45 - This Tainted Land (Patreon)

King’s Dream regrouped with the rest of the Adventurer forces, bringing their prisoners with them and depositing them onto the other side of the Rift to be dealt with by others more specialized in detaining and transporting captives. Phoenix spared a wave to Bliss, who was with her own party, having been tasked with said prisoner handling. The Wayfarer’s party, however, wasn’t done with their task even though the fighting had temporarily ceased.

It became apparent that, aside from the ambush forces and some stragglers, the remaining nobles had retreated further within Tulisuda. Once back within it, Phoenix finally had the time to observe the pocket dimension before they would begin further exploration of it.

The place was massive, ringed in volcanic mountains far off in the distance with quarries littered throughout the valley they currently found themselves in. If not for the exorbitant amount of lava flows and inhospitable craggy rocks that made up most of the terrain, they could have fit half a dozen cities the size of Tulimeir here.

As her party awaited their next orders, they took a moment to rest and recover a bit. Uriel gently nudged Phoenix’s arm, tilting his head towards their leader who was currently a few meters away surveying their surroundings, ever vigilant of potential enemies.

She gave an annoyed huff and muttered, “I don’t think he wants to talk to me right now.”

Uriel frowned and clarified, “He doesn’t or you don’t?”

“Both? He still seems preoccupied and I don’t really know what to say. How should I apologize?”

“Honestly,” he replied bluntly then added, “But I never said you should apologize. You asked how you can show that you trust him and I gave you a way that worked for me, but he knows better than to lash out like that.”

He gave a sigh, “Look, Daze and I have had our fair share of arguments over the years. I know he doesn't like being mad at anyone and he was never one to hold a grudge. Sometimes it just takes him a while to sort out his mind and morals to find his direction again. Still, he needs to apologize for how he treated you and that’s hard to do if you’re avoiding each other.”

She hesitated a moment then asked, “Would… will you try talking to him first? Just to see if he won’t get angry at me for trying?”

The mage gave a slight smirk, “Offering me up as a sacrifice to the hungry lion?”

“I’m not sure he’d enjoy eating me as much as you,” she said with a crooked smile.

The cinderen paused at the phrasing and raised an eyebrow at her which made her confused as she reprocessed what she had said before dropping her crimson face into her palms, “Oh gods, I just meant I’m all skinny and there’s like way less meat on my bones. Which now that I say that out loud doesn’t make it sound any better,” she explained in a rush before groaning in embarrassment and contemplating just going for a lava swim.

Uriel chuckled with a shake of his head, “I’ll go ask if he’s calm enough to chat. Just no more talk of cannibalism please. Nobody likes cannibals,” he joked then made his way over to his best friend.

While she couldn’t hear what the two said, they both glanced her way a few times before the cinderen finally waved towards her, indicating that she should join them.

Phoenix apprehensively made her way towards the pair and Uriel patted her on the shoulder, saying simply, “Now hurry and make-up so we can focus on the fight ahead.”

“We’re not petulant children,” Dazien said with a roll of his eyes, crossing his arms in indignation.

Uriel just smirked again and said, “Then stop acting like one,” before he left them to talk things out and returned to the twin voxen to join them in meditation while waiting.

Dazien’s posture relaxed as he faced her and spoke up first, his voice solemn, “I owe you an apology, Phoenix. I made a stupid mistake and misconstrued your intentions. It was childish–”

Phoenix interrupted him, “No, I’m sorry. I should have trusted you and told you all sooner. You didn’t do anything to make me suspect you might betray my secrets. If anything, you only proved your trustworthiness over and over again and I was too afraid. Please…” she paused, staring at her hands as they clenched around her dress from nerves, “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Just please forgive me.”

As the silence stretched a moment longer she chanced a glance upwards to discover wide amethyst eyes staring at her, his face unreadable, and she thought he might get angry again when instead he gave a sigh and shook his head, “There’s nothing to forgive. You shouldn't apologize to me. I understand now that you acted in a way to protect yourself. You were an outsider… I know how that can feel. You told me you had secrets and I told you that was alright; it was unfair of me to get upset about what that secret was. I just… I’m a Defender. I wish I had been able to protect you. Not just from monsters, bullies, or kidnappers, but from your fears and doubts too.”

