[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/7f28c785-bb7c-4826-8dbd-4f45a4e28f0c.png[/img]
[color=Peru][b]The Great Artisan, Divine Mason, Builder of Civilisations
Level 4 God of Crafting (Masonry, Carpentry)[/b]
22.5 Might & 1 Free Points[/color]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/0hpO2q6.png[/img]
[b]Harbinger of the Natural Order, Guardian of Harmony, God of Kings and King of Gods, I AM THAT I AM
Level 7 God of Order
15 Might & 1 Free Point[/b]

[u]Vestec, God of Chaos[/u]
Level 4
11 Might & 2 Free Points[/center]

A Realta descending upon a hain village. [i]Boom.[/i] A Realta pursuing a lone Sculptor. [i]Boom.[/i] A Realta burning a section of forest. [i]Boom.[/i] Two Realta trying to fight a band of Sculptors, Ur'Telem and Fiberlings on the border of an Aclaya forest. [i]Boom.[/i] A Realta bombarding a human village. [i]Boom.[/i] A Realta approaching a Lensling grove- wait, what was that?

The world became heavy. Not in weight, nor gravity. But Teknall watched as the energy pulse from the god's weapon zipped towards it target, who would have never had time to register its own death let alone see the cause of its destruction. Yet each instant it drew closer, it slowed, and the world around him grew to a halt. The trees no longer rustled in the wind, for there was no wind. Through viscous air the Realta flew and through syrup space the bullet traversed.

And then came the voice.

[b]"Teknall, I have come."[/b]

In that instant Logos suddenly [i]was[/i]. Interposed in the space between the bullet and the Realta, his wings spread wide to shield his child of fire and metal. His deliberating eyes turned to bore into Teknall's, as he outstretched his open palm towards the bullet in that fragmented moment.

Velocity: negated. Temperature: lowered to that of the air. Opposing Magnetism: Inversed.

Time resumed. The Realta paused in its flight, pulsing with white fire and sparks urgently as it looked upon the two gods. The bullet fell to the earth, drained of its destructive power, now no more harmful than a common river rock.

[b]"You have been busy,"[/b] the King stated, his gaze never leaving the Inventor. In his hands he held a sliver of darkness; the perfect cylinder of an event horizon contained, [i]Singularity[/i]. Even from his distance from Logos, Teknall could feel the pull of his divine core towards that blade.

For a couple of moments Teknall was frozen in place, not from any of Logos' spells, but from his own fear.  He knew that his actions were going to attract unwanted attention from Logos, but the God of Physics was so much more intimidating in person. The penetrating gaze, although their eyes couldn't actually meet through his armour, made Teknall feel like a mere insect in comparison. And that sword. Teknall knew good craftsmanship when he saw it, and he knew that Singularity was terrifyingly powerful.

[color=Peru][i]Keep calm,[/i][/color] Teknall thought to himself, trying to recover his resolve, [color=Peru][i]and don't let him intimidate me that easily.[/i][/color]

[color=Peru][b]"You've been busy too,"[/b][/color] Teknall stated in reply.

Logos simply bowed his head in acknowledgement. [b]"Small stones, large mountain,"[/b] he mentioned cryptically as he drew closer to Teknall, who took a step back. [b]"Jvan is a shadow of her former self by my hand. My grievance with her has been settled for this aeon."[/b]

Logos tilted his head, almost intrigued by the advanced armor Teknall wore in comparison to his own vulnerability. [b]"Your betrayal though, remains to be settled. Do not assume your actions surprised me. The possibility existed, however slim. An error on my part. I shall not suffer it again."[/b] Logos warned gravely. The Realta was flashing rapidly now, saying something in its language of light that apparently only Logos could understand. He nodded, and his eyes narrowed at the weapon Teknall held in his hands. [b]"Did it please you?"[/b] the God asked. 

Teknall cocked his head, not entirely clear about Logos' question.

[b]"Did it please you to murder my children indiscriminately?"[/b]

[color=Peru][i]His children?[/i][/color] Teknall thought. [color=Peru][i]Well, this is awkward.[/i][/color]

[color=Peru][b]"Not really, no,"[/b][/color] Teknall replied, which was true, as it was a brutal yet necessary course of action in his mind. [color=Peru][b]"Did it please you to have your children indiscriminatly murder the people of Galbar?"[/b][/color]

Logos kept his silent gaze for minute longer, his expression unreadable. 

