In Krom’s radiant glow, I stand strong, unwavering and resolute,
A guardian of wonders, in a cosmic dance, my destiny absolute.
-Thoubose
THEO
Near the center of the Fredrickson’s new property, a seemingly unassuming barn stood tall amidst the fields of freshly planted crops, a creation of their ingenuity. But appearances deceived, for within its unpretentious exterior lay the entrance to a concealed world. Beneath the barn, an underground cellar unfolded, a testament to meticulous craftsmanship and an unexpected find in itself. Yet, the real secret lay beyond the foe room to a discreet path that led to a further hidden chamber. This clandestine space, in turn, connected to a sprawling underground cavern that the Fredrickson’s and I were diligently excavating. This unique method was passed down from their father as they supported him in their youth and has been employed at just about each stop along our way. The process they learned involved hallowing out a section of Dunrock to create their family's cache and bunker, while also fortifying the structure beyond any standard building practice.
“Stop making them so big Al!” I tried to protest as Alfred finished cutting out the next block, it dislodged from its place on the underground wall with a massive thud to the hallowed-out ground floor.
“Ah, we had the same job when we were young.” He quipped. “The bigger, the quicker we finish.”
“No way you had to move blocks this big.” I replied as I positioned a pair of large straps they provided me to the rough block, so I could pull the material like a horse most the way before pushing it the last bit.
“Our father wasn’t a savage; we were only children so they couldn’t be that large.”
“Nothing like exploiting your kids for free labor.”
“Eh, well…” He obviously couldn’t think of a retort as he paused, so he gave me a wicked smile. “You know what Roman always says about when you complain?”
I dropped my head, knowing he had me. “Double the work.” I grumbled before employing the comeback I had been waiting to use for a while now. “If I am going to be here until this is all done, what is double the work really?”
“You know we always find a way, especially when you are being smart. So, keep it up.” His tone a playful chastisement. “Ger told us about the slates.” A laugh from Thomas echoed from the other side of the chamber before Alfred continued. “Plus, you’re an Acolyte and you need to get a good training in, since you won’t be getting out of this till we finish carving the chamber.”
“So, I can use essence to move it?!” I shouted in excitement, giving the Fredrickson’s a near heart attack.
“I didn’t say that!”
“No way! I don’t want to be smooshed down here!” Thomas yelled from his spot, a liquid pool of magma at his feet. Breezy’s whirlwind pausing momentarily to also get its point across, ash momentarily dropping rapidly in large hunks like confetti.
In contrast to their families’ previous practices, when trusted laborers were responsible for removing the soot after the final slag burn-off had cooled, Breezy now played a vital role in the process. Breezy assisted in clearing the discarded ash, lifting, and carrying it away with the help of the constant whirlwind it generated. To maintain secrecy, several large vents strategically placed around the structure discreetly removed the ash, avoiding the attention that a single large vent would draw. They had to be cautious, even with plenty of land; busybodies were always a concern, and we were moving a significant amount of material. Breezy played a dual role, aiding in both the cooling of the magma area and the removal of discarded materials. This prevented the need for manual wheelbarrow transport or the necessity of using essence to move the excess excavation materials.
I took care of the other tasks, managing the cut material from the excavation site and transferring it to the magma pit for refinement. The refining procedure involved Thomas channeling a magma pit in a soft earthen section of the chamber, essentially melting the spot until only densely compacted solids remained. I use the same pit to dispose of Alfred's discarded materials as we go. To accentuate the point, I gracefully shifted to the opposite side of the stone. Having pulled it the length of the chamber to Thomas, I nudged it forward until gravity was able to do the rest, the block making a gradual descent into the pit once it hit the decline. The only exchange in that moment was a subtle gurgle as the block fully submerged, disappearing into the molten depths.
I stepped back from the pit, taking in the area. The ambiance was evolving into a captivating scene. In the heart of the space, the team's runic armor found a home within specialized alcoves on the back wall, each intricately designed to pay homage to figures of great renown—statues and historical recreations, treasures that might never grace the shores of the Valarian Kingdom again. Grandfather, the meticulous artisan he was, would swiftly craft them in mere hours when time permitted, his dedication evident in the fine details that held significant value to the team. The craftsmanship, marrying homely style with intricate artistry, permeated every corner. The finished floor, when fully compacted, exuded a polished onyx sheen, featuring a mesmerizing magma swirling pattern left by the cooling process. This added a distinctive and captivating touch to the overall aesthetic of the space, along with the glowing runes that began to mark the walls.
