Echoes of Creation (30k/Exalted)

Colchis - 831.M30

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Lorgar nodded, determination hardening his features. He stepped forward, his blade raised high. But as he moved, you couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong. The spectral warriors were ignoring Lorgar, focusing solely on you and Dharok. It was as if they were deliberately keeping you away from Kairos.

Lorgar advanced, his blade gleaming with righteous fury. Kairos, weakened and unable to defend itself, could only glare in defiance. "You think you've won, child?" it sneered. "You are but a pawn in a game far beyond your understanding."

"Maybe so," Lorgar replied, his voice steady. "But today, this pawn will end your reign of terror."

He plunged his blade into Kairos's heart, the daemon's screams echoing across the battlefield. The energy of the strike resonated, sending a shockwave that momentarily disrupted the ghosts. Kairos's form convulsed, the warp energy within it destabilizing. With a final, agonized cry, the daemon dissolved into a swirling vortex of light and shadow.

The battlefield fell into a stunned silence, the ghosts halting their advance. You and Dharok, battered and exhausted, looked around warily. The spectral warriors seemed to pause, their purpose momentarily lost with the destruction of Kairos.

"Lorgar... you did it," you said, your voice filled with relief and disbelief.

But even as you spoke, the uneasy feeling in your gut remained. The ghosts, though no longer attacking, did not disperse. They stood, their spectral eyes fixed on you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine.

Lorgar turned to you, his face pale but resolute. "Something is still wrong," he said, echoing your own thoughts. "This isn't over."

The air grew colder, the energy that had once been centered on Kairos now spreading across the battlefield. The ground beneath your feet felt unstable, as if the very fabric of reality was fraying. The spectral warriors began to chant, their voices low and mournful, resonating with a power that was both ancient and alien.

You realized with dawning horror that Kairos's defeat had not ended the threat. Instead, it had unleashed a new, even more insidious danger.

As the chilling air swept over the battlefield, your sense of foreboding deepened. The spectral warriors, though temporarily paused, still emanated a potent, otherworldly energy. The atmosphere grew dense with a palpable unease.

You looked at the daemon's body, now a twisted, lifeless heap, and saw that it seemed to shimmer under the eerie light cast by the spectral warriors. You felt a shiver run down your spine as the air grew colder, the energy around Kairos' corpse shifting in a way that was deeply unnatural.

A sudden, sickening sound filled the air, a grotesque, wet tearing noise that sent a wave of nausea through you. Kairos' body started convulsing violently, dark energy crackling around it.

"No..." you whispered, realizing with horror what was happening.

Kairos' form began to rise, its once defeated and lifeless body was now animated by a new, terrifying force. Each of the daemon's two heads twisted and contorted, splitting open in a gruesome display of dark magic. From the gaping wounds emerged monstrous, multi-limbed creatures, their bodies writhing and morphing into abominations of flesh and bone.

The heads transformed into what you, somehow knew, were Hekatonkhire, legendary beings of immense power and terror. Each Hekatonkhire was a nightmarish amalgamation of limbs, eyes, and mouths, their forms a chaotic mess of monstrous anatomy. Their eyes burned with a malevolent intelligence, and their mouths gaped wide, emitting guttural growls that reverberated through the battlefield.

Suddenly, a slow, mocking clap echoed through the silence. Emerging from the shadows was a towering figure, more than seven feet tall, wrapped in undulating black funeral robes. The figure's presence was oppressive, the very air seeming to darken around it.

Beneath the robes, you glimpsed what you instinctively knew was a soulsteel superheavy plate armor that whimpered with the voices of newborn children in pain. The figure's helm bore two mask-like faces, one of sublime beauty and the other so horrific that it sent a wave of terror through your bones.

The masked figure moved with an eerie grace, the whispers of tormented souls filling the air. It clapped slowly, each impact of its hands resonating like a death knell. The ghosts seemed to recoil slightly, as if recognizing an even greater power.

"Bravo," the being intoned, its voice a cold, spectral whisper that seemed to come from all directions at once. "You have defeated the puppet, but the true master remains."

The being continued to clap, a mocking smile visible on the beautiful mask. "Such valiant efforts, so much determination," it said, its voice dripping with disdain. "And yet, so futile."

Lorgar stepped forward, his blade still stained with the warp energy of Kairos. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice unwavering. "What do you want?"

