The Aftermath (Part One)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Hurondus annoyed Mamnioch by demanding that he and the other Demon Lords join in a battle they would almost certainly lose, which would cause them to be severely weakened even if it didn't kill them. Yeah, Mamnioch owed him something, but he didn't owe him that much. If Hurondus had been reasonable from the start, Mamnioch might probably have agreed to rescue him. But because Hurondus was an arrogant asshole, Mamnioch decided he'd much rather leave him to die.
Yes, the motivations of the Demon Lords in this setting have always been a riff on Gnosticism. Well, most of them at least. Melphior was a selfish asshole, Agravash is a violent brute and Achamat (just like many other demons who are aspiring to become Demon Lords) is content with the world as it is, so long as he gets to rule over part of it.
*
The Aftermath (Part One)
The dream fades. You are returned to the plains near the city of Aspitolm, which are now partially flooded, strewn with muck, rubble and dead bodies. One of them is the shattered corpse of Lyria Serrat, grey eyes gazing lifelessly up at the sky.
Next to you, Jana heaves a sigh of relief. "I was worried about her," she admits. "So long as this is the real world and we're not trapped in an illusion… I'm fine. Everything is fine."
In the dream, it was evening and the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon. Here in the real world, it is mid-afternoon. The eager cries of seagulls remind you that the main force of the Coalition's army is due to land soon. After that, you can't imagine that the war will go on much longer. Over the past few years, the Aspiti Empire has been bled dry; almost all of its strength and wealth has been spent on a bloody, wasteful conflict. Surely the end is near, especially now you've killed so many of their most powerful allies?
Hurondus is dead: ripped to shreds. Fyralio was bisected. Luth's broken body is lying next to a deep and murky pool, as if he'd just washed up at the edge of the shore. Elsewhere, you see Green Flame cleaning Jerrandiun's bloody remains off her gauntlets. You don't see Sandalaimon Rayze anywhere – he's not really a member of the Mystic Path, but he was one of their students and you had hoped that he had been permanently dealt with – but perhaps he is lying crushed under one of his fallen monsters, or mixed up with a whole crowd of others who have suffered messy deaths? You can only hope. However, you have a sneaking suspicion that he might have escaped.
The last pitiful remnants of the Battallion of Torment and the Aspiti regular troops are fleeing the field. The Coalition strike force is bloodied, battered and exhausted – and they have no cavalry with them – so they make no attempt to pursue, but merely take a few potshots here and there. You suppose that you, the Chosen and some of the other elites could give chase, but it would be a waste of time and effort; you're exhausted as well, there's a small chance you could be lured into a trap, and anyway they're just ordinary men who've already been beaten in battle. When the rest of the Aspiti soldiers hear what happened to them, their morale will plummet – and for that reason, it's probably a good idea to leave some of them to tell the tale.
A screech of metal and a gentle fall of rusty black feathers warns you that the avatar of Mawroth is about to disappear. Before he can do so, you hurry over to him and demand to know: "What happened to Sildar and Jorantul? They're not really dead, are they?"
He pauses the process of fading away. Floating in midair, he is barely more than the shadow of the gigantic bird he was before; he has no true substance. "Not really. But then, they're not really alive either," he says, sorrowfully. "My fault. I didn't mean to."
"What did you do to them?" you ask.
His crow-like head shows no expression, but you suspect he would be frowning if he could. "You've heard the story before, I have no doubt."
"Maybe, but I want to hear the story from you. What exactly did you do?"
"They… they are an amusing pair. I like them very much. I was content to watch them from afar, laugh at their hapless attempts to do good, but… I didn't want them to die. So I gave them a special gift. I made them immortal." Mawroth's rough, rasping voice reminds you of someone sharpening a blade against a grindstone. "Isn't that what every mortal wants? So long as they're enjoying themselves. I thought I was being generous."
He pauses, lost in the mists of reverie. You wait patiently for him to return to his tale.
"Because of what I did to them, they can never die. In a few hours, they will wake up somewhere far away from here: on a beach, perhaps, or by a roadside. Perhaps they will have a few vague memories of the recent battle – or perhaps they won't remember anything that has happened over the past century. They'll think themselves lucky to be alive; but after a few hours, they won't think about it at all. They will carry on as they always have done, as if nothing had changed for hundreds of years." He sighs heavily. "They are stuck in the same place that they always were, perfectly preserved. To live is to grow, to change, to become something other than what you were. Even if it's painful. But I took that away from them."
You are reminded of Lasharielle the Green Sorceress, whom you met at the God-Empress's court in Ontopophis. She had a very similar condition, caused by her delving into the mysteries of life and performing experiments that made her immortal. You remember that you promised to find a way to cure her condition, with the help of Mishrak and your other allies.
"I'll find a way to cure them," you promise. "If they don't remember me, that doesn't matter. As long as they can make new memories, it'll be fine."
"I wish you good luck in that endeavour," Mawroth croaks. "And if there's anything I can do to help…"
"Of course." You nod.
Mawroth seems to take that as a signal to leave. He vanishes in a flurry of iron wingbeats.
Next, you fly down to where your father is tending to your mother. You are relieved to see that she wasn't badly injured by Fyralio's cowardly attack, merely incapacitated. You estimate that she will be perfectly fine after a short rest, but you use your life magic to hasten the process.
"Thank you, Elys," she murmurs, dazedly.
Your father says nothing, but hugs her tightly, as if terrified by the thought of losing her as well.
"They're all dead, but I'm still alive," says Roylott Flawse, looking woebegone. "What do I…? What should I do now?"
"Try to live the way they would have wanted you to," you suggest.
He sighs forlornly. "A long time ago, I made a promise – and I mean to keep it – but it's difficult sometimes."
You're not sure what to say to comfort him, so you pat him on the shoulder while muttering something indistinct and vaguely reassuring.
As you walk away, you notice Lavokthagua resting nearby. All four of his gigantic paws are hidden beneath his enormous muscular body. Looking back at you, he says, "Hurondus is dead. Never again will he do to anyone what he did to me. I am content with that."
"That's all the revenge you need, huh?" you ask.
He pauses, considering for a moment. "Indeed," he decides, at last.
"There are a lot of humans who could learn a lot from you, uncle."
"Uh… thank you, I think," he replies, blinking huge and heavy-lidded eyes at you.
Just then, Zora Alishanda's elderly Chosen, Tav Riorn, and some of his acolytes wander onto the battlefield, having returned from wherever they were maintaining the ritual that merged this place with the Dreaming World. "Did it work? Has everything gone to plan?" he wants to know.
You wonder why his goddess hasn't already told him the answer to that question, but of course there are plenty of other things she needs to be working on and maybe she didn't want to spoil the surprise.
Anyway, Belle is much nearer to him than you are – you're halfway across the battlefield and you're not sure he'd hear you – so she is the one to reply: "Yes, you did a good job. I don't think any of us could have asked for more."
Tavi gazes around at the devastated landscape. "I suppose it went as well as could be expected."
'As well as I had dared to hope,' you agree, in the privacy of your own mind.
Please let me know if there is anything else you think Elys should do or say in the above scene. I'll go back and keep editing it.
The next update will take place a few months later, after the siege of Aspitolm and the fall of the Aspiti Empire.
The next update will involve Elys, Jana and Catharne getting together that evening to discuss what has happened and their hopes for the future.
The next update will involve Elys, Jana and Catharne getting together that evening to discuss what has happened and their hopes for the future.
Last edited:
