PreCursive

  I bli the Godbound’s resounding words as the Great Spirits y silent. After a moment, I felt the attention of the four of them that weren’t shielding me fall upon my form. I shivered at the force of it, grateful that Anima roteg me. Still, even her mist had stilled over my form, stopping the flow.

  Tarus was the first to react.

  Him?

  He is not a spirit, shadow.

  You ot challenge a mortal to the Rite of bat.

  But Rhazal wasn’t to be stymied. His crushing voice carried a note of triumph when he spoke .

  BUT YOU ARE WRONG, INTERLOPER.

  SEE HOW YOUR FELLOWS GROW SILENT.

  THEY KNOW THE TRUTH.

  THE PRECURSORS ARE AS MUCH SPIRIT AS THEY ARE MEN.

  AS MUCH DIVINITY, AS THEY ARE MORTAL.

  AS MY MISTRESS KNEW, SO TOO DO I.

  THE PRECURSORS ARE AENCE SEPARATE FROM ALL OTHERS.

  AS SUCH, THEY FALL UNDER YOUR AUTHORITY.

  From the shifting of the fmes within Tarus’s sun, I got the impression that he was looking around at the other representations of the Great Spirits. They were silent, with varying degrees of fusion evident on them. From the swirlihs of Neris to the rumblings of Orus, this almost looked to be o them.

  But not Elys. Her moonlight twinkled oddly.

  Tarus noticed. His voice affected a note of shock.

  Elys?

  The Moon finally spoke, a note of almost guilt evident in it.

  The abomination is…teically correct.

  By rights, the existence of the Precurors is odd enough that they fall under our purview.

  We have…simply never exercised that authority.

  The abomination is within his right to challehe child to the Rite of bat.

  Oh.

  That didn’t sound good. I’m guessing this ‘Rite of bat’ was some kind of duel. And…I didly fancy my ces against Rhazal. The Godbound would squash me like a bug, and had nearly done so before the Great Spirits had barged into this realm.

  Thankfully, Elys still had my back.

  A sly ered her voice then.

  However…

  The differen strength is too great.

  There is pre this matter.

  Orus finally spoke up, a mote of uandiering the grinding rumble of his voice.

  AH!

  I REMEMBER.

  THE RITE THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN SILVEND MANTINE.

  I SEE.

  Neris cackled then, the waters of her wave unduting from her mirth.

  YOU HAVE DOOMED YOURSELF, USURPER.

  Tarus finally seemed to uand, but he didn’t sound too happy about it.

  Oh, if we must.

  But it feels dirty to grant so much power to the apprentice of the man who stole Elys.

  I was beyond lost at this point, but I at least had someone close by that I could ask what was going on. I looked down, doing my best to show that I was direg my attention to the diffuse form of Anima that y all around me.

  “…you fill me on what’s going on. Uh…Lady Anima?” I asked hesitantly.

  Thankfuly, she had no problems answering me.

  Just Anima is fine, Nathan.

  And yes, I . I suspect it’s my job, anyway.

  What’s happened is that the Harrower has challenged you to a duel.

  However, he’s to for such a duel to t as legitimate under our rules.

  Thus, we’re going to equalize the power betweewo of you.

  Equalize our power?

  “What does that mean?” I asked her, baffled.

  Anima chuckled, her mist finally starting to flow once again.

  Don’t worry. You’re not in any danger.

  I’ll make sure yranted quite a boon, for such a service.

  I the Anima’s attention stray from me, and up to the reat Spirits.

  My brothers and sisters, I am ready when you are.

  A note of authority ehe voice of Elys then.

  Let the evening of the scales begin.

  Before I could wonder any further about what was going to happen to me, the mist of Anima’s diffuse form suddenly hardened beh me. I almost yelped as I began to be pulled up into the air in the dire of the Great Spirits, standing on a ptform of hardened Aetherial mist. When I came to a rest before the representations, and beheld the fullness of their mighty forms up close, I nearly lost sciousness from the pressure of their existences. But just like how my c had protected me from the pressure of Rhazal’s voice, it steadied me through this.

  Which was a good thing, because they were intensifying.

  Above me, I could see the Great Spirits pooling their collective power into what almost looked like a sphere. It was huge, and easily outshone even Tarus in it’s brilliancy, swirling in different colors to form a near rainbow of their own, simir io my own Skill born fmes.

  Suddenly, a massive tendril of pure Aether shed out from the sphere, easily crossing the distance of the cord.

  To Rhazal.

  It ed around his gargantuan form, lifted him into the air, and began t him through his own murk.

  Closer to us.

  The Godbound struggled against the leash of pure power that bound him, but it was for naught. It didn’t flex even once.

  WHAT?

  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

  Elys chuckled at the Godbound’s near panic.

  Setting the stage, of course.

  Let us begin.

  The Great Spirits shone brighter, their forms almost sharpening somehow

  Whatever it was that they were doing...they'd started.

  Rhazal arched his titanic bad screamed, his previously folded wings fring wide and straight in his agony. He tried to scrabble against the massive tether that had bound itself to him, and it wasn’t hard to see why.

