Galyn’s eyes clicked open, scanning the environment before Galyn himself was properly conscious. Once he was certain it was safe to move, Galyn slowly sat upright, trying to work out where he was and what had happened. Immediately though, one word struck his mind: Failure.
The Voidborn entity had proven to be too strong. Not due to Galyn’s own lack of strength, but because of the unfamiliarity of his surroundings. Galyn had made a fundamental mistake, allowing his enemy to choose the battle field. Now, Galyn had paid the price.
Now that Galyn was awake, he could concentrate on repairing himself. His left arm seemed mostly unscathed. Mostly. The sharp, retractable blade within Galyn’s forearm had been completely ripped out. He still had the use of his fingers, at least. Couldn’t say the same for Galyn’s right arm though, which was no longer attached to his body. His right shoulder was still present though, so he just needed to find his right arm. Luckily, it wasn’t too far away, and Galyn’s legs weren’t broken, so he could just get up and grab it.
As for Galyn’s surroundings, that was pretty simple. Looking up, he could see the underneath of his ship, the Thantir Two, still parked in this large, golden hangar. All around Galyn though was scrap metal. Parts of other ships, torn to pieces and destroyed. Clearly, many, many ships that had been captured and dismantled over the years, and, Galyn assumed, the Thantir Two would have been next. The fact that it was still above Galyn was a good sign. He just needed to get back up there.
Thankfully though, that shouldn’t have been too difficult. There were various ledges that Galyn could have simply teleported to, but he decided to telekinetically lift himself up. Not only would that allow Galyn to peer ahead and detect any threats, but it also meant he could keep his dismembered arm in one piece. As Galyn ascended however, he heard nothing of significance. No conflict, no fighting, no shouting. hat he saw was the complete opposite of what Galyn expected.
“You are all alive?”
There were five beings, all sitting in the cargo bay of Galyn’s ship. Three of them were Galyn’s crew. The other two looked like members of Galyn’s crew. Most of the room was coated in a hideous, golden ooze, the majority of it collecting in the middle of the room.
“Just about…” Retvik grunted, getting up to greet Galyn. “What happened to you?”
“I…” Galyn paused. “I… to put it nicely, I did not manage to defeat the Void Lord. Did they escape?”
“No, you are stepping in him.”
Galyn glanced downwards. He had stepped in some of the gold ooze. “You… killed him?”
“Kalis did, actually. Got tired of his master,” Retvik explained. “He mopped the floor with Litvir and I. Arkay was holding his own until he angered the Voidborn. Kalis interfered and killed him.”
With a grunt, Galyn turned to the being that was sitting next to Arkay. He assumed that one was Kalis, since they looked like Arkay and probably had similar power strengths. Immediately though, Kalis seemed to cower and huddle up next to Arkay.
“He won’t hurt you.”
“Are you sure?”
“He hasn’t hurt me.”
Kalis relaxed a little. He expected the hulking, armless Decay Lord to be angry. But instead, Galyn bowed his head.
“Thank you, little one, for saving my friends. What you did was very brave.”
“You are… thanking me?”
Galyn nodded. “Of course. You saved their lives. And, in a way, mine.” Again, Galyn paused. He glanced at Retvik and Litvir, then at Litvir’s counterpart Letharus. “Is he your friend?”
“Who, Letharus?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah…” Kalis stuttered. Arkay put a reassuring, gold and sticky arm on Kalis’s shoulder. “He and I were fucked up by… by… him. Arkay though, even though I tried to kill him, tried to help me. And I realised that, well, I shouldn’t be a slave.”
“I assume then, that you would like to come with us for a bit, little Life Goddess?”
Kalis blinked. “What did you just call me?”
“A Life Goddess. Actually, you are most likely a hybrid, the same way Arkay is. But either way, this Voidborn vessel is not a good environment for you or Letharus to be left in, so, if you so desire, you may travel with us, or, alternatively, allow us to help you forge your own path.”
Kalis blinked some more, utterly confused by the idea of being… given a choice. He eyed Letharus, who shrugged blankly, then glanced at Arkay, who was also shrugging.
“It’d probably be better for you not to remain in a place where you were tortured for goodness how long…” Arkay suggested. “And you don’t have to stay forever. Can always change your mind later.”
Eventually, after a little thought, Kalis smiled, then jumped to his feet. “You’re right. I will come with you! Fuck this awful golden shithole, let’s get out of here!”
“Of course,” Galyn smiled back. “Just let me… reattach my arm first.”