To Know Black and White - Part 7 (32-36)

Subject: To Know Black and White - Part 7 (32-36) October 12th 2019, 6:27 am

To Know Black and White
Chapter Thirty-Two
(Dalinth)

We spent time assuring we were prepared for the possible challenges ahead. That actually consisted of checking ourselves while conversing with the others. Hallith was told to get to a person named Ferrigote in order to assure some good weapons for Ayither. She took an interest in the conversation wanting to learn about certain figures she had heard about, and I found myself interested at times hearing names that I had relegated to simply being fiction. Krameth took the dagger that Terish handed to him, allowed himself to be checked out, but then blurted out when he found himself ignored.

“Don’t you want to know anything?” he loudly asked.

Terish replied, “You have the floor. Tell us what you will.”

“Well, uh – well, uh, he’s my father, and I have been watching him.”

I saw Terish look to us, but seeing none of us make an action to take charge he set his focus back on the young man. “Do you want us to kill him?”

Krameth glared at Terish for a moment, then his head dropped as he answered, “No.”

Ayither moved to hug him, then said, “That is good.”

Terish spoke his support, “Yes, that is good. He is your father, and you should support him. If I have any good memories of my childhood, it is of my father. Now, what is important are you own feelings about events. We are in the realm of gods, so our actions have an even greater impact on the fate of our souls. What you have to also recognize is that we are not alone. Your father has gone to activate his army. We have an army coming. More than just our individual souls, and lives, are at stake. Whatever you tell us will not really have any importance. What you need to set your thoughts upon are your own life, your own desires, your own goals, and how you might proclaim those to your god or gods.”

Krameth softly replied, “We shouldn’t be here.”

Hallith said, “But we are. You acted to save your sister, so no reason to be ashamed of your presence. Now, let’s see what we can do toward saving your father. Terish, is that an option?”

Terish replied, “I am taking my own advice on that one, Hallith. I am assuring my own soul. Considering my past, that would be a lost cause, but my relationship with my wife’s Goddess has developed. I heard the words of Her speaking in my favor, so I am reminding myself of certain things of Her religion. You and Ayither are in contact with your deities, so I trust the two of you to act properly and even advise me. Dalinth, well, he has his relationship with the divine as well. Krameth, I hope you can learn from us.”

Ayither again hugged the lad before saying, “And you let us know if notice something in what your father is doing, or those working with him, that we should know.”

Those words seemed to please the lad, if not just the presence of the young lady, as he lifted his head and slightly smiled while saying, “Yes, thanks.”

I noticed Terish turn to put his focus somewhere in the distance, then moved up next to him when he pointed. It gave me a feeling of hope in seeing the army of those from my world move into the area from someplace I could not see. Noticing the taller form of the centaur, I however felt a need to take action.

“Should we go join them?” I asked. Seeing Terish shake his head had me say, “But I see Menasha.”

He replied, “If I ride her, it will put me in a position of authority. That is yours to claim, if any of us. It would be best for me to stay here and take action if you command it.”

I almost asked him what would he take action against. My focus was on the army, and I actually felt the options would be going to join them or just waiting for them to approach. I then saw the other military unit. The opposition contained one more columns of men on each side, and they gave me the impression of being able to advance upon my army without allowing all of them to have come upon the plain. I stopped wondering just what action could be taken against an enemy of such size.

I asked, “Terish, are you sure about going up against them?”

He replied, “I’ve done it before. I can say that Hallith has as well. Not certain about Ayither.”

She said, “Typhorsh says that I should depend on you and Hallith, but that we could take them.”

“Still, this is not our fight, Ayither. We let Dalinth and those of his world handle the main confrontation.”

“Me?” I chirped. “I don’t know if we can.”

“Go speak to them, Dalinth. I believe both you and them need updates.”

I just looked at Terish. Seeing him smile, I wondered about his source of wisdom. Hallith and Ayither were divine champions. They did not challenge his words, so I assumed their sources of information agreed with what Terish said.

I heard calls to me as I ran to the army. Priests, as well as Retarund, advanced to meet me. While they smiled as if glad to have me return, I heard soft words as if they did not want their words to be heard by the regular men of the army.

A priest asked, “Any advice for us?”

I replied, “Terish, Hallith, and Ayither say they can take the army, but want it clear that they will be obeying our command.”

“Oh, we are going to defeat them.”

Those words had me turn to look again at the size of those against us. The number appeared to me to be at least double the number of troops of our own military. Wondering if the priest had gained words from one of our gods, I softly asked my question.

“Are you certain?”

“Black, always challenging. Upon entering the divine realm, the gods gave us a challenge. In defeating it, we realized that we indeed could take on whatever presented itself.”

I looked to Retarund, and felt some relief with his response. “Straekin was instrumental in helping the men see through their fears, so I am allowing that her husband and those with him could be instrumental in our victory here.”

I replied, “Well, I do feel that honor is on our side. With the support of the gods, the victory should indeed be ours to claim.”

They listened as I began relating the events I had faced. Their faces began to smile as they learned that their opponent should not have any divine approval. Feeling that indeed we had the moral advantage, they turned to face the army with every intention of assuring victory.

I heard my words simplified, but not altered. They did not go into any details, but related the high points clearly stressing the evil of our opposition. I listened to what was said, although also could tell that we were out-numbered. Hoping for some substantive words and not just enthusiastic encouragement, I move to Straekin to softly ask some advice.

“Dear lady, give me a reason we will fail.”

