//------------------------------// // 934 - Goodbye to Arms // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “Where do you think you’re going?” Lex resisted the urge to scream at Sleipnir as the eight-legged pony suddenly appeared directly in front of him, cutting off his attempt to return to the adlet village before he’d moved so much as five feet. “Your goddess hasn’t given you permission to leave,” added the Aesir steed. “The Sun Queen isn’t my goddess,” replied Lex flatly. “And one of my subordinates is in trouble, so I’ll need you to stand aside immediately.” He knew that he couldn’t afford to upset the pony upon whose goodwill his fate now depended. But at the same time, he couldn’t find it within himself to indulge whatever point of etiquette the eight-legged stallion was concerned with. Not when his foresight had just informed him that the monitoring spell that he’d placed on Branwen – part of the same suite of spells, curses, and other methods of control that he’d used on all of the emissaries bequeathed to him by the lesser titans – was about to announce her death. Lex didn’t care about Branwen in the slightest. As far as he was concerned, she was nothing more than a political tool, a source of muscle, and a convenient outlet for his lust. He owed her a duty of fidelity, seeing to her care and protection, but beside upholding that duty it didn’t matter to him if she lived or died. ...that was how he’d expected to feel, at least. The truth, he’d learned, was quite different. His instincts, now made up of the bestial urges of the creature he’d merged with back in Darkest Night, were screaming at him to protect her. Those instincts didn’t recognize any differences between wives and concubines, or even between love and passion. All they knew was that after he’d taken what he wanted from a female, she would be given a choice: either leave, or stay as his until they’d birthed and raised his offspring. Branwen, his instincts told him, had stayed, and so needed to be safeguarded. Nor could Lex honestly say that the partiality he felt toward the raven knight was entirely due to the beast within him. He knew that he didn’t love Branwen, or any of the girls whose bodies he’d enjoyed back on that demiplane that he’d created, and he was fine with that; his failed relationship with Nosey had been a painful lesson in the consequences of giving his heart away too easily. But at the same time, he couldn’t deny that they meant something to him, beyond being pawns or muscle or bedwarmers. While Lex had never thought of himself as a romantic, he wanted to believe that sex was – that it should be – more than purely physical. Kara would have condescended to him for feeling that way, and Adagio would have laughed, but Lex didn’t care. For someone who’d spent his life feeling profoundly isolated, even a shallow connection was something to be cherished. “You were the one who invited our esteemed guest here,” broke in Vystalaran, moving to stand alongside Sleipnir. “Did you do so only to insult him, and by extension the Aesir, by suggesting that every minor household problem you have is more important than their interests?” “I’m suggesting,” replied Lex harshly, knowing that even with the speeds he was capable of, his window to rescue Branwen was rapidly shrinking, “that anyone of good moral character would have no objection to my rescuing one of my people from imminent death.” Sleipnir frowned at that, whereas Vystalaran smirked, but the Sun Queen spoke up before either could say anything. “It’s alright. Please, allow him to go.” “Not without a guarantee that he’ll return,” broke in Vystalaran. “Perhaps if he surrendered that void weapon of his-” “No, it’s fine,” broke in Sleipnir suddenly. “If the Sun Queen has no objection, then neither do I.” Lex didn’t bother to acknowledge the statement, immediately rushing toward the village- “Solitude of Fenmarel.” -only to find himself suddenly cut off from everything. Sight, sound, and every other terrestrial sense suddenly registered nothing, the entire world instantly replaced by blackness. He couldn’t pick up any magic, and his tulpa was suddenly finding it impossible to fetch even the most innocuous of items for him. His fractured connections to Solvei, Nenet, and Mei Li were completely suppressed, as were the spells he’d cast to monitor the emissaries with them. Even his foresight was gone, leaving him unable to examine possibilities without attempting to actualize them. It was only because he could still register the presence of the Sun Queen – her soothing aura still perceptible – that Lex knew he hadn’t been shunted into some sort of prison. Instead, Vystalaran had somehow turned off all of his senses, completely stripping him of his awareness of anything beyond his thoughts. But that’s not enough to stop me! Calling out for Belligerence, Lex immediately followed up the summons with an order for it to negate whatever the avatar had done to him. He had no way of knowing if Vystalaran’s attack was only keeping him from perceiving data, or if it was actually stopping him from interacting with it. But if it was the former, then he should still be able to use Belligerence to shut it down- Sure enough, his awareness of the world returned an instant later. “-see?” came Vystalaran’s voice. “That weapon is capable of negating even divine powers. It’s a clear threat to our pantheon’s safety.” “It’s certainly sobering,” agreed Sleipnir, eyes narrowed as he looked at the ebony quill. “One does not entrust a warrior with a weapon capable of slaying gods unless they’re intent on having them do exactly that.” “The god in question whom the Night Mare was arming her champion against was Kryonex,” chimed in the Sun Queen. “Her actions were motivated by an earnest desire to protect one of her most ardent supporters, not by any desire to start a war with another pantheon.” “In which case, there should be no issue with surrendering such a dangerous object,” cut in Vystalaran. “Unless, of course, you believe that this titan will have reason to use it again soon?” The Sun Queen gave a light laugh at that, as though the suggestion was too silly to be taken seriously, her voice mirthful as she did her best to convince the avatar that nothing could be further from the truth. Sleipnir spoke up then, asking her about the origin of the apparent rancor between her pantheon and the Seldarine, starting a new discussion as