“Now what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t share?”
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“A decidedly less dead one.”
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“So, a horrible one then.”
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“I want you to think about what you said, and then what I said and then try again.”
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“Maybe you just have sissy friends, but my friends tend to chop me in half.” Morrus replied. “Risa can testify to that.”
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“You need some better friends then.”
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“You’re not wrong.”
The island was gradually getting closer across the horizon, and the suspiciously silent Risa might’ve been sleeping or something. But she’d need to wake up soon if she was going to have any say.
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Jevis followed silently toward the end of the group, thankful that at least it looks like they were getting somewhat closer to civilization.
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Ekimu groaned in pain, his chest slowly rising up and down with each ragged breath he drew. What had once been blue had faded to a dull grey, with splatterings of red staining the snow where his arm had been. The elderly Okotan struggled to sit up, his breaths growing shallower and shallower as he beckoned the others to approach him.
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Dax goes to the Mask Maker’s side, putting a hand behind his back to help him sit up. He looks between the two Mask Makers, master and apprentice, face stoic.
Vohman stays next to Gladius at the front of the party, his face looking more grim with each passing hour. His chipper demeanor has long since faded, only occasionally talking to point out the right path or something to avoid.
“Yup, that happens to be one of my specialties!” Risa smiles, seemingly having come out of a daydream just in time for the comment. “You don’t want me to chop you in half right now, right? Might be kinda hard to fly that way…”
Lync sighs. “Okay kids, you’re testing my patience. Let’s assume, just for a moment, that you aren’t completely incompetent and you’re able to lead us to him without kicking the hornet’s nest and getting us all killed.” She grabs at the guard’s arm, trying to pull him to his feet. “So let’s get going before that delusion fades, shall we?”
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Blaze tries to drag himself over.
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Morrus wondered if there was a universe where Risa having a thought that didn’t involve bodily harm of someone nearby could occur.
“Since you’ve returned to the land of the living,” He mumbled. “Any idea what the heck is wrong with that island? My political career is at stake, and if those aren’t large piles of rope stretching out from that landmass, I lose the only vote of confidence among the freaks-of-nature community.”
For a moment - only for a moment - the stone-grey skin of the Lord of the Undying Storm froze his joints in place. The cold blue heart stopped beating, the hollow eyes bore a solemn stare mixed with equal parts unspeakable horror and acceptance of the situation. Others would have cried out in terror or rushed to Ekimu’s aid, but the Lord of the Undying Storm was quite literally made to lead - this was the hour of action.
You killed Ekimu.
The thought run through his head like a violent crash, smashing against one side of his skull and reverberating back again, threatening to split his head apart with the barrage of conflicting emotions and guilt welling up. But none of it would be the master of him yet; nothing would keep him from this call.
Ekimu’s call? No. There would be a void here - whether or not Ekimu died - and the void called for a voice. His voice.
One hand gently reached down as he walked forwards, scooping Blaze up with incredible ease, his eyes focused squarely on Ekimu as one half of his thoughts flew to ways to preserve Ekimu’s life till he reached the mask maker’s city while the other half considered his death and the likelihood of the rest of the party flying into a mad rage against him for the action, all while his stomach twisted and tore itself apart at the very concept of killing Ekimu. But still he walked.
Stopping only a couple feet from where Ekimu lay, he very slowly descended on one knee, his hand cupped under Blaze’s chest, pity and sorrow warping his brow as he stared at the gruesome wound.
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Blaze groans as he is moved and is set down by his master. He tries to get a good look at the wound to see if there was a way to preserve his master’s life.
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Risa leans far out to the side, wrapping one hand in a vine and shading her eyes with the others. “Hmm… we definitely found an island, good job on that one.” She tries to get a better look at these “ropes”.
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“C-come c-closer,” whispered Ekimu, gasping for air as he struggled to collect his thoughts, to find the right words to be his last. He coughed, with a bit of blood dripping down his face and neck.
“I, I am,” He began before breaking into another fit of coughing, “I, am Ekimu, m-mask maker of the island of Okoto. I, I have lived a long life, and find myself fortunate to have d-done so. I have been fortunate to have seen a glimpse of eternity, for seeing the long shadows cast by evil and the coming of heroes to vanquish it. But, I find myself most privileged to have seen the rising of the sun, a rare constant in a life long lived. Its work is unyielding, unending, it may never find true rest. The sun I saw this morning was the same as the one I once watched with my brother as children.”
