What? She... What!? “I... beg your pardon? I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“I mean exactly what I said,” she stated firmly. “Please take my position, my seat, my power, influence, everything. I offer it freely, and gladly, to you.”
I just sat there and blinked, utterly stupefied. Is this... is it like some strange way to propose? That wasn’t exactly the feeling I was getting from this. Her expression seemed more desperate than anything.
Still, I couldn’t just say yes or no without first understanding the why behind this bizarre situation. “I’m sorry but, you’re going to have to explain a little more. I am very confused right now.”
She sighed and seemingly calmed herself somewhat. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I just dropped this on you with no explanation and it wasn’t fair of me. Forgive me if I presented myself as hasty. It’s just... well, I’ve been hoping for a situation like this for a long time.”
With a shake of her head Ophelia rallied herself. “Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself again. Let’s start at the beginning, then. As I’m sure is obvious, I was born different from other children. Even in my earliest memories I remember being told that I was special, that the gods surely had sent me to be a wise leader, a paragon, the ideal. When I was young, I thought that sounded great, even as they separated me from my family and all the other children my age. I lived most of my life in the care of the church, and while that afforded me many benefits, I also lost control over my own future.”
“They shaped me, molded me, twisted me until I fit their ideal of perfection. For how could one be born such as I and not be something special? I couldn’t make my own decisions without someone scrutinizing them. Playing with other kids was a waste of my time. Socializing outside of interacting with your fellow acolytes was a distraction. I’m nearly thirty years old and I’ve never had a hard drink in a tavern, surrounded by friends as we boisterously laugh without a care in the world. No, instead I was cursed to be alone from the moment of my birth. To never have a real connection with anyone who wasn’t trying to kiss my tail or tell me how I'm supposed to live my life.”
Her expression turned downcast, and her whole body sagged just a bit. “By the time I was old enough to realize that this was happening, it was already too late. They made me a public figure, an icon of the church, pure of soul and body, according to them. If I tried to push back, reject my position, or abandon it, then I would be labeled a pariah and be even more alone than I already am. I couldn’t escape by myself. Someone with power equal to or greater than my own was needed in order for me to make a graceful exit. And now, finally, an opportunity presents itself. I’m willing to do anything, give anything. Power, money, influence, any luxury or comfort you desire, just please, answer my one prayer.”
She tried to keep herself restrained, but her desperation was leaking out in her voice. This was a problem. I didn’t want to just deny her and leave her to suffer for something she couldn’t change. Someone, somewhere, must have seriously misinterpreted or twisted the teachings of the church if they lied to and pressganged a child into this position. The almighty bitch herself told me she valued freedom above most everything else, yet they stole hers just so they could have an icon for their institution.
I let out a heavy sigh while slumping into my seat. Even if I did agree to help her, there was no clear path to fulfill her wish without some sort of political blowback that would land heavily on my shoulders. The offer of her seat wouldn’t work either as that was a responsibility that I did not have the time, nor the desire, to fulfill.
My honest opinion ended up coming out, probably because she was already being so candid with me. “This was far from what I expected when I agreed to have a talk with you. Honestly, it’s rather stupid that they forced you into that role just for having albinism.”
She blinked rapidly a few times. “Having what?”
Oh, right, she wouldn’t know what that is. “Albinism is a rare genetic condition that drastically reduces the amount of melanin in your body. Uh... melanin is the stuff in your body that effects your skin, or scale color, in your case.”
Ophelia had a rather thoughtful look on her face for a moment. “So, I’m not this way because the gods wanted me to be?”
That... is a decent question. There was a non-zero chance that they might have some influence over how a child might look when they are born, but if that was the case, then there would probably be more unique looking individuals wandering about.
“Most likely not.”
The look on her face after I said that was one of mixed emotions. I could see confusion, but there was also a large amount of relief present. “Then... she doesn’t want me to do this? The goddess won’t be angry at me for abandoning my duty. I was... I was prepared to face her anger after I died if it meant that I could live freely.”
“She doesn’t work like that, apparently. It’s more likely that she would be angry at the people who took away your ability to choose your own path.”
She released a huff like she had been holding her breath for her whole life and finally got to let it go. “C-can you tell them that? Can you explain to them that I can leave, do something else?”
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Even if they did believe me, and it’s a long shot that they would, I imagine they wouldn’t be all that happy to simply give up their ‘Blessed Child’ so easily.”
