Hi! I hope your day is going well. I wanted to say that I recently reread Planetouched and it is still one of my favorite Magi fanfics. I love how you made each of the characters feel realistic within the D&D universe. I was wondering if you were still thinking about adding an epilogue to the story? I know this is kind of a rude question so please feel free to ignore it (or tell me to piss off).
Hi! Sorry I'm a bit late on the reply, I had a busy weekend.
Anyway, I do actually want to finish Planetouched someday. I feel bad that I stopped working on it with legit just the epilogue left... basically, my life got weird and my computer died around the same time. Now that that's been dealt with, I just need to get back into the right brainspace for it.
Hey😊 hope I'm not bothering you but I was wondering what was going on with the epilogue for Planetouched? I love your fic so much and I can't wait to read the last part! Hope you're doing well and I'm not bothering you :D
hi there, anon! don’t worry, you’re not bothering me. :)
I’m really, really sorry I haven’t finished the epilogue for Planetouched yet! it’s partially done, but while I was working on it I changed jobs. since then, I’ve been dealing with a whole bunch of stuff (so much stuff...), and finishing Planetouched has sorta fallen to the wayside.
I do want to (and plan to) finish it- probably after I deal with NaNo? hopefully, that gets me back into the writing groove. and I’ll try to make it worth the wait when I finally do.
I really hate to do this, but Planetouched is going to be delayed another week. sorry, guys. reality has been overwhelming (a lot of shit is happening all at once), and on top of that, this epilogue is coming out a lot longer than planned.
sort of like the fic, tbh- I’d orginally thought I’d write 15-20 chapters max, and here I am working on the 40th (not counting the two porn chapters)... and while the epilogue was originally going to be about the length of most of the others chapters, it’s already 5+ pages and will be a lot longer by the time I finish. @_@
sorry guys, the Planetouched epilogue is going be delayed a week. I’m pretty busy with some RL stuff (good RL stuff- I have a new job that’ll be starting soon), so I spent most of today running errands rather than writing.
Summary: A Tiefling assassin is given an unusual job. Nothing goes as planned, which is probably for the best.
Pairing: Sinja
---Sinbad POV
It was with dread and despair that Sinbad watched David approach the blue-haired wizard, ready to strike him down. No matter how much he wanted to fight, tried to fight, it was steadily becoming more and more impossible to gain any traction against David's overwhelming presence in his mind. There was no way he was going to be able to get control of himself enough to even warn this poor guy.
But then, the impossible happened. Sinbad could feel familiar red wires wrapping around his arms, and as his body was spun around- pulled away from the wizard David was about to attack- he felt his heart lift as a crushing weight was taken away.
There was Ja'far, those beautiful grey eyes of his gleaming like steel. Sinbad felt relief, love and hope flood through him- even as he noticed how exhausted Ja'far looked. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his cheeks looked kind of hollow, his clothes were dirty and torn (worse than when they'd first met, even), and just what had happened to him in Hell? At least he didn't look like he was hurt- nothing Sinbad could see, anyway.
“I told you I'd be back,” Ja'far said, and he was grinning, defiant, despite everything. “Now let Sin go.”
And David hadn't been expecting to see Ja'far here at all (which was saying something, where David was involved); he faltered in his shock, his grip on Sinbad's mind and body loosening, and Sinbad took full advantage, tearing control away from David with newfound strength. Re-taking his body fully for the first time in two weeks. “Ja'far! Are you alright?”
“I'm fine, Sin! Hold on just a little longer, we'll get him out of your body,” Ja'far promised.
David was already pressing against his mind again, forcing him into submission with no pretense at subtlety this time. Sinbad shoved back, trying to keep control just a little longer. “I'll hinder him as much as I can for you. Do whatever you have to, alright?” The pressure was already becoming overwhelming again, and Sinbad felt his defenses crumbling. “...Don't...let him hurt you.”
“I'll do my best.”
Sinbad managed to nod before David got the reins back. I told you Ja'far would make it out, he reminded his possessor. I told you he 'd come back to me. Guess you're not right about everything, are you?
I can correct for the Hellspawn's return. Keep fighting me, and I will not be able to hold back- I could kill him by mistake, if you are not careful.
Fuck you. I'm not falling for that.
---Falan POV
Ja'far's intervention clued everyone else in to David's presence. And not just his; he had almost a dozen mind-controlled victims to fight for him as well. Not that he probably needs them. Falan let go of the enchantment threads she was holding, hands trembling with rage. “Falan, what are you doing?” Ugo asked, looking back and forth between her and David.
Falan whispered a quick spell, pulling her information on Solomon's seal from her mind. She handed the orb to Ugo. “Here. This is what I know about the seal,” she said.
“I can't do this alone,” Ugo said. “Falan, I know how you feel, but you can't-”
“Yes, you can,” Falan said. “You're a genius, remember? I know you're way smarter than me, and I bet you're smarter than Arba, too.”
“Falan's right,” Sheba interjected. “You're going to have to do this on your own from here, Ugo. We'll cover you. Get Solomon out of there!”
Ugo hesitated, then nodded and began to work again.
Falan didn't wait around; she hurried over to the kids. “Okay, guys. Dunya, you can dispel enchantments, right?” As she talked, she began casting protection and enchantments over the group. Mass Bear's Endurance.
“Yes.”
“Aladdin, how about you?” Mass Cat's Grace.
“Not quickly, sorry!”
“No worries, kiddo.” Mass Fox's Cunning. “Okay, Judar and Dunya will dispel mind control.” Mass Owl's Wisdom. “Work as fast as you can.” Mage Armor on Judar. “Morgiana and Aladdin, subdue David's victims so those two can get the control off 'em.” Mage Armor on Aladdin. “Masrur and Alibaba, distract them.” Mage Armor on Masrur. “I'll protect you all, and help where it's needed most.” Mage Armor on Dunya. Dammit, Ja'far doesn't have proper armor either, where is he?
There was a chorus of assent. Out of the corner of her eye, Falan saw Sheba and Ja'far squaring off against David. My enchantments can't reach them from here... Maybe I can- But David was regaining his hold over Sinbad's body, and his 'puppets' were preparing to fight the group. There was no time to go to them.
All she could do was keep her team alive, and hope Sheba could do the same for herself and Ja'far.
---Ja'far POV
The lightning traveling along his wires was not from his knives. Ja'far felt his muscles lock, and his mental hold over the wires falter. His blades clattered to the ground, while David rose into the air. “You should not have returned.”
Ja'far stumbled, shaking his head to clear the buzzing. “Right, because staying in Hell was such a good plan.” He called his blades back to his hands. “Believe it or not, I'm not stupid.”
Lightning struck all around David. Sheba floated behind him, arms outstretched. “I thought we made it clear last time, David. You aren't welcome in this country, or this world. And you definitely aren't welcome to take over his body.”
“I was invited back. By former comrades of yours, did you not hear?” David replied, sending out a storm of fireballs without lifting a finger. “As for this body, well. I was able to obtain permission to dwell here early on, thanks to a spell like this. It is not my fault that he is going back on his word.”
Ja'far dodged the fireballs with some difficulty; even when they missed, they still burned him badly. He remembered superheated flames from a while back- Sin had used a powerful fire spell like this against Ithnan. “You've been trying to get into his body since before you were free of the stone?”
“Of course. You've guessed, haven't you? In his rage, he called out for greater power- and he did not think to question from whence it came.” David chuckled. “He is the one who allowed me to remain in this world after the stone's destruction.”
Enclosed in a bubble of magic, Sheba moved in front of Ja'far. “You really don't have the power to survive this,” she said. “Go help Falan and the others, I can handle this.”
“No!” Ja'far's hands tightened on his blades. “I'm not leaving him.”
This time, it was lightning raining down on them; there was no time to argue, and barely any time to dodge. Ja'far ran closer, keeping his wires close to him until the last second. He tried to snare David again, leaping at him.
But it was as if David could see his movements ahead of time; he simply moved out of the way far too easily, and slammed Ja'far into a pillar with a blast of energy.
Ja'far saw stars for a moment, but forced himself to stand up again quickly. The pain in his side suggested cracked ribs. But there was no time to worry about that; Sheba and David were trading attacks, and he had to take advantage of the distraction.
---Morgiana POV
Whatever spells Falan had cast on the group, Morgiana liked them. Her body had never been so responsive, and her instincts and sight felt sharper than ever. She looked to Dunya. “Give me a target,” she said.
“Bring me Yamraiha first,” Dunya replied.
Morgiana nodded; she'd sort of been expecting that. “Alibaba!” she called out.
He was by her side in a moment, flaming sword in hand. “Where do you want me?” he asked.
“Help me cut her off from the man with white hair and a black sword.”
“Got it.” He was moving faster than normal, too- it was almost distracting, seeing him like that.
But as he crossed swords with the man standing with Yamraiha, Morgiana had to focus on her mission. She ducked around spells flying from all the wizards they were up against, running at Yamraiha. The half-elf's movements were slower, jerky; probably because she was being controlled.
Morgiana grabbed her arms, pinning her hands behind her. She gathered Yamraiha into her arms, carefully holding her still. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aladdin had contained a couple others in bubbles. Efficient.
Since Yamraiha didn't look aware anyway, Morgiana wasn't sure she ought to knock her out. Instead, she ran her over to Dunya, holding Yamraiha in place easily as Dunya began to work her magic. Once Yamraiha stopped struggling, Morgiana let her go.
Dunya didn't glance up. “Go find another one. This shouldn't take me long.”
“Understood.” Morgiana ran back into the fray. That swordsman Alibaba was fighting would be a good choice; everyone else was using magic, so it would be easier if that was all they had to guard against.
She came up behind him, grabbing his wrist to force him to drop his sword. Alibaba let out a sigh of relief, grinning at her. “Thanks. He's good, it was getting hard to keep from hurting him.”
“Probably why David has him and not another wizard,” Morgiana said, carefully immobilizing his arms and legs.