“So, what’s the plan with all these doomsday bunkers? We have built one at each place since you let me start helping, so I imagine you have been doing it the whole time.” I dusted my hands off and started for the next, hearing the thud of the succeeding section of earth being cut free.
“They aren’t doomsday bunkers.” Thomas chuckled. “But you aren’t that far off I guess.”
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with the Valerian Empire when this whole thing is done, so we have just been creating caches as we go. Plus, what else is there to do with all the free time? We might as well use the essence or its just wasted potential, am I right?” Alfred replied as he began cutting the next block with a small precision plasma strand.
“With the number of securities and information we have been packing into these things, they could also help a resistance effort, if things go that south.” Thomas yelled out solemnly. “So I guess you are correct when you say doomsday bunkers.”
“Yeah, as you can see, they can house a large number of people as well, and they will have provisions for years at least half a small village can rely on once we squirl away a portion of the harvest to be under preservation aura tombs.” Alfred finished cutting another block, giving me an expectant look as I picked up my pace.
Tombs weren't like the usual essence-user dependent devices. Unlike runes, they didn't demand a constant essence flow from a dedicated essence user, or even a specific proximity to maintain their connection. Once they were set, they were good to go and near traceless. However, their versatility came with a price, and because of this they weren't potent for offensive purposes. They thrived when employed as a consistent supply, operating as passive tools.
Apparently, some cities, in their defensive strategies, utilized tombs as wards, relying on essence users to perpetually charge colossal essence batteries. While effective, this method was exorbitant and inefficient as they didn’t have the power to do more than alerting the defenders. They would then need to employ other runic wards to actually deter enemies, which was wasteful in many opinions. Yet, for the Fredrickson's specific needs, preservation tombs offered a solution that could endure for centuries, given the right energy source. No doubt, I'd have to seek out all these components for the batteries once this task is complete.
“Ah, so that’s more the case.” I mindlessly strapped myself to the next block and began its journey to the end of the chamber. “A failsafe. Why are we always so hush hush about it around Sloan?”
“The Gemini of Valor belong to a secret society where the most affluential and powerful sit. We get a temporary pass to the ‘club’ as long as we have our gems.” Thomas’s voice echoed through the chamber. “Our commitment to that vow was something your grandfather didn’t want to break, given how we can be seen as deserters to some.”
“We hate politics.” Alfred added, with a roll of his eyes. “But we could tell some things weighted heavy on Roman’s conscience… Where we can ease any burden, we do our best.”
“Aye. But, if the Valerian legacy falters, we are determined to safeguard our accumulated wisdom and provide sanctuary to those who know what to look for. It has always been an integral facet of our order, a hidden thread weaving through our history. Some of these have been used as advanced strike bases for elite task teams in the past.” Thomas seemed to zone out, getting a nostalgic look before snapping back, realizing where he was. “Your discretion is paramount; what we reveal here stays within these walls. We made an exception for Ger, recognizing his unparalleled skills in stealth and his unique connection with nature, made secrecy near impossible.”
“You guys say this every time you get all paranoid, I promise I will be tight lipped. As far as Sloan knows, we are training in the woods.” I retorted earnestly.
“These resources are dispersed wherever we find an opportunity to place them, like silent sentinels of our knowledge. Sloan might harbor suspicions, but as of yet, she hasn't probed.”
“Always gotta be prepared for anything and who doesn’t like secret caches!” Alfred hopped down from his perch after quickly slicing another two large chunks away, opening up a dimensional storage space to grab a mug of ice-cold ale that was still foaming slightly, almost as if it had just been poured. A flash of purple, green, then purple displaying as the space closed. “Better pick up the pace, you know what happens when you let too much work pile up.” He posed up against a wall for effect, sipping his beverage daintily.
“It’s been bothering me for some time. You don’t use the storage space enough to notice, but I could have sworn that you just used two essence types for that.” I eagerly looked to Alfred. The two brothers had some random tricks they used every once and awhile that felt like they had two essence types powered at one time for a single effect.
