“I understand he’s dangerous, but what specifically makes him such a threat?” I asked Nadira in response to the dire warning she had just given me about the sudden apparent revival of Kutris the Worm. Nadira, Niiya, and I were sitting in the small tea shop that had recently opened overlooking the picturesque lake. It was run by an elven married couple and they served some pretty decent pastries and excellent teas.
“His magic power and knowledge rival or maybe exceed my own.” Nadira Began. “He is capable of inverting any magical attacks that are directed at him, and he steals the energy of any magic he inverts.”
“That does sound pretty annoying, but can he do anything about getting chopped up or bludgeoned into a paste?” I asked in response after a sip of the strong reddish colored tea.
“He has likely already constructed multiple phylacteries and back up bodies in the event of physical destruction. The only reason his last death was so complete was the total destruction caused by the fairy queen, X’lyssa.” Nadira looked into her tea as though reliving some unpleasant memory. “The Worm’s magic and ability to cheat death pale in comparison to his true power. His Soul Brand is a unique variant known as Progenitor’s Brand. Essentially he may brand any monster, willing or not. Worse, his brand carries to all of the descendants of his branded slaves. Conservatively, I believe at least half a million monsters on this continent will be powerless to refuse his commands once he activates their Soul Brand.”
“Back when I gave Sapphire my Brand, I had to destroy the brand of Kutris the Worm...” I suddenly recalled where I remembered the name from originally. “Seems like there’s no real choice, we’ll have to destroy him and make it permanent this time.”
“Your confidence never ceases to amaze me.” Nadira smiled in spite of her worry. “But that isn’t all. His true aim is to bring about an apocalyptic battle between the three great primordial beasts, an event prophesied by his master as the end of the reign of the gods.”
“I know about Fenrir, who are the others?” I was definitely curious now.
“You have encountered one of the others already. The king of the sea, Un’kuthuku is currently enthralled by the goddess Un’hana and serves her willingly in spite of being many times more powerful than the goddess herself. The third is Andvaria the Absence of Health and Fortune. She is one of the original beings of this world much like the great dragon, Mycel said to reside in Cairn Carna. She is sealed far beneath the Nameless Swamp, and it is said she has power over all disease and misfortune. Kutris will seek to destroy Un’hana and send the sea king on a rampage. He will also attempt to obtain Fenrir’s host and spirit body from you, and finally he will force the lizardmen of the Nameless Swamp to break the seal of Andvaria.”
“I’ll get word to the dwarves, giants, and seraphs. Vathec and his forces will be a solid defense between Kutris and that dragon’s seal. I’ll call for an advised evacuation of the nearby settlements. There’s plenty more preparation that I’ll leave to Raj and Tabula, but that should keep any of us from getting caught by surprise.”
“We’re gonna be fighting?” Niiya finally joined the conversation after swallowing her last bite of pastry. “Should I call Leza and Leifa?”
“Yugal too.” I confirmed. “We’ll get a war council together this afternoon with everyone.”
We left the cafe and split up. I used Bloodwalk to visit the various leaders of our alliance, and inform them of what was happening.
Later, all of the various leadership within our alliance was present in the great hall that was now famously known as the Infinite Sanctum (I swear I didn’t start that). Tabula had done some remodeling, and the space now included appropriate seating for the various heads of state, as well as a huge table made of the same dark, glassy material as my throne. It really was an epic scene when everyone was gathered.
“Finally.” Saet growled after Nadira retold her story. “I too felt the disturbance, but my sensitivity is far inferior to a djinn’s. He has revived into a world aware and unified against him, what a marvelous gift.”
“No good can come of The Worm’s return.” The giant king Thrym rumbled in his deep landslide voice. “I do agree that thanks to Lord Gray uniting us, we may really stand a chance at putting him down for good.”
“Aye.” King Ramthrag of the dwarves agreed. “Van here seems to think the bastard’s plans will come in a different order, no offense to the good lady Nadira there.”
“Speak freely, Van Kothis.” I encouraged the scruffy warlock.
“I’ve done plenty of diggin’ on The Worm in my day.” He began, scratching inside of his cauliflowered ear with a grubby finger. “His first move’s gonna be to revive his four followers. They were wiped out by me great lady during the cataclysm. What a day that musta been!” Van’s eyes glittered with wonder at the thought of X’lyssa literally destroying an area the size of Texas. Wait did he make a digging worms pun? This guy’s alright...
“I hadn’t considered that...” Nadira’s face was concerned. “It would take an absurd amount of Soul Energy to revive even one, but that one would cause untold destruction. That said, if he plans to revive his inner circle, it would also give us some time to prepare.” Scattered murmurs of agreement sounded around the table.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Question.” I raised my hand and spoke to Nadira. “Do you know roughly where he is?”