“Yeah. I'm going to go help Falan.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“You too.”
---Ja'far POV
The battle had been raging for too long. His cuts and burns hurt, and his body was starting to become sluggish from exhaustion and blood loss. Ja'far didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered, besides trapping David and getting Sin back from him.
Sheba was looking worn out and beat up, too, but at least she was still moving.
“There is only one way this will end,” David pointed out, sending daggers of ice flying at the two of them.
Ice didn't bother him as much. Ja'far didn't bother dodging for a change, leaping in and tackling David out of the air. He wrapped his wires tightly around Sin's body, pinning him forcibly to the ground. “Yeah?” he asked, not bothering to pull out the ice daggers stuck in his arms and body. They could wait. “Does it involve this?”
“It was a possibility. Not a likely one,” David replied. He smirked. “You know he is at my mercy in here. There is nothing you can do to save him.”
Sheba landed next to him, using ice to hold him in place. “Sorry, Sinbad! I'm sure it hurts, but I promise I'll heal you after,” she said.
“Leave one of his hands free,” Ja'far said.
“Huh? Oh, sure.”
Ja'far dug into his pocket, taking out the ring Focalor had entrusted him with. “Sin, your grandfather says hello.” He forced the ring onto Sin's index finger.
The reaction was instantaneous, and the resulting surge of magic threw Ja'far several feet. It would have been much further, but his wires were wrapped so tightly around Sin's body that he couldn't go far. His shoulder pulled so hard it nearly popped out of its socket.
But none of that mattered. Ja'far pulled himself to his knees, checking for Sheba. She had been pushed back further, but was returning quickly. And Sin...
His body was thrashing, glowing. The internal struggle was showing through on his body, and it was clearly painful. Ja'far stumbled to his side, grabbing his hand and holding on tightly. “Sin! You can do it, you can fight him,” he said.
Sheba knelt on Sin's other side, her hands glowing white. “I'll see if I can help dispel David's hold on him,” she said. “Fighting enchantments from the inside is really rough, so he's going to want us here.”
“Thank you,” Ja'far said quietly. The ice around Sin's body was breaking, but it didn't seem to matter. Whatever struggle was happening inside Sin's mind was all-consuming; neither Sin nor David were responding noticeably to their presence. Ja'far called his wires back; they weren't helping at this point.
Sin was glowing golden-white, and it wasn't just Sheba's magic. Ja'far squeezed Sin's hand, searching his face for any sign of who was winning. Valefor, please help him...please, give him the strength to get through this, he begged silently.
Suddenly, he realized that Sin wasn't the only blinding glow anymore. Sheba stood up with a cry of relief.
A young man- who didn't look much older than Sin- knelt beside him. He had long, braided blue hair and eyes, and looked stunningly similar to Aladdin. On his forehead was the same red symbol as Sheba and Ugo's. He was also glowing blue-white, and almost blinding to look upon.
Solomon- it couldn't be anyone else- held a hand over Sin's chest. “You've done most of my work already. Here, give him to me. I'll send him back where he belongs.”
There was a pause, then a black fog rose out of Sin's body. Solomon gathered it into a ball, frowning at it for a moment. “Begone from this world, and from all worlds of the living. The gods of the dead will know what to do with you.”
The black fog vanished.
Sin stirred, golden eyes opening. He looked up. “Ja'far...? Thought I told you not to let him hurt you,” he said, sounding exhausted.
Ja'far laughed, hugging him tightly despite the inevitable, blinding pain. “Oh, shut up. I did my best.”
Sin's arms wrapped around him, pulling him down against Sin's chest. “You're amazing,” he said, smiling. “I'm so glad you're alive...”
“And you fought him off. You're safe now.” Ja'far's breath caught in his throat. “You're really...you're really alright? He's really gone?”
“He's really gone.” Sin kissed him, and Ja'far felt tears of relief prick at his eyes. Sin was safe.
They weren't the only ones reuniting happily; Ja'far saw Solomon sweep Sheba up in a tight embrace, both laughing with relief. Aladdin bounced over to them, joining his parents.
Masrur, Morgiana and Alibaba hurried over to them. “Are you two okay?” Alibaba asked.
Ja'far helped Sin sit up. “I'm okay,” Sin said. “Could one of you grab a healer, though? Ja'far needs one.”
“Oh- sure, I'll do that,” Alibaba said, but as he was about to stand up, Falan came over with Judar.
She held her staff over the two of them, and healing energy flowed through them both. “Sheesh, you really can't go a couple hours without getting hurt, can you?” Falan asked, smiling at Ja'far.
“Thanks. How are the others? The people David was controlling?” he asked, ignoring Sin's confusion for the moment.
“They're all fine. We freed most of them before you all stopped David, and Dunya's checking everyone over to make sure there was no lasting damage,” Falan replied. “Don't really think there was, though, it's not really that kind of spell.”
“So you're officially on our side, now?” Sin asked.
“Yeah,” Falan said. “Sorry about before.”
Sin shook his head. “You helped Ja'far, I'm feeling pretty forgiving.”
Falan smiled. “Good. Okay, looks like everyone's fine- Judar, we should go.”
“Already?” Judar asked.
“Wait a minute.”
Falan visibly winced, turning to look at Solomon. “...Hi. I...” She sighed. “...I don't really know what to say to you, beyond 'I'm sorry'.”
“I know. I don't know what to say to you, either, but I think we could use the time to think about it before you leave.” Solomon looked over the group. “You all fought hard, and have been through a lot.”
“Come back with us,” Sheba said. “All of you. You can rest with us for a while before heading home. I mean, those of you who don't live with us anyway.”
No one had the energy to protest; Ja'far could see Falan was the only one who might have even wanted to.
Solomon nodded. “Alright. Let's go home.” White light enveloped the group, and the tower faded from their sight.
When the light faded, they were in a palace of some sort. Ugo laughed, surprised. “We're home? Well, I guess the barrier David put up came down when he...”
“He put a time stop over the entire country- I think he was trying to use that time to find me without interruptions,” Solomon replied. “Anyway, everyone, make yourselves at home. There's room for all of you.”
Ja'far sighed. Standing was going to be too much effort. “...Honestly, this floor is nice,” he muttered.
Falan heard him. “Oh no you don't,” she said. “Sinbad, take this poor kid to bed, won't you? Make him sleep, I think he's done it like, once in the last two weeks.”
“I may have blacked out standing up a few times,” Ja'far said, shrugging. “If that helps. It...doesn't help, does it?”
“No.”
Sin stood (looking a little shaky, but hiding it pretty well). He pulled Ja'far gently to his feet. “Come on, Ja'far. Let's find you somewhere to sleep.”
“Let's check on Yamraiha and Sharrkan first, though,” Ja'far replied, yawning.
“I don't know if any of the people David hurt want to see my face right now,” Sin pointed out. “I can wait over here, if you-”
“Sinbad! Ja'far! Are you two alright?” Yamraiha called out, running over to join the group with Sharrkan. She hugged them both. “Dunya told me about what happened- I don't remember much of it.”
“You were saying?” Ja'far murmured. Sin just smiled at him, looking relieved.
Sharrkan rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, that was pretty weird- I remember I went to check on you guys, but then things went really bad, so-”
“-Sharrkan tried to protect me, but David just decided he'd be useful, too-”
“-and once he started controlling us, we can't remember anything,” Sharrkan finished.
“You were controlled for two weeks, and all you have to say is that it was 'pretty weird'?” Ja'far asked dryly.
Sharrkan shrugged. “Hasn't sunk in yet, I guess. Anyway, you look like hell, what happened to you?”
“Hell, actually.”
“Yeah, that's why it took two weeks to free us,” Sin explained. “Ja'far had to get back from another plane first. Neither of you are hurt, though?”
“Nope, we're okay.”
Yamraiha nodded. “We were more worried about you, honestly.”
“We're fine,” Ja'far assured her.
It took some effort- mostly from Sheba and Falan, though Dunya joined them quickly- to shepherd all the children, mind-control victims, and everyone else into rooms so they could rest, but eventually Sin and Ja'far found themselves in a comfortable, quiet room.
Sin led Ja'far to the bed, taking the opportunity to remove Ja'far's clothes (and his own) along the way. “Time for you to sleep. You're going to need what, a week to make up for lost time?” he asked playfully.
“Mmm, something like that,” Ja'far replied. He pulled Sin down onto the bed with him, wriggling close so he could rest his head on Sin's chest. “I want to kiss you and...things, but right now-”
Sin kissed the top of his head. “Believe me, we're going to get to that. Not until you've slept, though. I'll be happy enough just holding you until then.”
“I love you,” Ja'far mumbled, arms tightening around Sin. “Glad I got you back...”
“Love you, too, Ja'far. And trust me, so am I.” Sin kissed the base of one of Ja'far's horns.
Ja'far smiled, finally letting himself relax and drift off.
Summary: A Tiefling assassin is given an unusual job. Nothing goes as planned, which is probably for the best.
Pairing: Sinja
When the haze of magic cleared from around them, they were in Mustasim, right near the palace. Ja'far stared up at the sky. “...Now it's afternoon?”
“Yeah. We're a lot further west, so the sun's not down here yet,” Falan said. “More importantly, people know we're here. We passed through a barrier of some kind.”
Ja'far realized he hadn't even thought about the barrier that had nearly kept him and Masrur out the last time they'd been here. How did I not think of that? Gods, I'm turning into an idiot... “Then we should stay where we are for the moment.”
“So we don't look threatening. Right.” Falan frowned, clearly uneasy. She let go of Ja'far and Judar's hands to properly grip her staff. “Judar, when people come to meet us, don't be a smartass. There is a very real possibility that they'll be hostile, so don't piss anyone off.” She paused, sighed. “Actually...just try not to talk, okay?”
Judar snorted. “Wow, you have so much faith in me.”
“I have a lot of faith in you. Especially in your tendency to be a smartass at the worst possible moments,” Falan replied.
Guards were approaching, but they weren't the only ones. Ja'far recognized the Queen, Isaac, Mogamett...
