Chapter 25 – A Third Party
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"-not going to hurt you. It looks scary, but it'll listen to me."

 

The voice comes from between the tree's roots, muffled and clearly deep below the surface. She didn't meet with other elves, then, it must have been something I don't know about that took her. She didn't choose to leave. I push away the new emotions, instead focusing on the situation at tendril. Elvira is trying to reason with whatever has her, so it's probably both intelligent enough to understand speech and strong enough that she can't escape on her own. Considering hit managed to drag her under the tree without leaving a trace, it probably uses some sort of magic. Not dark, at least not any dark magic I know of. Something that can control dirt, maybe? Or it controls wood? Whatever it is, fighting will be difficult. The best option would be to attack the thing while it can't see me, but the hole I can hear Elvira through isn't large enough for me to get to it. I'll have to rip up the roots and earth, and that won't be stealthy no matter what magic I use. I could wait and see if the elf can convince the creature, but that would risk it deciding to kill her. It could kill her while I'm trying to reach them, but at the very least there's a chance of me reaching them in time.

 

That decided, I summon half a dozen Black Hands, taking hold of the tree's roots and ripping them from the ground. Before long I need to reshape half of my hands into bowl-like shapes in order to scoop out the loose dirt, using the remaining to continue pulling out the tree's roots. I finally manage to rip free one of the larger roots and-

 

Snap.

 

Something's moving through the underbrush behind me. I had been too focused on digging, I hadn't kept watch on my surroundings. Now that it's drawn my attention I can hear... something. It sounds like whispering, but there are countless voices all speaking over one another, none loud enough that I can make out any words. I continue digging, acting as if I haven't noticed the creature while moving my attention towards it. The things is big, about half again Elvira's height. It's humanoid, but covered in a black exoskeleton, it looks a bit similar to a large human wearing heavy armor. An abyss walker. A Void creature. What in Thrane's name is an abyss walker doing here? In the Void they're weak, reliant on the odd patch of ground floating within the otherwise endless void, but in this world it will be difficult to deal with. And the whispers, those aren't normal. Abyss walkers shouldn't be any more capable of speaking than I am.

 

Warning:

Wandering Power Detected

Recommended Course Of Action: Escape

 

Fuck. That can't be a good sign, this is the first time Understanding has given me any sort of advice. It's never been wrong before, I have to assume that this is a fight I can't win. If it were just an abyss walker I might be able to beat it, but whatever those whispers are and this "Wandering Power" must be making it stronger. The elf... She'll have to fend for herself for the moment. I don't want to lose her, but survival is more important. Subtlety is out, I'll just run. A few Black Hands dig their claws into the bark of the tree while others reach up to grasp the lower branches, preparing my escape into the treetops. Before I can carry out my plan the whispering voices speak as one, saying a single word.

 

ⴑⲙⲃꞅⲁ

 

My name. It's voice is distorted, wrong, but it's my name. I pause, turning my attention back towards the creature. It's just standing completely still save for a slight motion of its head. For the first time I notice it isn't holding a weapon. It doesn't make any aggressive actions, it doesn't seem hostile. Then why does Understanding want me to run?

 

Ⲥⲏⲁⲙⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲟ𝓯 Ⲇⲁꞅⲕ ⲁⲛⲇ 𝓛ⲓ𝓰ⲏⲧ

Ⲧⲟ𐌵ⲥⲏⲉⲇ ⲃⲩ 𝓥ⲟⲓⲇ ⲁⲛⲇ Ⲁⲉⲧⲏⲉꞅ

Ⲥⲏⲟ𝛓ⲉⲛ ⲟ𝓯 ⲧⲏⲉ ⲧⲱⲟ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ ⲙⲁⲇⲉ ⲧⲏⲓ𝛓 ⲱⲟꞅ𝓵ⲇ

Ⲓ ⲥⲟⲙⲉ ⲧⲟ ⲙⲁⲕⲉ ⲁⲛ ⲟ𝓯𝓯ⲉꞅ

Ⲟⲛ ⲃⲉⲏⲁ𝓵𝓯 ⲟ𝓯 ⲧⲏⲉ Ⲙⲁ𝛓ⲧⲉꞅ ⲟ𝓯 𝓥ⲟⲓⲥⲉ𝛓1Champion of Light and Dark/ Touched by Void and Aether / Chosen of the Two that made this world / I come to make an offer / On behalf of the Master of Voices

 

Warning:

Wandering Power Detected

It Cannot Be Trusted

 

Understanding... That's new. That isn't a statement of fact, it's an opinion. Understanding isn't giving me information, it's trying to influence me. Yehma and Thrane are trying to manipulate me. This walker, or more likely the Wandering Power, the Master of Voices that is speaking through it, has something to say that the goddesses want to keep from me. I know that they can't speak to me directly, so this has to be something prepared in advance, a response that's been in place since I gained Understanding. If this is something important enough that those two want to force me away from it, it may be worth the risk to hear it out. At least as long as it stays where it is, I'm not foolish enough to let it approach me.

