Chains of Corruption Pt. 02

"Um... What?" You ask in confusion.

Mara smiles and says, "You could use your powers to change your current armor into whatever you'd like, but it would be inferior to something made completely out of your divine energy. You should remove your armor and then try."

You agree and quickly take off your armor, setting it inside the hallway so it doesn't slide off the deck. In your underwear now, the wind rushing by is making you very cold, but you focus your mind soon feel the energy building up again. This time you feel the energy flowing differently, almost like it's coming out of your pores. You feel something at your feet and notice black fabric appearing from nowhere as it slides over your feet and rises up your legs.

The fabric encases your whole body and stops just under your chin before shrinking down to fit you perfectly. It's tight, but not uncomfortable at all and as you look at your newly gloved hands, you feel another sensation all over your body. Bright white lights appear on your arms, legs and torso and slowly grow in intensity before fading away. As they disappear, you see shining white armor in their place. It looks much more extravagant than your previous suit, with its golden trim and plates so bright they're hard to look at.

"This is... incredible." You say as you marvel at your creation.

"Yes, and quite beautiful too, but I must warn you that even with this, you won't be immune to Nero's attacks." Mara says.

You nod and say, "Yeah, I didn't think it would be that easy, but still, this will make things more manageable."

Mara smiles and says, "I feel guilty about it, but I'm so proud of you Mika. I know I've placed a horrible burden on your shoulders, but you've still grown into such a strong and caring person."

You feel yourself blush as you say, "I'm not really upset about it anymore. In my world I would have been a nobody, but here, I can actually make a difference and help people. I'm ready to become a goddess and after we defeat Nero, we can help undo all the damage he's caused."

Mara hugs you tightly for a few moments and when she finally backs away, you see a tear in her eye.

"Yes, I'd like that very much." Mara says as she wipes away her tears.

You think for a moment and ask, "So besides fighting the corruption, what do goddesses do?"

Mara softly laughs and says, "We can choose to do whatever we wish. In the past, when there were more of us, we would take on specific roles. It made it easier to govern since we were only in charge of one or two tasks."

"What kinds of roles?" You ask.

"Well, Eris was the goddess of life and she was responsible for ensuring the souls of the dead would cycle back into existence. I, or should I say Yona, was the goddess of death and her task was ushering the recently deceased into the afterlife to await rebirth." Mara explains.

You realize that for a god, a 'simple task' is really more like a full time job that never ends.

"So, life and death... are there any others?" You ask.

Mara giggles and says, "Of course, but as I said, it's up to you. If you think your powers will be more useful if you take a certain role, then strive to do your best. That is all any of us have ever done."

You nod and ask, "Ok, I think I get it, but can you show me how to use more of my powers?"

Mara shakes her head and says, "Unfortunately I can't. Divine energy is unique even among the gods. Our powers vary wildly, which is why we must choose our role and define our powers on our own. Creating a weapon and armor are simple applications of divine energy that every god is capable of, but beyond that, only you will know your limits."

You nod, trying to take it all in. From what she's saying, it seems like you should be able to stand up to Nero now, although you get the feeling that she's not telling you everything. After everything she's done for you though, you don't want to push her, so you decide to let her keep her secret.

After a while, you and Mara go back inside and you take your old armor and set it in your room. You return to the lounge and your new look immediately draws the room's attention.

"Wow that's bright! Where did you get that?" C.C. asks while shielding her eyes.

"I... made it. Mara showed me how." You reply.

"That's so cool! I wish I could do that!" Kira says as she inspects one of your gauntlets.

You can't help but smile, but as you look around the room you see Gwen staring at you in disbelief.

You walk over to her and ask, "You ok?"

Gwen nods and says, "Yeah it's just... you look like a completely different person."

You smile and say, "I'm still me, nothing is going to change that."

Gwen smiles and says, "I know, I'm just worried about you, that's all."

You must have been training with Mara longer than you thought because Sid announces over the intercom that the island is up ahead. Luckily, you remembered that this new divine armor would disappear when you entered the demon world, so you head to your room and change into your regular clothes. You say goodbye to Gwen and head up to the bridge as the ship begins to slow down.