Alibaba, Morgiana and Aladdin ran up to the group, not bothering to be cautious. “Ja'far!” Alibaba said, hugging him tightly. “Are you okay?! What happened? Where's Sinbad?”
“The Queen said you guys were getting a lot more involved than you'd meant to,” Aladdin said, hugging Ja'far as well. “And then the Kou sent word that all of you disappeared. Please tell me Sinbad and Yam are okay!”
Ja'far shook his head. His vision was blurry all of a sudden- exhaustion, probably. Falan might have healed his wounds, but magic couldn't take exhaustion away. “I...I'm sorry,” he said, and for a moment he wasn't sure that it was his voice; it sounded cracked, wrong... “I'm sorry... I don't know where they are now, or if they're...” He was shaking. “...Sin was possessed, and I don't know where he went- or what he's doing. Yamraiha disappeared before I could get back, and...” His face was wet, he realized dimly. Hastily, he wiped his eyes, trying to get himself back under control.
“You were supposed to protect her!” It was Mogamett's voice, he knew. He almost didn't care.
“It's not his fault,” Falan snapped.
“Who are you?” Dunya's voice.
Falan knelt. “My name is Falan, your Majesty,” she replied. “I am...”
Aladdin let go of Ja'far, turning to stare at her. “You're Falan?”
“That's right,” she said, looking at him with a tired smile. “And you've got to be Aladdin- you look just like your dad. Besides the eyes, anyway.”
Aladdin smiled, a little sad. “And you're really pretty, just like mom said. Are you...friends with Ja'far, now?”
“Yeah,” Falan said. “We've been through a lot in the past couple weeks. And we have a common enemy.”
“Arba?”
Ja'far frowned. “No, she's...no longer a problem. Aladdin, this isn't going to be easy to hear, but, well...”
“Elder David has returned,” Falan said.
Aladdin's eyes widened. “Oh, no...was that what happened two weeks ago?”
“Exactly.”
Aladdin turned to Alibaba and Morgiana (who had been speaking to Masrur). “That's why Ugo and I can't contact Alma Torran anymore! I knew it had to be something like that, to put up such a powerful shield!”
“Yeah, but isn't your grandfather dead?” Alibaba asked. “How'd he come back? Did he, um, necromance himself or something?”
“No,” Ja'far said. “Arba and Ithnan did. They wanted to use him to revive Il Ilah. And his spirit ended up possessing Sin.” A hand found his, squeezed firmly. Ja'far glanced over, seeing Morgiana looking up at him with concern in her eyes. He tried to smile, but didn't quite manage it.
Alibaba stared, dismayed. “Even though he had all those blessings and things?”
“That may have been why he targeted Sinbad,” Aladdin said, frowning. “I think they might have made him more appealing.” He shook his head. “But if it's Sinbad, he has to be fighting back!”
Ja'far nodded. “Of course he is.”
“Right. So where were you, the past couple weeks?” Alibaba asked.
“Hell,” Falan replied.
The others stared at her. “...What?” Alibaba asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“David sent us to Hell. He wanted us out of the way- Ja'far was helping Sinbad fight him, and I was...well, at least annoying him,” Falan replied grimly. “And he stuck spells on us to keep us there. We clawed our way through three layers of Hell before I could get them off and bring us home.”
“If he went to that much trouble, you must have been doing more than annoying him,” a soft voice commented.
Falan winced- or jumped- or some combination of the two. She turned, facing the tall man approaching the group. He had light blue hair, a roughly diamond-shaped red mark on his forehead, and he was looking at Falan with such a mix of emotions that Ja'far couldn't begin to read his expression. Falan stood, finally, holding her chin up almost defiantly. “I wondered if you were here,” she said, a deliberate lack of emotion in her voice.
“And I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you,” the man replied, also deliberately neutral.
Falan was silent, clearly wrestling with her emotions.
“Why are you here, Falan?”
Ja'far wanted to speak up, to interfere, but he knew he couldn't. If Falan couldn't convince this man, one she clearly knew well, that her intentions were good...well, then Ja'far had no hope of doing so.
“Ja'far told me to bring him here,” Falan replied. “If he hadn't, then I would have gone straight to the first seal- to the place where Sheba is.”
His eyebrows shot up. “After you went to all the trouble of sealing her away?”
“Yeah.” Falan's hands tightened on her staff. “After I free her, Solomon's next. He's the only one who could defeat David before, no reason to think he won't be able to repeat that now. Look, Ugo, I know you don't trust me- and there's no reason for you to trust me. I get that. But you know me, and you know what I've lost. Can you honestly think that I wouldn't do absolutely anything to send David back to the underworld?”
Ugo sighed. “I know, Falan.” He frowned. “But still. I'm not going to let you go on your own.”
“I wouldn't be on my own in the first place,” Falan replied, raising an eyebrow. “Ja'far's coming with me. And Judar's coming at least to where Sheba is.”
At that, several other voices chimed in to say that they were coming, too- well, Ja'far had been expecting that. Though he hadn't expected Queen Dunya to be one of them.
“Your Majesty, you can't-”
“If this 'David' person took Yamraiha, then of course I will help these people fight him!” Dunya retorted.
Ugo shook his head. “No, we shouldn't bring anyone with us- in a battle with David, only people with access to serious magic stand a chance.”
Dunya's blue eyes flashed. “Well, it's a good thing I have 'serious magic', isn't it?” she replied. “Or do you not count divine magic?”
“Ah- well, that's-” Ugo stammered, flustered.
Ja'far took a step towards him. “I know Falan's too smart to try and leave me behind,” he said firmly. “Don't assume I'm powerless just because I'm not a wizard.”
Ugo took a step back. “Um...”
Masrur and Morgiana came to stand at Ja'far's side. “You know how strong Fanalis are,” Morgiana reminded him.
“Yeah. And I may be just a magicless human, but I'm not staying behind, either!” Alibaba said.
Aladdin smiled. “Don't worry, Ugo. We'll be fine!”
“We don't have time to convince them to stay behind,” Falan pointed out. “Let's just go.”
Ugo sighed. “Powerful magic or not, I'm not sure taking her Majesty is a good idea- it's going to be dangerous, and if anything happens to her, then her country...”
Isaac nodded. “I agree. My Queen, please, consider your position.”
“You're just saying that to keep me out of trouble,” Dunya said flatly.
“Basically, yes, but that doesn't make it any less true, Dunya,” Isaac pointed out.
“We don't have time for this,” Ja'far said. “Your Majesty, if you want to help us get Yamraiha and Sin back, then I would appreciate the help. Even if you don't go, though, we'll still save her. Make the right choice, but make it now.”
“Dunya, please-”
But Dunya cut her knight off. “I will accompany you. Isaac, Lord Mogamett, until I return with Yamraiha, you two are in charge.” She smiled. “Yes, my reasons are personal, but on the other hand, this affects the rest of the world; I can't ignore that. Isaac, you can be angry when I return. Alright?”
Isaac bowed. “...I understand, your Majesty,” he said- a little coldly, Ja'far thought. He was definitely mad at her.
“Then if that's decided, let's get this over with, yeah?” Falan said. “Ugo, I'll take us to where we put Sheba.”
Ugo nodded. “Okay. Are you sure you'll be okay, with so many people to transport?” he asked.
“Hmm...” Falan looked over the group, doing a quick count. “Nah, it's just nine. We'll be fine,” she said, shrugging. “Everyone, form a circle around me and join hands.”
“'Just' nine? How many people have you been moving around?” Ugo asked warily.
“My limit's around twenty these days,” Falan replied absently. The group formed a circle around her, joining hands (in Judar's case, somewhat warily). “Alright. Here we go.” She held up her staff, speaking aloud in a foreign language.
The clearing lit up green with Falan's magic, and Mustasim faded away.
As they appeared...wherever Falan had taken them, the first thing Ja'far noticed was the oppressive heat. It certainly didn't feel like spring.
Around them loomed the ruined walls of a long-abandoned city. The jungle around the city was steadily reclaiming it, moss and vines covering crumbling stone buildings. Off in the distance, Ja'far could faintly hear the ocean.
“Whoa,” Judar whispered. “There was a serious battle here a while back, huh?”
“Huh, you can tell just by looking?” Alibaba asked.
Judar shrugged. “I mean, I can feel some residual magic, too. And that building totally got nailed by a fireball, while that one got cracked apart by...ice, probably. Mom took me to Partevia once, a while back- I've seen the kind of damage magic can do to a country.”
“Wait, Falan's your mom?” Aladdin asked.
“Yeah. Problem, shrimp?”
“N-No.”
“Judar's right, though,” Falan said, ruffling his hair. “The Resistance had a base here, many years ago. It was destroyed during the war for Alma Torran- we had to abandon it not long after Sheba joined us. Arba's got a thing for symmetry.”
Ugo sighed. “I guess she does. Where's Sheba?”
“This way. I couldn't bring us right to her- too much magical interference from the seal- so we've got a short walk.”
Falan led the way through the ruins. As they went, Ja'far could see Judar had been right about the battle; there were melted edges on some of the stone buildings, and unusual cracks in others.
Judar paused, kneeling to pull something out of the ground. Aladdin leaned closer to look at it. “What'd you find?”
“Glass. Someone used a lightning spell, and that melted the sand,” Judar explained, showing him. “Mundane lightning can do it, too.”
“Cool,” Aladdin said, intrigued. “You know a lot about this stuff, huh?”
“Well, yeah.”
“There's something out there,” Morgiana said, sniffing the air.
Masrur nodded. “It's...kind of familiar, though.”
“Melee fighters, form a circle around the casters,” Ja'far said. “Keep them safe so they can cover us. Whatever it is, we can't take chances.”
The group formed up as he'd instructed.
“My, my...this is quite an unusual group,” said an incredibly familiar voice.
Ja'far looked up, shading his eyes so he could see. A man- no, more than simply a man- floated down to hover just a little above the group, surveying them with a curious, golden gaze.