Then, he cast his gaze downwards to the Lensling grove beneath them. The world around the two gods became smoke and heat, the landscape erupting into molten slag as the briefest thought from Order tore open the crust from the mantle. The corrupted life and lands were sent tumbling to be purified by the fire of Galbar itself. 

A fiery wind ruffled Logos's feathers as he looked back up at Inventor, his eyes cold.

[b]"You do not understand,"[/b] Logos assessed at last, his words stinging with a tone of disappointment. [b]"You, who are to blame. You, who failed the Codex. You, who allowed the Cancer to spread through a world you watch over."[/b] 

Suddenly, Logos was directly infront of Teknall, Singularity to the side. There was no movement, merely the barest of flickers.  [b]"You, who permitted Vowzra, your brother, to fall at Jvan's hand,"[/b] he admonished. [b]"Who are you to judge Me for my retribution?"[/b]

Teknall leaned backwards as Logos stood over him, and took a tentative step backwards. Teknall's eyes, his solid metal faceplate notwithstanding, flicked between Logos' face and the black slither that was Singularity. The Mirror Armour shields seemed to thicken slightly.

[color=Peru][b]"If your sole target was Jvan and her creations, that would be understandable,"[/b][/color] Teknall answered, [color=Peru][b]"But your servants threaten to burn half of Galbar. And the crystal trees you've planted- Jvan only has a very small amount of very localised terrestrial flora, while those crystal forests are far from localised or selective. You fight not just Jvan but the whole planet."[/b][/color]

[b]"Better that half burns, than all perish,"[/b] Logos retorted. [b]"If I were so inclined, this world would be torn asunder by my whim. It would be of little consequence. There are millions more like it. Waiting."[/b]

Logos's wings spread wide, suffocating Teknall in an all encompassing coccoon of aetherial feathers. The hellfire beneath the two faded as the world faded in Logos's embrace, solar winds and aurora dancing in the edges of Teknall's vision. The Mirror Armor had been designed to protect against blows, but nothing could block his words.

[b]"I see the fear in your eyes, Brother. You are not a warrior. You do not breathe death as I do. You can only build. In the beginning, I cut light and broke gravity. Now, I bend minds and devour flesh. The mantle of Vowzra has fallen to me, and I have come to purify the world he held dear. I give you a magnificent chance brother; the chance to build a better world out of the ashes of the old."[/b]

A hand as dark as the void of space reached out and grabbed Teknall's chin, forcing him to look upwards into Logos's apathetic stare.

[b]"These mortals worship you for what you should be. For what you represent. But the mind of a child and the heart of an infant are within you. Surrender and I will stop this attack.”[/b]

Teknall shrunk back within the metal shell of the Mirror Armour at Logos' touch, although the armour moved nowhere, surrounded by Logos' wings. Cornered.

The railgun, which was hugged against Teknall's chest, dissolved into a light shower of golden light; it was of no use to him at the moment. Carefully, Teknall spoke. [color=Peru][b]"You are right that I am a builder, a craftsman. And as a craftsman, I work with the materials and environment that I have to make it better, and I admire the creations of my fellow craftspeople. And this is, I think, where our perspectives differ. You want the World to conform to how you and you alone want it, whereas I see the World as a collaborative project between all the gods. Why else would Fate have brought all of us here, after all?"[/b][/color]

Teknall sighed before adding, [color=Peru][b]"I still fail to see why this destruction is necessary; what overwhelming threat the creations of Jvan and the others present."[/b][/color]

Logos looked at Teknall for a long moment, before only shaking his head. 

