Off in the distance, a geyser of orange and white magma speared through the air from the mouth of Mount Drago. It licked the bottom of the dark clouds, ripping down a few inky puffs as it rained down. Riverlets of magma coursed down the volcano, and dark figures mulled about. Little fires burned all over the mountain were demons and other Dark Races prepared for the nearing raid by the Adventurers. Fortifications were quickly being thrown up. Muffled roars filled the mountain as demons directed their lesser soldiers.
The surrounding lands were thick with strange encampments. Goblins, Werebeasts, Dark Elves, and other monsters mulled amongst the petrified trees and stones. Not a final plant lived in the vicinity of the mountain. Thick black webs weaved in and out of the land as miasma wisped off them. A single road cut across this hellish and dark land. For several miles, it cut across plains and hills before the clouds began to thin - revealing a starry night sky.
The thick black veins that'd been so proliferated among the dark lands also began to thin. No longer was the ground barren, blacked, and cracked. Thus, several hardy plants began to thrive throughout the transition zone as faint webs of silvery light crawled across the ground. Trees soon began to grow here and there, discolored and weak. Until the road came to an abrupt end at the foot of a large ruined fortress.
Tens of smoke columns rose from the fort, with many of its walls pockmarked with blackend craters. Burnt bodies of various sizes and races laid outside its walls. Temporary fortifications were scattered amongst them as the road led up to the smashed doors.
Out in either direction, distant sounds of battle raged. But within the battered fort, it was peaceful as a single campfire burned in its courtyard. A single woman sat edge of a wagon’s bed. Long shadows danced across the battered yard, cast from the firelight as she sang softly to herself.
"A brighter day is coming my way," she sang, her eyes closed. "Yes, tomorrow will be kinder..."
The fire crackled as one-dimensional embers danced aimlessly upward, like lost fireflies. All around, several black-skinned demons and green goblins were strewn about. Further in the courtyard, several Human sentries guarded the splintered door into the fort's main building. Each mindlessly staring at the woman, with her purple hair that shimmered a slight blue tint.
While destruction and death lay about, she was clad in only a black sundress. A single golden paw etched over her left plump breast. Winding golden lilies decorated the dress’s hem as it fluttered with each kick of her bare legs.
"Lady Avery," A voice broke the song as a large black-furred figure stepped into the firelight. It took the shape of a dire wolf with silvery eyes. "The final objective for the last mission will be completed soon. Clan Featherguard has figured out the last stand mechanic for the fortress keeper."
Avery's singing abruptly stopped. The dire wolf took its place by the fire across from her, its silver eyes reflecting the dancing flames before it turned up to the fairy-like woman. She smiled at him with a tender and welcoming smile. Two molten drops of brilliant gold feline eyes shone back at him.
"You missed the fun, Fenrir," Avery cooed. "Where's your sister?"
"I believe setting dead bodies everywhere and wrecking a castle doesn't count as fun," Fenrir huffed playfully. "And the dragon woman is with your mother. Morrigan will be here when she's done with her."
Avery let out a singsong hum of acknowledgment before the conversation fell silent. The fire crackled, looping that same thirty-second recording. It replayed three times before Fenrir spoke up again.
"Can you sing again?" Fenrir asked.
"Sure," Avery replied. "You like the song?"
"No," Fenrir shook his head. "That song is depressing, I would like something happy."
Avery nodded and began to hum The Stairway to Heaven. The melody went on for a few seconds before the wolf interjected.
"I said happy," Fenrir said. "I do believe that would fall under melancholy."
"O?" Avery's pink lips broke into a mischievous smile. "I forget how much my AI best friend is a music fanatic. Shall I sing Friday?"
"No, no," Fenrir flinched and looked away uneasy. "Please continue, Stairway to Heaven is a beautiful old age song. Even if it's older than a hundred years."
"That's the spirit," Avery giggled before she cleared her throat.
However, before she could continue to sing, they had a new guest. An Elven man stepped out into the courtyard from within the castle. The rustle of his white plate armor accompanied him, and he carried his helm under his left arm. His cheeks were sharp but manly in some inhuman ethereal way. A single gold paw was painted on his breastplate's center.
"Don't mind me," He smiled before he crossed the yard towards them. "You can keep singing." Avery's smile fell away, leaving only a lukewarm ghost of the pretty angelic smile that was once there for Fenrir.
"Mason," Avery greeted him dryly.
"Still mad at me?" Mason's face contorted in an uneasy frown.
