Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Earlier…

Within the Mobile Maverick Library, Skullius, wearing Savast's flesh, was listening to Paliothese's account, his delectable promise, and, of course, his warning.

Unfortunately, they will know you made contact with me and conclude that I was alive after all.

Skullius was not pleased to hear that.

"Pray that the conclusion I come to is not that this was your attempt at playing me all along." Skullius gave a warning of his own. "What do you mean they will know?"

There was no trickery. I would have prevented this if I could, but beyond what I could have done with a healthy Broader Existence, I didn't know how else to avoid it. Prime Worlders like me have a distinct scent. When I fled paradise, I hid it with an Andori until I was eventually found out, but at the moment, I am incapable of hiding it. The instant you reached within a kilometer of me, my scent clung to you and your vessel.

"Is that so?" Skullius said, scratching his hairy chin.

Was it plausible? Perhaps. A damaged Broader Existence could affect the use of Andori, indeed, but Skullius was more critical of the idea that certain beings could have such a powerful, distinctive scent. He sniffed the air. He didn't detect anything. The fact that he was in Savast's body shouldn't have limited his Divine senses.

If you had ever come into contact with a Prime Worlder before, you might have been able to detect it, but alas… Fiends like Navvexr will sniff it on you the instant you engage them. They will not only know that you were in contact with a Prime Worlder, but that it was me. They are shrewd. Beware of them, beware of them all. They will use that fact against you.

Skullius narrowed his eyes.

"If worse comes to worst and they demand to know your whereabouts?" he asked.

Show them my corpse. I told you. I have no value, and I am not long for this world…again. As long as you keep your promise.

"A promise I haven't even made yet."

Yet. Paliothese was a giant bust of optimism the likes of which Skullius had ever seen. Was this what it was like for a Deity to give themselves wholly to the idea of fate and Direction?

"You don't want to see your son again? With everything you said regarding his punishment for your sins…"

He must hate me. Call me a coward, but if he were to look me in the eye and spell his hatred for me for my actions, for my decisions… that would be a fate far worse than death. Even if by some miracle he didn't mean it, I wouldn't live long enough for reconciliation. So please…

***

Sombre.

Everything about Paliothese was sombre, but he had his priorities straight. Despite what it seemed on the surface, Skullius had been somewhat adequately forewarned about Breaking Chasm #59.

He had known about Thyrgga's Grand Generals before infiltrating the Breaking Chasm. Gylliard had caught him off-guard, certainly, because mere words couldn't do him justice, but all the same, the idea that the handsome blonde had caught a whiff of Paliothese on Skullius instantly had been rolling in the Hybrid's mind since he met him.

And it was just as the severed head had said: the enemies were shrewd. Gylliard didn't give away the slightest sign that he'd sensed Paliothese's scent, but he certainly did.

Subossais' taking his leave further reinforced the idea. Not once had the Warlord given away an inkling of the sentiment that he was curious about what Skullius had done to the previous set of summons he had sicced on him. But to be sure, he did. He was most likely going to report the Hybrid's unusual abilities.

What came next? Skullius was unsure. Perhaps he would be interrogated about Paliothese's fate, after all, as the severed head had surmised. He didn't imagine such a thing would happen so soon, though – not when Gylliard hadn't bothered to mention it before leaving. It must not have been a priority.

'It just so happens to be the least of my problems too, unfortunately,' he thought, scanning the guard Subossais had left behind.

The creature, realer than it had any right to feel, led them deep within the palace, along a thick velvet carpet and a wide hall.

Twelve attendants dressed rather formally stood on either end of the hall, arms crossed in a respectful gesture. All of them – Divine, humanoid beings – seemed feminine, spotting characteristics from a plethora of species. The silence was a telling sign of their discipline.

'I would have assumed opening the door for a guest would be part of that discipline,' thought Skullius.

He thought they somewhat livened up the place, though, despite their stiff faces. Their outfits matched the carpet and walls.

Other than them and the marvelous tapestry on the carpet, only the ceiling gave much of an impression of beauty, sporting patterns of gold and crimson that complemented the cubical light sources attached to it, which were also pleasing to the eye.

A great staircase rose from the right, curling and disappearing into the floor above. It took a surprising chunk of the hall.

'We really are sharing this place,' thought Skullius. He sensed traces of Amras, messy traces, clinging to the staircase. Shockingly, it was potent Amras – high affluent. Whoever left the residuals had a poorer handle of Amras than any Divine Skullius had ever seen. Even the Divine Carven had better Amras control.

Skullius made a mental note of that. 'Couldn't be one of the Stellars, could it?'

Before Subossais' summon led them to an odd door at the end of the hall, their destination, no doubt, someone approached the group. Another attendant, but he had an air superior to the others. The downward curling moustache on his face could only have looked as intimidating as it did because he had a rather long face.

Bowing, the attendant, welcomed Skullius, "I shall be your steward for the duration of your stay. Fortus is my name. Might you grace me with yours, my lord?"

"Skullius."

"A fine name." The response was so prompt that Skullius couldn't tell if Fortus was being rude or sarcastic. "I am pleased to be in your service."

He gestured towards the door ahead of them. It was modelled after some large creature biting its own tail, carved almost entirely in a kind of greenwood, varnished to an unbelievable shine.

"Your accommodations are this way," said Fortus, and he began towards the great door.

Right when they reached it, it inflated like a balloon, and burst slowly and silently, showering Skullius and his company with glinting dust that smelled rather fragrant.

Skullius turned to Fortus, a quizzical expression on his face.

"This is a Lucid Parlor, my lord," he said sagely, "a living, conscious accommodation. It sees and senses your actions and desires in order to give you the best experience possible. I implore you to believe that it is impartial. Its only concern is to please those whom it accommodates." He gestured dramatically at the bright dust. "As you can see, it is welcoming you in with a shower of joy."

"…" Skullius kept his opinions about that to himself.

…But some of his subordinates were absolutely enthralled. It was no mystery whom among them grew bright-eyed, itching to explore… only to rein their impulses in.

It turned out that behind the eruption of the first door into welcoming dust, there was a second one that looked exactly like it. This door opened inward, as though collapsing in on itself, revealing a neat space that flourished into a series of different, sizable rooms.

Skullius scanned it for a few seconds before leading the way. He could tell his subordinates had been waiting for his signal that it was safe; a lesson well-learned, given what had happened earlier.

Everything in the Lucid Parlor was scaled to Skullius' size, which the Hybrid thought was fitting. It was awkward for the Troops, Stars, and Void Users, but few seemed to care for that inconvenience.

'A Lucid Parlor, huh?' Skullius thought.

Subossais' summon did not enter, choosing to remain stationed outside. Fortus was determined to serve, however. He approached Skullius and gave a humble half bow.

"For anything you desire, I am mere name call away, my lord. I implore you to make use of my services," said Fortus, looking the Hybrid dead in the eye. "Tempting as it may be to retreat into a more comfortable, familiar space of your own, I challenge you to test the pleasures of the Sanguine Suite."

"Perhaps I will," said Skullius. "I hope they meet my expectations."

"You may have my head if they do not."

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