“What is going on???”

Peri asks Debra from RnA HR.

“What is it?”

“There are no cases for me to work on? Is there something wrong with the reporting system or my radio or -”

“Oh that. Peri, there is nothing for you to do, no incidents, nothing. Enjoy the day, Happy holidays.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“...Wait, do you not know about the holidays?”

“What are those?”

“... oh right you are like, 7 months old. I forget since you don’t act your age. Uh, basically today is a traditional day of merriment and gift giving. People usually just stay with their families and eat good food and enjoy each other's company.”

“... oh is that why there are so many packages in my room.”

“...”

“...”

“Anyways, take the day off Peri, you have been averaging 23 hours of work a day for weeks now.”

“... if there is nothing going on then sure?”

And so Peri takes the day off, visiting friends, eating good food, and rushing to get some gifts to give back. It truly is a wonderful holiday.

“Too bad it only lasts for 1 day…”

“No it doesn’t?”

“What?”

“It is ‘happy holidayS’ for a reason, you know?”

“Oh.”

Even better. Peri really needed this break.

---

Deep within Peri’s subconscious, a thing curses. Months of work deteriorating Peri’s mental health down the drain due to 1 unknown factor… oh well, they will get their turn, eventually.

/uw Merry christmas and happy holidays! I cannot believe I have been on this sub for so long now. I don’t remember what I was expecting when I joined, but I sure as hell was not thinking I was gonna make friends with random people on the internet and talk to them almost daily. I don’t see myself stopping any time soon either, so I guess this will get a follow up in a year’s time. Also the event I was building up to is now gonna be delayed even more, starting some time after council elections are over. I originally planned it for November… Oh well, it will be my turn eventually.

^{alright what am i narrating i swear if its that angel and femboy im gonna lose it…. Least its not him being black mailed this time} blah blah adam is tied to a board, wall or whatever by chains blah blah ^{can i go home now? No… fine} After visiting someone adam was suprised when all of a sudden chains were around his neck, arms, and legs immobilizinng him

Alaric slept next to his Leviathan, he had been sleeping for a while now, no one wanted to risk waking him up. Until one moment. He woke to see an insignificant speck with a giant megaphone, it needed to use it due to how monstrously large Alaric currently was.

Alaric: Your here to tell me you discovered the key to more realms correct? Why else would you risk your life doing something as stupid as interrupting my nap?

His voice boomed across the realm. He pet the Leviathan, despite it resembling an arachnid, it purred like a cat.

Researcher: Yes Sir! I think we figured it out!

Before he went to sleep he had ordered a group of researchers to create a portal. He'd conquerered every realm in his own reality, but just before he begun his assault on Heaven, he'd caught wind of two individuals trying to escape to a knew reality. One died from Alaric's agents, the other managed to escape.

Alaric: Good, show me.

Reality around the researcher darkened, when it cleared she stood back in their makeshift lab, Alaric shrunk to normal size.

Alaric: Talk to me.

Researcher: So, we tried all kinds of power sources, primordial, elemental, arcane, almost everything. But, from the data we have been allowed to see about the Star... About your species. We believe a Relic from your people would have the power to open the gateway...

A tense silence fell over the room. A Starborn's Relic was unique. A Starborn could create only one, they were legendary in power, at least they would be if there were any Starborn left.

Alaric: You want me. To use one of my peoples remnants. As a fuel source?

A bead of sweat ran down the researchers neck.

Alaric: Why didn't you just say that earlier? Sure, need anything specific?

The researchers blinked in shock, why wasn't he angry?

Alaric: Better than them sitting in my trophy room collecting dust for eternity.

Alaric warped into his trophy room, unlike in the reality you know, here he had collected a lot more than two Relics. He'd still collected The Fall of the Stars and The Wings of Freedom, but he'd found others. The Mask of Infinite Faces, The Star-Cleaver, and The Shroud, to name a few. Each would give a regular mortal near godlike power, but these belonged to Alaric, he wasn't going to give them to just anyone.

Alaric: Eenie meenie miney... Mo.

He grabbed The Fall of the Stars, he hadn't read it but knowing his great grandfather it was probably boring philosophy. Space around him warped and ripped, before he knew it he was back in the lab.

Alaric: Catch!

He threw the two and a half trillion years old book like a frisbee at the nearest researcher. They caught it, startled by Alaric's suddenly arrival had caught them off guard, he had a tendency not to announce his arrival.

Researcher: Remarkable... I can feel the power from this.

Alaric: Portal.

Researcher: Of course of course!

The researcher hurries over to the construct, and places the book inside. A shrill whirring reminiscent of a scream emanates from the book, an otherworldly light radiates from the construct. Suddenly a hole in reality opens up, not quite the same as the one Krimson used to escape, but sufficient for Alaric's purposes.

Researcher: It works!

Alaric: Adequate work. Let me just...

Alaric's shadow detaches itself, then gains a third dimension, then splits into two. Alaric focuses, he sees through the shadows perspectives.

Alaric: No super soldier but it'll do. I'm going to explore a bit, you lot figure out how to replicate that device.

The shadows step through the portal, emerging in a forest disturbingly untouched by Alaric's conquest. Unfortunately the moment is interrupted by one of the researchers accidently knocking the construct, the portal closes.

On one side of the portal, Alaric executes the researcher on the spot, he can't states the others should fix the portal. On the other, one shadow stalks of into the dark, exploring the realm. The other shadow flies into the sky, spots a city in the distance, and quietly makes it's way there back down in the undergrowth. Historia was about to have a visitor.

/uw Finally interactable! If you feel like doing so let me know which shadow you're interacting with.

Gaius was flying along just following his latest dust storm. Not much was happening. He was just enjoying the flight. That was when the missiles hit. A hundred of the explosives went plowing into the dust around him. 97 of them exploded before getting within range. The other three went off close enough to actually scorch his stony skin which while not as tough as his father’s was still very sturdy. It was a rather unpleasant experience. Immediately Gaius’ magic senses traced the flight path of his assailants. Checking his navigation spell array he identified it as the nation of Erandia.

With a hiss of rage he ascended up into the high atmosphere where he would be harder to hit and began to fly. As he flew he began to activate his spells. He felt his body accelerate as his *Dragon Dance, **Rock Polish and Geomancy spells began to activate, dramatically increasing his speed, physical attack, Magic attack and Magic Defense. He layered on some Harden spells and Bulk Up spells for extra physical defense and attack and a Magic Coat to reflect any annoying spells.*

Over and over again Gaius spammed the spells, and altered his gravity to accelerate. In a matter of minutes he sped across the globe once, twice then three times. Then he plummeted down into the heart of Erandia, easily slipping past the slow missiles, punching through the magical barriers like paper and crashing into the ground. What resulted was a *Magnitude 10** Earthquake mixed with an Ancient Power from his father and a hint of a Continental Crush spell. Just like that the nation of Erandia was crippled as most of its buildings collapsed and the ground heaved for over 30 minutes. Then it was covered in dust and sand as a massive sandstorm sped across the landscape burying everything in sand. Across the world nations felt its ripples.*

At the center of the everything Gaius had floated back up shocked at the devastation and his guards, having caught back up after his mad dash, were lecturing him on putting too much power into his strike. His father Atriox had been a master at precision destruction, causing no more than he intended. Gaius had done far more than he expected. He lacked the discipline and restraint that Atriox had developed over millennia.

Recently, a unknown council employee had leaked multiple files. There were reports about certain events and people, but not nothing out of the ordinary. But one document was different...

COUNCIL CLEAN UP CREW // TOP SECRET

The following classification system exists to recognize how certain individuals are to cause problems, and finding ways to stop 'GS behavior' as soon as possible (see file 3c)

The categories are as follows.

1. Savior. Will actively save people, even though they don't need too. The purest of hearts in this realm.
2. Very Merciful. Grants mercy a lot, might kill when needed.
3. Merciful. Grants mercy often, but not always.
4. Wildcard. Will grant mercy, but there's a equal chance they wont.
5. Bloodstained hands. Will not often grant mercy.
6. Cold-Blooded Killer. Will rarely grant mercy, usually just ends the victim.
7. Monster. Will end the victim, no mercy.

