Slate watched Isaac slump and chuckled, I suppose warping space is taxing. Still, he shouldn’t keep draining his power whenever he exerts himself.

  I do wish we could have gotten the kill on Hanslow.

  Slate nodded as he watched the fleeing army destroyed. As all the stragglers were slain, he yelled out once more, "Protocol: Repair." The constructs began to pick up their fallen comrades, many of whom were mangled beyond recognition - and they began to file into the city. Vythin shifted into his human form and Slate met him down in the center boulevard, closing the gates behind the constructs. Slate handed Isaac to Vythin, "He fought hard."

  Vythin took Isaac and slung him over his shoulder, "I know he did." He glanced over at the crushed and mangled corpse of Hanslow, "Is he still breathing?" He asked.

  Slate looked over and indeed saw a small rise to his chest. Slate grinned, and turned to Vythin, "I’ll handle it. You take Isaac back and go be with Kalinor. I’ll be along shortly." Vythin nodded and walked south towards the residential district.

  Slate strode over to Hanslow and knelt down. The man was indeed alive - his left arm and leg had sloughed off entirely leaving raw bone exposed. His neck was open down to the windpipe which gurgled as the venom continued to disintegrate flesh. He must have withdrawn all of his heat to try and burn out the venom…too bad for him it's synthetic. Slate tutted, "You should have learned the first time you came here."

  Hanslow coughed blood up and tilted his head slightly, "A merc in the Republic doesn’t give up a contract. You know that."

  Slate sighed and sat next to him, "I do know that. Turning your own men into bombs? Genius."

  Hanslow laughed slightly, coughing as he did so as blood sputtered. "Thanks...Can I make a last request?"

  Slate nodded, "Sure. That’s the least I can do. What's your request?"

  Hanslow reached down to his pocket with his good hand and pulled out an envelope which Slate grabbed, "My wife and child...they have money, they’ll be okay. Tell them I died on the battlefield."

  Slate nodded and pocketed the letter, "You have my word." He pulled out a flask he had not touched in quite a long time, "Care for a last drink before I end the pain?" Hanslow nodded and Slate poured some of the brandy into his open mouth.

  Hanslow quaffed it down and looked Slate in the eyes, nodding, "I’m ready."

  Slate channeled a small amount of his heat and gripped a small chunk of iron in his pocket. As he pulled it out, the metal warped until a dagger was in his hand. He knelt next to Hanslow, raised it high, and plunged it into his heart, twisting it to make sure the job was done. Hanslow’s death rattle was short, and then all was still and silent. Now comes the messy part, Slate thought as he dismissed the dagger and pulled out a set of medical tools. He peeled back the flesh, cracked his sternum, and saw the Aether Shard encompassing a third of Hanslow’s heart. Luckily I didn't hit that with the dagger. I don't think I could've destroyed it…but it would have been more painful for him, I'm sure. Slate cut the Shard out and felt the thrum of power in his hand. He was strong indeed. Isaac is lucky to have survived…I wonder how he got so powerful in such a short time.

  What are you going to do with it? His Passenger asked.

  Slate put the bloody Shard into his pouch with the other one from Highpass, I don’t know yet. He stood, channeled the heat into his hand, and let loose a torrent of fire, burning Hanslow’s body to ashes before turning towards the residence district. As he began walking he heard a metallic bang, bang, on the gates and wheeled around. He walked up and pulled aside a small panel that was well concealed to all except him.

  On the outside of the gate stood a goddess with bronze skin. "Slate, I believe is what you go by?" She asked in her authoritative voice.

  Slate felt the familiar tingle of another god close by - but he didn’t need that to know who this was. "Yes. That is what I’m called. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Lux?" Slate asked the lady of light.

  "Rumors have been going about - and as a god of knowledge like yourself, I know things. Is it true that a god you are allied with has declared war on Umbra? Your pantheon as well?"

  Slate stammered, "Y-yes. In a way... He didn’t outright say it."

