There’s nothing like being beaten bloody by your two best friends, especially, when, considering the circumstances, Remus should have been thanking them.
Remus had recognised the moment when Violet had decided to teleport them out of there. Maris never would have allowed their escape, of course, but at the final instance, he’d released the last of his pent-up rage and power in Flaming Gold. It had distracted the women just long enough for Violet’s portals to do the trick. His technique, thankfully, hadn’t been in use long enough for it to take full effect. Remus already had enough weighing on his consciousness — dozens of his chargrilled rebels would only exacerbate that mental burden. Considering how exhausted he felt, he probably didn’t have the energy to fully use the technique, but whatever eruption of power he’d unleashed had done the tick.
Now, the three of them leaned against each other in a sweaty bundle, multiple squadrons of Reptilian clansmen encircling the trio. The way they looked at them, so weary . . . Gods above, they really were in quite the state.
Koa was the first of them to rise to his feet. He seemed fatigued, but not nearly as exhausted as he and Violet appeared. Once he knew they were safe, Remus was going to allow sleep to whisk him away. Hopefully by the time he awoke, he’d be recovered enough to help them out somehow.
As he was now, Remus had given up everything he could offer. He was well and truly spent.
Violet rose to join Koa's side, raising both hands placatingly. “We’re here in peace! All we request is some medical attention for our friend Remus here, and a meeting with your Sect Leader Eliane. Maris is on her last legs, and Veida and I have insider information that can help you win this feud! But first, we need some assistance!”
Grim faces stared blankly at her. Something told Remus there was no protocol in place for how to deal with injured clansmen falling out of the sky. Speaking of which-
All around, members of Beckett’s army rose to a shaky stand. Amongst their ranks, Veida sprinted to the forefront. Behind her, were Barley, Clove, and a most distressed looking Tess.
“Remus! Gods,” she glared accusingly at Violet and Koa, “what on earth did you do to this poor boy?”
“It was the only way we could bring him out of there. Now he’s too damaged for Maris to control.”
“And maybe too damaged to live! A little overkill, don’t you think?”
Remus tried to raise a hand, but found that lifting any limb resulted in losing more blood. “Guys, I’ll be fine, r-r-really-”
“He can hardly talk!” Tess’ attention turned away from a guilty-faced Violet and Koa. Instead, she enacted her rage on the dozens of Reptilian clansmen scratching their heads. “Well, you heard the girl, fetch us some help already!”
“Really guys, if I’m just bandaged up, there’ll be nothing to-” Remus spluttered out a mouthful of Ichor.
Meanwhile, a woman slowly approached from behind. Dozens of heads turned, and as she finally came close enough for Remus to get a good look at her, his heart skipped a beat. Those narrow, slitted eyes would always be her most striking feature, but her grey shock of hair was more unruly than usual. Remus was looking at a war-ready version of the Reptilian sect leader, and Eliane looked pissed.
“Veida, Violet.” She began without preamble. “To my understanding, you have been conspiring with the mad usurper, Maris. After our past relationship built on trust, I’m quite upset that you would take it upon yourselves to betray me. I’ll give you a chance to explain yourselves. But know this: you’re fortunate I have the self-control not to strike you down where you stand.”
Veida seemed taken aback. She placed a hand to her chest, as if hurt. “Violet and I had nothing to do with Maris’ ploy for power. In fact, we weren’t even aware of it until less than an hour ago. There are about one hundred witnesses behind me to vouch for that. All we wish is to be able to leave this place in peace.”
Remus was content to do nothing but listen along and try not to bleed out too quickly, when another burst of pain shot through his body. Every cell within him began to spasm, answering to Maris’ authority, which was somehow commanding him even from this distance.
Slowly, despite all his efforts to fight it off, Remus found himself crawling through the mud.
He shouldn’t even be conscious with so many grievous injuries, let alone after a use of Flaming Gold, albeit a momentary one. It was a testament to the extent of Maris’ power.