  I think…it was draining his Aether.

  Swirls of bd red smoke were flowing up that binding and colleg within the orb of strength that the Great Spirits had collected. When it reached that mass of power, it looked almost like…it was being purified. The malid corruption that taihe Aether was being drained away, leaving only the purity of green and blue in its wake. The refuse from the process was being dissipated out into the darkness of the cord, flowing away into nothingness.

  Rhazal objected to this, of course.

  NO!

  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

  But the Great Spirits didn’t care. Instead, Anima just chuckled at him, for the first time sounding almost sinister.

  What are we doing?

  But…isn’t this what you wanted?

  For a Rite of bat to be legitimate…the partits must be close in strength.

  We’re just taking what we need…from YOU.

  You should not have called for a Rite that you did not fully uand, fool.

  In a much gentler mahan it had with Rhazal, another line of Aether extended down from the orb above me, and ss way down to rest in front of me. I braced myself for whatever was about to happen, but I didn’t o worry. The swaying end of the lily ected to my chest, and I nearly doubled over at the sensation.

  I swear, it felt like a livewire had just been ected to my very soul. The core of my being, where the crystalliree dwelled, suddenly began to be flooded with Aether. The walls of my soul flexed like they were stretg, like a taught muscle was beiended. It wasn't...painful so to speak, but it was a bit unfortable.

  I…God. It felt like I was suddenly growing stronger and stro a rate that was unbelievable. Newfound power flooded my body in a surge that tihrough every single cell of my being. My hair felt like it was standing on end, and…

  Holy crap, I was glowing. There was an actual, Aetherial glow rising up from the depths of my being, shining through my skin. Suddenly, I felt an itside of my brain, and something happehat nearly caused me to start weeping.

  I reached up, and tore off the bandage c my left eye.

  I no longer needed.

  I could see through it once more. Where only darkness greeted my blinded eye, now it beheld the ey of the absurd events happening around me. But…my middle ring didn’t return. Whatever had happeo me when I overtaxed myself saving Sylvia…this wasn’t enough to fix that. Ringed Mind was still damaged in some way. That was fihough.

  It was enough to see again.

  “Thank you,” I whispered into the air.

  I swear I could hear the smile in Anima’s voice when she spoke .

  Oh, we’re not done.

  You’re still missing a limb, after all.

  I felt a bolt of lightning run down my spi that, before looking down at the stump of my left arm in disbelief.

  Were they about to…was that even….

  A note ret entered Anima’s disembodied voice.

  Unfortunately…

  We ’t regrow the arm.

  You were too successful in iing your prosthesis into your soul.

  It’s a part of you, now.

  Instead…

  We’ll just repce what you gave up, to save your love.

  Don’t worry.

  We’ll use your own design.

  It’s right there in your soul, after all.

  Before I could even process what she meant, another leash of pure Aether whipped down from the purification sphere above. It ected itself to the ithril and Gold that I had melded to my flesh those months ago.

  I heard Elys whisper something through her tration.

  You’ll have to shape it, Orus.

  You’re the greatest crafter among us…

  I heard Orus rumble in agreement from his mountain before he directly spoke to me for the first time.

  IT’S AN IING DESIGN, I’LL GIVE YOU THAT.

  I SEE THE INFLUENCE OF THE DWARVES UPON IT.

  STILL.

  IT BE IMPROVED ON.

  Before my astonished gaze, the Aether that was eg to the y arm began to dense.

  No…it started to metalize. The pure Aether was being a metal that I had never seen before. It shined in a pure white manner, and across the surface of it, I could see fshes of a familiar hue. In the light cast in this dark pce, I could see the cascade of my own rainbow fire.

  If it was even possible, the new arm that was f was even fshier than the gold and silver of my previous o

  When the new arm was finished coalesg, I marveled at it. I could see notes of the design that Grey, Azarus, and I had created, but this almost seemed perfected. More than what eveherial Melding could do, the craftsmanship of the prosthesis was impeccable.

  Impossibly so.

  When it ected smoothly to the y arm, I felt a jolt run up and down the e. I flexed the fingers of my new arm almost disbelievingly before being interrupted by Tzo speaking up. I had almost fotten him, ionishment of gaining a new prosthesis. I was lucky I had never dropped the staff in the process.

  “Primordium? I thought that was a myth!” The Lich asked disbelievingly, before scoffing in a disgusted manner. “Ugh. You know what, I’m done. I’ve had enough shocks today. You ’t surprise me anymore, any of you.”

  I wao chuckle at how dht grumpy Tzo was ag, but something else caught my eye, even as more and more Aether oured into me.

  Rhazal was shrinking.

  Where before the Godbound was taller than most castles I’d seen, he was being smaller every mihat passed as more and more Aether was drained from him. Slowly, he regressed from castle sized, to house-sized…

  To human-sized.

  Now, he wasn’t even as tall as the hulking evolved form of his own Revenants.

  The diminished Godbound clutched his taloned hands to his monstrous head and screamed. But not in the soul speak he had been in.

