Egosum watched the spectacle with a strange feeling in his stomach.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong, but I still feel a little bad about what happened. That is kind of annoying.’
The queen changed her glare to the bodies of the dead humans and dwarves nearby before catching sight of the living troop member.
He lay on his back with a bleary expression and grime covering him. Coyotl sat on his chest like a triumphant monster slayer riding his prey back into town.
“You said this is the last one alive, correct?” Her cold voice was a far cry away from her jovial one earlier. She glared a hole through his soul as she fully digested the scene.
“Yes, he isn’t the leader, but he is the one who killed the elf.”
“I see, thank you for leaving him around to pay for his crimes. It’s a shame you couldn’t save her. Guards, collect the bodies and bring this thing to a cell We will get what we need from it later.” She spoke clearly and with immense derision as she waited for her commands to be followed.
A group of elves appeared from behind in full gear and took the prisoner away.
‘Where did they come from?’
Egosum’s momentary confusion disappeared as the queen turned to address him.
“You did a monumental duty for my kingdom once again. You shall be repaid handsomely after this mess has been handled. I am tired of having to bury elves. First my stupid son and now assassins.”
She walked into the gathering crowd, leaving the amphibians behind in a confused stupor. Coyotl hopped over to them and touched Egosum’s back for comfort. The tiresome ordeal was finally over and all they had to do now was wait for the next day to come.
“I want that crane or I'll have you all lashed!” The queen’s screams in the distance signaled their departure to the storage room they called home and a well-deserved night’s rest.
-
Egosum drifted to sleep, only to awaken in his soul domain. The swamp that surrounded him was rife with colors and lights. The dull and lifeless landscape from a week ago was now resplendent.
“Hey, nice going. How did it feel?” The interruption caught him off guard for a second before he looked to his side where the noise came from.
Pangu glowed with life that no patch of dirt deserved to be seen with.
“What are you talking about?” He looked at the soul soil with mild confusion.
“How did killing a sentient being feel? It usually shakes up a person's heart the first time they do it and you just had to do it twelve times in one night.” The tone was laced with confusion as the lifeless reaction.
“Oh yeah. I am not too sure. Fine, I guess. Felt a little good, what with the new discoveries and all. Plus, I learned about who my true enemies were and saved a bunch of lives on the same day.”
“Uhuh. So you didn’t feel sick of a little bad about the families you just separated by ending so many lives?” The laced question seemed to fall on Egosum like rain on a toad's skin.
“Fuck them and fuck their families. I hope their kids cry and their significant others starve. Their people killed all of mine so I don’t see any reason I should feel bad about doing it right back.” The matter of fact way he spoke through Pagnu for a loop as he stumbled with his words.
“I…I..I see. What about the adage of a tooth for a tooth makes everyone starve? Do you see an end to this revenge or is it just unending slaughter for you?”
Egosum paused for a second to think.
‘Unending slaughter doesn’t seem half bad. That is a pretty good idea.’
“I think I will just kill them all.”
Silence rained over the wetlands as Pangu thought of a rebuttal only to fail in his search.
“It's not like I haven't done much worse. Just trying to see how far you are willing to go. With that said, I must say that I am surprised by how you fought. You just took those shots. Someone in your realm of condensation should still be injured by a metal weapon and the strength increase shouldn’t be nearly as high as you showed”
“Okay.” The short response grated at the soul soil’s nonexistent ears.
“Not just okay. How were you not cut to pieces and why are you so strong?”
“Oh, that? I guess it has something to do with the genetic modifications that Quetulopus performed. Toadkin like me are slash and stab resistant from a young age. By the time we are adults, we are several times more powerful than your average human as well so I guess it just translates over well. You are the great celestial demon. Figure it out.”
The snarky comment cause the dirt to go silent in thought.
“Maybe I should start treating you as a martial beast instead. They usually take several people of the equivalent realm to fight off and a large group to actually kill.”
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“Martial Beast sounds like a pretty cool title, but they better be different from monsters.” Egosum glared down at Pangu as he finished his thought
“They are. Usually, the beasts are raised by sects as mounts or worker animals for certain tasks. Though I guess you are raising yourself.”
The pair let the conversation lapse into silence as they basked in the swamp’s vibrant glow.
Egosum looked up into the sky above. Stars that he was intimately familiar with from his pond-bound days were visible from all angles.
The earliest days he could remember were filled with watching the skies overhead as the daylight faded and the moon took its place.
The clouds came and went in the breeze, showcasing different constellations every few seconds.
The serene view and calming nature of his soul domain allowed them to enjoy the silence for what little time it lasted.
“It won’t be much longer until you add touch to your soul core. I felt a hint of it leach in when you were fighting actually. I hope you are excited.”
The toad sighed as he moved to begin the conversation again only for his surroundings to flicker in and out.
