A comment reaches me from beside me, despite the rush of wind and boom of thunder over head, as we race north-westward, “You seem too idealistic for someone committed to a battle of such a grand scale. You seem too intelligent to be plotting to simply take over several forces and just assume Terrorzin would leave you be, so I trust you truly are on a path of conquest that results in one of you slaying the other. How is it you are so empowered, and so emboldened, Hero of the Onyx Dawn?”
Drawing a deep breath, and sighing, I turn my gaze slightly to nod towards Attraxiaz while we ride, I fib only slightly, “My powers of void require me to continually consume dragonforce, and with each new one, my strength rises exponentially. Vanathar’s was the fourth I’d consumed. Kozzurth, Yisstendahl the betrayer, and Olashax were those prior. Three of them in only the last three days. With no dragonforce, I slew one dragon effortlessly. With one dragonforce that had been waning, from a long time seeking more foes, I slew an archmage. With that dragonforce, I slew two more, and with Olashax’s I will be able to slay two more, and with Vanathar’s I will be able to slay four. Shiz’s will allow me to slay eight more, and Tinth’s will allow me the power to take on sixteen at once. Or somewhere around those lines. Perhaps not quite so dramatic after the first few, but each slaying will also grant me that many more dragonforces.”
I pause before adding, “You heard my titles. I am an archmage, I intend to act as a Hero to the Order. I want Terrorzin gone for what he has done to dragonkind over the ages. I only came to exist four months ago, but I know that by my hands, or the hands of my beloved Order, that I’d only joined three days ago, he will fall.”
When Attraxiaz hears my apparent age, and my time with the order, she balks, confused, frightened, she pleads, “Four-four months? A Hero to Kinzul’s Order in only three days? What manner of creature are you?”
Smirking, perhaps a bit evilly, I answer, “Well, as you know, a Void Dragon, but also a Changeling Fae. There’s another small bit of me that I’d like to remain a secret until after I awake safely under your gaze, and we invite you to flee your domain to join our sanctuary. You must know that Lady Kinzul does not conscript everyone to join her fighting force. Your people would be safe amongst us, so long as I can trust you, and that you trust them. Do note that there are powerhouses that rival me who remain within the Order at all times, guarding the safety of the people under its protection, and the weary fighters amongst the Order’s members.”
There’s a long moment of consideration, as Attraxiaz ponders over how believable my statement is. Welcoming in a thousand new people, offering shelter, and not requiring them to join the war? Too good to be true. Right? I don’t need to tell her that I’ve broken the rules of reality to make it feasible to support a growing number of people. Perhaps I should though. If I can engender further trust—. Yes. I will.
I offer up, “A small tidbit that may help ease your mind, yes, we can accommodate and support more new mouths. My— birthing, is one not bound by the usual rules of our reality. It is in part why I am so powerful. Within these expanded bounds of reality, we’ve been able to reach a point of sustainability that no other refuge can match, and we’re cultivating that even further.”
The furrow of disbelief in Attraxiaz’s brow is evident, but she still takes time to consider my words carefully. She gazes down at the ghostly steed she’s riding upon, that I conjured as if it was nothing. She nods to herself in a sort of prompt to get her belief to move along.
Trying to keep my breathing even, and my voice polite, I request, “In the spirit of engendering trust, could you recommend a roost, or a location, within a few miles of the lair of Shiz and Tinth, where we could go unnoticed?”
My companion continues her awkward nodding, as if psyching herself up before responding, “If you’d continue to place trust in me, I could transform, and we could travel faster. I would like to return to my people, and ask them to remain patient for longer than a day. I wouldn’t normally offer someone, koff, a ride, so early upon getting to know them, but circumstances are a bit unusual this day.” Attraxiaz expression morphs at her own accidental entendre, worried about my interpretation.
Bringing our steeds to a halt, I levitate myself off, and float above her head. Attraxiaz takes this as a signal to begin returning to her dragon form. She keeps it about the size of a house, non-threatening, but powerful enough to be able to cover ground quickly. I settle myself in atop her scapula, and she takes wing, returning the direction we had come. I’m not altogether too inconvenienced by it. I’ve plenty of time, and other methods of locomotion if I should need to recover time. I do take a deep breath and hold it, causing Attraxiaz to panic when it seems as if my weight leaves her back, but I pat the base of her skull, indicating I’m still upon her.
