“NO!” Callan leapt forward and caught Sworv as he fell. The knife in his neck wisped away as soon as Veritas released it. With nothing holding it back, blood poured out in rivulets, soaking through Callan’s shirt in an instant. It was almost black under the light of the moon.
Gasping, trying to speak but failing, Sworv’s arms reached towards Callan. One pair patted his shoulders, while another softly caressed his hair. A smile lifted the edges of the old lud’s mouth.
Then the arms fell away, limp. Sworv’s expression grew distant. His breath stilled.
Followers lost. Available faith decreased by 1.
Callan couldn’t believe it. He was just... gone. Like Tervak, another lud had died in his arms.
“I am sorry it came to this, Avatar Callan,” Veritas said, their voice rumbling smugness behind their mask. Slowly, Callan lowered Sworv’s body to the ground. “However, under the terms of the Accords, I was well within my rights to dispatch a prisoner I had—Ack!”
The avatar’s speech cut off as Callan’s Stone Fling caught them full in the face.
A message flicked across Callan’s vision, but just as quickly he dismissed it. Xeph’s voice echoed in his ears, but this too was only a distraction, easily ignored as he leapt across the short space and landed atop Veritas.
“Oof! You—unhand me, Avatar Callan! Or else you dare risk—” Once again the other avatar’s words cut short. This time from a fist to their face.
“AAAH!” Callan shook his hand, which pulsed in pain from the strike. Stone formed between his fingertips as he called Mountainform to him, then resumed pummeling the other god.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is now 18.75%
“You. Think. I. Give. Two. Shits. About. Your. Precious. Accords???” Each word was punctuated with a strike to the mask. Already the wolf’s protruding snout had begun to cave inward, its face distorting under Callan’s onslaught. With both hands he grabbed the mask and squeezed.
“Let’s see who’s under that mask before I crush the life out of you,” Callan growled. He tightened his grip.
Human, you would be wise to show caution—
Xeph’s words cut off as Veritas backhanded Callan. Stars filled his vision, and he was dimly aware of forest and sky alternating rapidly through the background. Then he hit the ground, sliding a short distance through the dirt before coming to rest with his head against the roots of the oak tree. He let out a dull groan.
I tried to warn you. Veritas is too powerful to take in a straight fight. Their Brawn alone outstrips any effort you can put forward.
“Then we’ll just have to even out the fight.” Callan climbed to his feet. Wiping a line of blood from his chin, he stalked forward.
Veritas had regained their own feet as well and stood watching imperiously. “Such arrogance.” Their voice modulation hiccupped momentarily before resuming. “You would risk everything over a worthless lud? I will ignore this outburst, but should it happen again I’ll be forced to—gah!”
The avatar collapsed over backwards again as Callan barreled into them. Pinning their arms, he leaned forward until his nose almost touched the flattened wolf mask. “You can fuck right off with that Accords noise. The only thing I want is you, Veritas. Preferably in a body bag.”
What kind of bag? Xeph asked, at the same moment Veritas said, “What?”
Callan didn’t respond. Instead, he snapped the dveorg bracelets over the other avatar’s wrists.
Not a moment too soon. Veritas broke free and swung at his face again, a move Callan just barely managed to dodge.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t nearly so successful dodging the kick that followed.
Stars flashed, the ground spun, and Callan found himself once again nestled up against the oak tree. If this kept happening to them, people were going to start talking.
Mortal! Xeph’s words rang in his ears, bringing him back to his senses. Callan leapt to his feet.
“Did it work?”
I believe so, but there is only one way to be certain.
Nodding, Callan focused on the other avatar, who was currently engrossed in staring at their own wrists. Veritas gave one of the bracelets an experimental shake.
Name: Veritas (5th Sphere)
Avatar: *Hidden*
-STATISTICS-
Brawn: 83 (-20 modifier)
Momentum: 2 (-20 modifier)
Fortitude: 9 (-20 modifier)
Concentration: 8 (-20 modifier)
Influence: 15 (-20 modifier)
Piety: 16 (-20 modifier)
-BOUNTIES-
God Bond: *Hidden*
Manifestation: (Error — Locked)
Orison slot 1: (Error — Locked)
Orison Slot 2: (Error — Locked)
Orison slot 3: (Error — Locked)
-DISPENSATIONS-
*Hidden*
-DOGMA-
Total Followers: *Hidden*
Available Faith: *Hidden*
Conviction: *Hidden*
Conviction Rate: *Hidden*
Temples : *Hidden*
Domain Range: *Hidden*
APOTHEOSIS: *Hidden*
Negative twenty. That’s more than I was affected when I wore those. Did Krov give me a stronger pair, or... Callan shook his head. That wasn’t important right now. Their powers are down. Should make this a more even fight.
