ImmovableMage
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120 Destiny
🕑 Added 2023-01-21 01:02:59 +0000 UTC– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 216, Season of the Setting Moon, Day 36 –
Hope walked through a hallway in the Tiv palace. To her left, Castellan matched her steps in his aged but well-maintained armor. To her right, the Mage Supreme strode and used her mage staff as a walking stick. Behind them, the Supreme’s disciple walked next to another figure whom no one in the palace recognized.
People all along the hallway had begun half-kneeling on one knee and putting their fists over their hearts while staring at the Valkyrie.
“Hmph.” Hope grumbled quietly, which caused Diwa next to her to snicker. “At least one of us finds this amusing,” complained Hope while looking over the reverent expressions from the kneeling people. “I’ll never get used to this. It’s even worse than back then.”
“Legends have a way of growing bigger over time,” said Diwa with unconcealed amusement. “Relax. Once they’ve seen you with bed hair in the early morning, with sauce at the edge of your mouth after lunch, or with weepy eyes after reading a questionable romance novel in the evening, the reverence will pass. They’ll see you just like we are seeing you, right, Castellan?”
A heartfelt smile tugged at the corner of Castellan’s mouth, but he quickly controlled it. “No comments on my commander’s private life.”
“What a ‘Brave Iron Giant’?” Diwa chuckled. “Still afraid to even speak a wrong word in front of the Valkyrie. Tut tut.”
Castellan rolled his eyes.
The group walked up to the entrance. At this point, Diwa’s and Castellan’s expressions became somber and hesitant.
It was the Valkyrie that stepped first into the throne room. Her eyes moved over the small number of figures inside. Her eyes stopped on Tivius and countless emotions were pressed into a single moment between her falling eyelashes. She walked forward up to the place where guests would stand when they had an appointment with the royal family.
“Traitors everyone!” spat the Founding Queen. “After all we’ve done for you, you are still siding with her.” Korra’s eyes were bloodshot with jealousy and indignation.
The reigning king resolved himself and stepped forward. “Lady Hope, I…” He clenched his fists. “I know that I have neither the right nor the power to stop you, but…”
The reigning king took a deep breath and went down on one knee. He took the crown from his head and presented it to the Valkyrie. “Please spare my parents’ lives.”
The Founding Queen snarled and glared hatefully at the Valkyrie.
The Founding King watched in silence with an ashen face. It looked as if his spirit had already left his body.
Hope finally moved her eyes away from Tivius and onto the kneeling figure of Tivius’s son. She spoke matter-of-factly: “You have the wrong idea on two points.”
Hope’s eyes became cold. “First, I have vowed that this man will die once I manage to escape the prison he had put me in. I have promised that to myself. Every day, for two centuries. My promises remind me of who I am. My promises are what has allowed me to hold on to my sanity. My promises are important to me.”
Hope’s expression softened. “The sins of the parents have nothing to do with the child. I bear you no ill will. He is your father and you can keep thinking of him like that. Even in my opinion, once upon a time, Tivius was not merely a great man, but a good man. You should remember him like that. None of that, however, affects my promise.”
Tiv’s reigning king grimaced with a conflicted expression.
“Second, I have no interest in the crown – any crown.” Hope shook her head. “I never did.”
“Yeah right,” sneered the Founding Queen.
“Korra, you haven’t changed.” Hope moved her eyes to the Founding Queen. “People wouldn’t forget that you exist if you stayed quiet once in a while, you know.”
“Thanks, but oh, you have changed a lot, haven’t you?” Korra grinned maliciously. “Sunken cheeks. Miserable looks. A lot thinner and greyer than the last time I saw you.” She sneered. “Only your self-righteous, hypocritical pretense is still the same as always.”
“Heh.” Hope was unperturbed by the insults. “A tiger will never understand a rabbit’s taste for grass. A liar will never understand an honest person’s principles.”
“Bah!” scoffed Korra. “Keep pretending.”
“I care about the people,” stressed Hope in a loud and firm voice. “I couldn’t care less about the right to rule.”
“Yeah right,” sneered Korra. “As if.”
Hope looked calmly at Korra and then at Tivius. “I guess she doesn’t know?” She shook her head with a disappointed smile. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Tivius averted his gaze and subconsciously scooted away from Korra.
