by Hans Bezdek
There was a large explosion as the metal top of the prison shot off, soaring high into the sky and falling in the direction of the ocean. The Lundori raised their weapons and took several steps back, but none ran away.
"You were saying?" asked Yri.
"Nevermind."
Black smoke billowed out of the opening in the ground. Zane wouldn't have been surprised if someone thought it was a volcano if they hadn't known what was inside. The rain clouds moved in and a light drizzle started. Over the sound of the rain they could hear a loud, metal banging that started deep inside the pit and grew louder.
A human-sized hand appeared on the edge of the opening. Then another. A man appeared as he hoisted himself up. The figure coughed and rolled over the top, landing with his back on the mound.
"Whew!" laughed the man. "Nothing like that has happened in thousands of years for me! A lot more smoke from that spell than I remember..."
Even though Aodh had been inside the prison for millennia, his skin was still lightly tanned. His dark hair was shaved short, with etchings on each side. The god wore a black leather robe that was tight fitting, but appeared as flexible as if it were made of silk. Zane thought he could pass easily for a mortal, except for the god's wide, wild eyes that were dark purple.
Aodh looked around, smiling as he saw the mass of people staring at him. The god laughed and scurried to his feet, dusting himself off.
"What's this? A welcoming party?" cackled the god. "You shouldn't have!"
Everyone was too afraid to speak, even the Lundori.
"A bit of a quiet group, hmm?" nodded Aodh. "No worries. It's not like I've had absolutely no one to talk to for a few thousand years..."
"What do we do?" whispered Grex.
"What can we do?" whispered back Farr. "Several gods couldn't even kill him. We have to wait and see what happens."
"Don't worry, everyone," whispered Zane. "I can get us out of this."
"How?" asked Khuwa.
"I hear some whispering!" announced Aodh in a singsong voice. "Would one of them happen to be the one that let me out of my unbearable cage? Hmm?"
"I-It w-was m-me," stammered Zane, taking a few small steps toward the Mad God.
Aodh tilted his head to the side and tapped his cheek. "You were the one whispering or the one that let me out?"
"Well... b-both," admitted Zane.
His ears burned as he felt The Delinquents' eyes on him. Zane looked their way to see Farr, Khuwa, and Grex with hurt in their eyes. Yri held a motionless Cupcake, her eyes full of hatred and anger.
He felt a pang of guilt, but knew there was no other way he could have completed his task. They were sent to stop him, and no matter how he explained it, they would've done all they could to keep Aodh from being unleashed. He hoped they would get some solace in the Mad God possibly sparing them. Surely they could start over fresh in one of the other countries.
"Was it now?" grinned Aodh. He beckoned for the paladin to come closer. "Come here. Let me get a better look at you."
Zane nervously glanced at Perkins, who was wide-eyed and subtly shook his head. While Zane agreed this wasn't a great idea, it wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter. The paladin slowly walked up to Aodh.
The god squinted and looked the paladin over as Zane kept his eyes locked on the ground at his feet. After a few seconds, Aodh let out a grunt of approval.
"I see," concluded the god. "And how did you free me, if I may ask?"
Zane pulled out the brown scroll and offered it up, his hands shaking. "W-With t-this."
Aodh gently took it, opened it, and glanced through it.
"Oh, now this is interesting," giggled Aodh. "This is interesting indeed."
The god rolled the scroll up when he was done, handing it back to Zane.
"Uh, t-thanks," mumbled the paladin.
"Consider it a keepsake," chuckled the god. "Your name?"
Zane gulped. "Z-Zane."
"Zazane?" repeated Aodh.
"N-No," said Zane, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself. "Just Zane."
"Ah, you are nervous," nodded the Mad God in understanding. "And rightfully so. I mean, it's not like they lock just any god up, right? Only the really wicked and powerful ones."
Zane made a noncommittal noise.
"Well, Zane," continued Aodh, placing a hand on the paladin's shoulder. "You have nothing to fear. I mean, you're the one that saved me from that wretched prison. I think the very least I can do is spare your life, don't you agree?"
