Hello readers!
So if you got my notification from my message board, then you know I have Covid.
For now, I'm being monitored in the hospital. Though, it's not as bad as it seems I think.
But anywhore,
ONWARDS!!!
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|Arthur's POV|
Regis skids to a halt beside me, both of us staring up at the monster-like behemoth that was quickly approaching, despite taking damaging blows from the Ausuras. It's muzzle crinkled as it pulled back into a deep snarl, showing sharp, jagged, blood stained teeth. It's armor plate like scales shifted as the Ausura's attacks simply seemed to bounce off of it.
I didn't move an inch as it came well within a foot of me. Lifting my right arm, the impact of its head colliding with my hand created a forceful shock wave of energy that raced about, pushing everything away. It's long body coiled, the speed it used to try to harm me, backfired drastically.
While I did feel a slight ache in my hand and arm from the explosive impact, it didn't affect me too much. A loud, booming growl erupts from it as it shakes its head, opening its jaw and before I could react, it snaps just around my arm, effectively dismembering me. This drew the attention of everyone else as it opened its maw once more.
Though, before it could attack once again, my form flickers out of view as aetheric pathways carry me to the space above its head. Using the full force of my descent, my feet crashed into its giant head, a few of it's obsidian horns cracking or shattering all together. Another roar escaped it as its head plummeted to the ground, shaking the earth beneath it.
A large and wide crater forms as I hop away from it, now standing only a few feet to the left of it. It shakes its beastly head, glowing eyes narrowing in on me. Yet, as I look closely, those eyes held a deep form of intelligence. A blazing inferno of hatred and pain. Instead of moving, it simply lie there letting out a low groan.
The Asuras here stood close by, simply watch both the beast and I. For some reason, I felt compelled to it. A sense of hurt dwelling within my chest as it continues to stare, almost as if it had given up. It's eyes seemed to soften, calming yet still burning with wrathful hatred. Somehow, I felt like those emotions weren't meant for me.
It almost seemed...human.
"Kezess. What did you do?" Without looking at him, I could feel his presence just behind me, nearest the large doors leading into the castle. It fell silent as I waited for his response. No one mentioned the utter disrespect in the way I said his name, their full attention on the now complacent beast that let out a boisterous growl of contempt. It's eyes now directed at Kezess, the skin of its muzzle lifting once more to a snarl.
Without a second thought, I slowly walk up to it, careful not to startle it into taking action against me. Regis stays back, watching the beast with curiosity. He must've picked up on what I had felt, what I am still feeling. Not a word is spoken as I stood before the monstrosity, laying a hand on its snout.
With a deep breath, I let my mind travel into the beast as flashes of its foggy memories passed through me.
A little girl, no more than twelve, strapped down to a medical table. Shadows shifting, noises of people clad in white could be heard, yet not understood.
Pain. Her screams echoing through the room as needles pierced through her skin. The core resting at her solar plexus shutters with her chest, more waves of intense past racking her body.
Until it expanded and shatters.
Her bones shifted within her visibly.
Breaking, reforming, elongating.
More and more haunting memories played out. From the time they first started the experiment to the memories that flickered in and out of fog, which led up to this point.
Pain. She's still in pain.
I pull away from her mind. My eyes wide as I stare at the beast before me. She's an Asuran child. Or—more accurately—used to be. I could see her eyes opening once more, pain flooding her eyes.
"You experimented...on a child." I said as I put the pieces together. Turning to Kezess, my eyes narrows into a glare. He simply stood there, a look of tiredness making his shoulders sink. What only could have been seconds, felt like hours as a solemn, tense atmosphere settles around us all. Myre comes to stand next to me, regret reflecting in her eyes as she looks at the creature before us.
"While all the clans had something to do with it, the main clan that did the experiments were the clan of basilisks. The rest of us didn't know the full extent to what they were doing." She explains, her voice heavy with sorrow as she lays her right hand gently on the snout of what used to be a twelve year old Asuran girl.
