Death: Genesis

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Zeke relaxed. Not fully – he didn’t think he would ever accomplish that feat – but it was enough that he didn’t feel like some deadly threat was poised to pounce on him the moment he let down his guard. However, he only allowed himself to do so for a few hours before, inevitably, someone interrupted his rest.

Kianma, who was one of only a handful of kobolds with permission to visit his manor, found him in his meditation room, where he’d sought something approaching tranquility. He wasn’t ready to tackle his level fifty skill yet, largely because doing so would require a significant time investment as well as nearly complete serenity. He’d tried messing with skills under duress before, and he definitely had no intention of repeating that experience. After all, if he screwed up, he didn’t think he’d get bailed out by ascension anytime soon. So, he knew that getting things perfect was essential if he didn’t want to hamstring himself for the foreseeable future.

“It might also kill you,” Eveline provided, her tone light.

“Thank you for reminding me,” he muttered.

“Ak-toh,” the kobold spiritweaver said. “There is something outside that requires your attention.”

Zeke sighed. “Of course there is,” he said, resigned to the fact that he didn’t have the luxury of relaxation. Not only was her responsible for thousands of people, but he had his own goals, none of which were modest. And that wasn’t even considering his quest to reunite with his friends. Talia was closer than ever before, but there were plenty of obstacles barring their reunion.

And more than ever, he was worried for her well-being. She wasn’t like him or Tucker. Or even Abby. The closest analogue to Talia’s situation was Pudge, but that wasn’t a great comparison, either. As undead, she would, at best, be shunned. At worst, she would be hunted like any other monster.

The fact that she’d probably found herself within an undead kingdom that, according to the others, was known for its callous disregard for the living, made things all the worse. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the impressionable young woman getting sucked into a bad situation and truly becoming the monster she sometimes considered herself.

By comparison, Zeke wasn’t the lest bit worried about Tucker. The alchemist was a survivor with a valuable skillset. If nothing else, Zeke felt confident that he would ultimately be fine, which was one of the reasons he’d chosen to make a priority out of his pursuit of Talia.

And added to all of that was the fact that he still needed to put himself in the right frame of mind to work on his level fifty skill. Then, he’d have to take the time to actually do it. And with all his responsibilities, that didn’t seem like it would happen anytime soon.

So, it was with some resignation that he pushed himself to his feet and turned to face Kianma. She looked little different than she always looked, meaning that she was quite a bit smaller than fighters like Silik, and her head was festooned with colorful plumes.

Zeke nodded at her and said, “Thanks. What is it?”

“We have…visitors,” she said. “A troop of centaurs have come, demanding to know who we are and what gives us the right to build a tower on their lands.”

It was an expected response, though Zeke had hoped that they’d have a little more time before the natives noticed their presence. With any luck, they would have been free to cross the Mukti Plains unmolested. Clearly, that had been an unfounded hope, considering that they’d only been in place for a single day, and already, the centaurs had come calling.

“Alright. I need ten of the most powerful kobold warriors,” he said. “I want you there, too. And Eta, Jasper, and Silik, as well. I’ll get Pudge and Sasha. Meet me in the Entry Hall.”

“As you say, Ak-toh.”

Zeke almost told her not to call him that, but he knew it would do little good. The kobolds all thought of him as their savior, and there was nothing he could do to stop that. So, he’d resolved to simply accept their veneration, if for no other reason than because it made his life minutely easier.

“So magnanimous of you to allow them to worship you,” Eveline remarked in his head.

“Shut up,” he sighed, watching Kianma leave before he stepped into the hall.

“I’m just saying –”

“I know what you’re saying,” he interrupted as he traversed the manor’s corridors. Soon enough, he found the room Pudge had claimed as his own, and he knocked on the door. There was a grunt of acknowledgement, then a little rustling on the other side of the door before Sasha flung it open.

She pushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear, then said, “Yes?”

“Oh. Good. You’re both here,” Zeke said, looking past her to see Pudge sitting awkwardly straight-backed in one of the chairs. “I need you two to get ready for a fight, then meet me down in the Entry Hall as soon as possible.”

Then, without another word, he bade them goodbye, then left them behind. As soon as he turned the corner and began his descent down the stairs, Eveline cleared her nonexistent throat, then asked, “Were they –”

“Probably. But we’re not talking about this,” Zeke said. “They deserve their privacy.”

“But –”

“Don’t make me isolate you,” he said. He could flare [Bulwark of the Triumvirate] and cut her off from the rest of the world. If he did that, she wouldn’t even be able to communicate with him. More importantly, she would be entirely isolated, without the slightest sensory input. For Zeke, it would be mildly unpleasant to keep the skill working at such a high level, but he could handle it well enough. Eveline probably couldn’t. Or at least she didn’t want to.

“Fine.”

With that, Zeke heard nothing but silence as he traversed the sprawling manor and left the building behind. The grounds looked much the same as they always did, meaning that it presented as a well-manicured estate that looked like it would’ve been at home in the New England countryside.

Soon enough, Zeke had trekked across the lawn and to the teleportation platform that transported him to the Entry Hall. Once there, he joined a few burly kobold centurions and a handful of spiritweavers. Over the next few minutes, more came. That number included Silik and Kianma, as well as Zeke’s other companions. The last to arrive were Pudge and Sasha, though they didn’t take more than a quarter of an hour.

Once everyone was assembled, Zeke asked Kianma to explain the situation. She did so succinctly, telling everyone that the scouts – mostly kobold rangers, but a few former slaves were among their number – had caught sight of a small herd of centaurs headed toward the tower.

They’d come back immediately, but they couldn’t move much more quickly than the natives to the Mukti plains. So, by the time the news had gotten to Kianma, the centaurs had already arrived, demanding to know what was going on.