“You are getting better at your senses, congrats Theo, its usually too fast to discern. And, that is because Gurt has the ability to use certain runes that combine earth and space essence. It’s a little upgrade, it doesn’t know many but the ones it knows are amazing! Like for dimensional storage to work, there needs to be an accompanying physical storage in a sense. That’s how I can do it. Don’t spread that factoid, it’s a high state secret. Even though probably only Gurt and the Kings’ gems know and can make the necessary rune, giving me a one in a kind ability. And a corner to any type of storage runic market.” A mischievous look quickly faded from Alfred.
“Upgrade?”
“Aye, check it out. But DO NOT TOUCH! It starts to give me the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach when you get too close to it.” Alfred gave a stern look, that showed he was serious, a rare thing for him.
He pulled out Gurt. I got close enough to inspect, but not enough to make him uncomfortable. As I looked, I noticed the octagon cut opal gem’s depths unfold like an otherworldly abyss, a mesmerizing expanse that seemed to stretch into infinity. Within its crystalline heart, a kaleidoscope of colors danced and mingled, an intricate display of iridescence that almost represented an ever-shifting galaxy seen through a telescope. The layers of the gem unveiled a labyrinth of ethereal patterns, each layer revealing a deeper, more enchanting facet of its mystique. It was as if the opal held a secret universe within, an opulent realm where light and shadow intertwined in a symphony of radiant beauty. Noticeably, outside the sheer beauty of the gem, it could be noted that there were almost microscopic glowing green prisms dancing within the depts of Gurt, in constant movement.
“It’s infused with earthen essence? How?” I asked. mesmerized.
“Aye, Züle has some as well and it can do a couple fire, earth combination spells itself. Look closely at mine.” Thomas replied, cutting his flow off and strolling to join Alfred’s break, getting his gem out for inspection.
I examined it with a pause. Another mug of the fresh ale being supplied to Thomas from Alfred as I looked deep into Züle, noticing a similar phenomenon with earthen essence imbued. The difference being the ruby gem, though not as deep as the opal's mysterious abyss, exhibited a dynamic beauty reminiscent of molten lava in perpetual motion. Its essence seemed to swirl and dance within, a fiery ballet captured within the crystalline confines. The gem pulsed with an internal vitality, casting a warm and vibrant glow that hinted at the intense power it held. Each facet of the circularly cut ruby told a tale of ceaseless energy, as if a fragment of a roaring volcano had been encapsulated, forever radiating the fiery essence of its origin.
“How is that possible?” I questioned as I hastened back to my task, in order to join their break.
“Did we never tell you some of Züle and Gurt’s story? The piece that has to do with their upgrade was significant in ending the first plight of Erik Ozouf.” Thomas took a seat on the floor, getting comfortable, as I finished dropping off a boulder and rounding for another.
“Not really, but I bet I am about to hear all about it!” I said with a rye smile.
“These things are important! History is important les we repeat our past follies! How has Roman not reviewed it yet?” Thomas’s tone of offended scholar bleeding into his response.
“I only really like hearing Acolyte history, there is way too many ‘important’ nations or tribes to pay attention to everything. I typically try to find ways to excuse myself when Grandfather gets on his binges. I think he tried to tell me about the war before, but I ended up annoying him with too many non-related questions. That is how you do it if you wanted to know.” A devious look crossing my face.
“This has very much to do with the Acolytes as much as Thoubose.” Thomas scolded.
“If you only knew the nonsense our father’s historians crammed into our heads when we were growing up, you might have died a young age regardless of immortality. You have it easy!” Alfred laughed.
“Well, it’s definitely time you learn since we are embroiled in the aftermath, in a sense. I will do my best to entertain you then, Master Acolyte.” A condescending tone, followed by reassuring smile stretching widely across Thomas’s face.
“Ooo can I do the effects? I love some good story telling! Remember how dad told it?” Alfred looked like an eager child as he danced in excitement, that or maybe a child that needed to use the bathroom.
“Like I could say no when you get like this. If you could perform the story a tithe like dad, Theo is in for a treat. This version is straight from the source itself, regardless of how our bureaucrats write the history books.”
Alfred reached into his gem, using its essence to project some miniature figures onto the floor in front of them. A smug look crossed his face as the figures started to move. Lights dimming around the room as the artful dance began, a miniature city then unfolding in a mist of the effect.
