Shattered Moonstone

Hecatolite began to weave the spell displayed before her, ok just like Alexa did when she iced the city. She took a deep breath as she attempted to force aether into her palm. The black liquid seeping up from her skin as it formed a small shaky circle in her palm. Good so far… God your distracting 33 go away. She waved the flashing terminal away with her free hand as she closed her eyes picturing the spell circle in her mind.

Ok, so where was I? Oh yea, ok make one first. Just like a little donut… I should get donuts again after this, I wonder if they have frosting… Shit the spell circle, ok it's still here. So, make the small donut, now just add…. 38 little sprinkles onto it. I think it looked like this… No that can't be right that looks so inefficient. I should move this sprinkle here, and then add another donut here and wala perfect! Wait! that's not it! Fuck, ok Hecatolite, start over. A circle, got it, it looks like this. Now add 40 small circles…. damn that's a lot of circles, but that's what it said. Whoever made this spell was a moron, whatever, now just make… 2… yeah 2 more. Now make it into a nice little threesome and push them together. Perfect! Now how much power should I use? I mean they did say it would need an army to power it right! I'm as strong as an army, but how much stronger? I mean an army of those heroes I think I could take but if they were all as strong as Taaffeite and Alastair… Enough to sink the city? I mean my aether does come out as black water but it's normally not a lot, if I think back, I remember my pool was big, but it wasn't that big! I would have to use the whole thing to sink the city… so… all of it? Sure, yes definitely. See this spell stuff isn't so hard! I even made the spell better! Pff I'm a genius I should call Siofra after this and ask if she wants to get donuts! Definitely!

Everyone watched with bated breath as Hecatolite stood above the laughing succubus, a Babylon screen displaying the spell before her. They watched as a small ball of aether wobbled before her before disbursing as she cursed. Their hearts sank when she waved the Babylon screen away, all of them redoubling their reinforcements as Hans began to audibly pray.

“Umm Siofra… goddess of knowledge.” Alexa’s shaky whisper started as she started for the first time in her life to pray in earnest. Her second mind went into overdrive casting spells repeatedly, “Please…. I know I don't ever pray to you but if you could overlook that and grant me… wisdom and strength… a lot of strength.” She watched as the spell circle in her sister's hand wobbled before growing slightly. Her mind went blank as her mouth seemed to move on its own. “Oh holy goddess of knowledge, please grant me the wisdom to overcome this trial before me, and the power to protect this world from the evils that would seek its destruction.” Suddenly ice erupted from her coating half of the warehouse in a slick slope behind her as she cast a final wall before herself.

“Soter, god of protection, I call upon your power to bolster your humble servant as to protect this city and its peoples from the disaster that is unfolding before me.” Hans' almost frantic whisper grew in strength as he watched Alexa finish her preparations. “Please grant me the strength so those who stand behind me never need fear the monstrosities before me, please protect those who stand beside me as we all defend this world. And though we may be lost to time after, please gods let our names be carved in the holy halls as protectors.” A blue light cascaded off of Hans, rushing to cover everyone as a translucent dome flickered to life around each of them.

Alastair laughed as the blue dome covered him. “Thanks, but I don't fear my own daughter.” His voice was stern as he simply stepped forward dissipating the spell. Flames erupted from his as he stood, closer to Hecatolite than anyone else dared. “Go on dear, cast your spell. I will clean up any mess you make.” He whispered as to not break the young girl’s concentration, standing as close as he could without risking burning her.

Taaffeite was not as calm as her husband, her mind filled with complex spells as she cast repeated refraction spells. I doubt I can divert that much energy… I will need to… Her mind became clear as she looked at the burning form of her husband. The man she could always rely on, the unmovable flaming giant. If I can't get it out of the building, we will need to “burn” it all off. All of her walls tilting slightly, now aiming up and slightly to the left to divert it towards Alastair.

All their preparations completed they stood, no one daring to speak as Hecatolite started to giggle. The small ball of aether before her wobbled once more as she held her hand out.