To say that he looked just like Sin was both very accurate and very incorrect. Ja'far could pick out a thousand details that were the same about their faces, coloring... and yet, this being had darker purple hair that ended in feathers, and more feathers along his forearms and calves. He had red markings along his otherwise bare chest, too.
It was abundantly clear that he wasn't human.
“Who do we have the honor of addressing?” Ugo asked, polite but nervous.
“I am Focalor, God of Domination and Submission; he who rules the ocean winds.”
Valefor mentioned him, Ja'far remembered. He forced down a smile, remembering the exact (and rather unflattering) terms his patron had used to describe Focalor- 'the god of sleeping around and being a nuisance'.
“To...to what do we owe the honor, Lord Focalor?” Ugo asked.
“It's more of a family matter, actually.” Focalor floated in front of Ja'far, who was still reeling from the god's similarity to Sin. “Hmm...well, you aren't the consort I would have chosen, but I can definitely see why he picked you.”
Ja'far raised an eyebrow. “With respect, Lord Focalor, I'm not his 'consort'. We're partners.”
Focalor smiled. “Do you know that for certain?”
“Yes.” Ja'far scowled. “You're where Sin gets his divine heritage from- why aren't you protecting him now?”
“Alas, I made a deal- no interference at all when it came to my son- his father- and only indirect, lesser interference when it comes to his descendants. Blessing him has been most of what I can do.” Focalor gave him an appraising look, one that made Ja'far mildly uncomfortable. “Unless you're willing to help me override that, at least in part.”
Ja'far folded his arms. “What are you asking me to do, exactly?” he asked.
“You are technically Valefor's, so I cannot make you mine, but perhaps...”
Valefor, please grant me the patience to deal with him. Ja'far turned to the others. “The rest of you should keep moving. I'll catch up with you once I've finished here.”
Falan nodded. “Okay. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
As they left, Focalor commented, “The Oathbreaker is quite lovely- I can see why you would give her another chance. Though your other female companions are also gorgeous...”
“That has nothing to do with it, and please refrain from looking at my friends that way. Morgiana's too young for you anyway.”
“Fiesty, aren't we?”
Ja'far scowled. “When it comes to them, yes.”
Focalor reached out, tilting Ja'far's chin up gently. Ja'far found himself staring into arresting golden eyes- so much like Sin's, it made his heart ache. “Look at you,” he said, voice oddly warm. “You're exhausted, completely beyond your limits, and you just escaped Hell a couple hours ago at most...and all you can think about is protecting other people.”
“Please stop,” Ja'far said, pulling away. “Just...just tell me what I have to do to help Sin. I'll do anything.”
“I know you would.” Focalor smiled. “Luckily, this is fairly simple- pray for my intercession. I have a feeling if I asked you for much beyond that, my grandson would come after me once he's free.”
Ja'far nodded, kneeling. Or maybe his legs had given out from exhaustion, he couldn't tell anymore. “Alright.” He took a shaky breath, trying to find words. “...Mighty Focalor, ruler of the ocean winds, please free and protect your grandson...”
How long he spoke, and the specifics of what he asked, he had little idea. But finally, his voice trailed off, and he looked up, hoping that was enough.
Focalor regarded him thoughtfully. “That will do. I will grant Sinbad more of my strength- mostly through you, the supplicant who entreated me so eloquently.” He held out his hand to Ja'far, and a golden glow appeared there. “Take this, and be sure it gets to him.”
Ja'far stood, taking the glow from Focalor's hand. It solidified into a simple gold ring with a crimson stone. “Will it help him shake off David?”
“His own will has to decide that; I am giving him strength, but he must provide the focus.”
Ja'far wasn't sure if that was a 'yes' or a 'no'. He nodded anyway, though, and said, “Thank you, Focalor.”
Focalor smiled, leaning down and kissing Ja'far's forehead. Ja'far felt an odd tingle of energy go down his spine. “Take care of him. Though I suppose I needn't tell you that.”
“Of course.”
As Focalor faded back into the winds, Ja'far turned and hurried in the direction the others had gone. I hope that was enough... he thought, breaking into a run. Sin...hold on just a little longer, I'm going to get to you soon. With the reinforcements I'm getting, we'd better be ready for this.
There was a golden-green glow radiating from nearby; Ja'far guessed that was where the rest of the group was. He broke into a run, dodging around broken walls and ducking through ruined buildings.
It didn't take him long to reach them. Alibaba, Morgiana and Masrur were standing back, watching the magic-users at work.
Ugo, Aladdin, Judar and Dunya were arrayed in a circle around a silver crystal of some sort. While they were still, apparently just channeling energy, Falan was in motion, moving around the crystal, whispering spells. She looked as though she was unraveling a tapestry, almost.
Ja'far joined Alibaba and the Fanalis. “How long have they been working?” he asked quietly.
“Not long,” Masrur said.
“They took a while getting set up,” Alibaba explained. “Falan had to make sure everyone was channeling the right kinds of energy or something? I'm not a wizard, so I don't think I could explain it well.”
“The crystal was much darker before,” Morgiana said. “They seem to be making progress.”
Ja'far nodded. “That's good to know.”
Alibaba put a hand on Ja'far's arm. “Are you...really okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I'm fine,” Ja'far lied, smiling.
There was a crunch like gravel; the stone under Morgiana's feet cracked. She frowned at him. “You're lying.”
“She's right,” Alibaba said. “You look exhausted, Ja'far. I thought you were gonna collapse earlier, when we first saw you!”
Ja'far sighed. “I'll be fine. Once we get Sin and Yamraiha back, I can worry about myself.”
“If you collapse, though, you won't be able to help them,” Alibaba pointed out.
“Falan healed me, I can keep going,” Ja'far replied. “Trust me, it was much worse before. Compared to that, just being tired is nothing.”
Alibaba and Morgiana shared a look. “...Not reassuring,” Morgiana decided.
“Nope,” Alibaba agreed.
“You spent two weeks in Hell,” Masrur said.
“I do remember that,” Ja'far replied dryly, trying not to think about it. “Really, all of you should focus on what we need to do- we'll need to be careful, especially when fighting people who are being controlled.”
Morgiana nodded. “I'm used to holding back. I can avoid doing permanent damage.”
“I can be careful- it's tricky with fire, but I've got some experience,” Alibaba admitted.
“...I can be a distraction,” Masrur said, sighing.
Alibaba raised an eyebrow. “Not good at holding back?”
“I'm out of practice.”
“That's fine,” Ja'far assured him. “If you all work together, then that'll be alright.”
“What about Judar? Is he coming to the final battle, you think?” Alibaba asked.
“I don't know,” Ja'far admitted. “If he is, he'll probably stick with Falan. Though if you can convince him to work with you, I know he's strong in a fight.”
“Really? He's younger than Masrur and Morgiana,” Alibaba said dubiously.
“So's Aladdin,” Morgiana pointed out.
Ja'far shrugged. “And Judar went up against Arba and survived. If the way he fought alongside Prince Hakuryuu is any indication, he can combine well with non-magicians.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” Alibaba said, looking impressed.
The light from the magic had turned to white. Everyone turned to look. Now there was a person visible within the crystal; a young woman with long, reddish-pink hair and a red, roughly diamond-shaped symbol on her forehead like Ugo's.
“There she is,” Alibaba whispered, smiling.
The glow of magic began to die down, and the crystal cracked and shattered. Falan stepped back, lowering her staff.
Sheba opened her eyes, looking around at the group in confusion. “Aladdin, are you okay?” she asked, as her son ran up to hug her.
“Yes! My friends helped me get out,” he explained. “But, um, things are kind of...”
“A mess?”
“Yeah.”
Taking a deep breath, Sheba nodded. “...How long have I been sealed?”
“A bit over nine months,” Ugo said.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
Falan shook her head. “No, that's accurate. Um...” She looked down, clearly braced for Sheba to attack, to be angry. “Sheba, I'm so sorry.”
But Sheba hugged her. “You changed your mind?” she asked, looked relieved. “Well, you must have, if you came back to help let me out! I thought you and Wahid were hesitating before, so I'm not too surprised, really.”
“Oh, gods dammit, Sheba, don't be happy to see me!” Falan protested. “I...not after everything I...”
“I know, Falan. And yes, I'm mad at you, but right now that's not important. Remember, we all did terrible things,” Sheba reminded her. “And we've proven already that we can still move forward. It's going to be okay.”
Falan's shoulders shook; Ja'far didn't need to see her face to know she was crying, no matter how much she tried to hide it. “...Okay.”
Sheba hugged her another moment, before turning to Ugo. “Alright, Ugo. Tell me what's happening- I'm sure it's bad, I need to know how bad. Two sentences or less.”
“Solomon's sealed away- Falan's going to take us there so we can let him out again- and David's ghost is possessing someone, causing havoc, and seems to have sealed off Alma Torran,” Ugo said. “Arba is...out of the picture.”
“Oh, is that all?” Sheba asked dryly. She rubbed her face. “Okay...okay. Who've we got? You, Falan, me...?”
“...Well, Aladdin, Alibaba, Morgiana, another Fanalis, Falan's kid- powerful wizard, Queen Dunya of Mustasim- a powerful cleric- and Ja'far, who's, um, a fighter?” Ugo said.
Sheba looked over the group again. “...So we've got us, Queen Dunya, and a bunch of kids?” she said. “Okay, this is going to be interesting. Falan, where's Solomon?”
Wiping her eyes, Falan replied, “He's sealed in Il Ilah's old tower.”
“But I checked there!” Ugo protested.
“Yeah, you wouldn't have been able to find him while Sheba was sealed,” Falan replied. “Arba had this whole nasty formula going to keep Solomon from escaping; it's been disrupted now, with Sheba released. I bet she tied the stone Aladdin and David were in into the formula, too.”
Sheba nodded. “So you really didn't know about Aladdin?”
“No. Do you really think I would have been okay with what Arba did?”
