Chaos Bleeds

Fate's Indifference

Thellia is not used to the strange feeling in her chest. Sympathy. Sorrow. Regret. Remorse. She’s heard the words before, used them when negotiating with rivals and allies.

She has extended her sympathy to a rival who had birthed a fourth son. She has told an ally that she regretted not uniting with them sooner. But feeling them? Her mother had ensured she never even had the chance.

But now… memories of a previous life unlocked? Her soul had known them, felt them, spent hours languishing in them, reconciling them or trying to push them away.

She is both intrigued and disgusted. Especially now as the ranger sobs on the floor of Katta's sacred temple, sullying it with her golden tears.

The part of her that is Amara wants to comfort Shayn. A hand on her back, a soft voice, a comforting word and a false promise that things will be better soon.

But she is a Dusk Elf. The most compassionate thing she can do is end the life of the ranger and spare her weak heart any more pain.

“He let me take the fall,” she says. Neither Thellia nor Amara can make sense of what Shayn is saying. She just keeps repeating the same handful of sentences. “He left me behind. He didn’t even care.”

Amara knows this is not the best time to pry; you can't have someone revealing their entire backstory before the whole party is assembled. That just slows down the campaign if they have to explain it every time a new player joins the campaign. Truly, this is why you never start a campaign with a separated party.

Thellia does not care what the sad backstory is. It either makes Shayn stronger or makes her a liability. And she cannot afford liabilities if she is to avert the fate that her past self had written for her.

Thellia does not object to Amara’s desire to save the world from this Tollith the Devour, despite having no love for Vaeryl or the rest of the pantheon of Primordial gods. It is merely a matter of survival.

And she hates the idea that she would be so foolish as to be so easily tricked into sealing her own dire fate.

But there’s more than just shame at being so foolish in another timeline, another lifetime… If this Tollith the Devour has the means of unseating a god…

She scowls. This line of thinking is likely what caused her downfall in the first place.

The part of Thellia that remains Amara balks, however. Not just at the idea of seizing the power for herself, but how it would disappoint this Aislinn.

“Your quest and mine are one and the same, then,” Shayn says, voice raw.

“Why do you believe that?”

“You know about the Umbraiths. You might know where they are. The Mother of Forests told me I needed to destroy one to save the world. You have told me you desire to save the world, too. The Mother of Forests directed me toward you. You did not harm me, you prevented others from doing so, and you trusted me enough to listen to my advice and provide me a weapon.”

How utterly fascinating, Thellia muses. Never once has it crossed her mind that this might all be a ruse to win her trust. This must be how I turned her into a weapon for me in the timeline that Amara constructed. But I clearly did not do a good enough job if she managed to escape me. “You are correct. I, too am hoping to find and destroy the Umbraiths. I just had a different word for them. But I have been forewarned by Katta that failure to stop these machinations will result in the destruction of our realm.”

A cool breeze glides across her skin. Her Goddess approves.

“What information do you have on them?”

“No, Khellid first. Who is he? Why did he destroy Minarethil.” Thellia holds up the proximity gem and raises an eyebrow.

“A fellow ranger. He enjoyed destroying cities. He believes cities are an affront to the Mother of Forests and destroy nature. Those who live there are so disconnected from nature that they cannot be saved and must perish along with the city, or else a new city will rise in its place.”

“Do you agree with him?”

Shayn lets out a long breath. “I used to. Well, I am starting to think he just likes blowing things up, and all the talk about nature was just that; talk.”

“But you say he is stalking you?” She puts the gem back in her pocket and crosses her arms.

“I was injured in one of our attempts to destroy a city and my injury left me unable to escape. He left me there. To either die or be caught. I spent years in prison and sought him out when I was released. But he had already replaced me. I suppose he has realized that turning me away might give me motivation to turn him in.”

No wonder the Thellia of Amara’s making was able to mold the Wild Magic ranger. A small bit of affection and she will do the molding herself. Such a weak-willed creature. Useful, but disgusting.

But even as Thellia regards the contemptible creature on the ground before her, sympathy gnaws at her gut. Amara’s knowledge is useful. But her feelings are such a distraction.

“We shall add him to our kill list, then. Should the opportunity arise, we will strike. But first, we need more allies. We cannot face the coming battles without additional support.”

“I might know—”

“You will release the ranger at once!” A deep, melodic voice cries out. Standing in the doorway is a towering woman of muscle and beauty. “In the name of Alyndra, you will pay for your crimes.”

Dame Kelodessia, Paladin of Light, is instantly recognizable. Amara wants to reach out, embrace her, kiss her all over, listen to her steady heart and cry with relief.

Thellia raises a shield of purple flames, instead, alarmed that the paladin had managed to sneak up on them so easily.

Shayn glances between the paladin of the light and the cleric of the dark. The conflict is clear in her eyes. She cannot leave Thellia’s side; not while the Dusk Elf is alive. But Thellia has the knowledge she needs.

Thellia does not have time to help Shayn through her moral crises. She needs Shayn. She also needs Kelodessia as an ally. But the paladin has no intention to talk this out.

Aislinn made her character brawn and beauty, but wisdom and intelligence are… lacking. Amara knows there is no talking her way out of this. Gain Shayn’s trust, then ask Shayn to gain Kelodessia’s… That might work.

The paladin hacks away at the wall of flames, the broadsword striking with loud clanks as if the flames were as solid as a metal shield. Thellia struggles to maintain her concentration and continues channeling the Divine Night, holding the shield steady. But Amara keeps searching Kelodessia’s face.

“Aislinn…” she whispers. “Aislinn. Please.”

The paladin does not even acknowledge her. Amara rationalizes it; maybe she just can’t hear her over the flames and the sword strikes.

Thellia squares her feet, bracing herself, hands outstretched, palms outward. “Grab onto me,” she cries to Shayn.

The ranger is broken out of whatever train of thought had grabbed ahold of her and flings her arms around Thellia’s waist.

Thellia puts all of her mental focus, all of her strength, all of her power into her spell and shoves the flaming shield away from her and into Kelodessia.

The paladin flies across the room, ramming against the marble wall before crumpling to the floor.

“Is she alive?” Shayn asks as she lets go of Thellia.

Thellia and Amara certainly hope so. But the paladin does not move.