Immediately, Violet and Koa leapt down, each pinning down one of his arms.
“What’s happened to him?” Eliane asked, her tone becoming less severe. Her eyebrows flew up. “Don’t tell me-”
“He has an old Oath with Maris that the woman is exploiting. We had to fight until he got into this bloody state before we could drag him out of there. We were wondering if you knew how to undo an Oath?”
“I can challenge it.” All of Eliane’s brutality vanished. Remus hoped, amid the incessant pain raging war on his body, that she actually cared for him. “If he continues fighting against the Oath as he is, eventually, the binding will break. But he’ll suffer greatly in the process. He’d be left a broken shell of himself. If he lives after such an ordeal, that is.”
“We can’t have that.” Violet blurted out. “No way.”
“I can rival her Oath, try to remove her authority myself.” Eliane seemed to be considering her options. A medic had arrived by now, and, bless her poor soul, was doing her best to put bandages on Remus’ jolting body. Remus had begun to foam at the mouth, and if no-one knew any better, it would look as if he had a terrible case of rabies.
This is no way for a leader to be seen. I’ve become a mockery in front of my own rebellion. Again and again, Remus feared his heroic veneer would continue to crack. If someone like Maris, who was on her last legs, had done so much to him, imagine what a God-Graced like Damosh could inflict, with an endless array of resources. It was a terrifying line of thought, only made worse with the overwhelming need to retch that seized Remus.
Eliane glanced warily from Remus to Koa and Violet. “You promise you’re on our side?”
Koa nodded. “Of course. In this life, I like to think I’ll always take the side of justice.”
Barley approached Eliane. “If it can help to sway your help, there are three of us from the Feast Clan. We can ensure all of your warriors are fed before but the battle with Maris begins.”
Knowing Maris, she was probably losing whatever last grasp of sanity she had been grasping onto. It was only a matter of time before she would internalise the impossible odds stacked against her. Her washed-up forces were the Queen’s last hope for sovereignty.
“Fine. I’ll have to be quick about this, but I’ll wrestle with Maris’ authority. This might drain the both of us, but worse comes to worst, my forces will easily overwhelm the remnants of hers. I don’t think having control over Remus will change the outcome of this battle, ultimately, but I cannot allow Maris to possess any wildcards”
Remus thought the process would alleviate his agonies. Instead? It was like his soul was serving at the battleground for two God-Graced. Because, on a spiritual level, it truly was.
Eliane crouched down onto her knees, grasping on bundles of grass in either hand to anchor herself. The ground beneath and around Remus began to rumble, and though his own body ceased to spasm, as he no longer had to fight against Maris’ will, he thought he could feel a new presence: that of Eliane’s authority.
She began to screech. The sound and the sensation of two invisible forces clashing behind Remus’ chest took up all of his focus.
Clansmen and women all around began to flee the scene, fissures spreading through the earth, originating from where Eliane towered over Remus.
Remus distantly felt Violet lace her fingers with his. “It’s going to be okay Remus. Keep tight. I’m sorry we did this to you, I should have thought of something else. Some better solution. Gods-”
He wanted more than anything to reassure Violet that she had done everything she could, but he couldn’t even move his lips.
Every other second, Remus tightened under the sway of Maris’ renewed command, only for Eliane to snap away that connection at the origin.
Remus was reminded of the sounds of distant explosions that he would always encounter when traversing Hell’s Floor. How uncanny. Soon, every city on Descent would become just as ruinous.
His blinking eyes set themselves on the central castle of the city proper. The very same building they were supposed to have been guests to. It had become very apparent that Maris did not abide by guest rights.
Water was flooding through every single window. Shards of glass were swept up by the currents, carried away by a monstrous stream imbued with Maris’ will.
Remus’ ears felt as if they would bleed with the woman’s next words.
“If I can’t have him under my control, you all shall die!.”
