft smile. “And while you are celebrating, I must be about my work. It’s been a while since I made a child.” Austin teleported away as Virgil danced in the middle of the corridor.
“The Blackburne Mountains,” he sighed. “Of course it will be decades before we get there. But still, it is a most appetizing option to have in our list of departure destinations.
“Oh, I have a name for her,” Virgil thought out loud, coming up with a notion for the name of the cloned dragon. “Kyncharra! And maybe he’ll get around to telling me how and why he went and cloned a dragon!”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
The gavel pounded down repeatedly, but the gathering was beyond being marshaled by its booming tones. The only thing missing from the room were drawn weapons as accusations were tossed back and forth in the very grand chamber.
“This is chaos!” Theron Wallace, one of the Star Gapers, claimed as the accusations were now accompanied by pushing and shoving. “There is no way we can summon the Deputation with all of this conflict!”
“That is not the only problem,” Ernestan said, pointing at the large crystals that fed light into the center of the room. There was no light coming from them and they rested, at different tilts, on the floor. “Even if the devout followers were able to arrest their passions and call to commune, would their pantheons even bother to respond?!”
“They are as at odds with one another as their followers are at each other’s throats,” Boldreene said, closing her eyes.
Ernestan felt smothered. On one side there was the Gaper that suffered from what he considered to be too much celebrity, but her depth of skill was easily her greatest asset and it was clear she was trying to read Ernestan… and on the other was Illyana Towermunn, the pale-skinned Vohlterran whose interest in him was too great for his tastes. Given the circumstances at the Imperial Palace, Ernestan expected some measure of scrutiny to be applied at this gathering.
“And I’ve lost contact with the Multi-Mind!” Boldreene reported.
“What?!” Theron cried before extending his senses. There was nothing for him to find, and Ernestan could feel Boldreene’s eyes on him. She knew. The veil he had labored to erect had failed. The woman gleaned that Ernestan had something to do with the Multi-Mind disappearance – though destruction would have been a more suitable word. “It’s… it’s gone!”
A scream of fright tore out from the middle of the crowd. A comely woman, dressed in pastel-colored silks fell from her seat with a smoking black arrow in her chest. “DarkeSteel!” a man cried as the arrow turned to ash and fell away from the blackening skin.
“Your gods can no longer protect you here!” a shrieking voice echoed throughout the room as the chamber itself was suddenly freezing. A column of black smoke exploded from the center of the floor. A seven-meter tall yellow-skinned demon stepped out of the smoke with red fire pouring from its mouth and eyes. It wore a cumbersome black chest plate that came to a point at the center of the chest. “And now your souls will be the meat upon which my children will feed!
“Attend me!” the demonic figure commanded, pointing at the crowd of patrons. A second column of smoke preceded a high-pitched scream. It came from a Chevalier whose eyes suddenly burned with red fire.
“I hear and obey, my Master!” the cursed man shrieked. Without reaching to the pommel on his hip, the man’s hands closed around black crystal pommels, emitting blades of green and black fire.
“Attend me!” the demon summoned a second possession. A young PriestesS screamed, grabbing her head as she too was converted. Her eyes exploded with red flames as one of the older attendees looked at the giant demon and lifted his hooded staff over his head.
“By the light of–”
“I deny your light!” the demon shrieked just before the staff shattered. The older Priest then screamed in agony as his body slowly became black stone. Both of the smaller demons screamed, churning up a gale force wind that threw most of the patrons toward the back wall. Only three managed to stand against the wind; a Chevalier, a young PriestesS of Udathi, and a PriesT of Klarr. The latter two seemed to be barely touched by the wind. Illyana gave with the wind and sailed across the chamber, landing near one of the double doors that she intended to exit through. She felt a familiar presence nearby but she had not perceived the demon until it had arrived.
“There is a power at work here I need not engage,” she thought, putting the chamber behind her. “Chaos indeed, but not the sort they are being led to believe. Better to withdraw and regroup.”
“Something is not right here,” the PriestesS said as many of her colleagues enacted spells to teleport themselves to sanctuaries. Others scurried for the doors, including all of the Star Gapers, though Ernestan moved to make sure he would be the last of them to leave. “This wind is Ele–” four pairs of hands came up through the floor, grabbing the woman, taking her down into a black aperture that was just opening under her.
“Away, cursed souls!” the PriesT commanded, and the room was showered in a white light that rose to nearly blinding levels before it was sucked into the mouth of the giant demon. It belched after consuming the light and then glared at the PriesT. “Blood of my deliverer! Such power!”
Red flame spat from the demon’s mouth in a large column, but it was blocked by the En-Blade of the Chevalier who jumped in front of the PriesT. Adding ThoughtWill to his blade, the Chevalier had turned it into a shield and the red fire burned all around it, slowly eating away the barrier.
