Chương 360: Conversation amid the Desolation

The torrent of blue boxes faded away, and Suzette found herself in the ruins of what might have been a palace. A very large palace made for someone many times the height of a human. The stones making up the walls were immense, at least twenty feet on a side. Even destroyed and left to the winds and rain for centuries, there was still a grandeur to the building. A shattered throne built for a giant was at one end of the room. Whatever king had sat there had been the height of a three-story building.

Dirt and debris were thick in places where wind had blown it against the walls. A scorpion, the size of a large dog, scuttled out from a crevice and clacked its claws at her before deciding it didn't feel like starting a fight and retreated. Harsh sunlight streamed in from holes in the ceiling far above her head and through the remains of the doorway. The metal doors of the throne room were torn off their hinges, each weighing hundreds of tons, and lay twisted on the floor.

She walked across them, noting the symbol on the doors. It was similar to the heraldry on Rolly's shield, a dragon's head surrounded by rings of smaller heads. Stepping outside, she could see for miles. Below the hill where the palace sat brooding was a city of sandstone that had seen better days. The roads filled with rubble had once been wide enough for a dozen chariots to drive abreast. Fully half the buildings were scaled like the palace, built for giants.

Nothing green grew here, and the surrounding hills and mountains were the brown of a waterless desert. Movement caught her eye as a beetle the size of a car moved down a street, searching for food. Something else was also hungry. A snake's head poked from a building, and before the beetle could flee, a long tongue lashed out and pulled the beetle to the snake's maw, where it swallowed it in three bites. Its head slowly turned in her direction.

Suzette slowly moved out of the sun and hid in the shadow of a wall, fading from sight. A chill of primal terror ran down her spine. The snake blinked when it finished its meal and began to slither toward the Palace on the hill. Something moved near her. A voice whispered.

"Scary place, isn't it?" Her heart stopped for a few seconds, and then annoyance replaced fear.

"Hermes! I swear I will bake you a muffin someday with enough poison to send you straight to Hades! Why the hell did you bring me here? And where are we?" She whispered, but her voice rose at the end.

"Careful, keep your voice as low as the sound of a breeze on a windless day. We don't want to be overheard."

"By some nearby monster? I'll feed you to it." He chuckled.

"I just bet you would. But, no,... from something else. Something that always listens and watches. You've become interesting, and I'm simply too cool to evade its eyes and ears for long. But in this place? Even the gods and... something else... have forgotten, (Or maybe forsaken?) the Desolation of Typhon. Nothing lives here but old monsters eating each other to survive in a cruel place. Here, we can talk freely." The knowledge of being somewhere that scared even Hermes cooled her annoyance.

"Then we should talk quickly. What is this about?" The god looked at her and smiled.

"You got more interesting—kitchen drudge to Mayor to Countess, an interesting paradox and a story older than this world. You've become a Legend, my dear, and with that comes changes. The Engine loves stories. LYRICAL and RHEBUS made sure of that when they created its core, and HEPHAISTUS built it well. All of the original... um... let's call them 'Big Gods,' all 106 of them had a hand in making the Engine, and then they gave it authority over the world.

The system is its helpful apprentice, a herald to the rest of the world and the world outside, but the Engine is the real power. And it has noticed you and your interesting friends."

"And that's bad, how? If it was all roses and honey, I doubt you'd be huddling with me in the ass end of the world."

"Good and bad both. Certainly more fun and interesting. I won't tell you what to do; I will just offer some advice. And that is to guide your legend. Choose what you become. You have that choice right now, but the Engine can grow impatient and the Bards smell a new song to sing. Choose, or the choice will be made for you. Let's take a look, shall we?" Below, the snake paused, sensing something nearby, something tasty that it hadn't smelled before. The snake adored new tastes.

It had been eating beetles for a long time. Fae Bane The lesser fae know that you didn't kill the Duchess because you wanted her lands, her wealth, or her power. You killed her because you wanted her DEAD! Your Legend has spread through the hobs, gobs, brownies, and all the lesser folk who yearn to throw off the yoke of their taller cousins and cast them down from power. They don't know what comes next, so you'll have to guide them.

