Ar'Kendrithyst

A familiar, long-dead caldera filled Erick’s vision. Black, rippled crust extended off into the distance, where house-sized spikes of volcanic glass shredded the constant fog that flowed into this dark, holy space.

Phagar stood to one side of the black caldera, looking much like Erick.

Melemizargo stood on the other; only half his full size, or maybe a bit smaller; a nod to the size of the arena, perhaps. He flexed his wings, dispersing the crowding mists.

Erick stood between the two gods, and did not let them speak first. He demanded, “I will be Phagar’s Champion. I will kill Tania, and then this… This horrific night will be done.”

His words echoed across the caldera for a stretched moment.

Melemizargo’s deep voice rumbled, “A Championship will not save you.” He stated, “None of the gods can help you face Tania, and even I cannot help you much more than I already have.”

Erick did not expect Melemizargo to be here, and though his words were worrying, his stance did not matter right now. Erick looked to Phagar.

Phagar did not look happy. He said, “I cannot.”

Anger. Regret. Frustration without outlet. Emotions warred within him, and they were enough to drown, but Erick held himself above the metaphorical waves, and asked, “Why?”

“Because you come to me in the hour of your greatest need, demanding something you don’t truly desire, with consequences far beyond the ‘Now’.” He added, “And Tania’s plan is to capture your soul and save it for Sundering in her own hour of greatest need, when she needs the temporary power of an untempered Wizard.” Phagar spoke with a finality to his decree, “I will not add my own power to hers.”

“… Ah.” It was a cruel sort of calculus, but Erick understood. “Very well. What else can you offer, then?”

Phagar smirked, then looked up to Melemizargo, but spoke to Erick, “What I can offer is to slip you into your body of five minutes ago.”

Melemizargo scoffed.

Phagar continued, “Everything that has passed will have been but a particularly vivid [Future Sight].”

Melemizargo spoke, “Gifts of Time are useless in the face of power.”

“He could win, if given another chance.” Phagar said, “Your Champion is not Absolute and now Erick has a bit of knowledge of what will come.”

Melemizargo ignored Phagar and said to Erick, “Erick. This is not the way you will win. You look to the wrong institutions for help when the answer has been staring you in the face this whole time.”

Erick narrowed his eyes at the former god of magic, asking, “Got any better ideas that don’t involve me selling my soul to you?”

Melemizargo laughed. “Ha! That is not my way.” He said, “There is only one thing holding you back, and it is not a lack of time or space. Five minutes will not matter. Even five centuries of learning would not help you inside the Feast Barrier. No! Tania might be the sword that commits the final bloodletting, but the truth is that only one thing will be killing you tonight, and that is the Script, itself.”

Erick stilled. He said, “Then what do you propose, Melemizargo?”

Phagar sighed, almost small enough to miss.

Two more gods stepped into the black caldera. Rozeta, looking angry in her pantsuit-wearing white-wrought human body. And Koyabez, looking resigned, and wearing his usual loincloth.

Koyabez said, “There is only one way this night ends well for the world, my old friend.”

“Phagar is right about one thing and one thing only. Tania is not Absolute.” Melemizargo huffed, “But your solutions are too weak.”

Rozeta spat, “Only because you have put too much of yourself into that wretch for her to ever fall to anything other than her own hand. So get to it, Old Man. Tell us all your desire, and how you plan to damn Erick by offering him power, just how you have damned every mortal who has ever been born into this tiny world, and crossed your evil path! Show us, yet again, how you will damn this world with every chance you get! But lo! Watch as we watch him deny you, as he should, and then still die to Tania, as would any other archmage, Wizard or not. For you cannot be trusted. You cannot be bargained with. You cannot be allowed into the Relevant Entities of the Script.”

As Rozeta spoke, eyes opened in the fog all around; the eyes of deities, both major and minor. Atunir stood in the fog, surrounded by plants and farm animals, alongside Sininindi, who stood beside a storm-tossed tree. On the other side of the caldera stood the alabaster form of Aloethag, and the armored presence of Sumtir, the god of Righteous War. Between those gods were dozens of other divine eyes, belonging to other gods, and other beings.

Angels stood watching from the mist, some ancient, and some ascended mortal, all witnessing the events unfolding around them, all with great fervor and hatred in their sight. Some looked to Erick. Some, at Melemizargo. But the majority gazed to the other side of the caldera, at the demons.

The Demons, both incani and long-dead transformed elders, held much the same hatred in their eyes.

But they all listened to Rozeta rail against her father.

Rozeta declared, “But besides that! What is really happening here is that you believe that tonight is a forgone conclusion. Erick is already dead. Tania has already gone on to her final war. The only thing actually happening here tonight, is that you are hoping for Tania to redeem herself over a few centuries. That she will grow a spark of empathy, or maybe that Hollowsaur will taint her with his own Blessing. You are hoping to claim your own form of legitimacy through a weakening of our collective resolve, and the removal of humanity and thus the Quiet war.”