  Lux smiled, "Then we have shared goals in mind. Please let me in. I promise you, I mean no ill will."

  Slate opened the gate. What are you doing?! His Passenger asked. That’s Umbra’s sister.

  Yes. And she is also a god of justice. She gave her word that she has no ill will.

  Gods can lie.

  True, but just go with me on this. Vythin is a god of light, she is one too. I don’t think we have much to worry about.

  Lux walked in and Slate closed the gates behind her. "This is quite an impressive city. Please, I need to meet with whichever god declared war on my sister."

  Slate nodded and brought Lux to the residential district, pointing out the various features of the city and the changes he had made. She seemed eager to learn, and in very little time they were at the ivy-covered rowhouse. Slate opened the door. Yvilli was in the main room with the children, Matthew, Mary, and Shandra. Jareth sat nearby, reading one of Slate’s many books.

  The group looked up and Jareth gasped, prostrating himself on the ground.

  Mary ran up and tugged on Lux’s dress, "You look pretty!" Shandra ran up as well, but Matthew stayed back and glowered at the goddess.

  Lux smiled, "Why thank you. I’m only here for a short visit. But would you like a dress like mine?" She asked. Both the girls nodded and Lux held her hands over their heads; a bright white light flashing over them briefly as they appeared in miniature versions of her attire. The girls giggled and thanked Lux before going back to Matthew and resuming their play. Lux waved to Jareth, "I appreciate the worship, but you can do that another day." She turned to Slate, "Upstairs I assume?" Slate nodded and led her up to Vythin’s room, knocking on the door.

  "Come in," came weakly through the wood as Slate opened the door. Vythin sat on the bed next to Kalinor who was lying there, eyes red from crying, and Vythin looked completely devastated and winded. He looked up and saw Slate and Lux, getting up and bowing. "Why are you here?" he asked weakly, his voice filled with a tremor.

  "What happened?" she asked, gesturing to Kalinor.

  Vythin spent the next several minutes recapping the recent events at Starhold, Kalinor’s possession, and the following battle.

  The idiot blessed the whole capital! No wonder Umbra is enraged. Slate looked at Kalinor, This is a harsh blow. Well played, Umbra. Right for the heart.

  She does fight dirty. Go for the weak spot. This is why Demons possess mortals and don’t ally with them. Most creatures are weak.

  Lux held up a hand as Vythin started going into mundane details. "I appreciate the insight into your current events. I’m more concerned with the fact that you desire to get rid of Umbra, yes?"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Vythin’s face turned from sorrow to anger, "Absolutely." His voice became more resolute.

  Lux smiled, "Then our goals are aligned." She sat down on a nearby chair, "My sister - sister by ‘birth’ as it were, is a thorn in my side. Not just mine, but the other gods as well. Promoting selfish and more base desires? Whilst I understand where she is coming from, I do not condone it. It’s not conducive to polite society." She looked off as if remembering some past incident from long ago, "I have been trying to unseat her for a millennia." She looked over at Kalinor, waving her hand as a bright white flash fell over him and he fell asleep, breathing deeply. She smiled at Vythin, "And now, we have a chance to take her down." She stood and walked to Vythin, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Light and shadow cancel each other out - it’s in their nature... I’ve sought the demise of Umbra for so long...with your help we can ensure that she falls...however. There's only ever been one god for each of the prime elements of creation. But now that balance has shifted." She looked at Kalinor, "We will need someone to take her place in order to ensure that The Void does not enter The Creation as well."

  "Could any god take her place?" Slate asked.

  Lux shook her head, "In order to take over her afterlife, and change the things that should be changed - the god must have the element of shadow bound to them."

  "Who did you have in mind?" Slate asked.

  Lux pointed at the sleeping Kalinor, "Him. His soul has been cursed by shadow, and only Umbra could lift that - it's beyond even my power. If we turn him into a god, then that curse should bind him to the element of shadow, and he will consume the curse, for lack of a better term. It’s as close to a guaranteed god of shadow that we could hope for."

