Chapter 29

  “The Last of the Transgressor still lingers.”

  The void echoed, the voice a distorted mess that be warped to the ear of any mortal creature’s ear. A pulsating and rippling hole within reality that shimmered as it spoke. Hovering with the pantheon, it lingered with in the iridescent halls. Stone of no natural form shaped the floor, making them a deep blue of the sea. The surrounding walls and pillars were that of a black canvas with the thousand pinpricks green vines creeping along the surface. Like the branches of a great and mighty tree that reached into the night sky.

  It was within this place beyond mortals reach that the void hovered. Across from it, a new force took shape. This new arrival twisted and fluctuated. Unfolding itself until it revealed itself to be a sphere of deep red flames. The light coming from it was angry and bright as the flames flared off it at random.

  “Impossible! They were killed! We saw this! We know this! All from that age are dead! All humans Slain!” The sphere of fire proclaimed, flares of fire shooting off its form to show its anger.

  The void said nothing as the sphere expelled their frustration. From the said a new form manifested. In the flash of a brilliant light, a green diamond appeared for all to see once the brilliance of the light faded to a light green glow.

  “It is no lie. The other who transgressed does still linger. They their presence is unmistakable yet we cannot find them. They are shielded by the outsider.”

  “The outsider?” both the void and sphere asked as one.

  “Yes… the outsider protects them. Veils them even from our sight.”

  “That was intentional friends.” Said a chipper tone from The One Who Watches.

  The three entities all drew their focus down to the singular individual who stood on the floor to look up at them. The lone humanoid figure, dressed in a hoody, broken in blue jeans, leather boots, and a leather jacket. The inside of his hood a swirling nebula of a galaxy in place of a face. the three other beings towered over him like greatest of mountains standing over a single person. The power radiating off of them would have obliterated any normal mortal. Yet The One Who Watches stood utterly unbothered by the bombardment of power. No more bothered by it than any mortal would be bothered by a light breeze.

  “Really?” The One Who Watches chided, their hands tucked in their pockets. “Come on. We all know that wasn’t going to work. Now, why are you all trying to interfere with my business? You know that breaks the rules of the game.”

  “You were not invited! You have no place in our world!” Roared the red sphere.

  “But I was. I was invited. I was the last wish of a dying soul. One of the humans called me in their dying breath. Then another learned of me, then more. I have not intervened nor have I interfered unless invited to do so. As per the rules.” The One Who Watches said, unbothered but the raging inferno.

  “We do not see it that way.” The void supplied.

  “Just because you can’t see reality for what it is, doesn’t mean the facts aren’t facts.” The One Who Watches answered back, unbothered by the void in reality. “What’s the matter? Don’t you all enjoy my company? You all seemed over the ecstatic when you needed my help. I thought we were all friends.”

  “We are acquaintances Watcher.” The green diamond said in kind. “We had a deal and that deal does not involve further involvement on your end.”

  “That’s true!” The One Who Watches chirped happily, hands still in his pockets without care. “We had a deal and that deal said was not to interfere with the function of how the world operated. But that deal said nothing about interaction with its people. They called, I answered. Now, back to the main point. why are you trying to peek at what I am doing?”

  None of the beings said anything at this point. None of them dared to utter a word. They all just stared at The One who Watches, each of them trying to will him away. Banish them from their pantheon. Yet nothing happened. Even it all the gods were present instead of just the scheming three, there was nothing they could do to banish The One Who Watches. Fact that irked them all the more by that cocky ‘I know something you don’t’ smile under that swirling celestial mass.

  “No? No one?” They asked, tilting their head to the side. “Welp in that we are basically wrapped up here. Just have to use my penalty fee and we’ll be all set.”

  “You can’t do that!” Roared the flaming sphere.

  “I protest.” The green diamond added

  “This is not agreeable.” The void said in turn.

  “Why?” The One Who Watches asked, still unbothered by their out bursts. “You tried to break the rules, I am following them. I am exerting my right within the rules we all agreed to. You can’t get upset for my using the same rules you set to try and keep me out. You shouldn’t have tried to peek.” They chided, leaning back to rest their back to an invisible wall. “Honestly, you act as if I am the biggest problem you all have.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “We should have never involved you.” The diamond sighed, their glow dimming.

  “On the contrary! Getting me in volved was probably the best choice you made!” The One Who Watches laughed uproariously. Then became dead silent.

  The silence was oppressive to the point it was suffocating. No one said anything, no one move, the three gods felt The One Who Watches displeasure. They saw in this moment he was not smiling.

  “Tell me, gods, why do you feel that I should continue to follow your rules when you yourself just tried to break them?” He asked, his voice calm and low, yet in silence of the pantheon hall it might as well have been thunder.

  “We have not broken any rules. We have followed them to the letter and have not glimpsed into your affairs.” Said the void, finding it difficult to gaze at outsider of the pantheon.

  “But not the spirit.” The One Who Watches answered plainly.

  “No… not the spirit of the rules.” Confirmed the diamond.

