Our final reckoning comes. The lands burn with unholy fire.

Our enemies march at last, rallying against us.

By the blood of the Emperor, the legacy of ten thousand battles, victory awaits.

The world may burn to ashes, but we shall remain.

Glory to the Empire.

-Royal Proclamation

...

Chapter 36

[Eveth]

Eveth gestured for Alem to stop, as the wind stilled.

It was clear that a battle had occured recently. Damages were visible everywhere, and craters of heavy impacts marked the landscape. Eveth could tell that many were still holding onto small threads of residual mana. Or Earth, of Faith, and of Fire. As if that wasn't enough, an entire skyship lay broken in the soil. Its cannon-set bow pointed towards the distant horizon, with wings and sails utterly crushed. Scorch marks dotted the ground around it.

Yet, all this evidence was erased up ahead.

There, a threshold waited. A place where the obvious signs of carnage ceased, and only smooth sand remained.

Sand, soaked with mana.

The countless grains that made up the soil, had stopped rolling along on their journeys. There, it was almost as if they were frozen in time. Locked into place by the power which gripped them. Then, lifted up and freed from their earthly bounds to serve a new purpose, as their master made his approach.

“Well, well, well.”

Like a stone that was dropped into a peaceful pond, the words rippled out along the surface. The underlying tone was enough to make Eveth start to regret their choice to return to this terrible place. The voice was hardly welcoming.

With heavy steps, the Basilisk emerged, seemingly from the beneath the ground, and carried by two stoney hands. In great reverence, a Golem lowered him to the sand before moving away and avoiding the earth which swelled up to form a pillar. And then, was carved away into a throne of dreadful architecture.

There was a change in the air as this happened. Eveth could see that the mana seemed to react with twists and spirals. Glowing with power, the haze lifted and flowed out, rolling off blue scales. All around them, waves carried onward. The unneed remains of the pillar-turned-throne disintegrated. The disorganized levels of sand were soon flattened to a perfect surface, as the throne rose higher, on gradual pyramid of large steps.

Perhaps, it was just the scene itself. Perhaps, it was the overwhelming pressure of mana, or maybe it was the aching in her chest, where a terrible wound once lay: but she felt the strangest urge to bow.

“You've come back.” His voice announced. “I didn’t expect to see either of you again.”

It was clear that he'd gotten stronger since the last time they'd met. Or, maybe the serpent had always been toying with them, and had finally done away with its habit of hiding its strength. Eveth wasn't entirely sure.

Perhaps taking notice of their plight, the volume and pressure, or whatever had begun to weigh down upon them, lessened. Eveth saw Alem teetering, slightly, as the soil swirled. Mana rippling along between their feet.

“Alem.” The serpent acknowledged. “Eveth.” His mouth leaked green smoke, as he uttered the names.

“Ah.” Alem, now officially designated and identified, seemed to be unable to find a proper greeting. Eveth watched him, as he stood tongue tied, completely unable to continued. Then, after a moment of swallowing his nerves, it seemed as though he opted to skip the formality. “We talked it over as a Guild. All of us did, and Eveth and I decided..." He trailed off.

From the newly constructed throne, the serpent stared down for a long moment, before flicking out their tongue. The pressure around them grew less, but it was still a far cry from friendly.

"Would you like some water?"

With a fumbled bob of a bow, the Golem beside the throne further stepped back, and Eveth watched as a table and chairs sprouted to existence in much the same manner as the throne had.

The casual display... It was the kind of magic that would make an Archmage choke. Not only in the function, but the ease of which it rose up from the ground, with sand falling away into hard angles and perfect shapes immediately. The type of free-form magic a mage could try to learn all their lives, and likely never achieve even a fraction of.

As if that wasn't enough though, Eveth could recognize some of the shapes atop the surfaces. Images worked into every visible piece. It seemed as though they represented stories of past battles, and victories. The center, was that of figures burning.

Of figures burning alive.

She tried to push the queasiness in her stomach back down, as cups formed atop the table. Water poured, seemingly from nowhere, and merged into small streams to fill these to the brim.

"Thank you for the hospitality." Alem took a seat, awkwardly as the man could have possibly managed, and Eveth joined him. "After our last attempt, we weren't sure if you would meet with us."

The seats molded, as if cushioned by sand.

"Have a drink."

"I'm alright." Eveth said, as Alem jumped- reaching for his cup to take a hasty sip.

The silence waited.

No one said a word after that.

They all just sat there, and stared at one another, until finally, the serpent uncoiled on his throne. As if lounging, head propped on one side.

"I suppose I should say I've missed your company as well, but I doubt that's why you've decided to visit.”

"You're right." Eveth admitted, after it was clear that Alem was drinking that water just to gain a reprieve from the conversation.

"Why are you here, then?”

Another silence settled in, as Eveth glanced to Alem. It seemed that all of their discussions on the way over had been for nothing.

