{"id":5296,"date":"2022-01-15T09:07:12","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T14:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/?p=5296"},"modified":"2022-01-15T09:07:12","modified_gmt":"2022-01-15T14:07:12","slug":"3-realms-5-31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/3-realms-5-31\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Realms 5-31"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Oyed finally conceded, if only to save his hide. The Endeavor<\/em> made its way to Crelima City, the Queens having already given permission for Arsha and Oyed to enter the Crypt of Crelima the Mad once Arsha explained the situation. \u201cOf all the insane acts you pulled when facing me,\u201d growled Oyed as he and Arsha approached the landing ramp, \u201cthis is the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, well, if it makes you feel comfortable,\u201d replied Arsha, \u201cyou can call me a desperate woman.\u201d The ship\u2019s landing ramp lowered and the two stepped out. Soldiers and citizens lined a path from the ship to the Crypt as Arsha and Oyed walked to it. The Hanthuus, Queen Entralii the Succubus, Queen Yurmar the Naga, and Queen Lartin the human, stood at a large set of double doors, leading into a massive stone mound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I need to tell you to be careful,\u201d said Entralii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMortal though he is,\u201d replied Arsha, \u201cmy guide is still Oyed, so I\u2019ll take all the wishes to be careful I can.\u201d Entralii nodded. Lartin and Yurmar then opened the Crypt. Yurmar signed her wishes for Arsha to be careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYurmar\u2019s right,\u201d remarked Lartin. \u201cHe\u2019s treacherous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere IS something you can do,\u201d said Arsha. She then whispered something to Lartin. Lartin grinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnything to get you out of that situation as fast as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever you whispered to my wife,\u201d called Entralii, \u201cI want in.\u201d She then whispered something to Arsha, prompting her to grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe ready when we come out,\u201d chuckled the Princess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan we go now?!\u201d grunted Oyed. Lartin and Yurmar then opened the doors. Oyed looked at Arsha. \u201c\u2026Well?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter you,\u201d said Arsha. Oyed rolled his eyes as he went in first with Arsha following behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are five traps along the way. The first starts with a set of swinging bladed pendulums. The disarming button\u2019s on the other side of the pendulums. There IS a way to go through with them, but it requires rolling under them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen can we expect them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust ahead.\u201d A massive axe then swung in front of them, swinging on a pendulum. More axes followed in the same manner. Arsha stood a few steps back from the first axe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, smart guy?\u201d asked Arsha. Oyed rolled his eyes, then took a few steps back. He then ran forward and rolled under the axes. He ended up on the other side and slammed his hand on a brick. The assemblies swinging the axes then fell apart, dropping the axes with a loud clang. When everything stopped moving, Arsha made her way through the axes, making sure she didn\u2019t hurt herself. \u201cWhat\u2019s the next trap?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShooting spears,\u201d answered Oyed. \u201cIn the walkway between the walls hiding the spears, there\u2019s a path with certain symbols on it. Only the son\u2019s name will carry you to safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026You mean the big yellow ball in the sky or the male offspring?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe latter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Dragulnak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly. The one person he cared about, the one person he actually treated well and encouraged to treat others well. The one who cured the Vampires of their solar weakness. King Dragulnak the Sane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, we step on the symbols that make up Dragulnak\u2019s name and the spears stay within the walls?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBingo. However, the tiles DO move.\u201d Arsha rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had a feeling there was a catch.\u201d They arrived at the moving tile floor and saw the symbols. \u201c\u2026So there IS a pattern,\u201d chuckled Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never really learned the pattern,\u201d muttered Oyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore like you\u2019re too impatient to find one.\u201d Arsha then bent her knees as if she was ready to pounce, her tails twitched, then she sprang onto the first tile, then the second, then the third and on and on until she safely reached the other side. She then pressed on a brick extending outwards and the spears shot out while the tiles aligned themselves into Dragulnak\u2019s name. Oyed simply strolled down the path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell done,\u201d he remarked. \u201cIt will be some time before we reach the third trap, so I need to ask you, as a representative of life itself, why oppose me? Why do you fear conflict?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause there needs to be a world without it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou sound way too much like Dr. Borg.