“Well, you can--”
“No, I cannot take your place either,” I cut her off, already predicting the question. “I’m needed elsewhere, so I can’t spend my days locked inside a church or going from town to town preaching to people.”
“So, there’s nothing you can do?” Her growing hope was dashed by the thought of her only chance failing.
“Well, not nothing, but whatever I can do will have to be thought out carefully and will most likely have to come after the end of the war.”
“Oh...” She still seemed a little disappointed, but she quickly recovered and focused on the positive aspects. “So, you have a plan, then? Is there anything I can do to help with it?”
“Well, I have at least an idea. Once everything with this war is done, there will be a lot of effort needed to get things back in working order, not to mention normalizing relations between the Thrainians and the coalition. I have a lot of ideas about how to improve the lives of your average citizen and aid in the post war recovery. In order to enact my ideas, I'm going to need help, so to that end perhaps I could directly recruit you and place you under my command. It’s not total freedom, but I am by far more lenient about what you do with your personal time than the church would be, and I can keep them from breathing down your neck while trying to come up with an argument for your release from the obligations they forced upon you.”
Ophelia considered my idea for a few seconds before nodding. “I’ll take it. Anything, no matter how small, is better than this. So, what do I need to do to help make this happen?”
“For now, the only thing that needs to be done is convincing the council to send troops to Yol’vastume to relieve the siege that’s happening. After that it’s up to those who are fighting to bring an end to the war as quickly as possible.”
“Right, of course. I can have letters written and delivered to each of the council members by the end of the day.” She was really gung-ho about helping me but considering that this was what it took to fulfill her wish, it made sense.
“Expediency is preferable in this situation, so thank you for that. However, please make sure that your haste doesn’t lead to mistakes that could have easily been avoided.”
“Naturally. This isn’t the first time I've had to write to political leaders, whether local or otherwise.” Her gaze seemed to drift away from the present as a dreamy grin spread across her face. “Do you think I could get drunk and sing really loud? Or run down the street and howl at the top of my lungs? That always looked fun when others did it, but the priests did nothing but complain about the noise or chastise the drunks for getting that way in the first place.”
It was somewhat amusing to see just how eager she was to throw off the shackles of her ascetic lifestyle. “I’m sure we could find the time for it, if you really want to.”
“I do, I really do.” She took a deep breath with her eyes closed before opening them again with a much more serious look on her face. “But that is neither here nor now. I must remain focused until the day finally comes.”
“Believe me, you’re not the only one wishing that day comes sooner rather than later.”
She chuckled a bit. “For different reasons, I'm sure, but yes. Thank you, for giving me this chance.”
The sincerity with which she gave that gratitude was heavy indeed. “You’re welcome. I hope that we both can get what we want in the end.”
There were only a few more pleasantries and information exchanges after that, just to make sure that we were both on the same page. This was a rather strange situation, but the outcome did get me some more support for my cause. At this point, the movement to get troops deployed was gaining some serious momentum. Perhaps if another vote was called for the councilmembers would be forced to agree with me due to public opinion shifting against them.
For now, though, we called an end to our private chat and prepared to set foot into the outside world once again. Ophelia’s demeanor changed from the somewhat relaxed level that she had come to during our conversation, to the regal projection of confidence that I had seen when she first arrived. Knowing how forced it was for her really did play with my feelings of sympathy. She’s been living a lie her whole life, a fate no one deserved, and if I could help her escape, then that was just the right thing to do.
We were both greeted by our escorts who had hardly moved more than an inch from where we had left them. After forming a new defensive perimeter around us, we made our way back to the main altar room. When I stopped to think about my situation, it was kind of unbelievable to consider that we were two of the most influential members of the church working to subvert their intent and basically tell them to go take a hike, though in more polite terms.
The organization always gets the message wrong. That seemed to be a running theme with churches, even across worlds. I wondered if there was any way to possibly prevent such twisting of what normally are very healthy guidelines for living your life. The answer I came to was probably not. So long as greed was a sin in the hearts of people, corruption will always take root even in the purest of professions. Sometimes the garden simply needed to be weeded.
Kala and the others were waiting for me, thankfully unmolested by the looks of things. I didn’t even realize how nervous I felt about her until I saw her again. It was a little ridiculous to feel that way considering where we were and that she had most of the protection, but I was most likely going to have severe separation anxiety for a while.