Though by how much remained to be seen. Their Brawn was still over twice Callan’s Fortitude. He’d just have to try to avoid another direct hit.
“What did you do to me?” Veritas asked, turning their gaze toward Callan. They shook the bracelet again. “What kind of metal is this? I cannot work my powers upon it.”
“Sucks, don’t it? I know the pain.” Callan activated Shape Stone, and the ground beneath Veritas’s feet rose up to embrace them.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is now 24%
The other avatar tugged at one foot, then another, to little avail. Callan smirked.
Careful, mortal, Xeph warned. Your reserves are almost depleted.
“Don’t worry, Xeph. I only need one more trick to finish this.” Holding out his hand, Callan summoned Wurmchain.
Alert: 3.1% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is now 27.1%
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The chain formed in thick coils at Callan’s feet. Raising his arm, he swung the weapon at the trapped avatar.
Only for the weapon to stutter to a halt.
“The hey?” Callan glanced down and found a thin metal band encircling his stone-encrusted wrist. It pulled further back, dragging his arm with it.
Hooking a finger underneath, he easily pulled the metal apart. A growl slipped his throat. “Dangit, we’ve seen this trick before. It wasn’t funny the first time.”
No sooner did Callan have the band off than another one launched itself at his other arm. He swatted it away.
Classic ambush tactic, Xeph noted as a third metal band rose from the ground and wrapped around Callan’s leg. When it started squeezing, he let out a grunt of pain. Veritas must have a priest hiding nearby. One with whom you cannot engage so long as the enemy avatar stands against you.
Callan whipped his head around, looking for anyone hiding in the crimson murk. However, if a priest was there, they were well hidden. He didn’t spot anyone.
Meanwhile, Veritas had managed to free themselves, breaking the stone away with their bare hands. Callan looked up in time to see them rushing towards him.
“Crap!” He swung his weapon, but the band of metal on his leg twisted to one side, sending his attack careening uselessly out of the way By the time Callan snapped the weapon back, Veritas was on top of him.
“So, we are done with these pointless games.” A fist swung for Callan, who tried to move out of the way, but again their leg betrayed them, dragging them forward instead. The fist sank into Callan’s stomach, emptying his lungs in a rush. “Truthfully, it is better this way. I tired of all the arguing, the endless charades and posturing. Of trying to do things the yeth way.”
Their fist hammered into Callan’s stomach again. And again. And Again.
“Now we shall do things my way.”
The next hit sent Callan tumbling over backwards. Xeph’s voice roared in his head, but he was too focused on holding onto Wurmchain to pay much attention.
For the third time that evening he landed at the roots of the white oak. In his flickering vision, the bark seemed to pulse, each thrum reflecting the bloody hue of the landscape. The branches writhed overhead like pink snakes.
Human! You have to get up! Xeph’s words finally broke through.
“Trying, Xeph, trying.” He forced himself onto his knees. Everything inside of him throbbed in time into the oak tree, though it didn’t hurt as bad as he’d feared it might, and nothing felt broken.
He climbed to his feet. The metal on his leg gave a squeeze, reminding him of its presence. With as much finesse as he could manage, he sliced it apart with Wurmchain.
Despite being careful, the weapon’s scales still cut through to his skin. Callan sucked at his teeth. There was the pain he’d been expecting. Damnit.
He looked up in time to see Veritas stalking forward. As they approached, a pair of short swords appeared in their hands.
“Oh.” Callan managed. He raised Wurmchain.
Oh, indeed. It seems that Veritas still possesses access to their orisons.
“But how?” Callan managed to get out before the other avatar was upon them, weapons swinging. Callan caught one against his elbow, the other with the palm of his hand. Sparks lit up the night as metal ground upon stone.
Guess it doesn’t matter. At least I don’t have to worry about a priest lurking nearby. The jury was still out as to whether that was an improvement over fighting a fully powered avatar in close quarters.
He decided he didn’t want to find out. Shoving Veritas away, he leapt back. Or tried to.