"I-I appreciate it," nodded Zane.
"Regardless of what you may have heard, I am a merciful god," smiled Aodh, placing a hand on his own chest.
Zane lifted his head and smiled. What luck! Now he could show Perkins that there was nothing to worry about after all. He and The Delinquents would be protected. The paladin would also work to see if Tomm and his friends could be spared, as well, but he'd give it a little more time before requesting too much of the god.
"May I m-make a further request?" asked Zane.
Aodh nodded enthusiastically. "Please do!"
Zane looked back and nodded for Perkins to move forward.
The elf shook his head.
Zane nodded for him to come again. Perkins sighed and inched his way forward.
"Oh merciful Aodh," said Zane, bowing to the god. "I could never have made it here without the help of Perkins. May you please spare him as well?"
The paladin knew The Delinquents probably didn't appreciate being left out of the request, but Zane needed to play this carefully. Asking Aodh to not kill a group of people was probably more difficult than asking to spare them one at a time. Once the Mad God decided to have mercy on Perkins, Zane would move on to Farr.
Aodh smiled as he took in Perkins. "This elf helped you?"
"Indeed," nodded Zane. "We come from a land called the U'Raze Kingdom and sailed several days to get here. It was quite the trek to get here once we reached land, too."
"The U'Raze Kingdom," repeated Aodh, turning the phrase over in his mouth a few times. He blinked a few times and turned back to Zane. "You'll have to excuse me. I've not kept up with the name changes over the years. I'm sure you understand."
"Of course," nodded Zane, trying to remember what his land would've been called the last time Aodh was free. "I can't quite recall what it would have been referred to as in your time."
"That's quite alright," said Aodh, turning back to Perkins. "So, elf, why was it that the two of you came to set me free? Curiosity? Do you wish to worship me? Perhaps some fascinating legends have developed since my time in chains?"
"Mostly... Mostly because our king told us to," admitted Perkins.
"Oh," said Aodh, his shoulders sagging. "That's it?"
Perkins shrugged. "Afraid so."
Aodh's face contorted and his hands tightened into fists. "I would've assumed my name would spread all across this world while I was unjustly imprisoned. Thousands would seek to find me, and only those most worthy would do so. And now I've been released by some mere henchmen on behalf of some king in a foreign land?!"
Everyone was quiet for a moment as the Mad God shook with anger.
"If I may," said Perkins, "I think in times of frustration like this, it's best to remember that life isn't exactly fair. In fact, at the root of it all, there is nothing more to life than what you make of it."
Aodh appeared to calm down. "Oh?"
"Just because you didn't get what you wanted, doesn't mean you can't set up a new goal," continued Perkins, feeling like he was helping. "That's what gives us the illusion of meaning and makes us feel better."
"But... that would make life quite meaningless, wouldn't it?" asked Aodh quietly.
"Exactly," nodded Perkins with a slight grin. "I believe life is meaningless."
"Hmm. Well, yours certainly is," said Aodh. The god reached his hand out at Perkins and a thin black spear shot from it. The projectile caught Perkins in the chest and went clean through him. The
elf's eye widened as he took two steps back, slowly looking down at his chest.
"You know... I guess it is..." coughed Perkins.
He collapsed and didn't move.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Farr couldn't believe what was happening. Aodh had been released, and it was all because they had helped Zane and Perkins against the Lundori earlier. While he had just heard Perkins admit to being in on the plan to let the Mad God loose, he still felt shock and sadness seeing the elf taken out like that.
"Perkins!" cried Zane, running to his downed friend.
"Ugh, I feel so much better now," laughed Aodh, shaking his head. "Sometimes it's best to just let go of your pent up frustrations. That's the most healthy thing, I think."
"Farr," whispered Khuwa. "The Lundori."
The blademagus followed her eyes and saw that the Lundori were creeping forward, closing the circle around Aodh, Zane, and Perkins. Farr had assumed the humanoids would be thrilled to see Aodh come out, but they had acted just as scared and concerned as The Delinquents had. Plus, they looked like they were tightening their grips on their weapons.