“Yes.” Nadira answered. “He has returned to his underground fortress Blödgard. It is a vast labyrinth, and the seat of the Worm’s power. It exists only partially in this reality, making it nigh impossible to assault him there. I may be able to manage infiltrating the place, but the battle would be a losing one. He has amassed artifacts and magical defenses that defy all conventional logic.”
“Hmm... well in that case, we at least know what he’s after.” I mused aloud. “What if we just go ahead of him and thwart all of that as a first measure?”
“I’m not sure I follow...” Saet’s confused look was general around the table.
“His endgame is to lead a huge army of monsters on a rampage and kick off a three way kaiju battle between divine beasts. We could send out all the heavy hitters and thin the monster populations as much as possible, then his army probably collapses before it can even form. If all of the power at the disposal of this council focused on eradicating monster populations, how many could honestly escape us? Then we see about either defeating or securing the other two divine beasts before he can unleash them himself. If we know his broad goals, then let him waste time summoning his little support group while we push his finish line out of reach.” I looked around at all the screwed up faces and open mouthed stares, and my confident smile began to dissolve.
“That’s a very... you suggestion, lord Gray.” Saet snickered. “I think I love it.”
“Whoever wipes out the most monsters earns a super special mystery prize.” I threw out a truly shameless bribe to win over the few remaining fence sitters. Everyone can get excited about a simple plan with a clear goal and a big reward.
“You give away such priceless things freely as it is. I can’t imagine what you deem to be ‘super special’ might be.” Raj spoke for the first time since the meeting began.
“That reminds me.” I said, looking at the tengu whom I had come to rely on so much. “Raj, I’d like you to advertise a meeting in the new town square in the dwarven district tomorrow, and issue an invitation for any and all of our citizens to attend. Make sure everyone in Old Town is invited as well.” I referred to the original Ariel’s Gate (formerly Filam) by the title it had recently picked up.
“Would it not be simpler to simply submit a general warning rather than stage a meeting of that scale?” Raj misinterpreted my intent and I shook my head.
“We will absolutely issue a general warning and evacuation requests as needed, but that’s not my intent for this gathering.”
“Understood.” Raj nodded and we wrapped up the meeting shortly after.
The following day dawned bright and crisp. The snow was beginning to develop a hard crust, a sign that daytime temperatures were finally climbing enough to thaw the top layer. Spring was finally on its way.
I was shocked at the turnout for the hastily called gathering. The population of Ariel’s Gate had exploded since our alliance with the dwarven, giant, and celestial countries. Surprisingly, a large amount of humans from Crown City and the outlying communities had also flooded in with the hope of staking a claim in the growing economic boom we were experiencing.
At least four thousand people now filled the town square that I had initially thought was far too large when viewing the plans. Thankfully, Raj and Slimer Jaik had the foresight and will to convince me otherwise. None of this would have been possible without those two.
I ascended the raised platform made from white granite blocks quarried from the north side of the lake. A dwarven adventurer had discovered the beautiful stone, and less than a week later a quarry was established along with a brand new Stonemason’s guild. The passive revenue generated by that quarry for our city was mind blowing. Sapphire assured me that the taxes were more than fair and the masons seemed to be making gold hand over fist so I didn’t pry too much.
Raj, Niiya, Yugal, and Sapphire filed up onto the platform behind me. Yugal’s great shadow blocked the sun like a building might, and I could see all eyes focused above and behind me. He was a majestic spectacle so that couldn’t really be helped.
“Thank you all for taking the time to be here.” I spoke up, and noticed all eyes turn toward me. “I’m sure you’ve all heard the general information release about the dangerous situation this entire continent is facing. This gathering does not pertain to that situation. I’ve asked you all here so that you could join me in giving a shamefully belated thanks to the person that made this city what it is, and what it will become.” I noticed the tufts of owl like feathers on Raj’s head twitch and ruffle. She’s onto me.
“Lord Gray that’s really...” She began to whisper but I held up a hand.
“She has worked tirelessly as a city planner, head of state, strategist, diplomat, teacher, advisor, ally, and dear friend.” I saw her stiffen and look straight ahead as I spoke. Her eyes were misting up and suddenly so were mine. Damn it Gray, keep it together! “I once made the mistake of waiting to reward the valiant efforts of someone precious to me, and it nearly cost that person’s life.” Yugal shifted behind me. “Deputy Governor Raj, please step forward.”
She stepped gracefully in spite of the shock and trepidation on her face. She turned to face me, and then knelt with her head bowed.
“Please accept this reward, for none have earned it more so than you. When you arise, you shall hereby be named Raj, Exarch of Ariel’s Gate. Soul Brand.”
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!!CONDITIONS DETECTED FOR LEGENDARY EVOLUTION!!
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I never imagined I would so readily give up my precious pistols, but I didn’t even hesitate. After all, my natural weapons were leaving my equipment further behind with each enemy I defeated. This was the first time most of these people had witnessed the spectacle of a Legendary Evolution, and the silence broke into exclamations and fearful cries as the black tendrils of evolution drowned out the sun once more.