“No. But I was surprised Arba was doing it, in fairness.”
Falan shivered. “Well, you didn't see what she did to her own kid.”
“I have a lot of questions, but I guess that'll wait until after,” Sheba said grimly.
“Right. Ugo, is Il Ilah's tower inside the barrier?” Falan asked.
Ugo shook his head. “Just outside.”
“Lucky for us,” Sheba said. “Okay. So the three of us can go there and free Solomon, and from there we'll stop David. Permanently, this time.”
“One problem, Sheba,” Falan said. She pointed at the others. “While I agree that they're less well-suited to this, I also know that Ja'far will personally hunt us down if we don't take him with us. David's ghost isn't possessing just anyone, you know.”
Sheba looked over at Ja'far. “...Someone important to you?”
“The most important. Yes. I won't slow you down.”
“Mom, you can't just leave us here,” Aladdin said. “We'll follow you if we have to!”
Sheba looked at Ugo and Falan. “Um...”
Falan sighed. “Look, if they're going to follow us anyway, we should just bring them. I'll fight anyone David's controlling alongside the kids and Queen Dunya, the rest of you can take David on.”
“You'll protect them?”
“I'd rather die than lose another kid the way I lost Tess. You know that.”
Sheba closed her eyes. “...I know. Okay.” She scowled at the group. “We're bringing everyone, but you kids have to listen to us. Whether you agree or not. Am I understood?” The younger members of the group nodded (though Ja'far couldn't help noticing Judar was somewhat slow to do so). Sheba sighed. “I would never do this if we had a choice, but...”
“We don't have a choice, or time to persuade them to stay.” Ugo sighed. “Besides, you were Aladdin's age when you joined the Resistance.”
“Yeah, and we wanted to make sure no one else had to do anything like that,” Falan pointed out.
“Alright, everyone form up around Falan,” Ugo said. “Falan, you can get us all to where Solomon is, right?”
Falan nodded. “Yeah, it's a much shorter jump.”
The group formed a circle around Falan, and she raised her copper-headed staff. Sheba smiled. “You kept it?”
“The staff? Well, yeah.” Falan shrugged, smiling. “Never had the heart to throw it out, you know?” She closed her eyes, performing the spell to teleport the group.
The customary flash of green light came and went, and when it faded, they were in a room- though it hardly seemed like a room, because instead of walls, there were only a few pillars around the edges of the room to hold up the ceiling. Everything was made of elaborately carved white stone, and they seemed to be high up in a tower.
“Here we are,” Falan said. “Ugo, I'm going to need your help with this- you're way smarter, and I don't know all of what Arba did.”
“Oh...yeah, sure.”
Sheba sighed. “Okay, everyone else, let's keep watch. That way we'll know the moment anyone comes to try and interfere.”
“Right!”
For a time, nothing seemed to happen; Ja'far tried to concentrate on the horizon, and not the glow of magic from behind him. But suddenly, something in the air changed, became charged, and he turned around.
Sin floated just above the ground, and he wasn't alone. Yamraiha, Sharrkan, and several other people Ja'far didn't recognize were there as well, all looking strangely blank. It was clear from Sin's eyes and expression that he wasn't himself, either. He wasn't looking at Ja'far; he was watching Ugo. Ja'far saw him raise his staff, and leapt into action.
“Watch out!” His wires looped around Sin's arms, yanking him around.
David's eyes widened; he clearly wasn't expecting to see Ja'far.
Ja'far grinned. “Told you I'd be back. Now let Sin go.”
Summary: A Tiefling assassin is given an unusual job. Nothing goes as planned, which is probably for the best.
Pairing: Sinja
The moon and stars and the cool softness of night welcomed them home from Hell. Ja'far and Falan stood stunned for a long moment, unable to believe their luck had turned at last.
“We really did it,” Falan whispered.
“We're home,” Ja'far agreed.
Falan took a deep breath. “...Okay. I have to get to Kou. If Judar's alive, he's there.”
“Take me with you. I need to find the others, and...”
“I do owe you. I'll bring you with me- but I may have to leave in a hurry, so a one-way trip to Kou is all I can promise you,” Falan warned him.
“That's fine.”
Falan took his hand. “Then let's go.” She whispered words in a language Ja'far faintly recognized (Yamraiha used it for spells, he was fairly certain), and an eerie green glow lit the area. The world shimmered around them, and abruptly vanished.
When it returned, they were in a cluttered, dark study. Falan held up a glowing hand, illuminating it. “Okay, guess they haven't changed the protection over the palace yet- I can still get in,” she muttered. “Dunno if that's good or bad.”
Ja'far went to a window, looking out carefully. “It's only early evening, here... Odd, it was late at night where we were before.”
“Guess we were further away than I realized. Good thing we weren't out of range to get here." Falan grabbed a wooden staff with an ornate cooper head from a rack in the corner of the room. “Surprised they left this here- they took most of my other tools, it looks like. Oh well, this is the one that matters, I guess.” She led him downstairs- poking her head into a messy room along the way. “He's not here...”
“Maybe he's with Hakuryuu?” Ja'far suggested.
Falan smiled slightly. “Gods, I hope so.”
“I'm going to go look for Masrur and Yamraiha. Good luck,” Ja'far said.
“Hey, wait a sec.”
“Hm?”
Falan held out a hand to him. “C'mon, I'll speed things up for you. Think about the people you want to find.”
Ja'far took her hand, closing his eyes and picturing the group of them in his mind. “Alright, now what?”
An image flashed inside his mind; Masrur in his lion form, napping on the floor in...was that Princess Kougyoku's room? Ja'far opened his eyes. “What was...?”
“Spell I know. Amazing how much better they work here, huh?” Falan asked. “How many did you see?”
“Just Masrur.”
“Then he's the only one of your friends who's still in the immediate vicinity. I'm going to get Judar- he's with Hakuryuu and Kougyoku right now.”
Ja'far nodded. “That's where Masrur is, too.” The only one in the immediate vicinity- but then where are Yamraiha and Sharrkan?
“Ah, really? That kinda makes sense, actually. Come with me, then.”
“Oh...alright.”
“Invisible, though. Let's be careful as long as we can be.”
Ja'far activated his ring. “Of course. Though doors might be a problem.”
“Nope. Not on our home plane.” Falan took his hand, and vanished from sight. “Short-distance teleportation isn't hard, and if done right, doesn't leave a huge 'magic was used here' sign for anyone on the lookout.”
“Sounds good to me.”
It was amazing how much energy Ja'far could pretend he had, now that he knew at least one of his family was safe and close by. He followed Falan, closing his eyes each time they teleported through a wall. It made him dizzy and mildly nauseous, but he didn't care. Hell had been worse, and it was all to get to Masrur.
Finally, they jumped through the last wall, into Princess Kougyoku's room. The Princess was at a desk, trying to study; Prince Hakuryuu was sitting off to the side, looking lost in thought. Judar was reading- or pretending to; he kept sneaking glances at the others with an air of barely-contained unease. Masrur was in lion form, napping on the floor.
When they entered the room, though, Masrur lifted his head, sniffing the air in confusion.
Falan let go of his hand, and dropped her enchantment. Ja'far deactivated his ring.
The next thing he knew, Masrur was in human form again; he'd grabbed Ja'far's arm and pulled him away from Falan, putting himself in between them.
“Mom!” Judar was hugging Falan, grinning with relief. “What happened? Where were you?!”
“Are you two alright?” Kougyoku asked, eyes wide. “You both look awful, what happened to you?”
“Thrown to another plane to keep us out of the way,” Falan replied, smiling. “We had some trouble getting out. Are all of you alright? What happened here? Is Arba actually dead?”
Ja'far petted Masrur's hair. “It's alright,” he said quietly. “We currently share goals. She won't attack us at this point.” Masrur nodded, relaxing slightly.
Kougyoku looked back and forth between Falan and Ja'far, weighing thoughts. She took a deep breath. “You two should sit down,” she said. “There isn't much to tell, but...I would like a bit more information from the two of you. Though we'd better hurry if we want to keep this to the six of us- Koubun's in a meeting, and will be back in an hour at most.”
“Fair enough.” Both of them found places to sit. Falan hadn't let go of Judar. “How'd the battle turn out?”
“Arba really is dead, and at Koumei's suggestion, we, um, beheaded, staked and burned the body to prevent her from rising as a lich or vampire or anything like that,” Kougyoku said. She went to a table in the back and brought a basket of fruit over to them. “Empress Hakuei says your help was critical, by the way.”
It took a lot of restraint not to shove the entire contents of the basket into his mouth at once, but Ja'far knew from past experience that he needed to eat slowly. He took a peach and bit into it- nothing had ever tasted quite so good. “She's Empress, now? How long were we gone?”
“Two weeks.”
Falan winced. “That's...not good.” She helped herself to a pear. “What happened after the battle?”
“Everyone affiliated with Arba left,” Kougyoku said. “Most of them teleported out- courtiers who were close to 'Empress Gyokuen' sneaked out of court. Though basically anyone who left the mundane way- and a few who left through magic- were detained and brought in for questioning by my brothers and their wizards.” She gave Ja'far a worried look. “Um...Lady Yamraiha was planning to stay, to help us with cleanup until she could find you and Sinbad. But she vanished, the night after the battle.”
“...Vanished?” Ja'far asked. He looked to Masrur. “But how...”
Masrur shook his head. “I was there. But I didn't wake up. Their wizards said someone made sure I didn't.”
“So she was kidnapped, more or less?” Falan asked.
Ja'far rubbed his forehead tiredly. “She's incredibly powerful, and knows a lot of magic- and David would know that. Maybe he decided to get rid of her.” No, she can't be dead- she can't be, she has to be alive!
“Or use her. Monster was always fond of controlling people,” Falan said. “A powerful wizard would be useful to him, I'm sure.” Ja'far could see the anger rising up in her, watched her force it down.
“None of us know who this 'David' person really is,” Kougyoku said. “Could you please explain?”
