Chapter 133

When It Rains It Pours Blood?

As it turns out the term Herald of Oblivion means something entirely different in Beastkin mythology than it does in human. Who would have known, different species, separated by evolutionary divergence points millions of years apart, developing different languages, and developing in ways that are completely different from one another would in fact come to have words that are the same, but mean completely different things.

While the scourge were the same, going from basic amoeba to deeper and deeper tones. The Heralds of Oblivion were different races of humanoid monsters that apparently all came to visit their people.

The first Herald was an Endarian Space Elf who brought knowledge of the temple, and ways to get people to join him and his quests. He would take them, have them unlock their abilities, then lead them off into spaceships that promised hope and good future. A future where the Endarians offered not only refuge but a way to resist an earlier way of the Prolaxians, otherwise known as the scourge.

Of course, our job in this scenario was to sneak aboard one of these spaceships and see the actual future.

In this case, slavery was the case. Shere unadulterated slavery. Beastkin were collared and forced into battlelines that would attack and defend Endarian assets from invading Prolaxian invaders.

That was when we were to go back and assassinate the Endarian who was in fact an Endarian and not a Prolaxian Herald in disguise. Honestly, I wonder if the Prolaxians had infiltrated the ranks of the Endarians in this timeline as they had in our own, and these temples only recorded the known history of the Beastkin or if there was something more sinister at play.

Still, I played along, and saw things from the Beastkin perspective and thought, I could now understand why the Beastkin went to war with the Endarians.

The next vision was not much better, as it depicted a Dwenvarian coming at roughly the same time, as the settlements being built by the Beastkin were roughly the same quality and style. Here the Dwenvarian demanded money for protection, a basic mobster. Then to emphasize their power and prowess, they created rains of blood that destroyed the crops, sickened the children, and ended up wiping out entire settlements of people.

That was just the second one. Once again, I had to kill this imposter. Their mind easily ripped apart under my Mind Rend, but I tried to look for the telltale signs of a true Prolaxian herald, but there were none.

On the bright side, I did still get certs for killing these heralds, even getting a specialty cert for going on the random mission to find Endarian slavers and kill them. But nothing screamed that these were monsters bringing about the destruction of the universe as we know it. Instead, these looked more and more like stories of how people were oppressed by foreign space races.

Each story came and went with much the same. A new faction would come from space only to take advantage. Each time the Beastkin would be forced to flee their home world or be subjugated harshly.

I was almost believing this whole sob story when finally, the last story shown was me. Yes, me, not a human, not someone who looked like me, but me.

I came down with Jess at my side and proceeded to also subjugate the Beastkin of this universe.

“What the fuck?” I ask.

“Oh wow, one second. Somehow you got sent to the archive levels.” A voice called out. Then before I could think or even do anything a glowing form appeared before me in the temple.

The figure looked human, well mostly human. Their glowing purple eyes seemed to spark something being off. Of course, I am not one to talk about glowing purple eyes, but still.

“Wait. Are you a?”

“Shh!” I can’t say. “And you shouldn’t ask that type of question.”

I am about to use my Revelation Sight on this guy to prove my thoughts, when he holds up a finger stopping me.

“Stop, wait. I have a deal for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes, I saw what the Good Doctor did, and I am willing to offer you an out. Not chasing after your tail for the chance of something. Though I do have to admit, your plan likely would have succeeded, eventually. But instead, what I offer is a way out.”

“A way out?”

“You want to heal both Jesses, and the big man agrees, that is a noble goal. Something he whole heartedly agrees with. This is why he sent me down here to make an offer.”

“An offer?”

“Yes, consider me the warning ghost in a Christmas Carol. I am here to tell you that this vial right here is ready for you.” He says then holds up a glowing silver vial of liquid.

I stare at the liquid and pause.

That looks like the vial that I gave to the Dwenvarian queen, the one that turned her skin silver, but made it so she could use spirit magic in everything she did.

“Wait, isn’t this a bit much, even for you all?” I ask, wondering what the catch is. Last time I had to jump through thousands of hoops to even begin to work out that Heralds were on one end, and Celestials were on the other end of the spectrum. Both wanted to fuck with me in different ways, but ultimately the Celestials seemingly wanted to save the universe, while the Heralds wanted to destroy the universe.

“Normally yes, but again, I have been given special permissions.”

“Permissions to do what?”

“Well, depends, do you want to go with my plan where you will be visited by three ghosts?”

“You realize this literally makes me Scrooge in your analogy?”

He pauses for a moment, then looks at me. “Your point?”

I open my mouth to protest, but then just shake my head. “Go on.”

“All right, the plan is simple you will be summoned by the ghosts of a past, present and future universe. All of which will need your expertise to be saved.”

I pause, “why do this? Why even have the heralds, the behemoths, you? Why do any of this?” I ask.