His leg, freed of its binding but now unknowingly wrapped in one of Wurmchain’s long loops, found out the hard way that brute force was the wrong choice as the weapon shredded through his pants and tore away the skin beneath.
Callan yelped, flailed, and fell over. The pain in his leg abated somewhat as Wurmchain puffed away to smoke.
Rolling onto his back, Callan saw Veritas watching him. The wolf mask leered, for all that it was somewhat askew and heavily crushed inward.
“In your final moments, I hope you remember that it was you who chose the warrior’s path, Avatar Callan.” Veritas raised their hands.
A cylinder of metal as thick as Callan’s thumb launched forward. It struck him in the neck, immediately curling itself around his throat and constricting tight.
Callan’s fingers scrabbled at the band, trying to pull it away to little effect. His mouth opened and closed, seeking air that simply wouldn’t come. The metal tightened further, and spots filled Callan’s vision, turning his entire world into smears of black and red.
Human! You need to move Mountainform to your neck! It’s your only chance! Xeph’s words howled in his ears, temporarily drowning out the roar filling them, but they were useless. Even if Callan could have cleared his head enough to direct the stone off his arms, odds were good that he’d just seal up his throat again like last time. Trading one choking death for another didn’t make much sense.
Yet what choice did he have? It was still a chance at life. If only a small one.
He closed his eyes. Tried to force his mind to relax, to exhale all his negative emotions even if he couldn’t exhale real air.
And then, amazingly, the pressure around his neck released.
Callan’s eyes snapped open. Had he managed it already?
No. There was no message in his vision, and Mountainform remained on his arms. So what...
Across from him, Veritas reeled back, a hand clutching at their head. They lowered it just in time for a stone to catch them on the chin.
“Huh?” Callan turned and saw a diminutive figure striding out of the dark. A second later, it resolved itself into Kivi.
“Avatar. I do wish you’d stop running headfirst into trouble without me.” The lud girl smiled, then turned her attention back to Veritas. She held her arms raised, ready to strike.
“High Priestess. How did you—?”
Oh, of course. She must have found the note in his room. He started over. “They told me to come alone. I—”
He stopped again. In hindsight, that now seemed a rather stupid decision. But at the time, it had felt like every second had counted. Sworv’s life was hanging in the balance.
Sworv...
No. He could second-guess his decisions later all he wanted. For now, there were more pressing issues. He clambered to his feet.
“Give it up, Veritas.” Pulling the metal band away from his throat, he pointed at the other avatar. “You’re outnumbered and outmatched.”
“Is that what you think, Avatar Callan? I doubt your precious high priestess has much power left to draw on, and you must be near your limit. The odds are very much in my favor.”
Another stone struck Veritas on the head, snapping off one of the mask’s wolf ears. Kivi growled. “I have power left enough to deal with you, and stones aplenty. Do you truly wish to test your odds?”
“Foolish creatures.” Veritas began backing away into the night. “You do not realize what your actions here have started. My priests were only held back from bloodshed on my command. But now, this precious little town will tear itself apart. And you have only yourselves to blame.”
Turning, they sped away into the dark. Callan started after them, only to stop from a touch on his arm.
“Stay, Avatar. The battle is over. Besides, Veritas was not incorrect. I am out of stones, and getting in close enough to utilize my other powers would have not ended well. Let us take this moment for the victory it is.”
“But they...” Callan realized she was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He couldn’t even re-summon Wurmchain right now without invoking Apotheosis. Veritas might be close to their limit as well, but still held the advantage in absolute strength.
“Fine. Thank you for the save, I guess.” He grinned. “Not that I needed it, of course. I had the situation completely under control.”
Really, human? What part, exactly, was under control? You were moments away from having your neck snapped!
“Oh, c’mon, Xeph. I’m sure I would have suffocated long before...” Callan didn’t manage to get the rest of his quip out before his legs wobbled and collapsed underneath him. Kivi let out a cry of dismay and rushed to his side.
“I’m fine, really.” Callan tried waving her concern away, even as he groaned in pain. “Veritas just roughed me up a bit. A few bruises to the chest, but I don’t think I’m bleeding anywhere.”
He glanced down at his leg, which was shredded in at least two dozen places. “Well, except for that.”
“Oh, Avatar.” With a little effort, Kivi managed to get him back to his feet. She was too small for him to lean on her shoulder, so he settled for a steadying hand in his own. “If I hadn’t arrived when I did...”
