“That is a hard question to answer.” Skree opened his mouth but Sharktooth held up a hand. “I know it’s frustrating, trust me. But for you to understand everything, you must meet my siblings.”
“You have siblings?”
“Yes, and no. Honestly, that‘s the closest I can get to an explanation. It’s probably easier if I show you.” Sharktooth extended a hand, driving a finger into Skree’s forehead. The world vanished in an instant, replaced by an endless expanse of black. Skree panicked when he realized there was no ground, no sky. He felt weightless, floating through an endless nothing.
“This was Abrenacht’s realm.” Sharktooth said into his mind. “Nothing. Endless entropy, a state of zero energy.” Skree felt his own energy being pulled from his body and a sense of inescapable dread filled him.
“In his realm, nothing had ever existed, and nothing would ever exist. He was the end of all things. But he had two sides, different aspects to his power. Abrenacht is entropy, but he was also chaos. Infinities passed, and Abrenacht reigned until the chaos of his power birthed a new entity. It had happened an infinite amount of times before, and each time, entropy snuffed out the flickering energy like a candle’s flame in a hurricane.”
Skree listened, his mind crying out for input. He clung to the sound of Sharktooth‘s voice with desperation. In this realm of nothing, his voice was all that existed. Deep in the darkness, a small light flickered to life, and he drank it in, his mind flaring to life as the glimmer consumed his vision. He strained to reach it, to feel its warmth against his skin.
“But chaos is unpredictable, and the power Abrenacht birthed grew. Slowly at first then exploded in power.”
His eyes widened as the twinkling pin prick of light grew to the size of an apple, then a large ball, ever expanding until it was the size of a planet. Everywhere the golden light touched the darkness, great storms of power raged uncontrollably. The light continued to expand, growing ever larger, consuming the darkness and chaos in great waves of power.
“Abrenacht had birthed his opposite, my sister Shaylian, the Archon of energy and life. Her power was endless, and without purpose. It raged across the void, like a river in flood.”
Skree watched as matter formed in the spaces between the light and dark, coalescing into great misshapen monstrosities, hulking planetoids of flesh and bone that shattered into dust the moment they touched the black void.
“The battle raged on between the two, a violent cascade of energy and entropy, but like Abrenacht, Shaylian could not control her power. She sought to bring only more energy into the universe, nearly destroying Abrenacht’s power. The limitless power of energy had nearly wiped out the endless hunger of entropy.”
The light continued to expand until the darkness was a mere sliver at the edge of the cosmos. Waves of energy filled his body and Skree’s entire body shook with excess power.
“But Abrenacht was chaos and Shaylian was energy. Where the two forces clashed, my brother emerged. Amser, the Archon of Order and Time. His power defined rules to their conflict and birthed the contract of time. He tempered their powers, balancing the void. He pushed them back, and in his wisdom, gave them each half of infinity.”
In the space before him, silver threads raced across the light and dark, pushing the powers into balance. A stark silver line existed between the two extremes. One half of infinity was darkness, the other blinding energy.
“Amser balanced the two extremes, and for an infinity, the two worked against each other, the balance ever shifting, but always returning to a state of perfect neutrality. But Amser was not enough to keep them in balance for ever. In the great rift between the two, a new archon emerged from the constant creation and annihilation of energy. Karazarak, the archon that embodied both sides of this conflict. The archon of creation and destruction, of duality, both sister and brother to Amser.”
Lines of green energy twined around the silver threads, bolstering them, followed by streaking bolts of red infused with darkness that destroyed the green lines in an ever shifting tapestry of creation and destruction. Where the green touched energy, formless matter appeared and disappeared in an instant, yet infinite amount of time. Skree felt his mind breaking under the strain of impossibilities.
“Karazarak was a being divided, torn between its own natures, swinging wildly from creation to destruction in an instant. Their power drained strength from Shaylian and Abrenacht in equal parts. They stole power from Shaylian to create infinite mass and matter. But their powers raged, wiping out their creation with each exhalation.”