The gemite placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “You don’t have to tell me everything but I hope you know that I would never betray you. You are my teammate and my friend. Even if we disagree on something, I hope we respect each other enough to be able to talk through it… not do what I did. I’m sorry for shouting. You did not deserve that and I am a jerk for taking out my frustrations on you. I’m sincerely sorry for that. I’m the one who needs to ask for your forgiveness.”

She felt her body relax at his words and nodded, “Of course, I forgive you. You put up with my crazy stunts and awkwardness. I can deal with the occasional tantrum,” she lightly teased, giving him a small smile and added, “For what it’s worth… I think you’ll make a great king someday. I’ve seen the way you care for your current subjects, after all.”

Dazien returned her smile and teased with his own, “I guess you would make a fairly decent councilor,” he said with mock reluctance.

Absently running a hand through his hair, he added with hesitancy that she was unfamiliar with him ever displaying, “Maybe… you can help add some of that democracy you spoke of within my kingdom someday? Perhaps, put in a council that helps me out with the day-to-day stuff?”

She flushed slightly at the unexpected words before saying, “I’d like that. Once all this divine quest business is finished, I would be honored to help you establish your own place.”

The Defender grinned in the way that she was most familiar with as he said, “Well, you’re already the Princess of my landless nation. I’m pretty sure that means you’re contractually obliged to help out.”

The redhead laughed, a few stray curls falling into her face in their refusal to be tamed, “I’m not quite sure that’s how things work.”

“I’m the king, remember? It works that way if I say it does.”

“Is that so?”

“It is in my kingdom.”

“So iron-fisted dictator it is then?”

He laughed, “I can strive to be a benevolent dictator at the least. Perhaps, if your council proves effective, I can lessen my grip a bit.”

The Wayfarer shook her head with a smile, “I guess, if anything, I need to stay with you just to make sure you don’t become one of those corrupted politicians.”

The gemite gave a cheeky grin as he said with a hint of mischief, “Maybe a little corruption isn’t too bad. Just make sure it doesn’t impair your judgment and you should be fine.”

His words triggered a memory and she suddenly pulled out her latest quest reward, “That reminds me, I wanted to give you this. I think it’s something you seem to want a little more of after all this.”

Dazien’s eyes widened at the proffered gift and said, “Another Spirit Gem?”

“Of Judgment,” she supplied informatively. “It would just be sitting in my collection gathering dust until I hit up a merchant to convert it into Bits later.”

“I don’t think things can gather dust in a dimensional storage,” he noted before adding with feigned suspicion, “Wait, you’re not just trying to buy the king’s favor, are you?”

She laughed which made Dazien relax more as she shook her head and joked, “It seems you’ve caught on to my corrupted ways. Is my bribe suitable enough to get back into the king’s good graces?”

His grin widened and he exaggeratedly plucked the gem from her hand, “It is a grand gift,” he said, examining it carefully then he placed it back in her hands, “But I can’t accept it. Thank you for the offer though, my noble subject.”

Phoenix let out a noise of mock hurt as she put a hand over her heart, “Subject? I thought I was a princess?”

The would-be king was about to speak when a call came up from the main group of Adventurers, putting a halt to their friendly banter as they attempted to mend the bond between them. The pair of them quickly rejoined the rest of their party to learn what their next plan of action would be.

After some minor deliberation, the contingent had decided to press on and put a decisive end to the internal threat, unsure of how exactly the enemy was planning to sabotage the Reality Rift.

Everin Starlark would stay as the Emerald Caster guarding the new forward outpost directly within Tulisuda–while continuing to triage the injured as needed–and Paul Wayland would lead the advancing party to root out whatever straggling forces remained. King’s Dream would join their Mentor along with a majority of the initial strike force that had taken back the entrance.

Phoenix was just glad that she wasn’t at odds with any of her party members anymore and hoped to get back to her new home soon in order to tear down the remaining walls her secrets kept between the Wayfarer and her friends.

Nandi Neitra was being careful about not letting her beautiful white wings, a passive ability from her Wing Aspect, trail along the dirt-covered ground and bemoaned the fact that she currently had to walk upon it in order to draw out the intricate runes along the decrepit temple stone.

