Our world is doomed.
Our mightiest hero, Revello Ortelia the Lionheart, wielder of the Slayer of Shadowkings and the Well of Souls Shield had fallen against the Lord of Destruction.
At the edges of our bastion did our last hope die.
The chosen one who was destined to save the last remnants of the free world.
I couldn’t do anything for them.
I want to die.
I want to die before any innocent is harmed.
I want to die for them.
I never could have known that a mere bandit could become an unstoppable force of annihilation. Their pure nihilistic malice led to a path of self-destruction that seeks to consume our world into a monument of hopelessness.
I hate you, Vermides—nay, it would be too honorable to refer to your name, Lord of Destruction.
I hate you God of Light, you watch from the heavens as you let the world die by your cowardly creed of self-persevering inaction, I shan’t stand by you again knowing you could intervene at your mere whim. You’ve forsaken our love to you and our devotion.
I love you Revello, you did what you could and yet I could provide nothing.
I can only do so much to delay the inevitable and so I will hold the last stand with the remnants of the World Guard.
Whoever may receive this message from the nether, be ever vigilant and love your world to your very last breath.
Sincerely, Armia the Last Forsaken High Priestess of Ullphos.
Armia placed the feathered pen down and stood up in her gilded gown, she held the letter and used whatever power she could leech from her former god to send forth the message into the cosmic stream.
This is it…
Armia grabbed her staff and stood on the battlements of the bastion as the cold wind blew in her face. The world was shattered in ice following the wake of Vermides and the countless frozen legion of misshapen abominations. The chilled sun rose over the horizon.
“World Guard!” Armia called. “Our god has abandoned us but we will show that we will fight to the last breath unlike that craven bastard! I will not abandon you lest I am cursed for all eternity!”
Armia unsheathed a sword from her belt and raised it high. The well-armored troops of silver below cheered and yelled as they raised their myriad of weapons: swords, staves, polearms, bows, and more.
“Well, hello there.” A voice came beside Armia.
Armia turned as she was greeted by a large individual dressed in bright plumed clothing with skin of gold and silver. They appeared as a jester, laying on their side while floating in the air with shining feathers and strands of their clothing flowing gracefully. Their pale silver face held a smirk that etched into her soul. emphasized by the vein of amethyst ink. Their soulgazing eyes were separately red and blue like the colors that were drawn across their face, and their anomalous hair echoed the beyond with the luminescent colors of bismuth.
Armia drew her sword with no words or hesitation, only with a tired yet defiant expression against the jester.
“Voh there!” The anomalous jester’s head turned with piercing eyes. “Now is that anyway to treat a guest, especially one who just wants to save you all?”
“I am done with gods, being.”
“A god?” The anomalous jester turned their head, raising a hand to run across their face and body. “Voh no, no! This body is not a god’s.” They dropped from their float and unto the cold stone of the battlements. “Not a god’s assuredly, it’s only the body of mine, the body of Lafek-tahl and no one else!” Lafek-tahl bowed with a chuckle.
“What are you doing here.”
“I was floating down the night river and thought I’d drop by for a little… chat when I saw your message and this interesting rally you all were having!” Lafek-tahl spun. “I wanted to be here too! It’s a bit noisy out there, but I’ll fix that.”
As Lafek-tahl clapped twice, the world outside the bastion stopped, holding it in place. The World Guard was confused and awestruck, Armia lost her composure as she lowered her sword.
“Ah! How peaceful it is outside now, now I can hear my hat sizzle.” Lafek-tahl pulled out a bright, abnormally long, feathered cap blazing with purple flames and dusted it off calmly. “Would you like a hat? Don’t worry, it’s just cosmetic, doesn’t do anything.”
Armia stared at Lafek-tahl with both suspicion and bewilderment.
“What… what are you.” Armia’s body tensed up.
“Voh? I just told you, no one but Lafek-tahl!”
“No! What the hell are you! You come from beyond heaven, froze time, and act like the destroyer of the world is nothing!” Armia placed a hand on her chest as she pointed at Lafek-tahl. “Why are you here! Why do you exist!”
“Why, I exist because I do, and that’s the best feeling in the multiverses!” Lafek-tahl clapped joyfully and shrunk to human size.
