“Avatar Callan.” Veritas’s head twitched to the side, taking in Kivi’s retreating form before turning back. “This is futile. Did you really think you could hold my people captive without consequences?”
“Big words from the god who had to lure me away before freeing them. Also, catch!” Callan tossed a stone from his pocket at the other avatar.
Veritas casually batted it away, but the stone—good old natural stone—rippled and ran up the avatar’s arm, fully encircling it before solidifying again.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 21.1%
Hope you enjoyed a taste of your own medicine, Callan thought, dropping his hands and darting around Veritas. The avatar swung at him, but the extra weight on their arm threw off the move, and Callan easily dodged it.
“You think this enough to stop me, Avatar Callan?” The sound of breaking stone chased him down the street. “You are only delaying the inevitable!”
Still worth it.
Ahead, another cultist burst from inside a building, trying to cut him off. They raised their blade over their head as they lunged. Callan’s hand shot out, calling on Wane. Nothing happened.
I warned you, mortal, Xeph said casually as Callan just barely managed to catch the blade on his palm instead. Once you engage another avatar in battle, you are committed.
“Dammit, Xeph, now isn’t the time for a tantrum!” The cultist swung again, but this time Callan caught them by the wrist, squeezing until the blade dropped. It puffed away before it reached the ground.
This isn’t a matter of a tantrum. Until either you or Veritas surrender or retreats—
“The fuck you think I’m doing right now?” Callan punctuated each word with a punch to the cultist’s chest. The last one came as an uppercut, striking them on the chin. Their mask went flying as the cultist collapsed in a limp heap.
Callan glanced down and saw it was the nameless farmer. That makes two.
You may be retreating, but if your enemy follows...
Glancing over his shoulder, Callan saw Veritas running after him, legs pumping. He took off himself. The town square was only a dozen yards away now.
“Shit!” Ahead, he saw Kivi and Paeral engaged in a fight with two more cultists. How did they keep getting ahead of them like that? He waved his arms and shouted, “Go, go, go! To the temple!”
Kivi swung the cultist she was grappling about and hurled them through a window. A high-pitched shriek came from inside. “Are you certain, Avatar?”
“Yes!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, right before barreling into the cultist fighting Paeral. The cultist fell over with a surprised yelp that turned into a howl of pain as Callan’s foot crunched down on their mask. Then Callan was over them and running again. “We must defend the temple! It’s our only hope!”
His voice echoed down the street, just as he’d hoped it would, followed by the rapid strike of their feet tearing towards the rear of the trading hall. After them came angry shouts, driving them onward.
Callan reached the basement doors first, heaving them open and diving inside. The two lud were fast on his heels, and behind them he could hear the cult closing in—likely with Veritas leading the charge.
“Callan...” Kivi wheezed.
“Do it.”
Kivi and Paeral raised their hands, and a wall of stone rose from the floor, blocking the stairway down entirely and cutting off what little light was slipping through. Darkness swallowed the temple.
A moment later, a flame flared to life as Kivi lit a torch. She handed it to Paeral before lighting another. The older lud moved towards the altar, lighting the dozen or so candles they had placed on it for this exact purpose.
“How long do you think that will keep them at bay, Avatar?” Kivi asked, looking towards the now seamless wall.
“Don’t know,” Callan said. He winced as something struck the other side, sending a booming reverberation through the basement. “Probably not long.”
“Then here.” The girl handed a small object to Callan. Glancing down, he saw it was a loaf of adle bread.
“You need to restore yourself, and quickly. I have one more use of Shape Stone, and Wurmchain as well, of course, but after that...”
“I too have exhausted my reserves,” Paeral added, rejoining them. “Only my chain remains.”
“Just as well. Not much space down here to hurl rocks around, anyway.” Callan tore off a piece of the bread with his teeth. It took him a moment of rolling it around on his tongue before he managed to swallow it. He wondered idly if this was part of the lunch he’d forgotten here the other day.
“Will you be ready in time?” Kivi asked. She must have seen him using Shape Stone on Veritas, or simply guessed his resources were limited.
Callan pulled up his interface and saw that Apotheosis was just a little over twenty percent. As he watched, it ticked down another point. He nodded. “I’ll be ready.”
A second crash came, but this time from further above. Callan glanced up. “Whoop, looks like they got impatient and tried breaking inside.”