They were in a rush, however, and she couldn’t trust this task to any other lest they falter and cause all of their deaths. It was disconcerting to be in this place, away from the whispers of her god to guide her but she had practiced well for this very moment. His cleansing light would wash over her upon her return and, if she proved herself worthy enough, he may even bestow his Blessing or maybe even his Favor upon her.

“And you’re certain this will work to inform the Soul Reapers of our success?” the cinderen woman with ashen grey hair asked her.

“Lady Ruwena, I have assured you numerous times about how this will go,” she replied with as much patience as she could muster given their present circumstances.

“But won’t Wayland and the others be caught in here and kept alive? They could ruin everything, Priestess Neitra,” the Chancellor worried while placing items around the massive ritual diagram the priestess was still working on carving out.

“It’s High Priestess,” she reminded through clenched teeth, reminding herself once more not to smite the Sapphire Caster where they stood, “And you can leave the Fallen Paladin to me. He didn’t have the strength to stand up to me when we cast him out from my Lord’s divine light, I doubt he will have grown much in the six years since.”

“There was a report of an Emerald Cleric of Rebel too,” the noble pressed, “We have taken heavy losses already. They already killed my husband and daughter and captured my son. This must work. There is no turning back for any of us now.”

Neitra paused in her ritual work to meet the cinderen’s glowing red eyes. She couldn’t wait to be free of the irksome woman who was so short-sighted that the priestess had no idea how the noble managed to become Chancellor of the OOM’s Tulim branch without a heavy amount of Bits changing hands. With another grasp of her resolve to remain calm, she explained, “I am well aware of the risks, Lady Ruwena. However, I trust in my god and know we will succeed. Once we complete this activation ritual it will signal the Soul Reapers to come retrieve us from here.

“They’ll have plenty of time to arrive before the relays finish triggering the connected enchantments we’ve placed throughout this scrap of reality which will collapse this pseudo-world and sever the connection it has to Makera. We will be perfectly safe in their dimensional vessel while Tulim will suffer the backlash.”

“And what if those Soul Reapers don’t show up in time?” the cinderen argued, placing a pile of [Void Shards] worth more than the Ducal Palace into the center of the runed circle, “We’ll be trapped within a collapsing reality as it… what? Disintegrates into its component parts and returns to a state of formless magic?”

“That won’t happen,” the priestess reassured, “Their leader wouldn’t break the Oathbond he made to our Arch Priestess.”

The noble paused from the ritual work to stare at her and admit, “I hadn’t heard about that. What kind of bond would he agree to? Was it a Mutual Bond?”

“It was,” she confirmed but frowned to herself, “I do not know the exact details but it ensures that they won’t just turn their backs on us as we assist each other in our goals. They just want the souls while we want to cleanse this tainted land and rebuild from the ashes in our god’s pure image. No more ugliness and pain, just pure clean bliss.”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Ruwena muttered with a roll of fiery eyes, returning to the work at hand before adding, “I’d prefer to join them in traveling the cosmos and gaining more power than this pitiful place can offer me.”

That idea caused the priestess’ mask of calm to break momentarily at the sheer ridiculousness of a cinderen being offered placement within the new world the Renseres would be building. Their god had long ago decided that only humans –the first and most ancient of Caster species from which it was said all other Casters spawned from– would be chosen for the honor of populating their new, perfect, world. No more furry voxen and felions or scaly sirens and viperans. No marked up and pointed-eared runeforged, cinderen or elves. No lesser winged abominations like the arrogant draconid, aloof avians, or fickle faeforged. None of the other species which deign to call themselves Caster just because they could bond to some Aspects. Only pure, uninfluenced, untainted, humans could unite as a single species.

Before Neitra could remember to play nicely, she scoffed at the cinderen woman with the volcanic complexion that displayed the obvious taint of Fire and Earth, “We don’t want to introduce filth again when we’ve just cleaned it.”

“What. A. Bitch,” the Sapphire Caster whispered under her breath.

“I heard that,” the Emerald Caster retorted, “And you’re just proving my point with that filthy mouth.”

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