“Oh, that’s obvious,” she replied. “You will fail for the very reason you are in this situation. I could offer suggestions, but this is a mission by your gods due to something that was affecting your world. You should thus be able to recognize what faults resulted in this situation.”

“He was evil.”

“That is a possible answer. Let me however warn you of the problems those in authority on the world where I rule with Terish must stay vigilant for. Evil can crawl into cracks and fester while it gains strength.”

“No.”

I turned to the other army, then strode out to look at them. I remembered reading the notes. Turning to look at those from my own world, I found myself wanting to confront the gods and ask for them to lose. I knew that would be wrong, so turned back to the opposing army. Seeing Retarund stride out to me, I could not help but smile actually thinking him to be a solution to my problem.

“We need to win,” I said as he approached.

As if shocked by my words, the Champion of White replied, “Glad we agree on that point. Where do you see the problem, Dalinth?”

“Power. This was done for power. He wanted power, and my fellow black who allowed his mind to descend into darkness wanted power. If we win, we will declare our power.”

“No, Dalinth, as the gods knew the situation. That is why they called in heroes from other worlds. I believe we will see their power. That is all right, as they are merely fictional to us. This can go into the record as an unbelievable tale. That however makes us, you and me, as needing to assure the historic record. We need to assure that the moral of our little drama speaks of the gods – their wisdom and their authority – and not of what we men did.”

Of course I thought to challenge Retarund. He however proved his friendship with me by allowing me the time. I saw priests come over, but I tried to ignore them as I weighed the words of white. For once I had to admit that Retarund should be the one to win the argument.

I said, “It would not help our cause, or anyone’s cause, for us to lose.”

The Champion of White smiled as replied, “And it would really speak against our beliefs and our gods for us to fail.”

A priest declared, “We will not fail!”

It was Retarund that loudly proclaimed, “But not on our power! The gods sent us help! This is a realm where the gods themselves can take action!” He turned to face the army as he stated, “Men, we will win this day, but this will not be our victory! We are just the agents! We are merely vessels to be used! What victory is gained is through the power of others, not ourselves. Still, it will be something to be proud of! Black and white both agree, we are in the right and victory will be ours!”

Recognizing my part in the situation Retarund had set up, I stepped up to say, “Today I am challenging them!” The men cheered when I pointed at the opposing army. “I win my arguments with the gods. Well, those we fight are not gods. Men, go with me and with the power of our gods let us win against those who oppose us!”

The priests and military leaders stepped up to further incite the men. I saw Straekin also move about saying words of what I first felt were simply encouragement. The way some men moved, especially military officers, had me however believe her to be providing tactics to the men and not simply positive statements.

I moved to her simply wanting to hear what she was saying. I however had to stop seeing the men around her kneel. She, someone from another world, was directing the soldiers to declare their actions to their gods. I turned to seek to hear what others were saying, as I no longer worried about the quality of the help the gods had sent to me.

Subject: Chapter Thirty-Three October 17th 2019, 6:42 am

To Know Black and White
Chapter Thirty-Three
(Dalinth)

The opposing army continued a steady advance. Charging into combat was often not the best tactic. It risked the life of men, but if a general had the larger force then he usually considered the wisdom in losing a few in order to break through any defense. Straekin proved herself as a master tactician, as she had the military regroup to adjust to the slow, confidant advance of our opponents.

The picture was of a pure power. The opposition had the strength of numbers. The armor they wore and weapons they carried I felt were heavier than any normal man would travel with. While our soldiers had active duty on our world, so wore they could be comfortable with in the activities of their jobs, what the opposition wore and carried would only be manageable in a realm like this. They were not prepared for a normal conflict. While our troops were prepared for battle, the picture of their opponents was one of pure power prepared to overrun them.

Straekin’s tactics helped to split up the forces. That did prevent our army from being absorbed by the greater number of our opposition. It also helped to divide up the enemy soldiers making each of our groups not see such an overwhelming mass of troops come against them. Even with their forces split up however, they were the larger army and came upon us with the advantage.

I joined with Retarund and the priests to shout encouragement to the soldiers. They found themselves seriously challenged by their opponents. The thick armor made it very difficult to power a blow into the bodies. The heavy weapons easily penetrated the regular protection worn by our troops. Even with their morale high, I could tell that the soldiers were beginning to doubt the words from their champions and priests.

As I looked around for other options to turn the tide of the battle, I saw Straekin lift something to her mouth and speak to it. She then smiled and turned to the centaur. As I saw Menasha smile, I looked around for what tactic had been put into place.

It took me some time to realize the threat that had been released upon our opposition. Almost immediately I heard some soldiers speak of the attacks against them lessening in strength. Sounds of people facing death could then be discerned from the other army. Slowly I understood that our opposition was facing a threat other than our troops.

How three people could be so devastating to an army I could not understand. Seeing Hallith, I could comprehend his threat. He had a grand sword that easily had the benefits of the weapons of our opponents. It had the weight to power through their thick armor even without any magical enhancement. He had the strength to further propel the edge sometimes causing more than one enemy to drop. It made sense to me how Hallith could be a devastating opponent to an army.

Ayither had none of the benefits of Hallith, but was quick to proclaim her status as a divine champion. She moved with confidence, although I could not help but wonder how she managed to overcome opponents so well prepared for this battle. I never saw Terish, but could only believe that he helped enhance the benefits of Ayither making her the match of Hallith in overcoming the opposition.