"W-Why did you do that?!" demanded Zane, bending over Perkins and trying to stop the bleeding.
"I didn't like what he had to say," shrugged Aodh.
"You said you were merciful!"
"Eh," shrugged Aodh. "I guess I'm not that merciful."
A strange horn blew. Farr immediately recognized it as the same kind when the Lundori attacked Fort Pel. He glanced back to see more Lundori coming out of the forest, charging up the mound. The Lundori around them ignored them, all of them focused on the Mad God.
"Seems the people of this land remember me, at least," smiled Aodh. "That's refreshing."
"It looks like they are going to fight him!" exclaimed Khuwa.
"The Lundori never wanted Aodh to be set free," realized Farr. "They must have had their own way of knowing that the chains were weakened right now..."
"That's why they had been so hostile, even to the forts," reasoned Grex. "They didn't want anyone entering the Lund!"
The Lundori that had already been closing in threw all of their spears and shot arrows at the Mad God at the same time. Several Lundori sorcerers raised their hands, unleashing a cone of fire. Aodh smiled and held his hands up. A clear red bubble formed around him, catching all of the projectiles and the flames. While Farr could hardly make out Aodh from underneath the mass of weapons and fire, he was confident the god was unscathed.
"That's like the Lundori sorcerers," remarked Grex. "Maybe Yri should try to overload it with fire?"
"I can give it a shot," said Yri, passing Cupcake to Khuwa.
"This is all so very cute," chuckled Aodh from inside his bubble. "I really appreciate the people here giving me such a warm welcome. It's been ages since I've gotten a chance to practice my abilities on something other than a metal wall."
The spears and arrows slowly turned around as the Mad God spoke. The Lundori running up on Aodh slowed to a stop, unsure what was happening.
"Let's return these back to their owners, hmm?" asked Aodh.
The projectiles shot out from the bubble twice as fast as they entered it. The few archers the Lundori had were mowed down in an instant, with nearly half of the rest of their forces dropping with spears in them. The fire Aodh had absorbed shot out and struck those closest to him.
"You might want to reconsider giving him more ammunition," cautioned Farr.
Yri grunted. "Although I'd be surprised if he can't do something stronger."
The Lundori reinforcements ran up the mound, not slowing when they saw what Aodh was capable of. There was only one figure moving away from the Mad God, actually. Zane was carrying Perkins limp body over his shoulders, running through the Lundori and heading for The Delinquents.
"Now there's a target I can hit," grinned Yri, taking a step forward.
"No," said Farr.
"What? Why not?"
"We can deal with him after all of this," said Farr. "This clearly didn't go the way he hoped it would."
Yri didn't like this but obeyed Farr's order not to kill the paladin as he reached them, gently laying the elf down in front of him. He looked up apologetically at Farr, then placed his hands over Perkins.
"You've killed us," said Farr simply. "I'm sure you've realized this."
"This wasn't supposed to happen like this," replied Zane, waving his hands over the elf's body.
"Why would you do this at all?" demanded Yri. "Besides because you're an idiot."
"It wasn't an easy decision, but I know King Valdrick would not lead me wrong," insisted Zane. "And I fully intended to get Aodh to spare your lives as well, for what that's worth."
"That's really worked out for you," mumbled Yri, glancing down at Perkins' motionless body.
"Why would King Valdrick want this to happen," said Farr, shaking his head in disbelief. "Surely he knows U'Raze would soon fall to Aodh after the Empire did, right?"
"Gods can't walk across water!" said Zane, placing his hands over Perkins' chest. "Everyone knows that."
"Really?" asked Farr, itching the side of his face and looking at the others. "I've never heard that before..."
"I feel like I heard that in a tavern once," said Khuwa, watching Aodh toy with the Lundori.
There was an explosion off to the side. Farr looked to see a couple of Lundori sprawled out next to a crater while Aodh shook his head.
"I'm a bit rusty," complained the Mad God. "That should've blown half of this hill away."
It was worrisome to think about the kind of power the god could wield at his full strength, but that implied Aodh wasn't up to his previous standard. Maybe they could use that to their advantage...