“Isn’t it?” Said an echo of theirs.
A spitting image of Lafek-tahl appeared behind them, placing their elbow on their shoulder.
“Wha, who’s that!?” Armia said.
“Who?” Lafek-tahl turned around as the image disappeared behind them. “Oh, you, were you trying to trick me?”
“Answer me! Armia shook and slammed their staff on the ground, the sword lit up into a holy blaze.
“Maybe it was myself messing with me?” Lafek-tahl smiled and shrugged their shoulders. “Voh, it happens sometimes. It gives me such a warm feeling that I have myself waiting for me by the infinite void…” Lafek-tahl placed a finger on his chin. “Or maybe that’s indigestion!”
Armia gritted her teeth as she choked the depth of her feelings at the bizarre spectacle in front of her.
I… I… what arcane madness is this…
“What are you speaking of, stop it!” Armia dropped her sword and gripped her staff and head. “Stop making light of us, stop making light of all of this.”
What we have done, what we have gone through for this world and everyone in it… is there meaning anymore?
“Vokay!” Lafek-tahl stood up straight and breathed in deep, any and all glowing light from Lafek-tahl was suppressed. “I’ve stopped making light.”
Armia glared at the embodiment of absurdity. “I… I hate you.”
“Hate is such a strong word.” Lafek-tahl cackled and leaned in. “But then again it doesn’t have any muscles or alcohol to be that way.”
“Stop… stop… enough…” Armia shook her head and affirmed her stance. “Lafek-tahl! Aid us or begone, being from the stars!” Armia’s voice boomed with an echo as the World Guard cheered for her.
Lafek-tahl bit the back of a finger as their other fingers softly wiggled. “Voh, hoh hoh! Maybe I’m a little much, mhmm my apologies, I’m a little tired from my journey.” They chuckled as they pulled out an exceedingly sharp and pointy cyan crystal. “But now, to the point!”
Die with the Lord of Destruction, Lafek-tahl!
“I took one look at that ‘Lord of Destruction’ and I don’t like ‘em.” Lafek-tahl waved their hand. “Thinking that any existence is meaningless, voh what kind of life is it to exist like that?”
Lafek-tahl made a fist as the folds of reality cracked to a growing anger.
“Even the smallest struggles have meaning and even the tiniest of bees”—Lafek-tahl pulled out an abnormally large bumble bee from under their sleeve—“can make quite a big buzz in the greater hive.”
The bee turned into a whirling orb of light and energy.
“Now, I want to see what you all can make with a continued existence. Even I want to see the life of poor young Johnny crying in his mother’s arms in that city you have vaulted. That hero you presumed killed? Ravioli? Was that their name?”
“Don’t you dare speak of Revello!” Armia created a bolt of energy in her palm that was channeled by her staff. “Your offer be damned!”
Lafek-tahl rolled around their eyes and head, “Yes, yes threaten to kill me, woohoo.” They then clicked their head still. “They’re alive. Faint as deemed by that stick in the mud, ‘Lord of Destruction’, but alive.”
Armia’s eyes became a turbulent storm of arcane emotions. “Do not give me hope.”
“Voh hoh hoh! But dear, that’s what I am, hope. Hope that will come true, I promise you this.” Lafek-tahl waved their arms in a loop. “Now do you want to see Raviol—Revello.”
Armia broke a sweat, biting her lip bloody. “… Yes.”
“Voh-kay!”
Lafek-tahl posed, standing firm with a hand on their hip and a hand towards the bastion’s edge. With a swing of the finger, a silvery armored person flew through the air.
“Here you go! Served piping hot, don’t burn yourself.”
The World Guard collectively gasped in amazement at the feat.
“Revello!” Armia yelled as Revello gently landed on the battlements.
The High Priestess ran towards them and placed a hand on their cheek. The wounds were healed and the celestial armor restored with the vibrant legendary equipment and all.
“Armia…” Revello softly said, before collapsing into a sleep.
“Oh, fellow’s already asleep,” Lafek-tahl crossed their arms, “Well, that’s to be expected, they seem to have been beat!”
Armia took a deep breath before gently letting Revello rest. “Lafek-tahl, I will not worship you, will you still give me the power to save this world?”