A few minutes later, the Valkyria lands near the ruined fortress and you lead the way outside. As you head towards the tunnel leading down into the factory, you begin to realize it's too crowded to accommodate the number of people it will soon need to.

"Hey Priscilla, could you and Kira clear some of this debris?" You ask.

Priscilla nods and says, "I was just thinking the same thing. We'll take care of it, you just get them through the portal."

"I'll stay and help as well, I wouldn't be much use over there anyway." Mara says with a smile.

You lead C.C. down the tunnel and into the small room containing the portal. You look at each other and nod as you leap through and exit into the demon world once more. Thankfully, you land on the same cliff as before and avoid the long fall down. You can already feel the difference in your power just in the few seconds you've been here. You feel frail, and begin to wonder if this is how you always felt before coming to Thanos.

"Here let me help you." C.C. says as she glides behind you and lifts you into the air.

"Wow, you're a lot stronger over here huh?" You ask, slightly amazed at how little effort she's using to carry you.

C.C. giggles and sets you down as she says, "Yup, and I think I look even sexier too, don't I?"

C.C. twirls around and you let out a soft laugh. You make your way to the demonic castle and are met by two guards out front.

"Hold, oh it's you Lady Celia, please come in." One of the guards says as the other opens the doors for you.

You head towards the back of the palace and find Raith in the throne room.

"Hail, I assume you bring news of Nero?" Raith asks.

You sigh and say, "Well, things have changed."

Raith raises an eyebrow and says, "How so?"

"One of Nero's clones was able to take on a human form, and she learned of our plan before she betrayed us." You say trying to explain things quickly.

Raith nods and says, "I see, then we must devise a new strategy."

"Actually we already did. The plan is basically the same except our fight here will be a diversion. When we retreat, Nero will follow us and be vulnerable when he's crossing back over to Thanos. Mara said she will be able to seal him if we can buy her enough time." You explain.

Raith thinks for a moment and says, "If Astrid and I both use Astratta, I'm sure we could bind him, but I don't know how long we can keep him there. Are you certain you can fight against him alone?"

"Actually, Mara said she thinks you will be able to unseal my powers so I can use them here. If you can do that, then I can hold up my end of the deal." You say.

Raith nods and walks over to you before raising his hand and placing it on top of your head. You see the energy around him becoming visible as he concentrates and releases it into you. It feels like all of your power is rushing into you all at once. You take a deep breath and feel a familiar sensation as your divine armor appears over your clothes.

"I see, then you are akin to myself. Your powers will not activate unless given permission by someone of equal status from this world, correct?" Raith asks as he looks at your armor.

"I... Y-Yeah, exactly." You say trying to not seem ignorant of your own power.

Raith nods and says, "Give me some time to place the evacuation order. It shouldn't take too long to gather everyone once I make the announcement."

Raith turns to leave and then asks, "Have you, spoken to Astrid yet?"

You shake your head and say, "I'm sorry, but she's really determined to do this."

Raith softly laughs and says, "I expected nothing less. Please wait here while I make the announcement."

Raith leaves the room and a few minutes later two demons enter the room and serve you and C.C. drinks. You thank them as they leave and wait patiently for the demons to assemble in the castle.

About an hour later, Raith enters the room and says, "Alright, some of them openly disobeyed my orders and wish to stay, but the rest are ready to depart."

"They do realize that Nero will probably kill them before they can even get close, right?" You ask.

Raith nods and says, "Yes, but they feel the same as I do. This is our home and no matter the threat, we will protect it."

You sigh and say, "Alright, I'll make sure that they get somewhere safe, I promise. Astrid is already preparing the city for our arrival."

Raith puts his hand on your shoulder and says, "I am placing the fate of my people in your hands, I do not make such decisions on a whim. Your commitment to standing against Nero speaks volumes about your wish for our people to live alongside one another."

"Don't worry Master Raith, we'll take care of everything." C.C. says.

Raith pats her head and says, "I know you will. You should get going now, I will begin preparing things here."