"That is no excuse for what was done. The Vritra, in a quest for the possibility of unimaginable power along with all the other clans, we created something that shouldn't exist in the natural world." She continues, golden eyes looking over at me.
I stay silent as I listened to Myre. She seemed to be the only descent Asura in all of Epheotus. Or at the very least, she held humility and care.
"It was one of the reasons this war started in the first place. Something that shouldn't have happened. And after the incident, we had no choice but to lock her away..." Her voice trails off as she looks over at me once again
"If our goddess, our mother and creator wants us all dead...I don't blame her." The heavy tone her voice held caused a deeper, more depressive silence. Was this young girl the end product of the Asura's trying to create an aether core?
It seemed more and more like it as the seconds slowly ticked by.
Instead of asking more questions, I simply lifted my hands once more, aether pouring into my hand before being released in a subtle, yet deadly mist.
The child, now young adult closes her eyes as her body starts to rapidly deteriorate. Flaking away into particles. It was better to relieve her pain. There was no way to reverse the effects of the brutal experiments on her. The DNA that coursed through her veins was mixed with countless DNA of all the other clans. Those cells fought for complete dominance inside her, causing pain.
In the end, as saddening as it was, I couldn't let her suffer. Bearing the sins of her kin, unwillingly carrying the burden of many wrong doings. As the aether consumed her, a faint voice echoes softly in my mind.
"Thank you."
With that, her entire form disperses into violet particles.
I turn to leave, walking back and passing Kezess with a glare as I walk through the doors.
.
.
.
"It has been decided that we Asura's, will be staying out of this war for now." Myre sighs as she leans back in her chair.
Kezess, Myre, clan leaders and myself all sat in a conference room, deep within the castle. After the event earlier today, a bitter cold feeling of detachment fell over me. The thought of simply killing everyone here crossing my mind a thousand times over.
"For now? Explain." Is my curt response. I felt the need to leave growing stronger, restraining myself from just up and leaving. Aldir stood silently behind Kezess, his eye monitoring me.
"This war wasn't for lesser being to fight, Arthur—"
"You all made it our fight the minute you showed your indifference in taking the lives of Dicathien people. Not just in Elenoir, but all across our continent." Irritation practically drips from my mouth as I stand to leave, Aldir quickly following after me. I stop just short of the doorway leading out of the room.
"Craving for a power that you all aren't even fully ready for. That is what caused this war. Selfishness. Ignorance. Arrogance. Audacity. That is the pinnacle of what you all have become." With that, I step out of the room, leaving angered Asuran clan leaders to themselves.
I know that they won't stay out of this war. Even the dullest person could see that. Either way, whatever they choose to do, may result in their total annihilation.
I didn't mind.
Didn't care.
Only contempt formed within me after all they had done.
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"Arthur. One last thing." I turn back to Aldir, just as the light from his portal faded. His face was void of emotion as per usual, thought there is a a small frown resting on his face.
"Lord Kezess issued weapons to be made for the lances after your supposed death." A mahogany box materializes in his hands in an instant. I fully turn to him, my attention not on the box, but instead on him.
"It was made to work in the same way that those binding artifacts work. This time, each Lance will be bonded to one person and one person only."
"Let me guess. You want them, bonded to me?" It came out as more of a statement than a question. As I look to the box, a wave of uncertainty washes over me. A foreboding feeling that was telling me to disregard those artifacts.
"We won't need them. Good bye, Aldir." With that, I turned to leave out of the tunnel he'd transported us into. He didn't stop me as I walked away, only a deep sigh could be heard from him as light fills the tunnel once more, before vanishing.
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Well everyone
That's the end of this chapter.
I know it's unusually short, but this was the best I could do for now.
Hopefully the nurse doesn't try to take my phone again.
He really is like a nagging grandmother. The nurse I mean.
See ya!
(1704 words)