Fear made my heart beat way too fast, and I recast Entangle. The plants seemed to resist me, something I'd never sensed before, and I began struggling to get free. My hands plunged through repeatedly, pushing and shoving against the greenery, but I couldn't get any place to lever my strength.
A branch wrapped around me, and another, constricting and squeezing.
Within a second, I was wrapped up like a hog, ready for the slaughter. Thin branches appeared out of the greenery, moving like snakes as they slithered towards my face... towards my mouth. At the same time, something tried to wriggle between the edge of my trousers, and my mind froze for a second. Then images of horrible things flashed through my mind, and without thinking it over, I cast Controlled Conflaruation, four hands at the same time.
"There's nothing you can do anymore," a whisper came as tiny branches wrapped around my fingers, interrupting my spell casting. I ripped my arms free and pulled them close to my chest. As a thin branch pressed against my lips, trying to force its way inside my mouth, I covered two hands with the others and cast again.
"There is nothing you can do- even if you cast a spell. The amount of plants around us is magnificent!" the hag howled with laughter. Tiny mushrooms began growing on the leaves near me, puffs of white smoke coming from them. The branches tightened while dozens of them pressed my lips. I almost failed my spell when one poked into my nose.
Then Controlled Conflagration finished, and closing my eyes while praying to Rathica I would live, I shoved Karma in it while expanding it outward like a shield.
Burning hotness burst out from all around me while a high pierced, continuous scream barely overcame the loud roaring of flames. The things around me cracked while I felt my skin and hair ignite. As my feet struck the ground again, I fell forward, scalding air and soot burning my throat and lungs.
I tried opening my eyes, but flames raged around me like a hellish inferno, and I barely closed them in time. The hag was still screaming, and I continued the spell, afraid she would somehow survive again. Time ticked by as my skin stopped registering pain. Not a good sign.
When the spell finally finished, its ten seconds passed, I was lying on the ground, huddled in upon myself. The fire died with a soft woosh, and then I heard and felt nothing. Afraid I'd died, I opened my eyes. My eyelids cracked, and I felt the edges rip, then I could see. I lay in a blackened nightmarish landscape. Towering charcoal husks of trees stood amidst a carpet of ash and chunks of burned wood.
Rathica and the other Deities hovered midair not too far away.
I could see looks of disbelief and hatred in many eyes, and only Rathica and Ulderion looked afraid and worried.
"Fine," The Stone said, no emotion discernable from his face. "I guess influencing my Prime can be seen as power. We will leave the Despotin corpse and power to you, and there will be peace." He turned to Nimron. "Agreed?"
Nimron growled as he glared at me, and I almost feared he would incinerate me on the spot. Then he turned his burning gaze on The Stone.
"Fine! But none of you are to encroach on my territories here or overseas!"
The other Deities didn't respond, but I got a general sense that there was some agreement between them, though I couldn't say how I knew.
Then he turned to Rathica, and how he had looked at me suddenly looked cozy. I'd never seen as much hate as at that moment, and I knew that eventually, there would be fighting between those two.
"I don't know how you did it, but we aren't done," he hissed. Then, with a snarl of rage, he grabbed Lisschen and disappeared.
"Well, I better go after them before he destroys her," Percussion said with a sickly sweet smile. "Wouldn't want to leave our little pantheon short-handed now, would we?" He threw me a kiss and vanished.
As soon as they were gone, it felt like a massive weight was removed from the world, and Ulderion let out a long sigh.
"Let's hope he mellows out over the decades," he rumbled before turning The Stone. "Now, I think it's time you take what's left of your Prime and leave."
Flowheart stared daggers at him with her frosty eyes, but The Stone simply sighed and turned to me. "I presume you hate me for sending Bastian at you, but I suggest you keep your emotions in check. He was my strongest Prime on this continent, and you have no idea what was at stake. If I find you try and work against me, you will find yourself in Rathica's realm before you can blink, and I'll deal with the consequences later."
He turned to Rathica, who was staring at him with steely anger, then vanished along with Flowheart and Wyerg. A few bits of gray sand drifted down.
