I don't own Tammy's stuff. I never said I did. You never thought I did. Everything's great. Happy day.
THANKS EVERYONE FOR +100 REVIEWS! WOO HOO!
AND AS OF LAST CHAPTER, MY CHAPTERS SELECTION HAS A SCROLL BAR! For some reason that's just a big deal for me. I think it's cool.
Hey guys, I needa beta reader, if you think your up for the job, drop me an email at I'm serious. No joke. I really need one.
Reviews!
Noc and NC Woo hoo! A new reviewer! And you posted the 100th review! And then some! Awesomeness! Anyways, Thanks about the comment on my fight scenes, I wasn't sure how good they were and hoped they weren't confusing. I must say I do need to go over that chapter but I'm too lazy. It doesn't have the usual polish. I don't know if you guys could tell but I could. I wanted to get it out to you all. I'm glad you think its like reading one of Tammy's books, that's what I'm aiming for after all!
I like how you tell me your favorite parts; that's the sort of thing I like to hear! Keep it up please! Review again!
Silveni eh? Dreams are Freaky? Why? You read it all in one sitting, I'm glad I could hold your attention, that's an awesome compliment. I'm glad I could make the Blah Gods seem more real. You'll see a new god in this chappy. And you say I'm awesome? Yes! My ego soars into the atmosphere, I dunno if that's a good thing, But I'm sure lovin' it. Here another chapter, hope you like, yes? Review please!
Magequeen Ruling and rocking, not words I usually describe myself with, but I like it! I swear you all have a conspiracy. Your all planning to build me up then one random chapter you totally flame me and rip me from my thrown to leave me sulking…alone…
But Either way I get reviews. Review again please! It will make me happy.
Numair's Lover Rockin', that's me! Yes, I know how we all hate cliffy's but they make easy ways to end chapters; and we all know how lazy I am to think of some other, slightly less irritating way, so…yeah.
What! No bed time snacks? I might die! Seriously! I'm not about to do listen to that, but here you go, so don't hate me. Read and review please, while I eat cupcakes.
Feifiefofum You'll like Provy's lines today, he actually gets a couple paragraphs. And yes, I know I need a Flippin' Beta reader, I'm in the Market, as it were. Young lady? Ergg. My mom doesn't call me Young Lady, she just calls me by my name, not even my full name. But she has a horrible shriek; I want to cry every time I hear it.
Anyways, thanks for the reviews, fei-man. Glad those Withdrawal symptoms are recovering. Take care of yourself now, and here you go.
Nativewildmage I keep meaning to send you a review on The Second Generation: Squires: II but I keep forgetting. I'm about half way through, and it's even better than the first one. I flippin' love Neal. You do him so well. He's awesome. Anyways, this is about your review, not mine so thanks for reviewing and review again! Glad you like it!
Ace Ryn Knight No dry spell this time! I'm only barely managing to update within a week though. But I did make it! Yup, Gainel kicks butt; he is a Great God after all. Yes! You think I build up suspense well?Thank you. I try and apparently I succeed! Yes! Thanks for reviewing!
Ivory Nightshade Don't die please! Here is a chappy! And a portable IV unit to sustain you! Of course I haven't the faintest idea how it works so you'll have to figure it out. Maybe a pie would have been better. Any-who, here you go!
Thanks for reviewing guys! Read, enjoy, and review!
Providence Smiles
By LGR
Part III: Instability
I GAVE YOU THE DAGGER, VIOLENCE, BECAUSE YOU PROMISED YOU'D TAKE MORE CARE THEN DISCORD WITH THE GIRL. IT SEEMS ONCE AGAIN, YOU TWO DISAPPOINT ME.
Lynn was frozen in place by an unseen force not even an inch from the blazing point of Violence's dagger.
But she wasn't the only one.