  No, this was the physical voice he had tried tain with me in.

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” He bellowed into the suddenly much clearer air. The murk that followed him around seemed to have almost entirely cleared out from this space. It didn’t even matter that it was supposed to have been his own.

  He didn’t have the power to maintain it, anymore.

  Tarus chuckled maliciously, seemingly much happier with this course of a now that Rhazal had been humbled.

  We told you, shadow.

  Your strength has been taken and equalized between you and the Precursor.

  Now a duel between you will be much fairer.

  He trailed off into a series of chortles that caused fres to erupt from the surface of his sun. Elys picked up for him, now that he was too busy being satisfied.

  If you mao win the duel…therength will be returo you.

  But only if you win.

  Nathaniel.

  I nearly jumped at being so directly addressed, but restraihe impulse. Instead, I cleared my throat, curling my new hand into a fist and coughing into it. “Ah…yes?”

  Do not worry about the taint of Rhazal afflig you from…this.

  Although we are outside the purview of the System, here in the cord, you are protected.

  His corruption will not touch you.

  Unfortunately, that means you won’t be able to keep the power if YOU win the duel.

  It will disperse instead.

  Uh.

  Well, I hadn’t been worried about being corrupted until you said it had been a possibility, but thanks for heading that off? I restraihe impulse to mouth off to a Greater Spirit and merely the giant moon.

  That seemed to be enough for her.

  Now.

  Let the duel begin.

  Both Rhazal and I began to be lowered to the grouh us, with the diminished Godbound thrashing and screaming all the while. I found my feet almost easily, but…

  Not so much for Rhazal.

  The servant of Ixiah stumbled around almost drunkenly on taloned feet, seeming almost uo hold himself up under his own power. He…was suddenly much less intimidating, now that parently been ‘equalized’.

  I don’t even know what that meant. I didn’t evehat much stronger, physically, which was fusing. I cautiously took a step forward, fearing I would be as unsteady as Rhazal.

  But no. I could trol my body just fine. I had been worried for a moment that I would suffer the opposite problem of him, and crater the grouh me in a dispy of ued might.

  However, the movement seemed to have caught the attention of Rhazal. He suddenly turned his crimson eyes in my dire and snarled. “You…,” He hissed. “This is all YOUR fault! I will feast on your soul for A THOUSAND YEARS FOR THIS INDIGNITY!”

  At that, Rhazal broke out into a stumbling clumsy run in my dire, nearly tripping over his ow as he did so. When he reached me, I just…leaned out of the way of his cw swipe.

  And then the .

  And the .

  It athetically easy to dodge the Godbound’s ‘blows’. I had faced more adversity frur monsters in the wilds of Vereden. Hell, I’d had to pay more attention to the filings of the deformed monsters created by the Break Stones. Rhazal didn't have an ounce of real skill in his monstrous form. I suppose that, since he had been born with all of his power, he had never o develop it. Not only that, but we seemed to be, like the Spirits had mentioned, nearly equal in strength and speed. They had taken a damned Camity, and drained him down to the level of someohat hadn't even passed the first breakpoint.

  This was almost…sad.

  Almost.

  Few things probably deserved this humiliation more.

  Tzo apparently agreed. “How the mighty have fallen,” He said, deep, deep satisfa in his disincorporated voice. “Disperse ME, will you? HA! This is incredibly cathartic.”

  A voied out from above, startling me enough that Rhazal nearly mao hit me.

  Nearly.

  DO GET ON WITH IT, PRECURSOR.

  I UAND PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD, BUT WE DON’T HAVE ALL DAY.

  Wow. I…don’t think I was ied in crossing Neris. She sounded a bit…viscous.

  But she was still right. This entire ‘duel’ was a fone clusion.

  It was time to finish this. And I might as well do it with the Skill that had called the Great Spirits here in the first pce.

  I looked down at the stave in my right hand, and shrugged.

  Well, it had worked earlier, even if it wasn’t supposed to. Might as well see if it would wain.

  I poizo’s staff at the charging, frothing-at-the-mouth form of Rhazal, aally triggered The Stilnt Bde.

  When I did, I was finally able to see the power that had been gifted to me.

  A colossal bde of pure, densed rainbow fire instantly sprang into being before me, lohan a house. The gre from the struct was sht that it instantly outshoh the representations of Elys and Tarus, casting deep, dang, prismatic shadows through the cord. It was so massive that I didn’t eveo do anything with it, much less swing at Rhazal.

  It had sliced him in half in an instant, after all. With his reduced strength, little skill, and blinding rage, the 'Camity' had run straight into the point of the struct. His legs and lower arms slid forward underh the gigantic bde that had bisected him, while his upper half rested on top of it. The dying Godbound only had enough time to blink at me in disbelief before I almost instinctively celed the skill, sending his torso flopping to the ground.

  “How…” Rhazal was only able to whisper before he dissolved into bck smoke. All that remained of the former Camity wisped upwards into the air of the cord…

  And dispersed, forever.

  Above me, I heard Tarus breathe in deeply, before letting out a satisfied sigh.

  Ah…

  te.