Ch. 72 – Astragos XIII (Patreon)

Felix grabbed hold of one of the ropes hanging from the whale-transports, and joined a commuting crowd as they headed towards what he figured was the noble district. Ghostwalk.

He blended in as the crowd of people swam towards their various destinations, surreptitiously making a steady course to the palace. The main doors were open, and a line of people waited to enter. Felix eyed the golden spindle that acted as a trap notification, but the whole door was covered with it. What type of trap do you figure it is?

Detect Properties.

[Item Description: Warded Doorway]

[Alerts nearby individuals of any unauthorized access to or from a designated location.]

Inconvenient, Felix thought. But it doesn’t say anything about Class Skills. Time to try out one of the new ones. Shadowborn.

Turning on Undetectable Step also. Trust me, you’ll want it.

Sixty Vigor per minute, since Ghostwalk is compensated for with natural refill rate. Gotta make this quick. Felix let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and pulled his mask and hood up. He willed himself to meld with the shadows the building was casting as the sun began to set. A chill washed over him before he grew accustomed to the temperature shift – just like jumping into a cold pool before acclimating to it. The world’s colors shifted to greyscale, which, combined with Lucifer’s red dark vision kicking in, created an eerie pale red shade that covered his vision. I want to go there, Felix thought as he looked to the inside of the building.

The world blurred for a fraction of a second as Felix found himself standing in the exact spot he had pictured.

[Experience Awarded = 10]

Oh, this is cool. He looked down the hall and instantly teleported to an intersection. Detect Object, he thought, focusing on the empress.

The golden line shot a course down the main hall he was in. Fifty-five seconds.

I’ll keep track of time.

Felix dashed down the hall, following the golden line and teleporting in small jumps from shadow to shadow. Even when he had to pass through a well-lit area, thanks to Undetectable Step and Ghostwalk, none could tell he was there. And once he cleared the lighting, it was back to teleporting effortlessly. Eventually he arrived at a huge set of doors and heard shouting from behind it.

You have ten seconds left.

I’m not going to reactivate Shadowborn, but keep Vigor committed to the other two. Felix got on his stomach and was able to see under the door. He warped to the shadows immediately opposite the door and crouched in front of a guard on the other side. He slipped his way to the corner of the chamber where the shadows were darkest and took in the view.

[Experience Awarded = 10]

[Congratulations! You have reached the Experience threshold to level up! Speak with your Versewalker Core when you are ready to Choose your next Class.]

The throne room was eerily similar to the one in Foundation in the Monolith Empire. The main difference was the shape – this one was spherical, whilst the other was a cube. The Empress Xadana was a Coralborn with lustrous, green hair and pearls for eyes. She was dressed in a resplendent gown of blue that flowed around her with the water. A council table was on the ground, and several waterproof maps were pinned down to the surface as counselors and advisors floated in a cluster. Their overlapping voices gave Felix the feeling that there was great discord.

“But we cannot afford to just sit idly! We’ll begin to run out of reserves!”

“Then just double the taxes. We can surely get more from the Gheskar fields. They had a surplus last year.”

“And what of our agents who went silent? This whole plan hinges on our Versewalker getting the objects and returning.”

Jeesh. They are indecisive. Also, remember, that’s not a real Versewalker they’re talking about. Just an Archon auto-translated.

Felix refocused his attention on the empress. She seemed unperturbed by the conversation at hand, and was letting the people talk amongst themselves and argue until they had each said their part. As they slowly quieted, feeling her gaze on them, she spoke. Her voice was imposing and commanded attention, a deep, rumble of words that were tinged with a lilt of an accent that sounded very French to Felix’s ears. “I ‘ave ‘eard all of zeese arguments. ‘Ere is what I propose…” She spent the next several minutes detailing a plan that Felix mostly zoned out for. He was only partially listening, instead keeping most of his focus on the VBV.

You know, I think, going forward, I’m just going to filter accents out as well with your (P) Multiverse Adaptation Talent.

Another ten minutes passed before the conversation appeared to wrap up. Time to make my move. Felix deactivated Ghostwalk and Undetectable Step, still hiding in the shadows and unseen. Using a Multiversal Charge.

And we’re out of them.