Skree observed as great gas clouds expanded and retracted, fields of dust pop into and out of existence. To his eyes, these events were instantaneous, but he conceptually understood that huge lengths of time were passing between each event. He was witnessing the birth and death of everything, endlessly repeating.
“The four archons struggled to create balance, each unable to balance their own natures. Nothing could exist for more than an instant. Until I arrived. I am Hakora, the Archon of Chance and Luck. As my power flowed forth, it created a system of probabilities, where innumerable possibilities could exist and with luck, the infinite powers of my siblings fell into shape. Shaylian gave us energy and life, a desire to exist. Abrenacht brought entropy, the removal of energy from the universe. Amser gave them order, allowing matter to exist with time as the great equalizer. No longer did Entropy and Energy collide and obliterate each other in an instant. It took time for the powers to neutralize one another.”
“Karazarak drained power from one to create, and when the balance had shifted too far in favor of Shaylian, they would allow Abrenacht’s power to grow and consume the excess. Everything was a probability, endless possibilities, and they all used my powers to temper their own. With luck shifting those possibilities to extremes, life appeared across the universes. With the right combination of chance and luck, it thrived.”
The infinite expanse before him shifted, the myriad colors of the archons and their power swirled together, creating pockets of dense matter, bringing forth great galaxies with black holes at their centers, draining energy from the systems over immense periods of time, until there was none. Infinitely in every direction, a delicate balance struck on an impossible scale. Surrounding the expanse was that cold, lifeless darkness and he could swear he saw it slithering like a snake waiting to strike.
“When combined, the powers of energy, order, time, creation, destruction and finally luck and chance, had everything they needed for life to take hold. Simple creatures, then more complex life emerged, and the story repeated across the infinite expanse. Billions of worlds blossomed with life, and we watched in happiness as their creation spread across world after world. It was joyous, and it was perfect.”
“But all were not happy, far from it. Outside the realm of the Archons influence, Abrenacht watched jealously, poking and prodding at the border where his power met Shaylian‘s. He wanted nothing more than to destroy it all, to return to a ceaseless dark where only he ruled.”
“As more and more worlds grew, Shaylian‘s power waned, allowing Abrenacht to push his boundary forward. In her joyous celebration of life, she did not realize how endless his hunger was and his power pushed hers further and further toward the center of infinity. Her power wasn’t as limitless as she thought and when she had given too much to her creation, the balance shifted and Abrenacht rushed forward, destroying millions and millions of worlds in an instant.”
The darkness shot forward, obliterating hundreds or thousands of galaxies and worlds. Crushing sadness overwhelmed him and he screamed into the void. All of his anger, rage and horror in one primal roar.
“Her heart nearly shattered at the loss, and their energy returned to her, allowing her to push back Abrenacht and his foul power once again. New worlds grew, and more life took up her power until once again, Abrenacht could consume the worlds at the edges of her power. Knowing this cycle would repeat forever until she lost her mind from the sadness of
losing countless life-forms over and over again. She did the only thing she could think of to end their ceaseless war. She offered him a truce, to let him merge his powers with ours and allow chaos and entropy into the system.”
Skree watched as thin tendrils of the darkness slithered toward the center, entwining with the brilliant core of energy and it filled him with dread.
“You must understand, Shaylian was clever. It was a trap. Abrenacht‘s power could only impact a single world. The world of Raiya. A world she had created to trap his power once and for all. But Abrenacht was devious, and he too had laid a trap. His power dispersed throughout the entirety of existence, trillions of tiny threads attached every star and every planet. He had tied the fate of Raiya to all of existence in a single stroke of malevolent brilliance.”
Skree saw Raiya at the center of the burning energy field, an expansive world covered in swirling landmasses. A dark cloud coalesced around it, creating the night sky. An uncountable number of threads exploded outward, infecting the trillions of worlds with a thread of power.