"Why aren't you healing your friend, by the way?" asked Farr, noticing the elf wasn't looking any better. "Or are you not even a real paladin?"
"I... I am!" said Zane, holding his head and shaking it in disbelief. "This should be working..."
"What should be?" asked Khuwa.
"I've never had Nera not respond to my prayers before," he muttered.
A depressing thought crossed Farr's mind. "Try doing something you've always been able to. Make the front of your armor glow, or something."
Zane mumbled another prayer to Nera under his breath and looked down expectantly.
His armor hadn't changed.
"Why is this happening?!" cried the paladin in frustration.
"Nera is a goddess of light, right?" guessed Farr. Zane nodded. "I have a feeling she doesn't approve of one of her paladins releasing a force of evil and destruction in the world. If my money was on it, I'd say she's given up on you."
Zane's face paled and his eyes unfocused. "W... What have I done?"
The blademagus looked at the fallen paladin with pity. He should have known doing something like this would have negative consequences not just for them, but his relationship with his god.
"Grex!" commanded Farr. "Heal and stabilize Perkins if you can."
"What?!" hissed Yri.
The gnome walked over and inspected the elf's wound. He looked back up to Farr. "It's cutting it close, but there's still time. Are... Are you sure you want me to?"
Farr looked at the distraught Zane then back to Perkins. Odds were that by healing Perkins, all they were doing was prolonging the inevitable. Aodh was nearly done taking out all of the Lundori. It wouldn't be long before he decided to get rid of the rest of them.
"Do it," nodded Farr.
Grex got to work pulling out herbs from a small pouch on his belt.
"This is a waste of manpower," argued Yri. "We should kill these two for what they've done, not help them!"
"Focus on the task at hand," said Farr, gesturing to the Mad God. "We've got to try and defeat him or otherwise drive him off."
"What... What's happening?" asked the pig in Khuwa's arms, shaking his head.
"Cupcake!" exclaimed the orc, hugging him tightly.
"Can't breathe!" gasped Cup
cake.
"Aodh's out," Farr informed the pig as Khuwa loosened her hold on the demon.
The pig looked over as Aodh flicked a Lundori fighter and sent him tumbling into the forest. "That's bad news."
"And now we've got to fight him," added Yri.
"That's really bad news."
"We've got no choice," said Farr, clapping his hands together and pulling them apart to summon his electric bow. "Yri, you and Cupcake take him head-on. Khuwa, you come with me around the right. I'll strengthen your axes, and try to hit him from behind with a few arrows."
"You can't tell me what to do," argued Cupcake.
"But I can," replied Yri. "And I'm saying you do what he says."
"We're going to die, then," said Cupcake bluntly.
"That's... highly probable," nodded Grex as he continued to work on Perkins. A light green glow of energy was forming over the elf's chest.
Farr looked over at Zane, who was still completely out of it. He decided the paladin wasn't going to be much help, anyway. Not without any of Nera's blessings, that is.
"You really think this will work?" Yri asked Farr, raising an eyebrow.
Farr looked up as the final Lundori fighters rushed at Aodh. The god disappeared in a puff of smoke, reforming behind them. He laughed, cupped his hands together, and thrusted them forward. Wind shot out of his hands, picking up the Lundori and sending them flying off the mound and deep into the forest.
"No," admitted Farr. "No, I don't."
Khuwa and Yri exchanged a look.
"I'm not going to pretend that this is going to end well," admitted Farr. "But it's either we die fighting him or we can wait around and die. I know what I'd prefer to do."
Khuwa nodded, a smile forming. "Agreed."
"I guess this is it, then," smirked Yri. "It was an honor serving on your team, Farr. Even if it did end in disaster."
Farr smiled back. "That's The Delinquents' way."
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Farr, Khuwa, and Yri fanned out to form a half circle around Aodh as the last group of Lundori attempted to fight with him. The rain continued to fall softly on the hundred dead Lundori scattered across the mound. Smoke rose from the dozen or so holes along the top of the mound that the Mad God had caused.