Joseph cursed as once again, the crowbar failed to peel open the dark metal. There wasn’t even a scratch left on the material, whatever it was. After he was done killing the dwarves that captured him, he’d maybe try and seize these plates for himself… who was he kidding, there was no way in hell he’d have time for that.

  The cart came to a halt suddenly, before being set down. Joe’s eyes widened, realizing that they had finally reached their destination… where his life would end. He stood shakily, his skin tingling as he anticipated his doom. A doom that, if he had his way, would never come. He went straight back to prying at seams, jaw clenched as he forced down the panic that overcame him.

  “Joseph Haythorn.” An unfamiliar gravelly voice echoed through the metal, “I am the King of Ugals, Eram, I must apologize for this grave betrayal of trust-”

  “Shut up!” Joe shouted, continuing to pry.

  “I understand your lack of respect, so I will not hold it against you.” Eram told him, “I will grant you a final request.”

  Joe paused, “Let me go.”

  Eram did not reply.

  “That’s all I want.” He insisted, “Just let me go, please.”

  “That is the one thing I cannot grant you, unfortunately.” Eram told him, “If there is anything else I can provide-”

  “Your head on a stick!” He screamed, “And Bilmor’s too!”

  “...My circumstances disallow such a gift, but if it is truly what you desire, then Bilmor will be executed shortly after your sacrifice.” Eram said, his voice continuing to echo…

  Wait, it wasn’t echoing through the metal, it was something else. It almost sounded like it was echoing out of something within the minecart… as if it were from within Joe’s own mind.

  “So Varig died then?” Joe asked.

  “I regret to say that it is so.” Eram told him, his voice becoming heavy, “As a father, I want my children to live full lives… If you had children, I am sure you’d understand.”

  Joe’s jaw clenched… He did understand, all too well…

  “Yer jokin’ if you think I’m just gonna let this happen.” Joe told him in a low growl, “After I’m out of here, I’m trashing the place and paintin’ it with yer blood.”

  “That will not come to pass, Joseph.” Eram said matter of factly, “The metal you are encased in is unable to be breached, Jilamaka itself wouldn’t be able to as much as scratch it. I encourage you to relax-”

  “I want some booze.” Joe said, an idea forming, “Get me some booze as my last request instead.”

  If he could convince the dwarves to open up his prison, even by just a bit, he could jam the walls before they could fully close.

  “The cart must not be opened.” Eram said regretfully, “But your request does make sense. We intend to kill the Faelord we give you to as it’s trapped within those confines… it will be your tomb, Joseph.”

  “I ain’t dying here.” Joe insisted, “But If I do, don’t you lay a finger on Betty, leave her alone, ya hear!?”

  “Very well.” Eram agreed, “If there is nothing else, the process will begin.”

  “There won’t be nothin’ of you left when I get out of here.” Joe threatened, “You’ll see.”

  Eram did not reply. Joe sighed, and fell to his knees. This metal wasn’t gonna give, no matter what he did, and shooting it would just make the bullet ricochet. There was only one more option available to him now. He clasped his hands together, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath.

  “Lord, help see me safely through this trouble I found myself in.” He prayed, clenching his hands together tightly, “Let my spirit stay strong so I won’t lose myself to this fake wannabe god… and If I can’t make it, I pray that I might see those I love in the afterlife. I also want to pray for forgiveness Lord, for I have sinned… I treated a creature cruelly, driving it near the point of death to enforce my will. After that, I attempted to murder someone when they weren’t lookin’. I’m sorry Lord, I hope I won’t have to do it again-” Joe froze as realization hit him.

  He had known that those things had been wrong in his heart, deep down he had known, and yet he had done them anyway… And here he was, telling God that he hopefully wouldn’t have to do it again. He should be actively trying not to do such things. Some Christian he was, Yet, the Good Lord forgives all… right? He believed that God would only truly forgive someone who both asked for forgiveness, and truly tried to change, to be a better person.