“The other Archons banded together with Shaylian to protect Raiya, her simulacrum for existence, for if Raiya fell, all would cease to be. We battled, keeping him at bay but the rules of Shaylian’s world prevented us from stopping him directly. We could manifest in physical form, but it limited our powers greatly. We attacked Abrenacht, but we could not harm him. He attacked us, but the same rules applied to him. Even in her own creation, Shaylian was as powerless as he was.”
“But Amser created order from this new chaos. The Archons could not harm one another, but they could choose a mortal to be their champion, someone to bear their desires into the world. Abrenacht was selfish with his power, refused to choose a champion of his own and so, the Archons chosen received the relics of destiny, and used them to seal away Abrenacht once and for all.” In an instant, Skree was standing once again on the beach, staring up at the shark-headed archon.
“That was… intense.” Skree whispered and fell to his knees, clutching at the sand. He reveled at the coarseness between his fingers. A deep, maniacal laugh bubbled up from deep in his guts. He could feel the warmth, and friction and wind again. “Please never show me that again.”
Sharktooth grinned, and again, Skree felt a flash of terror. They should not allow sharks to smile like that. “It's tough to conceptualize infinite infinities being created by forces beyond imagining as a mortal, I get that. Now,” he said, extending a hand and helping him to his feet.
“Will you become a Champion of the Archons and help us push back Abrenacht?” The Archon asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“But if you locked him away once and for all, like you said, why do you need me to become your champion?”
“Because Abrenacht has found his own champion. You have seen him in visions of the past. Timberland, or Tambourine or…”
The memory of the stone flashed in his mind again, the cruel man who had let Abrenacht’s splinter into the word to devour the Kobolds a thousand years ago. “Emperor Tamarand?” Skree asked.
Sharktooth snapped his fingers. “Yes, Tamarand, that’s it.” He corrupted the relics and sealed away the archons.”
“Wait, so you were really imprisoned in that game?”
“Not exactly, but basically,yes.”
Skree gritted his teeth. “Why can you never give me a straight answer?”
“Because there are never straight answers to give. Explaining it would require an intrinsic knowledge of relativistic quantum mechanics, magical theory and eons of interacting with infinite energetic states. Regardless of my circumstances, once Tamarand had corrupted all the relics, the Great Rift appeared and slowly consumed the world. Now are you ready to become a champion?”
He rolled his eyes. “I freed you, and you brought me here, doesn’t that mean I am your champion already?”
“Oh no! No, no, no.” Sharktooth said, bursting into laughter. “You must undertake the Trial of the Archons. Are you ready?”
“I don’t know.”
“Too bad!” Sharktooth said and snapped his fingers.
Chapter 52
“How much longer do you think the Captain will be?” Elainaasked, glancing at the door to his cabin.
“I am unsure.” Priestess said, scratching her chin. She didn’t know exactly what he was doing in there, but she was also growing concerned.
“Would you mind taking a peek inside?”
Priestess was sure he wouldn’t mind if Elaina went to check on him, but she could understand her reservations. Skree was the Captain and she the first mate. Perhaps her previous captain was less welcoming. Priestess wondered about the concept of someone being a “first mate.” Humans must have different definitions for the word mate. She glanced at Elaina, taking in her shapely figure and interesting clothing choice. It was easy to see that she would make a good mate for the Captain. Perhaps she would bring it up to him when they next spoke.
Elaina waved a hand in front of her face. “Priestess? You in there?”
The kobold shook her head. “Sorry Elaina, got lost in my thoughts.” She smiled up at the beautiful blonde woman. “I will go check on him.” Priestess nodded to herself. Yes, Elaina would make a fine mate for her friend. Maybe she could help establish them as a breeding pair.
She knocked on the door. “Lord Skree, it’s priestess. May I come in?” Silence greeted her, and she waited a moment before knocking again. “Skree?” No response. Nervously, she turned the door handle. Perhaps he couldn’t hear her small voice. She cracked the door, shouting inside. “Skree, I’m coming inside.”