Several shouts followed the crash, along with what distinctly sounded like cursing. Callan grinned. He and the others had spent quite a lot of time ‘reinforcing’ the inside of the trading post—with Millica’s blessing, of course. It wasn’t exactly usable for habitation at the moment, but neither would the cult find it easy to access the basement indirectly.
Not long after, the pounding on the wall next to Callan resumed, louder than before. If he had to guess, Veritas was venting a good portion of their rage against it right now. And while he didn’t doubt the other avatar would punch through eventually, they wouldn’t be at the top of their game when they did.
It wasn’t much of an advantage, but he’d take whatever he could get.
He finished the last of his bread just in time. His Apotheosis had ticked down to a mere seventeen percent—threading the needle of what he needed, to be certain, but it would serve. He hoped.
A metallic fist broke through the wall, sending shards of stone in all directions. At first Callan thought Veritas had donned a set of gloves, only to realize the truth. He was finally seeing the other avatar’s Steelform.
The fist reached further through the hole, grappling for purchase on the stone for a moment before retreating. More pounding sounded on the other side.
“Dammit, we should have laid away a few conventional weapons in here,” Callan noted. “Be real nice to have a spear to jab through that right about now.”
Actually, mortal...
Kivi must have had the same epiphany as Xeph. Reaching down, she began working her hands, and the stone of the floor rose up to meet them. In seconds, she held a rather crude but surprisingly sharp-looking stone spear.
As it dropped into her hands, the lud girl gave a grunt of effort. She held it out to Callan. “Would you do the honors, Avatar? The stone is a little heavy for me.”
Even in Callan’s Brawn-enhanced hands the weight was a little unwieldly. He could thrust it, but carrying the thing around for an extended time would not be his idea of a good time.
“Remind me when this is over to find myself a conventional weapon to carry around,” he said, approaching the opening. Another fist broke through as he spoke, widening it further.
“It will need to be of exceptional quality if you are to use it, Avatar,” Kivi noted.
True. There is a reason my gifts include orisons such as Wurmchain. Once your Brawn reaches third or fourth tier, most conventional weapons might buckle and break under the strain of being wielded. Still, there are certain rare materials we might consider, or we could even try finding you a piece of empowered steel—
“Conversation for later there, buddy.” Pulling back the spear, Callan thrust it through the opening and was rewarded with a surprised yelp from the other side. Since he doubted a noise like that would come from Veritas, he must have caught a cultist off-guard.
He quickly jabbed the weapon a half-dozen more times. The assault upon the wall ceased, but only momentarily. There was a loud snapping noise, and when Callan retracted the spear, it was only half the length it had been before.
“So much for that,” he said, tossing it aside. “Well, we held them off for as long as we could. Better prepare for the main show.”
“Remember, defend the altar,” Kivi said loudly to Paeral. The old lud nodded, glancing back at it nervously. The high priestess looked at Callan. “Chains now?”
“Not quite—” The wall him shuddered as a large crack spread up its middle. He took a step back and raised his fists. “Never mind. Just try not to hit each other—or me. And let me deal with Veritas.”
The others nodded, not that they needed any real discouragement on that front. Callan turned to face the crumbling wall.
The cracks spidered outward from the center, growing larger as something pressed against it from the other side. With a final, deafening boom, the wall collapsed, shards and even some larger chunks launched into the temple.
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And out of the dust and rubble strode a wolf-masked figure.
Callan ignored the other avatar entirely, firing off his Wane in rapid succession. He managed to hit two priests before Xeph shut him down. No more of that, Mortal. It is time to focus on your true opponent.
“Fine.” With a roar, Callan charged.
He didn’t bother summoning his own Wurmchain, as it would just trip him up. So he came in swinging, and caught the other avatar on their masked cheek. The wolf head twisted askew, forcing Veritas to waste precious moments fixing it. Callan took full advantage of the opportunity.
Jab. Jab. Cross. Jab. His hits came fast and furious, pummeling the avatar’s chest, neck, arm, anywhere he could reach in the confines of the basement.
Veritas lunged forward in retaliation, a curved sword appearing in their hand, leaving Callan to dance back or be cut down. The avatar flicked their weapon back and forth, catching the light of the torches as they darted towards Callan again. He barely caught it with his arm, pushing the blade aside and getting another good strike in with his off hand.
With those shackles, Veritas was neither as fast nor as durable, and had started the fight immediately after crashing their way through the wall. For a moment, Callan actually wondered if he had the upper hand.
Until he suddenly didn’t.