The grey portal opened behind Felix, and everyone’s attention was drawn to it. He stood in front of the portal with his arms crossed, “Empress Xadana, my name is Felix Winters. I am a Versewalker, and I come with a solution to this war.” The guards rushed toward Felix and he stepped back into the VBV, willing the guards to be disallowed entry. They bounced off of the portal, and he continued speaking, “You sought a tome that could end the war in a decisive strike.” Felix pulled the Tide Tome out of his inventory and held it up, “I have it.”

The guards attempted to breach the portal – and Felix even saw several Magic effects impact the aperture to no avail. After a minute of fruitless effort, the guards stepped aside as the empress walked up to the portal. “You claim to be a Versewalker. But you are not our Versewalker.”

“Correct. Your word Archon translates differently. I promise you, no harm will come to you if you enter this realm. And as a token of that good faith…” Go ahead and tell them to come in.

Roger.

Several elves walked into the Portal Room with the squad that they had captured in the Monolith Empire nearly three weeks prior, as well as the guard outpost and Coralborn they had defeated in the Coralith Empire’s borders. “Talk to your own and they will tell you of my kindness and intentions.”

The individuals returned through the portal to their homeland, and after some hushed conversation the empress stepped through. Let two of her guards in also, Felix thought as he willed the VBV portal to stop rejecting them. As soon as the empress stepped foot inside, she stared off into space for a moment before shaking her head. “My, what a lot of information.”

Felix gestured to the Portal Room’s exit, “Please, come join me. We can chat in a much more comfortable location.” He led her to the conference table and offered her a seat. Tinuriel was seated in the chair next to his, as were the other advisors. Lucifer exited Felix and took his seat.

The empress cleared her throat, “You have the tome that will end our struggle. What do you want in return for it?”

Felix shook his head, “We are missing some individuals. Please hold. In the meantime, I introduce you to Roy Stromson, the Dark Lord of Dirge, and Melanie-”

“Melanie Parslia Ventorus Remarda Stromson IV,” Melanie stated, smiling at Felix as she added the new last name of her husband.

“Right, and this is Gina Egonta.”

Gina bowed slightly, “A pleasure.”

The empress nodded and sat – the essence of regality in perfect posture and form only matched by Melanie.

Felix had discussed his plan previously with her, and Melanie was completely on board with the idea, having commissioned two ornate boxes that were brought over by her servants. They set the boxes in front of Felix, and he opened them before sitting back down.

A few minutes passed in tense silence as Reth emerged from the Portal Room with Emperor Quarilon and two guards. They instantly raised weapons and prepared to attack upon seeing the Coralith soldiers accompanying the empress.

“What is she doing here, Reth?” The emperor shouted. “That bitch murdered my son!”

The empress heaved a deep sigh before standing up and facing the man. “Quarilon. You were invited as well.” She looked to Felix, “I assume that you are going to arrange a peace accord or attempt to forge a truce. Correct?”

Felix nodded and gestured to the seat, “Please…join us. You cannot commit violence inside of the VBV.”

The emperor screamed, going red in the face – a remarkable feat for someone whose skin was the color of stone, “I’ll never agree to peace with this bitch!”

Felix pulled both tomes out of his inventory and held them up, “Sit down, or I flood your world.”

The emperor blinked a few times, “What? What sorcery is this?”

The empress laughed, “You didn’t know you were sitting on artifacts of the creators? Oh, you foolish, distant cousin.”

The emperor turned to Reth, “What is this? Have you betrayed me?”

Reth shook his head, “Your highness, we did find that your son had hidden these tomes away. They do what the Versewalker claims. One floods the world, one raises the ground. I joined his ranks not to betray you, but to serve the Monolith Empire. We can end this whole conflict, right here, right now, with no lives lost.”

The emperor sputtered angrily for several moments, berating Reth with a series of insults before turning to one of his guards, “We depart. We have a war to win.”

Lucifer? Close the portals.

On it.

“You cannot leave,” Felix stated. “I have removed the means for you to leave. So either sit down and act like an adult, or I’ll have Tinuriel drag you to the table and hold you down.”

The two guards next to the emperor bristled and readied their weapons as the man turned around, full of fury and vengeance, “I won’t be held captive! I won’t agree to peace!”

The empress stood up, “If he is not willing to listen to reason, then I must concur. Thank you for attempting this endeavor, Versewalker. Please allow me to return to my palace.”