When there was no answer, she pushed through the door and screamed. “Skree!”
She froze, staring at her friend engulfed in brilliant blue flames. He wasn‘t screaming, nor did the flames appear to be burning him. She took longer than she would have liked to admit taking that first step into the room, but once she had, she rushed to his side. Or she tried to. The heat from the flames was immense, and she had to stop herself. Zuka burst into the room and rushed toward his master, and she tackled the wolf to stop his reckless charge.
Zuka barked at her, then stared at Skree, whimpering piteously. Priestess dragged on Zuka’s fur, pulling him further from the flames. “Zuka, stop!” she pleaded, refusing to let go. “It’s too dangerous.”
“What in the name of the Archons is happening in here?” Elaina said, saber in hand. She caught sight of the captain and her blade clattered to the floor. She screamed “Fire!” and rushed from the room, probably to grab a bucket of water. Priestess knew it wouldn’t help. Clutched in his hands was the Heart of the Island, shimmering in the flames.
When Elaina reappeared, bucket in hand, Priestess tried to stop her from tossing the water on her friend but she was too short and too slow. The first mate launched the water at the captain and it exploded into steam, burning everyone in the room. Priestess was thankful for her natural resistance to heat and flames because of her scales, but Zuka and Elaina were not as lucky.
Zuka fled from the room in a panic and Elaina fell backwards out of the doorway, toppling onto the deck. She clutched ineffectually at her face, screaming in pain. Priestess emerged from the room and saw the entire crew was rushing about the deck with buckets in hand, searching for any sign of fire. Old Greg abandoned the helm and rushed to help his grandchild.
“Hang on baby girl, you’re okay.” he said, pulling the first mate into his arms. He rocked back and forth, repeating his calming words. He glared up at Priestess. “What happened?”
She pointed to the Captain's cabin. "It’s hard to explain, but the captain is on fire and she tried to put him out. The flames were too hot, and the water turned to steam, burning Zuka and Elaina.”
Old Greg’s mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure what to say next. “The captain is on fire?”
“Um,” She looked over her shoulder, and there he was, sitting peacefully in his chair, wreathed in blue flames, clutching the blue stone. “He’s d
efinitely on fire. Or in fire. But it doesn't seem to hurt.”
“It seems to have hurt my baby!” He snapped, clutching the moaning woman in his arms. Mills slid down a rope, landing next to the pair.
“She will be okay but let’s get her to the infirmary.” Mills said, kneeling down and throwing Elaina’s arm over his shoulder. Together, they moved the first-mate below decks to the infirmary. Moultry stormed over, a look of concern etched onto his weather face.
“What happened?” he asked, folding his arms. “I heard fire and came running, but there isn’t a lick of smoke, but the first-mate got burned pretty badly.”
Priestess rolled her neck. She couldn’t explain what was happening, only what had happened and having to do it a dozen more times wouldn’t help anyone. She straightened her shoulders. With Skree incapacitated, and the first mate injured, that meant she was in charge. With a deep breath, she took control of the ship.
“Master guns, there is no fire, at least none that poses a risk to the ship. Please signal the Typhoon to approach. Captain Lis and I need to confer on the situation before we proceed.” She said in her best officious voice. Moultry opened his mouth to protest, but she snapped her tail against the deck, interrupting him. “That is an order.”
~~~
Twenty minutes later, the Typhoon had pulled up alongside the Sawbones and the two crews secured the ships together. Elaina was fine, she had mild burns on her neck and face, but she was in no real danger. Mills explained it was more painful than threatening, his face contorting into a mask of distaste. Fenna marched aboard with Hawkins and a few members of her crew.
“Captain Lis, welcome aboard. Again.” Priestess said with a small bow.
“You miss me already pip-squeak?” Fenna asked with her usual disdain for propriety. Priestess like the woman, but her inability to read a situation irked the kobold to no end.
“We have a problem.”
Raiya- Early Game Page 36