Hearing some priests begin to praise the soldiers, I recognized that the tide of the battle was turning. There were men down, some permanently, but I could sense that the remaining troops felt they would survive. I believe a priest came to me to speak of how to redirect the men after the battle, but both of us turned hearing a grand scream.

“AHA! Now, my moment of triumph can be put into action! Oh, this will be glorious! WATCH, MEN, WATCH! YOUR FAITH IN ME WILL BE PROVEN RIGHT!”

I could only wonder what magic the man planned on working. The hope was that one of our three heroes would stop the action. It however happened fast, as if the man had prepared on working the magic at a moment’s notice.

Suddenly from the air came screaming a number of ghost-like forms that I considered would appear as harpies should one manage to get a clear look at them. I joined the priests in yelling encouragement to the troops as the wraiths flew about. While Ayither could be seen up in the air dissipating those she could, the numbers kept forming from the air around us. The immediate fear was that the soldiers would lose hope seeing the ghost-like harpies joining the battle for the other side.

Our fear became even more of a concern seeing the bodies of our opponents suddenly grabbed to be dissolved into a different type of mist. My immediate thoughts upon seeing it the first time was that the dead were being transformed into additional wraiths. Unearthly screams sounded out disturbing me, so surely the men were affected, let me know that something horrible was being done to the ones grabbed. Honestly, I considered being remade into a monstrous apparition to be a terrible fate. I heard fear from the soldiers seeing the harpies descend to take one of our own dead, and found myself concerned that our own fallen would now aid our enemies.

“No.”

The one that said that glowed in a most comforting manner. He was taller than a regular man, and dressed in very elaborate armor. I looked to see other such figures among the troops. I quickly recognized that it had a hold on one of our fallen. With a tug the body lifted to stand whole. Then man looked around in amazement, then spoke a name as if recognizing the one that glowed.

The entity said, “Fight. You are here representing our gods, and they will not lose. Prove yourself knowing that you have the opportunity to declare your strength, your skills, without risking your life. This struggle is not over, but know that death is not something to presently fear.”

A soldier asked, “Will you join us?”

“I will be here keeping you alive. How much more help do you need?”

“I will remind the gods you said that, when I finally face them.”

I had to assume there were other conversations of a similar nature in hearing a multitude of rallying cries from the troops. Without any encouragement from the priests, the men surged upon their opponents intent to have more be taken from the fight. I had to assume the other soldiers would lose hope seeing their numbers reduce, but they stayed to the fight as if expecting their own restoration in another manner.

I saw a magnificent winged figure lift up far behind the opposing army. Unlike the spectral figures moving about, he was physically real. He also dropped from the height he gained as if feeling tired from his use of the wings coming from his back.

“This is amazing!” I barely heard that sentence, but the next words were shouted louder to assure that those in combat heard. “Men, keep up the fight! The plans are advancing! Victory will be assured!”

Those words troubled me. Wondering about the truth of what was going on around me, I moved about attempting to see past the great conflict in front of me. I guess a priest was troubled by what I was doing, as I felt a hand grab an arm before asking a question.

“What are you doing?”

It disturbed me to hear the voice of Retarund say, “Probably dissatisfied with something.”

It was to the champion of white that I directed my words. “How can you be happy with this? Yes, we are winning, but we are here for a purpose. The gods did not need us here to simply fight a battle. Something is happening on the other side. We need to know what it is.”

The priest said, “They are dying. Our troops are not. The fight will be ours.”

I pointed while replying, “They’re not caring about their losses! Something is happening! I am here because I know the ones we are fighting are evil. They are not fighting for the reasons we are. We need to know their reasons.”

“How can you expect to understand those evil?”

I stood frustrated for a moment, but then had an idea. “Well, we should at least expect to understand those good.”

It actually surprised me to grab the arm of the divine ghost. I honestly expected my hand to pass through. The hope was only that I would get its attention. Its head did turn to me when I grabbed the arm, but the features did not display anger.

“What’s the difference between us and them?” I demanded. “You aren’t allowing our men to die. Our opponents are dying and being taken. Is it just the difference in their gods and ours?”

The divine one replied, “No, it is the difference in these men dedicating themselves to their gods and those opposing you dedicating themselves to the man who sponsored their movement into this realm. The gods sent us to assure those fighting a holy battle of a normal life with a normal death when their proper time comes. Those opposing you actually are gaining the death promised to them. I can say no more than that, although it is expected you will learn the facts.”

I found it strange to hear Retarund ask, “Those men were promised death?”

“I said that I can say no more than that.”

“Oh, would it be better to be cursed by Persala.”

I had to ask, “Would it be wise for us to tell our troops to stop fighting?”

The divine figure replied, “The other side will not stop.”

“Couldn’t we convince them?”

“They are not of our world, so not a part of our history. What is responsible for their conviction I cannot say.”

Instead of looking at the divine ghost, I saw Retarund look to me. “They came here to die? Dalinth, surely you can agree that this is wrong.”

I could not help but ask, “Are you asking me to challenge what is going on?”

“Yes. This isn’t right.”

I held out my hand while asking, “Are you becoming black?”

“I am looking for help from a friend.”

“I would be glad to help. You go that way, and I’ll try on those in that direction.”

He shook my hand, actually hugged me, then took off. I looked to the priest, and he simply smiled while assuring me that he would do what he could. Understanding that once again I would be defying the greater influence to try and save the innocent from harm, I took off to try and talk sense to those of less understanding than the gods.

Subject: Chapter Thirty-Four October 22nd 2019, 6:37 am

To Know Black and White
Chapter Thirty-Four
(Hallith)

I heard the voice of Ayither ask, “Why can’t I affect these things? They are of air.”