Violence, too, was unmoving, his face for once not wearing a look of fanatic lunacy, but of stark panic. He'd nearly killed her, he'd thought after she'd seen how significant she was in a battle between true Gods, she wouldn't be altogether keen on interfering, so he wouldn't have a problem with thoughtless reactions. Apparently, Discord hadn't been exaggerating when she'd warned him how quick the mortal was to jump to Gainel's defense, even in combat, it seemed.
Of course, that warning wasn't helping him now. Nothing could help him now…
A woman's hand thrust itself from the black miasma, and a tumultuous wind gushed forth and the inky blackness dispersed like candle smoke. Lynn thought she'd be swept away, except that she was still somehow locked in place. That gaseous cloud, that she'd nearly become lost in not so very long ago, was impossibly sucked away to reveal the most astounding and terrifying sight she'd ever imagined.
The cold disappeared, and the air grew dry and then hot and muggy. There was that dune covered, thunder clouded horizon, but directly above them, the sky gave way and was devoured by a formless, shifting mass of grotesqueness.
The spell that had been holding her suddenly disappeared and she stumbled to find her balance. Lynn jammed her eyes shut and looked away as her stomach lurched and she whimpered slightly from the nausea. It was pure, elemental Chaos. Almost tangible waves of queasiness passed through her, as she inched her eyes open to catch a glimpse of how Gainel was fairing from Chaos's proximity.
Violence was still in his exact, previous position, holding the dagger out to slice at a now absent Lynn, but Gainel was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, before she could start to panic, a hand squeezed her shoulder and she caught the fringe of the Dream King's shock of sable hair from the corner of her right eye. Turning her head only slightly, she could almost pretend that a gruesome slice hadn't been made down the length of the right side of his face. Luckily he can heal that, she thought with a wince as he shifted slightly when his face produced a frown and the slash came into view.
She turned to see what had drawn the scowl and saw a toweringly tall, thin woman with the boniest frame Lynn had ever seen. Her white-pail skin, seeming almost translucent, and flat steel-gray hair, eyes, and dress added to her washed-out, pallid look. Despite her hair-color, she wasn't particularly old looking, although she held herself, panting and sickly, like one near collapse.
"Who are you…" Gainel asked the Goddess, and she was definitely a Goddess, the soft glow from her skin and hair was testament to that, cautiously with more than a hint of confusion.
I AM UUSOAE, she said, her eyes dazed, but Gainel was already shaking his head.
"No," he replied, "You are not."
I AM UUSOAE , the words boomed in their minds, her voice harsh and breathless, and her chest heaved and her breath gurgled as it left her throat. She coughed and fell to her knees hacking violently.
There were moments when it sounded as if she would spit out a vital organ, and maybe she did, as finally a coagulating mass of goop landed on the sandblasted ground of the Chaos Gate circle. The goop jittered and struggled in almost a sentient fashion before breaking off into floating black and color swirled bubbles that lifted lazily into the air to coalesce into the mass of Chaos in the sky, somewhere hundreds of feet above them.
Lynn looked over at Gainel, seeking some sort of an explanation from whatever his face might show. Violence was still stuck in mid-slash, but what independent movement his face could manage held a look of pure shock.
The few gods that Lynn had met, (ironically enough considering she hadn't so much met Discord, Violence, and Uusoae, as they had tried to kidnap her), had emotional expressions as much alike to human expressions as to make no difference whatever. But Gainel's were somewhat different. Lynn didn't know if it was unique to him, or unique to Great Gods, or something random, but whenever he had an expression, it would be a flash. A sort of blink, like he'd moved while standing still. They were as much part of his expression as a smile or a raised eyebrow.
The shape-shifter girl had never thought herself good with judging Gainel's feelings, and had admitted that to herself within a few hours of meeting him, but she thought she might be adapting, because she had a pretty good idea what that flicker, angled head, flicker then scowl meant: Confusion turned to realization, turned to anger.
"You are my kin, but you are not Uusoae," he told her.
"Not that you can change alliances at this point, Violence," Gainel said, turning to stare into the eyes of the still motionless god of Violence, with his remaining eye, " But see, learn and remember, how Chaos reigns it's domain: With Betrayal, Madness and Destruction."
