Chapter 152:

Anton was not awoken to the early morning rays of a new dawn, washing over himself and now three women that shared his bed. Instead he awoke to a different light, a faint blue light.

“The God’s Realm…Hopefully we can get away without starting a war.” Anton mumbled as he reached for his clothes. Again his tail and legs ached and felt stiff, but the slight charge remained. “After all this I don’t want Atros reduced to a ruined hellscape.”

The interior of the Inn room was identical, however the food and drink had disappeared alongside the girl’s clothes. Only a small neat bundle of his remained, something that had clearly changed from the night.

Outside the Inn’s interior had disintegrated, leaving a pathway of broken floorboards and furniture towards a flat plane of cobblestone street. Five chairs sat around a small table, three already taken up by his gods. The fourth chair was taken up by Fliodher, rocking back and forth while stroking a small grey wolf on her lap. On the far side he spied Jira, resting against a solitary wooden pole like some wannabe gangster.

“Anton.” Esperit, wearing one of her more conservative dresses, waved him over. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Indeed.” Anton smiled at Fliodher. “I’m just happy to see you made it out unscathed. Did Nithroel actually try and attack you?”

Fliodher laughed. “Oh, she did.” Fliodher removed her hood. The wound looked larger than before. “She tried but I was ready. She won’t be trying something like that for a little while.”

“Which is why it is a perfect time to strike.” Esperit slammed her fist into the table. “She is weakened, slightly, but we have enough power to take her down.”

“But she has allies too.” Stratos spoke softly, gently trying to reassure Esperit. “More than we do.”

Esperit grumbled as Anton took his seat.

Tethra, still bound in her chains and white habit, pulled close to Anton and held his hand. “Are you alright?”

Her voice was still hoarse and raspy but every time he met her she was improving, however slight. Now she had two disciples to help grow her power, with hopefully more to come.

“The fight was tough for you, wasn’t it?” Tethra gently rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek.

“It was.” Anton patted her hand. “Do you have any idea what that thing was? Or those Stitch Soldiers? Or why I can control it with the Marble Spear. Or the charge that comes with this thing? Can you tell me anything about…Anything? I know it’s a bit much but I’m stumbling about this thing completely blind.”

Stratos and Esperit shared a glance while Fliodher continued to pat her pet wolf in silence. Anton was still holding Tethra’s hand, it tensed slightly. Jira remained silent and seemingly content to just watch this unfold.

“Not that much.” Stratos shrugged lightly. “You touched an Ancient artefact, something incredibly old, something that should no longer exist. Something…You still have it, yes?”

“We do.” Anton felt Tethra slide her hand out from underneath his. “But it’s being kept in its sealed and protected container. We had no idea it was in there, it was covered in Ghlyirl-”

“Best to keep it that way.” Stratos nodded slightly. “Be careful examining that thing. Or anything like it. It’s not something that humans, or anything older or more powerful, should be touching. You’ve seen what it can do. You…You got off quite lightly.”

“But the Strega Witches want it.” Anton leant forward. “And Cetina didn’t change when she did. Anyway, what could they possibly want with something that can do this?”

Anton ran a hand over his tail.

Esperit chuckled. “Seems like your girls like it.”

“Well, it has changed me. I think.” Anton looked to the ends, slightly glowing. “I think it’s made me more…aggressive.”

“That worked out well for you though.” Stratos laughed.

Are they trying to distract me from the question? We’ll play that game for a little bit.

Anton coughed. “But what are the Strega Witches after? Honestly. They want these stones…And Ferula knows, suspects at the very least, that we have one.”

“That is an interesting question.” Tethra said softly. “From what I know…And that’s very little since I was weakened, they are planning to use it to destroy something.”

“But we don’t know what.” Stratos added quickly.

“What could they possibly want to destroy with something like this?” Anton asked, shaking his tail.