“How long have they been out there?” Zeke asked.

“No more than half an hour,” Kianma answered.

“And do they seem hostile?”

She shook her head. “They seem annoyed, but not overtly aggressive or antagonistic.”

“Well, that’s almost good news,” he said. It would’ve been better if they were only curious instead of irritated, but he’d take that over warlike any day of the week.

So, after making sure that everyone was prepared, Zeke led the almost two-dozen strong group to the gate. It functioned much like the teleportation platform that let people travel between floors, but stepping through the gate only led to one location. Still, that instantaneous moment of nothingness was still a little disconcerting. Luckily, the feeling was fleeting, and before Zeke even took in his surroundings, he felt everything normalize.

As the others followed him out, he looked at the group of centaurs before him. At least fifty strong, the individual creatures were powerful-looking, with their bottom halves resembling massive draft horses, while their mostly naked torsos were bulging with thick muscle. Both male and female versions were represented, though even the women were more heavily muscled than most humans.

Their faces looked like what he’d have expected from a neanderthal, with heavy brows, sloped foreheads, and prominent jaws. The overall effect was that, to Zeke, they seemed primitive yet powerful, and when he used [Inspect] on the largest of them, he wasn’t really shocked to see the results:

Kraan Trak – Level 63

All the others ranged from level fifty to sixty-one, telling Zeke that his initial impression had been accurate. Physical size wasn’t always a good indicator of power, but it seemed that, in this case, he’d guessed correctly.

He stepped forward, then said, “Greetings.”

“Greetings?” barked Kraan Trak, pointing with a long spear. The weapon was crude-looking, but that was no indicator of its power. “You invade our lands and build a fortress, and you greet us as if you have done nothing wrong?”

“We haven’t invaded anything,” Zeke said, schooling his voice to patience. “Nor have we built anything.”

Kraan Trak looked at Zeke, then past him at the tower, before settling his gaze on Zeke once again. “You jest.”

Zeke sighed. Then, after glancing back at the tower to make sure no one was going in or out, he dismissed it. Instantly, the Crimson Tower dissipated. When it was completely gone, he said, “See? No more tower. We’re just passing through.”

Kraan Trak looked as if he’d seen a ghost, but he quickly schooled his expression into normality before asking, “How did you do that?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Zeke said. “The point is that we’re not here to move into –”

“The Crimson Tower,” said one of the female centaurs. Zeke quickly used [Inspect], identifying her as Rama Tul. She stepped forward, saying, “He is the one foretold.”

“Enough, Rama. We do not all believe in your prophecies.”

“Your belief is not required.”

For a moment, Kraan looked like he was going to argue, but then he said, “Very well. What do you suggest?”

“He must come with us.”

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere with anyone,” Zeke said, holding [Triune Colossus] on the verge of activation. “I only want to cross this plain in peace. Give me a few days, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Kraan cocked his head to the side as if he didn’t quite understand the colloquialism, then said, “If you wish to cross, you will need our permission. To get our blessing, you must meet with the Mistress of the Herd. That is fact.”

Zeke said, “And what? You’re going to stop me? I have thousands of kobolds at my beck and call. But even if I didn’t, I think I can take your little herd of ponies by myself. Let me go in peace, and you won’t have to find out what I’m capable of.”

Kraan bowed his head. “We have no wish to fight.”

“Neither do I,” Zeke agreed. “But I’m not going to stand here and let you threaten me or my people. You want me to meet somebody? Fine. Then, they come to me.” He summoned his tower, and as it appeared, the centaurs backed away. To drive the point home, Zeke embraced [Triune Colossus], letting earthen mana flow through him. Even as the tower manifested, he transformed into a fifteen-foot-tall rock monster. Even his voice changed, deepening into an earthy rumble as he said, “Understand?”

At that moment, thousands of kobolds came flooding out. Each of them were armed with hide shields and spears. They raced to the sides, surrounding the suddenly panicked centaurs.

The half-horse people could have run away at any moment, but they clearly wanted Zeke’s acquiescence more than they feared for their lives. So, they remained even though they were obviously skittish.

It shouldn’t have worked. Zeke was only level fifty, while every single centaur there was higher-leveled than him. On top of that, the highest-leveled kobold – one of the centurions – was a hair away from level sixty. So, the centaurs shouldn’t have been afraid.

But they didn’t.

“They can feel that you’re stronger than you look,” Eveline provided. “Levels aren’t everything, Ezekiel. Even you know that much. These people obviously do, too, and when they see someone acting above their level, they start to doubt their inspection skills.”

“I guess that makes sense,” he said inwardly. Then, he stepped toward Kraan Trak and, aloud, said, “We’re going to be here for a few more days. If you want, you can bring this Mistress of the Herd here, then I’ll meet with her and hear whatever you all have to say. But I’m not going with you.”

Kraan Trak clearly didn’t like that. However, he also just as obviously didn’t want to fight. So, he nodded his head and said, “Very well. We shall return.”

Then, he shouted something in another language, and as one, the centaurs turned and sped off across the plain.

“You know they’re probably going to come with an army, right?” said Eta, who’d stepped up beside Zeke.

“Probably.”

“And that doesn’t worry you?”

“Not with the Tower here,” he said. “Worst case scenario, we retreat inside and wait them out. We can live in there for years if necessary, now that we have a renewable food source.”

That much was true, but Zeke didn’t much like the idea of being trapped in one place. After all, his goals were still there, and he couldn’t very well meet them if he was stuck inside the tower.

It didn’t matter, though. Even if they immediately set off across the Mukti Plains, there was no way they could outrun the native centaurs. So, he’d made the only choice he could. He just hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite him.