Something inside of Remus finally seemed to snap. The pain, at least the kind that was coming from the internal conflict, finally faded.
Inspecting the lone binding on his soul confirmed that very thing: Eliane had broken the Oath.
Koa picked up Remus in his arms, peering up to Maris’ destruction of the Hall of Thrones. Every wall of the castle was crashing down, thousands up thousands of stone bricks flying out into smithereens. Amongst those flooding waters, Water Clansmen were being dragged away, mouths open wide as all sorts of waterborne shrapnel ripped them to bloody shreds. Maris was completely disregarding her clan’s own safety. More and more of her own troops dissolved into water as a means of safety, but the damage had already been dealt.
“Koa.” Remus croaked. “Don’t leave our people to die.”
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Remus felt another tug from behind his naval. In jolt of utter terror, he worried Eliane had failed, that Maris had somehow regained control over him. But no. It was his Oath with Koa that was shaking within Remus, resonating with his words.
By the way Koa was looking at him, Remus was sure the boy was feeling the exact same thing. That obligation to ensure the Talents of the Future were protected; that they thrived; and above all else, that they succeeded in their mission.
There was an unspoken realisation between the two of them. Assisting the new Queen of Hybrid to ascend to the throne would give them the leverage to hire members from the entirety of Hybrid, perhaps even with Her Majesty’s endorsement.
Koa jumped to the fray, and screeching until micro-tears formed in the tissue of his lungs, rose both arms.
A great wall of oak erupted out of the earth, mud shooting up with it. Grains of the stuff flew into Remus’ eyes, but that didn’t matter. With groggy amazement, he watched in awe as Koa’s wall protected them all from the tsunami. It covered Remus’ vision as far as he could see, perhaps enveloping the castle from every single angle.
But such a feat was too much for a Foot-Soldier. Gods, this was above the work of any standard clansmen of his Rank — Remus found himself too stunned for words.
And, with that impossible creation, Koa face-planted.
At the same time, Remus had to fight to stay conscious. He just had to make sure everyone was safe, just had to make sure-
Violet adorned her Unbounded form, hosting up both Remus and Koa onto her shoulders. The girl was strong, and for the first time, Remus fully comprehended the aura she emanated. There was no mistaking it, she was a Warlord equivalent in the flesh.
Damn, will I ever catch up?
“Alright Eliane, it looks like Maris is the only threat left. Whatever Water clansmen she still has control over are in chaos.” It was disconcerting to hear Violet’s voice coming out of such a monstrous body. “Anyone who wants to stay and fight can remain as they are! If you wish to leave with us, gather over, and be quick about it!”
A surprising number of Beckett’s army draw forth their swords in earnest, as if Foot-Soldiers and Emblazed were capable of making any difference in a feud between God-Graced.
Most of the men retained their common sense, and, when about sixty or so Talents of the Future gathered by Remus’ side, Violet, in an extraordinary feat of stamina, warped them the hell out of there.
They reappeared a safe distance away, though by this point, Remus had allowed sleep to take him. By the time he awoke, the miracle of rest accelerating his healing rate enough that he could function without extreme pain, he noted the mountain range they now inhabited. To as best as he could judge, he’d been out cold for thirty minutes or so. Despite how little time that was, especially for him to fully recover, many tents had already cropped up.
He was about to get up, to see what was happening, when a hand pushed him back down. It was Violet. “Whoa there, hold your horses. You need rest. Don’t worry, no-one’s been hurt.”
Remus exhaled with relief. “You have no idea how good that is to hear.”
There was a great rumbling, only a few miles away, by the sounds of it. Remus’ eyes skirted to the side, and lo and behold, the Water and Reptilian Sect leaders were in for the fight of their lives. If this was going to get as messy as the last coronation, their entertainment for tonight was sorted.
“I know it’s hard to sleep with that going on. Watch on for now, but when Maris finally has reality thrown in her face, promise to get some sleep for once.”