[b]"Do not speak to me of Fate. Every step, I have defied him. Mighty is He, but Mightier still is the perseverance of Order. Why then, would he allowed Vulamera to fall? Why then, would Reathos fade? Why then, would Julkofyr cease?"[/b]

Teknall shrugged. [color=Peru][b]"I don't know, but this Universe is home to more gods than just you or I."[/b][/color]

[b]"They have done little with it. An entire universe, and this is all of the work they have to show for it,"[/b] Logos caught the Inventor's gaze once more. [b]"This is one little planet in one tiny solar system in a galaxy that is barely out of its womb. I am old, Teknall. Older than the Universe itself. So try then to imagine how insignificant I find the sentiment that any of us are subject to Fate. This universe was built on the memory of the last from my actions, made possible from the laws that I wove. Jvan is simply an abstraction, a plague, from one of its many possible predecessors. She would seek to tear down the tapestry."[/b]

[color=Peru][b]"And yet the tapestry has not fallen. It has been painted upon by all of us to form a richer whole. Perhaps not the exact painting you wanted, but all of us have a share in this Universe. Jvan may not fit the style you want, but so far the Universe is still intact, and I haven't seen how she constitutes an existential threat."[/b][/color]

[b]"Then you are blind,"[/b] Logos chastised, somewhat harshly. [b]"Open your mind."[/b]

Teknall hesitated. Was it a trap? But with at least two reports of Jvan being an existential threat, could he afford not to? Teknall breathed deeply, then tentatively lowered his mental guard.

Logos cocked his head to one side slightly, as if genuinely surprised that he had obeyed him. Then, his ghostly eyes glowed slightly, and a tiny white orb zipped forward into Teknall’s mind.

Teknall would have used the word “unimaginable” to describe the pain, but that would have been incorrect: he was experiencing it. Of course it was imaginable. It was not the the screaming, splitting agony of a burn, or the wet, prickling torment of a cut, or the dull, throbbing ache of a broken bone. Rather, it was as if all of these things had been combined and then had their excesses trimmed away. The common element was isolated and distilled into what Logos was forcing him to experience. And the vision he saw, the vision that racked him to the core was the shadow of something-
 
No. 

It was the dream of the reflection of the shadow on a still lake on a starless night. It was a glimpse of something, something horribly unnatural. Something Other than Real.

When the vision faded, Teknall was left trembling, from the pain, from the vision.

[b]“This is but one of her creations. Locked beyond the Walls of Time, barred from this world by the Gates of Sleep. She is the lock and the key to their entry. They would kill Reality itself if given a chance. She created them; you permitted it to exist.”[/b]

Teknall was still stunned speachless, his mind reeling. Eventually, though, Teknall managed to regain rational thought, and tried to tie it all together.

[color=Peru][b]"It- it- it-"[/b][/color] Teknall stammered, mostly to himself, [color=Peru][b]"it's different. The Blueprint. The Other wasn't dangerous on the Blueprint. Something happened. I- I need a seat."[/b][/color] Teknall turned and brushed past Logos' ethereal wings, taking a few unsteady steps across the earth, then sitting down upon a stone stool which rose up from the ground. He leaned his elbow on his knee then held his forehead in his hand, or as best as he could with the Mirror Armour on. [color=Peru][b]"Did Jvan do it? But why? She lives here too, so she needs reality intact. Does it have any connection with her other creations? The ones which live here and don't threaten reality. Just because she can, does it mean she would? But she might. When was the last time I spoke with her? Does it justify destroying the world? She lives here, she creates, there's some Other stuff, but they seem completely different. But she holds the key, holds them back, can let them out. Cause ruin. But can't we all? This is different. Who can harm reality itself? But would she?"[/b][/color]

[b]"Cease,"[/b] came Logos's command. The Lord of Order swept down to his brother, and folded his wings tightly against his back. [b]"The abomination now lies locked within a prison of my own design. But the task left me drained, my power spent. And beyond it, I saw countless others. And the Cancer's spread yet lives."[/b] he said, quietly. For the first time, Teknall saw his brother's fingers tighten around the blade he held in his hands, whether out of fear or anger, he knew not. [b]"You shame me for the destruction on one planet. I tell you this; the fate of all worlds is meaningless to her. This universe is her plaything. When the Tapestry unravels, she will slink through the cracks to the next, and to the next. Unless she is stopped [i]here[/i]."[/b] 

Teknall did not meet Logos' gaze as he spoke. The finality of his statements was jarring. After a few moments, Teknall replied softly. [color=Peru][b]"You have given me much to think about."[/b][/color] There was a pause, before he slowly stood up and added, [color=Peru][b]"I need to go talk with her. A serious talk. Like rational people."[/b][/color]

A familiar giggling seemed to wrap around the two Gods. Multicolored light coalesced into Vestec's form as he lounged on a ball of Chaos energy. "Teknall, Teknall, Teknall. So easily swayed by words, yet so hesitant to take action. Vowzra tried to be reasonable with Jvan, when that failed he tried to be reasonable with you, Kyre, and Yangy. Yangy killed his avatar for it and you all blew him off. Talking is no longer an option with Jvan. Regardless!" Vestec clapped his hands together, looking at Logos. "That's not why I'm here."