The being tilted its head, the horrific mask now facing you yet answering Lorgar nonetheless. "I am the Shard of Winters, the Expressive soul of the Ơ̴̢͓̙̿ǹ̷̛̺̣͐c̴̺̬̮̈́͋e̸̢̗̎b̶͔͍̍̑o̷͓̞̔r̵͖̮̀ǹ̴̖͕̲̀̕, whose name…..you do not need to know. I am but a fragment of something far greater," it replied. "And I have come to witness the fall of yet another would-be hero."

Dharok, filled with a burning resolve, took a step closer, his voice a low growl. "We will stop you, just as we stopped Kairos."

The ground beneath your feet trembled, the energy that had been contained by Kairos's ritual now spreading unchecked. The spectral warriors began to chant once more, their voices rising in a mournful, haunting dirge.

"Bravo," the Shard of Winters intoned, his voice a chilling whisper that seemed to come from all directions at once. "You have indeed done well, but did you truly believe that slaying a single daemon would be the end of this?"

Lorgar glared at the Shard. "What do you want, monster?" he demanded, his voice steady despite the turmoil within.

The Shard of Winters laughed, a sound that sent shivers down your spine. "Want? Oh, my dear child, this has never been about what I want. This has always been about what I have already set in motion."

He began to circle you, his movements fluid and graceful, his eyes, both beautiful and horrific, never leaving yours. "You see, I have been experimenting with the various Lords of Change that have been so generously sent to me via the Well of Urd. Each one, a puzzle piece, each one a step closer to perfection. And dear Kairos... ah, Kairos was my crowning achievement."

Dharok, his eyes narrowing, stepped forward. "What did you do to him?"

The Shard of Winters tilted his head, the beautiful mask. "I implanted a second mind within him, a mind that would act on my will, ensuring that my plans would come to fruition no matter what. By the time you met him, Kairos was no longer in control. He was merely a vessel, a puppet dancing to my tune."

Lorgar's grip tightened on his blade. "You manipulated him, twisted his essence."

The Shard's laugh was cold and mocking. "Manipulated? Twisted? Such simple words for such a grand design. You see, my plan was set in motion so long ago. Every action, every choice, was a thread in a grand tapestry that you could never hope to understand."

He moved closer, his presence almost unbearable. "When you killed Kairos, an immortal being, on a world with a dead soul, so close to the wound that killed it, you managed to briefly evoke the memory of an……event long ago. You invoked its powers, powers that even now are spreading through this realm, turning it into a copy of what it once was and what it is now."

Your mind reeled at the implications. The Shard of Winters had been orchestrating this all along, each step leading inexorably to this moment. "You... you used us," you said, your voice trembling with a mixture of rage and disbelief.

The Shard's eyes gleamed with a malevolent light. "Of course I did. And I was manipulating events long before Corax intervened. The death mark imposed by Corax was completely unexpected. It had the potential to derail my plans but I am a schemer at heart and what was a calamity, I changed into a stroke of luck, allowing me to accelerate my plans. Every decision, every action you took since then brought you closer to this very moment."

Dharok, his face pale but determined, spoke up. "If we had convinced the daemon that it needed to die, all your plans would have been ruined, wouldn't they?"

The Shard's laughter rang out, echoing across the battlefield. "Ah, yes. The one possible flaw in my otherwise perfect design. But you didn't, did you? Instead, you fought, you struggled, and you played right into my hands."

Lorgar, his face twisted with fury, stepped forward. "We will stop you. We will find a way."

The Shard of Winters tilted his head, the horrific mask now facing you. "Will you now? I look forward to seeing you try. But know this: even as we speak, the Worldsoul is being raised. You have started that which can no longer be stopped."

The battlefield remained tense, the spectral warriors' chants echoing in the cold, dim light. The ground trembled as the energy continued to spread, threatening to engulf everything. Lorgar, Dharok, and you stood together, battered and weary but unyielding.

"Still," the Shard of Winters intoned, his voice a chilling whisper that seemed to seep into your very bones. "I must commend you for your determination. It is rare to see such resolve in the face of overwhelming odds. Therefore, I offer you a proposition."

Lorgar's grip tightened on his blade, his eyes never leaving the Shard. "What sort of proposition, monster?"