He reached out and phased his hand through Violence's, to take the dagger from the other God's grip. Procuring the sheath that Violence had used for the blade, Gainel slipped it inside, and then phased it within his coat, likely placing it in some unseen and little used pocket, but Lynn couldn't even see its outline in the fabric. Well, it was a magic coat, who said it only had one purpose?
Violence gave him a glare that could have melted steel, but Gainel ignored it.
Lynn wondered if, maybe, standing here in the middle of the realm of Chaos was not so bright an idea. But then again, what else could they do? They were trapped here. And besides, Gainel seemed to be keeping an eye on things, so she wouldn't get too worried yet; apparently they weren't in immediate danger any longer
"What is going on? Who is that, it isn't Uusoae, I saw her, that person is nothing like her but…that voice…and she has something of the feel…what is going on…" Lynn whispered up to Gainel, without taking her gaze from the wheezing, gray-haired goddess nearly collapsed prostrate on the grain-covered earth. Gainel looked as if he were about to answer when he was cut off by a strident mind-shout.
I AM UUSOAE. WRETCHED GIRL, I—
"Be silent!" Gainel hissed at the goddess, and she made a week cough and sunk to the ground shaking, tears rushing down her face.
"I am Uusoae, I was Uusoae…" she managed to say between cough, sniffles and gasps, her true voice strange after only hearing a mind-spoken one. It was deep for a woman, and husky but that might have been from her supposed illness.
"That as may be, but it is no excuse for carrying on this way." He said, not without compassion, but still brooking no room for argument.
He was good like that recently, she'd noticed: she'd always thought he was too passive with other gods. He was a Great God, after all: he had the right. Her father had a complete study of Divine Legends and History (which she'd read, of course), so Lynn was as close to an expert as any mortal possibly could be. And though she knew she was terribly biased on Gainel's part, in obvious ways and for obvious reasons, from what she knew of the gods and their philosophies, he had way better judgment than any of them ever had.
Lynn automatically stood straight and sent a stern face to this Goddess. She didn't really think Gainel needed help in this matter, but Lynn didn't see the harm in adding a little extra intimidation to speed things along.
"Apfel had better come soon…" she heard Gainel mutter in an annoyed tone as he sent a worried eye to the great mass of Chaos still hovering in the sky. Bubbles of chaos were floating to join the sea above them from everywhere in sight. There were specks from far off and distinguishable blobs that were closer; they were everywhere, coming from everywhere.
She still hadn't gotten an answer she realized. She'd lost count how many times this sort of thing had happened.
"Apfel? Great Goddess of Love and Karma, Apfel?" Lynn inquired to see if she'd heard properly, while making a visual sweep of their surroundings. Finding nothing overtly interesting, she took to trying to avoid looking at the Gray-haired goddess while glaring intimidatingly at her simultaneously.
Needless to say it wasn't working overly much. Not only was she having trouble doing two contradictory things at once, but the gray-haired goddess was much to busy trying to keep her insides from forcing themselves from her mouth, from the sound of her heaving she was doing lying in that sand, writhing.
Upon this, she decided that glaring at the ill Goddess was a waste of effort and shifted her vigil to Violence, still caught in suspended animation. He had the grace to actually look a little frightened. Though that might have been of the Goddess struggling on the ground
"Yes," he said, and she nearly jumped; Lynn had almost forgotten she'd asked a question; she'd been occupied glaring at Violence. It seemed he was indeed put-off, not by Lynn, but by the wheezing goddess: if he'd notice the daggers Lynn was glaring at him, he'd have been searching for the stab wound. Not that he could do it properly, unable to move as he was.
"Why are you waiting for her?" she continued to prod.
"I sent her out for help, once I was freed." Gainel explained, "And that help must arrive presently if they're to do anything about the situation. It won't take much longer for Chaos to finish gathering itself to proceed through the gate."
