The day of Elmpam\u2019s sermon had arrived. Arsha, her lovers, Elmar and Calandra, Elmpam\u2019s family, King Lektem and Tegnar, Lady Gramfar, one of the five Green Divine Ones of Earth, and many other people were in the pews as Elmpam went through with her sermon. \u201cWe always seek answers from the Divine Ones,\u201d she preached, \u201cbut what good is it if they simply hand us the answers? How do we learn? Remember that Lord Glaktem once said that our discoveries of how the Realms work are what improve the Realms, and I see evidence of that every day. More often than not, our prejudice is made less when we discover the answer ourselves than if Lord Slameek tells us how the waves work or if Lady Alpira hands us the answer on why casting a curse feels like your soul is freezing. And thus, we all must remember that our Pantheon, like parents, would want us to find things out for ourselves. We are all children of the Divine Ones, from the first species that went extinct to the ones that rise up today, and we must make them proud by finding the answers ourselves. Let us also remember that even we have surprised the Divine Ones at various points in time. The most famous incident that leaps to my mind is when Lady Gramfar heard the news about Blenders. She thought it impossible for different species to be together and create hybrid children, yet Blenders are such a common sight now. With that, I would like to finish with this prayer.\u201d All the churchgoers declined their heads and closed their eyes. \u201cDivine Lords and Ladies, bless us with continuing to expand our knowledge and keeping our sense of wonder alive. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmen,\u201d repeated the church. Elmpam then looked to Lady Gramfar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy Divine Green Lady, do you wish to add something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly my prayer for you all,\u201d replied Gramfar. \u201cBless us with continual surprises, because they make the Realms better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll certainly do so,\u201d chuckled Elmpam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat tripe!\u201d called a voice. Gramfar\u2019s face contorted into a snarl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWHO DARES?!\u201d she bellowed as she whirled towards the back of the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI<\/em> dare!\u201d barked the voice\u2019s owner. It was a damaged Oltor. \u201cI may be no fan of Oyed, but he IS right about one thing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what would that be, O Wayward Child?!\u201d challenged Gramfar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Realms are too messy as they stand!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour Majesties, My Divine Lady, could you get everyone out?\u201d asked Elmpam. \u201cI must deal with Oltor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMama, you\u2019re gonna get hurt!\u201d protested Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat IS a possibility,\u201d conceded Elmpam. \u201cHowever, I\u2019m bound by my morals to stop him and I don\u2019t want anyone else\u2019s pain on my conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Be careful, my child,\u201d urged Gramfar. She and the Kings then herded everyone out through the back, leaving Elmpam at the altar and Oltor at the door. They both then strode down the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re better than this, Oltor!\u201d growled Elmpam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven parents need to let their children go!\u201d replied Oltor. \u201cThe Divine Ones and Oyed can\u2019t grasp that we don\u2019t need them! Their fight fractured a perfect world! Now look where we are! Thieves, rapists, murderers, black magic being used in the Over-realm, and the Final War\u2019s gonna start soon! That\u2019s the trouble with fighting for diversity, we lose sight of where we came from!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd killing Out-realmers will make us remember? First Lektem\u2019s dad, now this? When does it stop?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen the other Realms understand that the Over-realm is superior in its attitudes! When they understand that light MUST triumph over darkness, the two can\u2019t be balanced! We want the same thing, Elmpam!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou misunderstand what I want. When I first came to the Under-realm, I once believed that their use of dark magic was too liberal. I really did. I got over that prejudice when I discovered how many steps one needs to memorize to cast a curse. There are actually so many opportunities not to go down that path and Under-realmers take them, they\u2019re not the all-necromancer society you think they are!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour best friend and name mate died by an Incubus\u2019 hands!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd, for a while, I wanted to avenge Elmpam Roosheef\u2019s murder. I really did. I wanted to kill that Incubus so bad, but it\u2019s not the life she would want me to lead and this isn\u2019t the life your wife and son want you to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t you DARE put that on me!\u201d Oltor was about to swing his clenched fist when Elmpam pulled a metal cylinder out of her dress\u2019s waistline. \u201c\u2026A TNG?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo block your powers and level the playing field. Your ability to talk someone to death IS magic based. You need to stop. Take time to learn before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t dare set that thing off!\u201d Elmpam wasn\u2019t bluffing. She pressed a button on the TNG and dropped it. The button flashed before the whole thing exploded, knocking the two Inus back. TNG, short for Thaumic Nullifier Grenade, designed to temporarily block any magical abilities. Unfortunately, it doesn\u2019t differentiate between people, so both Inus lost their powers. They got up and Oltor snarled as he tore pieces of the pews off and twirled them like stakes. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be my sister!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich is why I have to stop you.