While they waited for word from Het’jel about the coming fight, Zalia spent as much time as she could with her family.
They were all aware that, despite the power that would be lent them by Rozestrazix, there was a possibility that either Zalia or Boreal would die. Ember agreed that she and Aylie shouldn’t join the fight but they would wait by the portal to Zalia’s vault should she need to bring them in for some kind of emergency. Aylie had already proven that in some situations, she was much more capable than almost anyone else due to her power set.
It was nice to relax and spend time with each other, though there was a haze of thoughts spinning around Zalia’s head the whole time. A question that kept coming to the front of her mind time and again was about something Rozestrazix had said. They had told Zalia that they defended the northern lands from something, which protected Endaria by extension. She wondered what it was that lived out there beyond the dragon’s lands that it had to remain in the north to defend against.
She might have been in this world for many years now but she still barely knew what could be found beyond the borders of Endaria, even less so beyond the lands adjacent. In her own world, she knew what the entire planet looked like because of the power of technology, yet here it was a mystery, unknown to any. It made her wonder if this is what the people of earlier times felt, the reason that they so often left their lands to discover other countries and peoples.
Time passed by quickly, the building tension in Zalia’s body reaching a peak when Nateysta finally appeared three days past her return from the north.
“It’s time, prepare yourselves.”
He waited while Boreal, Zalia and Hildebrandt, who had recovered from her use of Mutual Destruction, gave a warm farewell to the others. Zalia spent minutes that felt like eternity yet were still too short speaking softly to Ember and Aylie before kneeling down to ruffle the fur of Boreal’s five children, each of them clustering around her to form a puddle of cats.
Eventually, Nateysta managed to draw the three away from the rest and they were swept up by his power. Now familiar with the mode of transportation, Zalia leaned back to try relax while they were dragged across the world. She cocked her head as two more sphere’s joined them from the direction of the capital and though a normal person wouldn’t have been able to see their occupants, Zalia was easily able to identify Larel in one and Matthias in the other. Larel gave Zalia a little wave and Zalia returned it, raising her arms either side of her in a questioning gesture. Larel mimicked punching things and Zalia laughed quietly to herself, while Matthias remained looking forward with a stoic expression.
She wasn’t sure how good an idea it was to bring someone so low as Gold rank to fight the Monarch but she wasn’t about to make a fuss about it. Not only was she lower ranked than them but who was she to try refuse them the chance to fight for their home?
It occurred to her then that almost all of Endaria’s power in high ranked people were in that little group. Hidey would still be back in the capital with Faian who was herself quite close to Gold rank but other than that the closest they would have is Larel’s partner, a Gold rank brewer. Zalia wasn’t quite sure if he knew how to fight or not, though.
The distance they travelled must have been much further than that of Nateysta’s serene cave as they were flying through the sky for maybe half an hour before their trajectory curved towards the ground, sinking into it and continuing downwards. Zalia ruminated about how much of this world apparently lived underground before they burst out into a brightly lit cave filled with the greenery of a forest.
They landed atop a cliff that gave them a sightline of the giant space, their view that of a forest extending into the distance, amongst which many Astar floated. Looking closer, Zalia could see buildings scattered throughout, the construction built in unity with nature rather than the normal Astar towns that reminded her more of the cities of her own world. The sources of light were giant spheres of warm white power that floated around, letting off small discharges of light as if they were miniature suns.
Nateysta, in his medium form, larger than any of the group members but not as massive as the day he had fought the Thousand-eyed one, perched amongst the boughs of a nearby tree. Larel came over to embrace Zalia, then Hildebrandt, while Matthias stood to the side staring over the cavern.
“Larel! I didn’t know you were coming.”
Larel gave a brilliant smile.
“I wouldn’t have but that giant tree bird over there said I have a powerset uniquely capable of beating enemies much more powerful than me. He’s not wrong, so I decided to come along for the ride.”
Zalia caught Hildebrandt staring over at Matthias and she realised that they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. She gave the woman a nudge and Hildebrandt walked over, the two of them speaking in low tones.
“Well, I’ll admit I’m glad you’re here, though I don’t know if it will be safe for you.”
Larel snorted.
“You, a Silver ranker that is about to engage in a fight with a Mythic ranker, is telling me that I’m not safe?”
Zalia shrugged, ceding the point.
“I have secrets that will help me,” Zalia jerked her head in the direction of Boreal, “and I don’t think she can actually die anymore.”
