Rise of the Godking

Scowling at her reflection in the mirror, Seline ran the wooden comb through her long, silky hair.

As she felt it tangle up in the knots that were still present, for the first time, she cursed the fact that she had been blessed with such a thick and long mane that she had used to her advantage for decades. In fact, when she had married into this town, it had been one of the favorite aspects of her that the man who had written away all these estates in her name had loved.

With a snarl, she chucked the comb across the room and raised her hands as if she wanted to rip away the bun at the top of her head. Controlling herself at the last moment, she stilled her hands and made them go down to her sides, and after taking one last look at the mirror and deciding that it was all she could do, she turned around and stepped out of the room…before breaking into a run, again, after seeing that the others were already at the end of the mansion in the middle of the town.

She didn't need to look behind her to be reminded of the mark that the lightning brought down by the intruders had made, right in the middle of the fountain that she had always loved to gaze at while resting from a day's hard work. She could still smell it, now; the acrid smell of marble heating up so much that it melted filled the house, and although the windows had been thrown open to get rid of it, it was still present, reminding them of what was at stake if they didn't move their feet as quickly as they could.

It had been such a wonderful day. Their scam had been carried out successfully, and soon, they would have had their coffers filled to the brim. It was a bit sad that they would have to run after that, but if one wanted to rise in life, then such actions always needed to be taken, especially in the case of those in their line of work.

She had even been taking a luxurious bath, one of the last in the marble bathtub she had gotten built ten years ago. Right as she had begun to frolic with a maid that she had taken a liking to in the household… that voice and the crack of thunder echoed of everywhere, and she had even jumped out of the tub, soaking wet and completely naked, convinced that she would die if she stayed where she was.

When she had gone out and seen the statue with a melted spot where its head had been, her breath had caught, and she hadn't even cared that the entire household and even the two she had been forced to share leadership with were seeing her for the first time without a stitch on her body. They hadn't had any time to admire the view, though…because the moment they were reminded of what they had heard, they set off running to throw some clothes on, and within the time limit that had been set for them, they had made it to the destination—

—only to be sent back like dogs that had forgotten a stick thrown for them to fetch.

It still rankled within her to be treated this way…but she had heard tales of the pride of those from the Mainland. When she had first heard of them, she had imagined herself bowing and being of service as much as was required if there was a reward at the end of it…but right now, she wondered if she couldn't have continued to remain satisfied with what she had achieved in this town.

It was obvious that she had no choice in the matter, though, so she discarded all such thoughts, and other, more terrifying ones about the reasons behind the arrival of the intruders when she saw that she was about to reach them. Looking to the left and right, she observed the two men that she despised, hated, but also feared, slightly, looking as panicked as her, and while feeling a flash of anger once again due to the way their status had fallen so far in merely the span of five minutes, she stopped at a spot a few feet away from the three and tried not to pant as though she had run a marathon, even though that was exactly what had happened. 

She mostly kept her eyes on the one that had sent them away, and only relaxed a bit when he sniffed and shrugged, as if to say that he was still unhappy, but their appearances would suffice. Looking around, she made sure, next, that the mage was present, and with a small smirk to herself, she nodded at him, who didn't respond in any way.

She almost frowned due to this, but she kept her face calm as she knew that their deal had to be kept secret. It had been easy to attract him to her bed…and there, it had been even easier to extract promises that had to be kept, especially in the case of one going down the path of magic that the man had chosen.

If anything went wrong, he would try his best to save her, ignoring the others, even, if that was what it would take. It was only after ensuring that this safety net of hers was present that she raised her head and stepped forward as the representative that almost always spoke on the behalf of all three of them, and with a graceful bow fit for any palace on the mainland, she opened her mouth to address the arrogant guests.

"Save it. Dogs listen. Dogs only bark, or in your case, talk when told to. Prepare rooms for us, first. It has been a long journey…and we would like to rest, first, before we begin the discussion. Our presence here is supposed to be secret…so I'm warning you right now. We have placed wards all around the island. If someone even attempts to leave…we will know, and our wrath will burn all of you, and even all those sycophants waiting behind. You, woman…you seem pleasing to the eye, at least. Lead the way."

'They made us run here…and now, we have to go back to the town? Couldn't they have come there in the first time place? Argh!'

She almost let a trace of the frustration that she filled her show in her eyes, so to hide it, she bowed low once again.

Once again, she was reminded of the stories of the grand families. For the most part, their arrogance was what convinced her that they might just be who they said they were…but apparently, this wasn't enough for the others.

Out of the corner of her eye, before she stood up to turn around and lead the way, she saw the two other leaders of the town converse between each other, and say something secretively to the mage. Dressed in pale green robes embroidered with flowers, the man gulped, but with a sigh of resignation, he stepped forward and said, "Apologies, grand sirs…but can I ask which grand family you come from? And you, Sir Elf… I'm a member of the Jaravis Magus School, whose head is an elf, himself. May I ask where you are from? I don't think I need to remind you of the punishment for masquerading as one, but still-"

All of a sudden, Seline felt her skin prickle. She was still frozen in the bow, but twisting her head up, she saw the mage gasp…then fall to his knees, shoulders bent and head facing the ground, as if someone invisible was holding him down by the scruff of his neck.

The elf among the three, dressed in those robes that she had only heard of, but never seen, stepped forward. Her heart began to beat faster as she saw that he seemed to grow bigger in her eyes, even though she was sure that he was the same size.

His emerald eyes blazed with fury, and the globes of light below his ears were so bright that they almost burned out her own eyes. His brilliance was such that it seemed as if there was a sun shining behind him, covering him in a halo of destructive might and power that could only be revered, but never opposed, and for once, knowing exactly what she needed to do, she fell to her knees, too, and even bent her back so that her hands were on the ground, with her head almost kissing the ground.

When the elf spoke, his voice seemed to go right through her soul, to her very essence, to the very core of what she was.

"You dare think that you could ever be capable of warning one of the Forn? Such impedance. Such gall! I should kill you where you stand, but I am a guest. Know that you keep your life today for this one, singular reason. As for who we are…you do not deserve to know it, but still, listen. There is only one family with connections to the Forn; ancient connections that have always been maintained throughout the years, despite the strife between the two dominant races of the Mainland. If I still need to speak its name…say so, and it will be the last thing you hear."

She blinked with fear as she connected two and two…and found the answer.

When she looked up, she was almost convinced that the man behind the elf was muttering something under his breath, but ignoring him, she spoke for all of them.

The mage cowered beside her, his hands raised as if keeping away demons that only he could see, and as for the other two and a few residents of the town who had come behind them, all were on the ground, just like she had been until now.

His words somehow still reverberated in the air. The very atmosphere seemed to be responding to his anger; out of nowhere, furious, black clouds had arrived in the sky, and the land, itself, shook, as if ready to erupt and kill them all.

She couldn't even bring herself to look up, into those eyes that held the power that belonged to only those who had successfully made a pact with the world. She had heard that even when they were away from the Mainland, if they weren't too far, they would be able to draw on that pact to wield power beyond the imagination of most…and as she witnessed the elf, now, in all his glory, she was convinced that there was no doubt, whatsoever, that he was one of the legendary Forn.

Their are every breath was supposed to be a blessing to the world. Their every word, a command to be followed. They had once ruled the length and breadth of the Mainland…and although their power had shrunken, now, who could say that they were weak?

Not her, definitely. Her entire body still trembled as if it wanted to lay flat on the ground in reverence, but fighting that impulse, she smiled and said, "Our humble island welcomes you, Grand Sirs. Please…I beg that you forgive our impudence, born only of ignorance. If you please...follow me."