She was over my head. While I was a divine champion of a water deity, my command over the element was not as grand as Ayither. Honestly, I only thought of myself as a great fighter with my connection to a one who ruled over water simply being a part of my history. I did like Zetrullid, and found honor the day that he recognized me, but I did not promote my relationship the way Ayither did with Typhorsh. The things she did clearly demonstrated a stronger connection to her god than mine, but air was also a much more prevalent element. Get me around water, and I could do some tricks as well. I however did feel that I appreciated my god as much as she did Typhorsh, so only lifted my head to look up and enjoy my view of the lady from a different angle.

Another who was much more powerful than me had been active about the two of us countering any serious attacks or picking up any pieces we left. Terish could be really dangerous, but had a different style of combat than Ayither or me. Since both of us divine champions were rather visible in our manner of fighting, he had stayed low killing his victims with most probably not even realizing he was present. While he could be a very subtle fighter, Terish was known for being very knowledgeable about things. It thus did not surprise me when I saw him remove a bow from a corpse before it was grabbed by one of the aerial valkyries, then lift his head to aim while making a statement.

“Watch.”

An arrow flew at one of the almost transparent flying creatures, and I saw it dissipate as a vapor. It looked like just another kill for Terish to me. As he returned to attacking to assure that we stayed safe, Ayither spoke her appraisal of the death of the flying creature.

“That is horrible. That is a corruption of air I did not believe was possible.”

Terish replied, “Yeah, Hallith will get you involved in fights of that type. That is why you need to seriously get yourself a much better weapon.”

Before the lady could say anything, I said, “I heard what Terish said, Ayither, but I don’t worry about the complexity of the situation. I just remove the threat. You do that by assuring your divine calling, your holy nature, is there in your blows. For over four hundred years I had Anerth lecturing us about certain threats, and how Zetrullid would empower us to overcome them. In all those years before facing my god, those attacks against malignant divine entities was the only sign of Zetrullid truly watching over us.”

She replied, “This is corruption. Killing it will not truly remove the evil.”

“They are agents of evil just as we are agents for good. Killing us does not remove the good, but only our ability to work for good. Yes, there is a source, but right now we must be satisfied at removing the agents for that evil.”

“I can understand that.” I saw the lady turn her focus from me, then yell, “I AM STORM!”

Ayither zipped toward one of the creatures and struck. There was a blast, but her form moved through the dispersed entity as if it had never been present. She stopped only to focus on another creature, then zipped to end its existence.

Terish came beside me to direct my attention to another. We watched as a man transformed into a form like that of a dark-colored angel, then used his wings to lift him into the air. He was not white. Looking to the feet, I saw thick pads with large claws. That had me look again at the wings to see what I first assumed to be dark feathers to be more like scales. The man was being transformed into something monstrous and not wonderful.

I had to say, “That I wished I could fly up into the air to kill.”

Ayither came to me, I allowed to use her ability to lift me into the air, although she said, “Yes, we want to kill that one. Hallith, we cannot restore the souls. On my world, the troops had committed, but we still were not killing their souls. Here, we are.”

Terish replied, “It really cannot be helped, Ayither. If we don’t act, their essences will just be used by that person. He is not Lachill, so I assume the evil champion of black.”

“We cannot continue to kill the soldiers. Is there another option?”

We all turned hearing the voices of the leaders of our army start speaking pleas to the enemy soldiers to stop fighting. They spoke of what was happening to their fallen comrades. They pointed at barely perceptible persons on their side speaking of them as angels preventing their dead from passing. Hearing the leaders speak of what Terish and Ayither had realized, I accepted that the battle was about to change.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

I heard Ayither gasp a, “No,” before saying, “Typhorsh says that we need to kill them.”

In a soft manner that was not the usual speech of Terish, he said, “He did not say that.”

“He said that they had committed themselves to this mission. They were not duped, but understood the evil. In order for them to enter the divine realm, they had to have fully accepted the terms. Their souls can be used, because they committed them, sold them, to that being. Typhorsh says that killing them is the better fate.”

“I really don’t like hearing that either, but I cannot deny that those words are true.” I saw a hand move and a head of a soldier removed by Deathguard. “Straekin’s not going to be happy about this.”

I had to ask, “Can’t we go on and attack the evil guy?”

Terish explained, “Whatever we do to him will just be regenerated by the continued flow of essences from these soldiers.”

“You cannot stop it?”

“This is a divine realm, Hallith. You and Ayither have the contact with the gods. You have the power here.”

“Wait.” We all turned to see a soldier with medals indicating that he had some rank advance to ask, “Is what is being said the truth?”

Ayither replied, “Yes.”

“MEN, LISTEN!” The soldiers around us went into defensive stances, then the one that had spoken explained. “I heard what the others said, and thought to counter the words to encourage all of you. I thought to assure you of the value of our fight. However, I do value my soul. I did believe this cause was just. I however see real angels with the others. I also do not see their dead rising as wraiths as our own. I also do not see them being eradicated as our risen souls are. Seeing the carnage that was being inflicted to the souls of our fallen, I sought a response to stop our opponents. Their words, and what they did to support those words, did further challenged my beliefs. I’m sorry, but I am losing hope. Men, I believe we are fighting for something wrong.”

One soldier with signs of age but not of rank declared, “Our leader is a divine champion.”

I replied, “Not a good divine champion. He is using his influence to help himself to power that your own souls are supplying.”