  Ever since he became a Christian, he had not truly changed how he had acted… he had still stolen, murdered and lied, but it was alright… wasn’t it? It had been necessary for him to survive in the new world that God had allowed to exist, it wasn’t wrong for him to have done those things back then. He doubted this thought, but the survivor in him insisted that it was right. Yet the survivor was not God. Still though… There had been times where Joe had been unsure if someone was actually a threat or not, times where he had hesitated, but regardless, had pulled the trigger. How many people had he killed that had never intended him harm, just on the chance they would become a problem later?

  He hadn’t been wrong for that, right? He had been betrayed and stolen from before, back during the first year of The End. His distrust after that point was justified! His hands and jaw both clenched in unison. How was what he did wrong!?

  “You’re the one who let The End happen!” Joe screamed suddenly, his frustration reaching a boiling point.

  He had explained his reasoning to Sera before, insisting that God had not had a hand in The End but… but how else could it have happened? He hadn’t asked this question of Him before, but now was as good a time as any.

  “Did you cause The End?” Joe asked calmly… receiving no answer. Joe’s lips were pulled to a tight line, of course God wouldn’t answer him… but he felt that he deserved some kind of reply. “Answer me!” He screamed, his voice echoing off the metal and right back to him, “Why did you let it happen, you put me, everyone through hell when you could have put a stop to it!”

  It hadn’t been Revelations, the prophecy hadn’t matched up with the kind of apocalypse that had happened, and despite how horrid it had been, humanity was still left kicking about the ruins of Earth. Had it been Revelations, then humanity would have been done for… right? He hung his head in defeat… Why did he continue trying to believe?

  He shook his head, taking a deep breath to clear his mind. Hannah had believed, and she had wanted him to believe too, for the longest time… it wasn’t until after she died that he really began reading the Bible. There had been lessons that had resonated with him, long prayers where Joe had simply been talking to Him, laying down his woes, even when Joe hadn’t really believed. Then one day… he decided that he would believe, despite everything he had been through. At first, it was just to honor Hannah’s memory, but over time he had begun to genuinely believe it.

  Whenever a demon tried to possess him in the wastes, he prayed to God and mocked the demon until it left… Was it really just the mockery that made it leave? When he was trying to quit his addictions on his own, it had never panned out, not until he prayed to God to take the temptation away. Whenever he prayed for safe passage through a Portal Storm, Betty would make it through unscathed, whereas before there was always damage to be repaired. There was also what Sera told him before… that there was an Overseer for his world, and that He had multiple versions of Earth to look out for. Was it simply that he had his attention elsewhere at the time of The End?

  It was hard to say, and there were still things he was conflicted about… but Joe would continue to believe. That didn’t mean that he was happy with the Lord, of course. He couldn’t overlook the hell he had gone through back on Earth, he supposed that this anger against God had been building up because of that. However, when Joe did die, he was going to have a lot of questions for God. For now, he’d just put his faith in Him and see how things panned out, good or bad.

  “Please Lord, help me escape… and If I die here Lord, then it is as you willed, If I don’t, I will try and be better.” Joe whispered, “And Lord, if this fake god takes over my body, I pray that you will strike me down on the spot.”

  With that, he stood, and took up his crowbar once more. He prayed, but that didn’t mean that he would get out of here by sitting on his ass. Ya had to work with God to get results, and by The Lord, Joe wanted results. He jammed his crowbar into the seams once more, and began prying with all his might-

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  But then his skin went cold, and he froze in place, unable to so much as blink as he felt… something trying to worm its way into his very soul. It felt almost exactly like a demonic possession, was there one here in the minecart with him?

  “It is a fine body, First Prince Husick.” A deep, horrible voice said, seeming to come from everywhere at once, “I accept your offer, but first, what is it that you wish?”

  Joe felt his skull throb as a voice outside the minecart replied, “Our brother, Third Prince Varig, return him to us, and if you would, all powerful Faelord, return to us also the dwarves that perished on his expedition.”

  “It will be done, after I take over this body.”

  In his mind, Joe replied, “In your dreams!”

  “Eternal silence will suit you, Joseph Haythorn.”

  He then felt something tear at the very fabric of his being, something deep and indescribable being seized from him forcefully. He fought back as best as he could, holding onto his existence by a hair.

