ToE CH 151 (Book 3 Ch 41): Interlude 20
Within the den of the Broodlord, Azrak and Nara were currently sprawled out on the floor. Their bodies twitched as pain wracked their bodies. Steam wafted up from their forms as the Ichor that ran through their veins began to boil. They couldn’t even scream due to the amount of pain that they were in.
Around the room, the most powerful of the Winged Cruor, and a few of the Fanged and Bone Cruor that were accompanying them on behalf of their Broods watched from kneeling positions. None dared to look up from the ground. Too terrified of being targeted by the one whose ire Azrak and Nara had wrought upon themselves.
Above them, on a throne forged from bones and steel hardened feathers, the Broodlord sat and looked down upon them. His eyes glowed with an eerie sheen of sickly yellow. Distinct from the brilliant gold of Radiant magic. This was more like a luminescent pus.
“How disappointing... You have failed me, yet again, Azrak” The voice that echoed from the Broodlord’s mouth was not his own. His body was stiff and his demeanor was different. Azrak nearly cracked the solid ground with how violently he spasmed upon being called by name. “You dare to return when you failed to keep the Ichorous Spine safe. I should splatter your bodies across these lands and use you as fertilizer for the newly converted children to grow.”
Azrak and Nara flinched with every word coming from the Broodlord’s mouth. The sheer presence of the being in front of them was beyond anything they had ever personally experienced in this world. The weight and pressure emanated from this being’s aura was heavy from time and experience.
As for the Broodlord himself, it was clear that his own condition was not that great either. Oily Ichor was beginning to seep from his eyes. Reaching up to wipe some of it away, he threw his hand to the side in disgust. His complexion was growing even more pale, and his flesh was becoming more and more sunken in as time passed.
“How disgraceful. Even this vessel, prepared over the course of more than a decade, cannot contain my power for but a few minutes at a time.” The Broodlord’s face turned back to the writhing forms of Azrak and Nara. “Know this; you live solely because the information you brought regarding the Void Hunter was useful, and explained several things that are known to me and my brethren. Your new duty will be to apprehend him, and bring him to the center of our Lands so that we may convert him directly. If you fail, yet still live, your lives will be forfeit.”
The sickly light began to fade from the Broodlord’s eyes. Whatever presence was there had begun to recede.
“Prepare the defenses of this den. It is likely that they will attack in an attempt to remove my chosen Lord from his position. Do not waste further numbers on striking them in their homes. Wait for them to come to us, so that you may fight them with an advantage.”
As the light fully disappeared from the Broodlord’s eyes, he let out a gasp as he leaned forward in his throne. Holding his chest as he struggled to breathe, he threw a hand out to the side. Several dozen feathers flew out and cut into the flesh of some of the kneeling Winged Cruor.
As the Ichor within their veins bled out, it floated through the air, following the will of the Broodlord. As it approached him he opened his mouth. The Ichor flooded into him, filling his body with vigor and vitality once again. The flow of Ichor soon stopped, and though they looked tired, the wounds on the Cruor that had been drained had been healed quite fast.
Throughout the room, none of the Cruor that were present looked up, respectful of the Lord that commanded them. But the terrifying sense of foreboding and awe had disappeared. There was still a sense of caution, but it was tempered by the show of weakness that the Broodlord displayed. Though none would call him out on it.
In the center of the room, Azrak and Nara lay gasping for breath themselves. While they didn’t look as decrepit as the Broodlord had, it was clear that they were in much more pain.
The Winged Broodlord looked down on them, this time fully aware of what he was looking at. He closed his eyes, going over the memory of what had happened when he was not in control of his body.
“You may all rise.” He declared, and the Cruor in the room rose to their feet. Except for Azrak and Nara, who barely managed to roll onto their knees. They tried to stand, but the Broodlord waved them down. “Enough! Our Brood has punished you enough. I shall not turn away the generosity They have granted you in sparing your lives. Go! Return to your quarters and recover. You will both be assigned to the Ichorous Spines that we will be growing here as part of the defenses. There is little point in trying to keep them a secret anymore, as the information regarding the Spines has most certainly spread. We might as well use them more liberally, even if they will only be in their gathering forms.”
Azrak and Nara nearly sagged with relief. Their demeanor showed thankfulness and appreciation for their Lord’s mercy. But their Lord’s next words brought them low once again.
“Feast upon some of the Umbral Beasts to recover your strength if you must. But be ready to lead the efforts to tend to and defend them to the best of your ability. Neither of you two will be heading out again anytime soon.”
“My Lord! How will we perform our duty of capturing the Void Hunter if we cannot leave?” Nara was frantic as she called out to the Broodlord.
