Others gathered rulers from across the empire, but Fomoria had not yet arrived.

Copperhead was alone, Jakel was alone, Magne brought Roland, Carmilla brought Camilla, Grandmaster Crane brought Emilee, Velvet brought Amber, Colton was alone, Romulus brought Bartholomew, Mercedes brought Larenzac.

The room they were in wasn’t one that they had ever been.

The walls and floor were dark, shadows holding all details from the eyes of the guests, yet it was well lit from sources which none could find.

Each of them sat at a ring table, seats specially made for the different bodies and with materials taken from their homelands.

“Do any of you know why Emperor Fomoria would call us all?”

Romulus had only some trust for Fomoria.

“Little Shadow is covered in darkness, there is a storm coming, and one has only just passed over that boy.”

“Snake, I hear enough of that from Dantevius. I ask that you remain quiet if you have no answers.”

Copperhead hissed and Carmilla glared.

“Sir Fomoria surely has good reasons for bringing us together.”

Romulus looked at Roland, who stood beside Magne.

“You… something is off about you.”

“That could be said of any in this room.”

Jakel remained silent because he was worried about being there, and Colton remained silent because he didn’t feel comfortable with being there as someone who no longer ruled a country and held no magical strength; the air tingled with mana.

Others began pouring drinks.

“My brother isn’t someone who would do something just for the pomp. He puts on a show only when he thinks that it is needed.”

“The young master of shadows has called on me once before, but not since. Surely to call together a large number of us is a grand omen; though fortune or ill is yet to be seen.”

“And you are?”

“I am Grandmaster Crane. My lands are far from this place.”

“Oh, right. You are from the Sectlands. I find your aura techniques to be very interesting.”

“He is a man of conviction and strength. The copy of his is likely to become one of the Grandmasters during the next tournament.”

Amber wasn’t sure how to parse his statement, so she remained quiet.

They spoke among themselves, speculating on why, all but Carmilla and Mercedes.

One knew what this was about, and the other assumed.

Finally, Fomoria arrived, his face dour, his posture weak.

He sat at the head of the table, but did not look up.

“I have received news that Ur, Right Hand of The Emperor, was killed by Seraphallen, Left Hand of The Emperor.”

Cheers rang out from the Goliaths, Copperhead, Magne, and Jakel, but the others were more worried about why Fomoria wasn’t happy about this.

“I have been in contact with Ur, who-”

Romulus slammed his hand down, cracking the table that quickly began to heal itself;

Carmilla slammed her hand down before he had time to open his mouth.

“Do not interrupt Fomoria.”

Romulus narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say another word.

“Thank you. He was sent by his god with the hope that I could correct an issue with the Cast. They are not born evil, but I discovered why they show so little empathy.”

He placed what seemed to be a knuckle on the table.

“They often grow tumors that press on their brain, causing a decreased ability to control their emotions and develop empathy. By itself this would be fixable, but they also have a defect in their minds.

I was nearly ready to turn this over to Ur, provided he proved a willingness to actually change the empire to something that I would consider a truce with.”

Discontentment and thoughts of treason were abound.

“I made a promise to Mercedes that if the truce was violated in any way that I would wipe the empire from the face of Aarde, and now my hand has been forced. I have been developing a virus that targets the Cast. The first wave of infections will begin today, and in two weeks they will start showing signs of it, and once they begin showing signs, they will be dead within three hours.

The complete extermination of the Cast will be done within years.”

Magne raised his hand, scared of what Carmilla might do if he simply asked a question.

“You may speak.”

“Why are you not overjoyed about this? We can finally be truly free from them.”

“I did not want genocide to be my legacy.”

Grandmaster Crane raised his hand.

“Why have you gathered us?”

“I will put it to a vote. Those who think that I should unleash the virus, raise your right hand and say "aye.” Those who vote no, remain still.”

There was no hesitation, and the vote was unanimous. Everyone in the room, directly or not, had suffered under the Castian Empire.

“This sin is on all of us now, the removal of an entire race. I wanted you to understand the weight of this.”

“May we go now?”

“I want all information on the movement of Fingers sent directly to me. Once they realize what is happening I believe there will be two likely scenarios. Either they enter a suicidal attack, trying to kill as many of us as possible before they die, or they are going to quarantine, letting everyone outside of it a certain range die.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

More Others came in with weapons.

“Each of these weapons has injection systems. If you encounter a Finger or a Hand and cannot avoid combat, make sure that they end up infected. With the death of Helik, former Finger, I believe we have proof that the virus can infect them and lead to their deaths. If not, they should at least be weakened.

Carry them along with your normal weapons.”

Fomoria left, and the Others remained to answer questions.

When he returned, an Ibexian sat in his room.

Her gnarled horns seemed closer to tree roots than keratin.

He could hardly see her piercing green eyes through the vines that grew like thick hair across her head and up her horns; bulbs grew over much of the surface of the vines.

When he approached, she got up from her seat with the help of a cane and straightened her back out with a crack.

“Little Shadow, very nice to finally meet you.”

He did not put his hand out for a shake, instead sniffing the air.

“You can drop the elderly act, champions age only when they wish to do so.”

“Oh no, not those of Anu. All life is part of a cycle, and who is she to decide against that?”

Her voice showed no worry over any impending death, but he detected no lie.

“Do you intend to stay here?”

“I couldn’t impose on you, but if I could see your menagerie and garden, I would be grateful.”

“Very well.”

So, Fomoria offered her an arm and they went down the halls.

Once they reached the garden, she asked that they sit on a bench.

“What do you want from me… No, how can I help?”

“I am near the end of my life, and Anu has shown interest in a new champion.”