The Shard of Winters raised a hand, and the spectral warriors fell silent, their eyes fixed on their master. "I offer you and your tribe safe passage from this planet, unmolested and unharmed. In return, I will claim this world and its inhabitants as my fief. I promise not to leave this planet, nor will I send anyone or anything, nor contact any being outside this world, for one thousand years."

Dharok's eyes narrowed, suspicion evident on his face. "And what do you gain from this? Why offer us anything at all?"

The Shard of Winters did not turn towards Dharok, locked to you, the sheer malevolence in the voice sending a chill down your spine. "What I gain is the certainty that my plans will proceed without further interference from you. This world will act as my beachhead and its inhabitants will serve my purposes well. I will turn it into a……thorn. In exchange, I offer you knowledge."

Your heart pounded as the Shard continued. "The power you wield, oh Prince of the Green Sun, the sorcery that courses through your veins, is but a fragment of what you can wield. I will reveal to you the secrets of Sorcery and tutor you in the ancient and forbidden art of Necromancy. Imagine the strength you could wield, the control over life and death itself."

Lorgar, ever defiant, shook his head. "Why should we trust you? You are a creature of deceit and malice."

The Shard of Winters laughed, a sound devoid of warmth or humor. "Trust is irrelevant. Consider my terms carefully. Your tribe, your people, could live in peace, free from the horrors that now plague this world. And you, oh Scion of Ligier, could unlock the full potential of your power. All I ask is that you leave this planet to me."

You felt the weight of the decision pressing down upon you. The offer was tempting, the promise of safety for your tribe and the allure of greater power difficult to ignore. Yet, the cost was immense. To leave this world to the Shard of Winters, to abandon the people here to his dark rule, was a choice fraught with peril and moral ambiguity.

"I'm oath-bound to recreate the Worldsoul. I cannot just abandon this planet." You deny him as soon as you remember the promise you made.

"Ah, but you did promise to restore the Worldsoul, didn't you? Yet, you never specified in what state. Raising it as a Dead World still counts, doesn't it? Especially since you ordered Lorgar to kill Kairos." The Shard nodded.

Dharok's eyes widened in realization. "He's right. By killing Kairos, we've unleashed a new kind of energy here. The Worldsoul is already being transformed into something... other."

You clenched your fists, frustration and helplessness warring within you. "This isn't what I intended. This isn't the restoration I swore to achieve."

The Shard of Winters' laugh echoed around you once more. "Intentions matter little in the grand scheme. What counts are the actions and their consequences. You sought to defeat Kairos, and in doing so, you have set the stage for the World's rebirth... in a manner of speaking."

There was silence after that and Dharok glanced at you, his eyes reflecting the turmoil within. "Can we believe him? Can we afford to refuse?"

Lorgar looked at you both, his face set in grim determination. "Whatever we decide, we must do so together. Our choice will shape the future of not just our tribe, but this entire world."

You felt the gravity of the decision weighing down on your shoulders. The Shard of Winters' proposition was enticing, yet deeply unsettling. The thought of leaving this world in his hands, forsaking its inhabitants to his dark rule, was a heavy burden to bear. You exchanged uncertain glances with Lorgar and Dharok, each of you grappling with the enormity of the choice before you.

Clearing your throat, you stepped forward, trying to keep your voice steady. "We need time to consider your offer. This is not a decision we can make lightly."

The Shard of Winters tilted his head, the beautiful mask never moving away from you, eyes gleaming with a cold, calculating light. "Time, you say? Very well. I am not without patience." His tone was laced with mockery, as if he found the request amusing.

"How long will you grant us?" Lorgar asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

"I shall grant you one week. one hundred and sixty eight hours to weigh your options, to deliberate amongst yourselves. But make no mistake, the sands of time are slipping through the hourglass. Delay too long, and the offer will be rescinded." The Shard of Winters said with a cold smile.

Dharok's eyes flickered with unease. "And during this time, you will not harm us or our people?"

The Shard of Winters spread his arms wide, a gesture of mock magnanimity. "You have my word. For the next week, neither you nor your people shall come to harm by my hand or by the hand of my servants."

You nodded, accepting the terms. "Very well. We will take this time to consider your offer."

The Shard of Winters inclined his head, the horrific mask. "I look forward to your decision."

With a final, mocking laugh, the Shard of Winters began to dissolve into the shadows, his form becoming insubstantial, a mere wraith of his former self. "Good luck, heroes. You'll need it."

