T. A. Star
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33 - Show Them Fear
🕑 Added 2024-04-11 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
Nothing seemed to be going right for Roimeldor. Despite being the immortal Hollyhock Caste leader of the Soul Reapers, he couldnât seem to catch a break in achieving his goals on either of the planets he had set their forces on.
If things kept going sideways for him, then he would need to get directly involved and that had its risks. Mainly the cost of just existing in a lower Caste area and needing to supplement with either [Hollyhock Mana Bits] or slowly drain his mana and increase the risks to his limited immortality.
While Hollyhock Casters couldnât die from aging and were resilient to the extreme, they could still be killed. That wasnât as concerning a risk to his people, with their technology to capture souls in transit and reconstruct a physical body for them. However, those magical devices required a Hollyhock Caster to operate and it cost them more resources the higher Caste the soul was, not to mention that there were only a handful of Hollyhocks within their ranks.
Frankly, he didnât fully trust his Caste peers with his own immortal survival. They were the types of people who would rather take over his position of authority for the power trip rather than further their organizationâs mission.
Roimeldor watched the planet with twin moons and a small ring of green-tinted debris circling its equator that might have once belonged to a comet or shattered moon. From the large windowed wall of his office, he contemplated all these various things along with the movement of his forces, the concurrent skirmishes currently taking place on the surface, and awaited the reports for the subsequent harvests.
He was almost tempted to pray to the Creator Trinity that this time, this reality, this planet, would have the one thing he had been searching the last few millennia for⌠or was it eon now? Time was an odd thing and practically impossible for him to accurately keep track of across realities but surely it had been almost an eon by his homeworldâs standards.
The Commander didnât pray, though. He knew the Trinity wouldnât answer, even if it could know every thought he had. That just wasnât how those particular beings worked. Instead, he waited, watched, and strategized.
Asyamil entered, dressed in the usual black body armor most of their people wore, himself included, but they both currently lacked the glossy helmet that could simply reappear at the press of a button. She didnât announce herself and promptly went to his side as he gave the familiar command, âReaping report.â
âWeâve collected another 56,377 souls from Makera but still no sign of Naira,â the tall elf said.
Roimeldor felt the wave of disappointment despite trying to convince himself to stop hoping in the first place. That small tiny sliver of hope was the only thing keeping him going, though, so he asked, âNotable conflict updates?â
âFire Four Squad has run into interference from the Queens of Lona Laress in the northwestern quadrant,â his second-in-command continued, âWater Two Squad, which was reassigned to Tulim in the northeastern quadrant, has reported that their alarms were triggered and the locals have discovered them. They are requesting permission to advance before a defense can be mounted.â
âDiscovered? Did they mess up the aural detection negators?â
âNo, sir. It was a physical ground discovery,â she stated, hesitating a moment before adding, âThe sensors picked up the presence of a Wayfarer with a lot of Divinity affecting their aura signature.â
Roimeldor clenched his jaw as he growled, âAnother Wayfarer?â
âYes, sir, only Daisy Caste but the amount of Divine influence is concerning and would explain how they discovered our location.â
He contemplated a moment longer, debating on just biting the bullet and going down to the surface to take care of these annoyances on his own. The Abyssal Dragoon was still down there somewhere after having completely derailed his plans on ErythrĂłs but the appearance of another Wayfarer was disconcerting and entirely too coincidental that he didnât want to leave the potential threat. Almost a million souls awaited⌠a million chances for him to find Naira.
âSir?â Asyamil prompted.
âCall for the advance on Tulim. Burn them to the ground. Show them fear. I will reap every soul from any who dare to stand in my way.â
âYes, Commander. It will be done.â
Phoenix was happy to find her friends alive and well as Rayna and Saiya both crushed her in a furry hug of tails, the twins gushing about her cute green curl. The full group reunion wasnât very long, however, as they all wanted to get a few things done in town before being given their next mission. The AOA and Ducal government had been frantically organizing a counter-assault on the discovered army before the enemy decided to mobilize against them.
The duchy-wide Call to Arms being announced at the fort cities was causing Adventurers to return en masse to the Capital, putting aside the remote monster-culling missions, for the more immediate direct threat against the specific cities of Tulimeir and Souja at the southern end of the Razorteeth mountains. They assumed the Soul Reapers were after the Reality Rift below the capital but didnât want to leave the nearby fortress town completely unguarded.
Rayna was adamant about going shopping for supplies and a Spirit Gem before the confrontation and Saiya wanted to visit the Temple of the Traveler, though clarified that she was still ruminating on the idea.
Dazien and Uriel both wanted to check in on the temple of the Parent and the children there, hoping to reassure the young ones and make sure the clergy were prepared for the upcoming conflict.
Phoenix opted to join the men as she had enjoyed her previous visits and thought she might be of more use there. She had been a couple of times now and the small Lilly had become quite attached to Tala and she figured a quick check-in would be a nice break from all the fighting and monsters she had been dealing with.