“Of course, you ray of sunshine! I’ll make you a legend!” Lafek-tahl happily clapped. “In fact, since there are no other whirly mechanisms in this world to save it, I have deemed myself able to give you a gift to save what’s left! More so than normal apparently.”
Lafek-tahl’s cyan crystal poofed into a gift box into the palm of their hand. “This will give you what you want and more.”
Armia glared at the box. “What do you want?”
“Nothing! Voh hoh hoh!” Lafek-tahl laughed. “I want to see what you all do! I want to see you a legend! I have no stakes!”
Lafek-tahl pulled out two wooden stakes and jammed them into the stone ground.
“Now I do!”
This damned jester.
Armia gazed at the box as she was lost in contemplation.
“If this will save what we have left.” Armia stepped forward and placed a hand on the box. “I will accept.”
Lafek-tahl grinned mischievously. “Wonderful! Now, do it!”
Armia opened the box to reveal a glowing sphere with wings. Armia grasped the sphere and felt the revelation of the cosmos flowing into her body and soul, vastly beyond what the God of Light had ever offered even as she was once the face of their power. Every fiber of her being was empowered by an infinitesimal microfraction of the multiverse that could very well create new heavens, hells, quinscentias, and the alike. Armia’s mind opened as a great rift of stellar clarity, witnessing the greater vision of all surrounding space. All of this sight occurred in a split second, before she was attuned to her original senses.
“Power overwhelming!”
Armia screamed a transcendent reverberation that shocked the fabric of reality and broke the spell of hold that Lafek-tahl put in place. Everything moved again as the skies lit with holy blue flames and the sun fizzled into an eclipse as all of the energy in the atmosphere gathered in Armia’s being.
“Face the storm of my judgement!”
Armia raised her hands that crackled with power never seen on Ullphos as her eyes sneered with glowing hatred. Light from the world gathered into her palms leaving nought but darkness in its wake, turning into a great beam that shot beyond the bastion and at the Lord of Destruction.
“TWILIGHT OF THE GODS: STAR OF JUDGEMENT!”
The outlying lands were blasted with rupturing eldritch energies that held the sight of the cosmos, erupting with such devastation that the ground was shot into the sky and the energies tore deep into the earth.
“I will smite you all, Lord of Destruction and God of light!”
Armia aimed her fount of annihilation to the sky and towards the heavens, the atmosphere was blown apart as the great gates hidden in the folds of reality were shattered. Simultaneously the sky and earth were obliterated into nothing but the void of space.
The screams of the two gods were echoing, shaking the planet itself as they met oblivion. The energy coursing through Armia’s being were fully exhausted and the power was gone but the chain reaction unleashed was not.
“Vah ha ha ha ha ha! Exciting! Truly, truly exciting!” Lafek-tahl clapped vibrantly while spinning. “Marvelous! I love the legendary name you gave that ability! You not only destroyed the Lord of Destruction but you destroyed what was your God of Light! And by how you handled it, it only cost almost the whole planet, you legend!”
As Armia was reeling from the energies that once held the power of creation and destruction in her body, a grim realization set in.
“What…” Armia shook her head. “What!? You said you wanted nothing!”
The world was shattering as explosions erupted from the rumbling earth.
“My dear legendary Armia, I did not do this! I merely gave you the tool to allow you to exact your revenge and now, your planet will be utterly destroyed because you could not hold back!”
Lafek-tahl laughed intensely, only becoming more maniacal as time went on. Horror struck Armia’s face as she became pale.
“Now you will witness the chaos of your unrelented actions!” Lafek-tahl danced on light toes as mirroring images of different iterations and varying forms of themself danced with them in circles.
“Oh yes.” Lafek-tahl stopped dancing for one moment. “The promise stands.”
“I did not want the planet destroyed!” Armia yelled as she placed a hand on her chest. “
“Voh hoh hoh! I tease, I tease, it wasn’t your fault, Legend. Regardless of what you wanted, this was going to happen. You would have all died in famine! The planet was dead and crumbling! I can’t let the Legend die!”
“Dead!” Each alternate image of Lafek-tahl repeated the word in succession.
The World Guard stared in horror as the world unfolded around them. Armia shook as she was frozen in fear and uncertainty.