Remus didn’t feel like he deserved to rest. The Talents of the Future were mulling around, drinking and conversing about the absolute fiasco that had transpired. If tonight was to set the tone for how their rebellion would proceed, they would have quite the collection of tales to tell their grandkids. Yet Remus was stricken with the terrible fear that he had lost all of their respect. He should try to keep a stoic mask on and regain their trust, not cuddle up into bed after being beaten worse than some torture victims.
But he wasn’t about to tell Violet that. Especially with how concerned she appeared for him. The compromise was a noncommittal grunt.
“Promise. I already feel bad for having to do all of that to you.”
At the memory of being impaled, Remus flinched. “Okay, okay, I promise I’ll” — another distant explosion— “get some much needed rest.”
“Good.” Violet said, and, before Remus could process the action, kissed him on the forehead.
She fled before he could splutter a response.
The fight between Maris and Eliane raged on. The entire inner city of Hybrid was experiencing a massive flood. Remus could imagine how high the casualty number would be, and it left an unsavoury feeling in the pit of his stomach. If not for Violet’s Chaos Mark, they would have only added to that figure.
Reptilian clansmen clung onto summoned crocodiles, splashing through the waterlogged streets, where Maris threw a tantrum at its centre. There, a man Remus didn’t recognise placed two hands together, every vein in his body bulging.
A dark green essence splurged through the water, and by the looks of it, the stuff was lethal. Poison.
So this was the leader of the Amphibian Clan, the other sect that dominated Territory Two. They had quite the eccentric look to them: the classic mad scientist. Their unkempt hair was a shock of rainbow, each lock of the stuff positioned to mimic an explosion. Their hands were webbed, like that of a frog, and their skin caused Remus to gag. It was slimy, and Remus desperately wanted to tell the man he needed a wash. It should have been a national emergency to provide that man a bath.
The toxins infested the waters until Hybrid wasn’t only flooded, but flooded with poisonous water. Through the now-murky liquid, Remus spotted Water Clansmen returning to solid form, clutching onto their necks after having presumably swallowed some of the stuff. It was a grisly way to die.
It was like Remus was looking down at an aquarium. Frogs, alligators, the aforementioned crocodiles, and every Reptile or Amphibian the gods had ever cared to create all slithered, leaped, or otherwise traversed through the ruinous city.
Everyone who wasn’t involved in the combat had appeared to flee before things got too messy. Remus spotted several powerful presences in the air above, simply watching on as the two fought. He wondered if any other sect leaders were going to try and swoop in at the last moment to take the Silver Throne for themselves, but the destruction around served as enough of a deterrent.
Maris had adopted the form of a water giant. Her shark teeth were large enough to bite a skyscraper in two. As the poison began to reach her towering form, she screamed, and, flexing the water equivalent of muscles, splurted the toxins forcibly out.
Acid rain began to pour down. Remus had to pull his wool covers up a little more, as some even reached their location.
Eliane was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is she?”
“Like many reptiles, Eliane possesses the ability to camouflage.” Remus jumped where he sat. He hadn’t even noticed Koa recovering in a bed of his own. It looked like his wooden barricades had already been destroyed; Remus thought he spotted pieces of it acting as flotsam.
“Gods man, you have to stop scaring me like that.”
Koa held back a laugh. “What, do you have nightmares of bedridden men now?”
“Very funny. How are you doing? That dam you built was mightily impressive.”
Koa waved a hand to the side dismissively. “It held for about thirty seconds before the floods grew too much for it. I doubt Maris even noticed.”
“It gave us enough time to escape, and that’s all that matters.”
Remus could feel Koa looking at him funnily. “So about what just happened between you and Violet-”
“Shut it.”
Another building collapsed under Maris’ wrath. Suddenly, her giant-sized head lurched to the side, a crater of air forming in the side of her colossal face. There, Eliane finally reappeared.
And her new look was chilling to the bone.