Avery gave him a shrug before she turned back to the fire. Mason stood beside the wolf, knowing that if he went over there now, he'd likely make his situation worse. That he'd learned over the years with her. She couldn't feel the warmth of his tender touches, nor the cold of hers. She only felt the pressure of touch, and that was more than enough to cause a fight when she was mad. It made it hard for Mason to make up with her.
"Look," Mason continued. "I know you're mad about me inviting Veronica to the raid. I already removed her from the party. Can you please not be mad at me anymore?" Avery shot him a withering glare, but Mason only sighed in response.
"You shouldn't have invited her in the first place," Avery whispered before she placed her hand in her palm. "You know where I stand on that, and always have."
"I'm sorry," Mason said as he leaned towards her, as to get her to look at her. "I know I shouldn't have done it. It was a lapse in judgment."
Avery rolled her eyes in response and deigned it a waste to continue to speak on it. To her good fortune, she didn't have too. The air around them distorted faintly, but enough that everyone present knew that someone with admin privileges just teleported to them. Fenrir was the first to see their new guest, then Mason. Each of them looked up over Avery as a giant red dragon's head loomed over her.
"You're a little late," Avery said as a smile quickly blossomed on her cherry lips
"I'm sorry, my Lady," Morrigan's sweet sultry voice hung in the air as her draconic face frowned as she looked towards Mason. "I was busy speaking with your father about the... Unwanted guest."
Mason cleared his throat to push down his discomfort. Fenrir held a faint smile as the boy was called out. For a moment, both the dragon and the wolf looked like they were ready to tear him apart. But that never happened as their master interjected.
"Well, I'm glad you're here, Morrigan," Avery mused as she moved aside and patted the open spot beside her.
The dragon gleefully morphed out of her large and cumbersome form. Taking the appearance of a mature twenty-year-old woman with long blood-red hair. She too was as fair-skinned as Avery, but curvier with a bigger bust. Her eyes were not gold, but a brilliant vermillion that matched her hair. Her reptile irises were long than Avery's cat eyes, giving her a more sinister appearance than her master's elegant eyes. Which suited the dragon. Aside from that, she looked like an older version of Avery.
"I'd love to be nowhere else but by you, Lady Avery," The dragon purred in delight before she turned to glare at Mason. "Unlike others, it brings me immense pleasure to be in your company."
"That's because you're supposed to be my eternally loyal guardian AI," Avery rolled her eyes. "It's literally programmed into you. Though, we're going to have to do something about the... Seductive parts of your personality."
"I thought we did?" The dragon released the withering male from her gaze. Reverting back to her master with a mischievous smile that matched Avery's. "And we came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be as fun if I changed."
Morrigan bumped her shoulder into the girl, and she returned the mischievous smile.
"It would be boring without you being you," Avery mused. "Fenrir is awesome, but he's not fun to get into trouble."
"Please don't," Fenrir protested. "As much as the worm is annoying, she's manageable. The other personality you tried before was..."
The wolf and Mason both shuddered when they remembered the chaos caused then. The conversation ended once they heard other people's voices from within the fort. War drums began to beat in the distance. Before any of the four could move, NPC guards began to populate the yard. Wounded soldiers and knights mulled about their planned stations, banners began to unfurl to reveal a black banner with a single golden paw with the motto "Paw Paw Gang"
"Well, I guess the raid is going to start soon," Mason said as he turned to leave. "I have to talk with the other members. You know, Vice-Leader things."
Avery rolled her eyes, not making a move to follow. It'd been a punishment to throw her work at him as her excuse for making him Vice-Leader. The real reason was, she'd been scared to face her "friends" and guildmates. Today was the world's last raid, and tomorrow would be her own. Avery may have been quite the person to them, but in practice, she was still that scared little girl who could only hide away in her system.
"Hey, Avery?" Mason stopped in the fort's open doorway.
"Yeah?" Avery turned up to him.
"I wanted you to know," He cleared his throat and paused to mull over his words. "That no matter what, I really do love you."
And for the first time since he'd come today, she finally sent him that heart-stopping smile. Her true smile and one that he wanted to horde to himself - like a little sun of joy.
"Yeah," Avery said. "I love you too."
∇
"The bloody idiot is finally out of the dog house~!" A short dwarven knight roared with a heavy Texan accent. "You're a stupid one, but we love ya son!"