“Know what?” Korra retorted with derision towards the Valkyrie.
“If I had any interest in a crown, I could already be wearing yours,” replied Hope flatly while returning her gaze to the Founding Queen.
“What are you talking about?” Korra barked coldly.
“First it was every week, then every month, then every year, and finally every few years.” Hope spoke with contempt. “For two centuries, he kept visiting me in my prison uninvited – always bringing the same offer.” Righteous indignation appeared on her face. “He promised to release me as long as I would hide his crimes and forget my earlier oaths.” Hope leaned slightly forward while keeping her eyes on the Founding Queen. “Can you guess what else he offered me?”
Tivius flinched visibly.
“The position of queen,” finished Hope, and shrugged.
“Lies!” spat Korra, who was fuming. “You dirty liar! Tivius would never—”
Hope broke out in unrestrained laughter with an incredulous undertone. “Really? I’ve been called many things in my life, but few ever managed to call me a liar with a straight face.” She shook her head and raised her brows. “You should know us well enough to know better, Korra.” Hope spoke with thinly veiled amusement. “Which one of us is the liar? Me or Tivius?”
Korra was stunned into silence and could not help but glance at Tivius next to her. Seeing the expression on Tivius’s face, the blood rushed to Korra’s head.
“You…” Korra moved closer to Tivius, who kept averting his gaze. Korra’s eyes turned wild. She snapped and pulled a concealed dagger from her garments. Without hesitation, she stabbed the dagger into Tivius’s chest. The flesh immediately withered away. Black lines appeared on Tivius’s face while he was staring into the hate-filled eyes of his wife.
“How could you?!” shrieked Korra. “I gave you everything!”
“Including the permission to act shamelessly.” Hope’s voice had turned cold. “It was you who always encouraged his lies. Why do you act so surprised that he has turned into a liar?” She laughed mockingly. “You got what you wanted.” Hope gestured at Tivius and spoke disdainfully. “This is the man you helped create. This is the ‘pragmatism’ that treats words and principles as oh-so-cheap.”
Hope laughed again with derision. “You could not possibly have believed that you would be the eternal exception to his shamelessness?” All laughter vanished from her face and she spoke sternly: “There is no such thing. Actions shape character. Character is destiny!”
The Valkyrie turned away from the Founding Pair and looked at Tiv’s reigning king, who appeared to be in a disbelieving shock and stared with horrified denial at his dying father.
Hope glanced back at Tivius’s dying figure once more. “I remember that dagger well. There is no saving this old man’s life now. My promise has been upheld. Hm…”
Hope shook her head with a pensive expression and then took a deep breath. She turned her attention fully to Tiv’s reigning king. “The crown is yours. I don’t want it. But I will address the Assembly. I have something to say to those that have allowed the Wastes to encroach this far onto the common people. As the reigning king, you should be present. Settle your family matters. We will inform you about the appointment.”
Afterwards, Hope turned around and left. She nodded at Castellan and Diwa. She fleetingly glanced at Mahalia – the Supreme’s disciple. Finally, Hope’s gaze rested on the last remaining figure. Hope smiled at the young force-aspected elven man from Arcana whom she had taken as her first disciple.
“While Diwa and Castellan prepare the appointment, we will begin with your instruction,” said Hope. “These old bones have no time to waste. Let’s get going, Calam.”
Calam nodded hurriedly, and he meekly followed the Valkyrie with visible excitement.
“Don’t be surprised when you see the Assembly,” remarked Diwa. “It’s not going to be a full room.”
“Naer’s doing?” asked Hope with a raised brow.
“Him and the associates he brought with him,” replied Diwa with a nod. “He has grown into something truly terrifying. During the time he has not shown himself, he has grown way beyond my expectations.”
“Hard to protect against assassination when dimensional mages of that caliber are involved,” remarked Castellan.
“If it wasn’t for his respect for the Valkyrie, I’d wager the only ones that could reign him in are the magic sovereigns,” said Diwa with a distant expression.
“On the bright side, if the Assembly insists on being stupid, you probably only need to invite Weran and his cloak to scare some sense into them,” quipped Castellan. “The terror is still fresh and no one would dare to question his willingness to follow through.”
“No, I don’t want to use terror,” said Hope firmly. “And I don’t want Naer to wear that role, or that cloak, for that matter.”
