Faith, Love and Anxiety.
Mr. Ilemshaw was actually very pleased with all that progress. His species had never been interested in this sort of thing. Most of the Eldritch races did not develop technology like the younger races. They didn't need a lot of equipment. They were much more physically fit and intellectually superior to most computers. They lived extremely long lives, being virtually immortal unless damaged. They did not possess the desires and fears of ordinary mortals, although they, the Alghollthu, were somewhat more like them in this respect. They had no need for entertainment or religion, they saw the world simply as it was. Many of them had psionic and sometimes magical powers. So they invented machines only when they really needed them. Most often, they were related to research, exploration or war. They would never have invented things like Infonet or feedback neural interface, thanks to which there was no need to leave the ship. In a sense, this pursuit of comfort allowed them to evolve much faster than the eldritch races that viewed them as mere curiosities, barely conscious creatures, suitable as slaves, guinea pigs, or snacks. Yes, the power of the ancient races faded, or perhaps rather dimmed as their younger successors took their place... even if only temporarily. Young races came and went, like the waves of the sea hitting granite rocks. However, it was impossible to forget that the waves were crushing the rock... That's exactly what happened here. The First Ones, an ancient civilization for some and the nouveau riche for others... Beings who, in their pride, wanted to annihilate the entire universe, surpassing even the ancient Azlanti who almost killed life on the lost Golarion... And it was said that his species was vile. Of course, they also helped significantly in all this.
He himself knew little about such matters. He was born during the Gap and remembered virtually nothing of his long existence, apart from certain facts, such as the fact that he was an outcast, a dissenter from his race. He guessed why. He was a misfit... someone with a distorted psyche, because he felt... friendship, compassion and loyalty. This was alien to his species, and even such rational beings did not tolerate difference... not this kind of difference... That's why he didn't miss his kin. He felt good among the Bina's crew, those hurting and suffering beings who were not broken and tried to make a life for themselves in this sad and indifferent universe. Yes, he liked them and tried to take care of them, even when they didn't want him to... it was enough to just go unnoticed, and it was easy to go unnoticed when you lived in a tank inside the ship. And here they came back to technology.
He didn't eavesdrop on the crew members or spy on them, although he wasn't interested in their physiognomy. He understood what privacy was and was able to respect it. He had his own ways to obtain the necessary information. Few people realized how sensitive ordinary scanners are, at least in the hands, although in his case they were more like tentacles, someone who knows how to use them properly.
His new passengers were a good example. The Verthani, the Warper, the Mercenary , and the Scientist were not very interesting, except for the hunter's eyes, which were a form of implant he had never seen before, but the rest was a mystery even to him, even though he considered himself a scholar.
Let's start with Lady Cala. She certainly wasn't human, which wasn't strange in itself, after all, many so"called pure"blooded people, even among the Azlanti aristocracy, had some inhuman blood in them. Usually elven or orc blood, but surprisingly often also planotouched blood such as Tieflings. All you had to do was look hard enough. But Lady Cala was something else entirely. Both completely alien to most inhabitants of the galaxy, but something well known, and very closelly reated to their species. Something that did exist not only in the visible part of the universe. Something that aroused fear even in such inhuman beings as Mi-Go. He considered telling the truth to his friends, but feared the repercussions. Such a nefarious creature could want to kill everyone and probably succeed, especially if Miss Daisy helped her.
The elf was a separate puzzle. It was a mix of Drow and Elf, nothing strange in these times , but there was something else. Her true form was something equally evil as Lady Cala, something that distorted the flow of magic around her. She was like a magical vampire who absorbed the power around her. But most of it came from a place he couldn't place beyond the fact that it was strange and terrifying. He wasn't an expert in forbidden knowledge and dark magic, but he didn't like her either, although the woman seemed less evil than her ward.
