Conditor Legatus Noctis, Ritrix Mildbluff.
1 Septara, 1492.
Tri-Hollow, the Bodhi Tree.
5:22 PM.
***
Ever since I first heard of Rickley Ravenbrook going off the rails, I'd been concerned. She claimed the gold Amun gave her was stolen, and she threatened to burn the entire city down if she didn't get it back.
As it turned out, it was stolen. And though she didn't burn the City of Bard's down, she certainly spread turmoil through its streets. Every creature from Buke's Bazaar was released on the city that night. But unbeknownst to all, including me and Willard, others floated above them.
Learning Amun and his Troupe were present that day came as a shock to us both. Learning of Rickley's fate… that was indescribable. And now, here she was, waltzing up to us with a look that suggested none of that even happened. Her appearance couldn't have betrayed us more; like a troll walking into a tavern- just not as ugly.
Her skin was tan, yet not in a way that suggested she liked sunlight. It was in the most literal sense. Tanned, like leather. Yet supple, soft, and rich with life. Just... a different kind. She wore her makeup like bags under her eyes. Her gums were black, and a few teeth were capped gold. Her hair was long but unnaturally silky, almost like a wig. But above all, she dressed like the wealthy woman she dreamed of being.
Of course, I knew she was plagued with the Shadow of Death and made a pact with Amun- all who shared our station did. I only lamented the cost it took for her to gain it, I supposed, for she would have been his bard regardless of the path she chose. The sacrifices she made to stand beneath Amun's wing were immeasurable when compared to ours.
Due to all that and more, I showed her more reverence than her rank demanded- and it demanded much. Those of the Troupe were like Imperators, given operational sovereignty- free rein besides diplomatic immunity. So it was no surprise we both snapped to salute her the moment she entered.
Well, it was no surprise to us.
Sinestro, at times, was annoying. So too was he an arrogant prick. But he knew his stuff. He was a native of Chor, after all. And so, Maruleans like me and Willard couldn't quite comprehend the bemusement on his and Xalji's faces when she waved to us nonchalantly, saying. "At ease, you two. I'm not here on business." She then turned to the strifling and his cohort. "Sin and company, good to see you."
"Good to see you," Sinestro echoed in dismay. "The City of Chor thinks you are dead, and all you have to say is, 'good to see you.'"
"Don't pretend the City of Chor cared about me, Sin." Rickley scoffed. "They only cared when I released Buke's zoo and disappeared."
"What in the Hells happened to you?" Sinestro asked, flabbergasted. Yet Rickley turned her attention to the gnome across from him.
"A native of Chor as well. Well met, I am Rickley Ravenbrook." She bowed.
"I have heard the name." Xalji bowed in turn. "And so I am also curious about your… fate."
"I snuck into Buke's Bizarre Bazaar and released his animals. He was… trampled on the way out. By a browl. As I was leaving, he caught me and picked up a giant poison frog that was nearby and threw it at me. It hit me square in the face." She snickered. "And so, we sang our requiem. I did die, Sin. But Amun allowed me to keep living. Partially.
"I am the Soul Celebrity, neither alive nor dead. Forever standing in twilight, spreading dread. My song empowers the Legions of Night; giving our enemies maddening fright."
"How lovely." Sinestro mused with false bravado. Though the next part was sincere. "I find solace in the fact that you are his warlock rather than anything else, unbelievable as that may be. Regardless, I'm glad you're alright, Rickley."
"Thanks, and with this knowledge you know have, I'd like to stay dead to the rest of Chor. I won't be in these lands too much longer, after all."
"That may be more easily said than done." Xalji spoke up. "Sinestro and I have both been attempting to have these… comms towers installed on our premises. These two are not helping in that endeavor."
"That's because you have to go through the proper channels!" I groaned for the umpteenth time. "Go to ArcaTech Industries like everyone else, buy the blueprints and get someone to build it, or approach him with the mind for business."
"I hear you." Rickley placated him in that eerily calm tone of hers. "And so he hears you. However, I will say that ceasing your travels to release music using this method is fit for the one to take the stage after you. Thus, the matter is between you and him as of this moment."
