The Chained Watcher

Meanwhile, on the Main Plane

Brief AN before story, yes again.

I should be upfront about the state of the plot.

My plot has no plan, and is just manifesting as I think about it. Some things I might set up for possible future lore but then just... never use them. It's a very dynamic thing, with multiple subplots sneaking around behind the scenes with varied intentions.

Will that one thing cause a problem later? Maybe, but it could also just be raiding the sugarcane farm cause it never made its own. Lurking evil, or red herring? Noone knows, not even me!

If I stress myself out too much on keeping the story contained or preplanned, I'll just end up killing my motivation to write, so it'll go where it wants to go when it wants to. Should that result in an entire war that none of the Hermitcrafters know happened until it was over, so be it!

I tend to have perfectionist tendencies, but if I let them talk too loud I'd never get any of my creative projects online... The amount of full animatics I've plotted in my head without actually sketching even a single frame... I've even got my own original little world I made myself with a plot outlined that I just never wrote in story form! Angst with childhood friendships gone sour and friends turned against each other... 

Well, this just turned into me rambling. Onto the story!

~~~

(PS. This is what happened after the Minecrafters left the main plane... should really think of a name for it. Suggestions anyone?)

The continent was embroiled in war. 

Many years had passed since the beginning of the invasion. Being pushed back by the beastkin forces, the human church frantically searched through old manuscripts for something to push back the demons. What they found was a summoning ritual, where otherworlders could be brought to their world as saviors in extreme circumstances.

The casters of the ritual would lose several years of their lifespan to open the bridge between worlds and bring heroes to their side, but they had to be both knowledgeable and willing or it would fail. Also, the amount of rare and expensive materials... Well, let's just say the treasury of both the church and local empires were looking considerably emptier after this expense.

The head priest gritted his teeth, remembering how poorly the war had been going for them ever since the start. In almost every engagement, the enemy had employed all sorts of dirty tactics and sabotage, defeating some of their regiments before they even got to engage. The one time they tried to assassinate their queen, that had failed so spectacularly it still stung. 

What had foiled their assassin was not bodyguards, nor was it armor or any of the strange magic used by the demon. No, the queen herself had taken out the assassin with nothing but physical strength the moment they tried to attack. And don't get him started on the devilish magic used by her.

The few frontal battles fought with the beastkin armies had ended in overwhelming defeat with the intervention of the demon. Strange siege weapons launched flaming barrels of oil over the battlefield, spreading hellfire across their ranks which the queen then manipulated to tear apart their forces.

Ten years ago, the demons had managed to establish a base in the Cursed Forest, which had swallowed painfully large amounts of their own soldiers when it first appeared. Aggravatingly, ever since that news spread, the general populace was much less cooperative in the war efforts. Why they let those monsters walk through their homes with little to no protest was infuriatingly baffling to him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tentative knock on the door. It slowly creaked open to reveal a junior priest standing nervously. "S-sir, Bishop Carmon wishes for you to know that the ritual is ready."

"Fine. I shall be down in a minute, return to your duties."

Watching the door close, he sighed. How stressful it was, needing to maintain his reputation in front of the juniors. Before the ritual, he should go pray in front of the shrine.

While each of the high priests had their own miniature shrines in their rooms for private worship, they all preferred to gaze upon the majesty of the temple's great statues. Respectfully entering the sanctum, he walked with the poise and grace all priests were required to show when in front of the statue. Measured steps with a lowered head brought him to the shadow of the idol, and he deeply bowed to it.

Muttering his prayers, he retreated without turning his back to the visage of his faith or rising from his bow. Only once he had reached the door did he look up, drinking in the sight of the artfully carved figure. To think that some of those infernal beastkin dared resemble their god...

A cloaked form, with elegantly shaped wings wrapped around it at different angles. The face was hidden by a mask, with crossed halos carefully suspended above the statue. Carved out of stone, it nevertheless looked frighteningly lifelike with the tender detail etched into each feather.

Soon, they would learn. The heroes would eradicate all the impure beastkin from human lands, and cleanse the taint of the Cursed Forest from their territory. If it cost him some of the remaining years of his life, then so be it.

~~~

Huh. Weirdly short compared to how long the recent bits I've been writing have been.  I usually write an entire thing, then split it into chapters after I finish so I can retcon anything I don't like.