TITUS FREDRICKSON
“How much longer until they reach the walls, Commander Lee?” Titus Fredrickson, leader of the free nation Éire, inquired, his red beard billowing in the wind as he surveyed the horizon from atop the battlements of his thriving city—a sanctuary where all were welcome and protected, as promised in its charter. Situated in the deep wildlands, untouched by others, it became a kingdom born from a banished Montu family's remarkable discovery. A hopeful chance at change emerged, and from rags and hard work, Titus rose with purpose.
“Two, maybe three days at the scout’s guess. It’s his main force, estimated to be around eighty percent of what he has active.” The man responded swiftly, the soldiers’ eyes around reflecting admiration for Titus, worry clattering everywhere but around his calm demeanor. For that and many other reasons were why all who pledged themselves to the nation held a deep-seeded love for their king. It was a devotion earned through the opportunities and benevolence he provided them, a commitment they were willing to carry to the very end. He was a king to work for his desirers, instead of ordering others about frivolously.
Titus grasped his tanned bald head in frustration at that news, keeping his face impassive. He may have appeared calm on the outside, but turmoil rocked the man internally. “That is troubling news. I don’t want our people trapped in a prolonged siege; we have heard of what happens from other free nations. Have we started the evacuation west?”
“Aye my liege. All elderly, women, children, and others unable to fight have made for the hills with haste. They took only the bare essentials and should reach the mountain dens you forged before being discovered.”
“May the Acolytes guide them during this dark time, for we must stay here to give them a chance at life. They surely would be hunted down if we don’t give them something to focus on.” The king looked down at his crude opal gemstone, dangling on a chain fastened around his neck. “All for this. I fear what giving him this power will do to the rest of the world.” The king more muttering to himself. “I want you all to leave with the citizens.”
“My lord we couldn’t.” A cacophony of similar disagreements arose across all those along the battlement.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Even if I were to make it a demand?”
“My lord, we would all refuse.” Similar agreements again arose around.
He looked down, knowing that would be the case, but hopeful they would be more willing to live than die a fruitless death when the Norrænn’s came for power more than their land. They were wiping their fellow non-Acolyte backed nations off the map during their campaign like slaughtering sheep. Such vial hatred... for what because some people were born different? He thought.
“You could leave lord. Then he wouldn’t get the gem.”
An appalled look crossed Titus’s face. “His army would walk directly through the place if I were not here to supply the wards with extra power, then he would hunt every last person freely. I will not leave anyone to that fate. I must stay. I would never make a command I wouldn’t follow. May some fortune come to our aid.” He gazed deeply into his gem, hoping that his faithful friend Gurt might lend some much-needed aid. Its helpfulness was intermittent, as the fuzzy will within couldn't fully direct itself without considerable effort. “It’s unfair the Acolytes leave us alone.”
A quick surge of power unlike anything the king had ever witnessed flashed before completely receding. Some men were knocked off balance at the sheer weight of the presence. A being whose visage almost depicting a shimmering galaxy in the sky appeared from nowhere before the runic markings faded. The initial presence weighing the men down as if two or more of themselves stood on top of them, before it the weight lightened. “I most sincerely apologize for that, but when we made the accord, we were younger and more foolish. It’s stood before we shifted the lands together, shortly after we created each group of you. It was our adolescence just as much as the core nations’, much was to be learned over time.”
“Coleus!” The commander shouted in disbelief as he noticed the deity next to his liege, even further disbelief being the fact an Acolyte apologized to mortals. No one needed to have ever seen him to know who he was. Everyone including the king kowtowed to the floor in reverence, heads on the floor.
“We overstepped too many times and earned a rebuke from Thoubose, the accord was meant to keep us from undo intervention. It was not meant to keep our benefits from all who need them, but it began happening with nothing we could do but watch, given our bound wordings. For us to solve your problems, it requires all five mortal representatives to agree to amendments that would lessen their position, which as you know would never happen.”
“How can you help all mighty Coleus?” The king replied, still bowed in reverence.
“Fortune favors you on this day. I foresee great travesty to our world if these dwellings fall, and they gain that treasure.” Coleus pointed to the Titus’s crude purple gem dangling from his neck. “The bloodthirsty Norrænns should not be given the ability to move armies anywhere in the world in moments.”
