“Sure, Telos.” A pale skinned beauty stepped from no where into the room. Nyx, personification of Night, Primordial, former Overgod, and one of the prime architects of Telos’ existence entered the room as if she’d always been there. Nyx’s black-on-black eyes were prone to take people who hadn’t met her before off-guard. She wore a long cloak of pure night, and a gown of purest white to match her skin. As the mother of many Primordials, Daemons, Gods, and who knew what else, Nyx stood high in the world of gods, and walked the fine line between divinity and dark divinity. As a raider in the MMO Eldest Fantasy Wars Online, and her alter-ego of Callie, Nyx had been a mage who only cared about being the top of the damage charts, often failing or nearly failing raid mechanics to get one extra spell off.

“I think you know everyone here. Arkaziel, Bobbi, Kallos, this is Nyx. Nyx, Arkaziel, Bobbi, and Kallos.” Telos didn’t know if the introductions were necessary or not, but it seemed best to make them just in case.

“This is like meeting my daughter-in-law for the first time, how exciting,” Nyx quipped and nodded her head to Kallos. “Welcome to the family.”

“I wasn’t nervous before, but I admit that created a rush of anxiety,” Kallos laughed nervously. Family remained a touchy subject with the Nephilim who’s entire world had been purged by the Overgod in response to the corruption of Belial spreading wholesale through the world.

“So, do you suppose Oizys would just surrender Grief?” Telos changed the subject.

“She might, if you make it worth her while. She’s loath to give up anything unless forced or bribed. Self-preservation will only come into play if you already have her dead to rights, my little Daemons have never had need of survival instincts, and are blind to existential threats. Or they become so enthralled by the idea they embrace it willfully, and find an end to this eternal existence, as Moros did.” Nyx’s disapproval of Moros’ choice could not be more clear if she called him an idiot.

“I was afraid you’d say that. I wanted to put a tidy bow on her and move onto the big guy, but of course someone named Misery is going to be a pain in the ass,” Telos grumbled and leaned against Kallos.

“If you want little Miseria to agree, you’ll need to have your hand around her throat, or be poised to destroy her base of power. Unlike most gods, my little Daemons are part of the fabric of existence for all living things, so raising their temples and smiting their believers wouldn’t accomplish anything but the deaths of people prone to making poor life decisions.”

“Oh man, we just climbed two Towers, now you want us to climb the Tower of Misery?” Arkaziel whined. “The Towers are so boring!”

“That would be one way to reach her, certainly,” Nyx agreed.

“There’s another way?” Bobbi asked in confusion.

“Well, you could bribe her, you’ve acquired wealth, power, authority. A single authority could woo her, but you would be creating a future problem across all the material worlds to solve the problems of one material world.” Nyx grimaced, under no illusions to the nature of her children. “It is a terrible idea.”

“I know what we have to do,” Telos laughed as the emanations of the divine from Binah led her to the right answer.

“Do you need my help?” Nyx asked bluntly.

“No, it’s better you don’t get in trouble for this part. That may change when it comes time to deal with the Overgod, if you’re willing to?” Telos honestly didn’t know how involved the Primordials who’d got her into this mess wanted to be personally involved in the resolution to the comedy of errors they’d created of this universe.

“I will stand with you when the time comes, and I will feel out the others. Chronos sends this,” Nyx held out a wooden spindle, wrapped with luminous threads. The spindle itself radiated immense power and the fragment of Ananke within it resonated with the similar piece inside of Telos’ soul. “He cannot bear to witness the end of his beloved, but knows it must be done.”

“Then that will leave only Phanes,” Telos rubbed at her chin. “Where the hell am I supposed to get a piece of Phanes?”

“He was my consort, did it never occur to you to ask me?” Nyx rolled her eyes and tsked at Telos.

“I assumed you put whatever fragment you retained of him into me?” Telos grimaced. “I don’t know why I assumed that. Do you have another fragment of Phanes?”

“I do,” Nyx held out a small ivory egg circled by a jade serpent. “You needn’t worry about ensnaring Dionysus, his aspect of Phanes has already gone through the Great Cycle and will not respond to your gathering.”

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“I wasn’t worried about him,” Telos laughed a little to blunt the damaging truth of her intentions.

“I don’t suppose you would be,” Nyx’s dark eyes twinkled in amusement at the callous disregard Telos showed towards gods, and the inner conflict that arose as Telos wondered if she should be. I guess, technically, they are living beings.

“I would use those sooner, rather than later, Aes, err, Telos.” Nyx cautioned her.

“Why? Do they weaken? They seem stable,” Kallos interjected from next to Telos, where she studied the objects Telos held.

“You already have Archons on your trail, your chances to summon those two will only diminish the more the Overgod sends after you. Right now you are an annoyance, he has not yet bent true attention to hunting you. After all, you aren’t his creation, so how difficult could it be to deal with you? Capitalize on that, and make what few preparations you need before you deal with Oizys.” Nyx seemed disappointed that none of the four had thought that part through.

