Apostles of Doom

Tom did a double-take. How did Tizzy know Earth fairy tales? For that matter, how did he know so much Earth culture in the first place? He frowned and shook his head. If he stopped to question any of this, he’d spiral down and join Tizzy in insanity. He just needed to let Tizzy’s outbursts pass and not let them phase him.

Phaestus nodded. “She pretty much set the standard for evil stepmothers. Not that she was a good mother for her own children either. I only liked two of them; the others were a pain. The two I liked hated her.” He shrugged before glancing up at the sky. “Maybe that’s why I liked them?” He gave Tom a big grin and a wink.

“I’d personally have rather had Lilith as my stepmother,” Tizzy agreed.

Tom glanced at the two of them. How could anyone be worse than Lilith? He looked to Darg-Krallnom. “Who exactly are we talking about? Would I have heard of her?”

Darg-Krallnom shrugged, not certain. “Her name is Eris.”

Phaestus closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment, inhaling as if to draw strength. He finally looked up and opened his eyes. “I detest that woman. She has brought more problems to the Olympians than anyone I can think of… well, other than my parents’ own marital woes.”

“So she’s an Olympian goddess?” Tom asked.

Phaestus nodded. “My sister, in fact.”

“You helped lock up your own sister?” Tom asked in shock.

Phaestus shrugged. “In our family, being related does not mean we have to like each other. After all, I hate my mother with a multiversally renowned passion.”

Tom noted that the others all nodded in agreement with this statement.

The Inferno: Late Fourth Period

Barabus shook his head in amazement. “I will give you one big thing,” he told Heron, who stood beside him. “This ship can seriously move.” The Inferno was the fastest vessel Barabus had ever been on; in what his watch told him was about three and a half hours, they had traveled two hundred and fifty leagues.

“I will grant Dante that.” Heron chuckled in agreement. “I have never seen anything like it. His new geomantic propulsion system is unlike anything I have ever encountered. If there is any way I can get it on my regular airships, you can rest assured I will try.”

Barabus grinned at Heron. Naturally, of course, he was being polite. The thought of Oorstemoth having even one ship capable of this sort of speed, let alone multiple ones, was absolutely frightening. The Empire would be at grave risk. If nothing else, this joint venture had been a real eye-opener.

He chuckled to himself. At this point, he would almost be willing to forget Talarius and run back to New Etonia to inform the high pontificates and emperor of what Oorstemoth had up its sleeve. However, they were sworn to a joint mission, and who knew what additional intel he might uncover. Of course, said intel did raise the issue of the nondisclosure agreement they had all been required to sign. He had never actually heard of a legal contract binding one to secrecy before — normally blood was sufficient — but he supposed it made some sense in a very twisted Oorstemothian sort of logic.

Sir Samwell came over to them. “I could not help but overhear you, and I must agree. What Chancellor Alighieri and his team have achieved is indeed remarkable.” Barabus was not sure, but did the smile on Sir Samwell’s face seem as fake as his own? What reason could there be for that?

“Captain, we are detecting a mirrorcast being broadcast from up ahead,” Comms Officer Tallswan reported.

“What?” the captain asked, puzzled.

“It appears to be a fairly standard two-way mirroring invitation,” Tallswan reported.

“Very well,” the captain said, looking around to see who was on the bridge. It was the standard crew plus Dante, Samwell, Heron, Barabus and Sir Lady Serah. The other two Knights Rampant were with Temerlain on the cargo deck. He faced the main viewing mirror. “Put it on the main mirror.”

Tallswan nodded and made some gestures on his console. Suddenly a huge, incredibly hideous and ferocious red and green orc’s face appeared on the large mirror.

“Argh…” Sir Samwell said, obviously as shocked by what they were looking at as Barabus was. Dante was looking positively horrified.

Barabus had never seen such a truly vicious-looking orc before. Those tusks are huge! Wait, does it have wings? He blinked. What in the Abyss? An orc demon?

“You are Doomed! Identify yourself and explain why you have violated Mount Doom’s airspace!” the angry orc demon demanded.