  “A feisty creature you are, you truly do not wish to leave? I will send your soul to your Overseer as an empty shell, now begone!” It demanded, severing the thread that held Joseph to his body.

  The mortal’s soul was sent careening into the void, screaming as it went. Kagor grinned, looking down at his new body with satisfaction. It was massive, the largest human body he’d ever possessed. It was clad in dragon-bone plate armor to boot, an accomplished man to have slain such a beast. Quickly scanning through Joseph’s memories, Kagor could see that he indeed did manage the feat, single handedly in fact. Looking back further he could see that the state of the Outworld he’d hailed from had become a hellish place, no doubt that was what had forged this body to be strong enough to accommodate Kagor’s being.

  It was good to be of flesh again, but what was with these surroundings? Encased in metal and- His eyes widened, realizing that he was trapped. A memory surfaced, the dwarves telling Joseph that they would kill this body as soon as the wish was granted. Unfortunately, Kagor must fulfill his end of the bargain regardless of this betrayal… best to get it done quickly. With a snap of his fingers, the corpses of the fallen were resurrected, right where they had died.

  He pressed his hands against the metal… it was magical, the trait the metal had inherited was nigh invulnerability. Ah, the surface was beginning to grow hot, as Bilmor had claimed earlier, they were going to try and cook him within this cursed coffin… And he knew it was a coffin. The metal was familiar to him, he had been trapped within it before…

  Back when he had possessed King Garrick the Humble, millenia ago. The treacherous dwarves had trapped Kagor within its confines once before, ironic that he would find himself inside its walls once again. Unfortunately for the dwarves, this trick would not work a second time. During his time back in the Heavens, he had written a new book, one that would allow him to pass through such obstacles.

  Kagor grinned as he directly faced one of the seams. No matter how tough the metal was, there was an empty space between the plates. Invisible to the mortal eye, yes, but to Kagor, it couldn’t be more obvious. The world around him shifted, Kagor becoming so thin that to any outside observers, he would have seemed invisible. He then effortlessly stepped between the metal plates, emerging on the other side with a wide grin on his new face.

  Flames licked the surface of the minecart, ejected from what Joseph would have called ‘flamethrowers’ back in his world. These ones were primitive however, three massive canisters mounted on the backs of sturdy dwarves wearing protective gear. The flames were intense, and even now Kagor could feel his body’s skin beginning to blister beneath the dragon-bone.

  Still essentially invisible to his foes, Kagor quickly moved out of the flames, regenerating the damage done to his new body. The throne room of these dwarves was impressive, the high ceiling was decorated with thousands of gleaming gemstones, all reflecting the light of a Fumu chandelier that hung beneath them. A long red carpet stretched all the way to a golden gem encrusted throne… where a rotting carcass sat. The king of the dwarves, Eram, was essentially a mummy, wrapped in dozens of thick bandages.

  So that’s how they ran things here in Ugals? Fascinating, he’d not seen this in ages. An Observer King could make any dwarven fortress hyper-efficient, at the cost of its citizens' privacy. The First Prince, Husick, stood beside the throne, along with his younger brother Garl. Kagor grinned before snapping his fingers, reversing the flames' paths and forcing them back onto the dwarves igniting the coffin. They caught flame quite nicely, scampering off and screaming in terror as their beards were incinerated.

  Then those canisters on their backs exploded, ending their measly lives in an instant. The two princes gasped in horror, which was when Kagor revealed himself. There were other dwarves here as well, royal guardians wielding powerful magic artifacts, he assumed. Unfortunately for this regiment of golden-armored warriors, there was no chance they could stand up to a Faelord.

  They had barely enough time to draw their axes before Kagor forced their bodies to crumple in on themselves, telekinetically forming the guardians into balls of bleeding metal before leaving them to roll freely on the ground. Kagor approached the throne, still grinning as he revelled in his new form.

  “Good King!” Kagor bowed happily, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance! However, we must cut our meeting short, you see… and this may be a shock for you to hear, but that is my chair.” He declared, standing straight backed, “You two, remove your father from my high seat, this instant.”

