Epilogue |
“I can’t believe Elezad roped you two into that,” Seena laughed, half-leaning forward to slap her knee with tears running down her cheeks.
“He can be… very convincing,” Left said.
“And has zero qualms about using guilt or blackmail,” Right added.
“What does he have to blackmail you with?” Hiral said.
“Nothing,” Right said entirely too quickly. “Nothing at all.” The way his eyes wouldn’t look anywhere but straight ahead had Hiral taking a note to go talk to his father later.
What kind of trouble are these two getting up to when I’m not around?
“Jokes aside,” Seena said, using a free hand to wipe the tears from one eye while Li’l Ur took care of the other with a tiny handkerchief, “anybody taking classes with either of you is going to benefit. He really couldn’t have chosen two better people.”
“We weren’t entirely his choice,” Left said. “I suspect Sera had significant input.”
“No surprise there,” Hiral said. “The whole school thing was her idea. I bet she had you two pegged as instructors from the beginning.”
“You don’t have to,” Hiral said. “You’re free to…”
“We know, Hiral,” Right said flatly. “We’ve gone over this…” He looked at Left.
“Sixteen times since we returned from Terminus,” Left said.
“Sixteen?” Hiral said. “It can’t have been that many…”
“No, if anything, he’s being conservative with the number,” Right said. “Either way, we told you before, and I’ll tell you again until you listen: we’ve got your back. You gave us the option—the choice—to live our lives the way we want to… so let us. In this case, that choice involves going with you and the others when you leave. Just like we chose to come here to the Hanging Garden with you to get a dog.”
“Mainly because we couldn’t let you name it,” Left said.
“I, for one, appreciate you two being here,” Seena said, “and only partly to help protect any poor pup from some cruel name Hiral could give it. He’d call it doggo or ruff or something equally…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence, the laughter doubling her over a second time at Hiral’s expense. She even leaned against the nearby building, passing Bonders giving her “the eye” as they wondered what was so funny.
“Maybe we shouldn’t get a dog…” Hiral grumbled.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Seena said, pushing herself back up to wind an arm around his waist. “We both know you’ll love it. You just can’t name it.”
“Then neither can you,” Hiral said, pinching her side, which made her laughter at his expense turn into a ticklish squeal and giggle.
“If I can’t name it, and you can’t name it,” Seena said, slapping away his hand even while she looked up to meet his eyes, “how is our dog ever going to get one?”
Outside of her armor, with her hair tied up with some flowers Favela had given her and an actual dress on, she was… stunning. Really, she was always beautiful, but it was just nice to see her without a crisis or fight waiting for them around the corner. Just getting lost in her eyes, which still glowed like they had small suns hiding deep within them, almost made him entirely forget the topic of the conversation.
“Uh… we… uh…” he started lamely, only making her smile grow larger until it filled his vision. He probably would’ve stood there, unmoving, for minutes—if not hours—if she didn’t stand up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
“Use your words,” she teased. “Any ideas? Should Ur name them?”
“Mistress, I am up to the task!” Li’l Ur said from Seena’s shoulder. “I prepared in case I was given such an honor, knowing my would-be apprentice’s penchant for naming disasters.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You too, Ur?” Hiral groaned.
“For my Mistress, there is only one name that could hope to represent her majesty, grace, and the title she holds,” Li’l Ur continued, ignoring Hiral’s objections.
“Now I’m a little worried,” Seena said, looking at the lich on her shoulder between herself and Hiral. “Even if I might regret this… Ur, what’s the name?”
“Deathmaw, Guardian of the Eternal Sun.”
“It even has its own title,” Right said with a chuckle. “I can already picture it. Deathmaw, stop eating my shoe. Deathmaw, don’t pee on Seeyela’s helmet.”
“Quickly followed by, Deathmaw, run for your little life,” Hiral said.
“Yeah, if the puppy did that, he’d quickly be Deadmaw,” Right said. “Don’t mess with Seeyela. I hope they teach that at obedience class…”
“Ur,” Seena said, trying her best to hold back her frown-laugh, “I appreciate the energy, but it’s going to be a puppy, not a warhound we take into battle with us.”
“It isn’t?” Hiral said. “I had some runes in mind…”
Seena just looked at him, then chuckled. “At least wait until we’ve potty-trained it?”
