“Welcome back, my Missing.”
Arkay glanced at his two very sleepy partners, then growled. “It’s a damn good thing you waited an hour. Otherwise we would have had problems. Well, problems outside of us being summoned while being naked again.”
Litvir rubbed his eyes, then nodded in agreement as the dark world dotted with floating candles came into focus. “You would have teleported a sandwich.”
“A sandwich?” Deathven asked, not sure what Litvir was talking about. “Where you eating? What sort of sandwich?”
“Um… a sausage sandwich…” Litvir muttered, before changing the subject. “Why have you summoned us today?”
Deathven appreciated the change in subject, as he had realised what Arkay and Litvir were mentioning. That brought up some rather unwanted thoughts, which Deathven quickly moved on from.
“Thank you for getting us on track,” Deathven’s voice was rather calm today. “My Missing, I have a mission for you.”
“Oh? A mission?” Litvir perked up.
“It has been a while since you sent us on one of those…” Retvik grunted. “Are we meeting with someone?”
“Somewhat. We have discovered a Voidborn vessel in which the being known as Vryda was once held. The Voidborn cult, known as the Orangegold, are looking to recapture Vryda, and, for some insane reason, the last handful of members have come to me, requesting some form of assistance.”
“Didn’t Vryda attack you?” Arkay asked, feeling confused.
“Indeed. The Orangegold were the ones who made her attack both Lifean and myself in the first place. But it seems that Vryda escaped their clutches not long after her attack on our bases, and the Orangegold are offering information in exchange for safety and leniency while they undergo conversion into becoming part of the Vast Voids.”
“So I assume you are sending us in to make those arrangements?” Litvir queried. “Because we are good at dealing with Voidborns?”
Deathven nodded. “That and the notion that Vryda is potentially a Thrice-Torn Spirit like you are, Deathbringer. While I do not expect to get any new knowledge to Vryda’s location from this meeting, I do hope that you will be able to garner some information as to whether Vryda is a Thrice-Torn Spirit, a rogue Decayon or a rogue Life Goddess.”
“Alright?” Arkay shrugged. “Sounds doable. Is there anything we need to know about this mission in particular? Who are we meeting with?”
“Our contact is called Torkalion, they are a member of the Orangegold and they have given us their location, but they will not allow access until you pass through the maze above and around their base. This should not be too much of a problem for you though, as you are godly beings and a mere maze should be a simple thing to deal with…” Deathven paused for a moment, then inspected Retvik for a moment. That moment was brief. “The only abnormal thing of note is that the Orangegold’s base is buried deep on a rogue moon that is covered in oceans.”
“An underwater moon base?” Arkay exclaimed. “That actually sounds pretty cool.”
“Indeed!” Litvir smiled briefly, before turning to Retvik. “Although, by the look on your face, you seem less sure, my dear.”
“This is… an underwater mission?” Retvik asked.
Deathven nodded. “Well, somewhat. The Orangegold, when they were an active cult, liked to flood places they wished to… conquer with a strange reddened liquid.”
“So… water?”
“Not quite. It is… a more viscous liquid that can be breathed. Nothing too worrisome. Just unusual.”
Retvik grunted. “Are you… sure about that?”
Deathven nodded some more. “Yes. Do you have any problems with this mission?”
Retvik glanced down at himself, then at his arms and tail, which were currently on fire. “I do not know, what do you think?”
Arkay and Litvir both snickered but tried to keep their cool. Deathven though seemed unamused.
“You are a powerful being, Flamebearer. I am sure you will deal with this mission no problem.”
“Are… are you being serious?” Retvik exclaimed. “I am literally a person with fire powers and you are throwing me at the exact opposite of my element!”
Deathven seemed completely unbothered. “So? Like I just said, you are a powerful being. All three of you are. You will be fine. And the whole place is not underwater, mostly just the areas outside of it. The Orangegold know they are meeting with Decayons and will most likely provide a common ground for you to meet at, so you can discuss things properly.”
“Do they know that I’m a Synaisthyn?” Arkay asked. “And will that cause any problems?”
Deathven shook his head. “You should be fine. I do not think they know, but if it does turn out that Vryda was a Thrice-Torn Spirit, they may detect that you also are one. I doubt they will cause you any problems, and they will know to be wary of you because they know you are notorious Voidborn wranglers and you serve me directly. I very much doubt you will have any problems.”
“Alright!” Arkay remained perky, ignoring how Retvik was now scowling at everyone present. “When are we heading off?”
“You will have 24 hours to prepare yourselves. I will send you some nice suits to wear, then get you on your ship and send you off.”
“Sounds fine to me!” Arkay smiled. “Sounds fine to you two as well, right?”
Litvir nodded. Retvik continued to scowl.
“Very good!” Deathven seemed satisfied. “I shall send you three home now. I will also send you with a sheet containing all the information you require. Stay safe, my Missing.”
With a snap of his fingers, Retvik, Litvir and Arkay reappeared back in the middle of Savepoint.
“New mission?” Eksi asked as he wandered over. “From that giant Deathven guy? I assume that’s why you three are outside and naked.”
“Indeed…” Retvik growled as he stomped off. “One I do not know why they are sending me on…”
Eksi glanced at Arkay and Litvir. Arkay and Litvir just shrugged.
“We’ll be fine!” Arkay smiled. “We’re always fine on these missions. Retvik just doesn’t like getting wet…”