“What was the sundering like you ask? A silly question, but I'll answer considering the effort you invested in finding me. It was nothing short of the most terrifying thing I experienced in my long life. I watched as entire mountains cracked and crumbled. I watched as a country side I grew up playing in split open and being replaced by an ocean. Cities thought to be everlasting and unbreakable were razed to the ground as a sea of monsters and beasts swept across the land. Yet all that was a mere afterthought compared to seeing him. The day when Obyn himself moved, when he stood from his throne. The idea of a God lost all meaning to me when witnessing the might of a true Primordial being. It felt as if the very world we had called home for uncountable generations simply turned against us when he stood. But I suppose that’s what happens when you draw the ire of the being that is the natural world. I still have nightmares about that day and it's been over ten centuries.”
~Interview of one of the last remaining survivors of the sundering. Recorded in the year 1109 A.S
Andro opened his eyes in confusion at the sensation. Everything around him felt muted. Even the pain he was experiencing felt so far away it may have not been there. Looking up, he was surprised to see that he was no longer kneeling in front of Draelin and was instead standing. However, when he turned around he could see his Draelin still propping up his slumped form. A moment of panic overcame him, yet it lasted for barely a moment before he was filled with a sense of peace and comfort. As if what he was seeing was the natural outcome and worrying about it was unnecessary.
The outcome he was seeing wasn’t ideal, not even close to how he imagined he would go out. Especially not this soon, well that is if he wasn’t counting his previous near fifty years he had lived. If he was considering those years, he supposed he had lived a decent enough life. Things could have gone better towards the end, but he had tried his best.
“I am afraid there is still much more you must do.” A kind fatherly voice spoke out from nearby.
He turned and was surprised to find a figure standing beside him looking down towards his slumped body. He looked of an average yet stocky build, but the worn out dark cloak tattered at the bottom hid his features. Despite the immediate ominous look, he carried a presence to him that spoke of unending patience and serenity. Andro was about to ask who he was, but his eye caught something behind the figure. Kai wasn’t moving.
Not just her either as the Lord was frozen mid swing as he desperately attempted to get the feral berserker off him. All around the two, the columns of flame were just as still as an untouched pond. Yet they and everything else was grayed out, as if color itself was being held back as well. Looking back down he could see Draelin just as unmoving, the grief and desperation on her face frozen. That feeling from earlier, of the world coming to a stop wasn't just a feeling. Now that he noticed it, he could feel it with his time concept. He could feel how time was being held at a standstill.
“Who are you?” Andro asked, taking a step back with a minor hit of caution creeping in.
“It is quite astonishing how often that is the first question anyone asks of me.” The figure said with an amused chuckle while reaching up and pulling back the hood to his cloak. What greeted him was the warm smile of a kindly looking old man on the verge of being ancient. His skin was more wrinkle than skin and he had long wispy hair the color of fresh snow draped over his sun spotted head. A long and neatly trimmed beard of the same color hung down low from his jaw.
Yet despite the obvious age the man displayed, it was clear there was still plenty of vigor left within him. He looked human of origin, but different in a way Andro couldn’t describe. Almost as if he looked too human. Scanning the old man up and down, there wasn’t much to see underneath the worn out cloak. Other than a set of old and well maintained clothes one would find on a farmer. His simple leather boots that looked to have seen more travel than Andro has seen in years helped sell the simple farmer look.
“You didn’t answer the question.” Andro stated staying on full alert despite the feeling of trust and peace the old man seemed to radiate.
“No, I did not,” The old man chuckled, his smile growing wider as he held out a thickly callused hand, “You may call me Obidai.”
He carefully reached out and took the hand and shook it but couldn’t help but feel that the name was familiar. Shaking his hand, he could feel the old man's grip was just as rough and firm as it looked, making him lean more towards his farmer theory.
“Androlis.” he responded prompting another chuckle.
“I am fully aware as to who you are, Mr. Maxon.” Obidai said then looked down to where Andro’s body was slumped against Draelin.