And then there was Rosie, perhaps the greatest mystery of all. A dna scan showed she was an ordinary human. Although it was difficult to determine her origins, she did not fit genetically into any of the factions of humanity, on other hand this species was so widespread in the galaxy that it was impossible to know them all, and her story sounded very credible. But she certainly wasn't who she said she was... He first became suspicious when he heard the kids talking about how she fought on Saltmarsh. Glowing hands and jumping on buildings were definitely not skills an intern should have. But he gained confidence during that training fight with Lady Cala. A being claiming to be an aristocrat should not be defeated in battle by any mortal, especially not one like Rosie. The girl was blazing with power like a flare in the dark, but at the same time she was bending the flow of magic around her. He couldn't explain it, but despite her nice and friendly nature, the white-haired girl aroused his concern much more than the supernatural monster and the sorceress corrupted by dark art.
But he knew more in another respect, too. His drones had a much greater range than others had thought... although that was no secret, all he had to do was read the instructions. Sometimes he had the impression that reading the documents attached to the products they bought was, for many inhabitants of the galaxy, an effort comparable to reading an ancient book written in a long-extinct ancient language... Thanks to the drones, he was able to observe Bina's charges. He started doing this after the events on Saltmarsh, where he played fool and told the captain that he had no idea that the kids had gone into town alone. Fortunately, nothing really dangerous happened on Icarus. The princesses turned out to be really nice and understanding people. But here the situation got worse. First Eti set the bar on fire, and now Itel was planning something. First she disappeared into the forest, and now she ran into the ship and got into the hidden compartment where they kept... things they should never have used. He had to seek help... from other members of this expedition, none of whom, unfortunately, were completely trustworthy. He had to deal with what he had...
He felt lost. Once, not so long ago, he knew what was right and wrong, but now... Now he was helping the woman who hurt his friends... all of them. Which pushed his brother towards the worst evil. Why is he doing this? He wasn't entirely sure. It was probably also about fear. Even before he learned the truth about the dark sorceress, she scared him. And now… He knew that she would be able to kill him without the slightest effort. Or she could wipe his memory and he would be that scared and lost creature who didn't even know his name. She could then shape him however she wanted, just as she had tried to do with Adora . She would force him to turn against his friends. He would give his life for his friends, but the thought of becoming someone's slave again terrified him. But it wasn't just about fear. He was taught obedience and always had problems making independent decisions. And now his brother told him to be silent, just as he had been when he left Etheria. He trusted Hordak , he was the most experienced of all the clones and Entrapta's beloved, but... He wasn't sure if he was wrong in this case, he wouldn't let this woman manipulate him again, after all, she knew him better than even the ruler of Dryl. Unfortunately, and worse, even auntie Casta and Glimmer's dad, as he learned from listening to his young friends, had no objection to this evil woman's return to Etheria.
But the worst part was the remorse. He hid the truth from his new friends even from Rosie who was always nice to him and Eti who was somehow involved with Catra. He didn't tell them that they would be traveling with the sorceress who had hurt their scout's sister so much. He was a fool who allowed the servant of darkness to return to Etheria so that she could continue to do evil. In his defense, she was really nice to Eti and Rosie, and even to him... It was all a lie though. He knew well how easily others could be deceived by lies and seemingly noble words. He knew it firsthand. He was, after all, a clone of Horde Prime .
He barely slept that night and barely ate dinner, listening to his young friends talk about Mikah, whom Itel, for completely incomprehensible reasons, mistook for an Azlantt. privater, and mysterious Heart Gift that everyone felt sorry for, and then they went to Brightmoon . He missed this city very much, although not as much as he missed his friends. But he couldn't meet them because he wouldn't be able to hide the truth from them, and he wouldn't know what he would do if it was revealed. Wouldn't Shadow Weaver be willing to punish his new friends instead. He knew from Catra's stories that she could be cruel and ruthless. That's why he decided to explore the city with Emily.
He immediately noticed how much it had grown. They were now surrounded by a true Energy Shield, protecting the inhabitants from attacks by enemies that might come from outer space. He saw how diverse this city had become now. He saw here not only the former inhabitants of the Etherian Horde, but also people from other planets such as Icarus , and even his Brothers, although not many. He learned that most of them now live either in the former Fright Zone or in Plumeria. As he watched the joyful inhabitants of the capital, he felt a renewed sense of guilt, for he knew how unaware they were of the evil walking beside them, which he had helped bring here.