Terish further explained, “We are here simply because we wanted to stop that man. We however saw this battle as just a grand protective force. I am sorry, but if we had known at the beginning what he truly sought to do with you, we would not have simply come into combat.”

The officer asked, “Is there a way to test your words?”

“Sure, but you’re not going to like it.”

“No. I think it is necessary.”

The man then started calling for a parlay. I actually had not understood Terish’s statement, but it made sense as the officer started preaching to his men of why they were present, what they had been told of their opposition, then the evidence of how the fight had been going. I however believed it was the screams of their fallen that had them understand their predicament. The screams of the wraiths being absorbed, and a few killed by Ayither as they flew at her, convinced the soldiers to actually stop the fighting. With our leaders already calling for a cease of the conflict, those around us felt able to stop and listen to their own leaders as they came to support the call for a parlay.

“NO!” The one that had been a Champion of Black now appeared as a very demonic form screamed, “There is no parlay! You are here to fight! FIGHT!”

Instead of obeying, I saw a soldier sheathe his weapon while saying, “By the gods, we were wrong.”

I watched in wonder as the yells of the transformed man convinced the soldiers of their doom, and not their conviction to continue the struggle. While Terish, Ayither, and I had been slaughtering their comrades, they looked in fear upon the one they had come into this realm to support. Their glances to us and the army with us were those of hoping for some salvation from their doom.

Terish suddenly shouted out the name of Ayither, then began to work some magic. She somehow recognized his actions, as she called upon Typhorsh. I could tell that she worked a type of barrier. As a champion of air, she enhanced the power of Terish’s magic enabling it to completely block the attempts of those who sought to claim the fallen soldiers. Suddenly I sensed a cloying pleasant presence in the air, and as it infused itself in the barrier the conjured creatures of air began to dissipate.

The demonic being screamed out words of defiance along with demands that his army return to fighting. Our forces knelt in prayer. The soldiers with us did the same. Seeing that he would gain no more support, the demonic being flapped his wings to power his escape.

I saw Ayither descend upon Terish, and as her arms wrapped about his neck she declared, “You did not want to kill them.”

Actually showing embarrassment, he replied, “Well, I do try to do the right thing.”

“You are a friend, Terish Dozzrine.” Ayither kissed him, then said, “Your advice had been good, but Typhorsh really did not trust you. Your stories did not support someone who would pause to not kill.”

“He might need to catch up on my stories.”

As she kissed him again, I heard the voice of Straekin ask, “Are you going to kill him, Hallith? Terish is receiving affection from your lady.”

“Ayither would kill me if I did,” I answered. “I know to allow her some freedom. However, he is your husband. If you are thinking of killing him, I guess I will help.”

As my lady came to me, I heard Straekin ask, “What now, Terish?”

I broke from my own affection with Ayither to see Terish moving around, then he said, “Krameth, glad to see you made it. Sorry, lad, but I cannot tell you anything of your father.”

The young man had been instructed to make a wide circle around the fighting keeping sight of the centaur. He had indeed reached her safely. As the young man approached to again join us, I was the one that asked the question.

“Terish, do you think he is still alive?”

“I suspect he had the duty of managing the altar of the final part of this drama. Remember, that guy is from Dalinth’s world, but the souls are from the other world. Krameth’s father is probably necessary to work the final rite.”

Ayither said, “And that is the one we really need to stop.”

“Correct. No rest for the weary.”

There were however things that needed to be done. Both sides spoke of the clues that enabled them to see beyond the battle. There was praise from the divine spirits, as they also did not expect a truce to be gained. We each told our stories to assure that a mutual agreement of the end of the hostilities was enacted. Formal rites between the leaders were needed to assure that no divine reprimand would come upon either side.

Our army was sent home. They had done their job. Where we went now would not be their world. While the other army had been our enemy, we had to trust that the gods of their home world would now work with us to remove the powerful threat.

Only Retarund voiced a challenge. “Dalinth, can I go with you?”

The champion of black returned, “We won’t need your lectures, Retarund.”

“Yes, if I feel a need to state one, you will probably challenge it, but I doubt I will feel like that. I however do feel that I need to see the end of this.”

I saw priests nod as Dalinth said, “I haven’t been keeping you away, Retarund. The barriers would just not allow you pass. Come on. The gods have let you get this far, so you might as well finish it with me.”

“Black and white, we will set this right, Dalinth.”

“You know that I will argue with you if what you do is anything but right.”

“For once I see that as a good thing.”

Subject: Chapter Thirty-Five October 27th 2019, 6:50 am

To Know Black and White
Chapter Thirty-Five
(Dalinth)

I heard Terish mention earlier that if he mounted Menasha he would become a figure of authority. That was proven as our army marched away. He climbed into the saddle of the centaur, and immediately the regular soldiers of the other world looked to him. He gave some basic assurance to the troops that he would not march them to their doom, or have them act against their gods or rulers. He then gave a brief explanation of our reason for being present. Finally, I heard him chuckle, then he had Menasha take him to the front of the army and give the order to begin moving.

Almost as soon as we advanced through the opening that had brought the army into the vast plain from their staging area we saw the massive form of our opponent. Recognizing the figure as a fellow champion of black, I felt it my place to take the lead. I thus ran up to the front of the army, then quickly advanced to the one that lead them.

“Terish, why is he still there?”

With a rather amused expression, he replied, “He is mostly composed of divine essence, so no longer has a strong tie to the physical realm. Actually had planned for that, and is waiting for Lachill to perform the ceremony to open a connection for him to pass. Problem is, what we did upset his timetable. I believe Lachill is waiting for the moon to rise to begin the ceremony.”