Note: Class 7's must be caught immediately, we don't want to deal with another GS incident.

Note 2: This system does not classify an individuals power.

The city of Earth’s Embrace was quiet. After the death of Atriox roughly a third of the city’s population had left. Some had fallen the Earth Sworn faction and sworn to destroy those who had killed the Lord Calamity. Some had left and surrendered to Ten Suns. They were derogatorily called the Dust Wind, since they blew off as soon as things went badly. What remained were called the Steel Pact, for they were resolved to wait for the Calamity to rise once more, after all the Calamity had been slain more than once before. So they remained stalwart and faithful.

Ironically enough, while the general population waited hopefully, most of the paladins, who had remained behind to defend the city when the main force invaded the Busmuth Realms, abandoned Earth’s Embrace due to their powers failing upon the death of Atriox. The ten orders of the Paladins had been shattered and scattered, with one exception: The Wallkeepers. Their head of the Order, Hugo Shieldoor, encouraged them to keep the faith while he went in search of answers. For weeks they heard nothing, but even so the Wallkeepers held their vigil, defending the city, despite their lack of powers. Their success at maintaining order was nothing short of miraculous as this small powerless order guided a city of Plagueborn enhanced civilians. For while the all the plagues were wiped out elsewhere, some of the less destructive ones were able to be preserved.

The Lifeleapers with their ability to fly and jump with gravity manipulation made the bulk of the citizens, then the Mutants, and finally the Stonesouls. The others had consisted of too small of populations to maintain against the powers that were dispersed to end the plagues.

For weeks they waited somberly and fearfully. These were the common folk of societies that had fled their desperate lives in other nations. Oh the nations said that they none of their came but this was all whitewashing. For these this was where they had place all their last desperate faith. In a hope in a dragon who was known for destruction, but for them, it was a hope for change of any kind that might change their lot in life. Until he fell. Still they hoped and had faith. Then one day, the Wallkeepers felt a spark of power flood into them once more. It was faint at first but it grew. Their magical endurance and powers of over earth and stone began to slowly grow and return. Then came a shout from the fortress above ground. A dragon was spotted and four figures flew around it on griffon back. One was the head of the Order of Wallkeepers, Hugo Shieldoor!

The Wallkeepers did not recognize the dragon but as it flew closer their faith that something was happening grew and with that faith so did their power. The five fliers descended and Hugo’s voice rang out.

“All hail Gaius, son of Atriox, Heir of Calamity and Pillar of Earth’s Embrace!”

“ALL HAIL!”

Gaius looked around, his face impassive. Inside he was utterly confused. Was he a God? Well his dad had been one, but his mom wasn’t, so Demi god maybe? All he knew was that these people worshipped him and seemed to want him so… he would go along with it.

After several days of feasting, Gaius was joined by his tutors. Dan, Evermemory and Firnex all come to join the festivities. Gaius was grateful for their arrival as he had no idea how to rule over a city so he asked them advice. Evermemory had a solution to the problem. He had a person who managed his hidden realms with great efficiency. She would make an excellent city magistrate under his supervision. The next day Niké the Capybara arrived and began organizing the people of Earth’s Embrace with efficiency, and a great deal of support from the people themselves. So it was that Gaius came to Earth’s Embrace just in time for the New Year and the people partied. Also, Gaius brought Fireworks.

/uw feel free to join in celebration. Also yes, Gaius, Dan Del Torre, Evermemory, Firnex, and Niké are all together and collaborating on building a city.

(I am making this so people know I'm alive)

Sari placed a cigarette in her mouth and cupped it with one hand. Her other hand clicked repeatedly before finally getting her thumb alight, the cigarette was lit quickly afterwards.

"Never quite got the hang of it." She thought, before closing her hand around the flame and ending the spell.

She took a single puff and sniffed the air. Through the smoke and pollution, she barely picked up an all too familiar scent; blood. Fresh blood too, nearby as well. She followed her nose, pathing through dense streets and sombre alleyways. She tried moving as directly as she could but that was its own murder. These streets were long and walled, often ending just as quickly as they had started.

She'd often wondered why cities were so labyrinthine. The cattle and shanty towns she grew up alongside were often so much more sensible. You'd walk between buildings if you needed to but otherwise, everything was right there in the mainstreets. It was hard to find-

Another dead end. This one was cut off by a stupidly placed brick wall.

Although.. It didn't lead anywhere and there wasn't anything mounted on it. At least from this side. She stepped back a couple yards and eyed up the jump.

Then, in a blur of movement, She had already jumped halfway up and pushed off again to go the full height. Catching her hands on the top and pulling herself on top of it.

Looking down, she found out why she smelt so much blood, a human was lying in a pool of the stuff. She hopped down and landed with a squelch. Pulling out a notebook as she inspected the area.

“Scratch marks.. small bone fragments everywhere, no leftover hair or fur and yet those marks are big enough for a Lycan to have carved them. Mutant maybe? Chaos either way. Looks like the aftermath of war, not a murder.” She scribbled before her eyes caught something and she turned to the wall before writing more in a very formal cursive.

“Claw marks left a sigil of some kind, bloodsoaked but not carved in blood. Likely made after crime. Not associated with most common cults, religions and demonology.” She then sketched a mimicry of it, only she made sure to swap her pencil for one blessed in antimagic. She wasn't willing to find out it was a highly explosive rune or a tag of some kind.

With the first two pages already filled in with writing and sketches, she flipped the page and crouched beside the body. “Major lacerations- always in sets of 2 or 3. Matches claw marks and likely cause of death. Claws go deeper on victim than wall and sigil.” She pulled out a foldable ruler and measured as many claw marks as she could. “around 18-15 cm deeper”

As she made another measurement, she heard something hard clack against the wooden ruler. Carefully, she poked against it. She checked on the outside and saw a small hole near the upper thigh.

“Hello. That a bullet wound?”

She pressed the ruler against his leg and shaked it. Not too long later, a small shard of brass exited the wound. Picking it up and wiping it, she looked it over.

“Okay. Tiny shard, pokey and… looks like it was designed to break. Hollow point, maybe?” She thought, quickly dotting down what she had just found. With that revelation, she checked the head, or what was left at least. There was no clear sign of a bullet entry, although his face was unrecognisable, several small claw marks and a split head, like a watermelon.

“Cause of death: crushing? Likely against the ground or done with two hands.”

Sari reached to her side and pulled out a pistol-like object. Only bulkier, with a small analogue display and a slit at the side, akin to that of a Polaroid's. Switching her gloves out, she picked up the human’s hands and pointed the tool to each one, making sure to get it palm- facing. It cast a small purple glow which lit up the blood in the process; a blacklight. Flipping a tiny switch on the side turned the purple blue and revealed a different set of information; a magelight.

With it, she went over the crime scene. Carefully making note of every fingerprint and abnormal reading, occasionally printing things out of the side and attaching them into her notes. The immediate floor around the victim showed no other markings. Shining the magelight along the path he had travelled showed three sets of tracks; size 7 dress shoes, size 11 boots and a set of markings she could only attribute to dinosaurs or maybe automa. Looking at the victim's only intact Shoe would show a heavy leather boot.

The wall showed a single shoe-print of the dress shoes on the wall itself and then A few more that continued down the path.

With no more details or fingerprints, she wrote the rest in her book and thought. This path went between two intensely busy streets, she couldn't track the shoeprints. Though. She might have an idea. With a slight nod, she closed her book and put the scanner away.

Gaius descended upon the Ce’Darian wastes of Shadeholme just as a sandstorm was brewing. His instinct for sensing these things was impeccable, an almost sixth sense for natural disasters about to happen. As the storm swept across the wastes, Gaius flew in its midst. Soon it passed by a city at the center near an oasis. Gaius noted it but did not bother to descend. This place felt right. The terrain was appropriate and the valkyries of Shadeholme had invited him as former allies of his father. So a short ways from the center he descended to the earth.

