Mecanimus
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A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 2: The Great Escape
🕑 Added 2023-02-20 12:20:12 +0000 UTCA day earlier.
The dead world shook like the reanimated corpse of a giant. Deep in the bones of its ancient structure, Cadiz watched cracks spread over smooth stone that had withstood the end of a sphere. Temperature was rising steadily. It smelled like powder and charred meat.
The others looked at him wearily.
“Sire. The emergency portal…”
“Is not working. Iago. The bomb. Now.”
The powerfully built lord opened the metal case and worked through the control with great speed. The heat. It was becoming unbearable. The others were moving closer with eyes closed in resignation. To their credit, none of them shared the blame, even though they had dedicated their lives to the blade, only to face a death by fire.
He pulled a pendant.from his shirt and brushed a fnger over the smooth surface. it bore the semblance of a butterfly, or a moth perhaps. Death wings and a body like dagger. The faint smell of tree sap and blood emanated constantly from it, only when one was looking. Another brush and he heard a scream of terror. The room under the Last City darkened every so slightly.
“It is done, my liege.”
“Thank you, Iago. Everyone, please gather around me.”
They did so, exchanging last nods of respect for fellow blade masters.
“I hope this works,” Cadiz muttered.
“My liege?”
The Progenitor firmly pressed on the pendant’s body. A thin needle snapped through his thumb. He felt it bite into the bone and drink greedily.
The pendant consumed a tremendous amount of power in a single instant. The intensity made Cadiz hiccup and would have forced him to move away were it not for his adamantine self-control. All of the squad felt the tether latch.
Suddenly, they were standing in the air above the ground where a mushroom of fire and death expanded upward over gutted ziggurats and crumbling towers. Shimmering colors danced around them as the ground blurred and became distant, then they were watching a beige orb hovering in the void, with a sun and distant stars in the distance. Then they were going faster and faster, locked in place. Distance changed meaning until straight lines became an absurd, diminishing concept, until the tiniest fragment of icy rocks carried an unacceptable mass, until even that and time resembled traps designed to swallow their true form in the muddy pit of existence.
And then they were inside of a dim room covered in pillows. The air smelled of tobacco and something else. It was warm. Comfortable.
“Well well well,” a voice said.
A woman in an exotic gown that revealed a pale, naked shoulder lounged on a sagging couch. She tapped her pipe against the wood. Long, inky hair surrounded a gaunt yet elegant face like a waterfall of darkness. Her eyes were pits of nothingness.
“You lot, clear out. This is not a conference.”
Though the squad did not speak fae, the meaning carried through them anyway. Cadiz nodded to signal his assent and they made their way out respectfully.
“Cadiz. My lovely.”
“My lady Carnaciel.”
“I give you a gift of love and you employ it as a lifeline. I am most hurt.”
“I apologize, my lady. I would not have resorted to that if I could. Our other lifeline failed us.”
“It is that little cub, is it not?”
“She has done well. I believe she will win.”
“So you do not wish to return?”
Cadiz smiled. He shrugged. The movement felt incredibly liberating. The air here smelled good and familiar. His gaze followed the casually revealing cleavage to the barest hint of a dark nipple. An amused smile bloomed on Carnaciel. It was full of mischief.
“I have done my part. She is the one favored by fate now, and besides, I have been missing you.”
“Then come my little fencer. The night is young.”
***
Outside the room, the squad distinctly heard a moan of pleasure.
Lady Inez crossed her arms, radiating disapproval. That was most cavalier.
“Do we just… stand there?” Iago asked.
A door opened behind them. A goat man stood at the threshold.
“Come on,” he said in high Likaean. “I have prepared tea.”
“We cannot drink tea.”
“You can drink this one, vampires. Come now. I have much to explain.”
***
In the bowels of the Last City, a slave rushed by a patrol, carrying a crate of large proportions. The warrior leading the patrol turned to scream but the slave smiled and pointed up. The warrior screeched.
A moment later, this entire part of the complex collapsed on hin, burying the entire patrol under thousands of tons of rubble.
The slave shrugged. That was good enough. He stopped.
His body shifted, his form filled until what was left behind was a man, or rather, something that looked like a man. The newcomer had wild, white, messy hair like a windswept bush, and odd-colored eyes. He smiled to reveal a pair of fangs.
“Welp, suppose this is far enough.”
He dropped the third and final bomb, armed it, then stood away. He rummaged in the pocket of his coat and finally grabbed a box that could not possibly have fit there. He shook it a little. The box remained inert.
“Meh, I do not want to see that old monster anyway. Kilimandjaro is great at this time of the year. Time to brush up on my Swahili!”
He tossed the box and pulled a large book from his breast pocket. Just like the box, there was no possible way the massive tome could fit there. It floated in the air and opened at a seemingly random page, showing the picture of a large mountain.
“That was fun and new… but I can’t possibly work on a dead world to make it weirder,” Vanheim said.
He jumped into the image.
The book stayed floating for a second, shivering with outrage at being left behind. Then it willed itself back to earth.
