Amun.
***
“I’m so bored!”
“I wholeheartedly agree.” I snorted. And it wasn’t the first time.
With the other pillars destroyed, most of the class spent the day on the only remaining butte and the sun still had yet to fall. Those who followed me to the sinkhole at the center took to swimming and lounging about on Scarlett’s trampoline while they asked me about my earlier displays and offers. As time went on, breakfast was served and the conversations drifted into me doing a show and tell of the Menagerie once Scarlett asked to play with Skoll and Hati. Being one of the few humans they tolerated, I decided to let her have at it and let the rest of the troops out to stretch their legs. Naps started to be taken within a few minutes after that, giving me a few hours of peace to smoke and mess around in Terranaut until they started waking to ask me about my guild once more.
By then, lunch had come and the conversations had gone to mention my undead. Prompting another round of introductions to all of my named undead. Naturally, that drew some adverse reactions from the crowd. But none of them attacked my undead and instead, they grew accustomed to them rather quickly. Due in no small part to Toril and the others’ familiarity with similar beings. Now, they were hanging out as if they were members of the party. The shadows at least. Zaraxus and his squad were with me, unmoving as they leaned or sat against the wall like ancient corpses while the Bobs toiled from top to bottom.
“While your whining is incessant, I have to agree.” Zarzok sighed. “I’d much rather get this over with already. The suspense is killing me.”
“I don’t even know what incessant means.” Zakira rolled her eyes without looking his way. “But it sounds like 'insect' and I don’t like it. Don't say it again.”
“Say!” Zarzok pounced from his perch of smoothed stone. “Just how immortal are these shadows of yours?”
“Try to kill one and find out.” I shrugged.
Grinning wide, Lana pushed off of Zakira and rose to stand at the base of Zarzok’s perch and winked at him. Then Zarzok lunged.
In a blur of red, he crossed the distance and severed Lana’s head entirely, then jumped away before her body could even slump to the ground and spill seafoam-green 'blood' across the floor. And therein she remained, with Zarzok and many others studying the smoky gray bones and black arteries that composed the interior of her neck with mixed emotions in their eyes.
After a few seconds, the ectoplasm-like ichor began receding to her nape while arcana began leaking from my Well on its own. It was just the slightest bit of energy. A steady stream that continued and lasted until the blood drained back into her and her severed head became incorporeal to snake over to her neck for reattachment. And then, with a silent gasp, Lana jumped to her feet and gave Zarzok a flirtatious wink before returning to Zakira's side as if nothing happened.
“And there you go.” I grinned.
“Fascinating!” Zarzok beamed. “I assume this is the fate of all your subordinates?” He then asked, prompting waves of discomforted gazes from the crowd.
“Only if they so choose,” I said. “I do, however, bless my subordinates with expendable lives and longer lifespans in differing ways.”
“Explain.” He quickly demanded.
“I have within me, around a hundred souls. They were bandits, murderers, rapists, and the like.” I explained. “Now, approximately half of them are what I call Aegis Souls.”
“Protectors?” He correctly guessed. “Souls meant to die in the place of oneself? And the latter?”
“Correct.” I nodded- nay, I beamed. To finally speak again with someone on the same wavelength as myself, the feeling was intoxicating. “And, though they may die earlier, all beings have a time at which they must die. A maximum lease on life, if you will. With my temporal magic, I can reduce that lease and grant it to my subordinates and allies, thus extending theirs.”
“Like a Devil indeed.” He chuckled. “Tell me, would you care if I were to, say, one day rule one of the Hells?” He chuckled again with a meek shrug.
“Would you care if I... oh, I don't know, opened the Gate to the Underworld?” I shrugged back.
“Not at all!” He threw his arm aside. “I would, as the humans say, not give a shit.”
“And my answer is the same.”
“Good! Good!” He stood with a clap, then crouched low as if he were readying for a pounce. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll persuade our dear instructors to allow us to get this show underway.”
***
Doyle Wolfgang.
***
“Doyle Wolfgang, are you fucking serious!?!”
“You said it yourself, Olga Godzuik! You’re quitting after this year!” I gestured to Olga. Prompting an accusatory gaze from Zeff. “Okay.” I nodded, ignoring him. “Where are you going to go? Over the mountain again? Down south? What are you going to do? Work odd jobs for the rest of your life?”
“And you’re going to quit your job to work for one of your students?”