Suddenly he was surprised to see something he had never seen before on Etheria, the true temple. As far as he knew, there were no temples on Etheria so far, in fact he had never heard any of his friends ever mention gods or things like that. He wasn't sure what to think about religion. The Horde prime ordered him to be worshiped almost as if he were a god himself and at the same time he ordered the destruction of the temples of the so-called false gods. But many of his Skittermanders were religious, and one was even a true priest of Desna. So everything was ambiguous and not obvious to him. Emily chirped at him curiously, she was definitely more fond of priests and temples, especially a one android who was a Triune priest… He nodded and said.
„Yes you are right. We'll look here. Maybe we'll find something that will help us make the right decision."
The interior was bright and transparent. He had seen many stained glass windows here, but in a different style than the ones he usually saw on Etheri. First of all, they had eyes, something that was avoided on this planet when images of intelligent beings were created. The characters they depicted were familiar to him, although here they were all gnomes. There was the good and merciful Serenae, the brave Caiden , the terrible Asmodeus... He approached the image of the warrior but also noble Iomadae. He always liked this goddess because she reminded him a lot of She-Ra, although it wasn't as noticeable here because... well, she was a gnome.
„Oh, hello, I'm glad you visited the temple of All Gods... This is Iomdi ... let me tell you about her." said a tall, gnome „ like woman with golden hair and eagle wings. He didn't see her at first when he entered. He smiled and said.
„I know who she is. I even went to the Ascension Day celebration once. This was on Vesk III. There they call it Iomadae. She is liked by the nicer Vesks who do not want to listen to the conquest-hungry Damoritosh."
„Oh, Each God may be known by a thousand names and in a thousand forms, but there is only one soul. I haven't heard of Vesk III, although I don't know most of the planets conquered by your... By Horde Prime.„ She smiled at him, but he shook his head in response.
„It's outside the empire, in Veskarium . He never got there, I'm not even sure he could handle it. The Vesks are warlike and know magic".
The winged woman's eyes lit up with unconcealed joy.
„ It's wonderful that belief in gods has survived in the galaxy! We, the people of Eridani, are often treated as weird because of our religiosity... Here on Etheria, everyone is especially suspicious because their first contact with faith was through Horde Prime. Not many people visit this place, but I am not discouraged and I work patiently. HordeH Oh, I forgot. My name is Brine." she offered him her hand, which he shook with a friendly smile. Then they both looked at Emily, who was looking around the temple indignantly.
„What is this Bot looking for?" Brine asked with surprise.
„I think he's looking for Triune's likeness. He likes them very much." he explained to the priestess, who looked at him with surprise.
„I've never heard of such a god, at least by that name."
He shook his head and began to explain.
„These are very young gods... They patronize wise machines, like Emily, and journeys through the Drift."
The priestess began to look at him curiously.
„Are there any other gods there that I didn't know about?" Brine asked with joy in her voice.
He thought for a moment and said.
„ I don't know much about this type of thing. There is Damoritosh, but I don't like him very much. He is the god of war and conquest, he reminds me too much of His... Prime's Horde . The Vesks respect him. They are such warlike and honorable lizards. Their relatives live here on Etheri, but they are completely different from those in Veskarium. And then there is Hylax , goddess of the collective mind, friendship and community. He is the patron of Shirens , such Insectoids , quite nice, most of them... I think she would be liked here on Etheria . There are a few other gods, but I don't know much about them, I've never been interested in religion.
Though his information was sparse, Priestess Brine noted everything.
„ Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I learned a lot about the universe and its secrets. – she hugged him tightly and friendly, making him blush.
„Oh, hello Brondak, it's nice to have you here. I'll just pray and we can go for coffee or whatever they drink! – Ireanis called from the entrance. Brine immediately ran to greet her. He felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but also anxiety. He was afraid of Shadow Weaver, but this Elf aroused his dislike. She seemed to know the true identity of the dark sorceress, but she didn't seem to care about it, even though that terrible person was threatening her friends! Had the alcohol completely eaten her brain? He had absolutely no idea, although his brother had a very deep disgust for all drugs. He waited a few minutes while the sorceress prayed before the images of Cayden and Serenae, and then he followed her outside.
„Ah, isn't it beautiful here, Bondak?" Ireanis asked him, looking around with sincere delight.
