Elironda

[Akirapryde]

Death is only a symptom

Elironda saw the mage casting on the wall of the Castle. She had half thought that she would have a chance to speak to someone before they fired. She was wrong!
 
She barely could see through her eyes that had been burnt by the mages of this realm. Anger filled her heart over these humans. But she knew that she had to help the party. She focused on that task, even if it would be her last.
 
Elironda's found her spirit floating in the in-betweens. She knew this place well, it was the after afterlife. Here souls were drawn to different nexuses. They form large streams of lights, each a soul, drawn to different lands fashioned by different entities. Here followers were rewarded or punished. She knew what awaited her, an eternity separated from her family, her loved ones.
 
Some of the most prominent lands here belong to the old gods. Then there were others, smaller islands in this great void of eternity. These were formed by creatures that have crafted their own planes of influence in the nether-world. These creatures were Demigods, ancient dragons or powerful heroes of old, had once been mortal. During their lives, they had acquired enough power to shape reality and create their own realms here in the afterlife.
 
The souls around her float towards these lands like leaves on a stream. There was a great pull as the stream directed the souls to their final eternal rest. Ahead of Elironda, she saw her fate awaiting her. She wanted more than anything to avoid that. She pulled and fought against the growing current. She didn’t know where this strength came from, maybe it was from Loki, or maybe she had enough faith to return to her family.
 
As she moved against the current that was bent on taking her to damnation, she started to notice a great nexus emerging. At first, she thought it was just another island. But soon she realized that this emerging power was much more than that. This being was a massively large snake. This monster of a snake was ebony in color. Its massive head could easily consume an entire mountain. She watched it open its massive mouth and draw in souls from various streams.
 
Those poor souls vanished within the beast’s throat. Deep within the mouth, she heard the screams of the damned. Powerless to escape their doom. Crying out for help, for salvation from their gods. Like those around her, she felt the draw on her own soul. It was finally then Elironda knew the stakes!
 
Despite her efforts, she knew that her fate was sealed. She then suddenly noticed a soul being pulled back from the afterlife by a silver strand. She swore that her fate wasn’t sealed on this day. She reached with all her might for the strand and grasp it.
 
Elironda’s eyes snapped opened as she let out a deep gasp. Her eyes drew in the sights around her as her body slowly came back to life. Her vision was blurred but she could make out shapes and lights. Once more she drew in air in to her lungs. She slowly rolled on to her side and saw only darkness around her. She slowly moved her leg from the table to get up. Slowly, she flipped her legs from the table.
 
As she placed her legs on the ground she suddenly found her legs unable to support her weight. She dropped down as she made a feeble attempt to catch herself. She laid on the ground for a moment as she tried to get her strength back. As she waited, her vision slowly returned to normal. She noticed a thick wooden door at the far end of the chamber.
 
The only light in the chamber came from the crack between the wooden door and its jam. On other tables, she saw other bodies in various states of preparations for eternal rest. Elironda slowly rose to her feet using much of her arm strength.
 
“What happened!?” a voice said.
 
Elironda turned and saw no one in the chamber. “Great, now I am hearing things…”
 
The voice spoke once more, “I am right here! What happened?”
 
Once more Elironda moved on shaky knees, using the table for support. She searched the chamber with her eyes and saw no one. She half stumbled over to a smaller table that held a water basin. Almost there, she stumbled and had to catch herself using the table. She leaned over the water basin and placed her face in the water.
 
She pulled her face from the water and through the waves in the basin she saw a male’s face looking back at her. It didn’t take her long to realize who was looking back at her. It was Captain Ahab! “Loki, your sense of humor never ceases to surprise me,” she said softly. Her left skeleton hand reached up to the side of her face and touched. In the water, she saw a man’s hand. A human’s hand touching the face looking back at her.
 
“What are you talking about? What happened? What was that monster?” Ahab said in confusion.
 
Elironda drew in a deep breath as she felt her strength returning, “You are dead, so was I.”
 
“You did this!?” Ahab said in shock, “This is your fault!”
 
Elironda shook her head while looking down in to the water, “Yes” she said truthfully. “I am responsible for this. As for that monster, that is what all of this is about.”
 
“I don’t understand, all of what, is about,” Ahab said in confusion.
 
“Uggh!” Elironda slapped the water, “THEM! Why do you think they were here to speak to your King!”
 
“I told them I would get them an introduction….” Ahab said. “But we have to speak to the King. We have to tell him about that monster!”
 
“Oh sure, let’s walk up and speak to the King,” she said almost laughing. “They will kill you on sight, just like they killed me. That is what humans do, they murder first then ask questions.”
 
“No, we can speak to the priests. They will help us. They will help me.” Ahab paused for a moment, then added, “They will send you back to the afterlife.”
 
“Ahab, don’t be a fool. You are in my body. You would face the same fate as I would. Instant electrical death!” Elironda said as she glared in to the water and in to the eyes of the man looking back at her. She fell silent for a moment as she thought.
 
In her mind, she knew her options were limited. She could lie to him, but that didn’t sit well with her. After all, she was the reason why he was here in the first place. She was the one that killed him. Second, she used his resurrection to return to the realm of the living. She shook her head and spoke from the heart. “I know you are a good soldier. You don’t know this, but I saw you many days ago. You were at sea, just after the battle that you had with your enemy. I watched how you cared for your men. I watched you.”
 
She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, “I know you are loyal to your King, and your Kingdom. You can fight me, and undermine me. But now you know what all of this is about. That monster will devour everything it gets its hands on. All life, in these realms are at stake. Not just your Kingdom. I am speaking to you from my heart, I know you can sense this. I ask you to serve a higher purpose, as I am. I ask you to serve this quest that will save all life within all of the realms.”
 
He looked down and thought for a moment, “You are asking me to turn my back on my King?”
 
She shook her head, “I cannot tell you what tomorrow brings. I do not know what your Kingdom will do to those I travel with. I am asking you serve a goal that will protect your King and your Kingdom.”
 
Ahab looked back up at her, “I will not betray my King?”
 
She shook her head, “I know,” she paused and walked over to the large table and found her items. “For some reason, the Gods have felt that our fates be interwoven.” She pulled out her compass and glanced at it with a smile on her.
 
“Why do you have a broken compass?”
 
“It’s my guide"