necariin
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Chapter 882
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 13:00:17 +0000 UTCEnjoy!
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Felix blasted across the sky, lightning trailing in his wake. The wind tore at his slowly restoring Garment. Pit! Give me Fiendforge back!
Are the gods gone?
They are for now.
Without another word, Fiendforge returned to him. Felix immediately secured it, his Intent and Affinity holding tight to its patterned song. The chaos settled immediately as his indomitable Will clamped down, fueling its music.
Air tore at Felix, a sonic boom shattering the clear skies above his city as he fired across Nagast. He reached Elderthrone in a handful of minutes, and he soared beneath the boughs of his Spirit Tree, dropping into the Bastion of Atlantes before thundering down to the roots like a wild gale. Hall after hall, he blazed like lightning, reaching the rooms where he'd left his friends.
Just as the chamber exploded.
Mana sizzled into the hall—shards of ice stabbing through pillars of rock and blooms of fire. Felix threw his hands up, shielding his face from the blast of concentrated elements. Shards of metal and ice hammered into the walls and beams of force vanished, leaving behind craters in their wake. Felix slid to a stop on the cut tiles.
Elowen, panting and glowing from her own telekinetic magic, showed up behind him. "Am I too late?"
Felix zipped forward, dispersing the smoke in a single movement, stopping only as Beef stumbled out into the hallway. "Felix?”
Felix seized his friend by the shoulders, holding him up until Hallow came from behind him. The Graven Aegis was chipped and broken in places. "You're fine? Did everything work?"
"We believe it did," Hallow said.
Behind them, Karys, Zara, and the Chanters also filed out, all of them looking as tired and as ragged as Felix. A few of the Chanters collapsed in the hallway, their snores rising to the rafters. Yin staggered out, blood pouring from his scales, while Vess held him up, worrying over him even as she looked absolutely wrung out.
"Vess, Yin.” Felix stepped up to them. “How do you feel?"
Yin could only offer a growl, and Vess stroked his mane. "He's hurt, but he will live. He fought bravely for us." Her gaze hardened. "What about the threat?"
"You could feel that?"
"We all could," Harn grunted.
"Feel it? Whatever it was nearly ripped me in half," Archie grumbled. "Do you know how hard visualized cables hurt when they slap you on the face? It's a lot."
The others filtered out of the room, injured and tired, but all of them moving, all of them alive. A knot of tension faded from Felix's chest.
"I'm sorry, holding a Fiendforge was difficult.”
“Who attacked?" Beef asked, wiping blood from his snout. Hallow handed him a cloth, and he blew his nose loudly.
"Noctis and Yyero.”
“Two of them?" Evie gritted her teeth, hand to her temple. "I thought they couldn't manifest."
"They used temporary Vessels. Shoddy as hell, but more than enough to overwhelm our defenses.”
"At least at first,” Karys said. “They have been beaten back now, and we are currently assessing the damages to the city and our people."
That comment was for Felix as much as everyone else. He gave his Chancellor an appreciative nod. "Right. Don’t worry about all that. You all need some rest. Weaving your Pillars takes a lot out of you. I'm honestly surprised you're still awake.”
Several of them exchanged pleased glances.
“It was hard work, but I got it done,” Archie said. “My hands feel torn, though the skin’s fine. Why’s that?”
“The external mimics the internal,” Zara said.
“My core space you mean?” Archie looked to Beef and Yin, both of them sporting actual injuries. “That’s insane.”
Felix didn’t disagree. “Karys, see that they're brought to their chambers and have all the food and healing potions they can stomach. I'll make sure they're taken care of. Send the Shadows for the Menders, too." Felix lifted his hands to forestall the irate glares of half of his friends. "To be safe."
"A wise choice, but perhaps the Menders and their trainees would be better spent on the citizens," Vess said. A chanter came up to her and offered an arm, which she took gratefully. "We can wait."
"No, you can't. And I'm not just saying that because I care about all of you." Felix included all of them in his gaze. "We need to ensure your Pillars formed correctly and that you recover. Quickly."
Shadows, figures materialized out of the corners of the hall, as if slipping from the empty dark. "Yes, my lord?”
“Fetch the Menders.”
“At once, my Lord." They vanished.
"Recover," he commanded them all.
Evie and Archie both opened their mouths, but Harn barked a laugh. "Aye, kid, we can do that."
Felix turned, focusing on his Chancellor. "In the meantime, you and I have work to do."
"Yes, your Highness."