"So that's was it's doing," Lynn turned her face to the sky, and held up a hand to block the glare, but it was just as in that strange blackness Discord had marched her through. The light seemed to come form nowhere at all, as if it were a sunny day, yet there was no sun to be seen, only a bloody red and orange sky, black thunderheads, and of course the bulging and shrinking mass of chaos. Her hands glowed into her eyes and the light was coming from her, making blocking her hand not only useless, but worse than doing otherwise.
"Yes, that is was it is doing," he said, not so much to her as just to be saying something. It was eerily quiet, except for a deep rumble that you could feel in your bones, coming from the convulsing sky of Chaos.
"Kinsman, you must take me with you, we must leave or be destroyed. I have already been rent from my Greater-self…" The gray-haired goddess petitioned, in a voice only slightly anxious, from her bed in the sand. She was still breathing fitfully, but she no longer looked in danger of spitting up her liver. Lynn still didn't know who she was, or where she'd come from.
"We will take you, but I make no Guarantee's on your treatment. You might be brought on trial." He warned her, turning to focus on her with his good eye. Lynn had seen him do this many times, even when both were usable; it meant that your response to what he had asked was a determining factor for his own judgment.
"You are right. I am not Uusoae. So therefore," she paused to take a deep breath, as her words grew stronger, "I cannot be put on trial."
Gainel raised an eyebrow, "Changed your mind about that fairly quickly…" He ddn't seem to like her in the least.
"I wasn't thinking properly when I made that statement. I am a Goddess of Reason and Logic. It's the only thing that makes sense to say, considering it's true and I don't particularly want to be put on trial. I seem to remember it being rather unpleasant, although the details evade me for the moment… " She told them, her voice almost icy. The goddess's condition seemed to be stabilizing, her breathing was normal now, and even though she was still white as a Ghost, her complexion was no longer translucent.
The Goddess carefully got up from her place on the ground, nearly falling over but managing to steady herself. She turned to regard them with a steely expression. Lynn looked at Gainel to see that he was decidedly uncomfortable seeming, as well as suspicious.
"A Goddess of Reason you say…" Gainel contemplated while staring off into the distance, "I hadn't realized Uusoae had so much order in her construction as to be able to break down into a stable orderly entity, should the element of Chaos be removed from her construction." He said to himself as Lynn listened avidly.
"I remember that I was growing quite bothersome to her as of late," the Goddess replied.
"Just asking, but do you have a name, by any chance?" Lynn queried, the Goddess seemed surprised she'd spoken and her pale glance nearly froze the shape shifter, as the Goddess seemed to study her skeptically.
"Phinity," she stated indifferently, and then seemed to ignore Lynn completely.
Lynn might have felt sullen at the Goddess's obvious disdain, except that Gainel narrowed his eye started muttering curses at her under his breathe, which made Lynn smile. He always seemed sulky when he was muttering; and for some reason Lynn found it hilarious.
There was a scraping sound as a large piece of the ground perhaps a few miles away was ripped out of the ground, small rocks, sand granules, and mounds of hardened soil falling with sharp cracks to the hardened ground or thudding into the sand. The great piece of land was sucked toward the sky where it crashed into Chaos and was consumed. There was another loud crash in a different direction and they turned to see the same thing was transpiring there, some few miles away.
"Should we not be contemplating a plan to escape, My Lord?" Phinity asked almost mockingly.
"Contemplate all you like," Gainel told her, his voice a little too even to be natural, even for him. He really doesn't like Phinity, Lynn realized. Not that she liked the woman either so far.
Gainel seemed to turn and see Violence was still frozen there, for the first time. He blinked and flickered slightly before frowning. "What are you still doing there?"
Violence gave him a look that plainly said: What! Don't YOU know? 'Cuz I sure as Chaos don't!
"He is being involuntarily restrained." Phinity ventured, her tone still holding little emotion.
"So it would seem…" Gainel drawled, his eye narrowed, frustrated with the Goddess.