Unless they want to control something…Or something worse, like free something. Or someone…

“And where did I go after I touched it?” Anton relinquished his hold. “Black lightning with a giant white tower. I’ve never seen a place like it, in this world or my old.”

Esperit clapped her hands. “We are getting off topic. The important topic, something more immediate than an inert stone from a bygone age.”

That’s the most obvious diversion I’ve ever seen. You aren’t going to answer the question even if I ask it now, will you?

Esperit’s flaming hair burned brighter and more angrily. “Something that I thought the stupid bitch wouldn’t ever be so stupid to try. Again.”

“You’re certain that Harold and Valérie were influenced by Nithroel?”

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“Who else could it be?” Esperit scoffed. “Which other blonde haired, big titted bitch wants Atros destroyed?”

“To be fair I haven’t met that many gods.” Anton smiled bitterly. “But you’re right. It was her.”

Esperit slammed her open hand onto the table. “So that means everything’s open now. That bitch has over-stepped-”

Anton raised his hand. “Can we just pretend this never happened?”

“This meeting?” Stratos raised a brow.

“No…Pretend that Nithroel didn’t try and attack us. Through, albeit, indirect means.”

Jira kicked the wooden post and stepped forward. “You want her just to get away with it?” She rested an elbow on Stratos’s head, something he ignored. “You? You’re just going to let it go?”

“Yes. We don’t have the strength to win yet. And Atros will be left ruined if we fight. The Wood Elves have a sizeable kingdom to the south of Atros, correct?”

“A sizeable one.” Fliodher gently nodded. “If they wanted to take over your lands they’d have no trouble. Well, maybe at Surdon they might-”

“Are you going to show things you’re not supposed to again?” Jira sniggered. She moved to Fliodher and began rubbing her wounded temple. “If you really wanted to I could help you. It’s just a little bit of blood…”

“No.” Fliodher nervously chuckled as she pried her hand free. “No thank you. I’m already wounded enough.”

“Shame.” Jira shrugged. “And here I thought I could make a new friend.”

“You’ve never had any friends.”

Jira’s face fell flat for a moment, recovered the next. She raised her hand but couldn’t think of anything and returned to her wooden post, somewhat angrier than before.

“Anyway,” Esperit almost rolled her eyes, receiving a death-glare from Jira. “You want us to ignore what Nithroel has done? Ignore all the lives she ruined.”

“The Church of the Holy Father were going to launch a coup, sooner or later. Without her involvement they might have succeeded…Maybe; Abeau wouldn’t have presented the Stitch Soldiers without her influence through Valérie, their activities would have remained secret for years, allowing them to continue to grow and perfect the creatures. Imagine thousands of those things descending upon Atros. There would have been almost no one left.”

His gods shared a look.

“If that’s what you wish for we won’t say anything.” Esperit said softly. “No one else knows about this…But I don’t think you should forgive Nithroel.”

“I don’t plan to. I…Don’t like betrayal. Nithroel will pay for what she done. But not yet.” Anton smiled. “Let her think she got away with it. It probably won’t be for a few years yet but she’ll get her comeuppance.”

Stratos chuckled. “And I thought that we’d see another war. Actually get to throw our weight around. Another Conflagration, if we really wanted to rend the land asunder.”

“Not if you don’t want to obliterate this world.” Fliodher said softly.

“-Since.” Esperit tapped her finger on the table. “Since that’s dealt with, there is something that we wanted to tell you. We were going to contact you in a few days, until we discovered Nithroel’s interference. There…There is another portal about to open. A tear between worlds.”

“Two, actually.” Stratos continued. “After the tear opened in Fort Acidava we knew what to look for. And we’ve found two more tears that affect you. One in Bebbezzar and another in Seocuria near the Clansmen border.”

“That’s a long way to travel.” Anton rubbed his beard. “We don’t exactly have the ability to move that quickly until we establish portals…Even with the Chirok’s from Fliodher.”