He held his arms out wide. "Logos! Brother! It's been too long! I'd go to hug you but I suspect you'll try to stab me. You've pissed quite the number of people off, Logy my boy. Quite a lot of them are not pleased with your Realta at all. Teknall being the quickest to action. I have a proposition-"

In that fragment of Time, Logos has flickered across the distance to Vestec and swung Singularity wide. He watched the god's head seperate from his shoulders and fall to the floor.

Multi colored blood sprayed through the air, Vestec's colors freezing in an instant as his masked head fell to the ground. For a moment, the God of Chaos' body stood swaying in the wind, then it fell to the ground, more blood gushing onto the ground, pooling at Logos' feet as he turned his back on the corpse.
 
A giggle interrupted the silence.

With almost a sigh, Logos turned around, to face the reformed giggling God.

Vestec's body picked itself up, juggling his head for a moment before plopping it on his shoulders and twisting it into place with a click. "Got it out of your system Logy?" Vestec paused for only a split second, then continued, his colors flashing merrily.  "Good. As I was saying, I have a proposition. Rather than you fighting half a dozen Gods and tearing Galbar to shreds in the process, losing all of the Realta you brought, and probably resulting in more Godly death, why don't we settle this in one location, hmmm?"

Vestec brought his hands up, creating a 3D vision of Xerxes. "Bravo on conquering my ungrateful son's mind and making him serve you. He's made an even bigger mess of Xerxes now and has attracted the attention of my other son, Lifprasil. They're going to have a lovely show down in Xerxes and try to kill each other. You know, typical family affairs! I propose that we all settle things there. You bring all your Realta, we bring our chosen, and we all fight to-"

Singularity was brought down, cleanly splitting through the Mad God's skull and through his chest, bisecting the Lord of Chaos. With a twist of his wrist, Logos pulled the blade out of the god's chest and with a flap of his wings took to the air above the remains. An all too familiar scream of Logos's power coursed through the air, a beam of molten light connecting the two. Teknall could see the cold mask of apathy on Logos's face, even though his action burned with emotion.

[b]"Why Vowzra felt the possibility your continued existence was necessary, even I cannot fathom."[/b] Logos whispered as he watched the stream of liquid iron turn the remains to ash.

The ash picked itself up, pulsing with different colors, and formed Vestec's body again. Wings of ash formed and brought him floating to the sky, reaching Logos' level. By the time Vestec was at the God of Order's level, he was already reformed fully, Chaos energy wings flapping in mockery of Logos'. Vestec put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot in the air. "Are you quite done? As I was saying-" Singularity was thrust up under Vestec's jaw, sealing his mouth shut, impaling him firmly on the event horizon of existence.

Vestec's mask split open on his forehead, a mouth forming. "[i]AS I WAS SAYING.[/i] You bring your Realta, we bring our chosen, and we all fight to decide the actions on Galbar afterwards. Winner is whichever mortal side holds Xerxes at the end of the fight. If Amartia holds Xerxes still, I will join you in your mass and careless purge of Jvanic entities, and you won't have to deal with me continously bothering and distracting you while you're trying to fight the other Gods and purging things. If Lifprasil holds Xerxes, you go home and stop smashing Jvan's things. Wherever that is. Deal?"

To his credit, Logos actually paused his assault. With a gut wrenching splatter of chromatic blood, he withdrew Singularity from Vestec's brain matter. [b]"My children stay out of this. Bring any forces you wish. I will be there. Regardless of your actions, I will benefit."[/b]

Vestec held up a finger, wagging it. "Ah, ah, ah. If you want your children to have a chance, you'd better bring them. Otherwise Teknall here, or someone else, will kill them all while you're busy."

Logos turned his gaze now to Teknall and was silent, his wings folded infront of himself almost like a shield. [b]"Why?"[/b] he asked, both Gods.