"Isn't all restraining involuntary?" Lynn wondered. A smile tugged at Gainel's face as he shrugged and went back to the question.
"Neither of us are doing this, yes? Lynn isn't doing it, of course. She—" Gainel pointed to the unconscious Discord lying not too far away, Lynn had almost forgotten about her, "—certainly isn't doing anything. And that—" he pointed up at the mass of chaos, "—doesn't have the will to do any such thing at the moment. So the question remains."
"You must be guarded by Providence," Gainel said shaking his head then letting out a sigh and a slight smile, "Not that I'm complaining, I thought my heart had stopped when I saw him swipe at you."
"If you were to ask me, I would say that I don't care." Gainel muttered something about that being the deciding factor in not asking her, but Phinity continued, "We will be destroyed by Chaos inevitably if we can't find a way to leave before it takes her—" The Goddess pointed to Lynn accusingly, turning the word 'her' into something resembling 'pond scum', "—into it and uses her to get into the mortal realm."
"Isn't contemplation silent?" Gainel snapped, and the Goddess drew back with a look of embarrassment.
Lynn entwined her hands with his and laid her head on his shoulder, a small smile on her face. Gainel, apparently out of reflex, took her hand in his and started rubbing her fingers gently as Phinity started an argument with the Dream King, as to their next course of action.
"—we must make Violence and Discord open the gate of—"
"—Aside from both of them being incapacitated for the moment, the Divine seals set upon the Chaos realm are still in place—,"
"—Use the Dagger; it must be returnedin any case. Cut the seals—"
"Wondrous plan, but what's to stop Chaos from following us, yes?"
The dispute continued, both Gods watching their surroundings with growing discomfort as the earth itself continued to be ripped from the realms construction, leaving only a pale white glow left behind in its place. The Mass of Chaos seemed to grow larger, and Lynn had to continuously stare fixated at the ground in order to evade the nauseousness that only a small flicker of the substance in her vision brought.
But even negating it completely from her gaze, Lynn began to feel unwell. Her insides were crawling and a force seemed to be pulling on her. She didn't realize that she had begun to quiver, pant and sweet until Gainel took his arm from her clutches, to embrace her shoulders and kneel with her as she sank to the ground.
"W-what's—," Sarralyn sputtered, barely having the strength to hug herself close and lean on Gainel.
"She's becoming unstable." Phinity said knowingly, "It is only a matter of Time before it takes her now. Chaos can't risk her death. The Logical thing to do is kill her now, before Chaos can use her to enter the Mortal realms—nugh!"
Gainel held the Dagger of the Living Fire poised on Phinity's throat. Lynn hadn't even seen him move, but now she was sitting alone as white flames and static flickered across his form. "I will never condone such an action being committed under any circumstances and most especially not under this circumstance. Am I understood?"
"Y-yes, Milord." She stammered, her eyes toggling between the furious Great God before her and the blazing dagger with the power to end her existence. He removed the dagger slowly and shutting it in the sheath and replacing it in his coat.
"Make no mistake that you are a Lesser Goddess now, and you haven't the authority to be killing mortals of your own accord. A Trial might be in your future yet. Now sit over there until help arrives, I haven't the patience to deal with you."He told her pitilessly and made a shooing gesture towards the Gate.
Phinity looked like she might argue, but she winced and sat herself down a few feet away from Lynn, shooting frowns of disapproval at everything in sight except Gainel; upon reaching him she winced and averted her gaze hastily to glower at something else.
Lynn felt a faint probe upon her mind, just as Gainel snapped his head around to look in her direction. Lynn hastily flung up a shield, but it seemed to crumble apart. She felt like she was fumbling around in the dark, not knowing what she was doing, as Chaos batted away her efforts with ease.
Having only one operating eye was annoying, but it didn't hinder any of Gainel's other senses, and upon Chaos's first movement to snatch at Lynn's mind, he felt it and snapped to her side in an instant.