"The one who takes the…" Sinestro reclined into his seat, stroking the fluff at his chin.
"Now, I know I said I'm not here on business. But…" Rickley shifted her eyes. "I've seen the lore and morale profiles you two have made for the Imperators and their generals. I've made theme songs- battle music; or, as Amun calls it, 'boss music,' for the Troupe. Would you like to collaborate and do the others?"
"I would love to!" I eagerly leaned forward. After all, it was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her.
We halfling paragons had to stick together, after. Even in the Legions.
***
Edward Pascal.
1 Septara, 1492.
Tri-Hollow, the Bodhi Tree.
5:27 PM.
***
With Iris here, creating the satellites for the students was a breeze. Although there were significant differences. Especially after my recent blessings.
The first satellites Amun created were husks of stone filled with magic and machinery. The things Iris created from her sorcery, however, were more, yet the process was the same. She still took ordinary materials like glass, sand, and steel, but her drones, as she called them, adopted the forms of spiders, birds, or bugs that could sometimes look uncannily real.
All things considered, I was left with ample time to catch up on things with Iris and Blude, not to mention be introduced to some of their subordinates, Z'ress Hun'ana and Amun's cousin, Raki Za'Darmondiel.
They even made me privy to their conversations across the Net.
{'I'm ready to leave Shujen once and for all.'} Blude was saying.
{'Likewise.'} Raki commented but refused to elaborate more. Unlike Z'ress.
{'I, for one, am curious about these students. We cared little for these events in Zimysta. And so I wonder if the stories were true.'}
{'What stories?'} I asked.
{'Stories of the surface dwellers being weak. Those of the Legions are different, of course. But the same cannot be said for these. So we shall see.'}
I could only nod before Imperators, Hogaz, and Duke arrived. Respectively, they approached Blude and Iris with opposing demeanors. Blude was the first to welcome Hogaz, gifting him a large case with a pat on the shoulder that was firm enough to push even him aside.
"Hand these out to your Admirals," she said. I knew from experience they were the coral rings that served as the 'passes' to her Estates. Each Imperator and all our rogues received one, after all; alongside venue blueprints for recreation, entertainment, sports, and tourism.
"The crew will greatly enjoy them." Hogaz bowed. "Much obliged."
Duke, on the other hand, was the one to approach Iris. First to marvel at the mechanical bird she had hatched, then to give a salute out of respect. "It is good to see you again, Praefectus Iris. You have grown much since you helped me."
She did him the honor of returning our morbid salute, bowing her head while lowering her hands to her navel, right over left, like a corpse at rest. It was a symbol- a gesture to remind us of our mortality. To remind us that, no matter how much we were cursed or blessed, our time on the Mortal Plane would end; and something new would begin.
The Shadow of Death would haunt us still.
"It's good to see you too, Duke! And yeah, I was raised in Eotrom with my friends and their parents by my mom and dad." She beamed."
"Your… mom?" Hogaz reluctantly asked.
"Zakira!"
I couldn't help but laugh at their sudden recoils and wide eyes. But Iris seemed to pay it no mind. "I don't have anything to give you like Geri does, but I hang around in the sky a lot. So I can expand upon the engines, cloud hangars, and sky lodging she made for you guys. It probably won't be as nice as Blude's, though."
"We would be most grateful." Duke bowed his head, then turned as some new arrivals approached.
Much to my dismay, one of them was Roheisa, whose attitude had taken a turn for the worst due to her father's declining health and the recent events in Maru. Thankfully, she seemed to hold no aggression towards Iris.
Nor was she amiable, however.
"I'm curious." She began. "Amun gave me the impression it would be quite some time before he had children. I assumed adoption fit in those words. So, perhaps you can tell me; what qualifies you to be adopted by Amun and travel at his side?"
"Do you want to be at his side?" Blude asked Roheisa, after the lot of us exchanged a mix of glances.
"No." She quickly shook her head. "His lifestyle is too fast-paced for me. Too… dynamic."