Teknall glanced to both sides before offering an answer. [color=Peru][b]"We live here and don't want our home turned to glass."[/b][/color]

[b]"There are nigh infinite worlds in this universe. I can assure of this; I have counted. One planet is not worth risking the Tapestry. You will find and populate another."[/b]

[color=Peru][b]"Try telling that to everyone,"[/b][/color] Teknall replied.

[b]"You place the desires of mortals above those of the divine?"[/b]

"He does. I just like playing with them." Vestec shifted his jaw and clicked it into place. "It's nice to have you around Logos. Everyone gets so upset when I play one little game with the Mortals. Poor Grot."

Teknall looked between Logos and Vestec, although it seemed that Logos was ignoring Vestec for the moment. Vestec's words had a grain of truth, but- [color=Peru][b]"I was more referring to the rest of the pantheon, who have similarly invested in this planet."[/b][/color]

[b]"They need only obey,"[/b] Logos assured Teknall. [b]"Were our influence to remain bound to one sphere, the expanse of reality would have been considerably... [i]less.[/i]"[/b] Once again, the ever slight inclination of the head, the examining eyes. [b]"I thought you would understand the notion of prototypes."[/b]

[color=Peru][b]"Regardless of the expanse of our abilities, a single planet as detailed as this one is no small investment,"[/b][/color] Teknall replied, [color=Peru][b]"We would rather it not be reduced to ruins if it can be avoided, and you have not consulted the creators of this prototype, as you say, before deciding it needs to be scrapped. Destroying half the planet is a fairly inefficient way of removing the creations of a single goddess."[/b][/color]

[b]"Do not attempt to twist my words,"[/b] came the warning. [b]"You are as naive as the mortals you so love. You paint upon [i]my[/i] canvas, Teknall. If I had so wished it, I would not have needed my children to rend this planet. This solar system. Using them was a mercy."[/b]

[color=Peru][b]"The thing is, none of us acknowledge your claim to sole ownership of the Universe,"[/b][/color] Teknall said. [color=Peru][b]"Sure, you have some seniority, and you designed the underlying physics, but all of us are independent beings. You could destroy Galbar and crush your enemies, but that would be conquest, not a right to ownership. Fundamentally, we disagree."[/b][/color]

Logos slowly turned his gaze towards Vestec. [b]"The machine was set into motion in the beginning. Every whim disrupts it. I saw an ally in this one. I was wrong. Everything in this world will fall apart now. The center cannot hold."[/b]

"Logy Logy Logy!" Vestec drawled out, walking around the God of Order. "You seem to be under the false impression that you're the strongest being around!" Vestec giggled, nudging Teknall with his elbow as if they had an inside joke. "Let me remind you of two very important people who gave us the power to create this world. Amul and Fate. You remember them, right? Good ole mom and dad? Well. Good ole quiet enforcer, and his...I actually don't know what Fate does. Anyway! The point is! It's not [i]your[/i] canvas. It's [i]their's[/i]." Vestec pointed up towards the sky. 

"If you decide to start wiping out the solar system, because you love overkill, every single one of us would begin asking Amul for help in stopping you. I'm sure you'd be breaking some law, Zephy did and hasn't been seen since. So next time you start dropping words like 'My canvas' and start throwing your regal bearing around as if we can't stop you, remember this; you were created from nothing, same as the rest of us. They can send you back just as easily and get someone new."

Vestec threw his hands wide. "So you have to play our games Logos! Otherwise, Amul will get someone who [i]will.[/i]." He tilted his head at the God of Order, a sudden thought striking him. "I need to test something." A flood of pure Chaos energy washed over Logos' form, blasting from Vestec's mask. Screams, howling winds, grunts, giggles, falling rocks, and a multitude of other sounds echoed from the multicolored lights as they spewed out.

Logos was swift in his response, wrapping himself in a cocoon of feathers to pass the storm. The tidal wave of improbability broke like rain against a mountain, and the Herald of Order stood fastly anchored against the corruption. With a flurry of wingbeats, Logos freed himself of the torrent, looking, to Teknall's eyes, perhaps a little more tired, and closed the distance once more between himself at his anthema. 