“So I have time?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

If I doubted that Terish understood the reason for my wanting to advance, it would have been dispelled as he turned to speak again to the army. I heard him mention things about my features along with those of Retarund. He then gave a quick presentation of the divine service we both had. I advanced hoping the words would help the one seeking to return to the physical realm understand the reason for my advance.

His expression however did not have me feel that he appreciated what I hoped to accomplish. “Do you think you can take me alone?”

I felt a force come upon me. Unafraid, I held my place. I heard the calls of those behind me assuring a combination of abilities to protect the army from the same impulse. Expecting another projection of the power, I did not move or speak. When the force did not come, I felt that I might have a chance to set things right.

I asked, “Have you forgotten the reason you became black?”

“Forgotten? No, I have not forgotten.”

Things went quiet for a moment, as I expected him to say more. He however took a stance of being ready for what I might do. Remembering what Terish said about having to wait for the proper time before a ceremony could be performed, I accepted that the one before me felt he could waste time speaking to me. Hoping that things would work out for the best, I took a moment to decide upon what I might say.

“I became black, everyone I know that is black, did so because they saw injustice. The gods were performing actions that affected those who should have been immune. Those who are attempting to do the right things should not have to suffer with those who deserve the reprimand of the gods.”

“The gods do a poor job of managing their powers.”

“It does seem so at times. Still, they are the gods.”

I saw the scaly, bat-like wings stretch out as the one before me declared, “And I will join them!”

“No, you’re not.”

“What?”

Hoping to give the impression that I thought my response was obvious, I said, “That is not our world you are going to. Are the gods there worse than Frowick, Bamander, Nachash, Persala, Taburl, and Velliya?”

“Gods are gods.”

“What?” I quickly raised the volume of my voice as I continued speaking. “As someone who has stood defiant before them, I can certainly say that the gods are not the same. Bamander is a much more pleasant presence than Frowick. My arguments to each have to be handled differently. I now stand with those of other gods, and can say that they are much different than our gods.”

Instead of advancing our conversation, the one before me simply said, “I guess that you are going to have to learn how to present your arguments to me.”

“I believe that you are going to realize just how powerful the gods are. That is my belief. I believe their actions are as precise they can make them. They are such powerful, grand entities that they can only affect large areas. They tell me different as they do have their wrath pass by those I seek to protect, but I believe if their words were true then I would not have needed to step up in the first place.”

“They told me I was wrong. They told me the people I sought to protect were completely deserving of their wrath. I knew those people! They were like family to me. I knew what they were like, what they did for a living, what they did for fun. The gods were wrong!”

I was actually glad to have the entity speaking of its past. Some of his words I knew from reading his journal, but there was a feeling of satisfaction in hearing the words first-hand. Hoping that I had made a connection, I sought of method actually getting him to reveal deeper thoughts.

“Oh, come on, the gods were not acting together. Which god was wrong?”

“Bamander.”

“What? She’s sweet. She might be glory, but her opposite trait is that of humility. I find Bamander to be the most charming of the deities.”

I sensed the entity sought to emotionally upset me as he replied, “She’s nothing but a hussy.”

Hoping to advance the conversation, I shot back, “Well, with that attitude you certainly won’t get far with her. I would guess your descent into depravity started with your losing a confrontation with her.”

“My descent into depravity?”

Feeling some command of the conversation, I said, “Well, ascent to godhood. What type of deity are you attempting to become?”

“Storm.”

“Storm? You know one of those with me is a divine champion of a storm god. She goes around yelling, ‘I am storm.’” Hoping to make a point, I added, “She is one of those that stopped your little aerial ghosts from getting to you.”

“What is she doing with you? One like that is not from our world.”

“Don’t rightly know. I guess representing a storm god. Our world does not have a god of storm. How about the world you are trying to reach?”

“Not exactly. A goddess of nature and a god of the sky. Between the two they are considered responsible for the weather, but I feel that an opening will be made for me.”

I felt the conversation had been going well, so really did not appreciate hearing the voice of Retarund ask, “Or what, Black? Will you defy them?”

I almost sensed a feeling of joy from the entity as he replied, “It will give me great pleasure to see white bowing before me.”

“We don’t bow. We stand proud. We respect the gods. We recognize their importance. Let me point out that this world you seek to advance upon has gods. I will respect them. I will recognize their importance. If I bow to anyone, it will not be you.”

“You will bow.”

A shimmering sphere could be made out forming behind him. I caught an expression from Retarund that I translated as him knowing such was about to happen. I could only guess that Terish or one of the divine champions recognized something in the movement of energy. Hoping to make a point before the shimmering sphere completely formed, I thought quickly to find some words.

“Can you handle defiance? YOU, BLACK, how are you going to handle being defied?”

He did stop to answer, “You better not come against me. I will not tolerate being challenged.”

“So, you admit to being evil?”

“Evil? I will be a god!”

“And Bamander, Frowick, Nachash, Persala, Taburl, and Velliya are not? We defied them. What will make you better than them?”

I felt good seeing a moment of hesitation before the entity replied, “I have the knowledge they do not. I remember being a man. I will assure that my actions will not wrong those who promote me. Only those who oppose me will suffer.” He bent down and I saw a claw directed at me as he added, “It would not be wise to defy me.”

Retarund replied, “Sounds like you want to replace Taburl.”

“No, but as a god I should be obeyed. You should know that, White.”