“There are many plans, my dear daughter.” Melemizargo said, “Any of them work for my needs.” He turned to Phagar, “But this Gift of Time is not enough. Therefore—” He turned to Rozeta. “Break him from the Script, or I will offer the service myself.”

A hundred voices decried the Dark Dragon, from both sides of the caldera.

Rozeta spoke louder than them all, “No.” She glared at her father, and said, “But you already know I will not do that, for what you actually want is the temporary suspension of the Script Second to give him a taste of your dark power so as to drag yet another Wizard one step closer to your all-devouring abyss.”

As the notion of Melemizargo’s offer went unconsidered, Erick moved right along onto Rozeta’s ‘conclusion’, demanding to know, “You think I’d fall for that sort of trick?!”

“There is no ‘falling for it’. It is a fact. Power demands to be used, and once you have a taste of unfettered magic, then you will want more.” Rozeta said, “I have seen it a thousand times before.”

And now, Erick was truly angry, “What-the-fuck-ever! You want Tania dead, yeah? This is a big deal, yeah? Besides! Sininindi and all the rest of you are planning on murdering me before Yggdrasil outgrows his bonds, so what does it really matter if I fall to the Darkness in 75 years! I’ll be dead by your hands well before then, all of my own magic will already be out there, and killing Tania right now is much better than the plans she is enacting against the whole world, at this very moment!” Erick demanded of Rozeta, “So I’ll take that suspension of the Script Second.” He turned to Phagar, saying, “And I’ll take those five minutes, too!”

Rozeta stared at Erick, her face a mask hiding much under the surface.

Melemizargo chuckled.

Erick spat at him, “Shut up, Dragon. Fuck you, too.” He pointed to the entire audience of the caldera, saying, “And fuck all of you, too! Gods damned fucking warmongers! I see what you want! You want the war! Assholes!”

Melemizargo laughed louder.

Voices carried out from the fog, raising higher, arguing against Erick, or for their own agendas.

Koyabez silenced them all as he grabbed Erick’s attention, saying, “I need you to use the artifact spell I gave you to empower your [Blessing of Empathy] into an instant-cast spell, Erick.” All voices turned silent as eyes turned to him. Koyabez looked up to Melemizargo, and yet spoke to Erick, “You must ensorcell any Shades you wish to offer a second chance before you destroy Tania, for breaking the Barrier will allow them all to get away. Fallopolis is the only exception, for you have already wrapped a part of her in something better than who she was before.”

Melemizargo shrugged; it was an odd look on a dragon. “Acceptable.”

Koyabez turned to Erick, “Know this: Goldie, Farix, and Lapis lied to you about accepting your Blessing.”

“… Ah. Wonder how I missed that.”

Melemizargo explained, “They selectively divorced a part of their souls and themselves from their beings in order to accept those Binding Bracelets without triggering those Binding Bracelets. The divorced parts will come back to them when the danger is over. It is a common technique for appearing like a different person for a little while, and is a necessary skill to master before becoming a proper member of My Clergy.”

Erick would have sighed for an hour, if he had the time. “If they weren’t pressured into a corner, they would never have even acted as though they needed my collar around their necks, would they?”

“Absolutely not.” Melemizargo said, “It is a complete anathema to who they are to accept such a thing. They will likely still fight you if you try to force this soulwork upon them, so be ready for that.”

Koyabez said to Erick, “Empathy should never be a collar, and I am sorry you had to make yours into one.”

Erick asked, “Any tips on how to handle Caizoa?”

Koyabez said, “She only followed Tania because Tania was going to win. If you’d have seen her before the Aerie broke, then you too would have thought she was on your side. And she will be, if you win.”

“Yeah… Well?” Erick said, “That’s all still up for debate.” He looked to Rozeta.

Everyone looked to Rozeta.

Rozeta scowled. She raised her hand, and a pulse of light went out. “A vote, then. You have ten seconds to vote or abstain.”

Ten seconds passed way too fast, and also like slow torture.

Rozeta glanced to the air. She frowned a little, and then she read the results with a monotone voice, “67% to deny Erick all that has transpired in this caldera and to let the world happen as it already has.”

A black rage dimmed Erick’s sight, as he muttered, “Sometimes I really hate democracy.”

“Yes. Well.” Rozeta said, “This is why we have a Goddess of the Script. Someone in charge to lead the ignorant, scared masses who vote in blocks to keep their Quiet War running.” She announced to the caldera, “You’re all outvoted.” While the Angels and the Demons roared out accusations and anger, Rozeta pointed at her father, adding, “Fuck you, dad. This is your singularchance to do right by me and Veird.” She turned to Erick. “You’re getting your Suspension of the Script Second. Don’t you make me regret this, either.”

Melemizargo bowed toward his daughter, while the caldera erupted in further anger.

Erick blinked.

- - - -

Erick blinked again.

The future condensed into a faded possibility. One of a hundred varied futures, already dimming as Erick came to back where he was, running his spells he had been running, while Fallopolis yelled to his side.

“No time to talk!” Fallopolis said, holding her staff up high. “Here they come!”

The Aerie had already exploded. Bulgan and Queen had yet to make their first appearance.

One blue box appeared, followed by a second.