Like the lesser fae who will follow you, you remain hidden and ignored, growing your powerbase until some bloody morning, the Fae Lords will wake in Hades' shadowy halls and weep for what they have lost. Join the inner council of the fae rebellion. Gain hundreds of followers willing to give everything to your cause. Gain seven minor secrets and three major secrets of the Fae Lords. The Unfettered Apprentice They may offer you titles and lands, but you only take what you want and reject the rest.

Continue your apprenticeship and do as you like. Burn the books of secrets; they only tie you to others. Ignore the praise of people you saved; they'll only expect you to save them again. Live as you choose to live. The Fae will try to claim you, as will the Village, the Baron, your lover, and your friends. But you can choose your own path and not be constrained by a Legend. (Which is a Legend on its own!) Only the bonds you choose are the true ties that bind you and define you from now on.

The Woman with Three Shadows. If you must have a Legend, why not make it multiple-choice? Tales are told of the mortal sorceress who gave up her humanity to slay a great evil and free the chained realms. Her name is lost, and she rules now from the shadows as the Silverthorn Countess. Meanwhile, in a land nearby, a lonely barmaid is growing up and building her life as Mayor of a strange little town. The Legend of Sedgewick is slowly growing, and mighty heroes from far lands come to delve into its dungeons.

One of those is a sun-tressed enchantress. A fae hero who wields all aspects of magic. Gain a powerful Glamour that separates your roles and confuses any but the most powerful of gods. Gain an ability aligned to each of your roles. The Conquering Countess The Fae want you to play their games? Play you shall! The Legend of the Mortal who stole the lands of a Countess of the Fae grows! Rebuild your castle, arm your soldiers, and expand your realm, or conquer others. Become a power allied to the King's faction.

(Until it is time to take a larger crown for yourself.) Gain the full might of the lands you govern equal to their former ruler. Your life in the mortal realm ends, and another begins. The Silver Sorceress You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Armed with stolen Fae Magics, the restrictions placed upon you by your former masters fall away. Cast off the mundane duties of the small town and seek out powerful spells wherever you can.

Trade the secrets you hold, or delve into lost dungeons. Attend a college tuition-free, backed by a hidden lord. Return to Gadobhra when you are ready; a tower will await you. The Legend you pick will determine your Class in Tier 4 (and possibly beyond). Each Legend will have special abilities and influence the treasure awarded to you from your recent victory.

"And I have to choose one of these now?" A lithe figure stepped from the shadows and stretched in the sunlight.

"You don't have to choose at all. That's why I twisted the rules and added the not-really-a-legend for you. If you don't like the others, it's an option. Being my apprentice comes with choices. Don't do something to please me, Hermes, or anyone besides yourself. You aren't being selfish. You're guiding your own life." Suzette looked at Hermes.

"Why are we hiding here in the shadows while she's in the sunlight?" Hermes kept his voice low.

"Because mourninglade is insane!... Uh, I mean, an insanely powerful warrior, while I, for all my godly might, am more interested in alchemy, merchants, and the interesting paradoxes that reality is built upon." mourninglade considered his words, then winked.

"Insane is fine too. I've been called far worse, and I don't worry about what others say of me. But here is my advice: Pick what makes your heart sing. If that is power, choose power. If you love your life in a little village, stay there. It's all good with me. Maybe we'll talk more soon, but for now, I want to go kill that snake. Look at the size of him!" She ran down the hill, pulling a hammer from her belt, a golden spear appearing in the other hand.

The snake saw her coming and smiled at the convenience of a meal being delivered. Suzette stepped from the shadows so she could watch the battle.

"Wow. I want to be her when I grow up." Hermes agreed.

"Yeah, me too. I have a hard time growing up. Maybe someday. But to continue, you have a choice to make, but not immediately. You have a special agreement with The-God-Outside, which comes with some special considerations other players or normal denizens of Genesis won't get. Your advisors, me, and the crazy lady, among others, agreed to steal a little time to talk to you, and then you may meet with your friends. We all agreed that was important.

You will be able to talk with them before making your decisions and return to the mortal realm."