“Former student. Yes.” I quickly nodded. “You didn’t feel what I felt, okay? That power is- it’s freeing. I jumped from here.” I pointed down to the destroyed surface. “Unpowered. No veil. No bolstering. No clouds. That… thing.” I gestured above. “The moon. It carried me to safety.”
“And just because of that, you’re going to leave?” Zeff shook his head.
“It’s not just that!” I spat. “He’s said many times that he will give his subordinates what they dream of. Land. Wealth. Knowledge. Whatever! Well, I dream of being free from all of this bullshit!” I threw my arms around us. “Free from Polaris’ bullshit. Free from Titus. I thought I got away from it coming here. The only other place I could’ve gone was Maru. And outsiders are said to struggle to adapt to that realm. Lest they wanted to live rough in the wilds of Phaegrath.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“But that’s no longer the case. Look.” I threw my chin up to the moon. Only to see a red-skinned tiefling smiling dreamily at us, blinking rapidly like a smitten teenager.
“It is romantic, isn’t it?” Zarzok threw himself onto his back and chortled. “One could almost say its fate. Destiny, even. To find ourselves here among one as… eclectic, as Amun. The Darkest Devil with a light that can outshine the brightest star. Like our eyes to this…” he waved a clawed hand to the rock above as if he were trying to find a different word for it. “This… Moon.” He eventually submitted. “We all find ourselves drawn to him. As if by some invisible force.
“Now.” He rolled over to face us and chuckled. “I’m not a religious fiend by any means. But… well.” He dreamily sighed. “What’s your opinion?"
“I’m sure you heard mine loud and clear.” I groaned. “Now, is there anything I can help you with, Zarzok?”
“Certainly!” He nodded. “You see, we’re all bored. And worse, anxious. We were wondering if the schedule could perhaps be… how you say, pushed forward? Surely a night of lounging about can’t be good for everyone’s nerves. Not with a Devil on the loose.” He whispered behind his hand and snickered.
“We’ll see what we can do.” Olga curtly said, then turned to me with screaming eyes that said. ‘We’re not done.’ Before walking away with Zarzok. But oh, yes we were done. And I was done too. I was done with Polaris. Done with Titus. Done with the Bodhi Tree. I was done with being afraid. I was done with settling for a life I didn’t want. I wanted to explore the realms. I always have. But I could never do it alone. I could never do it with my old party and guild. And I could never bring myself to serve the Light of Polaris. But the Moonlight I felt just hours before was different. With its blessing- with Amun’s blessing, I was certain I could go anywhere by my lonesome.
“Doyle-”
“I was invited, Zeff.” I turned to the halfling with a warm smile. “Just like they were. But I’m a teacher. So I’ll wait until they graduate to accept. But Class 999 will be my last. Join me.”
“I-”
A sudden sigh cut him off. Then Olga rounded the corner. “They agreed. They’re to start spreading out in thirty minutes.”
“I’ll go let them know.”
“Zarzok is on it.” I heard Olga say. But I kept walking through the woods to smoke the minutes away.
With a few minutes to spare, I made it to the lounging spot he made. It was set before a spire that formed a windbreak for the sinkhole. With his void magic, an alcove had been dug out and furnished with rugs, chairs, and tables for Amun and his undead, though only the latter was here. Specifically, the draugr, covered in rags with a bronze sword wedged between his ribs.
“Uh.” I sighed. “Z- Zaraxus? Are you awake?”
“We do not sleep.” Came his growling, sourceless voice as the fires in his eyes illuminated.
“Stupid question to ask, I know.” I nodded. “Can you take me to Amun?”
Without a word, he stood and faced about to push a seamless door inward and led me down a spiral staircase and past an open window that peered into the sunken pool below. A wooden door was knocked upon and pushed inward a little way down the stairs after that, giving us entry to a vast, elliptical room carved through the stone. It was like an egg turned onto its side and separated from its cap, making a railed terrace that gave unbridled views of the northwestern steppes
Saying nothing, Zaraxus led me past the members of Class 999, huddled around shadow beasts and undead alike, to halt before the railing and fold his arms before him as a Monk would. “I bring Doyle Wolfgang, my Liege.”
With a little mutter of surprise, Amun drifted above and over the railing to float in front of me, smirking ever so slightly.