The storm swept on without him, but as it cleared the area it revealed a new mountain towering into the air at the heart of the wastes. Six miles tall and ten in width. Gaius curled up tightly atop the peak, his ever present guards arrayed around him.

Gaius: “Tell me how he died.”

Hydrozeno: “Like a warrior.”

Gaius: “But how? Fighting what?”

Hugo: “He was fighting to bring the power of Gaia back to Earth. He also was giving an opportunity those who wished to travel to Earth’s Embrace but had been imprisoned for simply wanting that.”

Gaius: “So he was doing good like Azrek tells me to do.”

Wyn: “Good and evil did not apply to Lord Atriox. He bound himself to the world and forces of nature. He existed to embody its more destructive aspects of change. He would kill or destroy anything that he felt threatened the long term existence of Earth. He destroyed entire cities or nations if he felt that the need to cut back on the population was necessary. But he would do good as well later once he had the power of Gaia herself. He raised several continents and such. He also would aid friends when he felt like it was needed.”

Marshal: “He stormed several of the world’s most secure locations to save people he deemed friend. He was reliable in that sense. He also was honorable in that he would never torture his foes. He would give a simple death.”

Gaius: “But what about the plagues? Those seemed like they could be painful.”

Hydrozeno: “Oh they were. But the foes of Atriox were the ones who unleashed the initial plague to kill your father. He simply turned their own power back on them. Arguably more effectively than they ever did. When challenging a foe outiside his duties as Calamity he would often bind himself to such rules. He wouldn’t kill if his opponents if they held to the same standard. Likewise he didn’t turn the plagues loose until his foes infected him first.”

Gaius: “So why do people seem to not like my father? He seemed to have a lot of restraints on him to prevent to much destruction for someone who was a Calamity.”

Hugo: “Jealousy, greed, fear. Also the powers that be don’t like anyone they can’t control. They even bend the forces of nature to their whims, even if it is dangerous in the long run.”

Gaius: “But my father altered nature too.”

Wyn: “But he never altered the laws of nature. It is a fine distinction. He might trigger an earthquake but he would do so in a more natural way. He might cause a rock to crack or something similar and trigger it. He wouldn’t use anything that wouldn’t happen naturally. It handicapped him in a way.”

Gaius: “The planet will dry without him won’t it?”

Hugo: “Nost likely. He provided a balance to the artificial magics of the mages of the world. He was a… regulated destroyer.”

Gaius: “Did he enjoy it though?”

Hugo: “Yes. He blamed the other races for a number of things and relished the opportunity to pay them back at any opportunity.”

Gaius: “Should I follow his path?”

Hydrozeno: “Only if you choose. One thing that I always respected about him was he encouraged people to be who they wanted to be. He respected freedom in his own way. He rarely if ever imprisoned another. If you want to be your father’s heir in Calamity that will be your choice.”

Gaius: “Who killed him?”

the guards around Gaius remain silent.

Gaius: “You refuse to tell me what happened exactly.”

Hugo: “When you are older and your power better developed.”

Gaius: “Fine.”

With a sigh, the young dragon curls up tighter against the stone of the mountain peak for comfort and strength. The power of the mountainous form beneath him a steady comfort.

Gaius flew glumly along toward Xalcotl. He wasn’t really looking forward to his lessons. It felt like everyone wanted him there because he was too destructive and to not be like his dad. That was all they cared about. His dad was destructive, you don’t need to be him, oh you overreacted at being shot at for no reason, you are too big. Gaius felt… like a problem. So there he was slowly flying toward the Fortress of Unity. He had none of the elegant grace and energy he usually demonstrated while flying through the storms he loved to bask in. He just plodded on ready for another day of being solved and having his questions dodged.

That was when he crashed into the man hovering in his way. Gaius glanced up in surprise. The man hovered before him in an elegant white outfit accented with black, complete with cloak and hood. To either side two other figures flew. One was a strange elf(?) with green and gold lines embedded in his skin, wearing green and gold, with no shirt and holding a spear and shield made of blue light. The last was a fox, with draconic wings and horns. The man in white spoke.

“You are Gaius son of Atriox. Well met. I am Dan Del Torre and I was hired by your father to be your tutor. These are my associates, Evermemory, who was a friend of your father, and Firnex, who served with your father during the D.R.A.C.O. siege of the Council lands. They will be assisting me with your education.”

Gaius sighed, “More lessons on how to not break stuff? Great…”

Dan raised an eyebrow. “Hardly I will be teaching you general magic, I also am a passable geomancer having maintained an evershifting maze for several millennia. Evermemory will be teaching you History. History that is taken directly from your father’s memories. As for Firnex…”

Firnex beamed. “I’m going to teach you how to break stuff a lot! Also put it back together. Also dragon heritage stuff, the kinds of things non dragons just wouldn’t get.”

Gaius blinked as he proccessed the information thrown at him. “Wait what? My dad hired you? But he’s dead.”

Evermemory chuckled. “Naturally, he would have arranged for someone to keep an eye on you. Atriox was very protective of those he considered friends and family. He asked us to teach you in the event he couldn’t. In exchange, he shared with us all his memories and magical secrets.”

Gaius perked up. “Then you can tell me about him?”

Dan nodded, “Of course. We know his strengths, his weaknesses, hopes, regrets. He gave us everything.”

Gaius started to get excited then put a pause to the emotion. “What do I have to do to get it? Learn to get a coin or something? Shapeshift?”

Firnex snorted. “What kind of moron teaches a lesson than a month old dragon how to change their shape? That’s an older dragon technique and will severely stunt a dragon’s growth if taught too early.”

Gaius felt a small wave of relief. “Then what will be doing?”

Dan gave a smile. “First we will relocate to an environment that will make you feel more relaxed. I understand you like sandstorms? Yes? Good. We will go find one and have our lesson there. We will start by telling you about the time Atriox fought Koranth’s armies and forced the to withdraw. I will explain the techniques he used and then Firnex will take you inside the memory using his and Evermemory’s iMagi Orb. This will let you take the place of your father in the memory and practice using the full extent of your powers safely. Inside the memory it won’t matter if you break things because it will just be reset. Very useful. Let’s be off!”

That was how Gaius found himself following the three off into a storm, where he got to see memories of his father fighting, then break a lot of stuff. That day he learned several things. First, his geomancy was really bad compared to his dad’s. Second his dad was vicious when fighting, more so than Gaius liked to be. Third, breaking stuff properly was really hard and fun.

That was also the day that Evermemory’s long term goal started becoming a reality.

Koranth sits in her laboratory, all alone.

Back in Avirion, there were lavish feasts. Hundreds of people came to the palace to celebrate Christmas with the prince.

But those days were long gone.

For years now, she had been all alone. She could make do. She uses light magic to create bright Christmas lights. She casts a spell using what little nature magic she knows to quickly grow a Christmas tree.

Her ice magic was both the most powerful and the most useful. She creates beautiful sculptures of ice all around.

Eventually, the turkey finishes cooking, and she sits down to eat. All alone.

She sheds a single tear, remembering what once was.

It is 18:30 Council Time. You've enjoyed the day, or just arrived to the Union, just in time for the display of the Celestial Union's new technology.

The Radio Office is narrating the ceremony and explaining a little about each of the new Lateran war machines.

<< Welcome to the New Equipment Display! Most of it will take place outside the Union, so simply look out of any windows. >>

In front of the window is the CUS Altera, the new Celestial Fleet supercarrier, coming straight from the front lines against the Hordes of Chaos.

Altera-class Supercarrier, CUS Altera.

<< The CUS Altera is the largest carrier spacecraft ever built by the Celestial Union. It measures an impressive 25,000 meters from bow to stern and can easily keep up with our Battleships in both size and combat capabilities. The carrier is equipped with 2,000 remote-controlled Strike Craft, several large artillery positions, two orbital lasers and even a railgun capable of firing anything from scrap metal to a nuclear bomb over a large distance. The whole ship is powered by two 1.5kg Originium Power Plants and a 1kg Originium Mana Generator for the magic shields. Its crew consists of 4,000 soldiers under the direct command of its Admiral and designer, Shura. The Altera has replaced the old CUS Cerberus shortly after the Astral Express returned to us. Like all Celestial Fleet ships, it was built by Icarus Armories. >>

--

Next, the Astral Express itself passes by the Union.