“Aaah! Stop it! Stop it!” Armia grabbed her sword ablaze and swung at Lafek-tahl who deftly dodged her by dance. “Stop this!”
“You seek to make this stop by trying to kill me? You’re funny!” Lafek-tahl howled
“You set forth the wheels of your salvation with my power! The wheels are going to keep rolling until the planet…”
Underneath the earth was an explosion beyond all others of which caused them all to collapse as the sheer force made it impossible to stand. The sky evaporated into the swirling cosmos as enormous spires of flames and cyan energy flowed across space. The familiar moons and sun faded into distant specks.
“Shatters!” Lafek-tahl jazzily shook their hands.
The World Guard screamed in horror as civilians escaped from the bastion’s vaults, joining them in witnessing the planet’s death.
“Now, now everyone! We’re just going on an adventure!” Lafek-tahl cackled.
Lafek-tahl merged with their dancing images and reverted back to their previous form, hovering high as a laughing ‘angel’ lazily lying on their side, enjoying the show.
“Krr! This is your captain-jester Lafek-tahl speaking, sit back and relax, enjoy the ride!”
The chaotic shaking halted as everyone was able to compose themselves again.
Armia fell on her knees, staring at the rolling vastness of space as tears ran down her eyes.
“Ah, ha… ha…” Armia chuckle slowly grew. “Haha, hahaha, hahahaha!”
Armia gripped her head and punched her own cheek.
“Hold… hold yourself… Armia.”
“Here you go.” Lafek-tahl created a small metal bar staked in the ground for her to hold.
Armia moved onto Revello and dragged them to the metal bar as she leaned and wrapped the bar with her arm.
The bastion was now but a floating rock in the astral abysm, twirling as it moved at impeccable speeds beyond the speed of light. Countless bodies of suns, planets, moons, and cosmic pathways glided occasionally through their view. A planet stayed before them as the twirling calmed down, becoming larger and larger til it was going to envelop them.
Lafek-tahl spilled popcorn everywhere. “Here’s the fun part!”
The continental earth and the bastion it sat on descended onto an alien planet. The bastion itself was shielded by both the earth and Lafek-tahl as they trailed great cyanic flames by falling into the atmosphere. From below did it seem a tremendous stream flew across the sky, heralded by a golden rock.
Lafek-tahl yelled, waving a 10 gallon hat in his hand that had miniature planets orbiting it. “Yeehaw! Vah ha ha ha!”
Let it end… please let it end…
Armia clutched Revello close and tightly in her arms. The people of the bastion collectively screamed as they crash landed on the shore of another planet’s continent. The bastion shook with utmost intensity as the force of the impact was redirected into the atmosphere by giant fiery spires that enveloped the edges of the bastion.
What are gods compared to Lafek-tahl…
A whirlwind of emotions welled deep and etched itself into her soul by the mere actions of the mad jester. Lafek-tahl laughed at the sheer chaos that happened.
There are no gods, only beings of power that toy with who they wish. I am a mere pawn, a joke, a jest just like everyone else here.
As the flames fell, the rubble calmed, and the cacophony of terror ended, Armia gently placed Revello down as she stood up.
“Are we meaningless to you?” Armia said, then gritting her teeth as she bitterly peered at the mad jester. “Is our existence meaningless!? We can disappear without a single thought and be tossed away like what the God of Light did to us.”
Lafek-tahl’s maniacal demeanor fell silent as they raised their chin and scowled.
“You played with us, you used us for a laugh.” Armia said.
“Yes, and it was a good joke too!” Lafek-tahl cleared their throat. “But yes, I did, and there’s nothing wrong with a laugh that saves everyone.”
“I see what the Lord of Destruction meant, saying that everything is mindless. Our hopes, our dreams, the very land that nurtures us let alone our supposed gods are nothing but fleeting whispers in space that can fade in a flash. The moment of clarity you gave me in that power.”
Lafek-tahl placed a hand on their face. “Don’t sound like the Lord of Destruction now, that power was supposed to give you hope.”
“How!? How is anything supposed to give us hope lest we be swept by a being like you by all chances in the cosmos!”
Lafek-tahl rolled their eyes.
“Of course you feel that way, jester.” Armia gritted her teeth.
