by Marcus Sloss
I summoned the black magic that had been growing within my inner soul. I let it angrily awake and swirled it forward the way I saw the others do. In my mind, I focused on the new kitchen district in eastern Fernlan. The spell sparkled and fizzled. Virtue and Nate said nothing at my failure. I tried again and as it was about to die off Virtue stabilized the spell and completed my portal. I did a quick fist pump and hopped through. It counted… to me at least.
We traveled a few hundred feet away and eighty feet down. There was no blackness and it was instant. I had always wondered if my blackness from portal travel was a distance thing. It seemed more adverse the further you went.
I entered the first kitchen to find bread the only thing being made. The next dining hall over though not only had runtlet but three pregnant elvath volunteers. All I had to say was we were trying to free more elvath. They didn’t need more than that to volunteer. Things did slow down as we hunted to add to our group size. If they could be spared for a few hours I added them to the group. Our resident seamstress filled the last of my needs, fourteen slave collars, which were placed on the Elvath for appearances. With fourteen waddling soon to be mommas in tow, we were ready to go find some monox.
“Virtue, I’ll practice my portals later. Make one to the river where we first met please… Wait! How did you find me that time?” I asked the shaman with a head tilt.
“Easy… Peace accord loophole. It told me where anyone outside the safe zones were located. I simply jumped around until I found the very tall man that you were described as from your conquering of Malvia. Unlike Roz, I am an ancient shaman with a very deep pool of aura.” Virtue said and then a large smirk crossed his face. “I could use some females to succubi though if you have me moving armies. It is nice to get to play outside the rules for once. I always thought it was inefficient to move armies for months in costly caravans. Did your gods leave you an energy pool of your own? If they did we can go even bigger and avoid Maurta’s detection.”
I nodded at the shaman’s idea then remembered an itch on my to do list I had yet to scratch. “After this we visit the AI, Mastermind Sara. I bet she has your answers and some of mine. For now, take us to the river. We’ve got fourteen gorgeous elvath we need to match with shoulder monox.” I said.
They blushed and thanked me for the compliment. The elvath were ancient, wise and still playful despite their specific circumstances. I had to remember pregnant unattached females were adventurous, more so than normal. The portal materialized and we stepped through.
There was almost but not quite a blackness from going just a mile away. I stepped out of the portal to find myself by the river and there were a dozen old fishermen and women. It looked like a retirement party on the river bank.
“Any luck catching anything?” I queried the group.
“No my Emperor. Merely getting away from the cold and trying our luck. My old bones would love somewhere warmer. Thank you for taking us in at Fernlan for now though.” An old lady said, when suddenly her line jiggled.
The senior beside her helped bring her to catch in and forty monox of all ages came running out. I whistled loudly, catching the monox off guard. They had sensitive hearing with their furry cupped ears. Nate tossed a piece of runtlet meat between us and them. As they raced over and started to fight over it, he handed a small strip to each elvath and had them hold it over their shoulders. Sure enough, a monox was mounted on every pregnant elvath within a few minutes. When one went to scurry up my leg I shook it off. I ignored the glare cast my way from the rejection.
“Okay, now we feed them every ten minutes or so until they stop eating. They should stick around for a day or two. If you stop feeding them they’ll vanish in time. Also, if they go to mate that’ll stop the bond too.” Nate said.
“Perfect. We’re ready. For bartering purposes, how many elvath does this planet hold?” I asked the shaman.
“It is the highest concentration in the universe. Some estimate a hundred million elvath. The odds of you getting a lot or even viewing beyond their grand display area is slim. It is a family policy to never make sales or trades that are too large. Which has paid off very well for them. Still, we should be able to free many more than the original five thousand.”
Everyone was in high spirits and I felt we were ready. I nodded to Vitrue and a portal opened. He stepped through first with my contract from the deal for the male elvath I won in hand. I clasped my faceplate closed and locked it to hide my identity. When all the pregnant females with monox were through, I entered the portal and welcomed the blackness.
