Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Chapter 1228: Request and Compensation (1)

Quintess had actually been banking on Elita coming in with the sword, Broodweiler to help in Suzamete\'s plan to take down Boron? That was quite convoluted, unlikely-seeming... yet brilliant at the same time.

Replicus narrowed his curved eyes and looked sharply at Suzamete.

"How did Quintess do that when he\'s not even here? His soul, I mean," he asked.

Suzamete was immediately exasperated by the question. In truth, she didn\'t want to answer it despite knowing full well that someone like Replicus - a mortal - wouldn\'t know.

But surprisingly, it was Elita who answered.

"Deities are able to split apart their body and soul and continue to exist as powerful beings

beyond reason," she said. "But however split their parts may be, they still possess a profound connection."

Replicus was stunned.

Really?

To think that was how it was, and that Elita understood this aspect of Deific power.

If she knew something like this, then perhaps his guesses as to what Elita was doing outside Aigas were too shallow.

<Indeed.> Suzamete said, quite proud. <As he had known always what would happen, as long you were in this world, Quintess was determined to keep you alive. The land would keep you safe even if he was gone. Thankfully for him, you also favoured Quintess best and received a Blessing with his essence, which made his connection to you all the more powerful. Thus, when you were in danger, Quintess\' body, spurred by his will, responded.>

Elita ruffled her curly hair.

The memory of her reaching death\'s door back then resurfaced.

She remembered vaguely, as always, how bits of dust had sifted through her nostrils and killed the momentum of Skullius\' curse, UNCoddled.

She had already learned that it was Quintess who saved her before this meeting, but that dreadful yet blissful occasion was given more meaning now.

"I see. So, that\'s how you survived," Replicus said.

"Yeah," Elita said.

Replicus nodded. He felt a bit of strength creeping into his fingers.

"As for the sword, I\'m guessing you received it when you first acquired your Voided Undeath powers."

Elita turned to him sharply, surprised.

"How do you know about that?" she asked suspiciously.

"There\'s another Voided Death user here on Aigas. Another anomaly," Replicus replied, and he gave a mocking glare to Suzamete.

Elita slowly nodded and shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Right. Void did tell me about that," she said. "I suppose it\'s not strange that you\'ve already met that other bearer."

<In any case...> Suzamete broke the conversation brewing between the two anomalies. <I invited you here to explain all this to you and make a humble request.>

Replicus scowled. He already imagined what the Deitess was about to say, as did Elita, but she paid rapt attention.

<I recognise that I failed when it counted the most. I am the weakest of all the Deities that make up Aigas and the Under. I made an effort to grow stronger using this world that was left under my charge, as Quintess and Listafelle wished me to, but even then, it still isn\'t enough to keep Aigas safe completely.>

<At present, because Boron\'s energy is keeping Aigas in an unhealthy state where three versions of it are forced to co-exist, I can\'t ascertain the future at all. Everything is muddled and there many possibilities. Everything might come to an end today or tomorrow and I\'m not strong enough to stop it. I can\'t carry over into powerful human vessels like Quintess and Listafelle and be useful in combat as many hardly recognise and revere me. Even if I could, the enemies that may be creeping in from the past are many and so I think its better if I work around chipping at Boron\'s energy little by little until I restore Aigas to the norm.>

<In the meantime, enemies from the past aren\'t the only ones that may start causing havoc, slowly but surely straining the Rules that attempt to keep Aigas intact. Boron has already summoned his fell creatures, Carven, from the Under. They will swarm Aigas and kill the living things within it. Make no mistake, some of them are too strong for anyone here. Some might even be Divine - the strongest ones that were hidden away until now.>

<I cannot handle all these matters on my own currently, as pitiable as that is. I have often been successful with dealing with crises in roundabout ways since my fellows left, whether by inspiring ideas in beings like Jiggorrhax to plaster Rules, or twisting fate from the skies as I did with my son and that foul, anomalous King. But in this case, I require capable hands. I ask for your assistance in dealing with these terrors.>

...

There was a brief period of silence.

Replicus considered.

\'So even Jiggorrhax was a product of her handiwork, huh? She inspired him to use his breath to repair the Rules that were broken?\' he thought.

He supposed this was in line with how Suzamete dealt with problems in Aigas: how she had dealt with Actuass, for instance. One might say she delayed stopping his plot in order to limit the damage Caxellac would do with his Serene Grace through his later actions.

Replicus then spoke:

"I suppose this request extends to me as well?"

<...Yes.>

Elita gave a nod.

"You don\'t need to give many reasons for why you need help. We will gladly offer as much assistance as we can," she said.

Suzamete smiled even though she had already guessed Elita would agree.

"However..." Elita continued, surprising the Deitess. "First I must deal with a small problem. Or perhaps I will do so on the way. I might have to work twice as hard."

Suzamete considered. Her broad memory of all things in this world allowed her to lock onto what this \'small problem\' Elita wanted to deal with was.

<I see. I have no qualms with that.>

Elita smiled. She guessed Suzamete figured out what she talking about. As bizarre as it was, she didn\'t want to discuss the matter with the Deitess though. After all, it could be awkward, considering the Deities of Aigas were partly responsible for this problem.

Replicus gave Elita a questioning look. She turned to him and bobbed her eyebrows up and

down twice.

"What say you?" she asked.

Replicus scoffed and looked at Suzamete.

"I bet you enjoyed hearing my other self berate me for not wanting to kill people senselessly during our battle," he said to her.

<I wouldn\'t extract any delight from that. In fact, I was surprised you\'ve come to value life so much. All because someone dear to you died."

Replicus sighed.

Suzamete already knew his answer. If not because Replicus didn\'t want many more to die for no reason, then at least because he, in a way, was partly responsible for the chaos to come.

"I\'ll help. But unlike this generous crusader, I want something in return. This is the second time I\'ll be participating in a world-ending event in your place," he said.

Suzamete audibly sighed.

<I expected as much. I already have a proposition for you.> she said. <In exchange for your assistance, I am willing to give you something with more value to you than anything you

could ask of me.>

Replicus raised a brow.

"What would that be?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

<I will allow you to borrow Amanas.>