At that the most likely Celestial nods.

“I get it, what’s the point of pushing humans and the universe as a whole to improve?” The mysterious entity begins. “Honestly, you ask that question and wonder why you are compared to Scrooge, versus some other hero.”

I raise a finger to question, but then am cut off as I try to think about his statement for a minute.

“Still not answering my question. Not really.”

“The truth is, the universe is dull without conflict, and originally these conflicts were needed. But as you can see, the war went too far. Tensions got too high. Ultimately rules were broken. This is us just moving the needle back a bit.”

Hearing this, I can’t quite tell what to expect.

“This was the history of the universe after the first few trials. As you can see what started out as people with good intentions ended up with people taking advantage of new races to pit them on the front lines of a war that no one remembered the purpose of.”

“So what? They call in me because I beat it once?”

“No, not just beat it, you obliterated it, not just in your universe but in two others. That alone is worth bringing you in at least as a consultant work in the struggle of other universes.”

“Wait, before this goes any further can you at least tell me your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah, so I don’t have to keep thinking about you as that annoying likely Celestial guy.” I answer. With my response, I see the skin of the man in front of me turn slightly translucent. That was the thing about them, the more you knew, the more they disappeared. This didn’t work for the Heralds, if you knew about them, that just meant you had to fight them. Celestials were different, if equally annoying in their own right.

“Well in that case, you can refer to me as Jacob Marley.”

“The guy who shot the sheriff?” I asked.

At that Jacob pauses for a second, then shakes his head, “no that was Bob.”

“Your brother?”

“What, no, you referenced the stupid book, so I just went with the character that was most fitting.”

“Oh, right back to me being Scrooge, so what exactly are you asking for my help with after that?”

Jacob just shakes his head a little annoyed by my antics at this point. I don’t know why, but inwardly this causes me to smile brightly.

“Here is a set of instructions. Follow this exactly and you will be granted this vial.” The Celestial says.

In his right hand, he holds a sheet of paper. In his left he holds the vial that I have spent the last few months looking for, a way to cast Spirit Healing. Or at least a way to apply Spirit power to everything I do.

“You know what, I have a better idea.” I say.

Revelation Sight.

The apparition before me begins to instantly glow a golden color. As he does, his body burns brightly and then instantly begins to dissolve.

Before the vial in his hands can drop and shatter on the ground, I Telekinetically reach out and grab the vial still in midair.

Then pulling the vial up to my lips, I see how its contents turn from a silvery color to clear. Sniffing the contents of the vial, I don’t detect any smell or aftertaste. Realizing I had been played in some way, I take the vial and all but inhale its contents, only to find they are water. No energy, no magic in the vial, just pure water.

Frustrated, I pick up the letter and begin reading it.

Hello Scrooge,

We figured you might try to cheat, so we came up with this contingency. I spelled water to be exchanged with the exact vial you wished. So when you sent me back, you just ended up with water instead.

Don’t worry, the Spirit vial will be yours, so long as you play nice. Again, three more universes, three more Jesses that will all need to be saved. Only now you will have a chance to save them.

Also, because you are slow, you will be visited by a ghost of the Past, Present, and future, but maybe not in that order.

Regards

Jacob

That bastard. I promised myself I would stay out of their schemes and machinations from here on out. But just like always, they somehow manage to grab me by the balls and lead me right to their next trap.

I had been played.

I had been played quite handedly. I thought I would be able to bypass this whole scenario, but as it turned out I was just playing right into their hands.

Shaking my head, I decide to do my whole purpose for why I had been here in the first place. Only to find that according to the system I was done.

Scenario complete. Heralds of Oblivion remaining (0/8).

There was no vial for completing the trials. Instead, all I saw was the same empty vial I had thrown down on the floor now sitting mockingly on a pedestal. I go to the vial, but only see that the contents are still only water. At this, I realize something wonky has happened, as I wouldn’t receive a vial of water for completing this trial, not at this difficulty level.

I exit, as I am all but forced to. I cannot go back to previous levels, and my scenario is now insisting that I am done with this temple.

Heading out, I see Día and the others just waiting for me to tell them what to expect.

I don’t quite know what to say, nor even how to say it to be honest. So I hand her the message.

“Who is Jacob?” Día asks.

“A Celestial that I removed.”

“What why? Aren’t they the good guys?”

I raise an eyebrow at that. “Since when?”

“Since they helped you save the universes by selflessly offering themselves up as a sacrifice.” Día offers.

I shake my head in disgust, not wanting to talk about it.

Silence. There is a long silence as we all contemplate what is happening. Finally Día speaks.

“When do you think it will happen?”

“I don’t…” Is all I can get out, before I feel my body being violently ripped out of the space and time I am currently in and feel my body being pulled into an alternate universe.