“I am also aware of what you have accomplished. There was a standing bet of when that tablet would be used by the way.”
Alarm bells went off in his head and Andro took another step back, his guard up and ready to fight.
“How?” He started to ask but Obidai raised a hand in a gesture of calm.
“Relax yourself Mr. Maxon for I am not your enemy, nor are any of my colleagues,” Obidai attempted to reassure, then paused, “Well most of us anyways.”
“How do you know about the Tablet?” Andro asked, not hiding his suspicion, “Also I thought only I would keep my memories.”
“I don’t just know about the Tablet of Return Mr. Maxon, I helped create it.” Obidai answered with a shake of his head.
“What?” Andro couldn’t help but ask, some of his wariness replaced by curiosity, “And who do you mean by colleagues?”
“Ah, I see the confusion,” Obidai said, wagging his finger as if he just figured out the solution to a difficult puzzle. “I suppose it would help if I fully introduce myself,”
Once more Obidai held out his hand with the same warm smile on his face. Andro eyed the hand with open wariness, but carefully reached out and took it.
“Greeting Androlis Maxon, My name is Obidai and I am what you all call the God of Death. Hand chosen by Sha himself and first to ascend to the level of a deity.”
A long moment passed as all Andro could do was stare in utter shock and bewilderment. His mind struggled to process the words he had just heard, unsure if he could believe the old man. That is when his memory caught up to him and all the years he had spent in the Library with Grandmother. She had insisted that learning about the past would make someone a better seer. He recalled some of those lessons now as his brain worked overtime.
She had told him of the first one, the people who had an entire empire spanning the world. There hadn't been a single stretch of land untouched by them and their mastery of combining magic and technology into magi tech. Yet despite their personal power, they still recognized and worshiped beings above them before the Creator came along. In the present day those beings were referred to as the gods of old, or the forgotten gods due to how little information there was of them.
As those lessons came back to him, he recalled a specific one, the lesson of the very first of these beings. The story of an old farmer living alone with nothing but a loyal hound to keep him company. Of how that farmer had been chosen by the very concept of Death itself and risen to a level of power not seen yet. The story of how the first god came into existence, the God of Death.
“Ah, there it is.” Obidai, the God of Death, laughed warmly. “I must confess that there is a certain level of amusement I enjoy when someone truly realizes who I am.”
Andro was too stunned to speak, after all it wasn’t everyday one just casually shook hands with a god, let alone the first one to ascend. He had always prided himself on being able to keep a calm and level head during stressful situations. It was one of the reasons he was able to rise to the rank of company commander in the Allied forces. To say it took him a moment to compose himself would have been an understatement. However, once the initial shock wore off, he found himself not quite so freaked out about the whole thing.
“As amusing as I find the initial reaction, it is not my wish to cause fear,” Obidai reassured, letting go of Andro’s hand. “I am here to offer comfort and peace, after all I can't be a guide if you're too afraid to follow me.”
Feeling more relaxed and in control of himself, Androlis met the Death God's eyes, the simple brown eyes of a farmer turned God. He felt no fear, and even his initial panic and wariness was nowhere to be found. If he now stood before the God of Death, that meant only one thing.
“You are here because I died.” he stated in a matter of fact tone, his gaze steady and tone full of acceptance.
Obidai looked down at his slumped form, letting out an amused sigh that transitioned into a soft chuckle. He stepped forward and placed a wrinkled and callused hand on his shoulder, giving Androlis a feeling of comfort.
“For the first time in a very long time, I can say I am not here to guide you to the garden, young man.” Obidai said, meeting his gaze, then added with a sad smile, “I am here because of what you did.”
Androlis looked at him with some confusion. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the old man was referring to the tablet, but it was already confirmed Obidai helped make it. He doubted he was in trouble for using it as Obidai gave off the impression he was of the mindset of not point in building something no one would use.
“Do not fear, we are not upset at you using it young man,” Obidai confirmed as if he could read his thoughts. To be fair he was a god so there was that possibility.