Larel raised an eyebrow at her.
“I’d love to know how that works some other time. You going to tell us about these secrets you have?”
Zalia pretended to think about it.
“I guess we’ll find out. First though, I have a feeling our hosts are about to greet us.”
She pointed toward where two Astar that she recognised were flying towards them.
Het’jel landed, transition from flight to walking so smooth it might as well have been second nature. They looked at Matthias who was still admiring the cavern despite his conversation with Hildebrandt.
“It is beautiful, is it not? I remember planting the first seed myself.”
Matthias visibly flinched as he realised who had spoken. He had obviously not fully recovered from the trauma of his capture, not that Zalia had expected him to in such a short span of time.
Zalia looked up at the nearest tree, guessing it to be thirty to forty years old.
“So you’ve been here for a while then?”
Matthias took a step back from Het’jel but was ignored as they focussed on Zalia.
“The rebellion has had to move many times over the span of its existence, but this is one of the longest lasting homes we have had. It took us a long time to develop the correct magic to allow us to remain hidden from the rest of the Astar.”
Zalia nodded her head in sympathy. The Astar did seem to have a knack for finding things.
“Well, how go preparations?”
Nateysta shifted ever so slightly in the tree behind them.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I have gathered a few forces of my own to assist in the fight and will bring them when the time comes.”
Het’jel looked up at Nateysta, the heads of their two bodies simultaneously bowing in reverence.
“And our people are finalising their plans for their attack. We’ve chosen a strategically important town, one that supplies most of a type of crystal that is often used for magical constructs within the Astar nation. It isn’t a place we can hold should the Monarch remain living but if we win against them then our ability to control what follows will be considerably improved. Additionally, we will take down the portal network in the town the moment reinforcements arrive from the Monarch. This should slow them from getting back to help them if they call.”
Larel and Boreal both had similar body posture indicating disinterest, each of them more of the kill and ask questions later type of person. Matthias managed to stop staring at Het’jel with suspicion at the mention of the crystals, some of the scholarly interest that Zalia remembered about him surfacing.
“These crystals will be important enough to warrant drawing away a significant force from wherever the Monarch is while not drawing the Monarch themselves?”
One of the two bodies of Het’jel turned to Matthias and Zalia could see him visibly steel himself to not turn away.
“I believe so. Unfortunately, the one consistent personality trait of the Monarch these days is a unshakeable faith in their own strength and everyone and everything else being beneath them. They won’t deal with us themself, it’s probably one of the reasons we haven't been all hunted down and killed yet. The Monarch will tell their subordinates to deal with us and let all us beneath them fight each other to the death.”
There was sadness in their expression and aura, the same sadness they had expressed when Zalia had met with them more personally. Zalia knew where that came from, as they had been friends with the Monarch before they had changed.
Matthias clued into the sadness too, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“Do you know the Monarch?”
The second of Het’jel’s bodies turned to face him at the question.
“Yes, we were close once. I’ve known them longer than any of you have been alive, longer than some Ascendants have existed.”
Matthias stepped forward, looking a little aggressive. Zalia stood on edge, ready to intervene if she needed to.
“Tell me then, are you going to be able to fight them with everything you have? Can we rely on you to do what needs to be done?”
Some of the sadness in Het’jel’s aura turned to anger and Zalia glanced over at Nateysta to see if he would do anything. He didn’t so much as shift.
“Know this, human. I choose to fight and with luck, kill my friend. It is not through anger or vengeance but mercy that I kill them, mercy to the person they once were, mercy to those they hurt that they never would have if they were in their right mind. I’ve looked for decades, centuries, for a way to help them, a way to free their mind from the split state from which they suffer. Short of forcing their second body to ascend, something that is simply not possible, I have found nothing. Do not lecture me on my priorities, on my dedication to this course of action. I have more invested in our success than you will ever have.”
Matthias held the gaze of the body of Het’jel before him, staring deep into their eyes before slowly nodding his acceptance.
Larel sighed, loudly.
“Right, if you are done with whatever that was, can we discuss what exactly the plan actually is?”
Everyone in the group of people turned to her.
“What? I really don’t want to die, so I want to know how we plan on avoiding that happening.”
Het’jel walked forward, using a type of spacial magic to carve out a semicircle from the ground. A set of long steps leading from the outer edge and to the centre slowly lifted from the dirt. At the centre was a throne upon which a small figure sat.