The curved blade came swinging down again, and Callan blocked, only to stumble as the sword puffed away to nothing. Veritas seized ahold of him, and the next thing Callan knew, he was flying.
He hit the far wall with a crash, dirt and dust raining down from the ceiling.
“Okay, that—” *Cough* “—hurt.” Callan groaned and rose to his feet. Around him, the sounds of combat rang out. He caught a glimpse of Paeral snapping his chain towards a cultist, and the resulting scream as his attacker retreated. Another immediately lunged forward in their place, taking advantage of Wurmchain’s cumbersome length.
Human, focus! Xeph’s voice snapped his attention back. Turning, Callan saw Veritas approaching, another sword already formed and ready. He sighed.
“Time for round two, I guess.”
----------------------------------------
Round two went about the same as round one. Round three ended before Callan could get in a strike.
“Dangit.” He pushed off of the floor with stone-encrusted fists. “Alright, Veritas, I guess it’s time I start taking this seriously—”
He cut off as the avatar’s Steelform fist slammed into his chest, the air wheezing out of him. Callan crumpled back to the floor.
Before he could rise, a band of metal snaked out of the darkness, wrapping around his right wrist. Another found his left. His hands pulled together, and the bands tied themselves in knots, sealing tight.
“I wondered at first, Avatar Callan.” Veritas loomed over him. “I thought this some trick. Surely you could not have exhausted your powers so quickly. But it seems that raising your hasty defenses around this temple was your undoing.”
Something landed next to Callan with a pained cry. Kivi. As the lud girl tried to rise, he saw she had a line of blood trickling down one forehead.
“I do not wish to hurt you,” Veritas continued. “But there must be retribution for your attempt at capturing my people. A price must be paid.”
Their face turned to regard Kivi a moment, and then Paeral as the older lud was hauled across the basement by a pair of priests and deposited next to Callan. Paeral groaned as he lay there, but he didn’t appear to be seriously injured.
“Don’t hurt them,” Callan said, trying to keep his voice level. If anyone made a move for either of the priests...
“Fear not, Avatar Callan, I have no intention of harming your people. Yet.” The god turned away and stalked towards the altar. Their voice grew louder. “If you persist in your futile efforts to aid the village mayor, I may be forced to make an example of them. But for now, I think a more subtle lesson is in order.”
The avatar stopped before the altar. They glanced back at Callan, locking eyes for a moment. Then their hands dropped to the table’s surface.
Warning: Foreign presence detected! Temple Aosan Temple is being desecrated!
Temple conviction remaining: 9/10
“Make sure the avatar is watching,” Veritas said. Someone grabbed ahold of Callan’s hair. He glanced up, and saw Leshi standing by his right shoulder, and Ianthe by his left. Or maybe it was the other way around?
Whatever. Not important right now.
Temple conviction remaining: 8/10
Only the two girls remained to guard Callan. The other cultists crowded around to watch as Veritas’s corruption continued, destroying the temple one Conviction at a time.
“I know this sucks for you,” Leshi/Ianthe said, grinning down at him. “You picked a side, and now you’ve lost.”
“And unfortunately, this is the end,” Ianthe/Leshi finished. “So best make peace with that.”
Temple conviction remaining: 7/10
Callan grinned back at both the girls, then gave a shrug. The metal wrapping around his arms bit into him painfully. He could barely move his hands at all. “You both certain about that?”
Temple conviction remaining: 6/10
“Your temple is being corrupted.”
“Your priests are captured.”
“Veritas will rule this plateau at last.”
“Victory is assured.”
Temple conviction remaining: 5/10
Callan just kept grinning. Slowly the smiles on the girls’ faces fell away. “Why are you acting so happy?” one of them asked.
“You know, your boss sure seemed excited about corrupting our temple. Xeph and I honestly thought it would be a lot harder to lure them in here.”
Temple conviction remaining: 4/10
Leshi/Ianthe frowned, then their eyes went wide as they looked toward the altar. “Veritas, get away from—oof!”
The girl fell over as Kivi slammed into her. Paeral heaved a stone, and Callan’s other captor collapsed with a screech of agony. Across the room, several cultists turned to see what the commotion was about.
Too late.
Temple conviction remaining: 3/10
Callan’s arms were tightly bound, probably enough so that under normal circumstances he couldn’t manipulate Shape Stone. However, either the other avatar hadn’t considered that he might employ other aspects of his powers, or truly did believe Callan to be at the end of his available resources.