Vystalaran tried to deflect discussing the past in favor of the present, while the Sun Queen lightly suggested that the two couldn’t be so easily separated... None of which mattered to Lex in the slightest, paying only minimal attention to the trio, despite the importance that the outcome of their discussion had on his fate. Branwen was dead. He had sensed it the moment his awareness came back, the spell that he’d put on her now registering that her life force was completely gone. And it was all Vystalaran’s fault. Slowly, Lex turned around to where the three gods were debating what to do. He knew he should still be trying to leave, that Branwen’s death meant that the others were in danger. Instead, he held Belligerence out in front of him. “Is this what you’re so afraid of?” he rumbled, eyes locked onto Gladoneral’s avatar. “What you fear being used against you?” “Lex,” murmured the Sun Queen. “It’s alright.” Those two words made her aura flare, the soothing presence that she carried with her growing stronger, trying to wash away his rage and his pain. “No, it isn’t.” This time, the transformation didn’t happen of its own accord. He reached out for it, not wanting the intense negativity he felt to be diminished, trying to recall how it felt when his flesh and blood body was replaced by the thrashing lengths of razor-sharp wire... For a moment it almost didn’t work. But then he felt it rush over him, skin and muscles being replaced by jagged metal, the transformation acting as a bulwark that preserved his sense of bitterness and injustice over what had happened. “One of my people has died, for no other reason than because one small deity is feeling apprehensive.” The green light that was his eyes flashed, the purple contrails from their outer edges flickering wildly. “That. Is. Not. Alright.” Sleipnir’s eyes widened, not having witnessed his transformation before. “By Yggdrasil’s boughs!” Vystalaran was much less impressed. “Mind your manners, beast,” he snapped. “Or I’ll remember that you spoke out of turn to your betters after I’ve taken you back to Foelvan.” Lex could feel the avatar’s aura threatening to reassert itself then. Vystalaran had let it dissipate when Sleipnir had come through, but Lex knew that he’d unleash it instantly in response to any perceived attack. Which was why Lex didn’t take so much as a single step forward, nor did he try to cast a spell. Instead, he held Belligerence further aloft...and then released it. “If you’re so much better than me, then go ahead and take Belligerence.” The Sun Queen’s eyes widened. Sleipnir cocked his head. Vystalaran’s brows furrowed. The alicorn goddess recovered first. “Perhaps we should adjourn back to my realm-” “You would surrender the weapon so easily?” interrupted Vystalaran, making no move to approach where the weapon was floating in the air. “The power to slay gods, given up just like that?” “Isn’t that what you wanted?” sneered Lex, the wires that made up his body sliding across each other faster, adding a dissonant metallic undertone to his voice. “Why you cowered beneath the guise of a mortal while your companions fought and threatened so many others in order to lure me here?” Sleipnir’s eyes flickered from Lex to Vystalaran to the Sun Queen and finally back to Vystalaran. “What is he talking about?” “Nothing important,” snapped the avatar. “Just a stratagem I used to lure this miscreant out.” “They did strike out against the chosen of another member of my pantheon,” noted the Sun Queen. “Of their own accord, not by my order,” retorted Vystalaran, causing Loraestil and Thilaera to wince from where they were hanging back. Vystalaran didn’t seem to notice, not taking his eyes off of Belligerence. “And that same ‘champion’ then turned his powers against this scoundrel with no prompting from me.” “You must have been quite disappointed that I didn’t need to use this weapon against him.” Lex didn’t bother mentioning that he had briefly used the weapon’s power to expand the area of the spell he’d used to lay Burly low. “That’s what you were hoping for, wasn’t it? To see what Belligerence was capable of, without putting yourself at risk. And when that didn’t work, you summoned Gwynharwyf, not wanting to risk your own life any more than you had to.” “Gwynharwyf?” echoed Sleipnir. “Of the Llys Seren?” “It was only after I sent her away that you revealed yourself, having no other pawns left to get Belligerence for you.” Slowly, Lex took a step back, rising onto his hind legs as he held his forelegs out wide. “Aren’t you pleased to have it at last?” Vystalaran said nothing to that, eyes darting back and forth between Lex and Belligerence. After a moment, Sleipnir cleared his throat. “Well, Vystalaran, it sounds like this settles the issue in a way that’s favorable to all parties. The Sun Queen protects the interest that her subordinate goddess has in her champion, and the Seldarine get the weapon which was causing them anxiety.” He nodded once, turning to Lex a moment later. “Since that’s resolved, I’d like to speak instead about Fenrir-” “No.” Sleipnir blinked, turning back to Vystalaran. “What?” “No,” repeated the avatar, setting his jaw as he looked at Sleipnir. “Forgive my abruptness, but this matter cannot be resolved simply by Lex Legis turning over his weapon. He must surrender himself to our custody.” “Why?” The Sun Queen waved a hoof to indicate Lex. “He has committed no crime against you. Even your worshiper’s injury” – she nodded toward Thilaera, whose remaining hand was clasped over where her opposite shoulder used to be – “was dealt only in self-defense. He-” “He,” interrupted Vystalaran, scowling now, “is a violation of your pantheon’s sworn promise not to swell its ranks. If you expect us simply to ignore that broken oath-” “Oh come now, Lord Vystalaran,” broke in Sleipnir, chuckling. “You can’t possibly be upset about one small pantheon adding a single titan of modest power to their ranks. You had the situation under control when he called me here, did you not? So there’s nothing to worry about. Now, it’s imperative that we move on to what happened with Fenrir, so retrieve the weapon and be done with it.” “Yes,” echoed Lex, grinning darkly. “Retrieve the weapon and be done with it.” Vystalaran stared hard at Lex for a long moment, then slowly walked forward, each step measured and deliberate, until he was right in front of Belligerence. Slowly, he raised his hand...