She greeted me with a smile as we approached her group. “I was worried that you may have extended your conversation for longer than anticipated,” she said as she maneuvered her way to my side and hooked her arm around mine.
Is she still acting defensive even around non-Trelnvals?
Ophelia was the one to reply before me. “I promised a quick conversation, didn’t I? To do otherwise would be both rude and make me a liar.”
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“True enough.” Kala’s gaze turned back to me now. “Did your conversation turn out well?”
I nodded. “Yes, we have a much greater understanding of one another now.” It was important to keep up the act, even now. “Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you, Lady Ophelia. I enjoyed our conversation and hope that we will have more in the future.”
“Of course, Lord James. It would be remiss of me to not keep in close contact with you, considering how blessed you are by our goddess.”
No snide comments now, I reminded myself. “Well, my lady, until next we meet then.” We both exchanged shallow bows to one another before I took my group and made for the exit.
Once outside, the weight of everything seemed to roll off me. Like shrugging off the pressure of a heavy burden. The events of the last day were still laden upon me, but with the conclusion of this whole situation I felt some relief as we were finally able to put it behind us.
Now it was time to get back to work, and after the changes I made to the runes that sacrificed safety, I felt that I was getting close to completing it. It was exciting, but also nerve wracking. The only thing I could do was hope that it wouldn’t blow up in my face the second I activated it.
Back at the lodge I was able to spend some time thinking about my deal with Ophelia and the inevitable execution of Adder while carving into the crystal. Ophelia’s situation would most likely be something that I would have to chip away at over a long period of time. Convincing a powerful organization to do anything that wasn't in their best interest would always be like pulling teeth.
Adder’s situation, however, was a bit more sobering to think about. In the heat of the moment, I had wanted to beat the man to death myself, but now that he had been sentenced to death, I didn’t know what to feel. I’d thought I would be satisfied that he got his comeuppance, but the whole thing just felt hollow to me now. Whatever way you cut it; this was just more lost life.
My thoughts were consumed by this even as I tapped away, nearly mindlessly, at the glowing crystal. Such was my focus that I barely even realized just how long I had been working until the pages I had written the runes on suddenly ended.
I snapped out of my contemplative trance with a series of surprised blinks. Taking the notes, I scanned through them to make sure that everything I had wanted was in place and nothing was forgotten. After checking, and double checking, it was confirmed that all the necessary runes were present on the crystal to make it work... hopefully. After all, this was the single largest project that I had undertaken when it came to rune carving.
“It’s done,” I muttered to myself just loud enough that Kala apparently heard me.
“What was that?”
“Oh, sorry, I just finished the crystal.”
She perked up a little after hearing my clarification. “That’s great! Congratulations, I know you put a lot of work into that.”
Her innocent praise over such a divisive object made me huff with amusement. The crystal was finally ready. The crystal... the weapon... live weapon, in an enclosed room, with Kala. My eyes widened as my hands slowly pulled away from the surface of the crystal.
“Uh, Kala, could you step outside right now?” I said while slowly standing and backing away.
She looked at me with a cocked head. “What? Why?”
“Juuuust realized that this is a live weapon capable of killing everyone in this room if not the building.”
Now her eyes widened is concern as she eyed the crystal warily. “Yes, that is indeed a good reason.” We made a fast exit from the room, leaving the dangerous mineral formation locked inside for now.
I informed everyone else of the completion of the weapon and the dangers it posed. They took it seriously enough, and I had a few of them guard the room until I figured out what to do with it. To that end, I got ahold of Evixus and asked if they had a vault or safe room where it could be stored.
It turned out that they did have a room for storing private or sensitive objects for their guests. The room itself was located near the back of the building behind a sturdy wooden door with iron bands reinforcing its structure. Inside there were a series of trunks and chests scattered about the room. Not exactly an impenetrable vault, but it was better than keeping it under my bed.
After it was safely tucked away, I turned to the next step in this plan. Asking for a pen and paper, I drafted a letter to Larvell explaining the development of the weapon and presenting the idea of a presentation tomorrow. I added a few caveats to that though, such as the presence of an earth mage and a dozen or so spears, for safety reasons. Explaining why this was a safety concern to him was difficult as I only had so much paper to work with and didn’t want to go into a whole lecture on the subject.