[b]"Call them,"[/b] Logos stated, as Singularity took Vestec's arms. [b]"Bring them forth. Let another walk the Road. None would dare."[/b] The blade found the Mad God's heart and bit deep. [b]"If they wanted, they would have stopped me by now. They would have stopped [i]her[/i]."[/b]

Vestec slumped dramatically as the blade punched into his heart. He began to slide slowly off the blade, the silence stretching out.  

Finally growing bored of the act, Vestec straightened up with a malicious chuckle. "Logos. I'm the other half of your coin. If I wanted to I could [i]change[/i] the Road." His arms had regrown, and he pulled himself closer to Logos on the blade. "But I won't. You know why, Brother? Because it'd be [i]boring.[/i] You haven't pushed their buttons. You haven't challenged them. Even I'm not foolish enough to do that, and you do not possess Zephyrion's arrogance. Do not try to make yourself seem favored. We're all just play things, dancing for their amusement."

Vestec began to laugh, his shoulder's shaking as he remained stuck on the blade. "Don't you see Logos? It's perfect! I can't harm you. Teknall would have been hurt by that, no offense Teky. But not you. You can't kill me. Teknall nearly died, and you sundered Jvan in half. But your blows didn't keep me dead. We're meant for each other! The perfect balance. Two sides of the same coin. [i]Brothers.[/i]" He wrapped his arms around Logos. "For eternity."

Vestec lost those arms.

Again.

Followed by his head.

[b]“You dare,”[/b] he muttered, and Teknall could hear him only because there were no other sounds in the world. [b]“[i]You dare[/i]!”[/b] he boomed, once again assuming the resonating voice that came with being a god.

Vestec began to reform, giggling as he did so. 

He crossed the distance between the two of them faster than even Vestec could see, then batted him across the continent with a backhand. The madgod felt several of his bones break despite his enchantments as he was thrown across the land to collide with the mountains. He sagged down to land next to shattered stone.

[b]“You [i]dare[/i] call me that? [i]You who have no right[/i]?”[/b]

There was a sickening crunch that sounded all-together too close to Vestec, and a pain shot through his head. Logos’s hand reached out and grabbed his face, thrusting it upward until he was looking directly into his eyes. He felt a trickle of blood run down his neck.

Order had removed the head of Chaos with as much severity as plucking the wings off a fly.

[b]“You have taught even me something today. If this cycle of eternity offers nothing but madness, then I shall savour breaking you.”[/b]

Vestec began to laugh. "You can't break me Brother. You can't break those already mad." His reformed foot kicked the Herald of Order up through the mountain, creating a lovely skylight for whoever wanted to move into the newly designed cave, while he himself returned to Teknall's side.

"Shoot me in the shoulder." 

[color=Peru][b]"What?"[/b][/color] Teknall said, bewildered. The battle between Vestec and Logos had been a terrifying display of power, but also a show of futility. Teknall had been keeping his distance.

"The shoulder. This thing." Vestec tapped his shoulder. "Mortals have it too you know. You designed the Urtelem with them even. I don't know what's so hard to understand about it. You've surely shot Realta in it before!"

Teknall let out a sigh. That wasn't what he had meant, and Vestec knew that too. [color=Peru][b]"If you insist."[/b][/color]

Teknall took a step to the side and the railgun rematerialised in his hand. He leveled the railgun at Vestec's shoulder point blank and pulled the trigger.

"OW!" Vestec howled, stumbling backwards, blood spurting from a large hole in his shoulder. "Yep. That's what I thought. Good news for you Teky, I'm your best weapon against Logos [i]and[/i] you can still hurt me. Everyone wins! Well. Except for all those Hains that got wiped out before now."

[color=Peru][i]If Vestec is my best weapon against Logos, I'm going to need a better weapon,[/i][/color] Teknall thought. [color=Peru][b]"It is of some solace to know that you aren't completely unstoppable,"[/b][/color] Teknall added aloud, his railgun dematerialising.

"Awww. You thought I was unstoppable! That's touching! I'd hug you but you'd actually kill me if you reacted like Logy did. So, I suppose that's the end of our meeting Teky! See you at Xerxes!" Vestec began to disperse, preparing to teleport away.