Ungrateful, idiotic…morons! Felix stood up and activated Beacon of Free Will.

“Listen to me! I will not allow you to return home until we come to an agreement. I don’t care if you view me as a villain because of it, and I don’t care that I’m going against my own morals. I’m not letting the two of you out to continue a war that will only escalate! How many hundreds or thousands have to die to sate your egos?”

The empress nodded curtly, “Well put.” She took her seat at the conference table.

The emperor seemingly ground his teeth into powder, but eventually trundled over to the opposite side of the table from the empress.

“Good,” Felix stated. He put the Tremor Tome and Tide Tome in opposite boxes. “These two tomes have the power to change your world. I intend to give them to you both – at the same time.”

“And what would prevent him from using it immediately?” The empress asked. “He could immediately rip open that box and use it.”

“No, he cannot,” Melanie stated. She stood up, “As a ruler of an entire Universe – alongside my husband – I will be interceding on the Versewalker’s behalf to present the terms. First, these boxes will only unlock if the person who wants to use the tome within truly desires the destruction of an entire Empire. And second, the other box will be opened at the same time – regardless of their distance from each other. If one of you opens it, the other will know.”

“But then it is just a matter of who is faster,” The emperor stated as he stared daggers at his enemy across the table.

“No, it isn’t,” Melanie said as she stood. Felix surrendered his center seat to her and stood at her right hand. “It takes a multi-day ritual to activate the tome.”

“Enough of this,” The emperor stated. He reached for the box in front of him and pulled it to him, opening the lid. At the same time, the other box opened, which caused him to pause.

The empress reached into her box and pulled out the tome with the blue cover and silver embossing. “In my hands, I have the power to flood the world.”

The emperor reached into the box in front of him and grabbed the other tome, “And I can destroy you with this.”

Melanie stood up and – for the first time Felix had ever heard her do so – shouted in anger. “You just want to be evil to each other. Stop it! You’re cruel, horrible, despicable! You don’t care about your people. What is a ruler without their people? Nothing!” She pointed to the two tomes, “You hold in your hands the means to end the other. But at what cost? You’ll just continue the cycle of hatred! Rebellions, civil strife, internal war. And who suffers? The common folk! Without whom, you’re nothing!”

The emperor sputtered angrily, but the empress looked down at the tome with a pensive demeanor. “How dare you speak to me like this!” The emperor shouted.

Melanie stared daggers at him, “I am the ruler of Heficyre, Universe #89,750. I am allies with the Dark Lord of Dirge and control an entire Universe’s worth of subjects. I tell you this not to demonstrate my superiority, but to show that you are nowhere near as important as you think you are. When you die, what is left after? It’s the people that persist beyond your reign. And you’d sacrifice them for what? Revenge? Let me ask you, when you have killed every enemy, every foe, and all is as you see fit…what do you do with the rebels? Those who cause trouble? Do you become a tyrant? Even if you try to act benevolent, you will not be trusted. Eventually, you will die. Whether by age, disease, or strife. In your hands, you have the power to break the cycle.”

Felix cleared his throat as Melanie huffed in deep breaths, recovering from her furious speech. “Let me introduce you both to the idea of something from my ‘Verse. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction.” Felix gestured to the boxes, “First, put the tomes back in the boxes. They are no good to you now.”

The empress gingerly placed hers back inside the box before looking at Felix. He could see that there was a deep sorrow written across her body language, but still a regality and confidence in herself. The emperor was still red in the face but threw the tome into the box. Felix gently shut the lids.

“You both have the means to destroy each other now. You will also know the moment the other side attempts to use those means thanks to the boxes. I am not proposing you intermingle your civilizations, but rather you stick to your borders. No more skirmishes, no raids, no conflicts. If one of you uses the tome, then the other one will also activate their own. You destroy yourself by destroying your foe.”

The emperor’s face lost its red hue as the implication finally sank in. The empress stared at Felix before looking to her opponent, “I would accept a term of peace, provided the sand bar is a no man’s land. A permanent neutral border. The borders of the Coralith Empire will not expand, and neither will your empire’s borders.”

Melanie snapped her fingers and one of her servants ran up with a series of parchments, “I already took the liberty to come up with the framework.” The servant handed a copy to each of the rulers – Melanie included. “Let us begin...”

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