"By the Primal Elders, are the Deities on this planet all like this?" Seriona said, her honey-laced voice dripping with sarcasm. "They are almost as crazy as those chaos-infected demons on Leralion!"
"Not all of them," Rathica said as she kept looking at me.
I sensed the worry and anger she had constantly felt slowly fade away, and a wave of energy poured in from her.
"But those three ingrates destroyed most new deities for millennia, and it seems the few that managed to eke out a foothold were awoken by very special mortals," she said with a sigh. "And not the good kind of special."
"Unlike you," Ulderion rumbled as he vanished from beside them and appeared next to me. He shrunk to roughly my size and put a chunky stone and earth hand on my shoulder. A powerful wave of energy traveled through my body, adding to whatever Rathica was doing, and I felt bones set right, blackened skin heal, and my hair grow back. I couldn't hold back a grateful grin.
"You did a great job, little mortal! Remember what I said before? If you ever find you made a mistake creating that one, you just come and find me! I'll make you my number one Prime!"
Rathica appeared beside him, and for a second, I thought she would shout at Ulderion, then she laughed. "You can't have him, you gnarly old root. Now go back to the Harrowing Hills and claim as much of those, the planes, and the Howling Forest around its edges as you can. With Fin'r gone, you should be able to snatch a part of his old domain before Wyerg can claim it."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Ulderion said as he looked in a direction south. Then he turned to me, and his rugged, bearded face couldn't cover his wide smile. "Est, if you ever come around there, come visit me. I'm rebuilding Dursic and found that the Earthlings I've claimed are incredibly ingenious! Many also take incredibly well to my essence, and if I had had more time, I would have been able to field some impressive Primes! For now, they are creating some amazing things, like sewers!"
"I will, but first, I need a long, long vacation," I said, barely holding back a snort. The mere thought of a vacation, and all it entailed, seemed to sap all the energy I had left in my body, and I stumbled. A strong, smooth hand caught me, and then I leaned up against Rathica, who was smiling down at me with deeply loving eyes. A wave of love, pride, and strength came from her.
"You've earned all the rest you need and want," she said.
"Right, not to hold this against you," Seriona said. "But would you mind releasing my follower before setting off in the sunset?"
My eyes widened as I realized Libidi was still inside my Mindscape, and I had no idea how she was doing.
> Rap, send Libidi out if she is capable!
> Rap do this, Rap do that. Bah!
> I have the distinct impression you don't realize how good you have it, mortal!
I grinned, knowing there was some truth to that. Without Raparion, I would have died a dozen times over the last few months. Deciding it couldn't hurt to smooth talk a bit, I replied.
> Sure I do! I've got the best Mindscape keeper in all of the known Deity verse!
> If those Deities had tried invading my Mindscape, they would have run in fear!
There was a longer silence than I had expected.
> Yes...
> Anyway, Casiron begs that you don't talk about him but let him remain until everything has settled down a bit
> I'd advise against it, but that's your call
Somehow I had the feeling I'd caught Rap off guard, and I enjoyed the feeling immensely. I might have to compliment him some more now and again and see how he reacted.
Before I could respond, something appeared on the ground beside me. Libidi; curled up, her face pale and jaw clenched. An odd, almost luminescent blue bird tattoo sat on her left cheek. Seriona appeared beside her, crouched and putting a hand on her head. Then she looked up and nodded at me.
"It seems you managed to keep most of her mind and soul intact with your tricks!" She turned to Rathica and tossed her a honey smile. "I'll scratch this off from the string of things you owe me, and you can thank your Prime!"
Ulderion laughed, then moved towards her. "Stop teasing our Pantheon leader before she punishes you! Now, follow me, and we will start removing that layer of demonic muck in your realm. After that, we will see who owes who!"
Libidi disappeared, and Seriona moved beside Ulderion. They both turned to Rathica, and a short burst of rapid speech passed between them. Then they vanished in a cloud of falling leaves.