I noticed Iris' irises turn yellow as she looked at Roheisa for a split second. But Roheisa either didn't notice or care about them shifting back to their blue hue in the next instant. And so Iris answered. "We're all similar to him. Leary, Rickley, Reina, and Wilson were haunted by the Shadow of Death. They made pacts before they died, but their lives weren't much better; besides, maybe Wilson and Reina's.
"We were orphans. Adoption was the only way he could save us from our realities. Unless he kidnapped us or something." She motioned to Blude. "She murdered someone. Probably would've been caught and imprisoned or worse. I was paralyzed and stuck to a chair before Amun found me. My sense of time was shattered long before that, though. Months, years. They meant nothing to me. There was only that window, and the small part of the realms I could see through it. Even Amun's cousins lived through decades of brainwashing from their goddess. She saw them torture each other physically and mentally for her entertainment."
"He made us more like him in terms of ability, but we're still killers and thieves and vagabonds and… we're still what reality made us. Only… stronger. Wiser. Smarter. Just like him." She smiled, taking Roheisa's hand. "But that's not the same for you. Amun cherishes you. All of you." She flicked her gaze between me, Hogaz and Duke. "He doesn't want to see you be broken like us. And, because he knows he can't protect everyone, he gives us all the power to protect ourselves."
As Iris began stepping closer to Roheisa, I took that as my cue to leave. Me and Hogaz and Duke; and Blude and Z'ress as well. After all, it was nearly time to address the first-year students.
***
Freki.
1 Septara, 1492.
Tri-Hollow, the Bodhi Tree.
5:49 PM.
***
"Why are you hiding yourselves?"
The voice of an old crone pulled me from my glorious slumber. Me and Geri alike from the sound of it. And she smelled familiar. Like… leaves. Fresh clothes, or perhaps… silk. Like… the druid girl, Scarlett.
Opening my eyes, I saw the resemblance. And more, I saw her listed as an ally of the Legions. 'Makes sense,' I growled, looking at the placard next to their hollow. 'That's what I get for sleeping on the porch.'
"Probably for the same reasons you do." Geri yawned. "So people don't talk to us."
"Well, who can argue with that?" The Archdruid mused, yet persisted. "But why don't you come out? I doubt we'll have the chance to meet again soon, after this event."
Growling out a groan, I allowed the burning roots to cover my form and burn away my furry flesh before standing tall and rolling my shoulders; Geri did the same, producing a sharp gasp from the old crone.
"A ranger, I understand, but I've rarely hard of barbarians capable of changing shape so fluently."
"No." The voice of an old man intoned from the moth in her hair. "This is no spell nor druidcraft, but a true transformation!"
"Yes, and it's quite exhausting." Geri quipped, retrieving a few slabs of frozen meat to gnaw on; just as I did with some smoked meat.
"How curious." The Archdruid smiled. "I suppose you are one of Amun's works, then? What are you called?"
"Werewolves." I proudly smacked.
"Were… wolves?"
"Some would call it a curse." I said, grinning widely. "Us, a blessing."
{'Brother…'} Geri growled across the Net. But the Archdruid paid it no mind.
"Fascinating." She recoiled. "And forgive my manners. I am Archdruid Diana Bombyx, and this is my beloved husband, Sage." She stroked the not-so-small moth with her finger before turning her warm smiles to us. "And your names?"
"Geri."
"Freki." I dipped my head.
"A pleasure." The Archdruid bowed. "I hope to see you inside. Or else around here again sometime soon. Until then." She waved, prompting Geri's growls to increase in intensity.
{'What the fuck was that?'}
{'What?'}
{'Don't "what" me! "Some would call it a curse." Why the fuck would you say that? You want people to start spreading rumors that we're cursed?'}
{'We are cursed! And who cares what people think? Amun sure doesn't.'}
{'That's beside the point, idiot! What happens when people start hunting us?'}
{'They die.'} I shrugged.
{'And if-'}
{'If! Who gives a fuck about if?'} I snarled. {'We can sit here spouting if's until the end of time, but it won't change the fact that Archdruid Diana Bombyx is an ally, and will think no less of us being cursed than she would of Amun being a devil- or the rest of the realms for that matter.'}
{'It's different when you drag me into your prideful speeches without my say so!'} She howled.