[color=Peru][b]"Before you go-"[/b][/color] Teknall interjected, Vestec rematerialising, [color=Peru][b]"I have a small question. Why did you smash a mountain into the south pole?"[/b][/color]

"Oh." Vestec waved a dismissive hand. "That was the remains of Reathos' body. I smashed it into the ground to make a home for Lazzy's dwarves to live. They won't be of harm or danger to anyone for a century at least. Well. Maybe the Rovaick, but Toun seems to have them ready. Or brainwashed. He does so love to enslave the minds of things." Vestec clapped his hands together. "Anywho! Things to prepare, plots to ensare, and war to declare. See you at Xerxes. Toodles!" With that, Vestec disappeared.

Teknall looked around at the sky after Vestec vanished, checking for any signs of Logos, but there was none. Logos had gone elsewhere, it seemed. Teknall made preparations to depart. Teknall sat down on the stone stool and, finally alone, lowered his Mirror Armour shields and removed his helmet. There was a hiss as air rushed to fill the vacuum inside, and Teknall's countenance was dry and haggard. Part of it was the past day he had spent locked inside his Mirror Armour killing Realta, but he had also been left rattled by this confrontation with Logos. Teknall had got off lucky, he thought. He needed a few moments to reorient himself.

Through the eyes of Goliath, Teknall saw that the Realta were retreating. No longer were they threatening the inhabitants of Galbar. Accordingly, Goliath disengaged from the Realta and left them alone, heading back into orbit.

Despite the Realta no longer being a problem, Teknall still had many things to attend to. Jvan. The Other. Aclaya. Xerxes. Amartia. Lifprasil. A weapon. The Codex. Dwarves. So much to do.

The Mirror Armour dissolved into motes of golden light and Teknall stretched his shoulders. At least his upcoming tasks didn't involve combat and threat of death. Teknall stood up, and then vanished, leaving the scorched and battered terrain.

[hider=In which Teknall poops his pants]
Logos finally confronts Teknall, who has been killing Realta.
Teknall is terrified at Logos' arrival, although lucky for him Logos just wants some stern words, and to bring Teknall over to his side.
They talk for a bit.
Logos asserts that Jvan is an existential threat, yet Teknall fails to see how. To clear things up, Logos shares his recent memories of the Other, which inflicts great pain upon Teknall.
Teknall is bewildered, for the Other in the Codex, to his memory, had been benign. He is conflicted as to whether Jvan would actually destroy reality. Teknall eventually decided that the best thing to do is to talk to Jvan.
At this moment, Vestec arrives. He briefly berates Teknall, then attempts to strike a deal with Logos.
Vestec is repeatedly interrupted by Logos murdering him, although Vestec regenerates with no harm done.
Eventually, Vestec explains his deal: They shall have a battle royale at Xerxes. If Lifprasil and co. conquers Xerxes, Logos goes home. If Amartia and co. hold Xerxes, Vestec will join Logos on his Galbaric killing spree.
Logos states that he won't be bringing his precious Realta, and that regardless of the outcome of the Xerxes battle he will benefit.
More discussion occurs between Teknall and Logos. A fundamental disconnect in their ideologies is explicitly identified: Logos sees himself as rightful owner of the Universe and that a planet is a small price to pay to ensure Order and security; Teknall sees all the gods as having a more-or-less equal share of the Universe, and the destruction of their creations is to be avoided whereever possible.
Logos finally gives up on Teknall, and concedes that Galbar is doomed.
Vestec interjects that Amul'Sharar and Fate own the Universe, not Logos, and that he'd better not get on their bad side. Logos is defiant, since he is needed for the Road.
Vestec and Logos fight some more. Neither can actually harm each other. Vestec asserts that this is because Vestec and Logos are linked, two opposing forces fated to bring balance, and as such cannot destroy each other. Logos is infuriated. Eventually, Logos gets kicked through a mountain and doesn't bother returning.
Vestec returns to Teknall and gets Teknall to shoot him in the shoulder. It inflicts a grevious wound, as Vestec expected, confirming that it is only Logos and Vestec who can't hurt each other.
Before Vestec leaves, Teknall asks him about the south pole and learns of the dwarves.
Vestec and Teknall part ways.
Elsewhere, Goliath observes that the Realta are retreating, and disengages.

No Might spent.
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