“Well, he used to be the ruler of the country I'm originally from,” Falan explained. “Alma Torran. He was the High Priest of Il Ilah.”
Masrur blinked. “The one Solomon fought.”
“Yeah.” Falan sighed. “There was a revolution- we all fought to free everyone from his control. We won. We paid dearly for that victory. And Arba...for some stupid reason, she got it into her head to bring him back. Maybe she just wanted to spite Solomon. Maybe she really thought it was the right thing to do.” She shook her head. “Anyway, now he's using Sinbad's body to exist in the world of the living. We have to stop him.”
“And you're sure he's left Kou?” Ja'far asked.
Kougyoku nodded. “Yes. Empress Hakuei didn't have the details, but she knew something was wrong with Sinbad. So we've been looking for him, too, but to no avail,” she explained.
“Okay, so what happens now?” Judar asked. “We go fight this dead asshole?”
“You're not going to fight him,” Falan snapped. “I've lost too many people to him, you are not getting a spot on that list.”
Judar's eyebrows shot up. “Sheesh, sorry.”
Falan sighed. “...Besides, you're too young for this.”
“Come on, I fought Arba!”
“Don't remind me,” Falan said, wincing. “Gods, do you have any idea how terrifying it was to see you fighting her?”
Judar shrugged. “Pretty damn terrifying?”
“You're such a brat,” Falan complained, hugging him. “Ah, geez, I'm so glad you're not dead.”
“Um...are you hoping to stay here?” Kougyoku asked. “I-I mean, since Empress Hakuei is grateful to you for saving her and Hakuryuu's lives, you might be allowed...”
Falan shook her head. “Nah, I don't think I can afford to risk that. The awful stuff I've done isn't outweighed by helping Prin- er, Empress Hakuei.”
“So you're leaving,” Hakuryuu said quietly.
“I have to. Judar...you've got two options, kiddo.”
“Let me guess: come with you, wherever you end up going, or stay here and hope they let me work with Kouha's wizards?” Judar said. He sighed. “Great, thanks, these are some lovely choices you're giving me.”
“I mean, you could stay with Hakuryuu- I think you proved beyond any doubt you're loyal to him. You'd probably be safest here.”
Judar pulled away from her, pacing around the room. “Nah, I get it. I thought about this, when I was wondering if you were going to come back or not. Kinda surprised you're letting me choose, though.”
“Well, I'm not at my best right now, decision-wise,” Falan said. “Just remember, though, whichever you choose, you can't take it back.”
“No pressure or anything,” Judar muttered, rolling his eyes. “Ah, fuck.”
“Do we have time for this?” Masrur asked Ja'far quietly.
Ja'far shrugged. “No. But Falan's the fastest way to get where we need to be. Be patient.” I would be less so myself, but I'm also not convinced I can stand up again.
“You're going with them, Masrur?” Kougyoku asked.
Masrur nodded.
Kougyoku smiled sadly. “Ah...I thought so. Well, when things are settled, please send word to let me know you're alright. Though you're also welcome to come back, if you want to.”
“I'll send word at least,” Masrur agreed.
“Good. If you don't, I'll get worried about you,” Kougyoku said, smiling.
“Thank you for looking out for him, Princess,” Ja'far said.
“Well, of course I couldn't abandon him,” she replied. “We fought together, after all. And we're friends now, too.”
Masrur nodded.
On the other side of the room, Judar looked as though he'd come to a decision. “I'm going with you,” he said.
Falan stood, movements stiff. “Are you sure, Judar? It'll be dangerous, and we're not going to be in one place for a long time,” she said. “And if you leave, I don't know if they'll let you back into the palace. You might not get to see your friends again.”
“I'll get to see them again. Somehow,” Judar said. He rubbed the back of his head. “Anyway, I still have a lot to learn from you, and you're going to get bored on your own, so. I'm going with you.”
Falan hugged him tightly. “...Okay.” She let him go. “Say your goodbyes quickly- we have to get out of here before anyone finds us. We don't have time to give Kouen every tiny detail of our trip through, um, the other plane we were on.”
As Judar went over to talk to Hakuryuu, Kougyoku said, “I'll figure out what to tell my brothers to explain their absence. Um... are you two really going to be alright, going out again like that? You still look...”
“Don't worry,” Falan said, smiling. She hugged Kougyoku. “Thank you so much for helping us. I don't think I really deserve your trust at this point.”
Kougyoku shook her head. “Well...you've always been nice to me, and I knew Judar was more important to you than anything else, so. You know.”
“Thanks, Kougyoku.” Falan pulled away, smiling. “The Empire's lucky to have you, and they'd better know it by now. I'm going to miss you.”
“I'll miss you, too. Good luck,” Kougyoku said.
Judar came over to talk to Kougyoku next; Falan went over to Hakuryuu, who looked conspicuously teary-eyed. Ja'far stopped listening, and instead focused on standing up. It was much more difficult than it should have been, and Masrur ended up hauling him to his feet.
“What happened to you?”
“I haven't rested much since...I don't know, before the battle,” Ja'far said. “Haven't had time to recover. Don't worry, I'll be fine.”
Masrur frowned at him. “You're hurt.”
“I'm walking it off.”
Before Masrur could say anything (to Ja'far's relief), Falan said, “Alright, you two. I guess we're still headed to the same place, so come with us. We're going back to my place for a minute to grab a couple things, but that won't take more than a couple minutes.”
Ja'far nodded, stepping forward. “Same deal as before?”
“Yeah. Masrur, Judar, we're going to be invisible so we can get out of here faster. Hold hands so we don't lose each other, alright?”
With the exact amount of skepticism of teenagers asked to hold hands, Masrur and Judar took each other's hands, forming a chain with Falan and Ja'far. Falan cast invisibility magic over the group. “Okay, let's go.”
“Wait a sec,” Judar said.
Ja'far heard light footsteps, and saw Hakuryuu rock back slightly- in surprise, or as if someone had bumped into him unexpectedly. Or possibly both. The prince's face turned red, and his eyes widened.
“I'll see you eventually,” Judar said.
Falan sighed, amused. “Okay, now we're really going.”
They returned to the place Ja'far and Falan had arrived, and returned to visibility. “Okay, Judar, you have two minutes to grab anything important.”
As Judar ran off, Ja'far asked, “Do you have a plan from here?”
Falan shook her head. “Not so much. But I think David would've gone back to Alma Torran- maybe he'll try and find Solomon.” She touched her staff to Ja'far's shoulder, and healing energy flowed into him.
“Thanks. Where is Solomon?” Ja'far asked.
“Trapped.” Falan rubbed at her face with her free hand. “...I need to let him and Sheba out, I guess. I'm the only one who knows how, anymore.”
Ja'far nodded. “That would probably help us, yes.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
“Take us to Mustasim, first,” Ja'far said. “Aladdin and the others are waiting for my group there- we ought to let them know what happened. Besides, Aladdin was going to bring someone named 'Ugo', and-”
Falan sighed. “I burned all my bridges to Alma Torran years ago, kid. You might be allied with them, but I'm pretty sure I'm the last person they'd want to join up with.”
“You have a common enemy, and you know where Sheba and Solomon are, and how to get them out. I think you can work something out for now, at least,” Ja'far replied. “And you did just say you intended to let them out.”
“Okay, you say that, but I-”
“No one's in a position to start attacking on sight.” Ja'far sighed. “Besides, they'll need your information at the very least. And once we stop David, you can just leave, as quickly as you need to. If you help me save Sin, I'll cover your escape.”
“You're really not going to take no for an answer, are you?” Falan asked dryly. The glow of healing magic faded.
Ja'far shook his head. At another moment, he'd have been amazed by how much better his body felt, but he was too preoccupied to think about it too much. “In this case? No.” There's too much at stake right now.
“Swear to me that you'll personally ensure Judar and I can walk away from this, and I'll do it,” Falan said.
“I'll do whatever I have to,” Ja'far replied.
Falan smiled. “You know, somehow? I actually believe you. Alright. Let's give it a shot.”
Judar came down the stairs, carrying a backpack and his jagged, black metal staff. “Okay, ready to go!”
“About time, sheesh...” Falan went to a desk and pulled what looked like a handkerchief out of it. She stuffed it down her shirt. “Okay. I have what I need, so let's go. Circle up, everyone.”
“What's the cloth thing?” Judar asked. “And where are we going?”
“Portable hole- Wahid and I had one packed in case we needed to leave in a hurry. And we're going to Mustasim. We might not be super welcome there, though, so be ready for that.”
“Where's that?” Judar asked as the group joined hands.
“Northern continent.” Falan whispered the spell, and the world began to blur around them. “Ja'far, this had better work.”
Summary: A Tiefling assassin is given an unusual job. Nothing goes as planned, which is probably for the best.
Pairing: Sinja
I’m not exactly sure what warning to stick on this chapter, because the worst things happen off screen, but there’s some torture here.
Ja'far knew he was making a potentially lethal choice. But they couldn't afford to wander through the enormous, menacing city of Dis for much longer, either. I'm the only one who can do this, and it needs to be done.
“My, my,” the dark elf said, smiling. “You're actually volunteering to provide me with the raw agony I need?”
“For a price, of course,” Ja'far replied. “You see, my associate and I have business on the first layer, and our transportation plans fell through. So now...”
Her violet eyes lit with understanding. “Oh, I understand. Well, tell you what- for seven doses' worth of pain, I can transport the two of you through the gates of Dis, right to the road to Avernus, no questions asked.”
“Seven would take far too long. Three would be reasonable, we aren't far from the gate anyway.”
“But getting you through the gate will be a little complicated, you know? Six, take it or leave it.”
“Five.”
“Done.” She smiled. “Five hours from now, I will safely transport the two of you through the gates of Dis to the road to Avernus. In the meantime, you will provide me with the raw materials I need to synthesize my wares.”
Ja'far and the drow woman shook hands. “Both of you, follow me,” she said, smiling. She gestured to a younger drow- probably an apprentice. “Ynrae, watch the shop- I'll be busy until after close, I think.” To Ja'far, she said, “We have a place where we extract the pain from you; and your ally can wait close by, of course.”