„My name is Wrongdak, we have been traveling together for a month, you should know my name by now. – he said with undisguised resentment in his voice.
„ You know, I was a bit intoxicated most of the trip, so I didn't remember everything." she explained to him with a goofy smile on her face.
Is that why it doesn't bother you that you work with someone like her?" he asked sharply. The silver-haired sorceress looked down as if she was considering something and finally spoke in a surprisingly serious tone.
„I'm not someone who would have the right to judge her. Out of fear, I threw my disciples into the black flame of Ashaq The Annihilator"
„What? What are you talking about, sorceress?„ he asked with surprise.
She turned to him.
„Where I lived, there was a terrible dragon called Ashaq the Annihilator. It was a terrible undead monster, a vampire that left only death and ashes in its wake. Natambu, the wonderful and ancient city where I once lived, decided to organize an expedition to defeat this evil once and for all. I commanded a unit of war mages who were supposed to bring down this monster with their power. Most of my comrades in arms were my former students. Together we were sure of victory, in fact we celebrated it. But when we faced this terrible creature... It was able to kill dozens of soldiers with one breath, and then they fought against us as undead. He regenerated all the wounds we inflicted on him as he absorbed the lives of the combatants. However, we were so close to victory, but it was uncertain, so Ashaq contacted me and offered to let me go if I betrayed my comrades. So I did. I was so afraid of dying, of becoming undead. I should have been strong, I should have been brave, but I turned out to be just a coward. I survived, but I abandoned my companions. In Nantambu I told a probably sounding fairy tale. Some believed me and took pity on me, but others saw through the lie and condemned me, and I started drinking."
After hearing this story, he remained silent, because what could be said... He simply hugged the woman and let her cry on his shoulder. After a while, however, a voice came from the sky.
„I'm sorry to interrupt such an intimate moment, but I have to inform Mrs. Ireanis that Itel has just found her way to the secret hiding place, and Eti is nowhere to be found."
The sorceress broke free from his grip and ran towards the ship, shouting loudly, "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
He exchanged a look with Emily, shrugged, and ran after the silver-haired woman.
She rested her head on Miss Daisy's shoulder and stared at the sky full of stars. Miss Daisy, Light Spinner ... Shadow Weaver... She loved her by all their names, no matter what past they hid. She had been sneezing from the very beginning, ever since that ball at Archduke Adamson's court. Then there was that trip to Kranor Rill, where they both almost died, where she became sure of her feelings. She thought that this trip would separate them, but it turned out that they would meet on this planet and be together, at least for a short while...
First, they walked through a city full of beings so unaware of the darkness she had faced all her life... No, they were not unaware of the darkness, they had received their share of evil too... they just overcame it. Yes, these Etherians were so strong and brave, but they had not lost that something that made them so open and joyful. Many of her brothers and sisters could learn from them.
She wanted to buy a bottle of wine and a basket of fruit, but her lover said she had given up drinking, so they took a carafe of lemonade, quite sour. She was proud of the sorceress, because already during that ball she noticed that the woman had a drinking problem, and her stay in Grayskull Castle confirmed her in this belief. Fighting addiction was difficult, it required strength that even other hell knights often lacked.
While walking around the city, they didn't talk much, just their closeness was enough. They held hands, although they tried not to let anyone notice that the sorceress was wearing a holographic mask, even people as open-minded as the inhabitants of this planet could react to the sight of Miss Daisy's true face. Even she didn't want to think too much about the reason for what happened to her beloved. She just wanted to enjoy her presence... At first she felt awkward, feeling the stares of passers-by, but when they smiled at her, she smiled back at them.
He was dismayed at the sight of the sorceress's young charges, and when she saw that he was meditating with this silver-haired elf, she felt an involuntary twinge of jealousy, but now they were together, lying on the green grass, not caring what fate would bring. She knew that her beloved was hiding some dark secret, but the same could be said about her. However, as they lay there together, she suddenly heard a loud, slightly metallic voice speaking.
„Sorry to interrupt your happy moments, but I would suggest that Miss Daisy return to the ship as soon as possible if you want to prevent an incident involving the use of nuclear weapons."