She couldnât stop the smile from overtaking her face as the trio approached and the usual scramble of children rushing the Adventurers, who were orphans like them, occurred. Her party leader would turn up the Shiny charm to eleven at this point and she wasnât entirely sure if he was even aware of it since it was just a part of who he was. It was kind of amazing to her to see how well he dealt with the overwhelming swarm of rugrats with such grace and humor.
Even Uriel was smiling at the sight, his ember eyes never leaving the gemite, as he stood back slightly but still greeted the kids that approached him. The Mageâs visitors seemed to be the quieter ones, shyly tugging on the cinderenâs tunic and causing him to squat down to speak with them better.
âKing!â Brent called from across the yard as the young teen waved them forward towards the temple entrance, âPriestess Deserin wants you to see her in her office!â
Dazienâs smile only faltered for a moment as he called back, âBe right there!â
Then he told the others, âWell, you heard him, my loyal subjects, time for the King to hear the council of the divine. Time to return to your duties. Make sure to clean up those toys from the playground!â
Phoenix snorted at the nagging and wondered if the Defender had been taking notes from Paul lately about being a dad on top of the aura training they had been doing together.
There was a collective groan followed by a cheer as Rex manifested beside the Defender in a shower of golden glitter before leading the swarm toward the open area to clean and play. The giant [Avatar of Sovereignty] looked even more massive as the children climbed over him and spoiled him with pets and squeals of laughter.
She laughed along with them at the sight of the chaos and contemplated staying in the yard to wait for them when Uriel surprised her by taking her hand, saying with a shy smile, âI have something I want to show you.â
The Mage led her around the building to a smaller side entrance to the decently sized temple and into what appeared to be a kitchen that was already busy with a few cooks, âUriel! Have you come to assist with the lunch rush?â one of the middle-aged runeforged asked, elbow deep in flour and kneading dough.
âJust stopping by to check on the litter,â he clarified with a shake of his head, âHas Jennica been taking care of them while Iâve been gone?â
âOf course, I have!â a young feminine voice growled from across the room and Phoenix saw a fierce-looking teenage girl who oddly reminded her of her best friend back on Earth with the straight hair that cut sharply at the jawline and lean muscles on display with the tank top.
âUnlike somebody we know, I donât just abandon the kids depending on me,â Jennica added with a glare that could stab.
The human girl set that unyielding gaze on her then, looking the Wayfarer up and down as though she were a mere pest that had dared to infest their home, âWho the fu-â
âLanguage, Jen,â Uriel preemptively interrupted, âYou know how the priests get on about that while living here.â
âWhich is utter siva sh-â
âJen. You know the little ones pick it up and donât understand how to use them properly.â
The girl rolled her eyes at the Mage but corrected, âWhoâs the girl?â
âThis is Phoenix. Iâm sure the others have told you about her.â
Jennica shifted uncomfortably and muttered, âMaybe. Some nonsense about a Princess but itâs not like it means anything.â
Uriel frowned, âIs that what you plan to tell Dazien when he sees you again?â
The teen, who was likely on the lower end of that range, jut her chin forward and said stubbornly, âYeah, I will. Heâs too old to keep playing pretend like that. Priestess Yavuz keeps saying he needs to grow up and quit fooling around.â
The cinderenâs frown deepened as he said, âI know weâve mentioned it before but you shouldnât just accept whatever someone else says if you donât fully understand why they say it. Thatâs the case when it comes to Yavuz.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
He gave a huff and shook his head, âDonât worry about it for now, Iâll explain more when youâre older.â
Jennica crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance, âYou know I hate when you say that like itâs an answer. Itâs almost like I shouldnât accept it âcause I donât understand why you say it.â
âWhy donât you just help me show Phoenix the pups?â Uriel asked, making his attempt to redirect obvious.
The girl sighed but nodded and turned to lead them.
Phoenix couldnât help the excitement rising inside at the idea of puppies. And puppies were exactly what she got but they were obviously avals instead of the Earth-kind she was more accustomed to seeing on TV. They were currently being contained in a large pantry that had all the lower shelves emptied of items to allow room for the pups to wander.
Uriel lifted one of the husky-looking balls of fluff that had rounded shards of ice protruding from various places of the white and gray fur which had snow falling from it with every shake and scratch. They all had bright blue eyes and barked happily at the appearance of the Mage.
âThese are Frolves,â the cinderen said, handing the chilly furball to her, âTheyâre avals domesticated from Snolves.â
She snorted a laugh, âLove the name,â she managed to say sarcastically before the pup attacked her face with its tongue, âOh, ew, come on now. Not the mouth!â
Uriel burst out laughing before quickly calming himself, shaking his head as he attempted to also calm the pup down with a strong hand on its head, âYou need to be firm with them or theyâll walk all over you.â
âSome kind of alpha dominance thing?â she asked.
âYouâre familiar with the behavior?â
âWe have just regular wolves and dogs but they probably act similar. These elemental kinds are new, though,â she glanced down at the sharp-looking pup with two tails and saw the resemblance to the monsters she was often forced to slaughter. They had the same sharp teeth and claws that would snap at her as soon as look at her and she wondered just how âdomesticatedâ these variants were.