She fell into a coughing fit a moment later, having strained herself too much in her panic. Azrak just looked on. Forcibly calming himself, as he doubted that the Broodlord would order their deaths after what he had just said about their Brood’s mercy.
“Tell me; who do you think they will send to destroy the half grown Spines when they come here to do battle and send us back to the east?” A look of comprehension and enlightenment spread across Azrak’s face. One that was mirrored after a moment of confusion on Nara’s.
“I thank the Lord for his guidance!” The two chanted in unison before standing up and limping out of the room.
The Broodlord then turned to face the rest of the assembled Cruor. Who all, upon being examined, bowed their heads in subservience.
“As for the rest of you. Begin preparations immediately. We can no longer afford to simply harass and push the humans back. They are coming for us now. In numbers that may very well match our own now.” The Broodlord was grim as he spoke to his followers. “We will not be receiving any additional forces from the Deep. But it should not be necessary. With the Spines even partially grown, it should not be difficult to destroy them all.”
With that said and done, the Broodlord held out his wings. Reaching into the shadows cast by their immense size, he flinched, and there was a cracking sound as he grunted in pain. This happened a total of six times.
Retracting his wings, he held six sharp bones in his grasp. Opening his hands, the bones flew off to the six strongest Legendary Cruor in the room. Each one caught the bone that was meant for them and held it with a sense of awe and worship.
“Take these bones and bathe them in the Pool of Chaos. Leave them there until they have absorbed enough Ichor to sprout. They will not be able to grow to maturity, but they will be at least able to grow enough to ensure that the Hunters cannot get too close to us. Ensure they are planted an equal distance away from each other, at the edge of the zone created by the Spine we are already tending to.”
The six Cruor with the Spines in hand left the room in a hurry to see their charges planted. The rest of the Cruor, upon being waved off by the Broodlord, also left the room in haste.
The Broodlord sat there for a moment. His body was still recovering from the effects of hosting his Brood’s will within his body. Finally, he stood from his throne. There was little that he, personally, had to attend to as their defenses were prepared. As such, he decided to see how his project was doing.
Within another room, the pods and sacks that held the once humanoid forms within them no longer seemed to glow as they absorbed Ichor. Instead, it seemed like they were awaiting something. But were otherwise ready to burst open, and enter the world once again.
To the side of the room, several Umbral Beasts feasted on the remains of dozens of pods that had perished during the process. The figures that were once inside were devoured without mercy or thought. All the while, the Broodlord entered the room and walked toward one fleshy sack in particular.
Where once there were two figures, connected by a tendril, now there was only one, which seemed like a warped amalgamation of the two previously separate individuals.
Unlike before, this sack of flesh did not sit still. It shook and shuddered as the figure inside writhed in pain. The Broodlord’s face took on a pained expression as he placed a hand gently on the sack.
“It will all be over soon. Just a little bit longer, and your pain will end.” The Broodlord was quiet. Tender and caring, as he tried to comfort the being inside.
He remained there for several hours before finally leaving to oversee his followers. He would not allow himself to let down his Brood. Not after all that they had given him.
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Exalt Harras looked over the report that the Grand Scholars had presented him with. It had only been a day since the tests that they had Ezekiel perform with the Ichor. It had been shocking enough to hear Ezekiel give his report regarding his experience with the mana rich Ichor during his mission. But to see him absorb Ichor without consequence beyond some soul strain was both incredible, and problematic.
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“We cannot let this news be spread. The Church of Ten will know to be discreet. Even if they will allow access to the information for their Grand Scholars.” The Exalt primary aide shuffled through his own copy of the report.
“Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Adrian. But I’m not quite sure how I’ll be able to keep this from the Emperor. If he demands a full report then I will have to reply.” Exalt Harras dropped his head into his hands. A show of weakness he would never allow anyone else to witness.
“And if that happens, then those bastard nobles will most certainly learn of it as well. Then, the experiments will begin, and the Empire will find itself with powerful Mutants, Aberrant Cruor, inside its capital.” Adrian declared.
Exalt Harras couldn’t help but nod his head in agreement. That was exactly what he had been thinking. His experience with the Empire’s nobles, at least the ones that had grown in power since the current Emperor’s ascendancy, were all corrupt, and had no desire to see Void Mages rise. The change in status quo would be too great.
“On the other hand, if a region like Quintessa learns about this, then they will undoubtedly gain an upper hand when it comes to gaining war Mages.” Exalt Harras could see it now. A mass exodus of citizens from all over the world, to the one place where being a Void Mage didn’t result in outright discrimination. A place where they still honored the Ancient Void above all other Ancients.