“No, my child, we must flee,” the PriesT declared, taking hold of the Chevalier. “We have been undone by our own kind. The demons can have this place. We shall fight this from another front!” Another flash of bright light carried the two out of sight.
Running to the platforms where they could be teleported to safety, Boldreene looked back several times. At first she was looking for Ernestan, but the appearance of demonic individuals made the woman turn her attentions to running so that she would not be trampled by faster and harder-running people.
Reaching the platforms, the Chevaliers formed lines of defense, En-Blades at the ready. At the first sound of something coming from the main chamber, one of the Chevaliers turned and ran, knocking Ernestan and Boldreene to the floor. When the Chevalier ran, so did his entourage and with less regard. Ernestan moved as quickly, barely rolling himself and Boldreene out of the way of being trampled. Ernestan got up and then picked Boldreene up from the floor, moving the both of them to a quiet corner.
“This changes nothing, Ernestan,” she claimed. “I know what I saw. You w
ill bleed for this.”
“You know that I cannot harm a fellow seer,” Ernestan said, nodding at the woman, releasing her. “And you are right.” Boldreene turned to run toward the platforms. She was two strides from safety when a body passed in front of her. A thin blade was swept across her neck and Boldreene stumbled forward to a stop, clutching at her neck and choking on her blood. “But then again, I am not alone.” The woman fell to her knees as people rushed by, clamoring for their turn to use the teleporters.
When the high-pitched shrieks came from the main chamber, people cared less about the destination. They simply wanted to be away from this place. The remaining Chevaliers kept their place until their respective charges were safe; leaving the rest to tend to their own fates.
Led out by Kaila, Ernestan and Kannadi moved, unseen, away from the teleport chamber and back into the main room. The Star Gaper did not like the loss of a seer, but he could already hear the counterpoint to his argument. Death was going to be a color of this painting; it was just a matter of them succeeding and keeping it to a few ugly strokes, or failing altogether, having nothing else visible in the portrait. As bitter a pill it was to swallow, Ernestan accepted that truth. Fortunately he had just been provided an engaging distraction.
“I know that is Jake,” he declared, pointing at the gigantic demon. “But red flame?
“That would be me,” Wesley said, standing up from inside the small area in the front of the chest plate and waving at the Star Gaper. Ernestan laughed at the novelty of the presentation.
Kannadi stepped forward, folding her arms. “That means you are also responsible for the wind.”
“The wind that was spotted, you mean,” Jacob said as he removed the chest plate. “And Jashana, ease up on the refrigeration!” Heads turned to see the young woman step out from behind one of the lighting crystals, a bright blue-glowing rock was being returned to her bag when the cold abated.
“Spotted or not, that was a nice touch, Wes,” Jashana remarked. “Sorry about the chill.”
“I was good with it,” Wesley quipped, being very close to several sources of heat.
“But what about the man who turned to black stone?” Kannadi asked, looking at the stone statue that turned and winked at her. “Teyan?!”
“It’s so much easier to control the room when the first ones to die are already on your side,” the young InvokeR commented. Holding his hand out, his fragmented staff came together and he took hold of it.
“Wait,” Kannadi urged, trying to keep a smile away as Ernestan cackled. “If Jashana was seeing to the temperature in the room...”
“And the black smoke, putting people in them, and the aperture making,” Jashana added. “That Priestess put up some fight.”
“Where did you send her?” the Nalyik female inquired.
“She sent her to me,” Quantil said as he walked into the room, side-by-side with Stewart. “I drained the Priestess of her KaA and she collapsed. I sent the power I harvested to Stewart. All I did was add a bit of oompf to the teleport platforms,” he shared. “Might have had a hand in making sure Kaila was in position to take care of one loose end. Other than that, I’ve got loads to spare.”
“And how did you contain that powerful blessing?” Kannadi inquired. “It was the last thing I saw with my own eyes though I thank you, Jake, for bridging your view to me.”
“No problem,” the large young man replied. “I had to do something. Feeling a bit out of place here. But I believe the others were successful taking down the Multi-Mind.”
“And then some,” Stewart assured, keeping the detection of one of the Dark Eight to himself.
“As for that blessing,” Ethadior revealed, holding up a small, white, glowing gem. “That was a little wonder of my working. Targeting for members of the faith-based arts is questionable at best. I learned long ago how to direct them to other places.
“And the first woman to fall?” Kannadi inquired.
“You mean me?” the woman said as she stood up. Kannadi jumped slightly, putting her hand to her sword before she got a hold of herself. “Were you worried about me, Kannadi?” Releasing the spell, the woman slowly became C’Zaddrus. The young DreamCasteR smiled at Kannadi before taking in a deep breath. “The closer you can stand to your target area, the better the illusions are. So, how does an illusionist get this close to a room full of people and keep from being seen as he casts? Answer: make sure no one is looking at me. Hence the giant demon... our Jake.” The demonic skin faded to Terran flesh. “… and his two possessed souls.” Releasing the FantasioR from around them, Shanvah and Edwarn smiled at Kannadi.