The spell circle suddenly sprang to life, growing to cover the entire ceiling.

That's wrong! Alexa nearly screamed as she saw the mess of a circle above her. The overly complex lines wobbling as parts of the circle flickered in and out of existence. Even in its full size somehow the spell kept changing as if she was still forming it.

“Umm… heal?” Hecatolite’s voice sounded uncertain as the whole circle pulsed an ominous white color as it continued to grow.

Hecatolite could feel her aether being sucked away as she was forced to her knees, bringing her other hand up to attempt to contain the spell. Oh damn, it really is going to take everything? Wait… why is it still growing… did that dumb box give me the wrong spell?

“Inutil…. what’s going on?” She whispered, her voice trembling as she fought to hold the spell in her mind, a tablet appearing before her.

“You… in all of the system what are you doing!” It bellowed as the screen became a rainbow of colors.

“Casting the faulty spell you gave me!” She snapped back.

“Drain everything! Now! All your power!”

“How!” She screamed frantically looking around. “I only know soul magic… is this going to explode?!”

“Yes!!! By the mother,” everyone was shocked by the sudden appearance of hundreds of world screens around them, all angled up as they formed an obsidian wall around them all. “You need to drain everything that is not in that already, now!”

“Ok fine! don't yell at me!” She frantically looked for an outlet.

Soul manifestation? No, that doesn't drain aether... What does? blessings!

“Mass blessing! Umm, everyone here? Can I do that?” Her vision instantly became hazy as she felt over half her power suddenly be ripped from her. “Ok, good, good… next was… A relic! right umm…” before she could yell for Hans to bring his shield to her the spell exploded.

Hecatolite’s body was instantly alight with pain as her arms buckled, what was left of her aether rocketed through her in a feeble attempt to reinforce her body as it was slammed into the ground. Her entire world became white followed by darkness.

Siofra was happily watching the world through the eyes of her new champion, delighted with herself to think of attaching a tiny little scrying spell to the blessing.

She waved her hand, sending a message on the wind to her brother. “Tea?” One word was enough for her brother to appear in her realm.

“Any excuse to get away from that maniac.” He sighed sitting on a log next to her. “He is still trying to rip the terminals apart after they flickered. You think that thing had anything to do with that creature?”

 Siofra laughed as she nodded. “I have no doubt at this point. You should see what they did to his “chosen”.” She launched into an exhausting explanation of the fight before ending with another giggling fit. “You should really see her brother. She's so tiny! She would barely come up to your knee, yet she was able to make you cry like a child for a whole day!” The trees bristled around them as she rolled into the grass.

“I really fail to see what's so funny sister.” he sighed as he rubbed his now cleanly shaven chin. “You said she ate another soul? How can you be laughing while that monster is in the world!”

Siofra stopped at her brother's words, only to laugh again at his stern gaze. “Oh, come now brother, once you get past the whole soul eating monster bit, it's just a little girl. And it was barely a sliver of a soul this time, one eye.” She couldn't get past its physical appearance though she knew the soul itself was much older than it seemed. “Besides, did you forget when we talked to her? She's harmless, sure a bit unhinged but who without that much raw power isn't? Think about it for a moment, that soul is probably older than this world itself. Sure, it may not remember it, but nothing can be that powerful without at least being as old as us.” She finally stood and dusted a few stray blades of grass from herself. “Whatever she really is, I don't think she means any harm to this world or us.” She felt a twinge as someone from the world called on her. “That's strange,” she called up her own terminal to see that it was her champion praying to her. “Poor thing doesn't know how to pray properly. Be right back brother.”

She focused her consciousness on the small scrying spell only to instantly see Hecatolite attempting to cast a spell through Alexa’s eyes…. shit!

She quickly forced as much power into her bond with Alexandrite as she could before snapping her attention back to her body.

“Give all the power you can spare!” She yelled quickly sitting down in the grass.

“What!” Soter sprang to his feet.

“Your chosen, the one you chose to watch the girl! Now!” She yelled as she sat and began to focus on her bond with Alexa.