The Astral Express. Not really new, but a relic of the Celestial Union's past.

<< The Astral Express is the largest and most luxurious civilian spacecraft operated by a Lateran company. Specifically, the Express is owned by the Silver Rail Company which used to operate many ships of similar luxury, though none could truly compare to the Express. It's modeled after the train that was used by the Lateran explorers in the science fiction novel "The Silver Rail" and was built in 1095 by Silver Rail Industries, the Silver Rail Company's construction and maintenance branch. When the SANKTA Uprising started in 1117, the Express went MIA for over a hundred years and recently returned to us. Now, it serves as both a vacation spot or cruise ship and a navigation satellite for the Celestial Union. If you want to take a short trip on the Express later, it will stick around for a while. >>

--

Last on the list seems to be something on the planet... The Union drops into the atmosphere somewhere in a desert. This is where the Union Hangar is located, the massive underground facility where the Union was constructed and launched just a few months ago.

The Hangar, which was thought to be abandoned, opens and the floor is raised. On it are three large land vehicles.

Rhodes Island-class Landship, Siracusa.

<< Finally, we have an all-new creation by Icarus Amories in collaboration with the Rim Mining Industry Association and HyperGryph Heavy Industries: Landships. The Landship Program was already proposed during the Pre-Fall Era, but put on hold when the SANKTA Uprising began. Now, Icarus and associates have restarted it in the old Union Hangar. The Lateran Landship Fleet currently consists of three nearly identical vehicles: Siracusa, Usicia and Lushou. Each of them is equipped with long-range artillery and several hangars for VTOL aircraft. Additionally, they serve as mobile logistics bases, command centers and field hospitals. Transport Craft can land on a Landship's roof to unload cargo or passengers. They can transport military or political personnel over long distances without needing to take to the air, provide anti-air coverage and even serve as early warning systems for natural disasters. They're fully self-sufficient thanks to RMIA mining equipment installed in the vehicle. HGHI is responsible for the development of the original Rhodes Island prototype Landship and provided the materials as well as the interiors. Icarus produced the Landship hulls and the VTOL aircraft. Each Landship is 800 meters long and has a crew of 300-400, but can sustain up to 15,000 passengers on its own if necessary. >>

/uw i may be half an hour late, oops

sources: Altera (Mothership by Bruce Yu), The Express (Honkai: Star Rail official artwork), Siracusa (Rhodes Island Landship by FR0S7)

Azrek has invited you to the fortress of unity- that was the letter. this was for a diplomatic exchange, as well as just the general crisis.

Upon arriving at xalcotl, you notice it is still in ashes, but people are coming back to it. it has nowhere near the population it had before, but it is slowly rebuilding. there is a small path leading to the fortress- you could've sworn it wasn't there before. but the jungles of xalcotl are a strange place. things are only found if they want to be found, or if you have strong enough of a will to pierce through the spiritual shrouds.

You follow the path to the fortress. you reach a lake, with an island in the center where the fortress sits. despite the water being very deep, you can walk on it like it were a solid surface. Upon actually reaching the fortress, you sit down in a sunlit room, the structure being designed perfectly so that the full room is lit. Azrek sits on the end of a massive table, shaped like a diamond. you take your seat next to the other guests. azrek speaks-

AZREK- "My friends, and maybe my enemies, I have invited you here today for a purpose. we are to discuss the calamity that has befallen starstrike city and xalcotl as a whole. a calamity that has left thousands of innocents dead. this is the deed of two people- Obsidian-Reveals-Flame, and Nova-Burns-Brightly. they are the ones that razed starstrike to the ground and slaughtered it's residents."

AZREK- "Before we do that, we need to talk about what this conflict is about. it's not about EON, or the cabal, or the council, or any other faction. this isn't about faith, or territory, or wealth. we need to put all those aside. this is about having the people of the realms live another day- to save our siblings, parents, friends, and children. put all the old grudges aside. they do not matter at this moment."

AZREK- "Now for the real talk. Obsidian and Nova are... uh... um... uh..."

Azrek seems to be panicking a bit. he looks very, very stressed.

AZREK- "They come from... from... uh..."

he starts to kind of cry. he runs into his room. another astromancer, Comet-Soars-Eternal, takes his place

COMET- "Pleasure to meet you all. I'm Comet-soars-eternal, and a fellow astromancer of xalcotl. Genesis-through-focus, or azrek for the uninitiated, clearly is uncomfortable about this subject, so I'll explain it. Obsidian and Nova were originally dissasociative personalities that he built up to distance himself from violence and other atrocities, but due to mental and spiritual instability, they escaped. Nova-burns-brightly is the muscular one with the red markings. he carries an axe, feels no pain or pity, and is hyper-violent. his abilities include sun magic, pyromancy, and enhanced physical capabilities. his deadliest power is to essentially activate his opponents rage and baser instincts if he hits them with his flame chains, making them fight without caution. his axe turns anyone slain by it into ash, which he can consume to increase his powers. Obsidian-Reveals-Flame is the slender one with purple markings. he's a manipulative sadist who will exploit any crack in your psyche or past trauma. he uses darkstar astromancy, shadow magic, and illusion. his cursed obsidian dagger, should one be pierced by it, allows him to create a clone of whoever was stabbed, but this clone is effectively all the worst traits about a person dialed up to 11. clones look like the original, but should they be wounded or found out, various features reveal themselves- such as patches of black scales, reptilian eyes, purple markings, or stuff like that. the clones are independent, but are loyal to him."

COMET- "Well, I can hear Genesis crying from here. You should probably check in on him."

Should you decide to check in on him, you see azrek lying on his bed, crying his eyes out, and squeezing a particularly large stuffed animal of a raptor.

AZREK- "I-It's all my damn fault! I couldn't keep myself to-together! and now people are dying! I'm a fucking fa-failure..."

Do you decide to help him or stay at the table?

I am known to the planes by names uncountable, unspeakable, and unknowable, here I have been called "Bone Pharaoh", so that name will do for you, my students.

As an Arcanist, and a scribe I have have a mastery of the schools of magic. This has had the old imperial title of Archwizard. The spells in my books are older than most in this day and age and have the propper names for spells with direct proper references to the 1st or 2nd edition copies of those ancient tomes.

For the elite students that want to learn from me, a few of the scrolls in my collection are 10th and 11th level transcendent magic for those that can see beyond the bounds of mortal magic. If you can cast such spells you can try to learn what goes into casting them, but be warned that few are willing to pay the cost that comes with them.

Now take a seat and a quill I will lecture and take questions as needed. Assignments will be graded by chance of survival when casting the spell you you inscribe. Good luck!

Attrius moved back and forth in his tower, thing of how to get his estate here, and just decides to pinpoint and teleport it, since there's nothing else he can do at this time. While he waits for the teleportation to get done, he starts thinking of how to use the space for his estate effectively, since it is large to a fault. It's effectively as wide as his tower is tall, with around triple the space.

He starts drafting schematics, muttering to himself to keep the measurements in his head. Sometimes he dilates time to plan it effectively, and writing it down when he's done. He'll do the next step when his estate gets here. He takes his time to look over the inventions ready for sale, making sure that they aren't malfunctioning or anything of the sort, and checks them off when he sees they're fine.

And finally, the estate appears, already connected to his tower by the Archives. Although, the sheer amount of mana it takes to teleport his entire estate, and somehow the servants almost knocks him out for a week. But he holds on, not quite done yet. He still needs to coordinate the servants that are left, even if they're generations after the ones he's used to. So, he leaves for his estate.