\u201d Arsha bristled at the insult. \u201cYou two don\u2019t realize that the Final War will help you fully understand evolution!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPardon me?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, the Final War is me doing you a favor! Dr. Borg stands for order above anything else. No passion, no dreams (and that\u2019s rather ironic, given that one of her spouses is a Succubus), just discipline. Obedience. She\u2019s frozen in place, an evolutionary dead end, just like you\u2019re in danger of being! Why side with the old? Embrace the new! Growth through pain, struggle, conflict, and war! You, of all people, should understand this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, you! The daughter of a Kitsune proud of her heritage! The Kitsunes came out of the War of the Depths stronger! Better! \u2026How much better? How much stronger are they, fighting THIS war? When it DOES end, and all life reaches their pinnacle, the new Realm will rise from the ashes of the old one with strength and power beyond your imagination!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see what your endgame is,\u201d said Arsha. \u201cLet me pose this question to you, what happens when the supposed new Realm changes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen their Final War will begin. It will take time, perhaps trillions upon trillions of years, for them to prepare, but they will fight and serve evolution just as other iterations did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Other iterations? You mean the Realms aren\u2019t the first?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been creating Realms and all the life-forms within them before the Divine Ones were born. These Realms were the result of my children\u2019s carelessness. They thought that they needed to stay aloof, let life take its course. When they heard that I would destroy their Realms, they locked me away! They tried to stop my ambitions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause they knew that life was precious, and you were toying with both life and death!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is the cycle! That is the force of history itself! You can\u2019t win against that, no one can! …I couldn\u2019t, but I tried when I first came into being. Over time, I embraced it! Helped it along by creating conflict! The weak perish, the strong get stronger! Evolution must be served! There\u2019s no other way!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvolution doesn\u2019t NEED a servant!\u201d snapped Arsha. Oyed turned to her and stared. \u201c\u2026Now I get your vendetta against Dr. Borg! In fact, I finally understand why you two fought against the Divine Ones! It\u2019s why you haven\u2019t killed each other! You want the Divine Ones dead so the Final War can turn into order versus chaos! It\u2019s about ideology!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course. As you said, it\u2019s order vs. chaos. Choose one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, choose, but only from the choices YOU give us! Don\u2019t you see that this is wrong?!\u201d Oyed scoffed. \u201cWhen the Realms before us were gone, you stayed behind, posing as a guardian, a shepherd for the mortal races before ours! You\u2019ve lost your way! This isn\u2019t about teaching us or helping us! This is about you being right! \u2026But what if we reject the idea that we must decide which of you is right? What if we simply walk away from the ridiculous concept of order and chaos being separate?\u201d Oyed grabbed Arsha by the neck and slammed her against the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYOU CAN\u2019T DO THAT!\u201d he roared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe\u2026Final War\u2026won\u2019t end?\u201d gagged Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorrect!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen\u2026there is\u2026no hope?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is only chaos and evolution! You will fight because I tell you to fight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re\u2026forgetting\u2026something\u2026here!\u201d One of Arsha\u2019s tails pointed in the direction of the exit. \u201cYour\u2026cure is\u2026out there and\u2026they\u2019re\u2026monitoring my\u2026life-signs and\u2026the comms are\u2026open!\u201d Oyed then remembered that he still had poison in his veins and recalled the deal he had to accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou let them listen!\u201d he growled. \u201cYou let them know!\u201d He then dropped Arsha. She coughed as she tried to get air into her lungs. When she recovered, she picked herself up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s now TWO weapons against Dr. Borg, one against her ideology and one against her potential godhood. Speaking of the god slayer weapon, shall we?\u201d Oyed snarled, then they resumed their journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oyed finally conceded, if only to save his hide. The Endeavor made its way to Crelima City, the Queens having already given permission for Arsha and Oyed to enter the Crypt of Crelima the Mad once Arsha explained the situation. \u201cOf all the insane acts you pulled when facing me,\u201d growled Oyed as he and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4448,"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":[97,238],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-5296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-5-the-final-fight","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5296","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=5296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5297,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5296\/revisions\/5297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}