The entity then stepped through the sphere. Wondering if we had lost, I turned back to those with me. It surprised me to see the army so close. I had not heard the march of feet. Feeling that everyone with me were informed on the entity, I wondered what their decision would be.

“Can we fight him?”

Terish replied, “Certainly. Now we can take the souls from him without him reclaiming them. Now we can affect what is still human about him."

“Well, can we go?”

“Ayither.”

The lady shot into air as she screamed out her phrase, “I AM STORM!”

While I could not help but smile at what I perceived as a declaration of defiance, I still asked, “Are we ready?”

The army sounded an affirmation, but I had to state my reservation. “Those of that world are not my gods. I do not know what to expect.”

Hallith stepped up to say, “Your gods will be with you. You will get your respect. All we have to trust is that the gods of this world are good ones.”

I looked to the soldiers as I asked, “Are they? You are the ones who were willing to die for this man instead of your gods.”

An officer stepped up to say, “We were in the service of Chancellor Lachill, and it was he who began the lectures. We trusted him. The advancement of our beliefs was done carefully. We have now seen our error. Those are our families, our people, who are now going to be threatened. No others should die. We trust in our gods to support us.”

“There is no telling what we are going to face.”

“You led a smaller army than ours against us, and won. Why should we worry?”

I had to nod, and as I did so I saw Retarund and stuck out a hand to him. “Black and white?”

He shook it while saying, “Together.”

“Let’s go, Terish.”

Subject: Chapter Thirty-Six November 1st 2019, 6:44 am

To Know Black and White
Chapter Thirty-Six
(Straekin)

I had led armies before. I had helped direct the soldiers that had gone against the present organized military unit now with us. While it was my husband who now had the position of leadership over the army, he openly sought advice from me about how to lead us to victory.

Going against fantastic opponents was also something I was very familiar with. I however would acknowledge that my husband had much more experience than me. When we first met he had about a century of facing threats I considered only relegated to fantasy. Early in my relationship with him he did the things to gain the loyalty of the centaurs as well as gain the kingdom he now ruled. Even now he was the one with the reputation of a dragon slayer with me actually having no claims to having defeated such a monster. While I now traveled with him through fantastic worlds, I would still often be little more than a spectator as he confronted awesome opponents.

Terish however needed to work the magic necessary to enable us to pass back to the physical realm. That put me in charge of the army. Hallith and Ayither let it be known that they would be rushing to the fight. Dalinth and Retarund were comfortable working with an army, but not in actually directing it. Usually they were advising the leadership, and in that capacity I accepted their presence with me. With all prepared for the advance, Terish opened the portal and I gave the command for the army to begin marching.

We advanced into a wide thoroughfare in the middle of a vast city. Considering that my husband had us arriving at the same place as the one we sought to stop, I expected to simply have the military continue to advance. A few hundred yards ahead of us was a large palace, but the gates were shut. While I did keep the soldiers advancing, I wondered about our reception.

“I AM STORM!” Ayither shouted as her form shot through the air ahead of us.

“Get me over the wall!” Hallith yelled rushing forward.

I simply looked to an officer and asked, “What about the gate?”

His glance at me gave me no feeling of being a sexual object. I gained the impression he was mentally evaluating whether to help achieve my objective. His eyes however then moved to Ayither and Hallith, and I guess he felt it best to support my more diplomatic desire. His salute gave me the feeling he would obey.

“Hold this pace, Dear Lady, and I will see what I can do.”

As he ran ahead, I looked to see my husband moving along the right side of the army. Probably to prevent any disruption of my place of leadership, he did not have Menasha speed up to move ahead of the men. I however expected him to rush after Hallith and Ayither. Accepting that my husband would make his move at what he considered the proper time, I looked to see how the officer was doing with those maintaining the barrier ahead of us.

The gates opened with the officer signaling for us to advance. I had to assume that he retained his position in the local army, so had the influence to demand certain actions. As we approached, the sky began to turn black from a mass that appeared more as ash than clouds. A number of soldiers exclaimed as a blast of lightning struck something in the air, but I knew that a certain lady was not harmed seeing the rays of the bolt disperse in a number of directions before she yelled out her usual phrase. Terish however now had Menasha rush ahead to pass through the gates.

He stopped, then proclaimed, “Men, tell your story! I promise to tell you the rest later. Black and White! Straek?”

As I said, I was not really a combatant. I however considered that the champions of black and white as also not being major fighters. At least I regularly stood with my husband in facing major threats, so had skills to help in such situations. I could fight. I thus looked at the divine champions, and told them to follow me as I checked my weapons in case I needed to enter combat.

Terish yelled out Hallith’s name as he had Menasha rush to the right side of the courtyard where a wall separated the public area from private gardens and work areas. The large man did not need anything more than a direction. Terish took a rope, and using the height standing in Menasha’s saddle provided he jumped to the top of the barrier. Securing the cord, he then helped Hallith up. I saw the large man rush on ahead as Terish stayed to assure the rest of us followed.

Coming to the top of the barrier, my husband pointed out how to cross the upper terrain. I felt a brief contact, but did not complain about him not prolonging the sign of affection before rushing ahead as I heard a yell from Hallith indicating that he might need help. I however quickly followed to stop seeing a large yard ahead. I prepared a crossbow as Dalinth and Retarund came near me to also examine the terrain.

The large demonic figure floated above an area of ground marked with a large magic circle. A number of people in robes circled the space chanting something. Power could clearly be seen moving to the volume over the circle from an altar where a man performed some rite. Seeing the demonic figure stretch his wings I feel caused the champion of white to state his feeling of us arriving too late.

