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Let Deceit call down the curtain
Part the fog for memories unbroken
Fixed by the past for forward present
For those falling in their forced descent
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The siblings felt themselves shrink back to being children and naked while Isaac almost got his head cut off by the wind as they emerge from the swirling mist. Pebbles and boulders are flying everywhere; the sky is crimson red with purple thunder and there are chains sprouting from the ground and wrapping around any leg that goes near it. The wraiths are all flying around like flies, confused and trying to flee from the mists. A piercing roar catches everyone’s attention and they see the little Real---her skin is that of a caterpillar’s carapace with a face that lions make at their enemies.
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“THAT IS ONE BIG ARSE CAT! What in heavens is that!?” Peacock yells and a lava torrent almost fried him chicken when it erupted by his wing
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A tiger by the size of Amerie’s tower roars at the little Real. Its two tail crashes whip wildly in the air, lashing the ground with molten scars. Its fur dripping with lava. With its eyes seemingly the same as when Haures saw the clingy girl on Isaac, “Crazy bunny” Haures says,
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“Bunny!?” Zephyr squints her eyes, “Wait, preposterous as this sounds, that’s the bunny?”
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“B-Bunnies cc-c-an nno--ow beccc-ome ti-ge-rs?”
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The mist gathers, swirling in front of them and rising to a humanoid. With hollow eyes and without a mouth or nose, “Masters…” It speaks, almost telepathically, “We were all wondering where’ve you’ve been. It has been weeks since you left…”
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“Uhm, I for one do not know where’ve been either so if I don’t neither do, they” Zephyr says
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“I see…and I sense great power within you all. Wherever that place you’ve been, it shall serve us great in preventing one of the worst disasters we could possibly have in this little space.”
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“Yes, yes, now tell us quick what’s happening. Sister Real looks terribly exhausted and that tiger looks like it can go on for a thousand years. Worse is how this place looks like it is in Absternicous.
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“Everyone fears that we already are in Absternicous, underwhelmingly so by a daemon.”
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“w-w-what?” Ipos thought different, “That’s not a b-beast?”
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And the mist sprite shakes its head, “Unfortunately, that’s just a daemon pretending to be a beast and wanted to start an Absternicous.”
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“Is it strong?” Haures asks, His eyes already glowing crimson with his veins in grey ash,
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“Real would have already defeated it if not for the mist that she is trying to control and keep the Absternicous contained.”
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“Augh, I knew we should have dealt with her at the beginning. I knew that she was trouble!” Zephyr blazes her own eyes followed by Ipos who says that he has no choice.
Suddenly, they hear Isaac calls out to Amerie who is once again running on the lake water. Peacock follows the boy, growing himself to the size of a gargoyle and carries Isaac in chasing the giantess.
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The mist sprite stares off to Isaac, saying to the children, “Please, attend to your elder sister. I will convince those three to leave this place.” Before disappearing and a loud roar from the tiger blows out a shockwave—nearly throwing Ipos and Zephyr to the lake. Haures remains standing, acting cooly as both the younger siblings swim themselves up and see that their older brother has set off.
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“Gosh, get out of the water already Ipos. I still have to avenge my crops and ingredients you know! I am a busy woman! Stop gurgling!”
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But Ipos cannot help but still gurgle, wishing not to join in any fight. But then a fish with silver scales come up to him. His eyes grow wide before he pulls Zephyr in—which he thought was Zephyr still holding him but it is just a wooden figure of her. The silver fish swims back to the darkness and forth again to Ipos, as if telling him to follow which the boy does. Propelling the waters around his feet and swim accordingly with the silver fish’s speed. Swimming off into the darkness and past where no mist can stop them.
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Concurrently, the mist sprite reappears in the tower where Amerie, Isaac and Peacock are searching for something. “Children of the Amaranth, this is not your home, or place to be.”
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And only Amerie does not listen, intent of looking for something she has probably inserted in the uneven and cracked crevices.
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“Leave now while Necroxia has yet noticed you.” It speaks
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“We will after we find something around her neck!” Isaac tells, wondering if it is the same choker but, in this tower, there is nothing. Other than piles of dead rat and their friends’ skeletons.
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Isaac helps Amerie look for whatever she is looking for, though he does not know and tells the sprite that they’ll leave as soon as Amerie finds what she is finding. Meanwhile Peacock looks out from the window and see the tiger being battered by a Haures whose made a sword out of ash, cleaving through the daemon’s fur and letting out a bloody rain. Then, Zephyr is on the ground—wielding a giant stick that she swings in the air as if she is writing letters before roots erupt from the ground and entangles the beast in a floral net. “T-They did it!” Peacock wanted to celebrate but then the tiger roars with it being enough to shatter the vines as it leaps out of the hole.” Aaaah, they almost had it!”
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“Stop lazing around and help, great Peacock of Unyan,” The mist sprite watches with the bird, And Isaac almost want to write helpful on their backs just to be sarcastic.
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A rat squeaks by and Amerie quicky pounces and bites its head off, gnarly eating that still living rat as if it is delicious. This is no time to be eating, but she looked like she has not eaten for more than a month. After chewing the bone and licking off every blood on her fingers, she stands and turn back to a corner where she takes out something clanking--a slave’s collar. She offers it to Isaac. “For me?”