Large pillars rose from all around the circle’s edge, each one a work of art in broken and jagged shapes that elicited a shiver down Zalia’s spine. From the flat tops of those pillars, beams stretched across to meet above the throne even as a wall rose behind it.
“This is the throne room of the Monarch. It is a simple affair and you will not find much to work with when it comes to a fight. While it may seem small, these stairs stretch for a few hundred metres and the throne is large enough to fit the Monarch’s bigger than normal form.”
Hildebrandt frowned as she walked around the little model.
“How big, exactly? Defending against larger foes can make things difficult.”
“The same size as Nateysta currently is.” they replied, gesturing to where Nateysta perched in the tree, his form approximately eight metres tall.
“Well that’s going to be annoying.”
Zalia nodded her agreement, though she doubted she would end up fighting the Monarch. That would depend on how strong Rozestrazix’s power made her and Boreal.
“Hildebrandt and I will engage the Monarch directly while those of you that are Gold rank and below will be around the perimeter of this battleground to stop anyone from interfering in our fight. The high ranked amongst the Astar numbers will be off to fight our attack on the border town and will be stuck there for some time but there will still be those of Gold and Silver rank who are looking to improve their standing in the eyes of the Monarch and they will undoubtedly come to protect them. It is your job to stop their interference. Even though the damage they can do to us will be minimal, any distraction can be potentially fatal.”
Larel scratched at the back of her neck.
“So… that’s it, that’s the plan?”
“Unfortunately, the Monarch has complete control over the structure and earth around this place. It is like a temple to them, completely within their power. It’s impossible to tell what they will do with that but we must adjust to any changes as possible.”
Larel had a smile growing ever so slightly on her face.
“So what you’re saying is, kinda wing it and see what happens?”
“That isn’t… inaccurate.”
Nateysta shifted with the sound of creaking wood.
“The forces I have gathered will help maintain this boundary also, in addition to the help they will provide for the attack on the outer town. Zalia, I have seen that you will be given a little bit of assistance as well, from not one but two other powerful beings. It is good that you have managed to find a way to live through this.”
Zalia looked over at him with narrowed eyes.
“Ro, have you been spying on me?”
He didn’t reply.
“Also, where is Lumin? I know you’ve got them doing all that Ascendant training stuff but will they be joining us for this fight?”
“They will, if I deem it necessary.”
Hildebrandt was looking at Zalia with curiosity.
“You’ve gotten some help from two powerful beings?”
Zalia frowned, realising what Nateysta had actually said.
“Well, only one from what I remember. Hey, Ro, who is the other one?”
He, once again, chose not to reply.
“Enough, each of us will be responsible for our own fates soon. Neither Hildebrandt or I will be able to take our focus from the Monarch long enough to help any of you should you need it, so do not expect it.”
Everyone nodded. They had all known that, even without Het’jel saying it. Killing the Monarch was the purpose of their mission and it came before everything else.
Before they had left, Zalia and Hildebrandt had spoken with each other about what they would need to do. There were a few key advantages that they were keeping secret, one being the God-trap that Zalia had yet to tell Het’jel about. She didn’t know if the Ascendant side of the Monarch would choose to appear during the fight but if they did, Zalia was going to try to use the thing on them. Taking that power away from their enemy would greatly increase their chances of actually winning.
The other plan they had in motion was in the case of defeat. Should it get to the point that there was no chance of victory, Zalia would open her vault and get them all out of there. With Hildebrandt to defend their retreat, it should be possible for them to live through this thing one way or the other.
Het’jel broke down the small model in front of them all and Zalia noticed that many of the rebel Astar in the distance were vanishing through portals.
“The time has come. Today we forge a new alliance between our people, one that will benefit us both. We will take the future of the Astar from the depths and show them the stars, even as we pull your drowning kingdom with us.”
Hildebrandt hefted her heavy shield, keeping the mace in its loop for now while Larel cracked her neck and knuckles. Sand began to swirl around Matthias even as Het’jel began to create a complex diagram in the air before them. A portal opened and the two bodies of their Astar ally ran through, quickly followed by the others.
Zalia looked to Boreal as ice crackled along her close friend’s back, then summoned her own weapons and armour, the ritual runes inscribed on their surfaces granting their power. With trepidation and hope surging through her body, they stepped through.