Ten minutes later, Mason was on his knights as a Paw Paw Gang guild member had him in a headlock. A horn of sloping ale in his right, and his left arm keeping the poor boy on his knees. More people surrounded them as they all cheered while rising horns, mugs, and goblets in the air. Knights, Mages, Priests, Rangers, and Thieves - each of differing colors, but all had the golden paw over their hearts. From the fighting Tabaxi to Gnomes to Elves, all the playable races were there as they celebrated their victory before they completed the last raid.
"And it's nice to see the Guild leader once in a while!" the dwarf turned as he dropped Mason on the floor. "We never get to see our goddess!"
The room was littered with rubble here and there, but that didn't stop the festive guild and other guests. Each had found a cozy spot, and settled in for a half-hour of fun. At the end of all this chaos, on a dusty dais, Avery sat on the noble's table. Behind her, Morrigan had taken the high chair and the rest of the NPC commanders sat on either side of her. They talked to one another or appeared to do so as they ran through their animations.
Morrigan simply watched the crowd, pretending to run through animations to keep her AI nature hidden. Fenrir laid underneath Avery's feet as she dangled her feet mere inches above his head. Their master kept a welcoming smile on her face, but they both knew it was just a facade. She wasn't happy to be here.
"It's a pleasure to spend the game's last few days with you all," Avery said politely. "You've made this game possible by continuing to play. And it's been a joy to play with you all."
"Ah!" The dwarf gave a hearty laugh. "There's our guild master, still so pretty yet ya sound like a damn HR rep! It's your last week, so why don't you just cut loose and join us?"
"I'm... Okay here," Avery said. "I'm not much of a partier. You all have fun and I'll watch it all from here. That's fun enough for me."
"If you say so!" The dwarf laughed once again and began to slap Mason's back.
A few minutes later, the guild members had been swallowed up by the arriving public. The hall was filled to the brim as players awaited for the final raid's opening sequence. All had come to experience the last raid Endria would offer. Avery was also aware of how many were watching the high profile players' streams. Fenrir silently fed her aggregated numbers, if only to help her pass the time as people greeted her.
It was common knowledge that Avery was a real person. But instead of a player, she was a uber-major character in this world. To them, her player tag was "Avery, The Keeper", an ethereal character that voiced the prologue before the players create their characters.. She played a major role in which she handed out major quests during their openings. Assisted players when raids first open and even-handed out exclusive gear for those who managed to gain her favor. And for someone who'd been the face of this game, she no longer had the will to be here any longer.
Because tomorrow, she would die.
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A step back, Endria was the name of a Virtual Reality MMORPG. While it boasted a high entry fee to play, two-thousand dollars, it also boasted the highest played game ever. It was played using a Full Immersion Nerve Capture Pod, or FIN-CP. It used recently advanced medical technology for coma patients. FIN-CP managed to capture the user's consciousness and transmit it into the a virtual envoriment. From there, the user could play a select number of games. While novel at first, it'd been what the people wanted. And after a few years, it'd become one of the top four gaming consoles in the world. It was heaven for people, a novelty to some, and a prison to Avery…
An inescapable reality.
In the beginning, the technology had been created by Avery's rich and connected family. While she was known as Avery the Keeper, her real name was Avery Bailey. Daughter of Edward and Maddin Bailey, the inheritors of Bailey Enterprises. Of which, they had given their daughter massive control over the Endria. She was the top Administrator of the game. She controlled nearly every aspect of the game, and its design. Which was to be expected of the game's sole inhabitant - or prisoner, depending on one's point of view.
Avery was not here because she wanted to be here, but because she had no choice. The reasons for her imprisonment were left far in the past. When she was just a little naive girl who thought her father was an angel. When her mother was her world, and Mason was her best friend and the boy she thought she'd marry.
Being from a rich family is often believed to be an amazing thing. But no one considered the politics of it all, especially if one was from a large rich family like Avery. She had many uncles and aunts that'd vied for her grandfather's fortune, and one, in particular, was known for his... Violent tendencies. A mixture of self-importance and hard drugs. He was a trust fund baby through and through, and always burned through his money. Everyone had believed he'd never harm family, but as always when money was on the line. It brought out the worst in people.
On one unfateful day, the day of her beloved grandfather's funeral, her uncle had fought with the family. And of course, it'd been over her grandfather's choice to hand all his money and assets to her father since he'd been the calmer of all his siblings. It'd turned into a scene, and her uncle left. None of them had expected he'd ever harmed them as they all left the funeral.
And he ran his truck through them as they left the church.