Falan gave her a playful smile. “What, not going to let me watch?”
“Well, I couldn't let a fellow devotee of Lolth steal my secrets, could I?” replied the drow, laughing. “I'm sure you have your own methods.”
“Fair enough,” Falan said, shrugging.
I hope that was her playing the part, and not her wanting to watch whatever this entails, Ja'far thought uneasily.
They were led to a building that looked like a shopfront. The dark elf put on a heavy glove and pulled the door open. “Business is great, so I shouldn't complain, but it really is too hot here,” she complained. “I ought to try opening a branch in the City of Chains, I hear that layer's a lot nicer.”
“It's cooler,” Ja'far agreed. “Still not particularly hospitable, though.”
“Nowhere in Hell is,” the dark elf replied, ushering them inside. Much of the interior was insulated with thick rugs, and the place felt cooler than outside- Ja'far suspected that magic was involved. “No offense intended, of course.”
“None taken,” Ja'far said. “Now, this method you spoke of...”
She nodded briskly. “Yes, of course. Leave any weapons with your ally, please- I don't want to get attacked if you realize you can't handle this as well as you thought.”
Ja'far hesitated; Falan covered that with a snort of laughter. “Sounds brutal,” she said, teasing. “Sure you're going to be able to move after?”
“Don't worry, I treat my willing subjects with courtesy,” the woman explained. “I will do little permanent damage to your associate.”
“Good, I didn't think he'd make a deal that would cripple him.”
Ja'far handed Falan his weapons. “Hold on to these,” he said, ignoring the way his stomach dropped as his weapons left his hands.
“Right.” Falan took the weapons, looking down at them with interest.
“Make yourself comfortable,” the drow told her. “We will return in five hours, so please wait here.”
“Sure.” Falan found a comfortable chair and sat down, green eyes wary as she watched the two of them enter a side room.
The room was enough to make Ja'far want to start running. Even though it was clean, there was a smell to it, a faint scent of blood that couldn't be washed away. The room was made of cool grey stone, and runes that glowed with violet light lined the walls- in careful lines along each edge, and in circles and patterns in the center of the floor and ceiling. In the center of the rune-circle on the floor was a chair, of sorts; one Ja'far could see was designed to hold torture victims. And he recognized a lot of the tools in the room from his training.
I knew this was going to be rough from the beginning, he reminded himself uneasily.
“Now, before we get started, I have a few questions for you,” the elf woman said briskly, going over to the table of torture implements and getting them ready. “First off, are you a masochist? It's fine if you are, I just have to label the end product accordingly.”
Ja'far shook his head. “No, I'm not.”
“Alright. Have you been used to synthesize this before?”
“No.”
“Mmhm. And lastly, has your body been used for any other dark magic rituals?”
“I think so,” Ja'far said, uncertain. “Or at least, a ritualized spell was cast on me. They didn't tell me the details.”
“Alright, let me check that,” she said, holding up a hand. Violet light glowed around her hand, and his legs glowed in response. The glow faded after a minute, and she smiled. “That's fine. Your pain counts as 'virginal' for purposes of this spell, aren't you lucky?”
Am I? Ja'far wondered.
“Now, disrobe and get onto this chair, and we can get started,” she said. “Oh, that includes magic items, so please take your ring off, too.”
Ja'far obediently took his clothes off, trying to appear calm. He folded them and put them on a chair she indicated, putting his invisibility ring on top. Remember, you're doing this for him.
For all of them, but especially for him.
He climbed carefully onto the chair, letting her strap him into it. “How does this work, exactly?” he asked.
“Ritualized torture. Don't worry, I won't break any bones,” she promised. “It's a mixture of magic and mundane. First, though, I need to connect you to the receptacle so your pain liquifies properly.” She took a paintbrush and began drawing runes on his chest in a careful, precise circle. Each rune glowed the same violet as the rest of the room. “And there we are. Now, to test the connection...”
She placed her hands on his shoulders, and sickeningly intense pain wracked his body. Ja'far set his jaw, trying his hardest not to scream. The drow looked over at something mounted to the wall and nodded. “Good, the connection's working perfectly. Now we can get started.” She eyed Ja'far, her lips curving into a deadly smile. “Looks like you're trained to put up with this- I'll have to pull out all the stops to get the best out of you.”
Falan-----
Falan was relieved at the chance to sit down somewhere cool, if nothing else. But otherwise, she wasn't sure how to feel; whether to hate herself for allowing Ja'far to do this (not that she was sure she could have stopped him), or just be relieved that they were that much closer to the top layer, and hopefully a way out of Hell.
I hope I'm not actually worried about him, she thought. Gods know I don't need to get attached to someone who will probably become an enemy later on.
Not that that's stopped me before, I guess. I let myself get attached to Hakuryuu and Kougyoku, even though what we were doing could easily have gotten them killed. Hell, Hakuryuu went after Arba- he probably would've tried to kill me, too, if I'd been there. And then there's Sheba and Ugo...I can't bring myself to hate them, even though they stuck with Solomon. After all, there's no way they'd have done anything else.
She rubbed her face tiredly, trying to dispel the thought of them. All of them, really. It was pointless to think about them here, now. I have to make sure Judar is safe. And then I'm going to send David back to whatever afterlife there is for monsters like him. After that, I can waste time worrying about other stuff.
“I've got five fucking hours, I could totally get a nap in while I wait,” she muttered. “He's not screaming, it can't be that bad...right?”
She closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion creep up on her. Be practical. Make the most of this chance, she told herself. You'll need all the magic you can get to get us home, to get Judar out of Kou and somewhere safe.
-----
It was that nightmare again. Falan knew it, as soon as she could smell the burnt bodies. But this time was different; this time, it was the Kou royal palace in flames.
This time, she was alone, and the child she was searching for so frantically was Judar.
“You did this to them.” It was Solomon's voice, the voice of the child who had reached out a hand to her so many years ago. “It's your responsibility, isn't it?”
“This wasn't my fault! They made me do it!” her child-self cried out.
“Of course they made you do it. But you still thought it was right, didn't you?”
“I didn't know-”
“And now you do. So? Knowing that, what are you going to do?”
“I don't know...”
Falan stopped, stared at the smear of blood and flesh and viscera and bright red hair on the ground before her. A broken sword and a bloodied hair ornament told her- even though she'd already guessed- that it was Kougyoku. She's part dragon, of course they couldn't burn her. She remembered fixing the princess's hair when she was a child; teaching her about makeup, because the poor kid always seemed to be surrounded by men. (Judar was annoyed that Kougyoku got to learn something he didn't, so Falan had taught him how to use eyeliner. Wahid had laughed when she'd told him about it.)
“It's not too late, you know. We can still stop this,” child-Solomon said.
“But I was the one-”
“I know. But that's why we have to help, right? We owe it to the people we've hurt.”
I know. He was right back then, wasn't he?
Where was Judar?
If she found him, wouldn't the nightmare be over?
“Mom...help me, please!”
Falan closed her eyes. She turned towards where Judar's voice had come from, and forced herself to look.
As she took in the sight of his burned, barely-living body- and what must have been Hakuryuu's right beside him- she heard a scream in the distance and the world tilted, shifted.
Falan woke up with a gasp. Hastily, she rubbed the tears from her face, holding her breath and counting silently inside her head to quell the urge to throw up. Another muffled scream brought her firmly back to reality, and she winced. “...Serves me right for napping while you're in there, huh?” she murmured.
But she had more magic back. That was good for both of them, right?
Wahid...what should I do when we make it out of here? she wondered, sighing tiredly. No matter what happens, I can't go back home, obviously- I don't know if I even want to.
But is destroying Solomon really the right thing to do? Arba said it was, but Arba also tried to kill Judar... No, even before that, she went completely out of her gourd. We've been questioning her for years, but even now I can't make up my mind if she's right or wrong?
I don't know what to do on my own, do I?
Ja’far-----
Ja'far watched her slide a needle into his hand- followed by another, and another. It hurt, of course; she knew exactly where to stick them to make it the most agonizing. But it was the magic she used that was hardest to deal with. His body was still trembling from the aftermath of her last spell, and he was dreading the next one.
I can't withstand much more of this...
Another wave of magic washed over him, and he couldn't hold back the anguished scream this time. She grinned, increasing the intensity of the pain. “Oh, you're actually going to scream for me? And here I thought you were going to be stoic right up to the end!”
As the spell subsided, Ja'far tried to get his breath back. But before he could, the magic was flowing through him again, filling every inch of his being with the most excruciating pain he'd ever felt, dragging another scream out of him.
Well. It wasn't quite as bad as Ithnan going through his mind had been. Closer than he'd thought anything could ever get, though.
This time, the spell went on, and on, for longer than any of the others had. Ja'far was sure he was going to pass out, but just as his consciousness started to falter, the magic faded. She slapped him across the face. “Don't pass out,” she said briskly, beginning to pull the needles out of his flesh. “Though I'm surprised- that's the closest you've come to it, and we've been going for almost five hours, now.”
So...we're almost done? Ja'far thought, trying to hold back the flicker of hope inside him.
As she pulled the last of the needles out of him, he saw her look over at the wall, where the spell was synthesized. “Ah, I just need a little more out of you- let's finish this up the easy way, shall we? Well, I suppose it's easy for me, anyway.”
Another blast of magic tore through him. Bear it, he told himself, locking his jaw and refusing to scream. For Sin, I have to... But the pain seemed to stretch on interminably; he clenched his hands into tight fists, forcing himself to stay conscious.
Finally, it subsided. Ja'far closed his eyes, focusing on breathing. His heart was hammering in his chest, feeling like it might burst out of him. Everything hurt; he felt bruised all over, and every nerve burned with agony. Then there were the actual wounds she'd inflicted; nothing he couldn't handle under normal circumstances, but now...