  “I thought not.” The One Who Watches states, letting silence fill the air once more before their smile returned. “Cheer up everyone! I am not here to penalize. Merely to let you know that I’ll be getting collecting a fee and leave it at that. So relax! After all…”

  With a momentary flair of their power, The One Who Watches though smaller than the gods physically, he dwarfed them in power. so much so that the only proper comparison was that of to an erupting mountain to a that of a geyser. The pressure solely focused on the three who’s forms were forcibly changed. Bending and molding them on a whim until they were at the same height as him with their shapes now that of humanoid version of their former selves. The One Who Watches observed how everything unfolded. A cocky in the know smile. One that suggested he was privilege to some juicy secrets just at the tip of his figurative tongue, waiting to be revealed that could lead to fortune or irrecoverable ruin. All without so much as needing to actually the powers at their command.

  “Its. Just. A. G?????a??????m??????e???.” The One Who Watches all but purred, the last word of their sentence created and distorted the air.

  Then without so much as a wave of their hand, a disturbance in the air, flash of light or movement of his person. The One Who Watches simple ceased to exist. Leaving the other three to linger in their halls.

  ***

  2 Days Remaining…

  Aegisthal… was displeased.

  He had read the reports that Eorlas had submitted. The enemies numbers were great. From what the reports have suggested, the army was disciplined with proper training. That was not ideal since an army of that sized would back up supply chains along with officers who could act independently with soldiers who can not only follow orders but carry them out on their own prerogative.

  That was a problem not easily dealt with.

  To vent his frustration, he chose to spar with a some of the more dangerous cannon fodder that the General was kind enough to make spars of. Four large undead trolls, outfitted with iron plat armor over their forms.

  Aegisthal stood across from them in the underground chamber number three. A two-hundred-foot radius chamber at a hundred-foot-high dome ceiling. A chamber of reinforced gray stone with half a foot of steel coating the walls and ceiling. The only entrance and exit being a forty-foot wide by fifty foot wide. A chamber that was meant to be a testing area for devices, experimentation and if need be storage. It was the second largest of the chambers with chamber two being nearly twice the size.

  Omnus sat to the side, working with some arcane scripts and circles to develop a new spell. Even Eorlas stood to the side to over watch Aegisthal’s sparing match.

  Aegisthal ignored them. They did not matter in this moment. All that mattered was the four large trolls who were armed and armored. More siege beasts than warriors. Yet they would do.

  With his shield to the side, a great sword in hand being wielded like an oversized broad sword. Aegisthal raised his off hand and point to his sparing partners.

  “Kill me.” he ordered in a monotone voice, deep and powerful to carry out the seriousness of his order.

  As if a whip had been cracked. The undead trolls came charging at him with iron clubs I hand. Thundering foots rushed towards Aegisthal with thousands of pounds of muscle and metal. Each one letting out rancid roars as the closest to him raised their club to strike.

  Clumsy.

  He side stepped strike, his hand grabbing the collar of the troll’s chest plate. Twisting the taller brute to the side along with swinging his blade to deflect the blow of the second troll. His meat shield then took the strike of the third. The fourth was blocked by the three other bodies between Aegisthal and it. Aegisthal followed his deflecting strike to the second troll’s leg between he plates to hit the side of its knee. Leaving the troll to collapse under its own before the first troll came colliding with it. Clearing the way for the third and fourth.

  The fourth tried to strike at Aegisthal’s head as the third tried to get ready for a second try. Aegisthal ducked under the wide swung attack to drive his sword into its armored belly. Piercing the armor for the ruined tip and edge to emerge out the other side. Releasing his sword, sweep kicked the fourth troll’s forward most foot while it’s weight was still on its back foot from the swing. Raising his hands in time to catch the third’s swing by its wrist.

  With its wrist trapped, Aegisthal turned. Shoving his hip into its body to throw the large lumbering undead over his shoulder to slam into the ground.

  Still holding the undead troll by its wrist, Aegisthal drove his knee into the back of its elbow. Shattering the bone in its arm and simultaneously breaking its grip on its club. Making it all the easier for Aegisthal to steal the iron club. Using it to cave in the third troll’s head while the first, second, and fourth struggled to get back up.

  “Enough.” Aegisthal ordered, stopping the troll’s from any further attack.

  “Aegisthal, your little game with the meat puppets, while amusing, yes, but hardly helpful. You could’ve crushed them in no time if you’d actually put your effort into it.” Eorlas hummed, as she approached. spinning a dagger between her clawed fingers to keep her hands busy.

  "Your assessment is inaccurate. The exercise provided valuable insight into their capabilities. A swift victory would not have afforded me the same understanding of their potential. Efficiency is achieved through strategic evaluation, not haste." Aegisthal answered back, unbothered by her games of veiled threats. “Greater knowledge increases the probability of success. As a spy and assassin, this should be more apparent to you than most."

  (To be continued.)

  For the last 7 months I have been working on this story and lately I have been noticing a drop in quality of my work. I know you guys are enjoying the story and your comments really help me to keep going with the story. But I have been going through a bit of a writers block and I have been struggling lately to find the motivation to write and push through. In order to recoop, I am going to take a small vacation from writing for a bit. Don't worry its going to be maybe 1-2 weeks. But i'll be back before you all know it. Until then, I am going to catch up on some sleep. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story and I'll see you all once I get back from my break! Love you all! ??