“Hmmm, maybe we will talk about that next time? See you then!” Pangu gave him a strangely warm send-off as Egosum waited for the waking world.
-
The sound of vigorous knocking startled him up from his sleep. A glance at his sleeping comrades showed a lack of motion as they slept through the racket.
He sat up and stretched his arms and legs before making his way to the entrance. A non-descript elf stood there, waiting for him to come out.
“Egosum, savior of Prince Legoass and Princess Antila, protector of common folk, and killer or orcs, your presence is requested at the royal palace when the sun enters its peak.” Egosum looked up to the blocked-out sun with a confused expression and the message seemed to come across well enough.
The messenger pulled an hourglass from the satchel he carried and looked at some hidden device deep inside.
“Hmm, turn this over 4 times and then make your way to the palace. The queen will be waiting for you there. The guards will verify your identity and allow you entrance. Goodbye.” He did an about-face and ran off across the rope bridges.
He looked at the hourglass with interest. He had heard of them, but this was his first time seeing it. The sand flowed from above into the empty lower area at a constant pace. The engineering marvel stole his attention as he stared at final grain falling into the base.
‘I need to flip this thing?’
He gently tipped it over and, with the delicacy of a hammer, he righted it again to watch the sand fall.
Halfway through the turn, Cinera woke up and waddled over to his hypnotized figure.
“Hey, Egosum! What are you doing?” He turned slightly before looking back at the falling stream of sand.
“Just watching time pass.” The salamander looked back and forth between the hourglass and the toad before finally settling on her question.
“That was pretty deep and all but why are you watching it so intently and what is it for?”
He spoke again without moving from the hypnotizing sight.
“It looks cool. Oh, and the Queen wants to see me for a reward later. Three more turns and I will head over there.” The strange state did little to hamper Cinera’s excitement.
“Oooo. I wonder what kind of reward we are getting. I need to clean my clothes and do my makeup and wash up and so many other things. I haven’t been to court in so long.” She rapid-fired the words to the barely listening toad before scuttling away to start.
Egosum merely watched the sand fall for the next few hours before the final turn of sand emptied into the bottom. He slowly managed to peel his attention away from the device and looked for his companions.
Cinera stood messing with her clothes, straightening the hem of her sweater and pinning up her ushanka’s flaps. His speechless frog friend Coyotl sat closely behind him, patiently waiting for something to happen.
With the time up, he collected his friends and they made their way to the large tree that housed the royal family.
The long walk was filled with appreciative words and deep bows. The accommodations they offered were far and above anything they received from the elves after they saved the prince.
‘I guess this is what happens when you save all of their lives and kill the attackers for them.’
His musing came to an abrupt end as he came face to face with the large wooden doors of the palace.
The brothers that stood guard last night flanked each side of the door with their full armor and large bows displayed proudly.
As the trio walked up to make their presence known, the guards stomped their feet to grab all of the nearby people's attention.
“The royal family welcomes the hero of the Northern Elven Kingdom, Egosum! He is granted an audience with the High Queen and will be rewarded handsomely.” They both pushed their sides of the door open allowing them entry to the palace.
Egosum walked forward with as much grace as he could. His friends attempted to follow him in only to be stopped by the outstretched hands of the two brothers.
“Only the hero of the Northern Elven Kingdom, Egosum, is allowed entry. Halt!”
He turned around to try and persuade them to allow his friends entry, only for two elves to flank his sides and usher him forward. With no other option but to continue on alone, Egosum hopped forward, into the unknown depths of the palace.
The large wooden beams and massive arches were inlaid with golden markings and artistic symbology he had never seen before.
The beauty of the area blinded him to the direction he was going. A short walk through the cavernous structure finally rewarded him with a long carpeted walkway that led up to a massive throne that had bright rays of sunlight shining down on it with green foliage acting as decorations.
On the massive throne sat the elven Queen in all of her courtly attire.
The messy blonde braid had been turned into flowing locks of shimmering gold. Her tight nightgown was replaced with a finely embroidered dress with complex patterns and reflective crystals.
On top of her head sat a crown made of brilliant green leaves more akin to crystals that plants.
The air she exuded was much less sloppy and unkempt than before. She actually felt like true royalty.
‘This is what it must have felt like to have been in the presence of Quetulopus.’
He looked to the sides of the long walkway and saw other elves with varying levels of obesity. The two people who weren’t downright obese were both people he recognized.
The prince he helped save was sulking in the corner of the room with all of his displeasure worn on his sleeve while the other person was the old elf he had done his dealings with recently.
The man winked as he noticed Egosum looking at him.
‘This is strange.’
Murmurs and flurries of speech erupted from the fatties as they watched Egosum hop down the aisle. He came to a stop ten feet away from the throne where the steps began and looked up to the royal presence that lorded over the room with imperial grace.