“Wise one, you have mentioned your inability to intervene. What course of action do you recommend for us? Should we consider fleeing? I am reluctant to abandon my people and won’t go without all of them.” Titus looked earnestly at the acolyte who gestured for him to rise, which he obliged immediately.
“I think I have a better idea in mind. If you may, I request a private meeting with you while I gather some essentials.” The space / time acolyte smiled warmly.
…
“We did not want to cause a bunch of aneurisms.” Ventum replied from his seat on a couch that adorned Titus’ private chambers, having helped himself to some of its delicacies. Beverages in each of his hands, while other samples elevated above him, in goblets that were way more than samples. One of the splits of his presence was feeding him grapes, while another was breezing the room.
Montum cleared his throat, a stern look at Ventum which caused him to redden, hastily moving all the cups less one away along with reassembling himself to an individual. “We aren’t here to partake in Titus’s hospitality, we are here because we are at a threshold of humanity making a step that might be irreproachable. It’s been extremely hard to watch the goings on from the sidelines, we need to stop it before we lose control.”
The five Acolytes graced the king in his private chambers, only the commander had accompanied, before swiftly fainting at the realization that all were gathered. Flo was gently massaging the back of the man whose eyes were still bugged out in disbelief, even her abilities weren’t helping him cope with his internal shock. The king, usually composed, appeared unusually stiff and silent, struggling as well to absorb the magnitude of the crowd before him. Nervousness one usually never saw of the man was visibly present, something he gladly faced death without.
“I have been getting glimpses of harrowing visions, echoing in devastating ripples emanating from this singular coming event.” Coleus was sitting, peacefully almost meditating in the corner of the room as he talked.
“Hhhow can you help us?” Titus stuttered a response.
“We have been pondering a lot on this, and how we can shade around our bonded pact. As he began marching onto your land, we began to form an idea.” Ignis replied, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. “You aren’t married.” She said it as a statement more than a question.
“No maim, you are correct.” He confirmed.
“For our aid, you will be by the end of the hour.” She looked at him for response.
“I am willing to do whatever is needed for my peoples safety.” An earnest expression on the man, who was starting to get more comfortable in the presences of such beings.
“Great! Now to set the stage!” Ventum blurted out excitedly.
“Yes, for the fun! For your side of the bargain, we will enrich you deeply. Let me see your gem Titus of Éire.” Montum reached out, barely waiting for the king to nervously take the piece from his neck before scurrying away with it. In the corner, Coleus and Montum converged, a torrent of essence flowing between them. The opal gem, once a crude form, transformed into an intricate octagon, its facets carefully unfolding to better harness the potent natural essence coursing through Thoubose.
“Want me to get in on that!” Ventum shouted over.
In deep concentration Montum grunted in reply. “We best not create more kingdom gems. One enhancement should suffice.”
“It’s ok, we can do the other too.” Ignis looked devious in excitement.
ERIK OZOUF
““My my, I certainly can’t wait to bathe in cow dung after this battle. It’s just so lovely to lather it all over my delicate skin.” The old feminine voice of Erik exclaimed.” Al doing his best granny voice in jest.
“Al, don’t give him a false account.” Thomas rebuked before the story continued.
…
“What in Krom’s name is he doing? Are you seeing this?” Erik Ozouf peered with his peridot enhanced eyesight at the man with the characteristics of Titus Fredrickson. He stood alone, fully suited for battle. A meteor shower crashed with explosive force a few meters from the keep’s entrance. Vivid purple flashes materializing molten ore and rocks slammed into the earth from a shower high above, causing magma to spread, billowing deep as earthen cracks splintered out before the material cooled enough to harden. The impacts reverberated through the ground; seismic tremors felt from their position kilometers away.
“Sire, he is alone in the battlements of the rebel capital. Potentially trying to destroy the landscape around with the ground quake. Either way, scouts just confirmed the heartbeat ping only shows one. There appears to be no support left.” Erik’s master general confirmed, while the retinue of other men began making their own assumptions.”
“Most obviously a trap. We will have to approach wearily.” One spoke.
“He feel’s weaker than that display. I just feel a crude gem, nothing more. There shouldn’t be a person on Thoubose that can hide their power from my gem. I think you worry too much. How many times have I just walked through these places uncontested?” Smugness overtaking Erik’s features.