“Oh very well done,” Kannadi admitted, applauding everyone. She did not hold her elation for long. She could hear that Ernestan was no longer laughing and she turned to face him.
“I know it had to be done,” he said softly. “But this will only lead to a holy war.”
Stewart stepped forward and started making the aperture to take them all back to their platform. “Yes, but a limited one. Only the fanatics and the ones who can’t tell them no will get involved.”
“Acceptable losses?” Ernestan questioned.
“Don’t get me started, Gaper,” Stewart replied bitterly. “Not one of them showed up for me. Just an old blind man; the protector of the Rims. I may not ever like him… but at least with him, the only difference between his walk and his talk is the type of sound. The walk you can understand. The talk can drive you mad. You want to cry for the collateral damage, go ahead. I’ll weep for us and anyone else who stakes a real claim. Sheep are just good for sweaters.
“Ladies first,” Stewart said, ushering the group through the portal.
“Thao’s really having an effect on you, isn’t she?” Jashana asked. Stewart could tell she was only partially joking and he smiled, blushing a bit before he pushed her into the portal. As the others followed behind her, Stewart looked around the chamber.
“It was bound to happen,” he thought as he looked at his left hand. He started summoning a very weak expression of his KaA. “… the Pawns and the Eight… both of the Dark variety. Was hoping for later rather than sooner… but I’m getting used to not getting my way. Outwitting mortals is easy… mind-fencing with the anti-life is something this group isn’t ready for. Damn that blind bastard to each and every hell there is! He knew exactly what he was doing in recruiting me.
“And if you want to live through this, Stewie,” he whispered, releasing the energy into the room, “… you better start emulating his moves pretty damn fast!”
Life is a series of punches. It presents a lot of challenges... but the people that are able to take those punches and able to move forward are the ones that really do have a lot of success… and have a lot of stories to tell, too.
Josh Turner
(Rims Time: XII-4203.27)
“I certainly expected the lavish surroundings,” Ukara whispered as she walked onto the grounds. While there was ample technology, the builders – or the owners – had seen to it that the power lines were guarded against the simple manipulations of a Mech-Mage. “The alarms are a bit of a surprise.”
She was halfway through the courtyard, approaching the front door of the castle, when the guards finally decided to show themselves. They wore light armour and carried light energy weaponry which came as quite a surprise to the woman, given where she was. “Hold!” one of the guards commanded and Ukara stopped walking, holding up her hands in surrender.
“My name is Ukara Curzakiov, Mech-Mage from the Prism Baronies. Tell the Guild Masters that I know where their missing MannA Keys are,” Ukara said softly. “I can either speak to them, or I can go to the Enacranites. It’s their choice!”
“I know the name Curzakiov.” Ukara looked up to a balcony to see a man looking down on her. She wondered if, had she not been trained in the casting arts, she would still be able to see his aura of power. The MannA burned all about the figure in a brilliant bronze fire, exploding in small sparks of white light. She
could feel the aura looking at her, but it was unable to pierce her conjured veil.
“I am honored that my family has been remembered, my Lord,” Ukara said as she bowed.
The dark-haired individual bore a face without expression. It appeared that there was nothing Ukara could say or do to change that facet about him. “I am not your lord, and if you are who you purport to be, you are not here to swear your allegiance. So let us dispense with what would be assumed to be pleasantries. This one is permitted entrance,” he announced. “Bring her to the Ember Hall, but do not lower your guard against her. Mech-Mages are hardly to be trusted… especially not this one.”
“Truer words have never been spoken, worm,” Ukara thought. “And once I have what I came here for, I will have my recompense for that commentary!”
“Sergeant, lead her in,” one guard commanded. Ukara looked over to see that he wore a large bronze badge on his shoulder. “The rest of you maintain your aim, but fingers on the trigger guard!”
“I appreciate the precaution, officer,” Ukara commented as she walked behind the lead guard.
“The safety of the Stellar Mage Guild is my responsibility, visitor,” the man advised. “I will not see harm come to them on my watch!”
“Then pray for a shift change very soon!” Ukara thought.
The extra wide door slowly lifted up into the wall and Ukara could immediately feel the intense heat coming from inside the chamber as the light of the open flames caused her to lift her hand, shielding her face. Once the door was fully open, Ukara felt the hand of the Sergeant on her arm. She looked at his hand and slowly lifted her eyes to look into his.
“You will not keep the masters waiting,” the Sergeant said as he pulled on her arm.