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But the giantess shakes her head, and the mist sprite notices the item and tells, “She wants you to put it on her”
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Which Isaac and Peacock both asks why,
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“Well, the elf made sure that she is always in the tower by that collar. But it did not take long for her to break herself out from it. And even made sure that when the elf returns, she has it on.”
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“So, Amerie could have just left when she wanted to?”
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“Yes and no, the mist constantly reminds her of a feeling from days past, that we feed her of these feelings to keep her in the tower. She can leave with the help of her blessing but she never did.
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“Wait, I can’t do that” Isaac says, “I…I’m not the lord magister and I don’t want to put this on her.”
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And Amerie looks down, as if frowning before light rain began to pelt down.
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“S-She’s a princess, right? Why would I put this on her?”
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“She…” The mist sprite continues, “She does not trust herself and wishes for you to guide her even if she makes herself look like a slave…just like how unknown characters are staged into a scene and that they have a character to play once the curtains are raised.”
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“W-woah, didn’t think you’d make that analogy” Peacock says,
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“Our creator is heavily influenced by the elf, and whatever pertains about us in her thoughts is known by all of her mist sprites.
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“Then…I have to put this on her?”
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“Depends on your choice…”
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But Isaac knows that it is better to know yourself than being influenced by others. Otherwise, he would have still been looking for the lord magister. So, with a growing anger in his chest, Isaac’s eyes grow flash black and the chain reverts back to when it was still connected to the tower, surprising everyone except Amerie. Isaac extends out his hand, saying, “Let’s go, Amerie. Let’s just get out of this place and when we do, you can think about this yourself”
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Amerie nods before taking Isaac’s hand.
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“Great!” Peacock says, “Now it’s time for me to shine. He flieis out of the tower before growing himself in size to drop off a box from feathers. He shrinks back and brings the box in for everyone to see its contents. “These are cloaks that the magister gave me, and sure enough I was able to get in the marsh and even got out of it when I got knocked back to the stratosphere.”
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“These are what the magister always asks to wear me.”
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And so, everyone wears a clock before the mist sprite brings them all out of the marsh.
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But three days before the children returned,
Kinguin castle hears the footsteps of its Advisers, commotion around High Princess Giza at the throne room who would simply sit, stone faced, and look down on all them for maggots’ life. “High Princess! May we have a word that further ensuing the festival is dangerous. The coming storm is not a torrent, nor a tempest, but of magical kind!” one gutters with his beard hairs standing in frustration, might even be barking with how his fellow magisters bark together with him.
Then comes in a mair who tells that the balcony is now expecting the high princess. Through the barking the magisters? These codgers and crones turn to bark at the poor mair. All before they hear a man scream and begging for his life, begging not to be turned to stone.
“I want nothing of all of you.” Giza utters, stepping down from her throne as the magisters fearfully take steps back, making a path for her. “Kinguin will see its ancient tradition and festival unfold, no matter of those who stand against my bearings. Storms are nothing, those barbarians are nothing, and you fossils are nothing.” Stepping out into the balcony, the high princess is greeted by a tearful sky with grey clouds and hooded people down below Kinguin castle front yard park. Vertically beyond it is the second plateau park for those misbelievers and finally on the flat plateau dotted by her laboring ants. "People of Kinguin," she begins, her tone unwavering. "I stand before you today to remind you of our ancient traditions, the very foundation upon which our kingdom is built. The month of May is within us, and with it comes the festival that has been celebrated by our ancestors for generations." Giza's eyes sweep over the crowd, her gaze piercing and intense. "I know that there are those among you who fear the coming storm, who whisper of dangers and threats lurking in those forests.
But I tell you that your great mothers and fathers believe in their ruler as much as you believe in me. Their great reverence holds no fear of danger." She raises her hand, gesturing towards the distant Fogsight Fort. "The preparations for the main events at Fogsight Fort must begin at once. Ready your crafts and let the march commence. Our great festival not only calls for us but other great houses and travelers from somewhere.” Giza's voice grows even more commanding, her words infused with an unwavering conviction. "Hold fast to your belief in me, your high princess who believes to the tradition as definition for the people. And my loyal subjects, believe in me, your High Princess. Fear no storm, no monster, no barbarian, or any meager challenges that gets in the way of our Mægfæge---A celebration for the spirits of the people and a chance to merry with the royals.” She raises her chin, her posture radiating an aura of pride and determination almost as if she is looking down on her servants. "Bear witness that Mægfæge will be the greatest festival you will ever experience."
The clouds heavily sigh as the High princess enters back her castle. Eyeing for the people whose smiles and excitement throws flowers around the streets, plucking off from the bountiful plains and letting them wilt for rats to feast.
“High Princess Giza!” A soldier comes running once again piercing through the barks of the magisters that the princess turns her stone head to him, “May I request your audience!?” sounding in heart beating panic
“What news?” She asks, seeing that it is a soldier and soldiers mostly brings in news,
“Terrible, I believe, your majesty. Prince Naberius of Delrith has gone to flat plateau and dug where the underground plateaus are. He—He is reported to be eating the dwarves as his snack!”