In the end, several of her relatives had lost their lives. Her mother lost her legs, and Avery had been put into a coma. Her uncle had been thrown in jail for twenty years after, but the damage had been done. After that, no one else had fought over the fortune. Rather, no one wanted to ever come around again.
And little Avery never awoke from her coma. Weeks turned to months. Months turned into a year. Her grief-stricken parents poured their whole fortune into waking her up. Experimental, non-experimental. All of this happened when she was eight and after four years of extensive research, she finally woke up.
In the virtual world.
For Avery, it'd been just a blink of an eye. One moment, she was soaring through the air in unbearable pain. Then darkness. After that, it'd been like she'd taken a night's rest and woke up in a... In a box. She'd had no body, and she simply floated like some disjointed camera. Her only friend the large wall to wall holographic screen that displayed her hospital room.
To the world, this was a historic moment. A coma patient, who'd been projected to never awake, did. Not in the real world, but in cyberspace. The technology made waves in the medical and science communities, in which all that money that her parents had wasted began to build again.
However, this was just the beginning of Avery's living hell. In the coming months, the limitations of the technology became apparent. No matter how much code the programmers her father hired jammed into her world, she could feel no more than pressure when objects touched her. No heat, nor taste. The girl could hear, but that was the end of it. In addition to that, she was alone most of every day.
Eventually, her black room turned into a fancy meadow with a giant tree. She got flowers, grass, and forests. Then came the buggy and stupid AI-controlled animals. None of it had been enough to take her loneliness away. And only Mason, her parents, and her doctor even came into the meadow. It was a prison, as she could not even take her own life. No longer was it hers.
That all changed though when her father announced the world's first-ever Full immersion VRMMORPG. In the years after, life returned to Avery as she was no longer stuffed in a tiny prison. Matched with the novelty of being the first game of its kind, and the story tied to its creation, it rocketed in popularity like some new iPhone. It was a far more profitable venture than its detractors expected. Her father had taken advantage of it all, and it became their company's flagship product.
That was not to say that was all they had done. Her mother invested more money into her daughter's care. Their own hospital, their own drugs, and their own devices. They spared nothing in their hellbent race to bring her back into the real world. Her father went as far as to create training simulations for the army to bring in more money. And in turn, more money went to trying to raise Avery from her limbo. But it'd never came to anything.
It was never enough, and eventually, Avery gave up hope of ever joining the people she loved ever again. That'd been two years into the game, and she'd devoted herself to being its designer and mascot, eventually earning the nickname "Keeper", as some DnD-loving doctors come to call it as the first model, hers, was called the Heaven’s Keeper.
With the desire to not be alone, she quickly began to assist players as a Game Master. That quickly turned into the developers asking her to become a character, and then, she became one of the major characters. That was how she'd made a name for herself with the veteran player community. It was her version of what a normal teenage girl did. That was, until her seventeenth birthday - when her organs began to fail. To her parents and the doctor's dismay, the cruel god that watched over their world hadn't seen it fit to let her live anymore... And thus, she chose to die in her own time.
∇
Several demons screamed in pain as they were flung from the rocky pass. Bits of rock and showers of dirt followed after as fire chased. The chorus of battle raged as one-hundred raiders fought. Their object was to gain control of the Miasma barrier that covered the volcano like a dome now. A maelstrom of dark clouds coursed overhead, and dark magic thickened the air.
"Hurry up, you fucking lazy assholes!" A large human woman yelled. She was clad in ivory plate armor and swung a massive hammer her size. "We only have ten minutes until the ritual is complete! You're not going to let them destroy Heaven, are you!?"
Warcries rose from the warriors as more demons and minions fell under their weapons. The mountain was easy to transverse, as the rivers of molten earth had stopped flowing and cooled. Now, the only obstacle was the army that was the Dark Ones. Goblins, Demons, and other foul monsters born in the Miasma; corrupted mana. And while very few could challenge the hundred veteran players on their own, the battle was ten to one.
"Artillery!" Another voice rose from the players. "Fire!"
A volley of blue fireballs arched over them from the back. It exploded further up the path, directly on the rocky parapets. The demons survived, but their minions all died and exploded into pools of rainbow bubbles. In their wake, coins and small useless items were left. The barrier's altar was open - at least, for the moment. Fresh mobs were beginning to well up behind them as soldiers of the Light Lands were being pushed up.
"There's too many!" One NPC officer screamed as he ran up to the players, "They're all turning their focus on the pass!"
And true to his words, the massive low-resolution battle that'd been raging was turning. The forces of darkness no longer tried to keep the flood of light out. Instead, they were all pouring onto the winding pass that snaked up the mountain's south face. Hot on their heels was the combined armies of all races of light. Just as that happened, a new mission marker appeared.