***
“I’m getting really tired of these door puzzles,” grumbled Terry while carefully examining the mana patterns in his mana sight. “I much preferred the human-made doors with simple keys.” Terry continued grumbling.
“I guess here and here.” Terry mumbled and began channeling mana into specific locations on the movable wall construct. One of the patterns changed, but only slightly. Terry narrowed his eyes and poured more mana into the changing pattern. “Oh, come on!”
If it sucks that much mana, then I’ll be here for another hour. Terry scowled. And there will probably be more hellspawn on the other side.
“Hmph.” Terry reconciled himself to the prospect of having to channel mana for a while, and he slowed down his input to the door.
Perhaps I should take the chance to sleep and eat again? This area is safe. Who knows what’s waiting on the other side this time?
“Something is still fishy,” grumbled Terry while scrunching up his face. “Why are there so many of these mana puzzles? Is this normal?”
Ask Unca Samuel. He’d probably be delighted at the question.
“I’ll put it on the list,” muttered Terry to himself.
Perhaps it’s just my luck? Or lack of luck? A simple tendency to attract dungeon weirdness? Wouldn’t be the first time.
“Hmph.” Terry grunted and sat down to take a meal.
***
It was perhaps the oddest sight to ever appear in the hall of Tiv’s Assembly.
A quarter of the Assembly seats remained empty because the ministers were either missing or confirmed dead. The sparse official seats stood in stark contrast to the flooded hallways and area outside the building.
Everyone wanted to participate.
Each and every civil servant from the city stood in the hall to get a glimpse of what was going on. Through the windows, everyone could see the capital’s citizens staring with bated breaths and varied expressions.
The reigning king had chosen to attend, and yet no one paid much attention to his disheveled and sorrowful figure. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the group in the speaker’s corner.
As always, the Mage Supreme and the Brave Iron Giant cut impressive figures in their official outfits that radiated authority, but it wasn’t them that held everyone’s attention.
All eyes were instead on the barefooted, emaciated, and wrinkly-faced elven woman in plain, unassuming combat robes.
Some ministers had been stunned into silence and did not know what to say.
Some averted their eyes and wore faces filled with shame.
Some were staring open-mouthed with unrestrained admiration and respect.
Many of the ministers were visibly enraged, but dared not to speak.
“This is treason!” One minister from the Noble Faction could not hold it in anymore. “Going against everything that is right!”
“Shut up!” “How dare you?!” Other ministers cursed the noble out. “Ludicrous!” “To accuse the Valkyrie.” “Go dig a hole and die!”
“Bah!” scoffed another minister from the Noble Faction. “What makes you believe Arcana would even accept? They never helped us before.”
Hope stood in the speaker’s corner unfazed. “In contrast to Tivius’s approach, I do not intend to go there to claim a right. I will not go there and explain to them how they are obligated to help us. I do not intend to condemn them for inaction. I do not intend to portray their help as something that I am entitled to and which they are unjustly withholding from me.”
Hope’s eyes were calm as she held the gaze of the noble that had addressed her. “I am going to ask for help.” She paused and smiled charmingly. “I am going to be thankful if they choose to give it. I am going to show them the respect they deserve for helping someone in need.” Her voice turned heavier. “For risking their own in order to help an empire that has wronged them before.” A disappointed glint entered her eyes. “To help an empire that is certainly not deserving of or entitled to their help.”
“Magic obliges!” Indignant and outraged exclamations rang from some of the ministers, particularly of the younger ministers. “Mana use is a privilege!”
“Look around you!” The Valkyrie’s mana flared up for the first time as she glared at some of those that had spoken. “When was the last time you left this city? When was the last time you went to the Wasteborder?” She carefully enunciated her words: “Mana use is not a privilege, mana use is a necessity!”
Hope let her words linger for a moment before she continued: “I don’t really care about these lands. Frankly, I don’t care to quibble about laws or power.” Her voice became stern: “I care about the people and nothing will stop me from helping them when I can.” Hope moved her eyes over the Assembly. “I have known Arcana to be honorable and honest in their dealings. I will ask them for help.
“Now, what I will ask specifically depends on you.” Hope searched the expressions of the present ministers. “If you decide to relinquish your power, then I will ask Arcana to accept us as part of their empire. The people will get their protection and we will all follow their laws.”