"Everyone," he claps to get their attention "for those who don't know me, my name is Alvin Cer Attrius. And for those who do, yes, I'm still alive. And yes, I look the same from my portrait when I was 20. We are somewhere new. At least, you are. I've been here for around a hundred or so years. So do take kindly to the people that visit here. They are either much more influential or power than I am currently."

"Now, if you all get that, please nod your head. I don't want to hear any talking while I work. Just know, that the estate will have use of the auction house from now on. If you all have questions, leave them for the person I will bring here. She will tell you all you need to know." And then he instructed the servants on what to do, making sure they do it perfectly. It's quite a habit that he's glad to have picked up, since assassinations can be commonplace nowadays.

He turns to leave. "Butler, with me. I will you show all that you need to know, so you can do it with conviction and certainty. You will work on the finances while I work on what is needed for the auction itself. Got it?" Alexander, the butler, nodded. His father had seen Attrius when he was a child, so he knew his temper very well. Anyway, they arrive at his tower and go in, Attrius registering Alexander and the other main servants. He doesn't want them dying on him, after all.

So, Alexander begins to work while Attrius writes a letter to Masta about the current situation and asks for her to come over. He also writes; 'Bring whoever you think is fit. I'll take all the help I can get.' He sends it to her, and starts ironing out the rough parts of the schematics to send to his servants. They work quite fast.

And finally, after a few days, the auction house and the entire is done, and he looks quite proud of it.

/uw The first image is his estate, and the second image is his tower. He modeled his tower after his estate.

Noella was wandering one of the towns she hadn’t turned yet, and thinking, when she saw a kid who looked like he was sick of a disease she recognized. It could be fatal, if someone didn’t intervene. Noella quickly pulled out a vial of venom she was carrying with her, and snuck it into the kid’s pocket. Just in case, she labeled it, so he’d know what it was for. Satisfied that the kid would be made immune to all disease save for diseases of magical or divine origin, she moved away, even as she felt the dagger at her side move, making noise to alert the citizens of her presence.

/uw For context on the dagger, see here. Kid is about ten, and can still be saved, if it wasn’t clear.

The day was like any other Sparrow had spent with the kid; he would wake up, do PT eat breakfast and wonder about the ship before ultimately making her way to Sparrow's hanger so that hel could begin his lessons.

One minute and 27 seconds was the new record of time for Mary's weapon drill a full two seconds shorter than the ones he did when he was her age…

When he was her age.

The thought lingered and Sparrow's mind for a bit twisting about in a knot of forlorn sadness. He never really had the choice to not be a soldier it was all he knew and all that he could teach. But he wanted her to be freer than he was, to live better than he did. He wanted to give Mary the option to not be a soldier and teaching her that was something he couldn't do. After a few hours training and a break for lunch Sparrow dismissed Mary so that she could enjoy the recreational facilities on the Azelelion.

Perhaps it was time for her to go to school Sparrow thought to himself. There was an academy in Rathara. But he couldn't guarantee her safety in a dangerous frontier land. Maybe PSALM Sparrow had never met sigurd and thus had no idea about his trustworthiness. Sparrow looked around the room lost in thought before his eyes caught something Kardonks workstation. The man seemed trustworthy enough although ithacar was a little primitive but it was probably the safe bet.

Sparrow lets out a long sigh before opening a com link directly to the CEO.

“I want to put Mary through school in ithacar”

“Sure why not”came the reply from the other end

“Do we have to do this song and dance every time where you say no and I threaten to-who the f*** is this.

“Francis dubois your chief operations officer and HR head and current acting CEO while they are away”

“Right HR…’

HR was more for the civilian employees of black Iron rather than it's mercenaries Sparrow didn't have much interaction with them.

“I assume they'll have a security escort’

‘Yes Sparrow I shall ensure their safety is the best of my ability”

This was going too well. Sparrow wished he still had arms to pinch himself.

“Well uh that's all I was going to ask Sparrow cut the comlink abruptly.

2 Days later

“Okay now I'm sure they're f****** with us. Firstly send us to some f****** carnival and now we're supposed to take some finance brat to school”

First let her frustration be known as squadron D's barracuda flew through the air towards the destination.

“My apologies for any offense lady first but that carnival job did turn out to be fairly important. Jez adjusted their hat and zeroed in their scope as they spoke.

“It pays surprisingly well and we are as some people say “in the red” due to only getting half forming the Shadeholme job”

“I heard ithacar has some pretty nice beaches think of it as a vacation think speaking of vacation flights we are almost there”

Straightman said as they returned their attention to flying.

“Holy s***!”

None of squad D had the seen let alone set foot on black irons sky fortress. The Azelelions 19 km long form lingered below the clouds like a giant circling shark. Straight man brought the craft down breaking through the cloud lair and toggled the barracudas radio.

<<This is barracuda dc10a requesting landing permissions>>

“Things almost as big as the Cerberus” Brick commented.

“More well-armed by the looks of it”

Milk said staring the guns and ballistic missile silos built into the craft a collection of battleship sized gun batteries capped off with a massive 3 m caliber guns arranged in a dual stacks of four.

<<Landing permissions granted land at runway 2 pad 14>>

Runway was a bit of an understatement airfield would be a more accurate term.

“All right kid you know the rules check in at 1500. Be wary of those outside of your unit. If things feel dangerous let your unit know…and most importantly have fun at school kid” Sparrow was excited to say the last part and though the X5 and he was incapable of smiling happiness shown through his eyes nonetheless.

Mary nodded in acknowledgment she was both scared and excited at the same time but she had been to Ithaca before and enjoyed her time there.

L-O-V-E

Y-O-U

P-A-P-A

Mary Drew out the words with her pointer finger.

Papa that was something no one had ever called Sparrow before.

“love You to kid”

“Well let's get this over with” first slams her fist into the button to open the barracudas rear ramp door with slides down with a hydraulic wine. She blinked as the light from the outside hit her eyes. Then she saw them.

Gene forged,r Firsts tail straightened with fear as she saw district 2 existed as hushed whispers in the minds of those who grew up in the iron chain especially those who lived in central. Terrible tales of nightmare beasts and strange disappearances filtered through Firsts mind.

[You have guardianship of the psycho stabilizer strategic priority absolute]

The psychic needle cut through her mind like a hot knife sliding through butter.

“Don't worry we'll get her done”

Right let's see the corporate brat first thought to herself though she's suspected it was probably more of a science experiment.

Mary poked her head out from behind the Gene forged monstrosity before being gently shoved forward by it towards the transport; she took a few tentative steps before looking back and finally summoning up the courage to walk the rest of the way there.

“Hey kiddo what's your name.” First ask her tail wagging with happiness. As she closed the ramp and let Brick usher her to her seat.

“Like paper,” Milk commented.

First shot them a glare that could freeze the heart of a greatwyrm and for the first time in there 4 years alive felt true fear

“I want to apologize”

The flight to Ithacar was uneventful; a communiqué had been sent to the office of the pretor and royal family with the request which had been granted.

The flack guns still made Straightman nervous so he elected to land outside of the city Gates. Straight man this time went to the Orb unit built inside of the cockpit console.

“This is black Iron barracuda dc10a requesting landing clearance outside of the city”

Straightman brought the barracuda and a hover and awaited the reply.

The palace of Shadeholme is still in ruins and being repaired. While the throne room is usable, most agree not to even enter it let alone use it for anything right now.

Due to this factor, the regency council of the empire has decided to meet on the flagship of the sky fleet. The same ship used by Sylvane while in exile. It’s not ideal, but as of the moment it’s the best that they can use. Beyond that, it’s useful as a mobile command base for the empire to ensure everything is getting taken care of.

Kanthar stands at the table’s head. He holds a stack of papers.

“Let’s just get this over with so we can move on with our day. I have a list of issues and we’ll go over them in increasing levels of importance. First off we have the new treaties signed with the celestial union and the iron chain. The union has agreed to provide aid relief in exchange for us ceasing all hostilities against them or EON. We negotiated that it would be temporary due to our lack of ability to sign perpetual treaties as a regency council. We also have the iron chain which was…much less kind…”

He seems angry as he reads it.

