Tarragon

Chapter Twenty-Three: Return to Perdition

-Net

-June 4th, 2024

Not again. I stared into the pit, my wings shaking. I felt my heart sink, reclusing as far as it could within me, so as to not witness the situation I had come to.

Mantis has equipped us both with Tarragon armor. His was what he had used for Tarragon, modified to have an oxygen filter, and to let us use the teleportation function of the suit at will. The "bench" position was placed to be a small camp set up by the Jungle God. Mine was a custom-made suit, even with the little neck vines having their own individual parts of the suit. It was extraordinarily comfortable.

I knew the safety net was in place- I knew I would be safe. I knew that once we wanted to leave, we could at the press of a button. And yet, every fiber of my being trembled as I took the first step into the Spatial Defiance Zone.

My heart began pounding, and while I dedicated every ounce of my will to look like I was fine with going back, I knew that I still looked nervous.

We began our descent. The lights on our suits lit up, and they illuminated the world around us. Mantis and I began searching for a path to the Olka. It would probably take a few hours of searching.

As we walked, I occasionally felt extremely nervous, but controlled my breathing until I calmed down. My heart wasn't beating fast, just hard. (Writer's note: This may be from personal experience. NOT RETURNING TO AN SDZ WHERE I WAS TRAPPED FOR MONTHS, just the slow, hard heartbeat.)

(Writer's note: Completely off-topic, but originally the way magic worked in Tarragon was with something called Force, which was like you would seal tiny cracks in the fabric of reality, and in return get a bit of power, but eventually I traded it out for Energy, because I didn't quite like that.)

"So, Mantis, what have you been up to?" I asked him. He flinched, and turned towards me.

"What? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"What have you been doing?" I asked him again. He shrugged. Nothing additional, just passed off the question.

-The King of the New Order of the World, two weeks ago

It was quite an interesting specimen, really. Nochrethyst wasn't one to make mistakes when constructing her Abhorrences, but yet...

This one retained a sliver of consciousness. This Abhorrence, which had come to my castle, had a potent spirit. Its physical form was barely able to contain it, and I knew exactly why: It was made of several dragons and humans' spirits, all fused and contorted into one. Multiple trains of thought, multiple spirits vying for control of one body, and an extremely potent warrior when those aspects can be brought out.

I welded another piece to its new plate armor. Looking around at the sleeping monster's body, it was complete.

Revitalized by the mechanical body, and reshaped by my own mind, the Abhorrence had been enhanced. It was no longer just a byproduct of a war fought millennia ago, it was a soldier in my war. It was a weapon that would strike down millions at my command. It would be the one to succeed. It would cut Mantis, and his allies down. It would help to destabilize Defrathyst's kingdom. It would make sure no leader could stand for long in the North. It would attack the very foundation of dragon society, until nothing could stand for long.

Dangerous by design, a killer to its core. A product of death, and soon, the arbiter of it.

My newest weapon, the Executioner Abhorrence.

Metal wings stretched out, gleaming under the light of the torches lining the chamber. A head rose up, from the platform it sat on.

I smiled, and death smiled back.