“How am I supposed to surpass Arkaziel if I don’t eat some big archons?” Bobbi asked with a terrifying grin that showed sharp teeth in her humanoid form.

“Even you would struggle to make those creatures palatable,” Nyx warned Bobbi.

“Energy beings are like carbs. Ten minutes after eating them you’re starving because you digested them so quickly. The little bit of carbon their essence is tied to isn’t enough to fill a stomach.” Arkaziel’s complaints about the fullness factor of Archons left Telos and Kallos struggling to maintain a straight face.

“Point taken, Nyx. Thanks for the information, essences, and advice.” Telos looked around her group. “Is there anything you need to take care of before we deal with Oizys and step into the fire for real?”

“I’d like to tier up, but I’m not quite there yet. Maybe after you summon the essences, that seems to draw powerful creatures sometimes, plus all the energy you absorb from it gets shared with us anyway, so I’ll be close soon.” Bobbi chimed in.

“I don’t like that you get to share my bond-partners gains,” Arkaziel harumphed.

“The ritual bound her to me as well as Kallos, Ark, if you want to blame anyone blame yourself for demanding she bind to Kallos.” Telos waggled a finger at the ornery cat.

“Bah!” Arkaziel curled up and pretended to go to sleep. His fake snores were exceptionally passive aggressive.

“I have already completed all of my unfinished business in the time you ascended the Tower of Aetherius. I am with you until the end, darling.” Kallos leaned in to plant a light kiss on Telos’ cheek.

“Well, I guess that’s that then. We’ll nip Phanes and Ananke in the bud, my soul will be fully my own again. We’d better figure out a place to do the rituals that we aren’t overly attached to, there’s always a chance we’ll pull an Archon with the divine essences.” Telos let the tides of Binah wash over her.

“Good luck, Telos. If you need us, call.” Nyx stepped into the darkness and vanished, and both Bobbi and Kallos let out deep breaths of relief.

“What’s wrong?” Telos didn’t understand why they’d both been anxious.

“You didn’t feel the power coursing off Nyx? The intimidating aura? The way she flaunted her authority of Night?” Bobbi looked aghast.

“No?” Telos laughed nervously.

“I do not see a reason to which she would seek to intimidate Bobbi or Arkaziel, StarManes are not known for being intimidated. Thus, she wished to flaunt that power and status to either myself or you, or Werylin.” Kallos looked to the elf, who still sat at the table, but his face was much more pale and his eye twitched.

“Oh, right.” Telos had kind of forgotten Werylin was in the room while Nyx had answered her call, and it seemed like the presence of the Primordial had shook Werylin up a little.

“We’re going to get out of your hair, Werylin. I’ll be in touch after we handle Oizys, it’s a bit dangerous for us to hang around anywhere right now, and you’ve got your whole clan here in Atlanta.”

It took the elf a few solid moments to compose himself.

“I appreciate your concern for my descendants. We have been contacted by Lord Torane, and our inroads with other rulers have been well received. All are nervous, though, unwilling to commit to an alliance until they are certain that it will not explode in their face with the laughter of Oizys mocking their suffering. When you have taken care of her, our mission will truly begin in earnest.” Werylin’s eagerness for the deposition of Oizys warred with his distaste for the politics that would come into play once her thumb no longer prevented any alliances from forming and making life better on Grief.

“Ark, wake up. Do you remember those vast lava plains?” Telos poked the still-pretending to snore Arkaziel awake.

“Yeah, they were big, flat, and empty. What about them? Going to build a statue to me there?”

“If that’s what you really want, think it’d be a good ritual site?” Telos tried to keep any frustration from her voice.

“Oh, sure. Lots of room, lots of power, not many elementals. Yeah, that should work. Pity we can’t jump worlds to keep the chances of interference from Oizys down, but if she sends a big lava golem or something Bobbi can just eat it.” Arkaziel laughed. “Unless it’s really tasty, then you’ve got to share with me, right?”

“Ugh, fine, whatever, I’ll share with you if its tasty.” Bobbi didn’t sound like she’d share willingly. The two quarreled like teenagers.

“Alright, take care of everyone, Werylin.” A new gate formed, and Werylin had to scream to stop them from going through it.

“Wait!!!!!”

“What?” Arkaziel asked as he hopped onto Telos’ shoulder.

“I’ve got to get the tea that Lady Bobbi asked about!” Werylin sighed in a put-upon way before he darted out of the room as if he were confronted with a personal emergency. Telos even heard him cast Haste so he could get the tea quicker.

“He would make a good majordomo,” Telos murmured thoughtfully.

Five minutes later, the party appeared on a plain of dark rocks, tea loaded into their various storage methods.

“Ominous place,” Kallos noted of the dark rock, flows of lava, and vents of sulfur.

“Perfect place to end two gods,” Arkaziel chimed in.

“You mean to end two transcendent beings,” Telos corrected. “Hopefully, they don’t put up more of a fight than the Primordials did. Maybe we can learn who killed Phanes before we eat him.”