There’s a booming sigh of relief that I didn’t just fly up to stab her in the back, and another worried furrowing of her brow as she ponders the implications that I continue to show more and more powers. Attraxiaz queries, somewhat frightfully, “Will you, ah, be extending this offer of mercy to everyone in Terrorzin’s hordes?”
Sighing, I shake my head while responding, “I’d like to. I truly would, but I can’t afford the time it would take. Sometimes, I have to make it from point A to point B, to save lives, or for other reasons, and anything hostile between me and there will die. I will also need to continue consuming dragonforces to be able to eventually topple Terrorzin and his more formidable, unflinchingly evil allies. I truly wish I could extend mercy to everyone, and wish I could believe that they would accept it. You give me hope my friend. You have granted me something that warms my heart. Hope.”
There’s hesitation as Attraxiaz hems and haws before requesting, “If, if perhaps, after I tell my clan to remain for several days, and watch over you as proof of our mutual trust. Would you be continuing your offensive or would you return to your home for rest? Could I see it for myself? Under pain of death if you believe me to be plotting anything. And—. Shiz is an almost decent fellow. He—. I’m certain that if backed into a corner, where he’s certain he’s lost, he would accept surrender, defeat. I perhaps wouldn’t suggest you welcome him with open arms, but—, is there any chance you could spare him?”
Carefully considering her request, I mull it over for a long while. I could definitely use additional dragonforces, but I’ll have six incredibly powerful dragons to back me up, in case Attraxiaz and Shiz work on some mutual plot of betrayal. I nod when I’m ready to answer, “I believe the answers are home, yes, and yes. It is only a chance though, based on his actions. You are committing to being near enough that you might be spotted by my allies however. I’ve set up psychic bonds with them, but if any of them spot you before contacting me telepathically, it— could be dangerous for you. Would you announce your presence and surrender loud enough to be heard throughout the stronghold, if it came down to it?”
Her silent nodding of her assent is good enough for me as we wheel and circle down towards the scout left at a well-disguised entrance to the tunnels of her domain. She informs the scout to remain hidden for three days, and that if neither of us are back in a week, to flee with the secret to the Untamed Lands. I try not to let on how much it is affecting me that she shows so much worry and care for those under her command, and her unborn children. She looks for my consent to take back to the air, and I give it willingly. We make good time, returning in the direction of the stronghold of Shiz and Tinth.
It isn’t all that long before it’s late afternoon, nearing evening, when we come to rest on a roost, an outcropping, a tiny ledge, on the edge of a mountain almost near enough to the Worldstorm to be struck by lightning. I’d written several one word notes to Luni, “Safe,” “Love,” and the like, so that she wouldn’t freak out that I’d not made use of our method of contact. A note that’s a few words longer, yet still short, lets Luni know to hold off on trying the origami animal thing until a bit later.
I think it’s about the time that I pull an entire platter of fried fish from the dimensional pouch when Attraxiaz is truly convinced that her people would be better off taking refuge amongst the Order of the Onyx Dawn. She blushes when I catch her licking her chops and pantomiming chewing. I offer up half the platter, essentially breaking bread together. That’s a pretty good sign that this surrender is going well.
I decide to risk showing more vulnerability, and simultaneously more power next to Attraxiaz. I’m going to empower, and add permanency to the fire, lightning, and cold runes to three of the knives. The other three I’ll allow to remain their random, weaker selves, in the case of me needing acid or thunder or poison. I have to spend a long while in a paused thinkspace, so I dive into a moment between moments, a space between spaces as I slip into the non, the absence of time. I swirl amidst an endless void as I slow time to a crawl and begin drawing up my mindscape.