A scholarly looking figure emerged meekly behind the group, checking various abilities and status’ through a runic spyglass. He looked intrigued. “Heat signatures, heartbeats, slight breeze detections. All come up negative for reinforcements. If this is a trap, we need to know the wards they are using sire. It would be worth the trip alone! Also, this meteor effect! That isn’t the opal power by itself. Maybe he found a runic fusion! We must have it!”
“Ah Basil you do so much for us, I will see what we can do.” Erik smiled fondly in what seemed like the first time in the generals’ presence.
“With me here, I have to keep sending these findings to my son back home. If he doesn’t continue, we might lose years of research. My instruments are too delicate to transport, but I sure wish I could get an essence reading on that right now.”
The meteoric effect cut off shortly after the full might of the army witnessed the wrought devastation, craters as deep as the deepest well they had ever dug marred the ground in and endless pitfall that seemed to fully buffer the castle from the army’s easy advance.
“No need to worry. He probably is already out of power after that display of bravado. It won’t work. For you men!” He paused as his voice amplified. “I will save you all the worry and handle this in single combat. Have ale ready for a celebration.” Erik placed his visor over his head as thousands of men cheered their valiant king. “It’s the little things that really win them over.” He whispered to his delegation as he stepped off his horse. “Have some field ballista’s setup in case I need to regroup because this isn’t what it appears.” He called to his retinue before essence erupted from around him. “I imagine this to be another walk in a park, but for the afraid I will exercise some caution.”
TITUS FREDRICKSON
The battlements began receiving a pelting from a torrential rain, each droplet a forceful messenger heralding the storm generating from Erik’s sapphire gem. The deluge cascaded with such ferocity that it began seeking refuge in the freshly formed rents in the earth and even began threatening to drown the relatively flat expanse surrounding the castle. Were it not for those recently created chasms, the castle's foundation might have succumbed to the encroaching flood, causing it to sink or shift from the faucet of rain. The soil of the area being the main catalyst to that. In the non-paved areas around the walls, the thick clay-based mud that was now prevalent, molded by the relentless downpour, reached out like eager hands, ready to impede any non-magical movement foolish enough to traverse its mire.
Emerging from the puddles, Erik ascended with an imposing presence as he slowly walked forward to meet the renegade king. Rain and cascading floodwater twisted and coalesced around him, transforming into eight sinuous, spike-filled tentacles. Slowly, he ascended into the air as it collected, an ominous and menacing sight. An aqueous shield enveloped him, crafting a formidable semblance of a monstrous sea kraken from his monarch gem’s arsenal. Delving then into his emerald stone's power, he materialized two crab-like claws composed of earth and rock on two shorter limbs, adding a menacing touch to the aquatic display.
“Welp Krom, here goes nothing.” Titus muttered to himself as the area around the city grew as dark as night, Krom almost fully blotted out. An Ominous rumble of thunder, strong enough to shake the foundations of the wall, echoed through the air. In response, a dense chain of lightning writhed in the sky, resembling a swift and menacing serpent on the prowl. The band charging up in its slithering as each sound of thunder reverberated, the chain getting lengthier, thicker, and more refined until finally it struck directly where Titus was, Gurt teleporting him to safety without his intervening. Wide eyed he quickly thanked his gem in astonishment as he readied himself. The section of wall he was at before the teleportation blew with a devastating force, exposed the inner city. Rubble from the impact doing its own collateral damage as buildings around fell. The next chain of lightning began charging, slowly growing in a similar fashion as the first. The almost serpent like face moving through the clouds at the chain’s front.
Erik, unyielding in his pursuit, allowed his tentacles to flow effortlessly over the terrain, indifferent to the numerous trenches and rifts that scarred the ground. He reached the battlements, calling over to Titus. “You should yield. I let those who surrender be palace slaves.” He called with a nonchalance that made Titus’s stomach churn.
“In the boundless realm of Thoubose, the burden of individual choices or circumstances one is born into doesn't define worth. No race holds supremacy. Your militaristic ideologies aren’t boundary crossing and Thoubose shouldn’t be seen as a place to rule in its entirety.” Titus' resounding voice echoed from his solitary stance, magnified not only by his physical position but by the profound conviction that standing alone against tyranny was a choice worth making.