"Force it out, Lynn!" he whispered in her ear. He could see she was trying to shield without having had any prior knowledge or training on the subject. She built up shields that didn't have and groundings or foundations, but they still managed to keep Chaos form overwhelming her.
Lynn was gasping and shaking. She was growing more and more unbalanced as Chaos tugged at her essence. Gainel had the feeling that Lynn's form wasn't very stable to start with or she and Phinity would have started yielding up their Chaos simultaneously. She flickered and twitched, and coughed. Her nose started bleeding, dripping an inky black substance. He could even feel a faint echo calling his own essence, however the essence of Dream was it's own element; and it would take much more than this to rend it from his soul: such a mixture was near impossible to separate.
Phinity started shaking again as well, stable or not. She still contained some residues of Chaos, else she couldn't exist properly. The Goddess would start coughing it up again soon enough, but likely if she lost any more, she would be cease to have life; she'd be naught but an elemental: barely sentient, with no will and little power.
More Chaos leaked from Lynn's nose and a few drops flew from her mouth after a cough. Gainel thought he could cry. The slice over his eye was on fire as he squeezed them shut, just wishing he were in one of his Dreams.
The Ground around them grew smaller with every minute as chunks of the earth were torn asunder. Lynn's body jolted violently as a large bubble of Chaos was spat from her mouth and started its accent to the Great Mass above.
She's going to Die. She's going to Die. The realization hit him like a crash after a hundred-foot freefall. She's going to Die. Her form flickered again, and she seemed to fade in and out. Chaos began to leak from her eyes, mixing with her tears.
"You shouldn't," Lynn spluttered, and was interrupted by a cough, "have come. You shouldn't have come for me," She told him. Lynn Flinched as Chaos nearly managed to break her defense. Without the influence of Order to guide its efforts, it was having difficulty doing much of anything beside consume its surroundings, and Lynn was growing better at defending every moment, but it wouldn't be enough to keep her alive; and being cut off from the Divine Realms, her soul could not enter the Peaceful realms.
Not only would she die. But her soul would be consumed by Chaos.
"You would have done it for me." He told her, his voice hushed to below a whisper.
Phinity had long since started coughing again, but was managing to hold her form well. Lynn on the other hand was flinching and coughing violently, her own form barely managing to hold together. Soon she would be gone.
He was in Shock. Gainel embraced her tightly, with the ridiculous thought that if he could just hold her he could keep the Chaos from leaking out of her. And he kept thinking like they would somehow both get out of this alive. Asking himself questions of whether she'd still be his Lynn, or whether she'd still be able to hear him when he spoke.
Looking passed that Chaos filled sky, he asked angrily, "You save her from that bastard Violence only to let her die now? What kind of Hand of The Balance are you…"
A bone-trembling Chime echoed across the landscape coming from just behind them.
The Gate.
Managing to turn his head while still keeping a tight embrace around Lynn's trembling shoulders. He saw the iron and copper of the Gate flame bright cherry red, then gold, then white, and the Gate exploded in a rush of fire, heat and liquid metal. A heat wave rushed over them, searing everything in its path as a Being of pure fire and light stepped from the Gateway.
Lynn let out a gasp as the pull from Chaos was stopped but screamed as drops metal spattered only her skin and clothing, burning her flesh.
"It may yet be saved." Providence sighed to himself both in extreme relief and surprise.
Looking up to the giant, shadowed alabaster statue of a robed and hooded woman holding a set of bronze scales, he frowned in confusion. He'd known the importance of the girl to the continuation of The Balance. But even this integral place might not have convinced The Balance to allow him to intervene, not once, but Twice. Events set in motion for half an eternity to finally come to fruition millennia later.
And yet this would not be the end.
Her life was saved, but her place had not been affirmed. Strange happenings that had not been predicted had changed the course of events and the outcome was not as expected. It seemed The Balance would have to wait for the equilibrium to be corrected.
Scanning the currents of the world once again, Providence saw more work ahead of them all.
