Xol, Marigold, Nor, Sepul, Coronach, Koschai, and Carmilla were inside of Xol’s small world.

“Most of us know one another, but I’m sure this is the first time most of you have met Nor.

Nor, introduce yourself.”

A Golden man with flame tattoos across his body stepped forward.

His eyes burned like a forge, and unlike most Golden, his hair was red.

“I come from the Red Sands. Though we’ve not met, I have been forging weapons and other artifacts for champions for a very long time. Sepul, I made your first set of robes. Shame they didn’t survive all of that wyvern fire. I made Marigold’s swords. Xol stole my forging magic to create that rose staff of his.

I made the cane used by the last Champion of Anu. Coronach, most of the weapons and artifacts contained within you are stolen from me directly or from someone else who stole them first.

Koschai, I made your prison. From the chains to the spikes to each and every bolt that held that platform together.”

The ancient vampire from Earth snorted at the man.

You, you I don’t know.”

Everything that Liat had told her about the Golden primed her for a pompous man, and yet Nor was lively and upbeat.

“I am Carmilla Karmine, Vampire Queen of Karmine. I have been asked to take part in the fight against Seraphallen due to my age, power, and having clashed with him in the past.”

“Oh. I so rarely get the chance to make equipment for Aine’s people. Well, depending on how one takes the statement, weapons to be used against them are technically for Aine’s people.

What weapons do you prefer?”

“I am most powerful when transformed, so claws would be preferred.”

“Please, transform for me. I need some measurements.”

She did as asked, and the man took one glance at her.

“Alright, that’s enough. Koschai, you are a scimitar user, yes?”

“Any thin curved sword would do well in my hands.”

“Perfect. Sepul, a new robe and staff for you. Coronach, you have enough already. And Marigold, I have your armor still in storage. I’ve not stopped tinkering with it since you handed it back to me.”

“Thank you.”

“That is all then. I will get to work. Six days, yes?”

“Yes.”

“I will have everything tomorrow, that gives four days to get used to them, one to rest before the attack.”

The man touched a candle, lighting it, and was then pulled in.

Xol went over the plan.

They confirmed that Seraphallen had eaten every other piece of The Emperor other than the ones which they collected.

Their main goal wouldn’t be to kill him, that would risk The Emperor being freed into the crossroads and finding the remaining Cast, splitting himself between them.

But, that would only happen if the living pieces were all killed, leaving only the ones not attached to people.

Yet if they managed to get Seraphallen to take in the remaining pieces of The Emperor, Seraphallen would become him, and aging would kill him.

What kept him alive was the fact that he was a dormant mind hidden away in the pieces of himself, but if he ever came back together, became a full being again, Life would kill him for breaking the rules, and the champion of the machine god would finally fade out of existence.

Or, so said Xol.

“Are there any questions?”

Carmilla raised her hand, causing Coronach to roll his many eyes.

“Yes, you deserve to be here.”

“That is now what I intended to ask, shadow.”

“Coronach, you will abide by some manners during your stay in my home. Even Koschai managed that.

Please, Carmilla, ask away.”

“Why is Fomoria not here? By descending order of power, I judge the boy as being stronger than that black carpet.”

“There are forces at work which would rather he not be so close to certain objects. Fomoria is someone who has always been trying to get more and more power. So it is dangerous to both us and to him if he were to try to absorb the power of The Emperor's body parts.”

“I can think of no one who I would rather have that power. Fomoria, while brutal, he has never been cruel or unfair as a ruler.”

Coronach scoffed.

“For an ancient vampire, you are quite naive. The boy is a mess, a disaster in motion. He’ll crack one day, and we’ll need to destroy him. No sense in making that any easier.”

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“I know of you, shadow. You gave up on anything getting better because you weren’t strong enough to put your principles in practice. Just because you are a coward-”

Coronach’s attack couldn’t move beyond this space, for there was, in a sense, absolute nothingness between the two.

This was his world, he was as close to a god as he could be in here.

“Carmilla, do not antagonize him. Coronach, do not fall for her antagonization.

You both know the plan, so there is no longer a need for you to remain here. Thank you for your participation in this battle.”

With a series of snaps, everyone was returned to their homes.

With just the two of them left, Marigold pulled him back to the couch as he tried to get up.

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I want to know. You haven’t stopped being Xol for weeks. I’m worried.”

“I’ve been busy. I find it easier to do work in my skeleton form.”

“That’s not it either. We’ve always found time to spend together no matter how much we’ve had to do.

You’ve planning something, aren’t you? Something you can’t tell me? Something you're worried you won’t be able to do if you’re thinking about me?”

“Of course not.”

“I just want you to know, you don’t need to do it, and you don’t need to tell me anything about it.

Just don’t do whatever it is. That’s all I’m asking for.”

Xol turned to flesh, to Alrick.

“I’m not planning anything.”

“Is it about Fomoria?”

“What does he have to do with this?”