She undid the restraints. “Very good. Like I thought, you give the good stuff,” she said cheerfully. “It's a shame to let you go, but violating a contract here in the Iron City's a surefire way to get yourself killed or worse.”
Ja'far just nodded, prying himself off the chair. Standing was next to impossible; he wobbled dangerously for a minute before he was able to walk over to where he'd left his clothes. She laughed, tossing him a roll of bandages. “Here, this one's on the house.”
“Thanks,” Ja'far said. He wrapped the most noticeable of his injuries- anywhere she'd flayed off skin, for the most part. And the bruises on his throat. His hands were shaking, and they hadn't really stopped by the time he put his clothes back on.
Once he was dressed, she led him back out into the main room. Falan stood, looking Ja'far over with a carefully neutral expression. “Done already?” she asked.
“Yes. He's quite useful, I do hope you two come through here again,” replied the elf.
“Well, if we do, we'll be sure to look you up,” Falan said.
The elf giggled. “Oh, I hope so! Now, to get you two out of the city... Follow me.”
-----
Everything was a blur. Ja'far followed Falan and the elf, putting all his concentration into following them and walking normally. Both of these things felt next to impossible, really, when every step sent shooting pains up his legs and made his battered feet hurt still more from the burning heat of the ground.
Where were they going? He couldn't tell much about the route, save that it seemed to be partially under the city. His vision was blurry. How long had they been walking?
A gentle hand on his arm brought him to a halt. Ja'far met Falan's worried green eyes. “We've got a few minutes,” she said. “Sit for a sec.”
Ja'far looked around, blinking tiredly. There were crates, and metal cages; all empty. He looked back at Falan.
“Really. Sit on a crate,” she said firmly. “We'll have a drink while we wait.”
“...For what?” Ja'far asked. At least, he thought he asked it aloud. But Falan didn't answer, so maybe he hadn't. He sat on a crate, and let Falan create water in his hands. He drank deeply, the cool, clean water a relief on his tightened, bruised throat.
Falan was more alert than he was; she was glancing around, clearly listening for something. A signal, probably- the elf was gone, and Ja'far didn't remember seeing her leave. “I have more magic back now,” she told him quietly. “I'm going to save it for when we get to the next layer, unless you need me to heal you a little.”
“I'm fine,” Ja'far lied. “Don't waste your energy on me. Just get us home.”
“Alright. I shouldn't trust when you say you're fine, but we're so close...”
There was a whistle- soft, but clear. Falan took Ja'far's hand and pulled him carefully to his feet. “Come on, that's our signal. Try to look less like you were tortured for five hours, okay?”
Ja'far nodded. He followed Falan, standing straight and walking as normally as he could.
They went up a set of stairs to an iron gate- not as large as Ja'far had been expecting. The elf woman smiled at them; she stood over a guard, who looked dead. No, wait, he's breathing. Ja'far wasn't sure if that was a relief or not.
“Don't worry, he'll be too embarrassed to report this,” the elf assured them. She opened the gate. “Go on through. Head to your left a few minutes, and you'll make the stairs to Avernus.”
“Thanks,” Falan said, smiling. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
Ja'far and Falan headed through the gate, and hurried along, following the elf's directions. And sure enough, they came to a mountain which had been carved into a giant set of stairs. The stairs themselves were enormous; a creature three times their size could walk easily up them. “Whoa,” Falan said softly. “That's impressive. And it looks like there's places to hide along the way- both good and bad, I guess.”
“Yeah.” Ja'far sighed. “Let's get started. It's a long way up.”
Falan-----
Falan was getting incredibly sick of climbing. On top of that, she was starving and exhausted. But she wasn't the one in the worst shape, she supposed- Ja'far was putting on a good show of being alright, but the kid was even paler than usual (an impressive feat, considering he normally put snow to shame) and less focused than before.
“Talk to me, kid.”
Ja'far looked over his shoulder at her. “...What?”
“Just so I know you're still here. Last thing I need is you falling off the stairs because the pain got too overwhelming for you.”
“I'm not going to do that.”
“You've tripped five times in the past...can't be more than ten minutes. Not convinced.”
“Neither am I.”
Falan snorted. “Fair. C'mon, I'll give you something easy to ramble about. Tell me about Sinbad- maybe thinking about him will keep you on your feet.”
“What about him?” Ja'far asked, giving her a wary look.
“Relax, I don't think I'm going to be fighting him in the near future. How did you join his side?”
“There was a kyton in a cave. That's how I found out I had kyton blood, actually... Anyway, long story short, he saved me, even though I'd been trying to kill him. He...” Ja'far paused, eyes softening at the memory. “...He said I wasn't a monster. That I had a place with him. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.”
Just now, his eyes looked like Sheba's... Falan shook her head. “And you fell in love instantly, huh?”
“...I guess I did.”
Falan smiled in spite of herself. “As good a reason to change sides as any, huh.”
“Yeah.” He glanced back at her, eyes a little glassy. “So...you really didn't know what was in the stone?”
“Arba didn't tell us, no. There's a lot she didn't tell us.”
“So you still don't know who else was in the stone?”
Falan blinked. That's right, Arba mentioned two passengers... “No, who was it?”
“Aladdin.”
“I'm going to name him Aladdin.” Sheba beamed at her. “Once it's safer, then I'll give birth to him- Tess will be happy to have someone to play with, right?”
Falan laughed, hugging her. “Of course! Aww, Sheba, this is great! Tess can totally be a big brother for Aladdin.”
“That'll be wonderful!” Sheba smiled warmly. “I have a feeling I'm going to be asking you for advice a lot, too- I hope that's okay.”
“Are you kidding?” Falan asked quietly. “Did Arba seriously...she seriously put a little kid in there with David's soul?”
Ja'far nodded. “Yeah. Aladdin's safe now, at least- we got him out of the stone.”
“I can't believe her,” Falan said, rage building inside her. “Arba...what the fuck was she thinking?! And Ithnan, too- they did that together, how could he justify...?” She punched the stone stairs as hard as she could.
How could they think this is right?
“Somehow, it's a relief to know there's things you won't do,” Ja'far commented.
Falan winced, shaking out her now-bleeding hand. “Wow, I have problems with people messing with kids' souls, what a shocker,” she said dryly. “Anyone in their right mind would say that's wrong.”
Well, not that I've done nothing wrong myself...actually, I've done a lot of things. But never anything so bad as that.
Ja’far-----
Ja'far knew he was awake, on some level. But seeing Sin here- it had to be a dream, right?
No...it looked so much like him, but that wasn't really Sin.
It couldn't be.
The ocean wind brushed against Ja'far's face, a welcome coolness. But at the same time, the scent reminded him so much of Sin; a wave of longing washed through him, leaving him lonely and helpless in its wake. The man who looked like Sin was telling him something, but Ja'far couldn't hear him; he was too far away. Or was he? After all, he was floating right next to Ja'far.
That was a shame; he probably sounded like Sin, too, and Ja'far felt he would do anything to hear that voice again.
He would do anything to have Sin by his side again...
Sweat dripped into his eyes, and as he rubbed them to clear it, the vision was gone. I guess I'm officially hallucinating now, Ja'far thought grimly. Still...it wasn't a bad one.
“Come on, Ja'far. Not much further,” Falan was saying.
Ja'far nodded. “Right.”
Somehow, they made it up the last few stairs. Falan grabbed Ja'far's arm and pulled him quickly to a pile of rocks, sheltering them from sight.
The top layer of Hell was a charred wasteland; made of ruins and fortresses, with fireballs screaming constantly across the sky. Off in the distance, armies of devils clashed.
“Okay,” Falan said. “Ja'far, try to keep it together long enough to keep watch while I get these anchors off.”
Ja'far nodded. “Right.”
The now-familiar green glow began to play over the two of them, and Ja'far turned his focus to their surroundings. None of the armies were close enough to be a threat, and any stray devils coming and going between the first and second layer seemed to have urgent errands to attend to.
Falan was quietly cursing; the anchors didn't want to come off, it seemed.
“You're really bad at this, aren't you?”
The voice was accompanied by a cold, wet touch on the back of Ja'far's neck. Ja'far winced, looking around for the source of the voice. Valefor? No way, he can't...
“The one and only. What are you doing?”
Keeping watch? Ja'far supposed that it was better not to talk out loud to a god only he could hear; Falan might think he was really losing it.
“Look, pup, I know you're devilspawn and all, but is praying seriously beyond you?”
What do you mean?
“I mean, I chose you and your mate to be champions of mine. And you- the one who needs my help the most- hasn't sent a single prayer my way! Are you stupid? I can't really help if you don't ask. Well, I would've had trouble interfering in the lower layers, I guess, but here...”
Wait, does that mean you've heard from Sin? Is he alright?!
“Your mate's doing what he can. Worry about your own tail until you get out of Hell, won't you?”
Sorry? Ja'far glanced over at Falan. Look, I've never actually prayed before. Do I just ask you for the thing I want?
“Eh, that'll do. Polite's nice.”
Then please, almighty Valefor, could you get the Dimensional Anchors off the two of us? Or help Falan do it? Either way, we need them gone.
“Sure you want me to help her? Isn't she your enemy?”
I'm not leaving her in Hell. No one deserves that.
“As long as you're sure.”
I am. Thank you.
The cold sensation vanished. Falan let out a soft cry of triumph a moment later. “Got them! Okay, kid, give me your hand- we're going back to the Material Plane.”
Ja'far took her hand. “You got them off?”
“Yeah, somehow.” She sketched a glowing, green door in midair. “Got lucky, I guess.”
Thank you, Valefor. Ja'far let her pull him through the door.
Instantly, the air was cooler. Ja'far blinked, eyes adjusting to the soft darkness of night. There were trees around them, and grass under their feet. Owls hooted in the forest around them, and Ja'far could hear a brook somewhere nearby. And above them, the stars and the full moon filled the sky with light.
Even more than that, the world felt right.
They had made it home.
((Valefor’s blessing had to kick in sooner or later.))