\u201d Elmpam took off her skirts, leaving her in nothing more than her bodice and pantaloons, and grabbed a candelabra, twirling it like a staff. Oltor roared in rage and charged at Elmpam. Elmpam swung the candelabra and kept him at a distance. She then threw a non-lit candle at Oltor\u2019s eye, but Oltor rolled out of the way and threw his stakes. They buried themselves into a pair of Elmpam\u2019s arms, and she yelped in pain. He then dashed forward and drove an uppercut into her jaw. Elmpam tried to shake off the pain, but Oltor slammed her head into a column. Elmpam then noticed a cloth near her and grabbed it. She then swung her tail into Oltor\u2019s face, getting some loose fur into his eyes, and he howled in agony as he tried to get the fur out. Elmpam then got behind him and got the cloth around his neck before she grabbed both ends in one hand and pulled hard. Oltor then slammed Elmpam into walls in an attempt to get her off before he passed out. He gasped and panted until\u2026he fell, unconscious. Elmpam checked his heartbeat, sighed in relief when she heard it, then looked mournfully at him as the sentence for what he did was death. \u201c\u2026I\u2019m sorry.\u201d She then used the cloth to bind his arms, then got another cloth to muzzle his mouth. Gramfar and Arsha with her lovers dashed into the church to see how the fight ended. It was then Elmpam felt the pain of the stakes in her arms again. Gramfar and Malnar dashed over to her and cast pain-numbing spells while Arsha called for a prisoner pick-up. Officers and medics arrived at the church as Oltor was waking up. The officers picked him up roughly and fear took over his heart. He knew what was coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next day, Roolpam was pleading with the Kings to mitigate Oltor\u2019s sentence, but they were deaf to her pleas. \u201cYour Majesties, please! I\u2019m his mother!\u201d she wailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was disowned by your family, according to official records,\u201d reminded Lektem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe has personally killed 429 people in his bloody career,\u201d supplied Tegnar, \u201cone of them being Lektem\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe has also attacked other monarchs, Fae Empress Rellmeer being the most famous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re sorry, Mrs. Tonsur, but Oltor is to be hanged tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease, I beg you!\u201d pleaded Roolpam. \u201cHe\u2019s let grief dictate his actions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHis mistake,\u201d hissed Tegnar. \u201cWe had a report saying that Rentir\u2019s house had been destroyed in an explosion and a bomb\u2019s remains were discovered amongst the wreckage, on top of Rentir and Glanfu\u2019s dead bodies. We may not like Rentir, but killing him disrupted elections, another capital offense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour Majesties!\u201d begged Roolpam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe do not wish to detain you with a futile effort!\u201d Lektem pointed towards the throne room\u2019s door, meaning that they were certain of their decision. Roolpam\u2019s tail drooped as did her head. She left the throne room in a somber manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of his threat level, all Over-realm monarchs attended the execution, as did Oltor\u2019s family. The gallows stood in the center of the execution yard and awaited a person to choke out their breath. Oltor was dragged to the gallows and was held near the noose. \u201cHear ye, all in attendance!\u201d called a robed man. \u201cLet it be known that on this 1497th<\/sup> day of Rafem in the 4006300080th<\/sup> year of the Three Realms\u2019 Third Age of Unity, Over-Splitter Supreme Oltor Tonsur is found guilty of the following charges: mass-murder, destruction of Multi-realm facilities, attacking Realmfleet, and disruption of politics. Let it be known that the judges have deemed he is too dangerous to be kept alive! Let it be known that he is to be hanged until dead by a former accomplice of his so the Realms may rest easier! Let it be known that none in attendance are to discuss what happens here unless at the Felomphas\u2019 discretion! Your Majesties, will you follow the judges\u2019 recommendation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have spoken and have agreed that we shall heed the judges,\u201d replied one of Lardeth\u2019s moms, Queen Jeefef Felompha. \u201cWho is the former associate of the Condemned?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA Mermaid that has had her trial, Halfam Malfee,\u201d answered the robed man. Oltor\u2019s eyes goggled as Halfam, in her human form, strode towards the gallows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou?!\u201d snarled Oltor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMe,\u201d confirmed Halfam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet it be known,\u201d called the robed man, \u201cthat, because of Halfam Malfee actively mitigating the damage the Over-Splitters have done and proving repentance of being part of a terrorist organization, her sentence is temporary banishment from the Over-realm. If the Final War does not begin, she will live somewhere else for 100 years. If it does and she proves bravery, she will return sooner. Before that, she has requested to be the one to carry out the execution.\u201d Oltor fixed Halfam with a look of burning hatred as the noose went around his neck and was tightened. \u201cHas the Condemned any final words?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHalfam Malfee, you are a traitorous fish!\u201d snarled Oltor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re a cousin-banging freak!\u201d replied Halfam as her hand went onto the lever. She turned to the robed man. \u201cI am ready!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHang him!\u201d called the robed man. Halfam pulled the lever and the trapdoor beneath Oltor opened. The noose tightened further and Oltor flailed as he tried to get air into his lungs. That futile battle lasted about 11 minutes before he stopped moving. An Inu doctor moved towards the gallows and checked Oltor\u2019s breathing and pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026It is done,\u201d pronounced the doctor. The silence was deafening as the yard emptied and Oltor\u2019s body was removed from the noose and taken to the morgue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The day of Elmpam\u2019s sermon had arrived. Arsha, her lovers, Elmar and Calandra, Elmpam\u2019s family, King Lektem and Tegnar, Lady Gramfar, one of the five Green Divine Ones of Earth, and many other people were in the pews as Elmpam went through with her sermon. \u201cWe always seek answers from the Divine Ones,\u201d she preached, […]<\/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-3097","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\/3097","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=3097"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3098,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097\/revisions\/3098"}],"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=3097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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