CHAPTER 2
I was always curious as to what each new planet would reveal in its new wonders. In this case, I found myself anticipating something spectacular. Entria had been designed by gods after all. As I left the blackness of the portal transition, I arrived on a bright sunny day in a perfectly tempered climate. The sky contained intermittent clouds and there was a gentle breeze.
The rest of my group was patiently waiting for me and Nate. Virtue was greeting our cyclops host and his three elvath. I observed my surroundings and was definitely awed. We were a hundred feet above the ground on a floating platform with a palace at its pinnacle. As I looked down I immediately grew dizzy as I was standing on glass viewing the ground directly below me as if I were floating and ready to fall. I saw elvath in an alien city moving about as if today were just another day, and to them it probably was. There were no pens or fancy displays. These were sentient beings living in homes, going to work, and playing with children. I only saw a few of the toddler elvath, and hundreds watching over them. Nowhere did I see the population gazing up at the masters in the sky.
The platform we were on was thick glass for its base everywhere I looked. How it hovered or floated left me perplexed. The fact I was also standing and looking a hundred feet down was a tad unnerving even after I got over the initial shock. There were stone sidewalks not far off the road that I walked to. I wanted something solid to stand over. I exhaled a tad when I was staring down through the glass while standing on the elevated rock. Nate had quickly joined me to the side while the pregnant elvath giggled from the glass.
Virtue argued with our awaiting escorts. If I had to guess they were bartering. A short old cyclops parted from Virtue and headed towards me. This cyclops was wrinkly and slow. His plain robes were as gray as he was. Everything I gleaned from studying him spoke of a humble servant. He had a retinue of three elvath with him, and a fourth had raced off when he moved my way.
“Welcome to Entria, I am Orque. I will be your guide for today. We have but a short distance to cover until we can meet with our divine Lady G. She will be your host for today, and if you will follow me.” Orque said and stepped down the glass road to the left. Not far away the palace fought to claim the sky in its greatness. It was all glass with minimal furniture. As if the owner's design priority was to watch the elvath below. “Your shaman informed me of your preferred food choices. Snacks are being prepared as we walk. I cannot let you further with your identity hidden. We debated and added another hundred slaves to the contract to please both sides. If you would be so kind as to remove your helmet.”
I studied their deal with scrutiny and found nothing wrong with it. It even said my identity would remain a secret here on Entria – merely I could not hide from my host. I removed my helmet and handed it to Nate. We were still not wearing the white so I refused to give up my weapons when an elvath asked for them. Orque waved her off saying the white would be established soon enough. I caught a gleam in the old cyclops eye as he chuckled at this. Something was off. I asked for my helm back as I walked behind Orque. Nate nodded at me with grim determination, understanding my sense of danger was piqued.
I wanted to study the elvath population below me. I really did, but I was focused on the road we walked. There were only a few buildings before we went up a ramp for the palace. These were servant quarters with minimal support structures. There were potential ambush points and my eyes were constantl
y on the move. The monox became agitated with my apprehension. They started to stand and scout. Loud sniffs were testing the air. We passed the buildings and were on the ramp leading to the crystal like estate.
“You are more than safe here Gryff Redland of Swan. You will see soon enough.” This time the gleam in his eye did not leave me confused. He was happy, and his chuckle was pleasant.
I was thoroughly confused. I still did not change my cautious demeanor until I entered the palace. The foyer was glass walls, top, and bottom. It was clear where we were going as the only residents were on a balcony in the back. Glass sculptures of elvath were displayed every few feet. Names were chiseled into the decorative pieces. I had never seen a glass sculpture before, now I could say I had. A section of the hallway was muraled into a portrait of an elvath extending a hand to a god for help. I raised an eyebrow and stopped. Nate bumped into my back and I decided to keep going after issuing a quick apology.
I saw our hosts waiting for us on a terrace. A few elvath were setting a glass table with glass plates. If the theme was not so perfect, it would have driven me crazy with its overuse. The problem was I could look down from anywhere in this palace and see everything below me. That was worth having no privacy. Seeing the elvath going about their daily lives was worth the cost.