The woman had always resembled a reptile solely by merit of her slitted eyes. Now, her pastel green scales, her winding tail that spiralled over itself, and the two bulbous eyeballs that expanded out of her face made her the largest charmellion that had ever graced Descent.
Maris screamed, a pillar of liquid gushing out of her punctured face. Eliane disappeared again, and by the time Remus blinked, he spotted the woman’s new location.
She floated at the centre of Maris’ ginormous face, the Water Sect leader left cock-eyed trying to stare at her.
Without any hesitation, Eliane unleashed a furious barrage of punches. Maris’ entire form recklessly swayed this way and that, reducing even more Hybrid architecture into rubble in the process.
“Praise Infinity, Eliane is ballsy for that manoeuvre.” Koa commented. He would make for a great sports commentator.
“What do you mean?”
“Under the sea, the pressure near the bottom is supposed to be lethal. God-Graced are scared of swimming too deeply, even if they sort out the problem of oxygen. Even so close to the pinnacle of godhood, the speck of humanity within God-Graced prevents a complete disregard for nature. You can’t travel into deep space without fear of suffocating, and the same is true for the oceans. Only, in that case, the pressure is what kills first.”
“And Maris of course knows that . . .”
For the first time, Remus felt an ebbing doubt. Eliane would win this encounter, right?
Yet there was not telling what Maris would be willing to do. Her clan had been slaughtered, the castle she used to rule over and the immediate vicinity flattened until you wouldn’t recognise it, even if given a thousand years to try. In other words . . . she had nothing to lose.
Remus knew exactly what that felt like. And it could make someone very, very dangerous.
Eliane’s expression soured, and as alien as it was in her reptilian form, Remus could recognise that universal emotion that was sparking within her. The sensation that united the Unbounded, the gods, humanity, and every mortal creature that roamed Descent: fear.
Suddenly, Eliane was knocked to the side, blood dispersing from her nose. An entire combo of blows awaited her, each equally as violent. But Eliane endured it all, not relenting her own chaotic attack. But immersed in Maris’ water giant as she was, the Water Sect leader could attack Eliane at any angle, at any moment. And she seemed to be doing so all at the same time.
Right when Remus couldn’t decide on who he thought was going to win, Maris’ water giant exploded.
And of all that floating liquid smacked down on the city proper. A tsunami crashed down and up, heading towards Remus so quickly, he worried for a second they would be caught up in its wave.
There was another flash of purple. The last thing Remus saw of their impromptu base was a devastating wave, advancing to crush them all, like they were merely another wall of the city to be broken.
Their new locale was only subtly different. A slightly higher mountain than last time. All of their camps and equipment had been teleported alongside them.
“Violet . . . just how strong have you gotten?”
Violet didn’t answer, collapsing to her knees and failing miserably to catch her breath. “Gods that was awful. How many times have I carried all of you know? I don’t think I can pull that of a-”
Remus had to look away as she was sick.
His attention returned to a slightly more distant view of the fight.
The Amphibian Sect leader from earlier stood over Maris, who was now reduced to a puddle. Eliane had once again vanished. The pair of them stood on an isolated boulder protruding out of the flood. The Silver Throne was the only piece of the castle to have survived. Endlessly, Maris would begin to reform into a more manageable form, only to be punched back down into a watery mess all over again.
The rainbow haired man was a force of nature. He had taken on the form of an anthropomorphic frog, which, whilst sounding awfully funny, turned out to be absolutely terrifying in reality. With each fist he threw, another kind of poison leached into Maris’ form. Over and over, the Water God-Graced was forced to eject those toxins from her system, which made getting into a combat-ready state harder and harder.
Then Eliane reappeared again, and gone was her camouflage. There was a killer instinct in her eyes.
Remus had never seen anything more brutal than two God-Graced absolutely annihilating another.
In tandem, both Eliane and her rainbow-haired companion smashed down on a helpless Maris.
Over and over and over.
Until there was nothing left.