“How can we stop this?”

I aimed my crossbow while answering, “It is easy to disrupt a ceremony. One of the reasons some of those on my world do not like Terish at all.”

My bolt flew over the distance, and almost gave me the impression it would fall short. However, it struck barely over the altar to enter the belly of the one working the rite. I smiled with pleasure seeing a disruption in the flow of energy. It helped my attitude to hear the yell of Hallith to Ayither give me the impression that I had done what was necessary to turn things in our favor.

I watched as the large man lifted by what I suspected was a force of air supplied by the champion of storm. His large blade struck the demonic figure. What flew were not splatters of blood, but strange mists that I assumed were the souls he had absorbed. I again armed my crossbow as I feared someone renewing the rite to supply restoring force to our opponent.

Dalinth knelt to drop down, causing Retarund to ask him where he was going, to which he answered, “I don’t know, but I will see this through to the end.”

“You’re right. Straekin, will you be all right?”

I smiled as I replied, “I do stuff like this regularly. Go. Make your gods proud of you.”

There was no need for another shot. Terish and Hallith had the weapons and skills to directly combat the one who had hoped to become a god. Ayither provided what help she could by giving the men height or assuring a fall did not harm them. Dalinth and Retarund went to the people and began disrupting their chants by attempting to speak sense to them. Seeing members of the military being led by Krameth pour into the yard I felt there would be no need for further action.

Ayither suddenly flying in my direction surprised me. I suspected she had a message from my husband or Hallith, so simply waited for her arrival. She landed next to me, then surprised me by demanding what I held.

“That crossbow ready to fire.”

I handed it to her while saying, “You never know when it might be needed.”

“I need a better weapon. That bolt is well enchanted.”

“Not the first divine bad guy I have met.”

Ayither smiled, aimed, then said the name of her god as she released the bolt. It did not have any arc to its flight. It shot from the crossbow at a much faster speed than I knew was possible and moved in a straight line to the head of the demonic figure. The entire body jerked as the bolt entered, then Ayither handed the weapon back to me with a smile on her face.

“We can just watch now.”

Having learned about Ayither, I felt able to chance a joke. “You mean ‘calmly’ watch?”

She laughed as we observed a show of energy displays, wraith-like apparitions rush about, and people moving to do what they felt necessary to protect themselves or further their cause. Ayither and I did what we could to track our men. Sometimes I would have to point out Hallith to her, and she would let me know where to look for Terish. As things began to settle down, I was the one who laughed when she asked a question.

“Do you really do things like this a lot?”

“A lot more often that I truly enjoy, but I could not have a better husband.”

“Yes. Hallith seems to be a good choice for me.”

Feeling that I was seeing a new personality in my life, I replied, “Of all the Quartermasters, Hallith was the better one. He’s a good man, Ayither.”

“I can sense that he will support my storm. You, Terish, those he is with, will accept me as well. That is good.”

“It is a different life. If you doubt it, go visit my home world one day and see where I came from. I chose this life, and have fallen in love with it. I feel you will as well.”

“Do you think I should have Hallith find a home on my world or his?”

I let her know that I felt that to have been a dumb question. “You’re storm, Ayither. Hallith is water. Both of you have a place. Get a home on both worlds, then travel. Be glad to see you whenever and wherever our paths cross.”

“Yes, I can agree with that. Okay, I’ll tell Hallith.”

I watched as the lady flew off. I continued to observe the movement of people until I heard Terish call my name. Seeing him move below me, I dropped from the height. I felt weight removed from me, but not as if air was supporting me. Terish had used another type of magic to have me safely fall into his arms. After trading some affection with my husband, I moved off with him to resolve a number of issues.

It took some time for the full story to be compiled. It helped that I had not killed Lachill. He had been pulled away and tended, so could personally admit to his own actions. It also helped that Retarund had the journals, as they also supplied first-hand evidence of certain deeds by the evil champion of black. Slowly, we did get the full story established, which allowed everyone to consider the matter truly settled.

Dalinth and Retarund were returned to their world. Both of them let us know their appreciation for our aid. We had a good visit, then understanding they had their own obligations we prepared for a return to our lives.

Ayither let Hallith know that she was willing to accept him. Terish agreed with them that it would be necessary to face the other Quartermasters and Zetrullid. He however also stressed for Hallith to take Ayither to Ferrigote in order to get her a good weapon.

Hallith asked, “How much of a change is marriage, Terish?”

“None.”

“None?”

“You get her for eternity, Hallith. To think it is going to stay the same is silly. Enjoy your life with Ayither.”

While I laughed with the others, I had to say, “It is a lot of change, but there is comfort in knowing something about your life. Through everything Terish has put me through, there was something about just knowing with him was my life. The same with him, I believe, as all through his insanity he kept showing up. Somehow I realized that no matter what, he would consider me important to his life. He always has.”

Terish simply put an arm around me as he said, “She has been there for me.”

Ayither said, “And I will be there for you, Hallith.”

The large man replied, “Well, you heard them. Ferrigote, then Pesloe, Chertish, and finally Zetrullid.”

I added, “And with that I guess the two of you are married. Stay in touch.”

“I promise, we will.”

» To Know Black and White - Part 5 (20-25)
» To Know Black and White - Part 6 (26-31)
» To Know Black and White - Part 1 (1 - 6)
» To Know Black and White - Part 2 (7-10B)
» To Know Black and White - Part 3 (11-15A)