“I guess there will be no need for a parlay.” Erik said as the next bolt of lightning three times the first channeled down at Titus’ position, his gem automatically moving him out of harm’s way again as another large section of wall crumbled underneath the blast, while the fallout again knocked down structures around the impact. As the lightning struck, Erik's earthen pincers shattered the remaining section of wall directly in his path. Casually meandering further into the city, he showed no regard for the destruction he caused. His water tentacles obliterated everything in their path, leaving nothing standing in their destructive wake.
Titus’ newfound and enhanced Valarian vassal gem Züle decided it wanted to push his intention in a magical way, regardless of its holders’ intentions to stay alive by merely defending at all costs. A spray of rocks pushed from the ground, their forms instantly enhancing into molten spheres before they impacted the kraken like beast, each tentacle along with the mass receiving a large covering of the molten pebbles that began boiling and displacing the liquid, though be it gentle given the size of the thing. As boiling started dissipating some of the liquid, the next piece hit, plasma implosions began happening everywhere the little molten pebbles were able to burrow deep enough to cause damage. Gurt beginning to understand its new companion and assisting its death-defying defense. The implosions were working well, as the tentacles visibly lost their girth and the Norrænn king slowly declined from his perch, his gargantuan water shield before him gradually shrinking as well.
The man frowned as various shields started activating from the runes on his armor. “Oh!” Erik smiled maliciously as he countered the display without a thought. His armor’s runic enchantments began dimming from their vibrant glows around him, all of his necessary runes beginning to aid his gem’s need for additional power and effect. The waterlike skin of the form he bore began sprouting snakelike scales, chunks in the ground ripped from the earth for the material that hardened like marble as they began slamming the area Erik moved like massive clubs causing devastation in each movement forward.
Shortly after the enhancement of his personal armor, the clouds above lowered to the ground, lessening the vision of those who didn’t have proper preparations to a meter or less, which was absolutely Titus in the moment. Earth and water flash freezing into ice crystals were pulled into the snakelike lightning beast as it also began receiving it’s boost. It’s mass then roiling through the city’s fortifications and buildings like it was just easily swimming through a lake as rubble sprayed violently around its charging wake.
“So, uhh, ehh.” He paused before another “Hmmmm.” Titus was not sure how to address the deities of Thoubose in the proper way, given the anxiety he was feeling from the power he was sensing manifest in front of him. “I’ll just say it… What needs to happen before you guys save the day?”
“We will intervene when we can, further than I already have with a slight amount of essence dampening, that is. This is all I can say now that the battlefield has been established.” A whisper in the wind crossed his ears. Ventum being a dissipation in the air around at this point, his essence permeating the chosen area around the city, exerting influence over the zone around it through his divine presence. “But he has to break the treaty.”
“And how does that happen?” His distraction and limited visibility left him vulnerable to the two abominations lurking relatively unseen. A critical mistake, as the ice-encrusted lightning snake struck with full force, prompting Gurt's plasma shield to activate. Depleting every reserve it had remaining, but the shield endured the massive blast, flickering out as Titus was hurled across his city.
Automatically, Züle utilized its strength to envelop him in a bubble of intense heat, creating a protective sphere. Titus crashed like a meteor through the remains of a courtyard at the end of the blast's trajectory. The shield winked out of power as the consciousness of its host dimmed during the collision with the ground, leaving him to rest with his head impacting the surface on the bounce, the impact softened but far from absent.
The fog lifted and the snake lost its composition as Erik lowered himself in front of Titus, who began to come to his partial senses by the time it took Erik to make his menacing way toward him. “Pitty, you showed so much promise as a foe. I haven’t had a good test since my heir rights.” As the army in the background caught what they could of their victorious king, the storm dissipating, a shout of approval rang through the valley. “But it appears you do have multiple gems. I will have to get my senses checked. A further boon on the day, dare I say I find anything else among the rubble.” He smiled maliciously as he pulled his sword from its scabbard, raising it up, ready to finish the man before the world shuttered.
“You have violated the five kingdoms accord.” Montum boomed as the five acolytes appeared in their various mystic ways, directly in the battle torn area around the two. Erik’s blade disintegrating into dust, along with all his armor and runic items less his three gems, his clothing, and the belt holding them.
He stammered a few heart beats, unable to stir before he responded, putting on his most enthusiastic smile. “You jest, how could I have done that oh great and powerful Montum.” A touch of condensation escaping his lips, clearly shaken to his core by the sudden intrusion.