"Clear the Alter of Miasma and confront the Mad Dragon God…"
The mages were already on it, piecing together the objects found throughout the raid already. In the end, it made a coiled black jade dragon from four different pieces. The semi-transparent dome that'd protected the mouth of the mountain began to grow darker.
"Brace!" One of the raid leaders yelled.
The monsters clashed with the rear of the party. Steel and flesh met, a few players were sent flying from an explosive fire spell erupting point-blank from a Goblin Shaman. Several more explosions rippled through the party.
"Shamans!" Another yelled.
"Give us a fucking moment, will you?" One of the mages screamed as he poured his mana points into the altar, pushing out the Miasma. "This fucking thing needs twenty more seconds!"
And so they did. Having cleaned out monsters near the strange demonic altar, the entire party focused on holding back the horde. One after another, goblins died in the hundreds as players attacked like fierce lions. The sound of glass shattering filled the air, and the dome collapsed. Just as they did so, several demons poured out the V-like opening that'd been hidden behind the dome.
"Fuck!" A mage screamed. "They're in fr---" He never got the finish his sentence as the demons met them with hammers and glaives.
The mages were knocked around for a moment, sustaining damage before the party could turn to assist. As with demons, it took two players per demon. And it took nearly 30 seconds for them to tag-team the surprise attackers to death. The passage into the mountain was open, and the party poured along with the NPC soldiers.
Once inside, it was like a deep basin with flat rocky walls. An unnatural stone bridge arched over the large pool of magma below. A single stone pillar sat on a circular platform at the end of the bridge. Everyone charged full force ahead as it was clear.
"It's the Shrine Maiden!" One of the players upfront announced.
Just as the information reached everyone, the magma pools below them bubbled and turned. Before they could react, it exploded as a massive black serpent flew into the air. Its body long, glossy, splattered molten rock across the platform as it coiled into the air. Players took damage from the ensuing fallout, but nothing critical as they downed health potions.
The pillar began to glow, and the woman let out a pained scream as a black beam of light lanced upward. Clouds parted, revealing the starry night sky. The beam of black light rose higher and higher, along with the long serpent as it coiled around it. A few seconds later, golden light exploded across the stars. The ethereal fabric that separated Heaven and Earth was under attack.
"You pesky worms have done well to make it here," A man appeared on top of the pillar, or rather, he'd always been there. His body suspended as he channeled the miasma into the beam, clad head to toe in armor. "But I'm afraid you're too late. I've won. In a few minutes, Heaven's barrier will break, and the Keepr of Heaven will fall from my Miasma Dragon. I win,you sniveling pests."
Just as he said that six thick rune-covered pillars rose from the magma, and they too, began to glow. Black shadowy figures poured out from them, and the raiders were sent on the defensive. They were easily cut down, but more and more poured out of the pillars until it was thick with the figures. The players were losing ground as they were pinned. A wave of gold pulsed from the Shrine goddess after a minute and the platform was wiped of its shadowy figures. The act of it made cracks appear in the sky.
"Aiding your little puppets will only weaken your barrier, Goddess!" The man laughed maniacally as the beam pulsed with more Miasma.
"Damage the Ritual pillar - Hold the Platform - Weaken the ritual." Mission prompts appeared for all of them. And so, they fought.
∇
The last pillar exploded into thousands of tiny shards, and the Evil God let out a pained roar.
"You will now stop me!" He roared. "Heaven. Will. Fall!"
The beam pulsed once more as it traveled upward. Heaven's golden barrier - webbed with millions of cracks - broke. A rift opened overhead just as the black dragon swooped downward and laid down another Miasma breath attack over the platform. Mages threw up Holy Barriers over their sections, but those who'd been off position were caught up. The inky mist washed over them, leaving them as small dancing motes of blue flame.
Down below, the sea of lava slopped side to side as the mountain shook. The bridge was now full of fighting NPCs and new players. Those who hadn't qualified to join the main raid were allowed into the fight, but not the boss fight. As such, they supported the Raiders by completing smaller objectives that assisted them greatly. Mainly, curbing the minions that made it to them.
Many of them made it to them, but a great deal more could be there if the lesser players didn't fill their roles properly.
The black inky mist drained off the edge of the platform just as the black beam of light died away. But the heavens were no longer white, joyful with its golden buildings. Now, it was in ruins, blighted and most of its angels had already been killed by the Miasma serpent. Though, it was bleeding heavily from the many wounds inflicted upon it. Now that his objective had been met, the Evil God now jumped down from his post to fight the players.