  Vythin pushed her hand away, "I…" he looked at Kalinor and back at her as tears filled his eyes, "I won’t be able to be around him will I? If he’s a god of shadow, and I’m a god of light...we can’t be together."

  Lux waved her hand dismissively, "I should have been more clear. Shadow and light are the opposites of each other when it comes to miracles and some of what they stand for. His personality may change depending on what other domains he is bound to, just as I imagine yours has changed by being bound to domains as well. You can still be with him, and in fact, I would encourage it. So, what do you say?"

  Vythin looked over at Kalinor and shook his head, "We should ask him. It’s his choice."

  Lux sighed and snapped her fingers as Kalinor woke. She walked over to him, "Hello, Kalinor. You know who I am, I presume?" An indistinct grunt came from his throat. "I want to make you into a god. That should fix you. Is this something you want?"

  Slate came over, "Blink once for yes, twice for no." Kalinor blinked once, then turned his eyes towards Vythin.

  Lux nodded, "Very well. It’s going to be less painful if you’re asleep." She passed a hand over the mage once more as a flash of white passed over him - he lay still. She turned to Slate, "I know you have two Aether Shards on you. Hand me both of them."

  Slate pulled the two Shards out of his pouch and handed them to her. She passed her hand over Hanslow’s bloody Shard and muttered, "War...he doesn’t seem like the violent type. Same with blood. Fire wouldn’t work well with shadow." She did the same to the other Shard. She looked at Slate with bewilderment, "Is this the one Aqua told me about?"

  "From an aberration," Slate confirmed.

  Lux handed the bloody Shard of Hanslow back to Slate and held up the one from the aberration, "We’ll use this one." She looked to Vythin, "His body will instinctively react. You’ll need to hold him down."

  Vythin nodded and joined Lux near the bed, reaching his arms across and pinning Kalinor to the mattress, "What now?"

  Lux looked at Slate, "We cut him open, and place the shard next to his heart."

  Slate nodded and channeled his heat, instantly creating the tools necessary. "Why this Shard?" he asked.

  Lux paused for a moment before looking at Slate, "It was inside that creature so long, every trace of the past god who was bound to it is gone. If we used the other shard, some of his essence - his ties to elements of creation - could carry over. And the best chance to bind this man to shadow is with a ‘blank’ Shard."

  She is not telling everything… "What are you not telling us?" Slate mouthed to her.

  Lux glared at him, reading his lips and responding in kind, "I'll tell you later."

  Several bloody minutes passed as Slate operated on the prone mage. Kalinor’s body jerked occasionally, but Vythin’s strong grip held him down. Lux and Slate worked together to crack open his chest and saw his beating heart. Lux’s hand glowed bright white as she placed the shard next to his heart. A black, smoky essence seeped from the surrounding tissue into the Shard as Lux looked at Slate, "Channel your flames - gently through the surface of your skin, to burn away any infection." Slate nodded and did so, a slight bit of steam rising from where his hand touched. Lux sealed up the wound with her own miracle as they finished - the skin unmarred save for a long, vertical scar as Kalinor slumped and continued to breathe deeply. Lux stood up and sighed, "It is done. He could be asleep for a long time, my healing is much less potent than my water-bound sister. Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long for him to bind to the Shard."

  Vythin looked up at her, "Thank you. For everything...I give you my word, I will help you deal with Umbra. She will pay for what she did to him."

  Lux smiled, "Good, I would expect nothing less from a fellow god of light. I cannot help you directly against my sibling, but I can help from afar." She looked at Slate, "Would you mind walking with me to your gates? I would like to talk with you privately." Slate nodded and led the goddess out of the room as Vythin sat next to Kalinor.

  The two walked to the gates and discussed as they went. Lux inquired about the plans for Bastion’s administration, governance, and place in politics; and Slate, ever the eager teacher, told her whatever she wanted to know.

