Year 55

"Theo I know you're here I can sense your presence, you might as well come on out and take your punishment with some dignity." You say looking down the dimly lit stairway.

You can't believe after all these years; it's come down to you personally tracking Theo hiding in the cellar of a simple abandoned farmhouse. Several of the Blades stand behind you asking if they should go in and get him, but you decline. You can handle this yourself, in fact you'd rather do it yourself.

"Just stand guard, I'll be back soon." You say to Glen who nods and has the Blades guard the perimeter.

You walk down the stairs without any worry about your safety. Even if Theo does attack you, and you're fairly certain he isn't going to be in any condition to do, you'll easily be able to defend yourself.

The cellar isn't large and add the fact that there are several stacks of boxes and barrels here make the cellar seem even smaller than it is.

"Supplies. Supplies still here from the Empire rebellion. Never did get around to using them." Theo's voice says from the corner of the room. You see him in his torn and tattered robe and sitting against the wall. Between his missing hand and half burned face, he's a mess.

"Didn't get around to using them for this one either." You say.
"Honestly, I'd forgotten about this place until recently. Had so many old safehouses, I was bound to forget some of them. Don't know why I forgot about this one though…it's rather peaceful. Serene even. I guess its remoteness helps. Yeah, this would've been a good place to settle down…maybe another life. Right?"
"I don't think Dendrin does reincarnation. Least of all for traitors."
"Yeah, I suppose so I guess. Good thing I stopped believing in him years ago." Theo laughs weakly.

"You know, if you stopped believing in him, you could've just left rather than cause a whole lot of unnecessary fighting. It's not like I would've stopped you."
"And tell me Eternal, would you leave if your own wife still believed in Dendrin?" Theo asks accusingly. You don't know if he's just asking hypothetically or if he is actually implying something.
"No, I suppose I wouldn't."
"Of course not. Besides…I did still believe up until I found out you killed her. From that point I knew that Dendrin truly didn't support my cause, so why bother worshipping a god that doesn't? Of course had to still keep up the charade since I had managed to hold sway over some of the new converts in Quala."
"And that's when you decided to just kill Sam, declare yourself in charge of his forces and repeatedly tried to invade the temple?"
"Well seemed like a good idea at the time. Honestly if that bastard Ackerson had just allied with me, I believe I would've had a good chance at winning. Didn't expect him to make a separate peace with you though."
"The fool has still got his sights set on Rask and doesn't want to expend any military effort that isn't focused on that endeavor. You might've done better trying to get help from Brenda in Nalin, heard she's not too fond of shadows having caused the death of her husband and all."
"Believe me I tried, she sent my messengers back without heads and a note saying she wasn't helping even if I wasn't really a shadow anymore and as far as she was concerned she hoped that we all killed one another."
"Well thanks to you, this was certainly another set back for the shadows. Sort of makes the whole original rebellion rather pointless."
"No…not for me. I think those were the happiest days of my life. I had a purpose, my enemy was clear and I knew I would win because Dendrin was on my side. Then I won, and that's when it all started to slowly fall apart."
"Hah. I can certainly understand where you're coming from on that perspective. Part of your behavior in all this probably stemmed from being a rebel for so long that you never knew quite how to adjust and when the opportunity presented itself, you immersed yourself in the role again because it was comfortable. Really, any of your other reasons were all secondary and just an excuse."

Theo doesn't answer he just looks down and nods a few times in a rocking motion as he clutches where his left hand used to be. Eventually he staggers upward sliding his back against the wall in an effort to stand up. You're guessing he's ready to die now.

"Just one question Eternal, does Dendrin really speak to you?"
"When he feels like it, but if it makes you feel any better he hasn't cared about the shadows for a very long time and the only reason why he takes an interest in them at all is due to me."
"…well I guess I was doomed from the very beginning then."
"So was I Theo…so was I." you say and hit Theo with a powerful shadowfire bolt which burns directly through his chest leaving a big hole and a black mark against the wall. Theo slumps down and the leader of the "new rebellion" is dead.