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After the battle, Heva and her team walked the streets of Elderthrone. Around them, people were lifting their belongings out of rubble and beginning the process of rebuilding. Drinks were shared, laughter and quick stories exchanged between friends surprised to find each other alive. There was a celebration in the air, Heva could feel it, caressing her Affinity. But there was also a sour note of terror. Fear of the gods and their monsters.
With Cade, Stellis, and Merk at her side, Heva studied the city's outer districts. Such devastation had been wrought by the godslaved monsters. They had passed four healing tents in as many blocks, and not one of their number was without a wound. It had been a hard-fought battle from the very start. Heva was tired. She'd already run herself ragged, ensuring her daughter and grandchild were safe after the battle. Now, given leave, she and her team were fairly unsure what to do with it. It was a reward for their efforts, but none of them felt truly at ease. The skies were clear, but for how long?
"Oh, Heva! Hi!"
The Hobgoblin smiled kindly as she caught sight of the young Human waving her down. "Hello, Westin.”
Still kickin’, kid? I'm surprised with how often you threw yourself at those monsters." Merk looked him up and down, no doubt noting his lack of bandages. "Not a scratch on ya. How's that for fair?"
"Just lucky, I suppose." The young man looked between the four of them. "You all haven't had dinner, have you?"
"Not as such. No," Cade admitted.
"Good, come and sit. You can meet my friends, er, my teammates." None of them had reason to object. Heva was quite hungry. They all were. Soon after, they found themselves with drink and food, surrounded by a team of Arclights who were also on leave. The same team that they had escorted out to the breakwater.
It turned out that they weren’t going to be fixing that anytime soon. When asked why, Westin merely gestured to the wall of water that still rose above Elderthrone. Heva had been ignoring it as much as she could. It swirled there, towering above the walls, moving ceaselessly yet frozen still, a wave that never descended, filled with a darkness that could not be penetrated. The standing order was to steer clear of it entirely.
"Don't trust that water," one of the Arclights said. "I seen it eat people."
"Oh, yeah? Well, the things I saw it eat weren't people, you get me," another Arclight said. He pointed at the immobile wave. "That thing’s on our side."
"True. I saw it eat Horrors and shadowbeasts aplenty," Westin added, "and it sucked back all the acid water from the city."
"Nah, that was the Emperor. He did his magic and pulled it away from us, same as when he devoured a thousand foes."
They had all seen miracles that day. Some were common enough, such as the walls that rose from the earth, or the ballistas that shot off the Fiendstone watchtowers of the city. New, magical most surely, but not so strange as to be gossiped about on street corners.
Other sights, however, were worthy of the songs that Heva had already heard being composed nearby. A married couple with flute and lyre plucked notes into the air, testing verses as they went. She heard their titles for their cascading melodies: The Charge of the Chimera. The Cages of Atlantes. The Legion Victorious. The Devouring Emperor. Titles that evoked memories Heva would not forget for all her days.
"He fought for us all," Merk said. And for once it wasn't sarcasm in her tone, but wonder.
Heva smiled. "He always has."
The troubadours' songs coalesced, and people stilled to listen. The song spread, growing in complexity as they added to it on the fly, and the old Hobgoblin watched another miracle. She watched the people's faith grow. She could not explain it except as a swelling in her own heart, a sound that defied description.
"Who else would fight for us," Merk said softly. "Not any lordling I know."
"Aye," Cade agreed. "He's a leader I'm proud to follow.”
“He faced the gods for us!" someone cried in the crowd, and people cheered. The troubadours' song grew more energetic, more hopeful.
"A damn fine start to this war," Stellis said. "The gods were no match for the Emperor. What hope have they when we reach Amaranth?"
"To the Empire," Cade shouted, lifting her mug. "To victory!"
Her cry was taken up by everyone, and even Heva lifted her glass. But above the rim of her drink, the wave loomed. She caught it in her peripherals, the swirling shapes in its depths suggesting something she could not name.
She couldn't help but shiver.
Comments
Theo
So we are just supposed to forget the authority. No song of war or defense. No suppression. If he had the murk enclosure all the way back when he first got Nagast, then his defenses should be considerably stronger now.
Aaron Schwartz
FOR THE EMPEROR!!!!
kinglemur
It’s amazing how the every time the gods or the hierocracy tries to beat Felix and friends into submission all it does is make his people believe in him more, and have more faith in him. I wonder if it’ll reach a point where the faith of his people enhances his power if he reaches divine formation
Patrick Sullivan
Tyfc!
