Jasnah Kholin instructed the guards as they moved Shallan's body to a funeral pyre.
"No offense, Brightness, but does she really deserve a proper Vorin sendoff?" one of the guards asked.
"I don't believe proper Vorin sendoffs make any bit of difference. But this child was once my ward, and she was a dear friend. In some ways I feel this is my fault for failing her. I would see that the child receives a proper ceremony."
"Yes, Brightness, as you wish."
Lopen helped lift Shallan's body onto the pyre, which was storming difficult with only one arm.
A torch was brought in to light the pyre, and Shallan's soul was sent off to the sounds of a traditional Vorin choir singing overhead.
And Jasnah Kholin went off into the night.
Calm. Cool. Calculated. Jasnah Kholin rode out from the city as a woman on a mission. Jasnah
knew Shallan. Jasnah
knew that Shallan wouldn't simply volunteer to join the Voidbringers on her own.
And Jasnah Kholin was
never wrong.
She rode off into the night with a pack of spheres in her pouch. She included a few more in the hidden sleeve of her safe hand, just as a precaution. She had tracked down the hiding place of Re-Shephir.
And tonight Jasnah was determined to kill a Voidbringer.
As Jasnah approached the lair of Re-Shephir, she stared into the void. She walked inside, welcoming the aura of pitch darkness around her. Jasnah shifted her pouch around and opened it up. She took in a sharp breath...
And Jasnah Kholin exploded with light.
Re-Shephir
screamed in agony. The Midnight Mother began working furiously in creating dark illusions, giving birth to abominations with her essence so dark, so terrible, so consuming.
Jasnah Kholin smiled.
"You are here, Re-Shephir, but you will
not watch me die!"
Jasnah entered Shadesmar, mysterious beads appeared all around her, the souls of each abomination birthed by the Midnight Mother. Jasnah Kholin grabbed one of the beads in her hand.
"You will change." Jasnah demanded.
"I will not change for you."
"You.
Will. CHANGE!"
"It is as you say, master."
Outside of Shadesmar, the abomination
exploded as it changed forms. The ruby gemstone in Jasnah Kholin's pouch went dark as the Stormlight exited out of it.
And the abomination turned into fire.
Re-Shephir screamed as she burned. Jasnah Kholin remained concentrated, her body hanging in the balance, halfway in and halfway out of Shadesmar. This was how you Soulcasted, by hanging in between two realms.
Jasnah grabbed more beads, forcing them all to change under her command. More and more abominations began exploding into fire. Re-Shephir's entire lair was in danger of collapsing. Jasnah Kholin stood among the flames, her Stormlight healing her flesh as quickly as the fire burned it away.
Jasnah was running low on Stormlight. She released the emergency spheres from the sleeve of her safe hand, sucking in the last bit of light she had. Jasnah dashed away from Re-Shephir's lair, the Stormlight slightly enhancing her speed. She made it outside at the last possible moment, as her Stormlight exhausted quickly from the constant stream of healing it had to feed to her body.
Jasnah breathed heavily. She turned around to see the work she had done, the darkness of the void consuming itself with flames.
Rest well, my sweet, sweet child. I am sorry.
The Dissident - Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother (Mafia) - Has been sent to Shadesmar.
Meanwhile...
Wit took a stroll during the night, enjoying the scents of the evening air. Sometimes the world spoke to you through smells. The fresh scent of spring flowers...did not appear. Wit always hated that about this planet. Just a bunch of rock, perhaps even a little dirt and sand to liven the mood.
An ugly-lizard-crab thing began relieving itself across the plain.
"Ah, that's the kind of smell I expect from this place." Wit sat down on a rock and pulled out his flute, preparing to play a song.
"At least I can influence the sounds of this place, even if I can't influence the smells." Wit began to play.
A random passerby approached in the following minutes, intrigued to hear the sound of music playing outside during this dark hour.
"I have an audience, wonderful!" Wit exclaimed as he began to tell a story through song.
"Tell me, kind stranger, what would you say is the most valuable thing in life?"
The man had a pensive look on his face. About a minute later, he answered. "I believe the most valuable thing in life is innovation."
"That is quite a good answer." Wit continued playing softly. "But tell me, what happens when someone comes up with a very innovative idea, yet they don't share it with the world? And then sometime later, maybe a week, a month, or even a year, someone else comes up with the
exact same idea. The second person to come up with this innovation publishes their work in an academic journal for all to see, and they become the sole great mind to produce this innovation. Tell me, what happens to the first innovator?"
"Well, I suppose they are forgotten, or simply not believed to be the original innovator if they try to publish their work now," the stranger replied.
"Precisely. Now tell me, do you still believe that innovation is the most valuable thing in life?" The melody coming from Wit's flute began to change as he awaited the stranger's response.