 

Ϩⲱⲉⲁꞅ ⲁ𝓵𝓵ⲉ𝓰ⲓⲁⲛⲥⲉ

Ⲧⲟ ⲧⲏⲉ Ⲙⲁ𝛓ⲧⲉꞅ ⲟ𝓯 𝓥ⲟⲓⲥⲉ𝛓

Ⲁⲛⲇ 𝛓ⲉꞅ𝓿ⲉ ⲧⲏⲉⲙ

Ⲩⲟ𐌵 𝛓ⲏⲁ𝓵𝓵 ⲃⲉ 𝓰ⲓ𝓿ⲉⲛ ⲁ ⲣ𝓵ⲁⲥⲉ

Ⲓⲛ ⲧⲏⲉ ⲱⲟꞅ𝓵ⲇ ꞅⲉⲙⲁⲇⲉ

Ⲓⲛ ⲓⲧ𝛓 ⲓⲙⲁ𝓰ⲉ

Ⲟⲛⲥⲉ 𝓛ⲓ𝓰ⲏⲧ ⲁⲛⲇ Ⲇⲁꞅⲕ ⲁꞅⲉ ⲇⲉ𝛓ⲧꞅⲟⲩⲉⲇ2Swear allegiance / To the Master of Voices / And serve them / You shall be given a place / In the world remade / In its image / Once Light and Dark are destroyed

 

So that's why. It wants to kill Thrane and Yehma, of course they wouldn't want it to make me any offers. And if all three of them want me, they must think I can stop it. But if I can beat it, why make me run? Why not fight... Because I can't do it yet. I'm missing something, something important, something that can be used to kill or trap this "Master" thing. Something that I'll be told about in Lucet. I need to escape here, make my way to the city, and get what I can from Yehma.

 

Or I can betray the goddesses, swear allegiance to this new creature. I do not like this world, I dislike its light and gravity and light. It would be easy to side with this Master of Voices, and perhaps it would create a world more suited to me. The elf would almost certainly die, but I just decided to abandon her a few moments ago. She could be replaced. I feel no loyalty to Thrane and even less to Yehma. The destruction of the Void all the creatures within wouldn't really matter much to me as long as something takes its place, and based on what I know of it I would be happy to se the Aether destroyed. However...

 

I serve nothing.

 

I look at the words carved into the tree, a Black Hand pulling away. Yes, the idea of serving anything doesn't sit right with me. I have no desire to follow orders. I have no loyalty for the goddesses but they have made it clear that they don't expect me to obey them. Perhaps they have a goal in making me a champion, and they may attempt to manipulate me, but they give no orders. The choice of what I do is mine. Even if I have to accept an intolerable amount of light in the world, that is the preferable option.

 

Ꞅⲉ𝓰ꞅⲉⲧ𝓯𐌵𝓵

Ⲓ𝓯 ⲧⲏⲁⲧ ⲓ𝛓 ⲧⲏⲉ ⲥⲁ𝛓ⲉ

Ⲧⲏⲉⲛ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲙ𐌵𝛓ⲧ ⲣⲉꞅⲓ𝛓ⲏ3Regretful / If that is the case / Then you must perish

 

The creature raises its hand, the whispers becoming louder and more insistent, reality seeming to shake around it. The voices resolve into chanting, dozens of different chants overlapping each other in what sounds like just as many different languages. Frost begins forming on the abyss walker's hand, a ball of flames forms in its palm, electricity crackles between its fingertips, and a horrible, otherworldly light pours from between the cracks in its armor. I can feel my tendrils burning and freezing at the same time, lightning burns through my core. I feel as if I'm falling, slipping through reality out into something else.

 

As the voices reach a crescendo the earth beneath the abyss walker explodes, roots whipping out to entangle and trap it. The whispers falter, and the strange feeling is gone. The heat dissipates and the cold thaws. A hand grabs one of my tendrils and I look into Elvira's bright green eyes as she pulls herself from a suddenly much wider hole between the tree's roots. As the whispers resume and a spurt of flame burns away the attacking roots, Elvira pulls me away from the Void born creature.

 

"Run!"

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