We arrived at the terrace and the mistress at the head of the table was an elvath herself. The lady was a dark haired vixen with black eyes and to me she shined. She was talking to a cyclops on her right when she noticed me. She sprayed her wine all over the glass table when our eyes locked. My outfit shifted to white and her dainty dress converted to a white covering of modesty. We both were studying our changes in shock when the cyclops beside her erupted out of his chair.
“Who is this?” The cyclops shouted then raised a pointed claw towards my face. “How dare you force the white on my mother and us?”
I ignored the cyclops. I walked past him and stole his chair he had vacated in his haste. I gazed deeply into the elvath’s eyes as I seated myself. I sent out a silence spell that Virtue fixed for me. My eyes never left hers and she was not fearful.
“The floating island… Glo… Darn, I forget the rest. The god of gravity, well met, I love the place. Bit much for my tastes, I would just live among them personally. They are truly interesting beings.” I said and a plate of eggs was placed in front of me that wafted a delicious aroma. “Compliment the chef please and thank you for the meal.”
The cyclops from earlier was seething in rage at this point. I think the only thing keeping him from attacking me was the white. Actually, I knew it was. I could sense his aura. It paled compared to his mothers. She was thoroughly amused at her child's outburst and was grinning at me. I was contemplating goading him into attacking me when the goddess of gravity interceded.
“Remove yourself Frundzy, you…” As the goddess of gravity spoke I noticed something. We all were in white attire. Her party of servants, her son, and herself. Nate, Virtue, and even the fourteen elvath in tow were in white. However, that smirking Orque was still in his gray robes.
The goddess never got another word out. I bunched my legs below my chair, spun my body to face the old cyclops and launched myself hard enough that the glass cracked under my feet. I was accelerating toward my target inches off the ground as his face grew in shock. He went to shake his head no, but it was too late. I collided with the cyclops and we smashed into the balcony wall.
I thought it would hold. I was wrong and we spilled over the edge. As I grabbed him I pummeled his face with my fists. Each blow did something I never expected. It sent a rippling shock wave of power out from his body. As if I were beating his energy from him. He had enough of my antics as we fell a hundred feet to the ground. Orque shifted into a grizzly bear and slapped with a thick paw. He hit me with a force so powerful I went sideways in the air until I crashed into a building.
I smashed through a wall and tumbled into an elvath’s house. A surprised elvath who was showering shrieked. I ignored the awesome nakedness and launched myself back out of the building to find my foe.
“ENOUGH!” Orque called out as he morphed from a grizzly bear into a giant tree person over a hundred feet tall. Which was kind of cheating. I did not have fire magic yet so how could I beat a tree. “Calm young demigod. We have much to discuss. You revealing me has divulged something hidden for over two billion years. It also will change things forever here on Entria. You have greatly offended my wife.”
I was thoroughly confused. Then I was given a separate white contract from Orque. I studied it and realized it was unique, as in not being from the invading seven. It was as if it were written in a different language. It not only offered peace… It offered help should I request it.
I sat on my ass in the middle of the street digesting this. Elvath gathered around me extremely curious as to the sudden commotion that disrupted their mundane lives. I rotated my shoulder that felt out of place from my crash. I was not defeating Orque, whoever he really was. I accepted his contract. Deep down I was grateful we did not fight to the death. I probably would have lost.
A large tree hand was sent my way from up high with the palm out. I craned my neck to look at the face embedded at the top of the tree who was nodding for me to get on. “All will be explained. Patience youngster.” The voice boomed across the city. An echo reverberated through my bones.
I stepped onto the brown wooden hand and waited for myself to be returned to the floating city. The group above was watching me rise into the air through the glass floor. I had my arms folded in anger at the situation. Everyone was in white now, so I did relax a bit. When I reached the floating city I left the palm and stepped among the onlookers. I found Frundzy still out of his chair.