  Prince Garl’s jaw stiffened, “Faelord or no, I will not-”

  Garl’s neck snapped that instant, Kagor’s rage at the boy’s insolence driving him to violence. The body fell lifelessly to the ground, leaving the First Prince staring in shock.

  “Garl!” He screamed, rushing over to the body of his fallen brother, cradling his head in his arms, “What have you done!?”

  “Please, do not do this my lord.” The King’s voice projected, “I will do as you ask, my son, remove me this instant.”

  “Father?” Husick asked, “You can’t be serious-”

  “It is an order from your king.” Eram insisted.

  Husick, jaw trembling, laid Garl’s head down, approaching the throne with hesitation before finally scooping up his father’s corpse, stepping away from the throne. Kagor strode up to the throne casually, planting himself in it before projecting his own thoughts to the entirety of Ugals.

  “Mortals!” Kagor announced, “This is your new god, Kagor, Faelord of Wrath, War, and Passion. I have demands for you, first of which will be the building of a grand statue in my likeness. It will stand atop your precious mountain and stretch past the clouds, declaring to this Shard that I have returned. Fail in doing this, and the royal family, as well as your own kindred, will die by my hand. I already made an example of poor prince Garl… I do not mind making a few more. Work on this marvel will begin now!” He finished with a deep, hearty laugh.

  He then eyed Husick with a grin, “My legs tire, drop that sack of bones and prostrate yourself before me.”

  Husick’s jaw clenched.

  “Or do you intend to challenge your new god?” Kagor questioned in a flat tone, crimson eyes narrowing.

  The First Prince again hesitated, dropping his father’s corpse before approaching the throne, dropping on all fours. Kagor sighed as he kicked his feet up on the First Prince’s back, leaning back in his seat with a satisfied smirk. After he settled into his new home, he would go about conquering the rest of this Shard, destroying any shrines to his siblings to solidify his grasp here, and once that was done, he would move on. There were millions of Shards out there, and they would all be his.

  He’d always been in too much of a hurry before, but he knew better now to take his time and enjoy the conquest. Rushing had always spelt his doom before. A regiment of dwarves entered the throne room then, all wielding rifles they had crafted from Joseph’s schematics. Powerful tools against anything, save for a Faelord.

  “Kneel.” He ordered lazily, all fifty of the dwarves falling to their knees, “Is that enough proof for you? If so, raise your heads and bring me tributes, or perish at my hands.”

  The dwarves all rose, many of them trembling, “Bring me women, drink, set up a feast hall, do all these things before my patience wears thin.”

  Kagor nearly laughed, but a sharp, sudden headache interrupted him. He blinked as dizziness overcame him… he could not show weakness to his new subjects. He snapped his fingers quickly, teleporting to the only place he knew he would get absolute privacy. Joseph’s own pet project, the Betty. In the front room, Kagor fell to his knees, wheezing as the dizziness intensified.

  What was happening to him? He tried regenerating his body again, but found that there was no new damage that had been inflicted. What then was the cause? No virus could harm Kagor, and the concussion Joseph had suffered had been healed once he’d taken control… so why?

  Joseph blinked, what had happened? He felt confused… He stood from the carpet, looking around before it came back to him. Kagor wrested back control forcefully, shocked that Joseph’s soul had returned. Hadn’t he severed the thread binding the spirit to this body? It was impossible, no force should have been able to bring the Outworlder back… and yet the soul had returned regardless of this fact.

  Joseph growled as he came back to himself, “You ain’t my God pal!” He screamed, “Get the hell out!”

  “Begone!” Kagor yelled, attempting to push the mortal out of the body once more.

  The body’s fists clenched as the two began to grapple for control, and invisible battle that couldn’t be seen. Kagor was a Faelord, to be challenged by a mortal soul was a humiliation that he could not bear! Joseph was not going to give anything to this fake god, this body was his, and his alone! After a few seconds, the carpet surrounding the body’s feet began to ignite, slowly spreading outward and revealing the dark metal beneath.

  “Damn you!” Kagor shouted, teleporting once again.

