Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave began to piece together his foe’s plans all at once only after he saw the fruit of his labor. Jaray hadn’t been betting on being able to rely on the Shadowlanders or any deities of the world. From the beginning, he hadn’t even intended to live their encounter if Argrave had indeed brought Sophia. He’d predicted his own death—and presumably, part of his deal with Gerechtigkeit was being resurrected by the power of Sophia’s creation. He went to his grave with total confidence he would soon crawl out of it, reborn… and even if Argrave proved otherwise, the god of politics wouldn’t exactly be around to despair at that fact.

Argrave had to admit that Jaray’s gambit had worked.

“Is this it?” Anneliese asked Argrave as all others around stared in frightful awe. “Is it happening?”

“Yes,” Argrave answered her, his words strangely calm as he set Sophia down on the ground. “It’s happening. Gerechtigkeit is here.”

The sky had an ever-widening black gash across its surface. It transcended everything, taking precedence before any other form of existence. Even if one were on the opposite side of the planet, they’d be able to see this wound as clear as day. It bypassed walls, floors, and any state of being to imprint itself on every living being’s sight. Even the blind could see it. The other senses were not spared this omnipresence.

Argrave could smell rot creeping into his nose, like they’d breached into a well of bloated corpses. He could barely hear guttural howls growing louder by the second, threatening to drown out the sound of the wind. He could faintly taste a tangy salt in his mouth, like he’d bitten his tongue and now tasted his own blood. And above all, there was a dreadful presence. It was like the feeling moments before a blow landed, or the instances before hitting the ground after jumping from a high place.

Argrave felt dread encapsulated. Just as his lungs drew in air, or his heart beat… instinctually, Argrave’s entire being feared what emerged from that wound.

Gerechtigkeit—of yet in embryonic form—poured down like black mud from the wound in the sky. Yellow eyes, glistening like beads of oil, danced on the surface of this ugly liquid. They scouted millions of victims for their coming onslaught. Each eye was a mind unto itself, though each with the purpose of serving Gerechtigkeit. They were both his servants and himself all at once. Before he fully manifested on this plane, those eyes would be his army. They were formless golems made of spite and destruction. Argrave had never before seen them so numerous, nor so large, at the very beginning of things. That black liquid would, in time, coalesce into the cosmic horror that was Gerechtigkeit… but even like this, its power couldn’t be underestimated.

“He’s here before his time,” Raven said, stepping ahead of Argrave. His flesh wavered in between his human form and that of the Alchemist. Even his ancient mind seemed stunned, wavering with indecision. “We’re unprepared.”

“Argrave, what the hell is this?!” Durran demanded, grasping his shoulder. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“No, but I can guess,” he answered. He pictured himself forcefully grabbing his heart, and the mental image alone was enough to calm its frenetic beating. “Jaray and Gerechtigkeit had some kind of shady backroom deal. How it worked, what it was—doesn’t seem to matter, now. But Gerechtigkeit is here weeks early. Sophia is outside of Blackgard. Meaning… they’ll be coming for us. Hard.”

“…I told you not to do this,” came Elenore’s voice, barely a whisper in his mind.

“It’s already done. Sophia is still safe,” he responded to her. “All the gods will’ve seen what’s happened. I need you to do what you can to convince them to switch sides. Use Ail, that god of couriers you mentioned might defect. Use every connection you have. The final test has come early.”

answered simply, as though nothing were

need to return immediately,” Durran continued, oblivious to Argrave’s

magic—he isn’t limited, like deities. Attempting to go to Blackgard would only result in an immediate engagement with the heart of all

head up when she said

suggested. “Or we could use Raccomen. Or even that lunar dragon, what with her

yes, but they’ll know that. Every single being at Gerechtigkeit’s disposal will be coming out, all at once, in far grander displays of force

into this world. Argrave could practically feel the noose tightening around their necks, but going from one neck-and-neck

head…” Sophia said,

Amazon, know that it

finally broke his gaze away from that deluge of black, muddy liquid, pulsing with eyes as he looked down at Sophia. “Hey, hey…!” He knelt just in time to catch her as she

“I’m tired…” she continued.

creation is being forcibly triggered,” Raven explained as he

of disbelief as a question. As her mind worked, the disbelief faded. “That explains a lot, actually. Jaray was the catalyst for all of this. Gerechtigkeit must’ve done something to his body. Trapped

If Sophia was reduced to this… it made things much more difficult for them. But even as this new problem emerged, he recognized the need for fast action. “Damn it all. Anneliese, I need you to take Sophia,” he instructed her. “I need you to keep her safe.” He handed the young girl off to his queen, then looked back toward the coming mayhem. “More than that—I need you to rally the world. I need you to

do?”

Argrave answered. “Staunch the bleeding with blood of my own. So long as you’re out here, I can’t fall. I’d be a fool not to take

knew better than anyone that

brush of his wife’s hair, he attempted to

coming from the world’s wound grasped his face as if it had caught him out of the air. It resembled a gargoyle, and though its body looked composed of black mud, its head was supplanted

had intercepted him

as if it were alive—alive, and starved. It burned to the touch like fire. He twisted his body and wildly cast blood magic into its body, extricating himself of the abomination.It exploded away, yet left its hand wrapped around his face. He tried to wipe the living sludge off before simply