Obidai let out a chuckle and said, “After all, we built the thing to be used for those exact sort of situations. However you wouldn’t believe how long it took to convince old Chronos to agree to its creation. Mind you he is a bit of a stickler when it comes to the rules of time, and the tablet wouldn’t work without his blessing anyways.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
A shudder passed through the air around them just then, causing the old man to look around with a small frown.
“Speaking of which, we don't have long so I will try to keep this brief.” He said, his usual warm and fatherly tone switching to one more like a commander instructing his soldiers.
“I know you have questions, lots of questions but those must wait until I tell you what I came to tell. We wanted to approach you sooner, but there are rules in place that limit our interactions with the world directly.”
Obidai was correct that Androlis was practically bursting with questions. However the professional in him recognized when the situation was serious and when to keep his mouth shut. Not only that but just how he could feel time was stopped, he could also feel how whatever was keeping it stopped was beginning to fray and lose its grip. Androlis gave the god a nod to indicate he would be listening.
“To offer some explanation, I was able to approach you today because you are just on the cusp of death. Meaning you are within my domain of power allowing this conversation, but it won’t last.” Obidai explained gesturing to his slumped form, “When we are finished I shall place you back within your body with enough energy and clarity that you should have enough time to save yourself. Please do not waste it as it will make this entire endeavor both pointless and a little awkward, not to mention our next encounter will be more permanent."
Androlis glanced over at his body, but stayed silent and gave the God a nod. He did however start mentally forming the words of his incantation, ready to say them the moment he was flesh and blood again.
“Now for the important part,” Obidai sighed, only for the world to shudder again and the old man to look up with some annoyance, “I’m getting to it.” He grumbled while shaking his head before meeting Androlis’s gaze again.
“When you used the tablet, there was a sort of rippled effect that we had not foreseen traveling as far as it did. We had expected some level of ripple, but not to the degree of what happened. The leading theory is because of how far back you traveled compared to how long the tablet existed before it was used. In full honesty we had expected to be used much sooner, but that’s not the point.” Obidai sighed and stroked his beard before continuing.
“The point is, that ripple created a small bit of damage in the veil. It was only a minor tear, easily fixable. The issue with it is somehow in the process of the tear opening then closing, it had plucked another soul from a distant world and brought him back here. Much like how an ocean wave can grab onto someone wading in the shallows and pull them out into the sea.”
Androlis looked at the god with genuine surprise. He had no idea there were other worlds out there with life, let alone his actions pulling one of them here.
“Don't be too surprised, the universe is a large place, and this isn't the only world the Primordial's took an interest in cultivating.” Obidai stated, then gave a dismissive wave and continued, “What matters is he was never supposed to be here. By the time you used the tablet, he would have already been dead for years from a rare medical disease his people refer to as cancer. However, now his fate has been completely rewritten. Due to the process of him coming here, what would have eventually caused his cancer no longer exists. So instead of dying at a relatively young age, he is now predicted to rise to levels of power not seen for a very long time, and we can’t tell if he will be what helps save or destroy the world.” Obidai let out a long sigh as he rubbed his face, ignoring the much deeper shudder that passed through the world around them.
“I may be a God now, but I was once a simple mortal farmer,” he said with a somber tone, “While the Primordial's care only for the world itself, me and my colleagues still harbor love for the mortals living on it and wish to help save them. This man is important, and while we may not know his exact future we have been able to predict three distinct possibilities.”
Obidai held up three fingers and made sure Androlis was paying attention as he lowered the first, “The first is he shall become the first mortal to kill one of the beings you refer to as Corrupters.” he lowered the second finger, “The second path is he shall be the one to kill the being you call the Creator,” he lowered the final finger and said his tone more severe as he shook his head, “The third young Androlis is by far the worst. The third predicted path we could foresee was of him sweeping across the world with an unstoppable army and not stopping until everything on it was dead. Mortals, Corruptors, Creator, apocalypse beasts and even some of us gods. He erases all life from the world.”