"I suppose it isn't...do you know the answer to this question?" asked the stranger.
"Most certainly not," Wit dropped his flute. "But I do know a
better answer. You see, nobody cared about the first innovator because they did not act
fast enough. We don't really value knowledge and innovation, we only value the time in which this knowledge becomes accessible to us. If the first innovator had only been more timely, then they would have been lauded as a genius. But because of their lack of...timeliness, they are no more special than you or I."
All of a sudden, the sky began to rumble fiercely. Storm clouds formed together in packs, and they produced a blinding red lightning. Rhythms in the distance began to chant an ominous phrase.
Odium reigns.
The random stranger began to tremble, backing away from the strange storyteller and musician. He covered his face in his hands due to the blinding red lightning, but peaked through a crack between two fingers to see Wit now standing upright, face looking towards the sky.
"You see, I once had a friend. Well, not that I would call him a friend, more of an acquaintance. Scratch that, I
loathed the fellow. Anyways, I have been running away from him for some matter of time now. Do you remember how we discussed the importance of timeliness? Well, you should proceed to leave this area in a timely manner.
"For my time has just run out."
The random stranger sprinted off in a panic. He looked over his shoulder to catch one last glimpse of the scene in the now near distance.
The strange storyteller and musician was struck down by that blinding red lightning. Chants grew louder in the thunder.
Odium reigns.
Odium reigns.
Odium reigns.
Ubik - Wit (Cop) - Has been sent to Shadesmar.
Meanwhile...
Szeth-son-son-Vallano sat perched high above the clouds on the top of Urithiru, home of the Knights Radiant. His abilities allowed him to fly, or rather, fall upwards. It was a nice power to have, especially on nights like this when one had a big decision to make. A substance that looked like black smoke was growing farther and farther up his arm. His weapon, Nightblood, was destroying him slowly.
And tonight, Nightblood was going to kill him.
What is wrong with you?!? We are supposed to DESTROY EVIL! The voice of the sword sounded in Szeth's mind.
"I have destroyed enough in my time. An assassin owned by many, I never could make my own choices. I still live with screams in my head, voices of those whom I have killed."
Ooooookay but listen, we have a chance to destroy some more evil and-
"No, my time has come. My,
our, destructive capabilities are too great. It would be best if I-"
No, listen to me! He
is out there, murdering innocents left and right. He just struck down the nice flute player with a lightning bolt! Who kills a flute player?!?
"I..." Szeth looked out into the distance and could see a storm, red lightning swallowed the rest of the sky.
Words echoed in Szeth's mind, but this time not from Nightblood.
I swear to seek justice, to let it guide me, until I find a more perfect Ideal.
In that moment, something changed inside of Szeth. A calm storm that had been building up inside for many years was begging to overflow. He looked down at his arm and saw the black smoke inching its way closer to his shoulder.
Szeth looked at Nightblood. "Would you like to destroy a god tonight?"
Oooooohhhhh the evil god?!? Boy would I ever!!!!!
And Szeth lashed across the sky, heading straight for the center of the storm with red lightning.
On the other side of the plains, Odium looked upon the body of Wit. A man he once knew in a former life was finally dead after years and years of searching. As the Everstorm that Odium controlled moved across the plains, Odium looked upon Urithiru, home of the Knights Radiant. He would direct his final assault upon that tower, unleashing an army of Fused upon all that opposed him.
A small streak of white light shot across the sky, heading right towards Odium.
And he began to hear a voice.
DESTROYYYYYYYY EVILLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Szeth lashed directly into the heard of the storm with Nightblood drawn. The sword began
inhaling the storm around him. Nightblood was no normal sword that simply cut through everything in its path. It utterly vanquished everything in its path.
And tonight, Nightblood began to vanquish a god.
The storm raged on and on throughout the sky. Red lighting released in a frenzy of complete madness. Rocks split open upon impact. Trembling in the sky was heard from the lands of Azir to Alethkar. Odium unleashed his might frantically. What kind of weapon was he fighting?
DESTROYYYYYYYY EVILLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Szeth let out a gasp and began to fall to the ground. He caught himself moments before impact by performing a quarter lashing in the upwards direction, causing him to levitate slowly towards the ground below. Szeth looked at his arm, and the black smoke was gone. Nightblood, on the other hand, was beaming with wisps of the black smoke. Szeth carefully sheathed the weapon.
"We...we did it. We killed the leader of the Voidbringers."
Yeahhhh but that's also kind of a bummer. Did we run out of evil to destroy?
Szeth-son-son-Vallano fell on his back, looked up at the sky, and for the first time in a very, very long time...
He smiled.
zazthespaz - Odium (Mafia) - Has been sent to Shadesmar.
The game has concluded in a win for the Knights Radiant!