\u201cAnd thus\u2026\u201d floundered Elmpam a few mornings before her sermon. \u201c\u2026And thus\u2026\u201d She then growled to herself before sitting on the bed and looking at her notes. \u201c\u2026 \u2018And thus, we all must remember that our Pantheon, like parents, would want us to find things out for ourselves.\u2019 Why in the Depths can\u2019t I remember that line?! I wrote the damn thing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTHEY CAN\u2019T BE SERIOUS!\u201d howled Lensarn\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDaddy?\u201d asked Elmpam. She left the room and went downstairs to see Lensarn and Roolpam in the kitchen. Lensarn was ranting and holding a newspaper while Roolpam checked on breakfast. \u201cDaddy, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?! Our kingdom\u2019s people, that\u2019s what\u2019s wrong!\u201d ranted Lensarn. \u201cLook at the polls!\u201d He handed Elmpam the newspaper and she saw the section concerning the upcoming election for the Coliamdii Kingdom\u2019s new Prime Minister, the right hand of the Royal Family. Elmpam\u2019s eyes went wide as she saw the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRentir\u2019s a candidate?!\u201d she yelped. \u201cAnd he\u2019s the people\u2019s choice?! The guy\u2019s a face-eating leopard!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo kidding!\u201d agreed Lensarn as he helped Roolpam set the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can understand that we all need to be diverse,\u201d supplied Roolpam, \u201cbut I hardly see how enforcing diversity makes it appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly!\u201d agreed Elmpam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cElmpam, maybe you can convince our Kings to not let Rentir into office?\u201d asked Lensarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDaddy, you KNOW the All-realm Constitution forbids me from doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you\u2019re from the Coliamdii Kingdom!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m considered an Under-realm Royal now. I help Orbak rule a foreign Realm and Article 7 expressly states that Royals of a foreign country or Realm may not interfere in another\u2019s politics. I\u2019m sorry, but my vote no longer has weight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Dammit!\u201d swore Lensarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, guys!\u201d called Malnar\u2019s currently sunny voice. She bounded into the kitchen. \u201cDid you catch the latest?!\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026On what?\u201d asked Roolpam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat mermaid we found and discovered to be an Over-Splitter!\u201d answered Malnar, referring to Halfam. \u201cShe\u2019s given up the secret base and all Over-Splitter secrets!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re kidding!\u201d gasped Lensarn, his mood brightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGet a load of this!\u201d Malnar pulled out a newspaper, the All-Realm Times<\/em>, and displayed the headline. \u201cOver-Splitters now smashed!\u201d He then read the article explaining that, last night, after being identified and turned over to police custody, former Mermaid Over-Splitter, Halfam Malfee, revealed that Oltor was planning a two-person assassination attempt on the Kings of the Coliamdii Kingdom. Thanks to her cooperation, their base and arsenal was found and all data relating to the attack was unlocked. Given light of this turn of events, and that Halfam only acted as a spy and actively mitigated the damage the Over-Splitters had done, the police were pushing for a lighter sentence. When asked why she did that, she had said that she only joined because she was taken in by lies that it was an Out-realmer who killed her parents and she only discovered the truth that it was Oltor himself who did the deed because they were top diplomats that brought ideas from other cultures into the Over-realm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell,\u201d mused Roolpam after she and Lensarn read the article, \u201cI suppose that\u2019s a mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did she get past the weaponized conversation?\u201d asked Lensarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026 \u2018Weaponized conversation\u2019?\u201d repeated Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOltor has an ability where he can literally talk a person to death,\u201d explained Roolpam. \u201cPretentious sounding, yes, but he can modulate the timbre of his voice so it falls into step with the listener\u2019s heart and then, by gradually lowering his voice, he could eventually coax the heart into stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Yeah, definitely glad I haven\u2019t met him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over in Rentir\u2019s house, Rentir stirred from his bed and yawned. He figured it was another day, another gold for him. He got up from his bed and made his way to his wife\u2019s hammock. His wife, Glanfu, was a Drider from the Under-realm and preferred sleeping in hammocks. She snored peacefully, but loudly. Still, Rentir slept well, he was a deep sleeper. He lightly stroked Glanfu\u2019s hair before heading to his closet and putting a bath robe on. It was his turn to make breakfast and he had an idea in mind. He then went downstairs to the kitchen and found Oltor at the table. \u201c\u2026You DO know you\u2019re a wanted man, old friend,\u201d muttered Rentir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave you seen the latest polls?\u201d asked Oltor as he looked at the newspaper. \u201cLooks like the people want you to be our new Prime Minister.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t bet against me.\u201d Rentir headed to the coffee maker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, it wouldn\u2019t be prudent.