“You have struck, wounded, and greatly destroyed the holdings of a Vassal of Valeria.” Flo stepped up next to Montum in his defense; anger and wrath clearly evident on her features as she shook slightly.
“Impossible my angel! We attacked a disgraced Montu, the Valarian’s don’t intermingle and would never elevate a Montu to any stature.” A boyish whine escaped his lips when he began addressing Flo, his patron.
Titus, in his battered state, struggled but defiantly presented his gem, showing it off as something unmistakable. “I am married to Princess Isabella, Daughter of the King of Valeria.” he smiled, a bit of blood staining his teeth as he spat on the ground.
A few moments passed as mental faculties must have begun churning, possibilities formalizing before Erik shouted angrily in an extremely undignified manner. “You cheated me!” He looked at the five Acolytes.
“You must have just been too blood thirsty to do your homework.” Ignis laughed mockingly. “You and your nation are getting stripped from the accord and only you will get to go back to your lands, as a disgraced mockery of what you are without your army.”
“That’s right!” Ventum joined the laughter as a chain of lightning struck in the distance, it traveled from a central location till it arched and multiplied. Instantly killing every one of his soldiers wearing or holding metal, which was the majority. The rest, being ruthlessly finished off by a swarm of insects Montum, Flo, Ignis and Coleus were generating from a portal like aberration. “Enjoy the consequences. Hopefully your people are merciful.”
“This present to Thoubose we will make sure stays within the boundary of your lands.” Montum looked reassured as they unleashed a new plague on the world.
ERIK OZOUF
Exiled, he was abruptly transported to a solitary vantage point, gazing upon the fringes of his once-beloved realm. The heart of Thoubose quivered ominously as a formidable tectonic power shifted her land, manipulated under the watchful eyes of Montum who was stationed on a towering precipice he erected, overlooking the slowly moving away Norrænn empire. A colossal tidal wave of ocean surged, racing to reclaim the expanding chasm, its depths growing wider and more profound with each passing moment.
“It’s not our place to be constabularies of the world’s malevolence. But there is also no place on Thoubose for how you treated those mortals.” Flo sighed before Coleus interrupted fiercely.
“We had to sit back and watch with no available recourse because a silly bond we made when we thought humanity could be honorable. We had to watch a lot of vial things. Your soldiers are pure cowards, that is all I have to say. I am glad that stain was purged. We had to deal with too much for years, unable to help! It all was disgusting. Your people have been by far the worst atrocity I have witnessed in my life. It has been the darkest of my days.” he growled angrily through his clenched teeth.
“We made a mistake giving nations of mortals too much power, instead of an agreement with humanity as a whole and we hopefully can rectify that treaty, especially now without your involvement. It’s not what we wanted to stand as Thoubose’s guardians. We wanted a place for all to live their own way.” Flo looked sorrow filled now at Erik. The weight of the death of so many of the people she watched and nurtured throughout life was a heavy burden and one that chilled her wrath. The hurt she felt when their souls instantly wrench from Thoubose, or the screams of horror slowly withering away with the slower departures from being eaten alive was enough. She couldn’t put any blame on her siblings. Those got what they deserved; with every despicable action they took during their war. They never listened, and she never reprimanded.
“Why manufacture distinctions among people if your intention was for us to peacefully coexist?” He stood unwavering, a beacon of resistance even in the face of banishment.
Flo’s response carried the weight of a profound truth. “If you still ponder such questions, perhaps it may need to be your descendants who can grasp the essence of our reasoning.” A heavy sigh escaped her lips, tears welling in her eyes. “Mortals all experience joy, hunger, sorrow, and the desire for freedom. There is no difference in the fundamental core of you all. Shouldn’t people be entitled to the fundamental aspects of life, irrespective of our external appearances or internal beliefs? My child, you've been cast away from the broader world until you can learn what equality truly means, if that is possible. We send a plague to you because hopefully hardship can give you some understanding.”
A protective tempest barrier enveloped the now-isolated island, severing its ties from the rest of the mortal realm. In the distance, a swarm of insects emerged through a portal, their final gift.
“Why not just kill me?” he finally started to look defeated as the acolytes began to make their shows of exit.
“Because then you can’t see what your actions brought your people. Long live the king…” A cold chill in the wind whispered to the king as it left the coast of the newly formed island.