Book 6: Chapter 79: Scope

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Book 6: Chapter 79: Scope

Sadie leveled her sword at the old ta’alaki. He didn’t even twitch, though the balls of arcane power continued to crackle as they swirled above him.

“We do not have time for this,” he sighed.

“What do you want?” Elijah asked, stepping forward to stand next to Sadie. He gripped his staff with white knuckles as fear flowed through him. Because he felt that the ta’alaki was entirely unrestrained. The power circulating through the First Mage’s body – and all around him – reminded Elijah of Kirlissa, though somehow more restrained. It was markedly weaker, but to Elijah, it was still overwhelming.

If Elijah or his companions tried to fight, they would die. And the ta’alaki would barely have to shift a finger.

“I have sacrificed everything to hold the shackles at bay,” he said. “But I do not have much time. The system will not tolerate my rebellion for long.” He took a deep breath, and the orbs of ethera swirled a little faster. “You ask what I want, and I give you the only answer that matters. Yloa must die, and you must do it now, while he is weakened. Or he will destroy an untold number of lives. He may even join the Ravener.”

“Why? Tell us what’s going on,” Sadie said.

Elijah added, “We know a little about the war.”

“You know nothing. Do you have any notion of how many people die in a war that lasts hundreds of years? Do you have any concept of the sheer weight of the lives that have been lost? That Yloa has taken? He did not start like that. He –”

“The Shadeborn Sect. We know what they did,” Sadie said.

“That little assassination attempt was only the end of a very long road,” the First Mage stated. “He had begun to radicalize long before that ill-timed mistake. He used it, though. He framed himself as a martyr, and my people rallied behind him. He promised so much. Not just equality. Supremacy. He told us he would turn the tables, that we would no longer occupy the lowest rungs of our society. We would be the rulers, and the supposedly superior ka’alaki, our slaves.

“That turned it into a war or survival. Would-be allies among the ka’alaki refused to help us,” he went on. “I do not blame them, either. It was a matter of simple preservation. Some, like the Druids, tried to stay neutral, as was their mandate. Yet, in the end, even they chose sides.

“The wrong one, as it turned out.”

The tower rumbled, but the First Mage continued, “Eventually, he won, and he delivered precisely what he’d promised. It was a golden age for the ta’alaki, but it came at a terrible cost. I shudder at the memory of how our cousins were treated. Many became no more than slaves. Many, many more were simply killed. Justice for centuries of mistreatment, it was called. In reality, it was simple vengeance. Justice had nothing to do with what we did. With what we allowed to happen.”

He paused for a long moment before saying, “History is cyclical. If you manage to live long enough, you will see it. What happens today will be repeated in the future. So it was after the war. Even as Yloa presided over a gilded age of ta’alaki dominance, unrest began to brew. A powerful resistance was born, and yet another war began. This time, the ka’alaki had the edge.

“Yloa had yet to reach transcendence, but even then, he could match anyone on Ka’arath. The slight edge was not enough to result in a decisive victory, so the war dragged on. Once, his empire stretched across the entire planet, but eventually, it was confined to a single continent. Then, it shrank further until he barricaded himself in his fortress.

“Desperate, he crossed a line that no one should ever cross. He opened a connection to the Abyss. We do not know how he managed it, but at first, he only captured Voxx to be released on his enemies. The chaos that ensued allowed him to regain some lost ground. Yet, it was not enough. By that point, most of the planet was against him. Ka’alaki and ta’alaki alike fought against his tyranny.

“Yloa’s desperation grew, and he delved deeper into the Abyss. Too deep. It is unknown if the Abyss’ influence changed him or if he simply lost all context for what he was doing. What is known is that, through some forbidden ritual, he infected his closest followers with Abyssal power. They swept out from the Seat of Thunder, slaughtering any who stood against them. At last, Yloa had his enemies at a disadvantage. He was winning.

“But the system’s original purpose was to curtail and control the influence of the Abyss. It would not let such an infection stand. Yloa was given a choice. Cut off the Abyss, destroy his connection, and surrender his power. The alternative was Ka’arath’s excisement from the World Tree.

“He tried to escape, but his way was barred. He attempted to draw more power from the Abyss, and for a while, it worked. He finally passed the threshold to become a Transcendent.

“It was not enough.”

The First Mage sighed and went silent. It only lasted for a moment, but in that time, Elijah understood what had happened. Still, he didn’t say anything as the ta’alaki continued his tale.

The moment the ta’alaki died, they each got a notification that they’d completed the challenge, and a familiar-looking chest appeared hovering over the First Mage’s corpse. Dat opened it, revealing an old-fashioned brass key on a thick, iron chain that looked like the sort used to bind a gate closed.

Dat picked it up, obviously using Hex of Scrying. His eyes widened at the results, and he said, “This is so awesome.”

“What is it?” Elijah asked, still reeling from the First Mage’s revelations. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed to him that Dat’s enthusiasm was meant to undercut what they’d learned.

“I’ve been waiting on something like this since the beginning of the apocalypse, bro,” Dat answered. Or non-answered, given that he still hadn’t revealed what it was.

“Dat,” Sadie said firmly. “Tell us what it is.”

“But –”

She glared at him, not unlike an elementary school teacher might look at a class full of unruly students. He deflated.

“Fine. It’s a dimensional space,” Dat said. “Or the key to one, at least. You know, you carry the key around, and when you want your stuff, you use it. So, no backpacks or anything. Just a key on a chain. I don’t know how big the space is, but I want it. I’ll give anything –”

Elijah could see why anyone would want such a thing. It would make travel immeasurably easier. Even Elijah, who tended to travel pretty light – especially with his Ghoul-Hide Satchel – would like to have access to something like that. But he wasn’t nearly as excited as Dat.

As far as he was concerned, the Witch Hunter could have it if it would make him that happy. But Sadie stepped in, saying, “Dat. You know you don’t need it as much as someone else.”

“But all my stuff –”

“Admit that you only want it because it reminds you of that game you used to play.”

Dat didn’t respond. Instead, he shoved the key into Kurik’s hands, muttering, “You can use this more than me.”

“What? I ain’t even asked for it.”

“We were talking about this the other day,” Sadie said. “You haven’t gotten any of the rewards. You deserve this.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“We are,” Elijah said. He hadn’t been privy to said conversation, but he wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment. While it would have been nice to have such an item, it definitely wasn’t a game-changer for him. It very well could be for Kurik, though. “Aren’t we, Dat?”

“You don’t have to rub it in. I just wanted a Bag of Holding, bro.”

“You can have the next one,” Ron said.

Dat sighed. “Fine.” Then he forced a smile, telling Kurik that he hoped he got a lot of use out of it.

Kurik quickly bound the item, then slipped the enormous chain around his neck. It looked ridiculous, but it turned out to be much larger than any of them expected. “’Bout ten by ten by ten, by my estimate,” the dwarf said. He took the key and mimed opening a lock. A second later, a small, fist-sized portal opened. He removed his pack and shoved it against the black hole in reality. The pack disappeared, and Kurik grinned. “Oh, I can fit so many power crystals in there.”