The damage he's caused isn't so readily repairable. In addition to losing many shadows he's also created a separate faction of them (Something you were trying to avoid), which are still located in pockets across Quala. The beliefs are basically the same (and without the indoctrination ritual obviously), with the exception that YOU or any other non-pure human for that matter shouldn't be a shadow, let alone in charge of the order.

Your first thought is that you should probably hunt them all down and wipe them out before they become a problem, but then again this little conflict has been taking a toll on the shadows you have left. Some of the children don't even have mothers and fathers anymore. It might be time to pack up the gear and attempt to rebuild again.

As you think on this, you make your way up the stairs and wince at a couple of the aches in your joints in doing so. You might be an Eternal, but you sure as hell aren't starting to feel like one in the past few years as old age is becoming a little more apparent to you. Makes you sort of glad that you don't have to rely solely on regular combat anymore thanks to your increased magic abilities gifted to you by your "dedication" to Dendrin no doubt.

In any case you're tired and you tell Glen that Theo is dead, but you're going to stay here for the night before heading home again. Glen as usual nods and says he'll keep everyone on watch.

You find an old bed that probably has been slept in years, but it doesn't look infested with bed bugs so you use it. Doesn't take long for you to slowly drift off to sleep, but you get the impression that you're not going to get a peaceful rest.

"So another enemy falls before you, keep this up and you'll outlive everyone." Dendrin remarks.
"Figured you'd show up eventually. Any words of advice on what to do next?" you ask.
"Not really, you seem to have it under control. So…still bored?"
"No, but I hate set backs."
"Come now you should be used to such things by now."
"I am, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. Especially when I feel like packing it all in because there's little point in going on."
"So you don't intend on destroying the heretic shadows?"
"I almost don't intend on going back to the temple. I feel like just leaving altogether."
"You've said that before, many times. You won't though."
"Of course I won't, but I feel like no matter what I do something severely sets back the shadows. Against all odds I've taken it upon myself to be their leader and protect them better than you ever do and I'm still lying about being a true believer."
"Oh you're a believer, a cynical one, but you're a believer. If you weren't you would've left a long time ago because it's a little bit more than just Talia keeping you here."
"I don't see what else there is, because it sure isn't to bask in the glory of your voice."
"It's power pure and simple. It's being in charge. It's telling others what to do and ruling them like a king or emperor if you prefer."
"I might agree with you if I actually thought I was in charge of anything so grand. Besides, it's really you they're all worshipping not me."
"And is that what your problem is? That you're doing all the work and not getting any of the perks? And here I thought all that nice magical power I've been granting to you was a fine way of rewarding you."
"Well it hasn't hurt. You're right though, I don't mind being in charge and I do thrive on a bit of conflict, but sometimes it just gets a bit tiring that's all."
"Ah, and now you see why I stopped directly leading the shadows altogether!"
"Yeah, well I don't have that luxury unless you can elevate me to godhood."
"Ha ha, even if I could, obviously I wouldn't want the competition."
"Too bad, maybe if you could you wouldn't suffer from boredom either."
"Hmm, interesting insight as always Eternal. Well, I'll let you get back to it. Oh and just in case you did want my advice, I'd rather you not destroy the so-called heretic shadows. They might not be following you, but they do still worship me."

And once again you wake up, with more dubious advice from your "god." You sometimes wonder whenever he does give you any of his wisdom if he wants you to do the exact opposite of what he says, because you practically do every time.

In any case, you can't dwell on the nature of the divine at this moment. You're still left with the decision about how to fix the mess you have to clean up.

You wipe out the rest of the heretics

If all your years of knowing him has taught you anything, its what's best for Dendrin hasn't always been what's best for you. While rebuilding is certainly going to be a priority, you still need to wipe out the rest of the heretics as well. It's the only way you're going to prevent problems in the future.

You call Glen and the rest of the Blades and tell them that you'll be heading back to the temple for a break and get some things in order and then you'll be helping them again soon. In the meantime they can use this place as a base of sorts while attempting to hunt down the rest of the heretics. Glen nods, but has noticed your physical pain increase over the course of this conflict. He suggests that perhaps you shouldn't worry yourself about it directly as you have more important duties to the shadows and they're confident that they can handle it.