I was so tired that I couldn't even get myself to stand on my own two feet, and I wondered why Rathica wasn't giving me some energy. I sniffed, fully expecting her to pick on my thoughts, but when she just kept smiling at me, I sighed.
"You can't read my thoughts anymore?"
"Only your emotions. I could force my way into your mind, but that would likely break your Mindscape," she said, raising an eyebrow. "But if you miss it, you could just open your Mindscape to me. It's easy to make exceptions."
I knew how tired I truly was when I actually considered it for a second. Then I shook my head and grinned. "Nah, it's fine like this. I was wondering if you couldn't lend me some energy? I'm beat."
"I'd love to, but your body and mind are so strained from everything that has happened that the best thing you can do is just sleep for a week," Rathica said. She put her arm under mine and lifted me up as we began floating towards the city in the distance. I noticed things had started moving again and tried to remember when that had happened.
"After Nimron left," Rathica said, and my eyebrows shot up.
"I might not be able to read your mind, but if they are written across your face I don't really need to, now do I?" she said with a grin.
I just nodded, looking down at the rugged gray mountains, the dark river with its white foam speeding off into the distance, and the heavily damaged city on the outcrop. My mind was slowly drifting away as we zipped forward when I realized something.
"Where is Elliandra?"
"I'll make sure she is waiting for you when you wake up," Rathica said as we hovered closer to the city. The ramp was far more damaged than I'd realized, and hundreds of soldiers stood on it, staring up at us.
"They can see us," I muttered.
"Yes," Rathica said. "But don't worry. I'll put you to bed before I talk to them."
I snorted, but there was no teasing in her voice, and I just waved at Jack when we passed over him. I got an awkward wave back, and I saw a mass of faces turn to Jack. Perhaps I shouldn't have done that? Poor Jack. Then we headed towards the city.
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"So, do you have a nice apartment for me?" I asked. "I'd prefer one with a nice view in a quiet part of the city!"
Rathica laughed. "Don't worry! I'm sure you will be satisfied."
As we continued forward, my mind began drifting off, my eyes heavy, and I never saw where we ended up.
--
The first thing I noticed was the nasty headache throbbing on the rhythm of my heartbeat. I groaned as I raised my hand, wondering why the water felt so odd and why the demon blood in it wasn't causing my regeneration to kick in.
"About time you woke up."
My hand froze as I heard the familiar, feminine voice. Like floodgates opening, I suddenly recalled the last day. I wasn't in that bloody demonic sea anymore! I'd fought and fought again... and... Bastian...
I pushed the sudden wave of sadness away and looked around blearily, pushing myself up on an elbow. I was in a large room with blinding light streaming in through two big open doors on the far side. A beautiful stone table stood in one area with a couple of stone chairs around it. Behind it was an open door leading into what looked like another room, but I barely noticed. All I saw was the person on the chair.
"Hey there," Elliandra said with a wave and a beautiful smile.
It took me a second to realize she looked the same now as before I left her in Rathica's realm- beautiful but seemingly ready for action.
"Hey," I tried- barely managing a deep croak. My throat caught, and I coughed a few times while Eliandra giggled.
"She said you would probably be feeling hungover. There's food and drink here, which should make you feel better. Though how eating anything demon-related could taste remotely good-" Eli made a semi-gagging noise.
The prospect of food made my stomach growl and my mind clear up with anticipation. The headache was still there but I ignored it as I pushed myself out, noting the slight indent on the other side of the two-person bed. Three steps in, I realized I was naked except for loincloth-like underwear. I probably should ask what that was about, but the sight of the plate with cold meat, vegetables, and a mug of what I hoped was clean water made me rush to the table and sit down opposite Eliandra.
I sniffed the meat, recognizing a more mellow cooked version of the meat I'd been eating all day yesterday. Apparently, Rathica had gotten that from Rap, or she had brought her own? Questions for later, my stomach said as I shoveled some meat in.
"Hey! You aren't starving," Eli snapped, but the laugh on her lips took the sting out.
I used a gulp of water -thank Rathica- to flush down the meat and felt my stomach and body heat up as the regeneration kicked in.