---

The camp was a somber place, filled with the quiet rustling of the wind through the tents and the muted murmurs of the people. After the chaos of the battlefield, the eerie stillness felt almost alien. You, Thalissa, Dharok, and Lorgar sat around a fire, its flickering flames casting dancing shadows on your faces. The weight of recent events hung heavily in the air, and the sense of foreboding was almost tangible.

"The dark essence is spreading from the Wound," Thalissa began, her voice steady but tinged with concern. "It's like a blight and has completely covered the planet. If we don't find a way to reverse this……..."

You nodded, the grim reality sinking in. "The Wound has always been a place of power, but now it's been twisted by the Shard of Winters and the two Hekatonkhire. If we could go into the newly changed Wound and kill those creatures, it would prevent the Shard from manifesting in our world."

Dharok, his face lined with fatigue but his eyes burning with determination, leaned forward. "But that won't do anything about the reanimated Worldsoul. The essence of this world is still corrupted. We need a plan that addresses both threats."

A silence fell over the group, the crackling of the fire the only sound. Lorgar, who had been staring into the flames, finally spoke, his voice soft but resolute. "I could resurrect the Worldsoul."

You turned to him, shaking your head. "That's impossible, Lorgar. The Worldsoul is ancient, and its essence has been tainted beyond repair. Even if you had the power, it's a monumental task."

Lorgar met your gaze, his eyes filled with a fierce determination you had rarely seen. "It's not about whether it's possible. It's about whether it's necessary. The Worldsoul is the heart of this planet. If we can purify and resurrect it, we can undo the damage and drive out the darkness."

Thalissa frowned, her brow furrowing in thought. "Resurrecting the Worldsoul… It's a noble goal, but how would you even begin to do that?"

Lorgar took a deep breath. "The Worldsoul is tied to the life force of the planet. If I can channel my power through the very essence of this world, I might be able to breathe new life into it. It will require everything I have, and there's no guarantee it will work. But we have to try. The alternative is to watch this world die."

You felt a pang of doubt. "Lorgar, even if you could summon the power needed, the risks are enormous. The Shard of Winters is cunning and powerful. He might have foreseen this and set traps within the very essence of the Worldsoul."

Dharok nodded. "And what about the Hekatonkhire? Their presence is a blight in itself. Even if we manage to resurrect the Worldsoul, their corruption could seep back in."

Lorgar's jaw tightened. "Then we fight. We kill the Hekatonkhire, we cleanse the Wound, and we resurrect the Worldsoul. We do whatever it takes to save this planet. This is our home. We can't just walk away."

The fire crackled loudly, as if emphasizing his words. The determination in Lorgar's voice was infectious, and you could see the resolve hardening in Thalissa and Dharok's expressions.

Thalissa sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's a long shot. But if anyone can do it, it's you, Lorgar. You've already accomplished so much. If you believe it's necessary, then I'll stand by you."

"Even if we did deal with the immediate threat, the geology of this planet is still unstable," You pointed out, your voice strained with worry. "The essence may be corrupted, but the physical structure is deteriorating as well. We need to stabilize the terrain."

"There's no time to recreate the Men of Stone," you continue, frustration evident in your tone. "It would take years, if not decades, to gather the resources and knowledge needed to construct such a machine."

Dharok leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with sudden inspiration. "We don't need to recreate them. We could ascend Thalissa as a Demigoddess of the Machine God. With the restored STC blueprint as a catalyst, she would have the ability to design and create machines like the Men of Stone. She could restore the physical parts of the planet."

Thalissa's eyes widened in surprise. "Me? Ascend as a Demigoddess? That's… that's a monumental leap. How could we even begin to achieve that?"

Lorgar, his face set in determination, nodded. "It's……bold."

Thalissa frowned. "But even if I……..ascend, there's no time to build such a machine. The planet is deteriorating too quickly."

Your expression became resolute. "In the shadowland, we can use the…..ghost version of the ancient terraforming machines. They still exist in the spectral plane and by harnessing their power, we can skip a lot of the physical effort. It would be like using a blueprint already built, just waiting to be activated."

Thalissa looked around the group, her eyes reflecting a mix of fear and hope. "It's a risky plan. But if it's our only chance to save this world, I'm willing to try. I trust you."

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CHOICE
[] Accept the deal
[] Reject the deal