Callan didn’t know, and he didn’t care, either. He was just glad for the opportunity.
As Veritas also glanced back at him, Callan activated Shape Stone—and seized the string of mist that appeared in front of him.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 22.35%
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 27.35%
For a moment, nothing happened. The stone lining the ceiling directly above the other avatar remained solid, and Callan briefly wondered if he hadn’t gone deep enough.
At least until all Hell started raining down.
For the last four days, Callan and the others had focused on locating the enemy priests, but that didn’t mean they’d been idle otherwise. With fortifications built and the tower completed, Callan had turned to another project—preparing for the temple’s inevitable fall.
It was really a question of when, not if. The metal god had the reason and motive, and with Alyssa’s betrayal, they would have the location finally as well. So Callan knew that it was inevitable the temple would fall, if only as an easy way to strike back at him.
Which is why he and the others had prepared a little surprise upstairs. Mostly in the form of an absolutely ridiculous quantity of liquefied stone filling up Millica’s kitchen.
The initial wave blasted Veritas and their cultists backwards. More stone poured through the ever-widening hole with each passing second. The last Callan saw of the other avatar, they were pressed against the far wall, flailing uselessly in an effort to fight the tide.
Not that Callan stuck around to watch. He grabbed Kivi under one arm, Paeral the other, and dove inside the temple’s storage room.
The moment he entered, the teleportation circle on the floor activated.
It wasn’t as elaborate as those back at the temple, unfortunately, just a series of scratches in the dirt floor. If Callan’s shoe so much as scuffed it wrong, the whole thing would cease functioning.
But it didn’t need to be sturdy. In fact, Callan only needed it to work once.
A second later, he found himself standing at the bottom of the storm tower. There was a scuffle above, and he glanced up to see Lisson watching him, eyes wide.
“Is everyone alright?” the boy asked.
“Probably? Just a second and—” Callan hurriedly kicked at the teleportation circle’s edge until he was sure it was sufficiently broken. He let out a sigh of relief. “Alright, now let’s find out.”
It turned out that other than the cut on her forehead, Kivi was fine. Paeral had some impressive bruises on his chest but would survive. Even Callan was only a little sore from being tossed around. Veritas really had been pulling their punches back there.
He didn’t expect that would happen again.
But maybe they didn’t need to worry about that. Soon as he was certain the others were okay, Callan made for the tower’s inner stairs, clambering up them as fast as his legs could move.
At the top, he found Belinda and Radavan. “Anything?”
“Just a noise like the seas themselves were rushing in,” the mayor noted. “What in the Cairn did you and your priests do?”
“Basically, we dropped enough wet cement on their heads to entomb Veritas and their followers for the rest of time. No biggie.”
“Cement?”
Mortal, Xeph said, drawing Callan’s attention away. I don’t think you should be celebrating just yet. While liquified stone does retain the weight and crushing force of its more solid form, it is still navigable—especially by one that possesses the sheer Brawn that Veritas’s avatar does.
“Yeah, but at the very least it should slow them down. Plus take out a cultist of two.”
“Not too many, I would hope.” Belinda eyed Callan critically, and he suddenly found himself rather interested in watching the trading post. The building looked completely undisturbed from the outside.
“So how long do you think we should wait—”
Warning: Foreign presence detected! Temple Aosan Temple is being desecrated!
Temple conviction remaining: 2/10
Callan’s good mood evaporated. “Well, damn. Never mind.”
Temple conviction remaining: 1/10
Temple conviction remaining: 0/10
Aosan Temple has been lost. Temples Remaining: 1
In the distance, there was an immense shudder. Callan and the others watched as Veritas stumbled out from behind the trading post, their lower torso still coated in wet, gray stone. The mask turned to regard Callan and the others watching from above.
One by one, cultists began to gather around their god. Callan counted three—no, four. Most also bore stone coatings, but not all. Clearly Callan hadn’t knocked Pyle and that farmer out as hard as he’d thought.
Neither the other avatar nor their followers approached. After a moment, Belinda turned to him. “What are they waiting for?”
“I don’t know.” Behind him, the sun had finally reached the far horizon, and already the shadows in Aos were stretching to their limit. It wouldn’t be more than a few minutes before it was more dark than light. “But whatever it is, I don’t think it bodes well for us.”
“Then we had best prepare.” Turning, the mayor started shouting orders. Callan ignored her and continued watching. His eyes once again found Veritas, still staring at them. He waved.
Veritas didn’t wave back.