Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 704: Ground Zero

As the chaos all around died, an eerie silence set over the world as if everyone, all at once, was contemplating what had happened. They all feared one another, even their closest allies, because moments ago they’d been fighting against them. Argrave searched this field of dead nightmares for Anneliese.

It became clear he was coming closer to her as the images he saw shifted. He saw her mother, her father. He saw himself, repeated countless times in dead bodies. He saw sights not so dissimilar to what he’d endured, but the fear of what had happened pressed him onward without taking much time to contemplate.

“Raven and Lorena will survey the world to be sure Gerechtigkeit is dead,” Elenore informed him. “…but from all I hear, it seems to be truly over.”

Argrave stopped at a gaping hole of writhing flesh, peering down into its depths. This was where the connection between their two artifacts had led him. He took a deep breath and jumped within.

What he saw… it made Argrave’s own battles seem paltry by comparison, insignificant. The twisted bodies and faces rising from the stone, the grasping hands and chewing mouths… Argrave saw faint traces of her magic still persisting. Ice crystals, sparks, fires, all the like. Finally, though, the bottom neared. He landed upon a huge mass of flesh.

Argrave looked around. The cyst-like growth was wide and putrid, likely having been born of the earth all around them. He hoped to hear Anneliese’s voice at any moment—even a call for help would be better than this silence. But as he tugged at the artifact buried within his body, he located the source of its response.

Just underfoot.

With that, Argrave kneeled, conjuring a dagger of blood and carefully carving away with urgent movements. When, finally, one pale hand revealed itself, he eagerly dove deeper. Strip after strip of flesh peeled away, at parts like cutting through fat and at others through bone. And as he did, he began to understand Elenore’s defeat.

She was alive, but… Anneliese didn’t move. Instead, her body was suspended in stasis.

Deep in the throes of denial, Argrave continued to free more and more of her figure. When he finally reached her face, her amber eyes open wide and her lips frozen into a faint smile, the last support snapped, and he accepted what had happened. She had been overwhelmed, and in a last-ditch effort, suspended her body with the Spark of Eternity. It gave her total invulnerability, yet…

Argrave didn’t know what to do. Rage? That was there, but some dim undercurrent kept him from losing himself to the tide of emotions that poured over him. Whatever her present state, she was alive. She could be brought back, right? She had to be. If she couldn’t be…

“Argrave…” Elenore’s quiet voice entered his mind, speaking delicately as if she feared what he might do. “Anneliese felt confident enough to do this because she knew you would still persist. That’s what she told me.”

Argrave couldn’t help but tear up upon hearing that. He stared into Anneliese’s amber eyes.

“She knew that you’d be able to finish the fight,” Elenore continued. “And you will be, right? For her? For all of us?”

Argrave swallowed his tears, his sobs, even though it was painful. He looked up toward the sky, where the sun of his design faintly sent light curving into this horrid place. The skies were again free of Gerechtigkeit’s influence. He could see the wound in the world—waiting, inviting, like a taunt.

“Just…” Argrave’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Just wait a moment, Anne. I’ll get you out of here. Then, I have to go.”

#####

Fortunately, Anneliese’s suspended form wasn’t trapped in that horrid pit—Argrave was able to bring her out of it, where others had already begun to gather around. He left her in the care of Elenore, then surveyed the surroundings as others gathered. Elenore brought a great deal of survivors here that she might coordinate their response and best deal with the aftermath. After all, she couldn’t be certain that she’d still have the blessing of connection if Argrave succeeded.

Swan, Durran’s patron, and Yinther, god of curiosity, died at Gerechtigkeit’s hand. Even Veid in the Great Chu had fallen in the battle. The Veidimen were in a period of mourning. Argrave thought Galamon would be among them as her champion,

untethered once Hause perished. While she hadn’t fully claimed the spark for Anneliese, she had been a contributing

as a concept might be

and coordinate, Argrave visited with those gathering in the

saw Dario and Melanie, helping the dwarves evacuate out of their broken city of Mundi and visiting the surface for the first time in centuries. The sunlight and open air made some of them vomit. He saw Elias of Parbon helping coordinate

Nikoletta mumbled quietly. “Mateth…

healing magic could close it, for it was caused by the

another platform. Read the official version

alive,” Argrave said, looking between her and Mina. “We’ll

so he left them alone with their grief. He briefly joined with Orion

bad was the Great Chu?” He asked the

focused only on him. “Only a few cities still stand. Their people

Veidimen were barely harmed.” Galamon crossed his arms, speaking with an unusually angry tone. “I’m ashamed, even in my happiness. Patriarch Dras…” he

be welcome here,” Argrave said with

how are

fine,” Argrave insisted. “I’ll be sure

“Good luck. For

as the lunar dragons ferried people over. According to Elenore, they’d been hit hard by the battle, but enough of them had survived to begin the revival of their people on this planet. The question remained, of course, whether or not they’d choose to stay

Argrave came to Durran,

not difficult to see how entire civilizations were lost after every cycle,” Durran said as greeting. “Everything… everything’s just gone.” He looked in the distance. “Mountains were eroded and remade. Cities were leveled,

All around, these nightmarish corpses began to turn back into what they’d been born of—earth,

was worse this time,” Argrave

cultures, were just… forgotten. Lost. My people survived,

imagine. I have Erlebnis’

inhaled. “I’m feeling markedly less soulful after hearing that.” He turned his head

any weird people that hover near her,” Argrave

over. “I can’t kill Raven, I’m afraid.” Durran shook his

fact that Raven

Raven had imbued on him—his life bet about whether or not Gerechtigkeit could

Argrave nodded. “Easy

guard of Anneliese. The tally of damage could be calculated after this last battle was finished. For now, he’d have to see if the plan remained as was. With steady, certain steps, he came to

he walked nearer. “Or have you elected to send someone

consider putting my own name in the list. But in the end, you could probably kill me easily at this point. And you’ve proven… difficult to kill. I can’t think of