Tales of the Herd - An Under Gods Story

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Arda'il stood in front of a silver wall. The metallic material rippled like fluid, often becoming a distorted representation of the outside world. Arda'il held up his hand, pinching between his fingers a rather sizeable bronze pen nib-like structure. He watched as the orange light of the sunset glinted off the metal object, mixing in the air with the golden lights that dotted the ceiling of his chambers. His body tightened for a moment, and the pen nib dropped from his hand. Ink surged from the jewel on his chin throughout his face, coursing through his muscles, eliminating new bone cells that had begun growing.

Arda'il began to crouch to pick up the pen nib, but it was already floating up to him, unshrouded in salmon-colored, misty energy. He grabbed it and turned to look behind himself. There stood one of his brothers: Ene. Ene was like Arda'il in that both their faces were ruined. Unlike Arda'il, however, Ene had tortured himself horribly, ripping away bone so many times that it wouldn't grow back.

"Brother Ene," Arda'il greeted.

"Increased beherium readings indicate that a behemoth is approaching this planet through spacial tunneling," Ene explained.

"Is it her?"

"We don't know, but it would be safe to assume."

"And how are the new defensive measures coming along?"

"The temple has been stripped and converted. We should expect larger resistance."

"Of course. But if that behemoth is still traveling, then we will most likely be finished before larger resistance arrives. Still, we should not take the coming conflict likely." Arda'il grabbed the pen nib and observed it once again.

"Brother, I have a question."

"Ask away."

"After we obtain the ink within this planet and fix your condition, what is the next step in the operation?"

"My condition? Oh, no. I rather enjoy where this 'condition' seems to be taking me."

Ene cocked his head. "We've scoured the cosmos to learn the secrets of ink in order to heal you, uncover the weakness of the Kahilyians, and return creation to the path of order."

"And that's where we may have been confused."

"I don't understand."

Arda'il approached his brother, placing a hand on Ene's shoulder. He showed him the pen nib, making sure it caught the light at the best angle to cause it to shimmer. "We may be much closer to a solution with my so-called condition than with any other circumstance. Tell me, Ene, have you ever heard of Kahilyai? Could you explain the concept if you were to be asked of it?"

"Of course. Kahilyai is the bastard goddess of the Kahilyians, and the supposed progenitor of ink. She has long since vanished from the cosmos, so I don't understand how this-"

"She has not vanished!" Arda'il exclaimed excitedly. "She has been amongst us all this time, in ten parts. Her essence fills this multiverse, flowing through the life it births. Kahilyai is still praised by the Ten, still spoken of as a living goddess."

"Kahilyai is chaos incarnate. She invaded creation. She was on a path of destruction."

"Then why does ink only create?"

Ene stumbled back, looking as if he had taken a blow.

"I don't doubt that Kahilyai was a force for chaos," Arda'il admitted. "But I think we've looked at this completely wrong. If we think about it, order can only be made from chaos. This world, this galaxy, this universe only exists because of chaos and violence. All of creation has been touched by chaos. Even the gods may be a product of chaos. After all, even the Kahilyians were born, and their conception has thrown the cosmos into a spiral of constant death and rebirth."

"Even if we were to say this was all true, why does this mean we should embrace chaos?"

"Look at yourself. You're performing some of the most important work in your life, and it would not have occurred without you first experiencing a spiral of chaos. Iam has had countless eons to organize the universe in opposition to chaos, and then he embraced it when he laid with the Blackness. The Blackness has never been more contained than it is now."

Ene made a sound like a trumpet beginning and stopping abruptly. He had no response.

Arda'il hummed, satisfied. "Do you see? Where we take this venture, it will bring chaos to fruition in the grandest scale. And with it, order shall be found."

"If this is so, why not ally with the Kahilyians?"

"Those with any vision have grown soft, it seems. Those of a chaotic nature are too self-absorbed. We do not embrace chaos as an ally, we simply use it as a means to an end. Returning the cosmos to Kahilyai is only a step. Once we create the weapon we need to end them all, everything will adjust itself as needed."

Ene nodded slowly, either due to physical discomfort from the golden brace on his neck or disgust at Arda'il's words. He turned and began towards the rippling golden door that lead out of Arda'il's chamber.

"Brother," Arda'il called.

Ene stopped.

"This can stay between us. Very few will understand. The only thing that needs to be shared with the others is that Rimson's drilling will begin shortly upon my signal."

Ene nodded and continued out the door.

Ene entered a hall, and another Elohimian approached him. The being had a crest of twisting branch-like horns upon his head, and on his plated face, there were six gaps bulging with blue-purple muscle in two vertical rows on both halves of his face.

"New orders from Arda'il?" the Elohimian asked.

"Act accordingly," Ene replied. "That is all."

"What of the drilling?"

"Act accordingly," Ene cut.

The other Elohimian nodded nervously and stepped aside, allowing Ene to pass.

Ene did, and as soon as he was far away from the other Elohimian, he teleported in a flash of light, appearing in a cave outside the city. He traveled far back into the winding and curving cave until he was sure no light would be visible from the outside. He thought on what he should do. His brother – his leader – had gone mad. Yummi Chaac's influence must have gotten to him. Perhaps he was right about one thing: some Kahilyians were worth assisting.

Ene sat, folding his legs, letting his light build inside him. He thought deep and hard, focusing new and foreign energies from the universe around and through his body. He knew how to contact very few of the Kahilyians, but he knew who may have been coming. He knew one way to possibly get their attention.

Holding his hands forward, Ene allowed light to exude from his fingertips. He weaved it into seals and formulas, forming the energy into a sphere depicting calculations and heathen symbols. The energy in the cave began to shift, swirling around Ene and distorting the stone of the walls and floor. The air Grew colder until cool vapors began to cling to the stone, becoming frost. The frost instantly ignited, and then the flames became solid spikes of diamond. The diamond dissipated into air, and the process repeated for hours.