In the end I had a presentable letter with enough details that Larvell would understand the importance of providing these safety nets. Evixus was happy to deliver it for me, as it was part of his job description, and that was that. Things were in motion now, so all I could do was wait and hopefully get some rest. Tomorrow would likely be a rather challenging day, for more than one reason.
Sleep wasn’t easy, even with Kala trying to assist in helping me relax. I had to prepare myself mentally for the presentation as it wouldn’t be pleasant in the slightest for me. That wasn’t even to mention the execution that was to take place soon after. I was undecided on whether to even show up for that. It almost felt like I'd be gloating if I did, and that didn’t sit right with me.
These thoughts ran rampant in my mind and kept me up late into the night before I finally managed to find sleep. In the morning I felt exhausted with heavy eyelids and a weary body. Even as I forced my way out of bed, it felt like my limbs were being weighed down with lead. There would be no procrastination, though, as we had to eat and then make our way down the city and out into the open fields beyond the town. Feeling as tired as I was right now, I cursed that there wasn’t a closer location that would be just as safe.
Grumbling to myself, I went about the daily morning routine before collecting our group and the crystal from storage. After rounding everything up, we made our exit. It seemed the trial was still a hot topic on the tongues of the citizens as out passing brought many hushed conversations and glances from the masses. My fame, or infamy, seemed to be growing as I caught some talk about my connections with Ophelia, the church, and the goddess. Those that were once skeptics were now beginning to question their previous beliefs.
I tried my best to not pay them any attention, even if they were hardly being secretive about their interest in me. Once we made it to the gate, the pressure of the crowd eased a bit, but another soon took its place. Larvell was waiting for me just outside the confines of the walls with a small group of followers. He stood there impassively as we approached, only addressing me when we stopped in front of him and his entourage.
“Lord James, nice of you to join us.” His eyes flicked away from me to where Hargon was standing. His interest wasn’t in the big man himself, though, but in the crystal he was carrying for me. “I take it that is the weapon you spoke of in your letter?”
“It is. And did you bring all the things I requested?”
Larvell simply nodded his head in the direction of those standing behind him. There was one Nactren who was dressed in attire that denoted higher-than-average wealth. This was probably the earth mage, and I was happy to see him because he was the most important for safety. The others seemed to be valets, several of which were carrying bundles of spears and a suit of armor.
I nodded in approval of what I saw. “Well then, if everything is ready, let's get some distance between us and the city.”
No one lodged any objections as we marched away from the roads and city and into a wilder part of the land. The hilly and rocky landscape around Sor’Balvas was perfect for our needs. There were hardly even any shrubs out here that could catch fire should they be hit in the effect area. We stopped when the city itself appeared small and no one would be able to follow without us knowing about it.
I turned to the theorized Nactren mage in the group. “You’re the earth mage, right?” He nodded his head in response. “Can you make a wall that is taller than a Droln and has several small slits in it for viewing?”
He considered for a second before replying, “yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Out of his pocket he retrieved a fist sized crystal and began to draw on the energy within to achieve the task. The ground rumbled as a large stone slab suddenly burst forth from the earth. It stopped at nearly eight feet in height before settling in place. After that, he carved several rectangular viewing ports at various heights in the side of it that were just a few inches tall by several wide. It looked sturdy enough and would serve as a good barrier.
Once that was ready, I instructed the valets to begin setting up the armor and spears a few dozen yards away from the slab. The armor would mark the central point, and the spears would stand planted in the ground, metal tips straight up while surrounding the target. After I was satisfied with how everything looked, I returned to the group to explain the process and safety measures.
“Okay, so the plan is for me to activate the crystal while standing near the center of the ring of spears. While I am out there, nobody is to leave the cover of this wall until I say so. Failure to do so can result in deadly consequences. Is that understood?” I looked around the group, but my eyes lingered on Kala to make sure she wouldn’t come running once I started. Everyone gave their consent to my rules, so I nodded back to them in turn.
With the plan laid out, I began taking off my coat and shirt. Larvell looked at me with surprise. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want my clothes to be ruined by this. Believe me, I'm not doing this for my own amusement.” As my shirt slipped over my head, the wind bit into my exposed flesh, sending shivers down my spine. The temperature was definitely dropping as of late, but the discomfort of the weather was going to pale in comparison to what was to come.
This is going to suck. My internal grumbles returned as I hefted the big crystal over my shoulder and trudged all the way back to the testing zone. Standing there, half naked in the cold and holding a dangerous weapon that was about to fry everything around it, including me, was not a fun experience. I had to psych myself up to even think about doing this as adrenaline was dumped into my system and my heartrate spiked.