  Perhaps if he shocked the mortal with terror, he’d leave an opening for Kagor to exploit. They both were high up in the air now, falling down towards the mountain of Ugals. Joseph could see what felt like the entire Shard from up here, but he didn’t falter, holding onto his body despite the power of Kagor. The two continued to plummet, forcing one another back, straining and causing the body to catch flame.

  Kagor, upon realizing how dire this situation had become, diverted some attention to regenerating the body, giving Joseph more power. They fell like a flaming meteorite toward Ugals, and again Kagor teleported, bringing them to the center of the city. The surrounding dwarves all stood by, shocked at his sudden appearance. He clutched the sides of his head and let out an ear piercing scream… quite literally, as the eardrums of the surrounding citizens popped, blood leaking down their ears as the shout echoed through the entire mountain.

  “Do you know how long I waited for this return!?” Kagor screamed, “You will not take this from me!”

  “Lord my God, give me the strength to get this dumbass out of my mortal coil!” Joseph retorted, the flame finally dying out.

  The dwarves fled as a red smoke began to pour out from between the armored plates of the body, which was now curling in on itself. This red smoke rusted whatever metal it came into contact with, and as the body began to levitate upward, it billowed out further. Soon the entire city was covered in a thick layer of red, cracking rust, coating everything the two passed.

  “I will be the one who remains, fool!” Kagor shouted, “Leave at once, or I will slaughter this city, I will find Prolo, Varig, and that whore Sera, and introduce them to agonies you never knew possible, relinquish your control, and they will be spared!”

  “I ain’t losing!” Joseph shouted back, his scream sending cracks through the rusted steel of Ugals, “There ain’t nothing you can say punk!”

  “I will take you back to that time!” Kagor shouted, “I will force you to relive Hannah’s demise, you may deny the truth of what happened, but I know what you are Haythorn!”

  As the two floated back up to the top of the mountain, a regiment of dwarves began to open fire on them… only getting off one volley before their rifles fell apart from the red smoke. Soon their armor too began to rust, cracking off their frames as Joseph floated over them and toward the massive gates. Kagor was almost gone now… he could feel it-

  Kagor would not give in so easily! If he focused on pulling up that memory, Joseph would be finished. The mortal had repressed the truth of that day so powerfully, but Kagor would remind Joseph of what really happened to his daughter!

  However, that proved to be Kagor’s final mistake. He’d underestimated just how buried this memory was… and the effort had taken too much focus from retaining control. Joseph overpowered Kagor in that instant, but found himself unable to completely remove the Faelord. Without really understanding how, Joseph locked Kagor away… guided by instinct. He then fell to the ground, the rusted steel beneath his feet crunching with the landing.

  The dwarves at the gate ran from him, screaming in horror that the Faelord would kill them. Joseph, ignoring their cries, fell to his hands and knees, lifting up his mask to retch. His breathing was heavy, his mind foggy… but he no longer felt concussed, just tired. He stood, turning around to take one last look at Ugals. The glorious city was now ruined, the once gleaming steel now completely rusted. Had Prolo already left the city, he wondered? Joe shook his head, lowering his mask before limping out of Ugals.

  He hurried his steps when he remembered the fire that had been caused inside Betty, full on sprinting out of the gate. The dwarves guarding the smaller gate all dropped their guns, hands raised when they spotted him. They must have still thought he was a Faelord… but that didn’t matter. Joe went to Betty and knocked on her door, rushing inside and immediately grabbing a fire extinguisher, opening the door and seeing that the flame had almost completely spread across the carpet. By time he’d gotten it under control, all that remained was the bare metal floor, covered with ash. His chair had been completely destroyed, but his entertainment center was thankfully intact.

  The material on the other side of the chamber was only barely preserved, a small patch of pink carpet just beneath it. Joe hung his head and sighed… He’d dropped his guard too much lately. He told The Lord he’d be better, but he needed to re-think how he’s been approaching people lately. From now on, there were only two people he would trust in this world. Joe blinked… three actually, but Varig may never want to see him again after all this. The only silver lining from this whole debacle was him being revived, but Joe wouldn’t be returning to Ugals ever again. He wished Varig all the best, but it was time for Joe to leave…

  He’d be making a trip around the mountain to find Sera.