“Outrageous!” “You have no right to tear down the Tiv Empire!”
“Hold your tongue!” “If anyone has a claim to these lands, then it’s the Valkyrie!”
“Our laws are ours to decide!”
“Magic obliges!”
“So does any power!” roared the Valkyrie. “Power obliges! You are wielding the power of the government and from what little I have seen over the past few days, it is painfully obvious that you are the ones that have failed in your duties!”
“You—!”
“Back when we faced the Lich Kingdoms, the pressure was much higher than what I have seen from the Wastes even now!” interrupted the Valkyrie. “And yet, your empire is collapsing while back then, we grew stronger together. From what I can see, your empire is rotting from within and your laws are a part of that!”
“Magic obliges!” “It’s Arcana’s duty to help us! They have no right to make demands!” “They—”
“Back then, Tivius secretly began leaking the Arcanian troop positions to the Lich Kingdoms in order to lead them away from these lands!” The Valkyrie flared up once more. “When I discovered that, I hoped that there was a mistake. When I confronted him, I walked into a trap set by Tivius together with the lich kings.
“Leaving aside my own miserable experience.” Hope glowered at the ministers. “Does anyone among you really have the face to tell Arcana they have a duty to ‘help’ this empire? And without ‘making demands’?!” Hope scoffed. “We owe them, not the other way around.”
“You have no right to undermine Tiv nobility!” “Nor the Assembly!” “Damn—”
“Enough!” interrupted Hope. “I won’t quibble with you. Saint Dalia once said that there are two kinds of nobles. One that sees their title as a right to lord over others, a justification to look down on those without.”
Hope’s eyes moved over those that had spoken. “The other sees their title as a duty, a commandment to work hard for the sake of their subjects, so that one day they might become worthy of the privilege they have been born with.” Hope smiled thinly. “I do respect the latter and have no intention of undermining those.”
“You—”
“If you choose your power over your people, then I won’t argue with you.” Hope interjected before they could start another round of shouting. “What I will do is travel through the empire to gather everyone that wants to leave after making sure that Arcana will accept us.”
“You can’t do that!” “These are Tiv citizens!” “They have no right—”
“It seems quite peaceful here in this place,” sneered Hope. “All cozied up to the good neighbor and close to where Arcana’s barrier once stood.” Her expression darkened. “Very different from what I saw along the way when traveling here.” The Valkyrie’s mana flared up, and this time, an oppressive aura accompanied it. “It is you that has no right. You have no right to treat others as your meat shields.
“I will protect those that choose to go with me.” Hope retracted her emitted mana. “I don’t want to fight you.” She exhaled sharply. “Frankly, I don’t know how many fights I have left in these old bones, and I would rather not waste them on some meaningless bullshit.”
She glowered at the gathered Assembly. “But if we go down that route, then I give you my word today that I will use everything in my power to get the people out of here. If you want to throw your own lives against mine, go ahead, but I won’t let you hide behind your citizens any longer.”
“Despicable!” “Magic obliges!” “How dare you use your power – your magic – to threaten us!”
“I’ve said what I had to say,” declared Hope calmly. “You can inform me about your decision on which path you want to take. I am not your enemy unless you make me one.”
Hope turned around and began leaving. Diwa and Castellan followed her.
“You!” “Mage Supreme, how can you—?”
“Silence!” Diwa turned around with a fierce expression. “Save your breath! I will never stand against the Valkyrie. I, you, everyone here owes more than we could ever repay her.” They gathered the two waiting disciples and then made their way through the crowd that opened a path for them.
***
“Haah… Haah…” Terry panted and watched the last widowmaker disappear into nothingness. The tunnel was now finally empty.
Terry collected the needles back into his skewer box and gathered all his cheap swords that were lying around.
“Heh…” Terry could not help but appreciate the advantages of fighting inside a dungeon. The immediate feedback when an opponent was dead was really helpful with opponents like the hellspawn that had considerable regenerative abilities.
Terry also had to admit that he felt much more comfortable fighting in narrow quarters because it worked to his advantage when blocking with tertium slabs or when working with his transfixed blades and needles.
This was especially true when facing the widowmakers whose battle style was based on charging at high speed. These hellspawn had sharp bladed arms and an incredibly tough dome-shaped protective plate to make this feasible for them and lethal to their victims.