Lafek-tahl shrunk back and stood before Armia, glaring into her eyes
“Live life to the fullest you can, enjoy yourself.” Lafek-tahl raised a finger below Armia’s chin. “Chances like what I offer don’t come every day but also the Lord of Destruction doesn’t come all the time either! So might as well laugh, laugh, laugh with it! Your feelings give you hope!”
Lafek-tahl raised their arms and flaunted the glowing lights that echoed infinite possibilities. With a step back, Armia watched in awe.
“I hate insects of nihilism, but not quite bees but that’s besides the point, as they are meant to be crushed! Not people like you. As bees are”—Lafek-tahl pulled out the enormous bumble bee from their sleeve—“small in the face of all things, they still live, they still gather and fight, even if they die they are sources of potential life and new lives in the infinite beyond!”
The bumble bee buzzed and flew off of Lafek-tahl’s hand, circling around Armia’s head with the goofiest yet mildly creepy unnatural humanoid smile.
“Evidence one of hope and life!”
Armia stood still as she only followed the bee with her eyes. Lafek-tahl stood up straight and still, with a finger high in the air and then lowered in front of Armias’ face.
“You.” Lafek-tahl raised up another finger. “Evidence two! The cracking of your planet like an egg means whatever goods were left in the ooey gooey center are now available! The best part is that you will get meteor showers chock full of goodies over time! Not only the resources of a whole new planet but the yummies of the dead world will help you grow! Don’t you agree, judge?”
The bumble bee spoke. “Yep! Yep! I rule in favor of the defendant, Lafek-tahl!”
“Voh hoh hoh!” Lafek-tahl adjusted their nonexistent glasses. “I want you all to live on, is that what your old gods wanted?”
Armia sighed, trying to process everything as did everyone else. “No, it is not.”
Armia looked at Revello and gave them a kiss on the cheek. She stood up and hobbled over to rest against the bastion’s battlements.
“I didn’t expect to see another dawn, in two senses.”
The sun rose over the horizon, shining forth a brilliant silver and gold cyanic light across the jungled landscape and sky filled with cosmic objects.
“Where are we?”
Lafek-tahl pulled out a map. “If my reading is correct, it is a rather divine place!”
Armia tiredly peered at Lafek-tahl. “More gods?”
“Mmm, yes, yes but this time there are many!”
“Joy.” Armia said sarcastically. “At least we’re alive.”
“And that’s what matters, vah ha! You all live, you can rebuild and have fun!” Lafek-tahl held out her arms. “I’ll send the Negotiator of Translation soon so you can talk to the humans and others here.”
“There are humans too?”
“Yup.”
“H-how… honestly, whatever, you exist and that’s the biggest mystery.”
Lafek-tahl grinned wildly.
“I don’t understand you, any of this, and I don’t think I ever will.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t understand myself either! That’s the fun part! I am me and no one else!”
Armia, against all odds and by what has happened, grinned.
“Voh hoh hoh! There’s a laugh.” Lafek-tahl clapped happily.
“I get to decide my own destiny.” Armia looked back at Revello and formed a slightly bigger smile. “Perhaps call this place Free Destiny’s Bastion? In such a hurry, we never named it. We’ll decide… eventually.”
“Yes! Now are you destined to eat this ice cream sundae?” Lafek-tahl pulled out a bowl loaded with ice cream with chocolate and butterscotch sauce ending in an edible energy wave.
Armia studied the mysterious food and shrugged.
“Sure.” She grabbed a spoon and took one bite involving every part of it. “Oh, wow! That’s amazing!”
“Everyone gets one!” Lafek-tahl smugly raised a finger and snapped their hand. “Sweet treats for all!”
The very same sundae popped into reality beside each and every person through a vortex. As everyone marveled at its flavors, the mere presence of the yummy existence awoke the sleeping Revello.
“Revello!” Armia moved to hold them.
“Armia… what… what happened…?”
“Don’t think about it.” Armia shoved a spoonful into Revello’s mouth. “Eat this.”
Lafek-tahl chuckled as they drifted skywards, back in form. “I’ll be visiting.”
Armia stood up after gently laying Armia down, she faced the jester and bowed as did everyone who followed suit. There was a sparkle in her wearied eyes.
“It’s unfathomable I’m saying this, but thank you Lafek-tahl, for life.”
Zelastar 