I bolted for it and reclaimed his seat. I thought he would yell at me while I ate my eggs. Instead, Frundzy went irate on his mother as he pieced together what I had not.
“This old man, your servant… bed warmer. Who is he mother?!” Frundzy demanded.
Glo removed herself from her seat. She shook and cried hysterically. Her son raced to her to calm her. I never saw the glass sword until it was already over. Frundzy’s head toppled to the ground. His eyes were wide in confusion as they glazed over in his death. The mother reached over her son and cut his heart out. The soul of Frundzy, the demigod of Glo, shouted in denial of his demise. The disintegration was instant once the heart left. The ashes flew down into the city from a slight wind.
The elvath stood in utter shock. Virtue chuckled with Nate. Orque placed a wooded hand on the balcony. He shifted to an elvath only seven feet tall. His body leaving the ground below to condense to his hand. He vaulted over the edge and hurried to embrace Glo. I let them cry together. Instead of reacting, I ate my eggs.
I never realized the white only protected you from those on the opposing side of negotiations. Seemed like a pretty severe loophole. In this case, she could have killed her son at any time because they had no contract. Which made sense in a way. It did reveal a bit behind the contract magic of peace talks.
“Excuse me, serving lady, can I get seconds, please? Also, those are some super pregnant ladies. Get them some plates too. Come be seated, my friends. Drop the collars. There is no scheming to be had. Give the gods time to mourn while we eat.” I ordered between chews. My team sat at the long glass table. Leaving both ends of the table seating open. The elvath reacted to my statement and went to get more food. “It was a good plan Virtue. I want you to know that. Regardless of it not working out I am proud of you.”
Virtue sat across from me and poured himself a glass of wine. The two gods behind me continued to weep. “I am afraid I am lost as to what has transpired.”
I handed Virtue an empty wine glass for his full one and we exchanged cups. I sipped the wine and it was indeed the nectar of the gods in its excellence. This made me mindful to limit my intake.
“Careful on the wine everyone. No more than one glass per, no idea how this will affect us. Actually, I will ask yo
u pregnant elvath save yours until you deliver… Sorry.” The ladies pouted at my declaration. They did pour water instead. “Virtue we are in the home of Glo… What is her full name again?”
“Glowvia, goddess of gravity. I will say no more than that… in fear of potentially angering our host.” Virtue replied.
“Glowvia. Indeed. Sorry I was calling you Glo.” I said over my shoulder but was ignored as the two gods still wept. “Glowvia, well… she is in love. Deeply in love. Enough to kill her champion over. If I had to guess a champion that survived two billion years. Meaning she never strayed to the embrace of another mortal. Which our friend Orque, most certainly is not. You figure it out yet?”
Nate’s eyes were glazed over in thought, Virtue though, he had his ah-ha moment. “That is Garvin the god of plants of animals, by the seven, he is a retreating four. In love with an advancing seven!”
Nate interrupted as plates were being delivered. The weeping behind us had stopped. “Can someone plainly say what just happened?” Nate said in frustration.
“I will handle this, my love,” Gravin said to Glowvia. He scooped her in his arms and morphed into an owl. He flew to the top of the palace and place Glowvia on a bed. One of the very few objects not see through. He flew back down after depositing the goddess of gravity and morphed into an elvath male. He was wearing a light suit of fancy scale armor and his brows were narrow. His ears were large and his eyes black. I wondered at this… If I were a god who could morph, what would I choose to look like? Gravin seated himself at the head of the table then said. “Welcome to Entria.”
“Thanks for the warm welcome. Sorry we got into a fight, no hard feelings?” I asked the god.
“No hard feelings Gryff. You ever have that nagging thing you need to do, but put it off? You tell yourself another day hardly matters. Let me step back in time, before I get to that issue we delayed by two billion years, I am indeed Gravin. I have posed as Orque to the servants for the last two billion years. Why you may ask? Well, it started with the fall of the elvath and before that the imprisonment of Sion. That look on your face, why that look Gryff?” Gravin paused his story when I frown at hearing the god of passion was imprisoned not dead.