This is going to take some doing, and I’ll get Lu to send some gems and paste once I’ve figured out the correct formula. Let’s see, carry the curl, twist the slipenth, adjust the hypotenuse, round the wrought edge. Hm. That just might work for the fire rune. Rubies, of course. Ah lightning, a reminder of a woman I dearly enjoy the company of and miss greatly, and also a reminder of intense pain, and the ill-workings of my body. Still, your jagged parallel edges in your runework could be tweaked ever so slightly in their angles. I would need to encompass you in the rune for circuit, partially, as well as that particular portion of the daily regeneration slipenth. That seems like it would work with diamonds of course, yes, yes indeed. Ice, the easiest of all for me to understand the calculations of the runework for. The absence of heat, cold, has always been so much more inherently understood by me. Even the use of sapphires just makes sense in the volume required.
The calculations to work the regenerative property into the permanency runework is difficult. It essentially has to set it up so that each time a knife regenerates, and is re-empowered, that it triggers a permanency enhancement enchantment of an empowered elemental rune as well, on its own. Huff, phew. This is difficult, and I have to utilize retrocognition on my knowledge of the bandolier and its runework, in order to hodgepodge the two together. It won’t work on anything else, if it even works on this. A few more tidbits here, that calculation is wrong, crap. Okay, start over. Ugh.
Alright, finally, I think I’ve got it. After leaving the non, slipping back to reality, I get the required ingredients from notes passed to Lu, and then I comment to my companion resting on the roost with me, “This might get a little, um, toasty. I’d understand if you wanted to stand back a ways. I’m going to empower an enchantment that will have me burst into flames, crackle with lightning, and quite possibly freeze or pass out, or both.”
Attraxiaz raises an eyebrow but edges as far back along the ridge as space allows for, so I take out the elemental bandolier. I haven’t used up the other two hundred or so safe S P for the day, for fear of needing to turn around and fight my companion, but I’m feeling fine spending a few to make shorter work of this. Especially since I might take multiple attempts to get the exactly adjusted runes that I’ve invented by myself, correct. Huff, yep, going to take a bit to master them, but not as long as a full new rune. Phew, my arms are tired, but okay, I’ve got them. I need them all mastered first, so that I don’t sit around mastering new runes, and ending up passing out while my insides are aflame before I can get around to cooling them.
Setting the bandolier down, I begin applying about four fifths of the permanency enhancement to each of the top three knives before I apply and empower the altered runes for fire, lightning, and ice, in that order. I of course burst into flames internally, and begin smoking out my ears, mouth, and nostrils. It’s a mild hellish agony. Empowering the lightning rune is more dangerous than I thought. All the sparks within me coalesce to a small point in my core, ignoring my attempts to maneuver them with internal electrokinesis.
I can’t move to finish anything, or save myself, so I initiate a number four from my Q C R, getting struck by several bolts of lightning. It provides enough electricity that does respond to my internal electrokinesis, that I’m able to continue while being struck by lightning. More agony of course, but oh well. The cold rune attempts to glaciate me, and it would spread out, possibly harming Attraxiaz if it weren’t for the massive sources of heat inside me. It puts out the flames, and is balked from expanding by the sweltering heat of lightning.
There’s a small crackle, and an internal explosion that leaves me aching from my core to every extremity. I wince with every movement, but I am free to move, so I use a Q C R number five to stop being struck by lightning, and I blast the excess back out into the sky, the Worldstorm above. Huffing, panting for breath a bit, I stretch my ungodly-aching limbs as I finish up the permanency-regeneration enhancement enchantment. I’m so very ready to pass out, and I think I used up a good bit of dragonforce surviving that internal explosion. That’s not good, but, now I have three daily uses of elemental runic empowerments that vastly expand my arsenal, without further costing me possibly deadly side effects and backlash. I would like to do the other three, but I don’t know if I can survive acid, thunder, or poison backlash. I’d need to talk to another archmage to determine their possible repercussions.
Huffing, heaving a sigh after panting for a while, I chuckle to myself, and situate the bandolier back into my dimensional pouch. I nod satisfactorily as I flash a pleased grin towards Attraxiaz. Motioning back towards me, I lean up against the cliff’s face, resting against it, breathing a bit heavily, but I’m fine if she sees a bit of vulnerability after seeing that show of power.