If they found out that Void Mages could be cultivated to the higher Tiers, then it was certain that they would spare no expense in doing so safely. The mysteries of the Void were far too tempting to be ignored. Worse yet, the Cult of Light might start behaving in a much more zealous manner.
“If the Cult of Light finds out as well, then we may very well have open war all over the world.” Both of them knew that the Cult hated Void Mages. They would certainly try to connect Void Mages to Cruor, even more so than they already were. Once that happened, mass killings would certainly begin.
“... The boy’s father... He’s a Radiant Mage, is he not?” Exalt Harras knew this, of course, but it didn’t hurt to be certain.
“Indeed. Why do you ask, my lord.” Adrian was curious. As far as he knew, there was no reason that a Radiant Mage, even a Legendary one like Warren Luminance, would be important. Even if he was the father of Ezekiel.
“And his wife is an Obscure Mage... I don’t like it, but they may be the only ones that I can trust to do this.” Exalt Harras ignored Adrian’s question. “The threat of death would stay their hand, while their son would ensure that there was no chance that they would refuse...”
Exalt Harras was growing more and more certain that his plan would work. But even still, he knew that he needed to have a contingency, just in case.
“Aiden, I’m sorry to have to do this to you, but it seems like I must entrust my life to you once again.” Upon hearing his lord’s words, Aiden’s face grew solemn.
“Anything you ask of me shall be fulfilled to the best of my abilities. You know this.” Aiden saluted his lord as he spoke. Confidence and determination filled him.
Exalt Harras looked at his aide for a moment. No hesitation could be found as he examined the Legendary Mage.
“In that case, I will need you to accompany me tomorrow. There is something I must do, that will hopefully ensure that neither I nor our fellows, will reveal this secret.” Exalt Harras was grim. He didn’t like what he was going to be doing. But he knew that it must be done.
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It was two days after Ezekiel had first been tested. Exalt Harras found himself visiting the elder Luminance’s alongside his aide. After hearing of his lord’s plan, Aiden had been adamant that there must be another means that they could use. But Exalt Harras knew that there would be no one else he could trust to not reveal what they were going to do, to the Emperor.
“Warren Luminance, Evelyn Luminance. It is nice to finally meet you. I’m certain you already know, but I’ve spoken to your son a number of times now.” Exalt Harras tried to be polite. To ease the tension that Warren and Evelyn most certainly felt.
“What do you want?” Warren was having none of it, however, and decided to cut straight to the point. “If it’s to do with my son, then there’s little we can do to stop you.”
Both of Ezekiel’s parents looked utterly defeated. It was their hope that things would turn out well for them and Ezekiel. They were still upset that Ezekiel would be heading out once again. But it looked like there was something else happening. Something that would likely affect their family once again.
“To the point. I like that.” Exalt Harras smiled as he interrupted Aiden, who was about to reprimand Warren for his disrespect. “I need you and your wife to alter my memories.”
To say that Warren and Evelyn were shocked was an understatement. Memory alteration was certainly possible. But there were always side-effects. Not only that, but there was a high possibility of the knowledge leaking at some point, and the sealed or altered memories returning to normal.
Worse yet, since this was an Exalt’s memories that they were altering, if it was discovered, then it was certain that they would be executed. Not even Exalt Harras’ direct support would help them.
To the side, Aiden closed his eyes and sighed as he still had reservations regarding this request.
“Before you refuse outright, know that I am aware of your pasts. It was difficult to find, I admit. But my resources were enough.” Warren and Evelyn turned pale at the thought. Their past was something they didn’t wish to revisit. “Besides; the memories I want you to hide or alter are connected to your son.”
“What do you mean!?” Evelyn exclaimed. Exalt Harras and Aiden winced at the noise. They had been quiet so far, and had set up security and privacy artifacts that should be working. But they would still prefer things be kept quiet.
“I will not tell you what the information is. But suffice it to say, it would greatly threaten your son, and the Empire, if it was widely spread. Others who are aware have been bound in contracts, to keep it secret, from even the Emperor. But due to my own contracts, the Emperor can demand such information from me. As such, I need the information to be removed, sealed, or altered.” Exalt Harras reclined in his seat, side eyeing Theo and Reya, who had been staring with their hackles raised at his own Spirit. “You two won’t risk your son’s safety, so I would have you both take steps to ensure his safety. Which means that I can trust you not to harm me, as it would mean his safety would be at risk. His death, guaranteed.”