“They had a list of demands such as no longer messing with their access to sunlight. Due to that if we ever repair the Well it will have to have significantly reduced power.”

Lana, a Valkyrie with blue hair and a lab coat jumps up from her seat. She seems to speak in a panicked tone, but more out of disappointment than fear.

“Wait! The Well is a marvelous piece of magitech! We can’t squander its potential!”

Kanthar rolls his eyes.

“They were pissed. It was either that or they demanded the head scientist gets their mind wiped.”

He looks directly at Lana, who sits down with a blank stare out of fear. The other members of the regency council, all being Valkyries themselves and thus Lana’s sisters, look furious. Even Valarie who’s normally level headed looks pissed. Tianna is the first to speak out.

“How dare they?! Such an insult cannot be allowed to-“

Kanthar, who’s gotten used to dealing with Tianna’s outbursts, cuts her off before things get out of hands.

“And that’s why I already agreed to the changes to the Well if it ever is repaired. There’s no risk to ms. Lana’s safety.”

He goes back to the papers.

“They also demanded 20 million silver in reparations for the whole incident, which I negotiated to be paid in installments once the economy is able to stabilize. I’ve bought us time on that, but that’s about it. They also demand government reform, which isn’t that problematic since that’s our job as a regency council in the first place.”

He turns to the next page.

“Next on the agenda is the matter of government reform. I’ll cut to the point, we don’t have much legitimacy. Sylvane did due to being a god and being pretty popular in the core empire, but he’s gone now. Valarie’s previous regency had legitimacy from Sylvane since she had his crown, but that’s not an option due to it being in pieces and who knows where. Parts of the empire are close to revolt due to this, and one of our colonies is already in a rebellion. This issue makes it so whatever government we make they will inherent that same problem. The official government cannot gain legitimacy from us. Because of this I would like to propose an elected form of government.”

The Valkyries a look at him with expressions that show concern or annoyance. Not even Valarie seems all that convinced, and she makes it known.

“…is that really such a good idea? There’s a lot of shades in the empire and they’re all pretty dumb…I’m pretty sure I’ve watched them let Hirk walk through a front gate during a siege because he said he had an appointment.”

Lana looks nervous, and Tianna looks angry at the mere suggestion.

“Most of the subjects of the empire have no respect for Shadeholme’s values or interests! It would be stupid to give them a voice in government!”

Nicole, who’s been silent the entire meeting and looks tired, adds in her own support.

“Well…it’s not a bad idea. It does solve the legitimacy problems and it could improve relations with other democratic nations…”

Tianna looks at Nicole dumbfounded.

“And since when do I care what those pansies think?”

Kanthar sighs in annoyance.

“Look at it this way, we will have full reign over the constitution created, and will have absolute authority until after the first election. We can mitigate the risks. We won’t discuss this further until we have an actual meeting about it. All in favor of a republic?”

Kanthar and Nicole, who are normally opposed to each other, both raise their hands. After some hesitation so does Valarie.

“That’s a majority. We’ll deal with it later. Now for our final matter to address. As of the present we are completely diplomatically isolated. We have aid coming in, but we have no allies. Our primary allies in the past was the Cabal, but since the only connection to them was that Sylvane was a member, we are officially unaligned in the world. While as a regency council we can’t form an alliance outside of emergencies we need to keep options available. Any suggestions?”

Valarie is the first to speak.

“I don’t see why we can’t work with the Cabal still. Friendly relations would keep the Eukarya colony safe since that entire continent is in the Cabal’s control…and also Erik’s…Besides, I’m sure they’d be willing to continue working with us.”

Tianna practically jumps out of her seat in anger.

“The Cabal?! Are you serious?! Did you forget that it was the Necrodancer’s pet that destroyed most of Shadeholme during the attack?! Or that he helped kill Sylvane?! The Cabal has never helped us once besides handing a colony to us and agreeing to remain neutral during the shadow dragon incident! And then the Necrodancer destroyed half of Shadeholme with a bone wyrm! That idea is idiotic!”

Nicole clears her throat to get attention.

“I hate to say it, but I’m with Tianna on this one. They aren’t exactly…trustworthy…or helpful…”

Lana jumps up excitedly with a sad expression and panicked tone.

“That’s not true! They were our main supply of moonstones before the Eukarya colony was established! They have also been our biggest supplier of resources while dad was a member!”

Kanthar pauses to think for a second.

“Valarie does bring up a good point about the colony situation. We border several Cabal members in Eukarya and the security of that colony is vital to our security.”

The arguments continue for a while with little actual progress being made.

—————————

In a place with clouds and floating islands, a man wearing a crown with golden draconic horns. He stands alone on an island floating in the sky.

The island is small, with only a small pond and a blossoming tree. At the tree’s base sits two grave stones. One that looks recent, and one that looks ancient. The man places a black rose on the newer grave and bows his head in silence.

Gaius squared off against his opponent. Today he was practicing hand to hand combat and had been instructed to keep magic use to a minimal amount of body enhancement magic. In front of him stood Hydrozeno. The former Poisonbearer paladin wore light armor, carried a shield and a his unusual looking sword.

With a growl Gaius swept forward gracefully through the air, his enhanced speed and strength letting him cross the distance in a moment and his head snapped forward impossibly fast to bite gently at the strange elf’s back. To his shock, Gaius’ face plowed into Hydrozeno’s shield. Hydrozeno had moved quickly but not any more so than an unusually well trained warrior. Hissing in frustration, Gaius struck again. Once more the shield barely kept his fangs at bay as if Hydrozeno knew exactly when and where to block.

Gaius hissed “I thought you couldn’t use divination magic.”

Hydrozeno bared his own sharpened teeth in a savage grin. “No magic young dragon. Just two and a half millennia as a mercenary allowing me to anticipate my opponent’s moves.”

Gaius paused his assault “So no divination?”

Hydrozeno pushed his own assault and somehow landed a pair of strikes on Gaius, the sword leaving small ice crystals. “Divination is not particularly useful against a clever fighter.”

Gaius tried to claw at Hydrozeno and failed. His arms were too short. “How does that work? Shouldn’t they just predict your movements?”

Hydrozeno used the opening the failed claw attack provided to land a tiny slice across Gaius’ forehead, blood dripping down into the young dragon’s eye and obscuring his vision. “Except my action is to respond to my opponent. If they act to what they see, I will in turn see what they are about to do and will change my own response, causing their divination to show multiple possibilities, and eventually a feedback loop forms leaving them with too many possible outcomes.”

Gaius pulled back to height and layered more enhancement magic on himself. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Hydrozeno crouched behind his shield bracing for the charge. “A girl named Vin figured it out. I just stole her technique.”

Gaius launched himself forward even faster than before and this time his speed and bulk battered the shield aside and tore off Hydrozeno’s left arm. “Oh shoot! I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to- what the?! Ouch!”

Hydrozeno had lost his arm but swung in that moment to inflict a hideous wound on Gaius’ side. It wasn’t fatal, but it was painful and an inch or two further would have severed a crucial artery. “Never assume your opponent is out of action.”

Gaius moaned and slowly retreated to height. “But your arm it’s-“

Hydrozeno grinned and retrieved the shield he had lost with his arm. He used his left arm. The one Gaius had severed. “I have Hydrablood remember? Regeneration is kind of my thing, even before the Orders. The wizards who did that to me were insane, but it has its advantages.”

Gaius looked at his wounds. Then at the perfectly healthy Hydrablood. “I lost this already didn’t I?”

Hydrozeno shrugged. “My plague powers don’t work anymore but I still get the enhanced endurance my Order possessed. Between that and my regeneration I would simply wear you out until you bled to death.”

Gaius sagged. “I would win if I could use my magic.”

Hydrozeno shrugged. “Probably. But you won’t win with your current style. Stop trying to rely on your claws. Your arms are too short. You are a serpentine dragon. You should have tried coiling around me to restrict my movement and crush me.”

Gaius frowned. “My dad didn’t ever do that.”

Hydrozeno rolled his eyes. “He had a different body type.”