{'If you want to hide yourself like prey to these mortals, Sister, that is your choice. But I am proud of what I am! I will hide it from no one! If the realms wish to deem me as an evil predator because of that,'} I snarled. "I say let them."
***
Ferris Licht.
1 Septara, 1492.
Tri-Hollow, the Bodhi Tree.
6:01 PM.
***
In the eyes of the Bodhi Peninsula, Amun was an enigma. That had been true since his debut last year.
He was the strongest in the class, yet no one saw him fight the young red dragon last year. Not only that, but no one even knew what happened to it. Everyone did see him fight against his classmates, however. If it could have even been called a fight. He showed the realms of his hold over light and how he merged it with his sorcerous darkness. He then defeated Lance in one fell swoop and decimated the rest of his class just as quickly. Not to mention he uplifted the earth to form the Second Sun, then overshadowed the Bodhi Tree with a tree of void.
Little was heard from him in the following months. Life proceeded as normal. But come the end of the year, change started coming once again. More spheres of earth took up root above the sky, and many more buildings were soon found scattered among the clouds beneath them. Tales of exotic metal beasts began to trickle in from across the mountain.
Then they were seen by even our eyes in the Chaulortian capital, Crowmond. Then that massive beam of energy was sent across the World Seas. And though virtually all could assume the culprit, it wasn't until now that his name occupied the minds of everyone once more.
It turned out his words to Mr. Wolfgang were no mere boast last year. He truly was a God, one who could roam the Mortal Plane as he saw fit. Much to the dismay- I was sure- of the other gods, much less the people of these realms. The Optimus Regni and the Bodhi Tree's Class Instructors. King Corym Lichenwind. Emperor Dende Morningstar. That would be doubly true if my assumptions proved real- that his Troupe and Imperators were, in reality, the Gods of his pantheon.
I met one assumed God when I returned to their hollow. He looked the part, at least. His hair was like a long, flowing black mane while his skin was heavily tanned as if he laid for weeks in the sun without getting burnt. He was tall, two meters at least. And though his countenance was calm and welcoming, he radiated danger.
His image- and his dress, gave me the impression of a vicious predator in human skin. His nails were bowed heavily and sharpened to points; his canines were abnormally long, though not as long as a vampire's; and his eyes, his eyes held the fire of the sun, and a certain bestial quality that was immediately discernible.
"You're… the dog?" I cautiously asked, on approach. "The black one with golden streaks?"
"Wolf." He corrected. "Werewolf."
"Ah." I nodded. Though it made no sense. Not that I could have inquired, for he motioned for me to enter and returned to lounging without a care in the world.
Rather than Amun, I saw a pair of drow approach me with dissimilar levels of interest. They were twins who bore the countenance of Abbot Eiriol to a strong degree, and Amun to a lesser degree. Robes covered both of their lithe frames, but where one wore the ostentatious silks and jewels of a wizard, the other was dressed in the ascetic wool of monks.
"Well, if it isn't the famous light sorceress of Chaulort." The wizard stepped forward with a flourishing bow. "Proper introductions were missed earlier, it seems. I am Eban Za'Darmondiel. Technical Archmage of the Legio Noctis, former Heartkeeper of House Za'Darmondiel."
"Heartkeeper?" I recoiled, looking him up and down in a newfound light. "You're a witch?"
"Arcane Archmage." He sassily corrected.
"We of the Troupe are all witches." The monk monotonously droned. "I am a witch of minds and memories, for example. Etan Za'Darmondiel. Abyssal Regent."
"Regent." I whistled low. "How'd you manage that?"
"Etan was born to be my teacher, yet I am his boss. Thus, he has become the closest thing there is to my equal." Came the familiar voice behind me. Yet, when I turned, there was only air.
"Uh, where are you? I told the Regni about your, er, technology. They asked for a demonstration in the arena."
"Ugh!" The air groaned. Yet I could somehow see him rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Fine. I'll met you there."