Comments
Blake Noyes
There isn’t any emotional story beat left in them. They are both consumed by their base personalities. Nirari conquers, Semiramis controls. There’s nothing else to be said
Blake Noyes
He devoured her. It was mentioned. Idk how you guys are missing the entire plot of the whole story that’s been foreshadowed for at least 75 chapters
e
Yeah some interaction between Nirari and Semiramis seems essential to really wrap up the emotional story beat. I wanted more on their inner workings to add depth the interactions Ari has had with them both
Deltoroid
it's a reference so its fine
Louis Nel
What even happened with her? I assume she was killed but it's not actually mentioned.
Pierre Steiner
In hindsight that was a great "hold my beer" moment
Jeanean
Until now, she only ever made the offer once. And that was to the old Ice mage. He refused, stating that he wanted to go out in style. And going out in style he did.
Phsteven
He believed that if he did he would ascend to good hood
Mythix
Do we know why Nirari wanted to kill his mother ? I don’t remember. I would have liked a little dialogue between the two and maybe a fight even if it would have been one sided. Semimaris was still the first and the most powerful mage. Anyway thanks for everything
RonGAR
Reusing 'The Great Escape' chapter name: Yeah.. I saw that too. Forgot to say something about that.
Isiah Debarros
I mean, that was just his decision he could've just normally made her a vampire but he likes breaking his spawn
Albedo's Ahoge
Unlikely.... you do remember the process to make a devourer right? That doesn't seem to fit in with her personality.
Hayden Leech
Reusing chapter names? Booo
9mur
Great story! I hope there will still be a few more chapters though, but you are right to end this where you feel the most comfortable. Prolonging it would just mess with the quality if you don't feel like writing it anymore. There's always room for spinoffs after all, no point to change the plan now. A little perspective from the mortals would be nice, like how do they view Ariane and what information they have on her. Like some old painting from her family home or something. Anyway, thanks again! Best story of this genre I've read and the reason I made patreon in the first place. Well worth the money.
Andrew
Thank you!
RonGAR
Im sooo bummed. Why do you have to end it bro!!! Why can't you treat this like One Piece, and have a thousand chapters or something? SMH. Ugggggggghhhhh... Sooo bummed. ------------- Ariane is the progenitor now. Is it now house 'Reynaud'? Or are we going to honor the name Nirari? ----------- 🤔Hmmm my guess is, any spawns Ariane makes will most likely also be 'daywalkers' Nirari said she would eventually feel 'compelled' to do it and her destroyer will be one of her own. So she may do it, and that may eventually happen, but I don't think so. That is what conquering was to him. To kill upwards for power. To be number one. Ariane is the Progenitor now. She is different. Conquering to her meant something else entirely. It was putting or making people together to face bigger threats together. Finding champions and supporting their efforts. Her offspring, will be those champions. They will grow in power to be supporters of her version of conquering, not Nirari's. I don't think their only goal will be to kill their way to the top, just to wait for someone to do it to them. Plus its not like they are going to all remain on earth forever. In the next 3k years technology is going to grow exponentially. The mage and vampire communities will be out paced. Earth is going to need champions. And once that is settled, they are going spread out amongst the countless galaxies, and for each world, Ariane can provide a champion or three. But Earth will always be hers. They are one now. From now till the sun collapses. OR Now that she is a PROGENITOR, her line may follow different rules altogether. Instead of conqueror, it may be, engineers, or builders. The first thing she wanted to do, was build something of her own. That is what started all of this in the first place. So she may go her own way. Who knows. ----------- Where did the other vampires go. I can't imagine they stayed for the sun. Can't imagine they'll hang around in arms reach of plenty of individuals willing to 'dig them up' in the daytime. Wish this chapter was a few paragraphs longer ------------ Cadiz going to make a home for himself and his blade masters crew in the fae worlds now??? Guess he will meet Ari again in 3000 earth years and probably 30,000 fae years... Yikes! Never did get around to perfecting that backhanded swing. SMH. But once he and Ari mentioned they would have 'time to do it later', That was just 'code' right there for one of you is going to die! LOL Thanks for seeing clear of that situation. ------------ Soooo Vanhiem was that Mysterious Lord that Nirari brought with him? I thought that was the Dvor Progenitor. Hmmm, Or is Vanhiem doing his own thing and just made sure that third bomb went off and left nothing for the last remaining residence of the now and truly 'dead world'. Details, details, so many missing details. UGh. -------------- Damn... really wish the story didn't have to END. SMGDH. 😭
Isley
good chappie
Emily Gurnavage
Wow, both of those epilogues are great. I sort of hope there is more yet of the aftermath with Ariane and Earth, but I also realize any more will just keep bringing up new questions and wants. So perhaps this is the end end. It could fit, despite my burning desire to know more about Arianes new abilities. She is literally a God now, not just a progenitor. A God. Wild, lol. Any new spawns will surely be even more insane than spawns of Nirari, too.
Alex L
Now that Ariane’s a progenitor and doesn’t really have anyone to be afraid of, will she make more devourers?
Mecanimus
Hohohohoho
Young Youghurt
more like mistress plan.
Mecanimus
Gimme a moment.
SDCard
Of course Cadiz had a master plan all along, nice
Jo
ah, that was Vanheim. I did wonder about that but it fits really well.
Pierre Steiner
Omg 2 chapters in one day! I need moar now!