“Well, you see… It's... ” Alem finally answered, only to trail off again. Beside him, Eveth let out a long sigh.

This was getting them nowhere.

"Light, I’ll just say it.” She announced.

“Go on.” The tip of his blue tail spun once, gesturing she continue.

“The Empire is going to kill you.”

"Of course, they've tried." Pointing his tail at the landscape around them, the serpent bobbed his head once. The mannerism seemed similar to that of a person shrugging their shoulders. "They haven’t had much luck.”

"I know they haven't, but that only makes it worse.”

“For them, maybe. Personally, I don’t see the problem.”

"Well, there's a huge bounty on your head now. They finally stripped the noble you had been toying with of all of his titles in a public display last week, and now they've offered the "Glory" of reclaiming this place to anyone. Adventurers, Mercenaries- there's rumors that the Church Inquisitors are getting involved. The whole world is going to be against you soon.”

"Whole world... Interesting choice of words." The serpent casually flicked its tongue at the broken ship. "But you've come a little late. I really don't think the Church is going to be a problem any longer."

Eveth swallowed, as she looked over the wreckage scattered around them with new perspective. That would explain the lingering Faith magic, though she'd hoped it was his.

"The Empire-"

"Why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

"We just want to help-" Eveth felt the pressure, as the snake hissed.

"Don't lie."

The air was all but slammed from her chest, as the magic behind the voice intensified. The tone grew less reasonable, twisting into anger.

"You want me to leave. You, your little Guild, the Empire, and all the other humans."

The last word almost seemed to grate as it resonated, forming into a long hiss.

"You just want the Dungeon. I am in your way."

"No-"

The building pressure started to twist and turn, as the magic reacted. The throne fell away. The table and chairs, the cups, melted back to sand. The water burst into steam, then flashes of burning light, as green fire coiled out from a long exhale. Eveth stumbled, barely catching her balance.

"Greed suits you, Eveth."

“Everyone in the City is talking about the monster West of the city. They call you the Blue Death." Alem found his voice just in time. "Yesterday, we heard a rumor from a friend of ours. The Church has sent word the the Emperor, requesting his return to aid them against the threat."

"And?"

"And? You're the threat! And it's the Emperor we're talking about! He's the strongest man alive, he's..." Alem almost sputtered.

"He'll destroy you." Eveth finished. "The moment the Emperor returns, he will kill you. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are: he's stronger."

"Well, something tells me he has his hands full at the moment."

The Basilisk seemed to laugh, as he threw his head back to let loose plumes of fire. It was a long moment, before he finally settled back to stare at them.

"Get to the point."

"The point? That is the point!" Eveth felt fear giving way to anger as the snake continued to chuckle, letting go of small puffs of fire. It was clear he found this whole thing amusing, and it was all she could do to grit her teeth and hold back her temper. "The point is you're going to fucking d-"

"What she's trying to politely ask." Alem intervened, jumping to put a hand over her mouth as the Basilisk stopped laughing, turning towards her with a low hiss of smoke and steam. "Is if you'd consider finding a more hospitable place to call home."

"So direct, but at least you're honest, Alem."

"It wasn't right, what happened here. Be it fate that caused it, or Gods, or something else: all we know is that without you and Imra, we all would have died." Alem stepped forward. "So we talked it over, as a Guild. We know it's a risk, but we owe you our lives. Please come with us. We'll do our best to hide you."

"Back to the city, you mean?"

The booming voice lessened, as the serpent considered his words. The undertone of amused anger had retreated ever so slightly.

"Yes, back to the City."

"And if I say no? What then?"

“It doesn't have to be the city. We're Adventurers, we could travel." Eveth pushed aside Alem, ignoring his protests. "We could go anywhere. With magic like yours, it wouldn't even be difficult."

The smoke that had been leaking out in steady puffs, settled.

"We've thought a lot about what happened. We all have, what we all saw down there... I know there's a lot more to this than we understand, but together I'm sure we could help. You don't have to die here."

"I don't have to die here." He repeated her words slowly.

"That's right-"

The pressure was suddenly back, only worse. The voice cut her short, as the ground shook.

"Tell me: Did Imra have to die here?"

The sands swirled, as figures rose up from the ground.

"Did all those humans have to die here? Those monsters? Those Constructs?"

Those Golem had been hidden, Eveth realized. There wasn't even time to blink before she and Alem were surrounded. As the ground shifted, she could could now see the faint trails of mana: there were dozens of them, waiting deep beneath the sand. Ready to go at a moment's notice.

How many of these had he created?

"Ever since I was born into this world, I've been running from danger. But this is as good a place as any to finally stop."

The serpent turned away, leaving them to the towering figures of stone.

"Stay with these Golem until you're close to the City."

"What about you?" Eveth asked, as a stone hand blocked her path, pushing her backwards. "Is there anything we can do to help? Anything at all?"

The snake was gone from sight, but one more response reached them.

"Don't come back."