"So, when did you get here?" I asked dumbly before taking another, smaller bite and looking at Eliandra.
"Four days ago- just after Rathica brought you back," Eliandra said as she leaned back, arms across the edge of her chairs. It took some effort to keep my eyes from roaming her body, clothed in a thin white gown that somehow looked a lot like a t-shirt.
"I slept for four days?" I muttered before shrugging.
"Yes- and you talk in your sleep," Eli said, staring at me with sparkling eyes. "I'll be very interested to find out exactly who Libidi is. "
"I told you about her, remember?" I said, trying to recall if I had. I was pretty sure I'd told her at least a few times while I was below the sea.
Eliandra glared at me for a few seconds, then her cheeks twitched, and she burst out laughing.
I looked at her, surprised as she continued laughing. It felt pure, unconstrained, and as she continued, I felt something deep inside of me- a tense coil, relax. The tiny bit of the headache that had lingered vanished with it.
I looked around, then out of the window and saw the mountains in the distance, looking beautiful from this far away no matter how dangerous they were up close. A few white clouds floated across the otherwise pristine blue sky, and I realized there was chatter coming through the windows. Something about it, the laughter, shouting, and talking sounded familiar.
Eliandra stopped laughing and sighed. "So how about you continue eating, and I'll tell you what happened while you were asleep?"
I tore my gaze from the window and nodded as I continued eating.
"Rathica used some of her massive powers to repair most of the damage done to the city, though she left a bit for us to do ourselves. She told us during the council of Primes-"
"The what?" I said, spitting out a bit of meat that landed on the table between us.
Eliandra stared at it in disgust, then sighed and shook her head.
"The council of Primes- now if you just be quiet, I'll explain everything."
I nodded, picking up the meat and putting it in my mouth while raising an eyebrow at Eliandra. She shuddered and looked away, and I laughed before continuing to eat. I'd eaten much worse the last few months.
Eli continued talking as I tried to pay attention to stories about a new government being created, made up of a group of people who would act in the city's and humanity's best interest. Somewhere halfway through, my mind zoned out as the things that had happened over the last few days replayed in my mind. I thought about Casiron, Lark, and the others still locked in my Mindscape and about the battles. Images of burned bodies, ignited by my Controlled Conflagration, passed through my mind, and I quickly pushed them away. Those would have to wait for another time. Then Bastian's face popped up, and I blinked as I stared at the sliver of meat in my hand. I'd killed him. Gruesomely too.
He did try to kill me first, I told myself, and The Stone's final warning replayed through my mind. Yeah… I don't like you, I thought as my hand involuntarily squeezed the meat.
"Est!"
Eliandra's worried shout snapped me out of my angry thoughts, and I looked up. She was leaning forward, eyes wide and staring at the table. I looked down and realized I had the edge in a death grip, three sets of fingers causing cracks to appear in the stone slab. It took me a second to relax and let go before looking up.
"Sorry," I said, looking at the remaining food and drink and suddenly not wanting anymore. I got up and looked around, taking a few deep breaths. "Let's walk through the city a bit. I need some fresh air."
"Alright," Eli whispered as she got up and walked around the table. She stopped before me and looked up. When did she become a head smaller than me?
Two strong arms wrapped around me, and then she was hugging me tightly, her head pressed against my chest. For a second, I tensed, then the anger I felt faded, and I wrapped my four arms around her, hugging her back.
"It's over now," Eli whispered. "You are back, and so am I!"
I nodded, my chin tapping the top of her hair, and we remained there for a long time. At some time, the intensity of the hug changed, and I looked down at Eli's glittering eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, and her arms moved lower.
"We can look around after lunch," she whispered, her voice husky.
--
When we finally left the bed again, the sheets were a mess, but neither of us cared. With big smiles, we got dressed, and I wondered how something as great yet simple as that could make me feel this much better.
Talking about dozens of things that had nothing to do with the last few months, Eli showed me around our new house, which she constantly called our apartment, and I couldn't help but be a tiny bit drawn in by her enthusiasm.