We talk long into the evening, as I show her that I’m passing communiques to my loved ones, alerting them to my status and safety. I don’t disclose the full details of our planned assault, but I hint that I have backup near and at the ready. When Attraxiaz asks if she can nap first, so that she’ll be able to stand guard longer during her watch, I’m fairly certain we’re almost friends, rather than conqueror and surrendered. I nod, asking for Luni to get a larger blanket into the haversack so that I can offer it to the slightly rotund woman, and I grant her my sleeping bag and pillow for the time being.
I sit, resting my arms on my knees, my heels fairly close to my butt, as Attraxiaz dozes somewhat fitfully next to me. I’ve filled in Luni, who will be letting Kinzul know the offer I’ve made, but haven’t heard back word from Kinzul yet on it. I know she trusts my judgment in seemingly all matters concerning this war, and perhaps every choice that I make in general, but still I worry. What if I was in the wrong to offer to take them in? Would Kinzul order me to abandon Attraxiaz’s clan, or worse, slaughter them?
I highly doubt it, after the moment we shared inside Vanathar’s chest cavity. If anything, I can picture her attempting to hide tears as Luni shares the news. She’d feel a mixture of pride, joy, relief, sadness, knowing that her beloved Schism as she calls me, continues to foster and nurture mercy, and that it may one day cost me untold heartache.
Shaking my head silently to myself, I know I’m setting myself up for pain and betrayal. I just can’t be the person who doesn’t at least try though. The twilight hours present themselves, and Attraxiaz stirs, looking sheepish that I let her sleep as long as I did.
Careful of her tone, Attraxiaz requests, “Hero of the Onyx Dawn, Schism. You said your name was Reggie Shellcracker, yes? Do you have a, ah, prefix? Something like Sir or Madam Shellcracker? I feel awkward calling you by titles of power.”
I can’t help a half sad smile as I suggest, “Please, just call me Reggie. Or Airhead. It’s what most of my friends use.”
There’s a genuine snort of laughter that precedes a slightly terrified widening of her eyes before Attraxiaz gulps, then nods and assents, “I can do that, Reggie. Rest well. I feel like you’ll be doing a lot of things you don’t like when you awaken. I almost pity you that, but I think I pity them more that make you do it.”
Since we’re sharing more comfortable names, I ask her in return, “What about you Attraxiaz? Is there a nickname, or something shorter you’d like to be referred to by?”
There’s a cock-eyed grin as the Loud proudly states, “Loud is a good one. Quite happy with it. Atter or Adder is fine as well.”
Nodding my affirmative in response to her suggested names, I take note of movement as an origami giraffe works its way out of the dimensional pouch, carrying a sweet note from Luni, I send it back with a note conveying my love, and that I’m going to sleep while being guarded. I close my eyes, fairly certain that between my danger wraps, and the trust we’ve built up, that Attraxiaz is unlikely to be able to come to slay me outright before I could defend myself. Hopefully she isn’t even tempted, between my power, my friendship, and the knowledge that I have backup somewhere ominously nearby.
In some yet pre-dawn hour, Attraxiaz nudges me very carefully, very gently, from her maximum arm’s distance, slightly fearfully. She mutters, “Reggie friend, I think you’d best prepare. I’d wish you luck, but between not needing it, and your desire to avoid your upcoming task, I think I shall wish you peace of mind and heart instead.”
Taking a deep breath, and exhaling slowly, I nod towards my companion while breaking camp. We’ve agreed she would stay out here, for her own safety, so as to not be seen aiding anyone against the forces of Terrorzin. She can’t draw attention to herself, or she may be scried upon, and that would reveal that she’d secreted away her clutch.
I’d almost hug the woman for comfort, though I’m not quite certain if more for me or her, but we’re not quite there. Our alliance is uneasy, built on the premise that I can offer safety for her people. I simply nod to her after breaking camp, take a deep breath, and leap off the cliff before holding my breath, and angling several T K S Ls away towards my target. The front entrance of the ShizTinth stronghold.