"Come play, little toys," He snarled with sinister delight as his body slowly began to morph. "Come and meet your---" His body stiffened as a wave of holy light washed over the platform.
"Thy Goddess blesses these warriors with her Divinity," The Shrine Maiden spoke up. "With the last of Heaven's holiness, kill the Evil God as I kill his Serpent of Evil."
As she finished, a dragon's roar reverberated through the sky. Just as Heaven began to crumble to ash, a large snowy dragon soared out of the dying rift. With feathery wings and golden scales lining its back and tail, it met the black dragon just as it was turning to strife the armies below.
"No!" The Evil God roared! "You should have been dead already. I ripped apart your Heaven - Your seat of power!"
As if in response, each player's weapon glowed a golden warm hue. The evil god turned to them and growled before he attacked. His first attack sent ten raiders flying off the platform, but twenty more struck him as he did so. He was weakened by the holy magic that festered in his realm. The miasma he'd created had been mostly used up to destroy heaven, and in doing so, left very little for him to use against the players.
For several minutes, the players employed hit and run tactics as the demon hordes began to thin drastically. By now, even the normal players were able to help with the boss as they threw ice spikes, earth boulders, and in rare cases, holy fire spells. And it rained on the Evil God as he struggled to keep his serpent alive and himself.
That was until the Goddess above managed to dig her fangs into his neck and tear it out. Its black blood rained over the players, dealing poison damage. That hadn't bothered them as the Evil God also let out a pained scream, and his health depleted down to ten-percent.
No longer supporting the black dragon as it plunged down into the lava below with the Goddess - the Evil God's body transformed into a large hulky man nearly double the tallest player. His body was covered in black plate mail, but it fell away to reveal a Dark Elf man with black eyes. He no longer used spells and instead, optioned to grab players and smash them into the ground, leaving a two-second window of attack.
This went on for several minutes as the evil god thrashed about. His melee attacks managed to one-hit kill every player who met them, but in the end, it was all for not as the final blow came from above. The golden dragon landed, smashing the dying god down. The platform shook, and whatever had bound the shrine maiden to the pillar broke.
"Take her and leave," The Keeper roared.
Players jumped to grab the woman and took off as the dragon's claws ripped out the man's heart. Up above, the heavens crumbled and turned to ash. The Evil God watched it unfold as the last of the power in the mountain washed away. The magma began to cool, and the platform crumbled beneath them.
"I will come again, Heaven’s Keeper. I, Dragon God,Hades of Darkness...." He coughed out black blood, "Shall... Come... To destroy... Again..."
The platform fell away, taking the dragon and the Dragon God Hades down. The players had made it to the now crumbled altar that was at the basin's entrance.
"Raid 'Heaven's Hubris' Completed. Mission rewards will be issued now."
Each player cheered as even the ones who hadn't been a part of the main raid got the announcement. Badges and end-game gear of the highest magnitude began to arrive in their inventory.
But down below in the basin, another situation was happening.
Far from anyone's prying eyes, the rubble of the platform shifted as each piece began to float upward before piecing itself back together. The passageway into the volcano sealed itself with a fog. Up above, where heaven once was, an aurora danced across - shining blues and greens and purples. No longer did the basin glow a sinister orange and black. Now it basked in the soft light from above.
Avery was now in her human form, but with two large folded feathered wings pressed against her back. Fenrir appeared beside her, along with Morrigan. Silence stayed with them just as Mason appeared along with her mother, Maddin. Behind her, the large body remained unmoving. Avery looked to the people around her, then to the body. A moment passed, and then she paused.
"When are you getting up?" Avery asked.
Nothing happened. Avery's eyes narrowed and she looked to Fenrir. The wolf only shrugged before he turned to Morrigan. The dragon gave a sly smile and gestured to the body. Avery rolled her eyes and walked up to the still god. She pulled up her screen, moved a few sliders around, and waved it away.
Avery climbed up the man's midriff and onto his stomach. She waited a few more seconds. When he didn't move, she raised her foot and stopped down on the body. The man howled dramatically as if he truly was in pain. Avery's left eyebrow rose as she waited for his act to die. Hades paused for a moment, looked up to the girl with one eye, then frowned.
"Sweetie," He cooed playfully, trying his hardest to butter the woman up. "Daddy is watching the sky with you. Violence was unnecessary."