“Probably smart,” Hiral said.
“Still doesn’t help us with a name,” Seena said.
“There is… one other option. Or should I say two options?” Then he looked at Right and Left.
“You want to let them name it?” Seena said, genuinely considering the option. “What if they have different opinions on what the best name is? How would we decide which one to choose?”
“Who said we would have to?” Hiral said.
“There’s two of them and one…” Seena trailed off, then leaned back to make sure she could get a good look at Hiral’s face. “Are you suggesting… twins?”
“Technically litter-mates, I think,” Hiral said, “but yes. What do you think?”
“It’s twice as much responsibility,” Seena said. “Two mouths to feed. To take care of. To keep out of trouble.”
“Welcome to our world,” Right said, very clearly looking at Hiral and Seena.
Seena paused and stared at Right for a second, then turned back to Hiral. “I kind of get how you feel now.”
“See? Bully,” Hiral laughed. “But what do you think? Romin said the litter is big enough for us to probably take two of the pups.”
“The silver wolves?”
“Yup.”
“Can we get a boy and a girl?”
“Why not?”
“Let’s do it!” Seena said. “We’re going to have twins!” She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to squeeze him—and a squashed Li’l Ur between them—into a tight hug.
“We should prepare a list of names,” Left said to Right.
“Totally going with Deathmaw for mine,” Right said.
“Don’t make me burn you,” Seena said flatly, shutting Right up with an audible click of his teeth slamming together.
“Speaking of Romin,” Left said, saving his double from Seena’s wrath by changing the subject smoothly, “there he is now. Ah, Polis is with him.”
“They make a cute couple,” Hiral said.
“Not as cute as us,” Seena said, “and their companions don’t count as having a dog.”
“I wonder if Bonders have a similar tradition for…” Hiral started, only to be cut off as a notification window sprang up in front of him.
Genesis Integration Complete
Note: All PIMs have now been incorporated and will receive minor updates upon your next connection with an interface. Please see the help section within the interface for complete developer notes on changes.
Note (2): Interfaces will naturally grow over time on non-integrated universes, worlds, realms, planes, and other spaces, and travel of PIM-carrying users will increase the natural rate of integration.
Note (3): As new worlds (etc.) are integrated, local residents will naturally develop PIMs and experience growth as those on Genesis did.
Note (4): Integration will spread from both Genesis and Terminus, though the Raze and their Endless will not be considered potential PIM recipients.
Note (5): The possibilities of growth for both new and old PIM users are endless, though the threat of the Raze remains. Only the strongest will survive what is coming.
Note (6): Across the universe, new dungeons, opportunities, and rewards are being born. Seek them out to continue your growth.
Note (7): The PIMP is dead.
Welcome to the SYSTEM.
Behind the window Hiral—of course—read twice, a slew of achievement notifications waited, but he pushed them all to the side. Just like the PIMP had said, it had evolved into this new SYSTEM, which was now beginning to spread its touch across the universes. Just like Hiral had planned when he’d combined the PIMPs and the Urn of Ur’Thul with a pair of worlds and a whole lot of runic shenanigans.
This SYSTEM would give everybody a chance to survive the Raze, or anything else that came their way. Then again, knowing how the PIMP had behaved before, it probably wouldn’t be quite that smooth.
That, though, was a problem for later. Right now, Hiral only had one thing on his mind, and it wasn’t his achievement notifications.
“We’re saving those for later,” Seena told him, her mind in step with his. “While we’re on the way to find a certain somebody’s ex-wife.” Her eyes on a small lich made it clear exactly who she was talking about.
“Achievements wouldn’t be any fun without Yan,” Hiral said, chuckling at the nervous hand-rubbing Li’l Ur was doing at the thought of the reunion. “Besides, we’ve got something to do right now.”
“We’re getting a dog,” Seena said, a little squeal of joy escaping her lips. “Two dogs!”
“The next members of our little family,” Hiral said. “Who, after getting potty trained, can come with us to see the universe outside of Genesis.”
“I bet that’s going to be a story,” Seena said.
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Hiral said, putting an arm over Seena’s shoulder and starting in Romin’s direction. Left and Right followed on either side, like Hiral knew they always would.
No matter what kind of adventure lay ahead of them.