You nod and make your way back to the entrance. The demons have gathered out front and move aside as you walk through the crowd. You turn around to face the demons and see there are a few hundred of them. They look tough, hardened by the constant fighting they've endured, but there's also a certain sadness about them. Having lost your own home world, you know exactly how they feel.

"Alright, listen up everyone!" You say trying to get their attention.

The demons look to you as you say, "My name is Mika, I'm going to take you all through the portal and from there we will go to a city. My ship isn't big enough for everyone though, so we'll have to make a few trips. For now, I can probably take about fifty, but once we get to Ardent, we can clear out some room and get more on the next run."

The demons look concerned and talk amongst themselves as you sigh and think, 'Great, now they think I'm inept.'

Trying to alleviate their concerns, you say, "I know it's not ideal and the trip will be cramped, but it's all we could do with such short notice. I promise you will all get there, but for now, can you choose who will be going this time?"

After a few minutes of talking, some of the demons begin walking forward and separating themselves from the larger group.

A demon woman approaches you carrying a very young child and says, "May I send my child ahead?"

You start to feel bad for her and say, "I don't want to separate anyone from their family. We can divide the groups like that if you want, that way none of you will be alone."

She smiles and says, "Thank you."

A few minutes later, the demons seem to be a little more trusting of you and the first group is ready to go.

"My ship is pretty fast, so as soon as we get things sorted out in Ardent City, I'll be back for another group." You say.

One of the demons steps forward and says, "We'll split into groups while you're gone. That should make things easier next time."

You thank him and lead the demons up the small path leading to the top of the cliff. You look up at the giant swirling portal in the sky and then back to the demons following behind you.

"When we cross over, we'll be underground. Just follow me and I'll take you to the ship." You say.

A few of the demons nod and you turn back to the portal. You leap high into the air and enter the portal as the demons follow your lead. The dimly lit room quickly fills as the demons take their first steps into Thanos. You lead them up through the factory and see that the tunnel has been cleared. As you exit into the daylight, you hear Kira greeting you.

"Hey you're back!" Kira says happily.

It's still a little odd seeing her walking around at full size, but she acts as if she's still small, accidentally bumping into a few demons and then apologizing profusely. You smile as you lead the way back to the Valkyria and help everyone onboard. You squeeze your way through the crowded interior and make your way to the bridge.

"Damn, I never thought I'd see this many demons in my life. I really hope they're as peaceful as you say." Sid says nervously.

"They are, and you should probably keep stuff like that to yourself when Astrid gets back, she wasn't in a great mood when we left." You say jokingly.

Sid nods and says, "Thanks for the advice, that woman scares the hell out of me."

You head down to the lounge and see Gwen sitting near C.C. at the bar.

You take a seat next to her and say, "It's exciting, isn't it?"

Gwen nods and says, "Yeah, I know these people didn't have anything to do with Iliya, but it's still a little scary seeing this many of them in one place."

You're glad Gwen isn't holding a grudge against them, although she's never been that kind of person. You feel the magicore engines start up and try to get to know a few of the demons on the short trip. About two hours later, the ship's engines cut out and you can see Ardent City from the window. You make your way outside after the ship has docked and see Astrid waiting with a fat elven man.

Astrid has her arms folded and looks even more pissed than when you left. You assume the man standing next to her is the mayor of Ardent from his finely tailored clothes and his proud posture.

"Welcome, I am the mayor of Ardent City. My name is Marthuum, but please just call me mayor, haha!" The husky elf says as he laughs at his own joke.

"Um, yeah... ok, I'm Mika and..." You begin.

Astrid walks forward and pushes the mayor out of her way, making him stumble and nearly fall off the platform.

"Hey be careful!" You say helping the mayor back to his feet.

As he stands, he lightly squeezes your ass, but when you say something he brushes it off with laughter.

Astrid ignores you and the mayor as she spreads her wings and says, "Listen up! This is your new home, take the lift over there and the people down below will show you to the empty section of the city. Get moving, there's still a lot more of you, so the faster you're off the ship the faster we can go back for the rest."