"Good. I was worried about that. Any other advice?"

"Oh, Lots! Never trust someone who draws two cards and fills an inside straight. I have so much good advice, but... seeing as we are in a place where no one is listening, I need to warn you about Ares. He's a little upset. Don't get me wrong, dedicating a huge fortress to me and building a temple is so cool I could just burst. And that idea about tying in the protections to my shrine so that worship generates mana is simply genius!"

"Worship generates mana?! What type of worship? Is that something Ben came up with?" Hermes winked.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll know how to make it work. You'll just have to nudge him a bit. And please remember that I am a god of merchants. Any transaction that takes place in a building dedicated to me generates worship, and I can reward that with mana placed into the structure. My priests love it. It's why they run Bingo every week to charge up the temple. More miracles that way. I'm sure you'll figure it all out."

"But about Ares?"

"Yes, he's upset. Normally, a Legion outpost or fortress is dedicated to him and includes a small shrine. He's a bit miffed that he's being supplanted. I'd hate to have trouble between us. He's been known to bitch out loud and when a god does that, his followers may decide to please him by doing something." Suzette felt a headache coming on.

"Right, don't piss off the god of war. What makes him happy? Besides people dying in bloody battles?" Hermes thought for a moment.

"Well, he does love battles and all the cool toys that come with it. And games with battles. I've seen him and Zeus sit around moving little painted figures on maps for hours. Ares will do silly things like sending an army of elephants to attack a fortress so that he can paint a regiment of elephants to play with. Zeus lost that one. He gets so pissed when he loses. He throws thunderbolts at the board. He probably shouldn't play games since he loses a lot."

"I'll do what I can. But I am not buying a herd of elephants for that fortress. Where would you put them?" Hermes waggled a finger at her.

"You're missing the point. Ares used the elephants to take a fortress from Zeus and store them there. He's very good at making a profit from war."

"And the King of the Gods is bad at it?"

"Well, in the legends and religion of the World Outside he was king of one set of gods. And while powerful, he isn't a King here, more an outcast, really. It's his attitude. ZEUS was a military 'god'. One who threw thunderbolts, if you get my drift. Of course, he never got to throw them, just posture and remind people he had them. That formed some of his personality, and carried over in this world. TYPHON was designed to keep track of all the thunderbolts in every nation, and work to get rid of them.

His hundred heads saw everything. TYPHON and ZEUS argued endlessly. In this world they were on opposite sides of the first big disagreement. Zeus argued that only the gods and their progeny should have access to Legends, levels, ranks, and all the other things with numbers. Typhon argued that everyone should be able to grow and die, in a cycle. They fought more than they had outside. Finally, Typhon challenged him. Zeus won, but it was a long fight, and this city was destroyed.

Typhon, his wife, and his brood of monsters were bound in chains. But he was victorious."

"You said he lost."

"He lost the fight, but won the war. His ally, Prometheus went to the Engine while all eyes were on the fight, and added things to it, giving the world everything that Zeus wanted to deny. A good paradox, if there ever was one. Zeus, the victor, was bitter at being outsmarted. Typhon was chained in Hades and Prometheus to a rock." The two became quiet as the battle became closer and louder. The snake wasn't winning, but it wasn't losing badly. The battle could go either way.

mourninglade landed another blow between its eyes with her hammer, and thunder boomed loudly. The snake smacked her with its tail, sending her flying a hundred yards. It considered the two figures on the hill, then slithered after its opponent. Suzette stepped out the doorway and looked around.

"So is anything else here? Or is it just a place where monsters dwell?"

"I'll be honest, I don't know, but the legends of the place described a land of dungeons and palaces, some of which were both, where the monsters and monstrous gods ruled. Treasure? Certainly. Death for adventurers? Absolutely. People would have to be crazy to come here." Suzette smiled at him.

"The adventurer's paradox. The only places worth going to are the ones that kill you." Hermes smiled back.

"Indeed." They watched the battle for a few more minutes, and then Suzette poked Hermes in the side.

"I think I'm ready to go now."

"A wise choice. Just click your heels together three times and say, ' Exit: Stage left!' and we'll talk again in your dreams."