"Glen, I'm not some crippled old man. I still got fight left in me. I was killing men by the dozens long before you were even thought about. Do not assume just because I have a few extra aches and pains that I'm not fully capable of combat!" you say getting angry at his innocent suggestion.
"My apologies Shadow Master. Didn't mean to offend." He replies with a nod.
"No…no…of course you didn't. Sorry, this is been a long ordeal and it's not over yet. Just gets tiring sometimes. Okay, I'm off, I can make it back to the temple by myself, don't worry about escorting me back."

Glen is about to ask if you're sure, but he stops himself from doing so lest he be reprimanded again.

The journey back to the temple is uneventful. You let everyone know that Theo has been killed, but heretics still remain. You then go on to say that the Blades and yourself will seek the rest out, but everyone else should focus on rebuilding. Talia questions if you should be going.

"I think the Blades can handle whatever pathetic remnants are left of the heretics. You'd probably be better serving here where you can help in the rebuilding process. You know how the shadows like you around as an inspiration." Talia says.
"They should be getting their inspiration from Dendrin and if people liked me so much we wouldn't have had a civil war. Besides, the shadows will like me more if I'm actively doing something about potential threats in the future. Part of the reason these heretics got out of control in the first place is because I wasn't paying enough attention. It's my responsibility to see this through to the end." You answer.
"Are you sure that's what this is about? And not about say…getting old and trying to prove that you've still got it?"
"You too? I just had to hear this before from Glen. Granted he didn't say it like you did, but I know damn well he thought it. Let me tell you something, I could still take out every one of those Blades AND the heretics on top of it all by myself!"

Talia smiles a bit and rubs your shoulder.

"Yes, I know you could my love. Nobody is truly suggesting that you still aren't a great warrior, but you don't have to prove anything to anyone, least of all to me. You don't need to go wading into battle anymore, those days are past, Dendrin made you Shadow Master not just for your combat skills. You're a leader and you can allow yourself to rest."
"I'll rest when I'm dead. Besides, the last time I got complacent, Theo and Yvette conspired against us, but I've said this before."
"Yes, you have. (Sigh) I suppose you want me to take charge of things here while you go off to prove your alpha maleness. Very well, have fun and be careful." Talia says and kisses you goodbye.

Talia is right of course. You are doing this mainly to prove you still "got it." That you can still travel across the countryside getting into fights. It's silly and pointless, but its what you want to do and another part of you has missed it.

The next few weeks you travel with the remaining Blades hunting down heretic hideouts all across Quala. It's actually amazing how fast some of them have spread out, and they've probably spread out even more since the news of their leaders death and how you're actively hunting them.

The heretics aren't the only problem however. You also have to deal with the chaos that's currently going on in Quala. With Sam and now Theo gone, the region has destabilized again, with several would be leaders all rising up with their own little factions ready to attack anyone who is trespassing on their turf. This doesn't even include the already established warlords that are eyeing the new leaderless territory that's ripe for the taking. Even General Ackerson's troops have been seen patrolling further south than they normally do. Doesn't help that shadows aren't really popular for several reasons, but fortunately you can avoid most unnecessary battles due to cloaking.

However, you probably don't do that as much as you should thanks to your mindset of trying to prove something. As a result you lose the remainder of your Blades in a skirmish with a very large group of General Ackerson's men lead by a battle mage who despite the non aggression pact, decided that you were just too tempting of a target in the "new land" they recently claimed.

You manage to drag yourself back to Theo's old hideout, which you were using as a base, cursing the whole time. You're wounded and angry that once again you weren't strong enough to stop something bad from happening, yet not really realizing that it was your arrogance that was the cause of it this time.

"Fuck! Shit! I'm not old! I'm not useless! I'm still a warrior!" you say to yourself as you nurse your wounds sitting in the dark farmhouse.
"No, I'm afraid your time has passed." You hear a whispery voice say.

At first you think its Dendrin since he's always been one to kick you while you're down, but then you're wide awake and he's never contacted you in that state. Your focus has been so preoccupied with your own pride that you didn't sense another presence in the farmhouse when you dragged yourself here…

You turn around just in time to utter "Cy…" before you feel a blade slash across your throat.