The place was impressive, with its plant-filled bathroom, oval bath large enough to swim in, and warm water running down the far side like a magical waterfall, a kitchen and living room combination with an attached balcony looking out over a part of the city and a hallway that led out onto a small private walkway down into the city.
"You told Rathica what you wanted?" I asked as we exited onto the hallway. To our left was a railing to prevent anyone from toppling past the layers of city balcony and down into the dark sparkling river far below. To the right was the thick gray stone behind which I knew were the mountains.
I tugged my new soft, well-fitting gray shirt and looked at my brown leather pants and darker boots. Between the new attire, having tangled with Eliandra, a bath, and yet more food, I felt better than before.
"No, she didn't need help," Eli said as she held my hand and pulled me along the path. "She read through the minds of her new followers to find more details on what we liked."
I nodded, and simply thinking about Rathica caused our bond to strengthen enough for me to sense she was too far away for me to feel more than her general presence. That, or she was blocking me so I could rest. I'd talk with her later, but for now, I was just happy to be with Eliandra and nothing chasing or eating me.
The pathway was an almost ten-minute walk, ending in a large split, one route leading deep into the solid rock of the plateau. We followed the other towards a reasonably bustling balcony that looked out over the river and the other side of the plateau. It was at least twenty-five feet wide, and it led to the apartment-filled corridors I had walked through what seemed like ages ago, just after the city was built.
"We are in the eastern half, which is still reasonably quiet," Eli said as she waved at the other side, across the river, where I saw people move along another balcony mirroring the large one we were on. They seemed busy, carting wood and stone, while some seemed to be practicing spells.
"Those who chose to stay human, or Sandasin as they call it in Kernstalion, have somewhat gathered in the western half, while those that picked a different race are in the eastern. It's probably going to be trouble eventually, though; with Rathica's tower above and in the middle and most of her primes being something other than Sandasin, it shouldn't be a big issue."
I nodded, watching people move around like they had important business.
Still, it didn't take long before people began noticing us, and staring back, some pointing at me.
"Let's go," Eliandra said, and we moved away. A few shouts came from the other side, and now the few others around us began noticing us... or rather, me.
Before we reached the impressive staircase that led to the top of the plateau, connecting with the other half from the western side, a crowd was following us, whispering and chatting.
Eli just grinned when I gave her a curious glance.
"What? You expected people to just forget they have a hero in their midst?"
I sighed and followed her up the massive and seemingly endless staircase, which she took three steps at a time. I easily kept up, but when we reached the top, I saw we had left the mass far behind.
We reached the central castle without seeing any more people, though that might be because of the trees and vegetation that created a verdant forest covering the top of the plateau. I couldn't even see the walls, though I knew they were there. I did see tables and chairs hidden in cozy grass-covered areas, and I could hardly wait to go on a picnic with Eli
Moving up the steps that lead to the ridiculously wide, doorless entrance, we stepped into a deep room with a high, curved ceiling. A beautiful twenty-foot-tall statue of Rathica stood at the far wall, with a few smaller entrances to other rooms beside it.
Eliandra poked me as I gazed at Rathica's statue, wondering if she had made it herself or if someone here could do with stone what I did with wood.
"What?" I whispered, somehow feeling like I should keep my voice down without knowing why.
Eli was pointing to the right, and I followed her finger and then sucked in a breath in shock. Another statue, fifteen feet tall and sporting four arms with familiar crossbow-like contraptions on them, its top hands resting on a massive battle-ax, gazed down on the entrance as if daring anyone who entered to misbehave.
"Did she have to make it this big?" I muttered, staring at my likeness and feeling awkward.
"I could shrink it if you want," Rathica's joyful voice came from the other side of the room. "But that would make it weird after I put others beside it of this size!"
I turned and couldn't hold back a smile as I saw Rathica stride towards us with her massive statue behind her. The wounds on her body were gone, probably hidden, and her armor was immaculate. As she closed in, our connection strengthened, and I felt a deep love pour from her to me. It was without restraint, and the slight strain I'd felt in my shoulders dissipated as I stood up a little straighter and grinned back.