\u201d As Rentir started the coffee, Oltor continued. \u201cI want you to understand something, Rentir; although my current hatred for you over betraying the Over-Splitters is enough to make Oyed fear me, what I\u2019m about to do is impersonal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you babbling about?\u201d Rentir continued showing his back to Oltor and kept his gaze fixed on the coffee pot\u2019s usual area. Knife block, coffee pot, mugs, potholders, they all rested in their usual place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEverything that exists has a specific nature. Each entity exists as something in particular and has characteristics that are a part of what it is. \u2018Fam\u2019 is \u2018Fam\u2019. And, no matter what he does, \u2018Rentir\u2019 is \u2018Rentir\u2019. If I\u2019m to save the Over-realm from the evils of the other Realms, you and your wife\u2019s existence must come to an end before you approach the Kings with your election petition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to kill us and give your usual speech that diversity is hollowing out the Over-realm\u2019s morals?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI live up to my name\u2019s meaning. I\u2019m a soldier of purity and am dedicated to spreading purity across the Over-realm.\u201d By this point, Oltor had pulled out a garrot wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInteresting plan. Unfortunately for you\u2026it\u2019s not really an option, neither is using a trick I had taught you against me.\u201d Rentir grabbed a knife from the block, held it in a grip so the blade ran parallel to his arm, then turned and slashed upwards, slicing the wire in two and cutting Oltor\u2019s muzzle. Oltor yelped and backed into the table, touching the wound and drawing his hand back to see his blood on his fingers. The commotion caused Glanfu to wake up and scurry downstairs to see the whole altercation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRentir, are you all right?!\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBetter than Oltor right now,\u201d replied Rentir. \u201cHe tried to talk me to death.\u201d He then blocked Oltor\u2019s punch and slashed across his chest. Oltor stumbled backwards as he drew in a breath and covered the wound. The cut only scratched the surface of the skin under his fur, but the spread made it look a lot worse. \u201cPrime Minister?\u201d scoffed Rentir. \u201cThat would mean my wife\u2019s talents would be overlooked, she would have been reduced to a trophy wife!\u201d He then slammed the knife\u2019s handle into Oltor\u2019s eye. \u201cPrime Minister? Foolish Cousin Fornicator! My campaign is a sham! A better way to observe the culmination of Dr. Borg\u2019s research!\u201d He then grabbed Oltor\u2019s head and drove his knee into his opponent\u2019s chest. \u201cPrime Minister? Do you know how much power I\u2019d have to give up to be the Kings\u2019 Prime Minister?\u201d He then slapped Oltor a few times, then threw him over the table. \u201cTell me, did you ever wonder how those assassins even found your wife and son?\u201d Oltor\u2019s single good eye went wide when he started putting two and two together. \u201cThat\u2019s right, and I chose my insult carefully. I looked through medical records before you joined the Over-Splitters and noticed that your wife was your cousin on your mother\u2019s side! You two brought an inbred monster into the Realms! That\u2019s why I\u2019m so determined to enforce diversity! When I heard you had joined the Over-Splitters, I decided that I needed a safer place to observe the experiment, so I turned myself in and gave up the location of the base! After that, I was granted amnesty as a Sheriff and made sure to funnel the money I had taken from you lot and put it into my campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEx\u2026periment?\u201d strained Oltor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExperiment, auditions,\u201d remarked Glanfu, \u201cwhatever flies your skyship. We wanted to prove to Dr. Borg that we were worthy to join her cause and she approved, saying we could even become Revenants if we ever died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd the chance of having a child would still be there,\u201d continued Rentir. \u201cWe witnessed a Revenant and a Live One give birth, as well as two Revenants! With the Revenant\/Live One Blenders, the child\u2019s dominant traits are the Revenant ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou mean\u2026this whole thing\u2026!\u201d gasped Oltor in pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, old friend!\u201d laughed Rentir as he hoisted Oltor up by the neck. \u201cI spent 95 million golds, from the Over-Splitters\u2019 coffers to my pocket, on a fake Prime Minister Campaign, all just to see you go mad!\u201d Oltor then head-butted Rentir and dashed around trap lines Glanfu had laid down so he could escape. Glanfu then tended to her husband as he steadied himself. It was then that the two heard beeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oltor was a good distance away before the explosion engulfed the house. Given its remote location, rescue crews couldn\u2019t get there in time to save Rentir and Glanfu Ental. Oltor howled to mark that the architects of his wife and son\u2019s death were dead. He then dashed away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cAnd thus\u2026\u201d floundered Elmpam a few mornings before her sermon. \u201c\u2026And thus\u2026\u201d She then growled to herself before sitting on the bed and looking at her notes. \u201c\u2026 \u2018And thus, we all must remember that our Pantheon, like parents, would want us to find things out for ourselves.\u2019 Why in the Depths can\u2019t I remember […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,236],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-3094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-3-the-first-strike","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3094"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3095,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3094\/revisions\/3095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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