Another shudder passed through the world around them, more intense than any so far. Obidai glanced around this time and let out a sigh while shaking his head.
"I am afraid we are out of time young man. You must find this anomaly and guide him, do not let the shadows of this world corrupt him into a dark path."
"Where do I find him?" Androlis blurted out, his sensitivity towards time telling him whatever was holding it at bay was on the verge of failure.
"Find the Vidasil, they will know." Obidai instructed and this time the world lurched, nearly throwing Androlis to the ground. The old man looked unfazed other than a disappointed shake of his head as he looked up.
Looking back towards Androlis, he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. " Good luck young man." The god of death said just as the world lurched one more time. Androlis was thrown to the side where he landed right back into his body.
He came too with a healing gasp of air, energy and clarity coursing through his failing body. Despite the surge of power he could feel how rapidly it was fading, so he didn't waste a second. The words that had been on the forefront of his find came pouring out as he spoke his incantation. All the remaining mana in his body, along with the excess he was given was all poured into the healing skill.
Brilliant bronze light layered itself over his body, mixing with the pale green of Draelin's attempts. The two powers combined and course through his body, determined to fix him. Draelin's magic was focused more on infusing him with vital energies while he worked directly in reversing the wounds themselves. One by one, knives, hooks and shards of wood were pushed from his body to clatter on the floor behind him. When one particular large knife that had been impaling his lung cluttered to the ground, he took a deep and satisfying breath.
Draelin also relaxed somewhat by seeing him breathing easier, but she didn't relent on her healing. He was running low on mana, the extra power granted to him already spent, so he stopped the use of his skill. He let Draelin continue for a few moments longer, until he could feel himself no longer bleeding at least. Reaching that point, he gently pushed her hands away from him and gave her a reassuring smile. She tried to protest and continue to heal him, but he stopped her.
"You have done more than enough for me, save your mana for the others." He said while looking her in the eye to make sure she listened.
Seeing her finally relent, he climbed back up to his feet and helped her as well. He grimaced at seeing the heavy pock marks in the stone where his blood had been eating away at it. Thankfully Draelin seemed to have been able to avoid kneeling directly in the stuff so she was unhurt. That is something he would have to take into consideration for the future. It would be less than ideal if he accidently severely hurt an ally because of his blood.
That could wait for now as he needed to find where his spear fell and rejoin the fight. He wasn't sure as to how long he had been out of it before Obidai pulled him into that little time bubble. He located his spear and had just grabbed it when the constant sound of roaring flames came to a sudden halt. Almost instantly the temperature dropped a significant degree, and he whirled around to see what happened.
The scene that greeted his eyes allowed him to relax as he shook his head in amusement. Standing on what could only be described as an eviscerated corpse was a bloody, but grinning Kai. She looked absolutely battered, her armor was half crushed and she cobbled slightly, but she looked proud and triumphant. With some effort she stepped down off the body, just to plop down on the ground and breathing heavily.
"By the old one's saggy tits he was a stubborn bastard." She breathed out. Yet despite her complaint and obvious exhaustion, her grin only grew. However, her body soon gave in, and she fell back to lay sprawled out on the ground.
With the flames gone the others were able to rejoin them. Fred mostly looked annoyed at being forced to sit aside while the others too were looking a little scorched. The gaps between the active ovens must have been much smaller for them. Andro walked over and sat down next to Kai and placed his hand on her arm. He may not have had a lot of mana left, but he had some he could trickle into the skill.
"Everyone gather around me," Draelin said while motioning for them all to get closer. Once everyone did, she planted the but of her simple staff down and began to chant in a soft harmonic tone. As she spoke, green motes of light began to light up along the staff before drifting off to hover in the air. After a few moments the area was full of the drifting lights and Andro could feel their effect. His remaining wounds began to seal over as the growth of new tissue filled them in with fresh skin.
"This is amazing." Chen complimented as he poked one of the lights, his burns visible shrinking away.