He did not question again, looking inwards for his bond with his champion Hans and forcing it to the brink with his own power.

Just then with a thunderclap one of the strange red terminals appeared. “Danger! Prepare for an influx of aether.” A strange voice bellowed from it.

“Its terminal is talking now!” He nearly screamed, almost losing focus on his bond.

Siofra snapped at him, “Sit down and shut up less you want to have to regrow your tongue!”

They both braced as they sat. Siofra was the first to feel the surge of power. Her entire soul seized as it was flooded with energy, she let out a long moan as the cool liquid aether rushed into her. her breath instantly became ragged as she clenched her jaw.

Soter was momentarily confused before the power rocketed into him as well. Why in all the hells is she moaning! Was his only thought as the aether flooded his system.

The power was not painful to either of them, yet it effected both very differently. To Soter who inherently fought against it, it was an unrelenting title wave of power. A raging current that was slowly whittling away his defenses before flooding his system and pouring into his own aether pool. Siofra, however, did not bother to even attempt to defend against it. Simply opening herself for the power she knew was coming, instead of rushing torrent threatening to overtake her, the power instead felt like a cool river that flowed directly into her own power.

“Congratulations” the strange voice exclaimed as the power flow seemed to stop. “Soter Blessing gained; blessed by X47. Siofra blessing gained; Blessed by X47.” The strange terminal declared.

After nearly an hour they both lay haggard in the grass.

“Great,” Soter rasped as he felt the alien aether coursing through his body. “I didn't even know gods could be blessed.”

“Please note…. God Orkthal has been removed from the system.” The terminal said bluntly before disappearing.

They all lay panting around an unconscious Hecatolite who lay in the lap of a beautiful woman. Both of Hecatolite arms bent at impossible angles just below the elbows, her hands disjointed as all her fingers seemed to bend backwards.

The warehouse now bathed in moonlight as the night sky shown down on them through the now missing ceiling. A spew of notifications flashing before each of them as Babylon’s voice cut through the ringing in all their ears.

Taaffeite lapidary, trait acquired, Moon breaker, Demon seed. Blessed by Hecatolite Lapidary, skill acquired, aura manipulation.

Alastair Lapidary, Traits acquired, Moon breaker, God seed. Blessed by Hecatolite Lapidary, skill acquired, Self-enchantment.

Alexandrite Lapidary, trait acquired, Moon breaker, Steadfast. Skills acquired; Praying, Parallel thought has evolved into Trinity mind.

Hans Pensworth, Traits acquired; Moon breaker, “error” soul incapable of supporting aether, unable to evolve into a seedling, Dual blessings, blessed by Hecatolite Lapidary. Skill acquired; “error” bloodline ability not able to be given as a blessing. No skills compatible with Hans Pensworth. “error” “error” “error”. Skill acquired, Voice of the world. Now they can call you. Secondary Skill acquired from Soter; Empowering voice. Attaching secondary skill to Hecatolite Lapidary blessing, note, “if she can’t give you a skill herself, she can at least fuel this one.”

Hecatolite Lapidary, trait acquired; Suicidal, foolish, arrogant, world’s dumbest mage, “error”… all 36 negative traits merged into Arduous, Arduous given the prefix Painfully: Painfully arduous acquired. Additional traits acquired: Enemy of the system, harbinger, Demon whisper… protector… “false” Hero. God killer. Forgotten legacy evolved into Demon, forgotten legacy required, Forgotten Legacy evolved into “moon eater”, forgotten legacy required…  Skills acquired; soul manipulation, soul manipulation merged into soul magic mastery. Create pseudo demon lord created. Skill locked; Create pseudo demon lord. Creating skill; Create pseudo godling. Locking skill; Create pseudo godling. Stop filling people with aether, you’re going to kill someone.

Warning unnamed Demon lord created by X47.

Congratulations, you all survived.

They all sat stunned, as they looked up at the clear night sky. The smaller blue moon in full view… through the now gaping hole in the side of the larger red moon.