“Your undead don’t kneel to you?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He shook his head. “That’s my Great-Grandfather’s schtick. I, personally, find it demeaning. A sovereign- any leader, should not demean, look down on, or disrespect their subordinates. They should be cared for as much as or more than one’s children. They should be looked at in the eyes with respect. Or if anything, they should stand above you, for a kingdom or empire is nothing without its people. Thus a king should look upon his peasants as equals but never admit it. After all, they made, hold, and can take his crown.”
Saying as much, Amun then paused to cradle Zaraxus’ head in his palms and give him a warm smile before it faded. Then he turned. “I’m going to tell you all in advance that there are no ill feelings involved in what’s about to happen. There are certain reasons why I need to steal the show again. So I won’t make this fair. At all. The world has seen the Moon.” He grinned. “Now, it's time for the world to catch a glimpse of Gloom.”
“ALRIGHT!”
A wave of ducking heads spread through the room at the sound of Zeff’s call. After a collective sigh of relief, many of them began rushing out the open window, even as Zeff’s voice continued rattling the walls around them.
“Sixty seconds to spread out! Fifty-Nine! Fifty-Eight…”
In droves, the students scattered. Mostly to the skies, they went to spread themselves far apart within the relatively fresh crater. Those unable to fly relied on their elemental abilities to at least slow their falls or were carried to the ground by Amun’s gravitational magic. He, on the other hand, returned to his prior location. On the wall, just below the terrace.
He was sitting, smoking a burnbud cigar while he watched the students spread as far away from them as they could. Most of them, anyway. Lance Morningstar floated in the air just meters away from him. But Amun ignored him entirely. He just continued staring. Continued listening to the countdown tick to the single digits.
At 9, Lance began glowing like the sun. Causing the undead to scramble into the shadows and us observers to shield our eyes as best we could.
At 8, Amun splayed his hands out before him, palms up, and began infusing them with separate streams of light and darkness. Lance scowled, and at 7, his magic blossomed.
Though they both possessed Arcana, Amun’s well was almost twice as deep as Lance’s, so when his body bloomed with that absurdly powerful energy he absorbed earlier, even Lance was forced to distance himself.
By the count of 5, Lance was two kilometers away from Amun and receding further. But by four, Amun closed off the energy and burst out in laughter. A flash of light then came, and Lance was once again meters away from Amun, indignation smeared across his face until the count of three. Then the world itself began to dim.
Like Lance, we all grew curious and began flicking our eyes around. And just after two, I conjured a cloud to drift out beyond the tower to take a look.
I rounded the remaining Pillar of Erodes at the count of one and, upon seeing nothing, looked up to the Moon just as Zeff’s shout to begin resonated throughout the air. Followed by Amun, chanting. “Eclipse of Ill Omen!”
At that exact moment, the Moon moved into position to block the sun entirely. Blighting the land in an eerily gloom that seemed to freeze time itself. After an endless second, a wave of twilight crashed into my back and continued for uncountable leagues, coating what could have easily been the entirety of the steppes in a haunting field of darkness that seemed to hug the ground like a rug that billowed wisps of amorphous shadow to obscure the twinkling starlight above.
When I turned, Lance was gone and so too was Amun. So too was everyone else. Or, so I thought, until the haunting screams began to bleed through the obscuring darkness. A flash of fire caught my eye and I turned, only to immediately lose it. Then a bolt of blue jumped to life. Only to immediately die. Over and over again. Flashes of light and magic spurred forth from the darkness to be chased into Twilight by a chorus of rising screams meant to haunt the ears and eyes of us found outside of the reaching darkness.
Eventually, the horror that seemed to never end faded. The screams died down and the light began to shine brighter. It took all my strength at that point to look away. To turn and see the Moon drifting ever so slightly out of the sun’s way. From the clearing darkness, bodies could be seen strewn about across the stone at unnatural angles. Some had broken bones or pools of blood around them. All were beaten but alive. Not even Lance was spared. Nor was Toril, Roheisa, Jaimess, or any of his friends. All that was left was Zeff and Olga, standing atop the Butte; me, floating above a field of incapacitated students; and Amun, standing in the middle of a field of bodies, his hands clasped before him in prayer while the motes of starry twilight shifted to hues of blacks, reds, purples, ambers, and deep blue.
Before our eyes, those motes sank into the students, limning their bodies in a golden radiance that saw their wounds seal shut, their bones mend themselves into place, and one by one, they stood to turn their gazes upward. Towards the Moon, distancing itself from the radiant sun.