“You are the one who convinced them to not let him in the battle. I know the two of you are friends, and you don’t have many of them, but you can’t treat him like a child.”

“He’s 19 for heaven’s sake. He’d hardly even be an adult on Earth. The fate of the world doesn’t need to be on his shoulders. Harlan found that out. He found his wife, had a child, and decided that being a father was enough. If Fomoria can’t find a level to settle with, he’ll just keep trying to go higher and higher, it will never be enough. If I… if I don’t stop him before that point, if I don’t find a way to make him realize he doesn’t need to be the hero of the world, it… I just don’t want to have to kill another friend.”

Marigold kissed him.

“And you don’t need to feel like you have to be the one to stop him on your own.”

It didn’t hurt his heart to say these things. His will was resolved, refined, and he believed fully in his plan.

Everything would be better for what he would do.

When the next day came, Nor brought them their new equipment, all made from Godtouched steel.

Nor wore a set of blacksmithing equipment. A thick leather full body suit made from Volcanic Drake and topped with thin strips of Godtouched steel.

He wore a belt that held all of his tools on it, and inside of the pockets as well.

With what he had, he could do anything from armor smithing to tailoring to jewelry crafter.

Compared to the

“Now, Miss Carmilla, Coronach, Koschai, this is not to be kept. Sepul, your armor, robe, and staff are paid for by Cecht, so you may keep them all.”

“What would it cost to keep this?”

“Cecht has made promises that Sepul owes me favors, since I am not a master of alchemy on his level. And, when Cecht owes favors, it means they last between champions. You are one person, one person who I do not know or trust.”

“Very well. Perhaps I can change that opinion in the coming days.”

After everyone was in their garb, styled after what they already wore, which was a little strange for them since Nor hadn’t done anything but take a glance at each of them.

Carmilla quite liked the look of the armor and claws that existed in two shapes, one for human form, and one for bat form. Yet they were not shifting like Fomoria’s creations, which while it could be seen as a downside, shifting clothes did lose some amount of defense because of their ability to turn to liquid.

Nor made the armors from a set of shifting undermail and then hardened plates that were based on paradox magic, letting them change between two shapes.

Yet, she did think the robe under her armor was a little tight.

“I think it needs a little more fabric. It’s-”

“No, it is perfect. You will get used to it.”

“I’ve been wearing clothes for 1300 years. I think-”

He pulled a large headed hammer from his belt and put it under her neck, forcing it to crane back.

“Train in them, feel it, these clothes are perfect.”

“You-”

Xol put a hand on her shoulder.

“Nor hasn’t made a mistake in measurements in over 500 years. You will find that the tightness vanishes after a little moving around. If it felt perfect from the start, then it would be slightly too loose when it did become worn in.”

The four days of training before the battle would take place in the campgrounds used by the academy.

Even those who had not been there before, Carmilla and Koschai, felt that something was wrong.

“What is this place?”

“Another of my small worlds. I let The Grand Academy use it to train children. It stretches a few thousands miles in a perfect circle.”

“How many of these worlds do you hold?”

“Enough for my uses. My Others will act as Seraphallen.”

Kleon, Dun’Kel, and another that nobody had seen before.

Marigold furrowed her brows.

“Who is that?”

“A temporary Other. I won’t even name him since I intend to kill him once this is done.”

“A grim prospect, but I understand what I am, and that there is no life for me outside of this place.

Apologies for making you worry, Lady Marigold.”

She found it a little disturbing to hear him talk to her like that.

Mostly he used honey, sweetie, darling, and when he did say her name back to her, it wasn’t with a formal title in front of it.

“Now then, we may begin.”

2000 miles of forest burned, Carmilla nearly lost her life twice, but they had gotten used to their new equipment.

“I don’t know if I belong in this fight.”

“Worry not, dear queen. For I shall be there for you every step of the way.”

“Koschai, do not fraternize with Carmilla. Carmilla, you will be valuable as a support. Every attack that we throw, you attack from another angle. You are the weakest person here, that is true, but he will still be unable to ignore your attacks. Your focused attacks will force him to waste more and more energy to block them, and perhaps let some of our attacks through. We need you here, you are valuable.”

Xol’s voice was gentle and lightly magical.

“Do not try to trick me. Lich.”

“There is no trick. I just can’t have you screwing up my plans because you got demoralized by seeing that your 1600 years haven’t made you the strongest being alive.”

“Honesty works better than any mesmerizing effects. I still think Romulus and Fomoria should be brought in.”

“Gods are fickle, their worry over Fomoria has blinded them to his usefulness. Blinded them to many things.”

Xol quickly realized his tone.

“Sorry. Things are tense. Seraphallen is immensely powerful, and it has been distressing.”

“Fomoria told me about Wyrmwood. Why not use him?”

“You do not want to wake Wyrmwood.”

“Why not?”

“Rest well tonight.”

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

Wyrmwood scratched himself in his sleep, drawing a drop of blood.

And Thus Aine became seeded with its new prime race.