Okay, okay, okay. fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck fucking DO IT! I activated the crystal, and immediately regretted all my life choices.
My whole body went rigid as electricity coursed through it, frying nerves as it went. A guttural scream tore itself from between my clenched teeth while I felt the effects of cardiac arrhythmia in my chest. If it wasn’t for the situation when I took on the power of a god, I'd say this would probably be the most pain I’d ever felt.
The downside of this situation was also the upside because it was working. Multiple tendrils of electricity arced out of the crystal in erratic, random patterns and targeted everything around me. Their presence was not heralded by the crash and boom of natural lightning, but the sounds of something you might hear in a mad scientist's laboratory.
The armor and spears served their purpose as conductors and attracted most of the bolts. Only a few strays managed to escape the confines of the perimeter we set up, but the rocks and dirt they struck were hardly affected by the impact. The armor was starting to glow red in a few spots, as were the tips of the spears.
They weren’t the only things heating up. My skin was starting to burn as the energy coursing through me was cooking my insides. I didn’t have long before something in me gave out, but that didn’t matter as the point was already made; this thing was dangerous.
Inevitably I finally lost consciousness and embraced the sweet release of death that freed me from that self-inflicted torture. I didn’t know if it was even possible to catch my breath while dead, but that’s exactly what I did while floating about in the void and waiting for my resurrection. I’d never actually been relieved to hear the bitches voice before.
Again.
I woke up face down in the dirt and ended up spitting out a few pebbles while pushing myself back to my feet. “Ugh... Fuck me,” I groaned before checking on my surroundings. The intended target, the armor, was glowing red hot and had been melted in several locations. All the spear tips were also heated to the point of melting, or at least near melting, and several of the hafts were currently on fire. The crystal was lying on the ground, the light inside of it dimmed significantly as it expended most of its energy. It would regain the power it lost over the next few days, like a sponge absorbing water until it reaches an equilibrium.
With a sigh of relief, I turned my head towards the wall everyone else was hiding behind. I’m glad we set it up, because there was a scorch mark near the base of it as one of the bolts seemed to reach just far enough that it put them in potential danger. Raising my voice, I called out to them.
“Okay, It’s safe now!” My words were met with movement, and naturally, Kala was the first to emerge from behind the barrier as she walked at a speed that was bordering running. The moment she reached me she began a full body inspection of my person, fussing over my condition.
“Are you okay? Are you still hurt anywhere? Why didn’t you tell me that this was going to happen to you!?”
I put my hands on her shoulders to gently push her off me. “I’m fine, no I'm not hurt anymore, and because you would have tried to stop me if you knew.”
“Of course I would have!” She sighed as her body deflated in an almost exhausted manner. Her head fell forward and thumped against my chest where it remained for a moment. “You’re giving more of yourself again.”
Her statement, while simple, did make me regret causing her to worry again. I put my arms around her to provide some comfort. “Well, the good news is I probably won’t have to use this thing more than two or three times.”
“I’d prefer none,” she grumbled into my chest.
I smirked a little. “Me too.”
Our private moment was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the viewing group. Jorn was kind enough to bring me my clothes, and while I got dressed again, Larvell wandered around the effect area, examining the damage. By the time I had my shirt and coat on and looking presentable again, he had seemingly finished inspecting the area, though his gaze did linger on the partly melted suit of armor.
The look on his face was reserved, but I could see in his eyes that he understood the extent of damage that this creation of mine could cause. “You harnessed the power of a storm?” His words seemed halfway between a question and a statement.
“A little more complicated than that, but for simplicities sake, yes, that is essentially what I’ve done.” After all, you needed knowledge of how exactly electricity is generated and amplified to make this work.
“I see.” He seemed to be going through an internal debate of sorts before he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. His body language seemed almost... defeated. “Very well. You have held to your end of the bargain.”
It took me a second to realize what he just said. “You mean...”
He nodded. “I will vote in favor of mobilizing the army to Yol’vastume, and the god's mercy provided, beyond.”
It was a moment that saw me stunned as what to do. Eventually my mind settled on the simple conclusion to such a promise. I extended an open hand to him. He regarded my limb with hesitation, before reaching out and engulfing it in his own meaty paw. This is it. Now we march to war.