“I hope they’re doing well.” Fliodher’s pet wolf tried to climb onto the table. “They weren’t exactly having a fun time in The Shadow Isles.”

“They’re doing great. And soon we’ll have harnesses for them. I don’t exactly want to fall to my death.” Anton turned to Esperit. “When are these things going to happen?”

“We don’t know.” Tethra said. “Sometime before the spring. That’s all we can tell.”

“It could be tomorrow morning or just before the snows stop falling. Maybe even after, we just don’t know.” Esperit added.

“Right…I think we have our next destination. Any idea where exactly?”

“No.” Esperit shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“A lot of people are going to die before they’re brought down.” Anton shook his head. “I can’t believe normal people will find it easy for them to deal with them. The Graterious army struggled…Even more so if we weren’t there. These Demons are a terrible threat. Now I know why you wanted me. Even if I know you’d have liked more.”

Tethra coughed. “We do what we can. It is all that any of us can do.”

“That’s all we can ever do.” Esperit smiled. “We can see is there’s a disturbance over the area, nothing more than that. We can’t tell if it’s a permanent tear…If it is the world is in serious trouble.”

“A skilled Principle Mage might be able to close a fresh portal.” Tethra struggled through the words. “But the longer it remains the harder it becomes.”

“Can’t your power do something about them?”

“Yes. But you’d need to touch the portal.”

“And I don’t think you want to go their world.” Stratos chuckled.

“The Demons looked very tough.” Anton glumly nodded. “And who knows if a portal remains open for long enough it’ll start to bleed over to this one. So long as there’s not one over Atros. Is…Is there any way to block these things?”

“There should be.” Stratos nodded. “Nithroel’s territory, regardless of what we think of her, is safe from these portals and tears. I believe the Wood Elven Kingdom to the south has the same protection, which may extend north enough to cover your city. Perhaps.”

“Please tell me if they are. I can’t have Atros fall after everything we’ve gone through so far. There must be a way to stop all of this. Some sort of field, a tower spreading a…field…” Anton looked to his tail. “So what actually happened to me?”

“We don’t know.” Esperit sighed, dropping one elbow on the table. “There are things in this world that even we don’t have complete control over or even knowledge of. Primordial forces…Think of it like that.”

“Wonderful.” Anton gently shook his head. “Will it grow? Continue to consume more of me? Until I end up…”

Tethra tilted her head.

“End up like a giant lizard man?”

“Only if you feed it.” Stratos said quietly. “I wouldn’t kill too many of those creatures at once, and don’t touch any more of those stones. But so far you’re doing alright. Just, be careful with it.”

“Kronique could help, but he’s Nithroel’s little lap-dog right now.” Esperit lightly slapped the table. “But there’s no way he’d help us now…”

Now?

“Why not? Has it something to do with this, or that place I went to?”

“Just be careful, Anton.” Esperit smiled, glossing over his question. “There are many dangers still out there, many that even we are not fully aware of.”

More evading the question…How far can I trust you if you don’t answer my questions? Especially since they’re relating to the White Realm.

“Like this?” Anton held his tail up.

“Yes…Just be careful and don’t try to make it…more.” Esperit clapped her hands.

Definitely hiding something about the White Realm. But beyond you merely invading and taking it over, probably killing those children? Something far more important. But what? I can’t risk alienating any of you, at least until I get some of my ‘projects’ functioning.

“Well, this ended differently than I expected. It’s probably time for us to send you back.”

Stratos laughed. “Thank you for helping the Dark Elves. Even if you had to resort to some…violent means.”

“I’d have preferred to do things peacefully...”

“You should also look below the mountain.” Esperit winked at Anton. “Greater prizes lie in the depths beyond a home for the Dwarves and their precious equipment.”

“We will. Thank you, all of you.”

“Probably time for you to go back now.” Esperit smiled. “Good luck with your journey. And keep spreading the word of the Old Gods. The ones that are helping you, of course.”

Light began to fade and Anton fell back into a deep sleep.