Gaius hesitated. “Did you… think my dad was as evil as people say?”

Hydrozeno shrugged again. “Not really. He was more a force of nature in my eyes than evil. He kept a certain balance. Inconvenient at times but necessary.”

Gaius uncoiled himself. “So you like him?”

Hydrozeno shrugged… again. “I didn’t have an opinion. I joined after he went to sleep. My only other encounters with him were 250 years ago and 1100 years ago when he destroyed the town where I was staying and slaughtered an army I was contracted with.”

Gaius looked intrigued. “How did you survive?”

Hydrozeno predictably shrugged again. “Regeneration.”

Gaius eyes him. “You are kind of boring at telling stories.”

Hydrozeno… shrugged… again. “Sorry about that. I do enough to get the job done.”

Gaius flew off. “I am going to get some healing from the wallbreakers.”

Hydrozeno shrugged and wandered off to meet Evermemory for lunch much to the joy of the restaurant owners. Those two could empty entire kitchens.

/uw Sorry if this felt a bit boring. I wanted to flesh out Hydrozeno a bit and found something very intriguing. He’s too normal except for his regeneration and I couldn’t figure out what else to do but this.

🤷‍♂️

Then you notice a very purple hand limp on the floor, just peeking past the end of the desk.

The shopkeep's fucking dead.

The whole room smells like ash. A fireball spell must've gone wrong.

Still, the shopkeep's fucking dead. It was very recent too, as it was still warm.. You wonder what to do next.

For as long as anyone can remember the Temple of De’shan has stood as a waypoint in the tower wise featureless dunes of De’shan. Built of massive sandstone pillars and slabs it is visually impressive. Structurally, however, it is a mess. The pillars are free standing, their bases held in place by sheer weight, the same as the slabs that rest on them. The foundation is shallow and practically floating on the surface of the dunes. The only thing that is keeping it intact is the fading power of the god interred here. De’shan was a minor god of earth, and according to legend had raised the pillars himself, carving each by hand over a thousand years. Ajax has his doubts about this. What few gods he has met lack the focus for such a task. Plus he has done the same sort of thing in far less time.

He ushers the monks behind the shield, watching them smirk and joke amongst themselves. With their god dead and their numbers growing they had contracted him to build a bigger temple in into inter De’shans remains. His initial recommendation of a change of design had been laughed off.

Their hubris, however, has worked to his benefit. They have agreed to a wager. If he can find a wyrmling that could tear it down in under a day they will take his advice on a more… sturdy design. Pay will be doubled if it could be done with a single sandstorm.

He nods to the kobolds who activate the warding emplacements. The barriers will shield the monks from the storm while allowing them clear vision. With all safety measures in place he activates the small personal radio he gave to Gaius.

“You’re up kid. Show em what you’ve got.”

Gaius flies into the distance and then begins to Dragon Dance in the air, his form contorting in the wind. As he moves small trickles of sand begin to follow him. Faster and faster the young dragon begins to move his Geomancy connecting with and raising his magic and speed while his dance increases his damage and speed. Soon a massive swirling sand storm begins to form and then Gaius lets loose his Noble Roar and charges forward. The Sandsear Storm comes roiling in behind him in a wave of dust and heat. The overwhelming heat causes the stone of the temple to crack and the sand and winds begin to tear the cracking stone away piece by piece. Then the top layers of sand around the building are blown away revealing the very foundation of the temple and it too begins to crack. With that the building crumbles and the stonework is swept away in booming crashes with the storm. A minute later Gaius and the storm are but smudges on the horizon leaving nothing but smooth sand behind them.

Ajax walks over to the head monk, slapping the gawking man on the shoulder.

“So…” he says, “about my recommendations..”

Many hunters had tried... And many hunters had failed. Only one had managed to best Talios... His good friend and rival, Mokarith no less. The score was now 0-1, their first battle having ended in a draw...

None of Talios's fights were easy persay, though... He had been forced to adapt to his opponents time and time again, varying skillsets making for a brand new challenge each time...

All this battle, these threats... Talios had missed it. It was a thrill he had been longing for, having reached it's peak near the end of his loss against Mokarith...

Yet, unbeknownst to all... Deep within the Dynast Realm, hundreds upon thousands of meters beneath the ground...

Where Chaos's prison lies...

A plot had been hatched.

Making use of an old Sending Spell Chaos had learned to mimic, thanks to a single Dr. Larry Palmer... Chaos modified it, using Change to better suit her goal.

All she had to do was wait. 24/7, Chaos would be using Sending spell after Sending spell... She was hoping to strike a very particular type of person.

The hopeless kind. The kind easily manipulated by what could be considered "divine" contact.

Neither Ash nor Talios had predicted Chaos being able to use magic in this form, and thus hadn't thought to make any magic wards or the like... Not like they really could.

It would take 23 days, 2 hours and 34 seconds for Chaos to get a response worth noting. And that was when she knew... She had found her victim.

She continued to speak to them, acting as a benevolent god, sealed away by an evil deity walking amongst humans. It was all too easy to fool the man she had found. She got him to start a small cult in short order.

In the shadows, the cult grew. Worshipping the one of Chaos, and condemning the so-called "Obscured One" who banished her.

Human minds were so fragile... So... Malleable. Chaos found it cute.

She created a narrative for these pathetic followers to listen to... The Obscured One was once under her command, but he grew rebellious and turned into a sinner... Her closest ally, turned against her as she called it. A cruel betrayal that a fair maiden like her did not deserve... The narrative wasn't entirely untrue, to be fair. Merely biased.

It did not take long for their religious fervor to become blinding.

And it was at that point that Chaos told them how they could do the ultimate service to her, of returning the Obscured One to her.

She ordered them to forge a dagger that could force the Obscured One to return to his primal form. She told them this was necessary to regain control over the Obscured One... They listened to her instructions without an inch of doubt.

Then... The time came to strike.

.............................................

Talios is making his way towards the town bounty board today, aiming to pick up a few bounties of his own to take care of... When he feels it.

Follower. No... Followers.

He's being tailed.

Talios remains calm. Looks like he hadn't scared off all the hunters yet.

He continues on his original path... But doesn't stop at the bounty board. He walks straight past, continuing onwards.

He continues straight to the exit of town. The assailants continue to follow.

Two, three... Five? Maybe more. Probably a coordinated group.

Could be difficult.

Talios heads into the forest nearby... And it's at this point that he gets down to business. He dashes away, through the trees. The hunters begin to sprint after him, but quickly lose sight of Talios as he leaps up onto a tree, having moved with incredible speed.

"He can't be far! Find Obscurity!"

Obscurity..?

Do they know what he is? Who are these people...

The hunters stay relatively close to eachother as they begin searching through the forest. He won't be able to silently take them all down...

But he'll be able to get the jump on at least one.

So Talios waits... Waits... Waits...

Now!

Talios leaps from his hiding spot on the tree, pouncing onto one of the hunters like a beast. He slams the palm of his right into the neck of the hunter, the hidden blade in the wrist thrusting out and stabbing into the neck.

One down. Four... No. There was more he missed, damn it!

There's... Six of them still alive.

And they've certainly taken notice of Talios now.

"There he is! Get him!"

Two of them immediately charge for Talios, the others slightly unnerved by the death of their comrade.

One hunter, approaching from behind, aims a stab at the back of Talios's neck. The other, a slash at Talios's torso in front.

Talios quickly ducks his head to the side, avoiding the stab. He grabs the wrist of the attacker, flipping them over his back and using them as a meatshield to block the slash... Afterwards, Talios tosses the hunter to the side, summoning the Epitome of Emotion to his hand and quickly cleaving the other one in two.

Four left.

Three of them charge at Talios now, the last still staying back... Seemingly charging something.

One on each side of Talios. One in front.

《Speed》

Talios charges for the one in front, closing the distance and grabbing his face before he can react, slamming him to the ground.

《Imbue: Chaos》

As he grabs hold of the hunter, Talios imbues their body with a fraction of chaos. He lifts them up, turning to the two still approaching. Talios tosses the lifeless hunter he holds towards them...