“When I came outside the veil, I was told you were here, and that I might be helping you someday. I thought that I would see you on a battlefield, not before you passed away.”

She laughed.

“Passed away? I hardly thought you would be so sensitive.”

“You seem like a fine enough woman, I thought that I would show some respect.”

“No one becomes a champion for being a fine sort. I am now an old woman who tends to rare animals and plants forests, but I once slaughtered those who would harm nature beyond sense. Now I leave such duties to my followers.”

“If you have followers, why come to me for a new champion.”

“I’ve never seen inside of the veil. I would surely be lost.”

“You mean that you can’t enter the veil, that your unique gate lacks that ability.”

“I may travel the root, any place which touches the ground I may enter.”

“Then let me guess, your candidate is someone I know.”

“A nice young lady by the name of Zella. Anu watched her hair, and thought it like living vines.”

“I am busy, you-”

“No you are not. You’ve committed a slow genocide, now you are simply wandering through your thoughts. There will be many new trees, a niche to be filled. In a time of renewal, it is best that I find a sprout.”

“I wish people could just fu- Sometimes I don’t want to listen to words that require even a moment to decipher, metaphor and idiom.”

“You’d surely find it best to get me out of your hair then, yes?”

“I could always drop you into the middle of the ocean, tie a weight around your legs.”

“There is the fire I more expected. Though, you seem a little dim compared to Nar.

I will visit her regardless, but here is an excuse to meet an old friend again.”

“Fine.”

It took nearly half an hour to find her; Fomoria’s mind simply wasn’t in it, and divination was heavily mental.

“Harlan- Fomoria, whatever the fuck you want me to call you, we don’t have time. We got a distress call and we need to move out right now.”

The stress that came from Zella was like a storm that spread for miles, yet lacked an eye.

“Missy, please, why don’t I help? I’ve come to speak with you, and surely it would be rude to sit by.”

“Who the fuck is she? Doesn’t matter. You look like you’re about to die of old age.”

“I am.”

“Get out of my way.”

The champion stuck her cane into the dirt and it spread roots.

Her eyes glowed a bright green and the bulbs on her vines bloomed into many different flowers.

“Surely you must be rushing to the 80 men north of here, and the Black Lindwurm which is assaulting them.”

Her cane disappeared into the ground and the champion muttered magical words as she moved her hands into signs which neither Fomoria nor Zella had seen before.

“It is done.”

“Great, I just needed another mysterious person in my life.”

Zella’s amulet glowed, and she answered.

“We will be there-”

“The wurm is dead. A giant root came from the ground, squeezed its head until it came clean off. Was that your doing, or are we in more danger?”

“Let me ask. Goat, are they in danger?”

“Of course not.”

She placed her hand over where the cane disappeared and it came back to her.

“Ma’am, the root is gone.”

“You aren’t in danger.”

Zella ended the call.

“Who is this?”

“She is the present champion of Anu, and she wants to recruit you to be the next one since Anu likes your hair.”

“What is her name?”

“I never asked.”

“I am Ur’Princilian. You may call me Prinny if you’d like.”

“What do you want?”

“Well, I believe your friend has just explained.”

“No, your words, what is this?”

“I would like to spend my last days with you, and in that time, perhaps I can convince you to take my gift.”

“If you agree to help only when I ask for it, then you can stay. Fomoria, you can go.”

“What did I do?”

“You helped with the coup that fucked up everything. Do you have any idea how bad things are out here? The Fomorians were being kept at bay, but that fucker Archon had to get a tenth of the army killed, and now my name is tainted because I’ve been working in Mino and Bex for so long that everyone just considers me part of their armies, so I can’t even cross borders anymore.”

“Is your problem that I helped with the coup, and I’m not even going to ask how you found that out, or is it that I messed with your ambitions?”

“The second one.”

“Very sorry about that. Let me handle it.”

She slapped him, but her hand stung as though she hit a mountain.

“NO, WHATEVER YOU ARE THINKING, NO, STOP.”

“I was going to kill Archon, and put Mino back into The Confederacy.”

“GET OUT, LEAVE.”

“Fine.”

Fomoria did not return home, but instead went down the tunnels, down under Aarde.

He roared his challenge, and the tunnels hissed in reply.

When the first of the Iron Snakes arrived, it leapt into combat without worry, for they lacked natural predators so close to the surface.

Fomoria hit it squarely in the chest with an aura empowered palm strike, but only cracked the scales.

Well, he did kill it, since the force was transported through the body and burst the heart of the monster, but he was trying to push its heart out of its body.

Things were going to get far worse before they got better, and he needed to be ready for that, he needed to understand the devouring power which he unlocked in his fight against David, but he couldn’t ask anyone else to spar with him.

He didn’t exactly know how much time had passed, just that his roars were now met with silence.

Now was time to feast, for the tunnels were filled with fresh killings.

----------------------------------------

‘Have you gone to those gods and negotiated on my behalf yet?’

‘The timing hasn’t been quite right to admit that I’ve been speaking with the enemy most threatening after the Fae and manipulating one of their champions for my own gains.’

‘From what you told me, this Emperor Fomoria is going to unleash a biological agent that will destroy my Cast. You need to negotiate now before my position is weakened.’

‘Or I could just say nothing, let your defenses crumble, then make a better deal.’

‘Or I could just detonate my entire arsenal. Of course the planet will survive, but how well will they handle the guests on their way?’

‘Touche. I will bring it up tonight, with some… modifications to the story.’

‘A galaxy away, and you still use your writing abilities to lie, cheat, and steal. Maybe I should give a copy of your library to Emperor Fomoria?’

[Guest Disconnected.]