When the little furball suddenly stared at her and growled, she felt her panic soar and Uriel quickly lifted the pup from her arms and scolded it, âNone of that now, you be good.â
As he placed the pup back with its siblings he explained over his shoulder, âYou canât show them fear, otherwise they wonât trust you. Theyâre very sensitive to the smell of it.â
âThe smell? I thought that was just like a saying,â she said nervously.
The Mage shook his head, âNo, itâs definitely a thing,â and she was suddenly reminded about his passive perception ability being scent-based.
âDo I smell afraid?â the Wayfarer asked, lifting a hand to sniff at.
Uriel chuckled, âNot enough that I can smell it through the Silencer.â
That was when Phoenix noticed Jennica staring at her in utter disbelief and she instantly looked over herself to see what was wrong as she asked, âWhat is it?â
âYou made Senesh laugh,â the teen said in awe, âLike, loudly, with the whole chest, and not just that tiny chuckle he does once in a while.â
It was Urielâs turn to roll his eyes as he said, âIâve laughed before. The earrings donât shut me down all the time. Just when things get a bit too extreme.â
âYouâve never laughed around us,â Jennica stated adamantly, âNot like that. Not even when milk came out of Brentâs nose that one time.â
âWell, that was just gross,â the Mage retorted, as he sat on the floor to wrangle puppies more.
The girl promptly turned on her, both hands on either hip, and proclaimed, âYou know King and Senesh love each other very much, right?â
That caught her completely off guard and she could only think of asking, âWhat?â
âYup,â Jennica confirmed, proceeding to clear up the curiosity that had been lingering in the back of her mind, âI caught them kissing in the kitchen one time.â
âJen, you know itâs impolite to kiss and tell,â Uriel lightly scolded.
âI wasnât the one kissing!â
âItâs impolite to tattle as well,â Dazien said from the doorway that led into the pantry they were currently in from the main kitchen.
âMaybe donât do that stuff in the kitchen then! Itâs unsanitary!â the teen retorted in disgust, causing Phoenix to snort a laugh, then continued to address the gemite, âAnyways, my point is that by going along with your crazy idea of being an Adventurer, sheâs putting both of you in equal danger.â
âUm, I donât think not joining their party would have stopped Daze.â Phoenix muttered, remembering how persistent the young leader had been.
âIt wouldnât have. Heâs pretty driven about accomplishing his goals,â Uriel agreed.
âWeâve talked about this before, Jen,â the warrior said as he moved closer to help his partner with the pups, âAdventurer first before I can properly aim for becoming a king. Besides, Iâm the Defender, remember? Iâm fairly hard to kill.â
âBut not impossible,â the girl muttered forlornly, âItâs just that, if you or Senesh dies, the other will die too. Then everyone will be sad and forgotten. You two are the only ones who still visit us regularly and actually care.â
âPlease tell me Dazien or Uriel didnât make some insane Oathbond as a teenager to protect the other with his life,â she asked the girl, suddenly worried about crazy teenagers making stupid promises and losing both of her friends at the same time.
Jennica snorted a laugh, âOkay, that does sound like something theyâd do but I meant the other will obviously die of a broken heart.â
âThatâs not going to happen,â Dazien said firmly.
âIt might,â Uriel interjected, looking up at the gemite with a grin, âI donât know if Iâd want to keep living without you. I might simply shrivel up like a flower without water.â
âYouâre not helping,â the Defender sighed before turning to the Wayfarer and adding, âAnd just so you know, most teenagers canât make an Oathbond. You have to be a Caster to make them.â
âLook at you trying to change the subject,â she said in exaggerated praise.
âI think sheâs onto your tricks, Daze,â the Mage chuckled.
The warrior rubbed at a temple before turning back to the teenager and saying, âListen, Jen, you know how much I plan and prepare for things, right?â the gemite said, placing a hand on the young teenâs shoulder, âWell, part of those plans and preparation was getting the best team together that can survive and thrive. Phoenix is an amazing Adventurer and she's even Favored by the gods, there's no way they'd let anything happen to her, right?â
âI am very good at surviving,â she confirmed with a grin.
âSee? So even if one of us gets hurt, weâre always there to pick each other back up and make sure everyone gets home.â
âWhich gods?â Jennica asked with narrowed eyes.
âSome of the most powerful ones,â the Defender said with a broad smile, âWarrior, Scholar, Cultivator, Traveler, RebelâŚâ he paused, then tacked on quietly, âHero.â
The teen gave a loud groan and whined, âBut heroes always die in the end! Itâs like their destiny!â
âBut everyone else is saved right?â the Wayfarer prompted.
Jennica hesitated then reluctantly admitted, âI mean⌠yeah, thatâs why theyâre the hero.â
Phoenix smiled, looking at her two friends then promising the young girl that so obviously cared about them, âWell⌠then trust me when I say that Iâll make sure these two get home no matter what.â
Comments
Custus
Thanks for the chapter!