The battle style was suicide against Terry’s immovable items though. No matter how tough the protective head plate was, it would not hold against a small immovable needle when the widowmaker was charging against it at full force.
No matter how sharp the widowmaker’s sharp blades were, they could not cut an immovable item.
No matter how much regeneration the ichor aspect provided the widowmakers, it was not sufficient when they charged onto immovable blades that Terry had transfixed vertically. They cut themselves into several pieces in an instant. Their own kinetic force caused the pieces to press further forward – where they would meet yet another blade at a different angle.
Terry’s improvements in mana reach allowed him to keep several layers of blades transfixed without getting dangerously close. If a widowmaker somehow survived one of their suicidal charge attacks, then Terry would know thanks to the dungeon’s immediate feedback upon death. In the case of a survivor, Terry only had to quickly follow up with fire or acid to finish it off.
Terry was certain that he could not face that many widowmakers outside the dungeon.
Outside, I could escape though.
Terry clicked his tongue and walked forward in the tunnel cautiously. His mana sense detected nothing ahead. His detection cloud made of thin naturalized mana, detected nothing either. He sent the vampire bat projection ahead and discovered a dead end.
Wait, no, not a dead end.
Terry subconsciously sped up. “Reservoir room.” He was already preparing himself to quickly dump a lot of his mana, but he had barely reached the middle of the room when the door at the end already opened. Terry narrowed his eyes. “Does this mean there was already a lot of dungeon-foreign mana?”
Focus.
Terry dashed through the open door and felt the warm sensation of the sun on his face. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. A breath later, Terry jerked around with eyes wide open. There was a mana signature near to him. It did not seem like a monster and the shape matched folk.
Except for the tail? Canan? No, that tail would be smaller. Felan? Probably the same. Lizan?
Terry thought back to the lizan corpse he had once seen after a battle with Thanatos soldiers.
Could be.
Terry clicked his tongue.
The mana signature would suggest an active mana user. Mage or cultivator. Not a channeler. Unaspected.
Terry stopped his line of thought and instead summoned his five-point ring. “What the…?” Terry’s mouth opened with shock. According to the markers he had placed outside the dungeon of the Valkyrie, he was now… in a completely different location.
Terry retrieved his Guardian cards and checked the signals. His stomach plummeted when not a single one was within reach.
Terry took a deep breath and tried to make sense of the markers in the five-point inscription. He was still able to sense the markers, but they were stuck together.
“Ah…” Realization dawned on Terry. “Must be a long distance. This should be…” Terry looked around. “How did I get this far south? This must be way outside of Tiv’s territory?”
“Crap.” Terry became dejected and took another deep breath.
On the bright side, I can still sense the markers, which gives me a direction. I can determine how to get to Arcana.
Terry nodded and was about to retrieve a map to consult when he sensed the mana signature nearby move towards him.
My mana is cloaked. I even have the necklace. How did they sense me? Life sense? A soul spirit or something?
Terry searched the skies above for any flying eyes.
Should I step into the shadow plane? But then I could not move anymore…
“Hmph.” Terry was not sure how to feel about being detected in this unknown area. He checked his equipment and prepared himself to either escape or fight, depending on the situation.
Terry was not surprised to see the figure of a lizan.
Terry was very surprised to see more than one. A lot more, roughly fifty. Only one of them was emitting mana.
Going by the outfit, a mage. Going by the fact that the lizan with mana is taking point, probably the leader.
While Terry was still considering his options, the lizan leader suddenly knelt on the ground. All the other lizans followed. They all began bowing towards Terry, much to Terry’s bewilderment.
“Oh, Great Dark One!” The lizan leader raised his body and spoke before bowing down again. “We have awaited your arrival.” Whenever the leader spoke, he raised his body and then bowed once more after he was done. “Please assist us in our plight!” Another bow. “Our path north is barred and we require the Great Mage!”
Terry blinked with mouth agape. His head swiveled around as if to ask if anyone else was seeing this. He furrowed his brow and looked at the bowing folks in front of him. A group of scaled bipedal people with lizard-like appearances, sharp teeth, and tails. “...”
Lizan looneys?
Terry could not help but stare. “Oh mana…”
What have I run into now?
***
– End of Arc 4, Savage Hope –
Comments
Aurora1325
thanks for the chapter
Sesharan
…didn’t see that coming.