"It's my most powerful recovery skill," Draelin explained as she remained focused on the staff, "However it's downside is I can't move while channeling it and it is mana intensive. I will have to cancel it here in a few moments."
"As long as this is our last fight for a bit, this is more than enough." Kai stated from where she lay on the ground while giving a thumbs up. Then she turned her head towards Andro and said, "Next dungeon lord is yours to play with. I'll stay back and hug the pretty elf."
That got a chuckle out of him but looks of confusion from everyone else. Except for Draelin who rolled her eyes but was unable to hide the slight blush on her cheeks.
At that moment Kalicena stood up from where she had been casually leaning against the tunnel wall and strode towards them.
"Well done everyone," She congratulated, a look of genuine pride gleaming in her eyes despite the chilling echo of her voice still sounding unnerving.
It took all of Andro's willpower to keep himself from leaping to his feet and yelling at her. The situation had gotten a lot more dangerous than what it should have been and he wanted to call her out for it. After all, he and Draelin had come the closest to dying, with him quite literally talking to the God of Death. Because of that, Kai pretty much had to take the Lord by herself, something that could have easily gone wrong if a single mistake was made.
There had been way too many close calls, yet he held back his tirade, willing to hear what she had to say first. That's when his gaze landed on the crystalline vial full of a red liquid clutched tightly in her hand. Not only that, but despite her appearing to look casual, he was confident she was much further down the tunnel when they started the fight. His anger subsided, realizing that she had probably been not even a moment away from leaping to his aid if he hadn't healed himself.
He slid his helm off and sat it on the ground beside him as he gave her a tired smile.
"Thank your lady Kalicena, your praise means a lot," he said while glancing around at everyone else. Draelin cut off her skill and joined them all ok sitting down to rest. Kalicena examined them all with a keen eye as he spoke, "I won't lie, it got a bit more intense than expected, but we pulled through" He added in a casual tone.
"With more than one of us having access to a healing skill, we should all be up and ready to continue in no time." He explained, watching as what little tension, he could detect left her body.
She nodded approvingly before slipping the vial back into a pouch on her waist. Just like that, the group sat there, resting and recovering. Draelin and Andro would periodically use what mana they recovered to keep healing the group. Andro focused more on the visible injuries while she handled the more general wellness of the group. Even with her use of the area heal at the start, it still took some time before everyone was deemed recovered enough to continue.
"If everyone has recovered enough to keep going, then I say let's head on to the next part." Kalicena spoke up, gesturing behind him.
They all turned, and with the exception of Andro, we're surprised to see that the opening to one of the ovens had been filled in with the same misty substance that made up the door they used to enter the dungeon. Andro was excited to go through as he knew what lay on the other side, but almost predictably a voice cut into his excitement.
"What about our rewards?" Fred asked in a whining tone, "I know we are supposed to get some and do you really expect us to leave without them?"
Kalicena leveled a flat stare at him, completely devoid of emotion or amusement. Andro could already guess at what she was thinking and what she would probably say, so he decided to save her the headache. Climbing up to his feet while rolling his eyes, he stepped over and smacked the back of Fred's head.
"What the?" He asked, shocked and confused at the sudden attack.
In response, Andoe pointed at the misty doorway and said, "You're an idiot Fred. Where do you think our rewards are?"
With a look of embarrassment mixed with outrage, Fred glanced over at the Dungeon Lord's body. Or at least where the body had been before it had simply vanished due to the Dungeon reabsorbing the mana used to create him.
"They are through there " Andro deadpanned, still pointing at the doorway. "You would know this if you spent any time at all doing research and not just yelling at people about how much better you are than them."
Before Fred could formulate a response, Andro pulled Kai up to her feet while Chen helped Draelin, then strode for the doorway. They all disappeared through the mist, with Kazyk and Kalicena being the only ones left with Fred. The former gave him a pitying look before shaking his head and following the others. Kalicena stared at him long and hard, her gaze seemingly to pierce right to his very soul, making him squirm. When she finally moved, it was a gesture for him to follow the others, something he did with no hesitation, and she soon followed.