The demons exit the ship, seemingly content with following her orders once again, and after they've cleared out, your group begins stripping the Valkyria of anything nonessential. Astrid and C.C. help Priscilla remove all the beds except for one while Mara uses her magic to move the large crates of supplies out of the cargo hold. You and Kira quickly strip the crew quarters and afterwards, you think you will be able to get the rest of the demons in another two trips.

You head up to the bridge and say, "Hey Sid, can you tell the crew to stay behind too?"

Sid nods and says, "Yeah if that's what you want, but I think we should at least bring Ulyena and a few engineers, just in case."

You agree and Sid gives the order over the intercom. A few minutes later, the ship takes off again and you walk over to Astrid.

"So everything went alright with the mayor I guess?" You ask.

Astrid gives you a dirty look and says, "Don't fuck with me right now, ughh! I wanna kill that fat piece of shit!"

You assume he was just as 'hands on' as he was with you and from Astrid's seething rage, you assume she let him feel her up, or maybe more? You decide it's best not to push the issue and get a little rest on the way back.

With the added space, the next two trips are packed even tighter, but as the moon hangs high in the sky, the Valkyria docks in Ardent with the last group of refugees. Astrid guides them to the lift and you take a look at the city below, now buzzing with people. You really hope things will work out for them here, but you know you have to deal with Nero first.

"Hey wanna put the crew cabins back together?" Kira asks.

"Yeah sure." You reply.

Mara speaks up and says, "Actually, since we're leaving the supplies here for the demons, I'll have plenty of space. I could use my magic to get it done much quicker and you two could fix the bedrooms."

"Yeah, one bed isn't gonna cut it tonight." You say with a smile.

Soon the crew quarters and bedrooms are ready for use again and you throw yourself onto the mattress. Today was tiring, but also exciting. The feeling is hard to describe, but it's almost like you have a much larger family now and it makes you happy for some reason.

"Hey mind if I come in?" Gwen says.

You smile and hold out your arms. Gwen happily joins you in bed and you lay there for a while, holding her and feeling her soft heartbeat against your chest. You fall asleep soon after, with your arms still lovingly wrapped around Gwen.

Chapter 18 - Eternal Darkness

You awaken to a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach. This is it, the day you will come face to face with Nero once again. You can sense that the rest of your companions have returned so you make your way to the lounge.

"I didn't want to wake you by having the ship take off so I told Sid to wait, I figured you would need all the rest you could get." Priscilla says.

"Thanks." You reply trying to mentally prepare yourself.

"I'll let him know we're ready to leave now." Priscilla says.

The ship roars to life and as it takes off, you watch Ardent City disappear into the horizon. You make your way up to the bridge to go over the plan one last time.

"So after you piss him off, we're gonna haul ass and hope he chases us all the way to the island?" Sid asks sarcastically.

Mara shakes her head and says, "Well no, I'm afraid that even with your special engines, Nero would easily be able to catch up and destroy the ship. Instead, I will open a portal that will take us all directly to the island."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you can do stuff like that too!" Kira says excitedly.

Mara smiles and says, "Yes, but taking all of us at once will use quite a bit of energy, which is why I will need to recharge before I attempt to seal Nero."

You think for a moment and ask, "If that's the case, how long do I need to stall him for?"

Mara looks around the room and then says, "About ten minutes, but the more time you can buy the better."

'Fuck. Ten minutes might as well be an eternity.' You think to yourself.

"I'm sorry, I know it's a lot to ask." Mara says meekly.

"I see, and how can we guarantee Nero will follow Mika into the demon world?" Priscilla asks.

Mara smiles and says, "Actually, you will be responsible for that. If I amplify your illusion magic, you should be able to convince Nero that all of us went into the portal."

Priscilla thinks for a moment and then says, "And by the time he realizes we're not there, Astrid and Raith will use their sealing magic."

"Exactly, as long as everything goes according to plan, we should have a few minutes before he finds us and opens a portal to the island. That is when we will make the switch." Mara explains.

"Sounds like it's gonna be over by the time we get there." Sid says with a hint of relief.

"If all goes well, then yes, you should arrive well after the fighting has ended." Mara replies.