“You, Blaze” he continued before starting to cough once more,"Remind me so much of the best parts of him, t-the ambition, the, the drive, the heart. P-please, don’t make the same mistakes he did, there’s so much good in you, so much potential. You might one day prove to be a better mask maker than I ever was, but I’m far more proud of the fine young man I’ve seen you grow into. "
He turned to address his unwitting killer, shaking his head slightly as he looked up at The Lord of the Undying Storm, “Lord of the Undying Storm, every time I say your full title I feel myself inch closer to death,” Chuckled the dying Ekimu, slumping over a bit, “There is much that is good in you as well, but don’t let my passing be an excuse to forget all that I’ve tried to teach you about the world, about life, and about people. You have gone to great strides to show me how much you’ve grown, but now you must do it on your own. Prove to the world that you can be good, not for my approval, but because you choose to be.”
“As for everyone else, make sure this message returns to the Mask Maker’s city: It is my last order that In my absence, Hitora and Gladius should be looked to for guidance. They have already proven themselves to be great leaders, and I trust them completely to follow in my stead. My last will and testament can be found in my personal sanctum within the forge, but please, don’t let it divide.” Losing the strength to sit up, the ancient dropped onto his back, blankly looking up at the cold, dark sky. “I, I,” Sighed Ekimu, growing quieter and quieter as he shed a single tear that glistened in the night “I just wish that I could’ve seen the sun one last time.”
And then he was silent.
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Horror was the only thing which echoed out of the hollows of the great eyes which cast their blue light across Ekimu. All underlying sympathy was drowned out by unshakable, unspeakable horror at the situation.
There was a silent moment of reverence which screamed louder than any pang of sorrow or whispered word. Thoughts undoubtedly raced through the minds of everyone present - how to revive him, if this was truly his final bow, or perhaps what to do with his murderer.
Then there was a horrible tearing sound.
For Blaze, a dark shadow darker than the night sky would briefly pass over him. Was it the nameless guilt of his inaction or opportunity wasted? But the stars showed themselves again before long, as the tail end of the Lord of the Undying Storm’s cloak was swept past him.
The action was gingerly and delicate. With precise movement, the Lord of the Undying Storm had laid the tattered cloth over Ekimu and partially tucked it underneath - but every time he touched the mask maker’s body a great shiver shot through his his limbs, rattling his armor and forcing him to clench his fists to fight back some overpowering emotion. The final product was the neatest a burial wrap in that frozen wasteland could have been.
The wind began to blow through that wretched valley. Never in all of Okoto’s history had the night been so unforgiving, so vicious in its shadow, that all of Okoto must have felt the sudden sickening feeling now ripping the Lord of the Undying Storm to pieces. With raw emotion overpowering every limb it was a masterful excursion of unparalleled strength which commanded the highest snow-capped peaks and the depths of the furthest oceans to bow in reverence at the high command of this terrible being, these whispered words:
“The Great Ekimu is dead.”
As Morrus silently and somewhat irritably waited for a response to his witty remark, the sky above seemed to grow grey and the depths of the ocean below turned black and monstrous. An unseen and sinister horror seemed to spring out of those waters, so horrible and inconceivable that it overpowered every other emotion.
The elements had been unsettled. How had this occurred? What in Ekimu’s incredibly overhyped and extremely overemphasized three-syllable name had gone wrong?
Wrong? Gone wrong? Yes. Gone horribly wrong.
“M-Maybe we should head back.” Morrus stammered. “I mean, giant spiders aren’t t-too fond of trees, are they? W-We wouldn’t want to off-fend them or anything.” The reason was weak and the delivery weaker, like a five year old with his hand in the cookie jar.
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Blaze let out a shattered sob as his hero and mentor laid lifeless in the ice, wrapped in the Storm’s cloak. As he cried, his arm screamed with pain as it moved due to his body convulsing in sheer pain and heartache at seeing what he thought would be a constant be removed.
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Tarkur tried not to show it but he too feel a tear for the fallen mask maker.
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“Oh, so now you believe me?” Grumbled Traykar as he crossed his arms,“You said it yourself that you can’t make it all the way back, so maybe we can stop and get some rest on the island next to it.”
“Nah, I mean I’m not incompetent, I can’t speak for him, but I’ve got my head on straight.” Said the first guard.
“Oh please, you’re even stupider than I am!” Growled the Second one.
Twenty Three stood a few feet from the group, ears flatted against her head as she walked on in shock and horror before unknowingly taking as step back.
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Morrus did not respond, instead angling his wings to alter his path as he racked his brain to come up with an answer for why he just felt that way.
But nothing fit. No possibility would be so minor and yet generate such a reaction inside. Absolutely nothing.
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