He braced for the scolding he knew he deserved, but it never came. Kivi simply shook her head, and together they hobbled their way over to Sworv’s body.
The lud lay with his arms crossed. Under the crimson light, Callan could almost have thought the older lud was simply sleeping. Regret and anger broiled in equal measures just underneath his skin.
“We’ll send the villagers to collect him,” Kivi said after a moment. “Then we can take him home to be buried. Paeral should know what his wishes were.”
Callan nodded numbly. A glint of something on the ground next to Sworv caught his eye. Groaning, he reached down to pick it up.
It was a small reddish crystal. And though it was difficult to tell under the light of the Butcher moon, he thought it might be red in truth.
A memory shard. But why did Sworv have one of these with him? He glanced at the body, but of course it provided no answers. In the end, he slipped the shard in his pocket. There were too many mysteries already from this evening for him to worry about another one just yet.
Kivi led the way back towards the village, setting a slow pace to accommodate Callan’s aching and bleeding leg. While the priestess had done what she could to staunch the flow of blood, he’d need something more permanent before he could finally rest.
The desire to simply crawl into his bed and sleep was overwhelming, but Callan knew there was plenty he’d need to accomplish before that could happen. The mayor had to be apprised of the changing situation, for one. Also the town needed to be rallied, prepared for any immediate counterattack by the cult.
And more immediately than that, he wanted to have a conversation with Xeph.
“What was that back there? How was Veritas using their powers?” Callan remembered what it had been like wearing the bracelets himself. Surely Veritas wasn’t so much more powerful than him that they could simply ignore the suppression effect.
Kivi glanced at him in curiosity, but he wasn’t ready to explain everything in detail, not if he’d just have to do it all over again with the mayor.
I do not know, Xeph said at last, his words slow and pondering. It is curious. The interface was explicit that their powers were suppressed, and yet... I do not know, mortal. Clearly there is more to this situation than we have yet learned.
“I don’t like it, Xeph. First there was Rictee being able to use his powers without a domain, and now this. Why is it that Veritas seems to be able to break all of the rules? We’re at a disadvantage enough already against them. This is just... beating a horse while its already down.”
Actually, I have a theory concerning the yeth priest. When we fought them, we assumed we were alone in that field, but what if that wasn’t the case? It could very well have been that Veritas themselves lay hiding nearby.
Callan blinked. “You really think Veritas’s avatar was just... taking a nap in a random field? The same one where our fight broke out? That seems like long odds to me.”
Actually, it is more likely that Veritas was also in attendance at the Bridge Brigade’s meeting and simply followed their priest—and us by extension—until the fight broke out.
“But if that was the case, why didn’t they join in?”
Out of fear of discovery, perhaps? I couldn’t say, but it is the only explanation that makes sense.
“Except for one problem,” Callan noted. “When we officially met Veritas, they seemed shocked to discover we were an avatar. I don’t think that was an act. How could they have seen us using our powers before, and not realize who we were?”
Hmm. That is a valid point. I will have to dwell on this further.
“You do that. In the meantime, I need to figure out what we’re going to tell Belinda about...”
Callan trailed off. For the last few minutes, the moon’s light had been growing steadily brighter. Now it finally dawned on him that he wasn’t seeing the light of the moon at all.
Instead, the glow was coming from ahead of them. From Aos.
Kivi gave a worried nod when he pointed it out. “Can you move any faster, Avatar? I fear time may not be on our side.”
“No promises, but I’ll try.”
He started hobbling forward as quickly as he dared. Even that put a painful strain on his leg, but he ignored it as best he could, his need to see what was happening greater than any pain. Xeph surely must have felt it as well but made no comment.
Then they passed out of the trees and into one of the fields surrounding Aos. And Callan saw where the light was coming from.
Aos was on fire. Not all of it, but several buildings on the outskirts were burning, including the mayor’s home and the lud guest house. Another fire burned further in, which he suspected was probably his own place.
They both stopped and stared in shock. In the distance came shouts, and Callan could see yeth rushing about, hauling water in an attempt to douse what flames they could. A dozen worked on the mayor’s house alone, even though he could already tell from the roaring flames that it was a lost cause.
“It appears that Veritas has struck their first blow already,” Kivi noted. Callan simply nodded in silence.
So. It was to be war after all.