  "I wanted to ensure we were far away. What I say now is only for your ears, and eventually, Vythin’s."

  Slate looked at her quizzically, "I’m not one for keeping secrets from my friends. And you should tell me why you chose that shard…you were keeping something back."

  Lux’s demeanor went stern, "This secret you must keep secret. Swear it to me," She said as she reached into a pocket and pulled out a luminous white parchment.

  Slate scanned the document, "You want me to sign a pact?" he asked incredulously.

  She nodded, "Pacts between gods are just as binding as those between Demons and mortals, or any of the supernatural servants of my siblings. It’s how we keep the peace...most of the time."

  Slate nodded, "The terms seem fair enough." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a writing utensil, signing his name to the bottom, feeling a part of his divine heat infuse the words he wrote.

  Lux waved her hand over the parchment and Slate suddenly held a copy of it which he put into a pocket, feeling the warmth fade into his palm as he did so. "Excellent." She looked Slate in the eyes. "I’ve been watching your group of gods. Not all the time, but enough. That Kalinor is in love with Vythin."

  Slate chuckled, "Anyone could see that. We’ll see if it lasts past the honeymoon phase."

  Lux laughed slightly, "What you say is true - but when you’ve been around for as long as I have, you can tell the real thing with some observation. There’s a reason I wanted him to become a god, not just the current circumstances. Let me ask you, who seems to be more dominant in that relationship?"

  Slate answered, "Vythin, of course. He’s a dragon after all, controlling things is part of his nature."

  Lux smiled, "That’s right. Imagine; having a god of light who has a god of shadow under his thumb..." she let her speech trail off.

  Slate grinned as his mind went over the possible ramifications, "You’re going to use Vythin to control Kalinor."

  Lux nodded, "Exactly. I can’t afford another Umbra, she is too...chaotic with her whims and passions. If we can defeat Umbra, and if we can supplant her with Kalinor, I cannot risk him just taking up the mantle and continuing her old ways. There must be change. What better way to ensure that change happens than by controlling him by proxy?"

  Ooooh, that’s diabolical! I like this woman, his Passenger commented.

  Slate nodded, "I agree with your end goal, but any help you can give is appreciated. I don’t think we are strong enough to take her on as it stands."

  "I know. And you need time to build up your worshippers and base of power. I’ll keep Umbra’s focus occupied elsewhere. But I can’t do that forever. So ensure you make this place secure and that you grow your religion. Having priests and clerics at your beck and call can turn the tide in some situations."

  Slate nodded and bowed slightly, "Of course. It’s a pleasure to have you. Come back anytime…one more thing though - about the shard."

  Lux looked past Slate, as if watching for an eavesdropper, before leaning in to whisper, “It’s an experiment. I spoke with Aqua, developed a theory, and now am testing it.” She turned on her heel and left the city. Slate closed the gates behind her, walking back along the main thoroughfare towards his workshop.

  It is a sound plan, controlling Kalinor. What theory could she be trying to prove, I wonder?

  First things first, you promised to make me a body.

  Yes, of course. I just hope that Kalinor actually did what he needed to with the diamond.

  Why not check? His bag was in the room.

  Agreed. We’ll need to have him perform the ritual though. Let us hope his recovery is swift. We need all the help we can get.

  This isn't on you. This is Vythin’s fight. Don’t get involved if you can help it.

  ...It’s too late for that. I sealed my fate. They are my friends; I won’t abandon them.

  Slate returned to the residence and popped into Vythin’s room. Vythin appeared to be sleeping in a chair, and Slate quietly rummaged through Kalinor’s bag until he reached a large, crystalline object. He pulled it out and held a pure black diamond, dark tendrils of inky blackness dripping into nothingness off of the sides and top of the jewel. Slate pocketed the gem, and went downstairs.

  If you like my work and want more of it, you can read all of Book 1 of my Progression Fantasy story, Last Lord of the Fey! Click below!