Giza shows no expression—expected by her audience which only burst in murmurs with each other. Telling that the daemon has no right to be going around rampaging in the capital. Saying that Princess Rumen should be looking after him—Which Giza asks to the soldier, “Have you gone to Rumen?”
“Y-yes your majesty, But…High Princess Rumen has every hallway approaching to her laboratory guarded full with undead. She will not let anyone through or disturb her, at all.”
Once again, the audience seeps with disgusting tongues against Princess Rumen and her love in necromancy. Mentioning her more of a witch than a High princess. And Giza simply hears and tolerates, others expecting to see her smile but then again, she is stone faced. “I have no matters with a prince not mine or those ant dwelling dwarves. In fact, it might be best to cull their rapid population growth, I’ve heard that they are starting to raise bumps around the flat plateau, and even in the second plateau.”
“But…” The soldier wishes for sympathy but seeing Giza’s eyes glow he immediately begs for mercy.
“Dwarves multiply faster than an ant queen or rats. In many Djahatian dishes, they are perfect nutritious crackers and healthier when raw---”
“T-then…what should we d---” The soldier immediately petrifies into stone. And the rest of the audience petrify themselves in fear. Standing in front of their princess like pawns.
“My voice is law and I want no one overlapping or stopping against me.”
Then comes in another soldier, panting but seeing the already petrified soldier makes him want to run back where he came---
“You have your audience.” Giza says knowingly, laxing on her throne and picking on fried crackers that looks like dwarves.
“M-Majesty” Flinching at himself, “Y-Your majesty!”
“Calm down and utter your words, repeat”
“Y-Yes!” His eyes darting between Giza eating dwarves, the magisters whose eyes tell him to run, and the statue of a soldier who he thinks must have come earlier before him, and got turn into stone. Now he thinks he will be next…
“Do not waste my time”
“YES! YOUR MAJESTY! N-NOBLE CORNELIUS IS FOUND DEAD AT THE CENTRAL COURTYARD JUST NOW. DEATH IS STILL UNKNOWN.”
“Hmm…Cornelius” Giza tries to remember, “Ah, that fat parasite. Of course, well, that is one mouth less to feed. Make sure to feed him somewhere so as not to waste his precious fats for nature.”
“A-At once, your majesty!” And the soldier quickly runs out of the throne room faster than when he got in.
As quickly as he left, the magisters plea to hold the festival return. Not knowing when to give up and those openly would take action become stone right then and there.
“Where is Thean?” Giza asks randomly
One of the dogs reply, “She is still at Fogsight fort princess, clearing out monster camps with General Ravius and foreign hunters.”
“I see, well do not tell her that the people are coming. If I hear that she is informed then all of you will face punishment.”
Suddenly, someone can be heard screaming and running away from the rightern hallways. Giza asks who it was and the dogs respond with just a dwarfized mair who, “Probably had to bring something to High Princess Rumen,”
“Unlucky him” Giza says, biting down on a fried baby dwarf’s head.
But indeed, Ghibli has been running around taking errands for Princess Rumen. Delivering ingredients like rotten flowers, dead animals, and fluids. Everything she asks for are personally asked to Ghibli and the poor mair does not know what to think of his situation. So, he heads down to the people who know him best. At the Kiinguin castle clinic where Bulba and Popo—both Heshapes treating a flooded clinic with their unnatural healing ways.
“W-wha---My beard heard you two are busty, yet this room is worse than I imagined.”
“Ghibli, if you wish to talk then help us treat the patients first. Poor merchants encountered ruthless barbarians on the road.”
And the said merchants talk about their losses, how the wild barbarians took everything from them.
“I heard you’ve been the witch’s favorite lately, Ghibli” Popo says, punching the stomach of a patient to cure their stomach pain.
“Being her pet is worse than being undead and a punish you’d want to die in.” Bulba adds, spitting on a child’s face to get her out and cure her coming of age pimples “How are you faring?”
“Terrible” Ghibli says, gagging a woman’s mouth with his entire finger to cure her tonsilitis. “My brain can simply guess of worse than death in there. Smelling like rats and insects when you mash em all together. Creating that ogre undead monstrosity.”
“Oh, that sounds awful, hope your nose is okay” Bulba says, slapping a man awake who claims he has insomnia
“My poor nose melted, okay!” that which Ghibli sneeze at an old lady who wants her freckles gone,
“So, she has been busy with whatever she is making? Didn’t she have a Heshape core in her jars?” Popo questions, feeding a bowlful of milk to a man who claims to have his kidneys stabbed
“She had” Ghibli affirms, massaging a soldier’s back while a bloodied man begs for a bed already, “But not anymore when I dropped by alligator eyeballs for her today.”
“Wait…” Bulba stops stitching an open wound, “You said she was making an ogre with different parts?”
“…Oh boy,” Ghibli stops his stitching as well, looking at the wall before to the patient whose eyes are just as wide as everybody else, “Have I been forsaken?”
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