Warren and Evelyn were at odds with themselves. On the one hand, if they altered the Exalt’s memories, then it was certain that they would be executed if their involvement was discovered. But if they didn’t do this, then it was possible that Ezekiel would die as soon as the Exalt returned to the Emperor’s side. They knew which choice they were going to make, and it wasn’t a hard one.
But there was information they still needed.
“Why can’t you get a different set of Radiant and Obscure Mages? Couldn’t you just bind them with contracts as well?” Warren needed to know why he and his wife were really chosen. There was no possible way that he and his wife were the only Radiant and Obscure Legendary pair in the city.
“They would not be in my retinue. I currently have no Radiant or Obscure Mages that are within my household that are powerful enough to do this. Yet at the same time, any other Mages would be unlikely to agree to the secrecy contracts that the both of you will also have to sign. The terms that my aide and I agreed on are quite strict, after all.” Exalt Harras pulled two contracts out of his Void Pouch, placing them in front of the couple.
The pair looked over the contract, looking worse and worse as they read through it. To say that it was strict was an understatement. To the point that they would be lucky to survive if the contract was broken. There was an out, of course, but it would only come into effect if Exalt Harras became aware of the information that was sealed.
“We don’t have a choice, do we...” Evelyn trailed off as she finished reading the contract. Yet another secret that they would need to keep from their son.
“We have no reason not to keep this a secret anyways. Not if the Exalt is speaking the truth.” Warren had clenched his hands so hard he was bleeding as his nails dug into his palm.
“I’m happy that you both understand.” Exalt Harras said with a smile.
“Yes, but do you? Neither of us have tried to do what you are asking us to do. While it will not be intentional, there is a high chance that you will risk your mind, your soul, in this endeavor. Worse yet, you will be fighting the Broodlord within a week or so.” Warren had resigned himself to doing this, but he also had strong opinions about the morality of affecting other’s minds with his Magic.
“I trust that you won’t do too much damage. I should recover from any aftereffects before we set out.” Exalt Harras had few worries. He would be acting in concert with the two, ensuring that they had access to his soul to do what they must. “Besides, Aiden has insisted he go first, to see how this will work out.”
Upon being called, Aiden stepped forward, placing himself into a seat between the couple. His face looked grim, like he was reluctant to do this. Not because he was going first. Just because he hated that this was a necessary action that they had to take.
“Obscure magic is not the best at this either. It’s more painful, from what little I know of these magics.” Warren said as he scooted forward to begin. He and Evelyn had signed the contracts while Aiden had sat down. “I have at least some idea of what I’m doing. But Evelyn does not.”
“Then you will need to be extra careful, won’t you.” Exalt Harras’ voice turned hard and cold as Warren and Evelyn leaned forward. Both of them placed their hands on Aiden’s head. They knew what Exalt Harras was implying.
Nothing else was said as the shadows writhed and light blinked into existence.
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Two ice packs were resting heavily on Exalt Harras’ and Aiden’s heads. If it wasn’t for the fact that they trusted each other implicitly, they may very well have killed both elder Luminance’s just a few hours ago.
At first, they had both had their own separate instances of doubt. But they still remembered what they had told each other in code, to ensure that they could understand what was going on. Aiden had also ensured that the Luminance’s identities were hidden when they had used their magic on Exalt Harras. Something they had discussed doing the previous day. But only if their magic worked on Aiden first.
This was to help Exalt Harras from remembering, and potentially revealing, that it was Warren and Evelyn that had altered their memories. Only Aiden would know, and he was not beholden to the Emperor as Exalt Harras was.
“I still feel like this was too much for a precautionary measure. You don’t even know if the Emperor wil dig that deep looking for... whatever it is we have hidden.” Aiden was currently in better condition than his lord at the moment, but he was still clearly suffering.
“I would only take such measures if the Empire’s livelihood was at stake. You know this.” ExaltHarras groaned as he moved his ice pack to a better position. “Besides, it was made obvious that this was the best, if not the most ideal, choice for us. It’s just a shame they couldn’t simply alter the memories, instead of sealing them.”
“If you say so, my lord. But I still think it's strange. I didn’t even realize I had forgotten anything. If not for the headache, I would say that I had forgotten it naturally.” Aiden idly scratched his head as he moved his own ice pack.
“Agreed. The powers of Radiant and Obscure magic... They truly are the closest to the mysteries of the Void. If only because they are the second most mysterious by themselves.” Exalt Harras shivered at the thought of such magic being used more frequently. “We are just fortunate that the only reason they could do such a thing was because they had our full cooperation.”
The duo fell into silence as they did their best to ease their aching heads. Warren had been correct when he had said that this precaution would not be without its consequences.
Only time would tell if the risk was worth it.