《Chaos Swap》

Swapping positions with the body before it hits the two hunters though, stabbing one through the gut and lifting them over his head, throwing them away. The final approaching hunter attempts a wild slash, but Talios parries and counterattacks with precision... Talios noticed that the imbue was unecessary on the hunter he had grabbed, as they'd... Already been imbued before? But that should be impossible.

He shakes his head. Focus.

One left.

"F-FIREBALL!"

"BEGONE OBSCURED ONE!"

A fireball is launched at Talios by the final hunter... But it's weak. Talios raises his left hand to the fireball, grabbing it and dispelling it with his anti-magic...

Then, Talios dashes forward with a left handed gut punch, lifting the hunter in the air with the momentum. Talios subsequently grabs the hunter by the neck and throws him at a tree, knocking him out cold.

None left.

Talios sighs... A group of weak people is still ultimately, a weak group.

Although...

Talios approaches one of them. Deep crimson robes, with erratic, seemingly random lines of black running through them. Talios picks up one of their blades... An undulating dagger.

Cultists? Did he amass some sort of following by becoming the Dynast Of Obscurity?

No, that can't be. They wouldn't have tried to kill him then, would they?

But they knew what he was... Something is wrong here.

On top of all that... The dagger appears to be imbued with some kind of magic, a purple glow surrounding the undulating blade.

Talios drops the knife, not wanting to disturb it further... He stands, preparing to leave.

Until he feels a blade slip through an opening in his armor, underneath the armpit from behind.

Shit. He let his guard down!

The hunter's form flickers into view, the invisibility wearing off. So there were eight in total?

"Got you... Obscurity."

"Release your true form... Become the object you always once were."

"For her."

Talios feels something surge within himself. He swiftly yanks the dagger out, spinning on a dime with an immensely powerful back knuckle strike, sending the hunter flying away.

《Manifest Obscurity: Humanity》

《Mode Five》

Talios feels as though a small piece of himself is eaten away at. But he also feels... Stronger.

Talios pushes past this feeling as he tries to make his way out of the forest... He feels... Dazed. Confused...

《Manifest Obscurity: Humanity》

《Mode Four》

Black energy surrounds Talios's hands, turning into gauntlets of Obscurity energy. More of himself is eaten away.

He grows physically stronger... Larger.

He keeps trying to walk... But he stumbles to his knees.

《Manifest Obscurity: Humanity》

《Mode Three》

The gauntlets extend all the way up his arms now, to the shoulders. His legs become engulfed in the energy as well.

Talios staggers to his feet. He's physically grown again.

He slams his fist into a tree in an attempt to hold himself upright... The tree shakes from the immense power.

"Not... Like this..."

《Manifest Obscurity: Humanity》

《Mode Two》

The Obscurity extends to his chest.

Talios slumps down once more. He's grown noticeably larger from his original size now... Talios attempts to crawl his way out of the forest.

"No... No no..."

《Manifest Obscurity: Humanity》

《Mode One》

The Obscurity begins to creep up his neck... Up his head...

Talios wants to scream. But he no longer can.

He slumps prone now. He feels so... Drained. So... Tired.

"N-Nagisa..."

He reaches out... Trying to grasp at anything... Anything.

But... It'd be so easy to just... Disappear...

The Obscurity consumes the entirety of Talios's head.

《Mode》

《Zero》

And the Dynast Of Obscurity disappears without a trace.

in an unusual turn of events a massive blizzard has appeared from seemingly nowhere overnight despite the predictions from diviners and weathermen alike. The blizzard has made most forms of travel impossible due to the high winds and snow.

Twas’ was the ever shimmering cold and snowy night.

Under the careful and shiny moons glaze upon the lands below.

There was one riding through the snow, with a thunderous galloping of pure speed and haste.

With a little sprinkle of catfish aura, seemingly normal reindeer took their fast pace up into the starry night sky.

With hope in every step, with a promise to all.

As they part their ways through the breezing clouds.

As a catfish lets out a light and cheery laugh to the ever vast night.

Ho-Ho-Ho! Merry Christmas To All And A Golden Star For You!

Twas’ when all awoke the next day, a little package was left with a golden star on it.

Pyeti usually prided himself on his withdrawal from just about everything. It helped keep him unbiased, which was a must in his field of work. Never letting himself get too attached to anything. Well, almost anything. But he’d been like this for decades, and had no reason to change now. No reason to show a sense of care or compassion for anything involving work.

But her memory had changed that. Changed everything.

He’d buried himself deep in the Council archives, drowning in a sea of ancient research papers and dog-eared memoirs. Studies, records, mythological, historical, letters, autobiographies, tomes. Drawing on every last piece of data he could find. The entire table he was at, along with everything near it, was just swamped in parchment. And somehow, he’d read almost all of them. Each and every word committed to memory, written down in shorthand into his own tome, billions of years of information desperately forced into him. But now, the real issue began. What to do with it all. What was safe, what would work, and most strikingly of all, what was humane. Something he’d never considered before, but he’d never been reduced to this state either. Eyes still raw, voice still raspy, and soul still pained beyond belief. She’d brought these emotions upon him, and he loved how it hurt.

He needed three things. Body, blood, and soul. Three parts to fix his mistake. Give her the life he’d taken. Show her what she’d done to him, show her he was sorry, show her that she’d made him whole, filled a void he didn’t know he had. Show her that she’d made him human. But each posed its own separate challenge.

Her body would be the easiest. He could remember where he’d buried her down to the last blade of grass. He could just dig her up and use a little chronomancy. That’s what the old him would’ve done. But now, he knew she deserved better than that. Paladins, clerics, druids, the remnants of a Narben coven, people who valued life like he hadn’t. Prove to them that his cause was just. That she deserved life again, like he knew she did. Prove to them that he wanted to make his wrongs right. Prove to them that he cared about her more than anything. Prove to them that he…

He wasn’t worthy of saying that.

Then, blood. It seemed deceptively easy, with Pyeti’s history as a haemeomancer, but because of that he knew just how difficult this would be. When restoring a body, any transmutated blood can be used, like that of cattle used to create a necromanced army ten thousand years ago. Specific ressurections were a lot trickier, requiring the deceased wizard’s specific blood, though through the use of bloodletting, chronomancy and restoration potions, this wouldn’t be too difficult either. The issue was that Elsi wasn’t a wizard. She wasn’t magical. And that ruined everything. Every tome, spell, everything he’d found had been on the restoration of wizards, since very few had any “commoner” friends, and that meant he’d have to work from scratch. He knew he could do it, there’s a way to do anything if you know where to look, but if he gets it wrong, he could lose her forever. And he’s not going to let that happen.

And finally, the most difficult of all. Her soul. Pyeti knew a lot, but very little about the spirits of the undead, let alone how to bring one back. And the information he’d ingrained into himself he didn’t understand. “Sectumserepise”, “Undoing the void”, whatever the “Charice” is. He was completely clueless. And that scared him. But he quickly recovered, knowing that others could fix what he could not. Some friends, some associates, some favours he was owed could do this. Could unite the three pieces he needed.

He could give her the life he’d snatched away from her.

Pyeti slammed his tome shut, casting his hand and watching as the thousands of books and rolls of parchment went flying off back into the archives. Pushing himself to his feet, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and having cried for days, he was filled with a newfound determination. More strange emotions, but ones he felt good about. Emotions he liked. And with a flick of his hand, the lights went out.

He *was** going to save her. No matter what.*

Sarina walks out into her garden, full of various exotic plants. One by one, she harvests them, to use them as potion ingredients.

She sprays the plants with wild growth potions from a spray bottle, an important step to make sure they grow quickly, and she has the ingredients she needs to keep brewing.

Potions of heat and cold are necessary to keep certain plants happy, producing at maximum efficiency.

Finally, she goes into her basement.

Her shop was built atop a magical cave, where crystals grow from the rocky walls. She harvests those crystals to use them in her more complex potions.

After harvesting the crystals, she walks back out of the basement, smiling at a job well done.