I've been Having these Strange Thoughts Lately

A scarlet moon, a grumbling mountain, the land splitting in two, and the anxiety of impending doom. She reached for her weapon but found strange shapes in her hands. Gravity lost its pull, and her destination was lost in her mind, throwing her into the same labyrinthine loop as before.

Her body swirled and twisted through the nightmare walls, plotting her demise with dead ends and hidden paths to press her into an unprepared position. A figure met her at one end, asking for runes of power, but she could not remember if she provided them. The shadow frightened her, but once satisfied, her being turned into light and carried her through the floor and into an unknown space. 

Vel stood at a crossroads between two indeterminate forces, once asking for lies while the other brought emptiness. She felt time pass by centuries with each twitch of her eyeballs, and whenever she turned left, another would turn right, a mirror brought about by strange circumstances, but she recognized its truth. The unsubtle truth about Glynn's World, of the Astral Plane at large. She reached out to touch that off-colored infinity, but when she did, she felt something puncture her back, and she lost the ability to breathe.

That's when she was released from her coma. The elf gasped for air and coughed from a sore throat. Her head throbbed. It felt like she was in a distant land, even another dimension. Did she change? She went over her memories. Vel Ambrosia, 180. She liked coffee. She first rode a horse when she was 32. Okay, everything was there. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Vel, you’re awake!” Fura rushed into the room. “Are you okay? Can you remember anything?”

“I remember a monster and his club,” Vel replied. She glanced over her friend and hugged her. She could tell she wanted to initiate. “Where are we? Where are the others?”

Fura drooped. “We’ve been left behind. We’re only a few kilometers from Fargo, or what’s left of it.”

The priestess gave a full rundown on the campaign she had heard secondhand and the progress the heroes had been making since their climactic battle. If anything, the skies were a lot brighter than they had been in recent memory. Vel noted the girl’s upbeat recollection of rumors, but every few words gave her worry away she couldn’t shake.

“They found a fortress near the coast where Trinity was. Once they take that out. That’ll just leave Raniglynn and Mariglynn island to clear out,” Fura concluded. “We’re so close to winning. Isn’t this great?”

“Do you think Shige has gotten that strong?” 

“I don’t know. He said he was at MAX level, so I guess he’s fine.”

“That level. Did he feel like he was close to lord Akira’s power?”

“I can’t say. I don’t feel things like elves do.”

“Then we need to find him. We can’t let him work out there alone.”

Vel got out of bed, but almost collapsed under her own weight. She hadn’t walked in so long. Looking down at herself, she was surprised Fura did so much to take care of her. If there was one thing this adventure had given her, it was a friend as loyal and caring as her. She was still a crybaby, though.

“He told us not to come,” she sniveled. “He said we’d get killed out there, and he wants us to be safe.”

“He’s an idiot, like all humans his age.”

She tried to walk, but Fura blunted her advancement. Vel couldn’t help but feel the weakness in her aura, how unsure she was standing as she did.

“He’s fighting because he can’t die. He loves us. He really does, and he’ll take care of us when he gets back. I don’t want to worry him anymore.”

“Do you like him that way, Fura?”

“I don’t know.” She sniffed. “But before you woke up, I’ve been so sad, like this is a nightmare and I’ll wake up eventually. The goddesses keep blessing me, but are we really safe?”

Vel took her in and returned the affection owed. Her heart still wanted to move forward. Her homeland called to her, but her priestess was louder.

“Alright, I’ll stay,” Vel sighed. “But where’s our third? Is Nice with him?”

“She has to. She is Rani’s avatar, after all. I’m sure she’s being treated well.”

“You want me to what?” 

Rani and her two co-avatars were presented with three white horses. Their coats were pristine, but their attitudes were demonic.

“You’ll ride into battle with me and my knights,” said Cordelia. “When you channel the goddess’s powers through you, you’ll be able to create a ward that’ll protect us all from harm. It’ll be our way of supporting the hero group.”

“But, I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

“Your goddess does.”

“Does she?”

Somewhere in the lighthouse, Rani shrugged.

“But isn’t this a bit risky? We’re throwing everything into one charge.”

“A spear is useless if the tip doesn’t penetrate. That’s what Lord Akira said.”

“Yeah, well, tell him to go pound sand. I'm staying on the ground.” 

Going from west to east, the land of Glynn’s World became drier and dustier, as clouds moved in a predictable pattern that unleashed its rain on one side of the central mountain and not the other. However, with enough space, the Nikab Desert gave way toward the coastline, where strong treelines and fertile nutrient-filled grasslands kept the land green, and its rolling hills descended gently to the coastline cities at the end of the island’s reach, ready for water commerce with their sister populations.

That was where Trinity lay. The former fishing city was, as far as everyone knew, the last bastion of darkness on Elglynn Island. Its features remained blackened by the abyss, and all waters surrounding it were an endless void breached only by serpentine monsters. At the center stood a fortress whose stone and steel fortifications pierced the haze with bone white walls and bridges. If one squinted their eyes, they could see mechanical legs pointing out the side like arches. It looked like a spider that could lunge out at any moment, but it was at the bottom of the hill, and the heroes were at the top. The ground may be grey and dead, but it was no void. Nothing stood between them and Trinity. The objective was clear. Destroy Trinity, and Elglynn Island would be saved.

Lord Akira stood at the forefront, analyzing carefully as the heroes gossiped and bickered to themselves. His eyes stood on the prize, as it always had. Two shadows leapt to his side.

“My lord,” Tama said. Her face was covered by a smooth mask. “No demon generals have been found in the area.”

“There are no survivors in the surrounding area,” Kuroni added. “It’s just us and the shadows in this part of the land.”

“Thank you. Retreat for now.” Akira was left to himself again.

This job had been taxing, much more than what he had experienced previously. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, right at the bottom of the hill. Once the war was over, what would he do next? He never thought about it too hard, and he imagined the others had stopped thinking about the future a long time ago. Still, what was the plan? Would he settle down, take a girl or three for his harem, forget everything he once knew before, or would he return home? What would he take with them? What lessons would he have learned?

No, no, no, he thought. That was all very silly. No, he had his answer. It was clear as day. He could already see the skies of the next realm after this battle. An endless string of wars across the Astral Plane, like beating a video game and moving on to the next. Just the same as it's always been.

His eyes glanced at some other faces. Fuuma would likely keep moving. His decorations were long, but his soul was lifeless and longing. Hideyoshi could be molded in a similar fashion. Shige would stay, and that disquieted Akira. Such a waste of potential. He spoke big, but he was a coward at heart. Too sentimental. Everyone else stood with their own goals and desires in mind, but the question was, did they like this? Was this adventure to their liking? Would they want more? The lord had an opinion of them, but did not want to say. There was no point in thinking of it further.