"So, are you going to ask me to go to another place to do some horrible mission before I get time to relax?" I asked, my grin widening. I'd meant it as a joke, but I sensed a slight sadness from her that caused worry to bubble up. She wouldn't really- would she?
"No, Est," Rathica said as she stepped before me. "Things have calmed down- and with Nimron focused on rebuilding his Pantheon and Grammanite, The Stone and his fellows trying to find a way to undo the powerful changes the Despotin energy did to their minds, we should have peace… for a time."
Hearing her say it and feeling the truth of her words through our connection made me sigh in relief. "Good, 'cause I could do with a vacation!"
Rathica's eyes twinkled and Eliandra snorted.
"So, care to tell me what happened with that Despotin core after I left?" I asked. "You didn't absorb it and put us on the road to another horrible event, did you?"
"Yes, and no," Rathica said, the twinkling in her eyes growing brighter. She waved her hand, and a stillness settled over the massive hall. "What I tell you now is known only to me and the other Deities, and like before, if you leave here to venture forth, you will forget about it until you return to my presence."
I nodded and shrugged. I still didn't like it when Rathica messed with my memories and wondered how she would do that with my Mindscape in place.
"As she researched ways to save her people, Seriona found a way to harness and cleanse the Despotin energy inside the blood," Rathica said, a frown on her face. "At great cost to herself, she was able to cleanse it and feed me Karma."
I vaguely recalled Ulderion taking her and saying something and cocked my head. "Is that why Ulderion took her?"
Rathica nodded. "He will try to remove the Despotin's warlike tendencies from her, but you don't need to worry about that. This will be something that requires centuries or longer to accomplish and is not something mortals can assist with. Not even powerful ones like you. For now, she is bound to me in more ways than one and won't be a problem."
I blinked, almost shaking my head. Somehow, that didn't sound like the whole story, and I almost wanted to ask more. Then I held back. Did I even want to be involved in anything else? I looked around the hall and wondered how long it would be before more statues would fill it.
No… for now, I was done with running around. It was time to focus on myself, Eliandra, my Mindscape, and even my Woodworking.
"So, what now?" I asked, turning to Rathica.
"That is up to you," the tall, powerful deity said as she looked at me. "But whatever you want, I'll support you wherever I can."
"So… no more things that are burning down?" I asked, suddenly realizing that I didn't believe it. I'd been running around for what seemed like ever, and now it was… over?
"Not right now, but I'll make sure to let you know when I need my number one Prime in action," Rathica said. "You might want to talk to the other Primes and find a place for yourself in the current leadership of this city as you are the head of the Primes."
"I am?" I asked with a frown, not sure how I felt about that. "Wait, how many Primes are there by now?"
"Seven… on this continent," Rathica said.
Again the continent thing. First Nimron, then The Stone, now Rathica. The way they kept mentioning it almost seemed like it was on purpose! I was about to ask what other continents there were when I saw Eliandra stare at me. Right… that could wait.
"Just out of curiosity, why not Laurel or Haltir? They have more experience leading," I asked as I stepped closer to Eli, holding her hand.
"Don't underestimate yourself," Rathica said. "They will be a great help, but I know you. You will be the one to grow my temple in a way that matches me."
I knew she was right the moment she said it- though the prospect of having to talk to people to get things done didn't seem all that great. Still, it might be better than death, blood, and pain.
"Now, go and inspect the rest of the city!" Rathica said as she waved us away like some benevolent mother. "I've heard that there is a nice little restaurant on the western side of town!"
Eli and I walked back to the exit, and I let my curiosity to see the rest of the building rest for now.
"So- wanna grab a bite?" I asked.
"Only if you are paying," Eli said with a grin.
"Wait, we need to pay?" I asked, startled. I didn't have any wood fragments left!
Eli ripped free, poked me in the side, and ran away laughing loudly. Realizing I'd been had, I sprinted after her, making sure not to overtake her too fast. It was time to enjoy myself in this new world!