#arbert

Had this one knocking around for a while, but sadly I didn’t have time to go more in depth as I would’ve liked.

(714 words) [Masterpost]

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The waves that lapped at Elidibus’ shoes were docile, and the last storm that had blown through the region known as Kholusia was barely more than a spring squall. This time of year was prime for hurricanes and typhoons, yet the weather was no more dangerous than a child splashing in a tub. It made the locals uneasy, and the fauna nervous. 

The tufts of cloud that curled overhead were barely more than fluff, and were so stagnant in the sky that it almost looked as though they were painted across the stars. A few delicate wisps brushed across the light of the moon, and he closed his eyes beneath his mask to bask in the light that filtered down from where his body lay imprisoned. Not long now, and they would be one step closer. He would be whole once more. 

The sound of the waves did little to hide the crunch of gravel behind him, and even less to hide the thunk of something heavy being tossed down. There was an inhale of breath, then a slow shudder as the person let it out in a controlled exhale. 

“The villagers said you were looking for me?” a man’s voice asked, thick with buried emotion. 

Elidibus waited for a moment, feeling the breeze tug at the locks of hair that had escaped from under his hood, and sighed happily. It was such a small sensation, but it filled him with joy nonetheless. But it could not last, and as quick as it had came the breeze left, leaving nothing but stagnant air. He turned, and examined the man that stood before him. 

A hume of middling height, with short brown hair that hung over a pair of intense blue eyes. Stubble had started to come in along his cheek and chin, uneven and patchy, which only emphasized the gauntness and circles under his eyes. Well worn furs and armor that bespoke of long familiarity, the gouges and dents carefully repaired, hammered out, and reinforced. A thick axe hung off of his back, gleaming from the light on the horizon. 

“The hero of the hour,” Elidibus said, and bowed politely. “You do me great honor, Slayer of Shadow.” 

“It’s Arbert,” the man bit out sharply, as though his tongue were the weapon that felled the Shadowkeeper. Perhaps it was. 

“Arbert, then,” Elidibus said with a nod, and looked at the man’s face once more. There was something… vaguely familiar about his features, just like so many other things he had seen over his long life. 

“What do you want.” He said, the words coming out short and angry, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t think I don’t recognize the cut of your robes, your mask. You’re allied with those two who were controlling Cy--her.” 

“Loghrif and Mitron were my compatriots, yes,” Elidibus allowed, inclining his head. There was a chance that one of them had escaped, but the other… Well, they would find another Shard to uplift in time. “They were tasked with overseeing this reflection, to ensure it had some measure of stability.” 

“This ‘reflection’--what are you talking about?” Arbert demanded, his brows knitting together. 

Careful, careful. Place the pieces in the correct pattern, frame the solution… 

“You and your companions, by blade and might, have upset the balance,” Elidibus said, and let a curl of regret come to his voice. “Surely you have noticed how the horizon brims with light, that the sun takes longer and longer to set each night?” 

When Arbert’s face darkened, Elidibus continued. “Lufein, across the sea, hasn't responded since that last call went dark. The winds stagnate, the waters still. You cannot be blind to what is happening.” 

“Then what are you proposing.” 

“You have a chance to save these people, save this world, from your mistake.” Elidibus said softly. “When you refused to slay the Shadowkeeper, and instead took your fight to the stewards of this star, you unleashed a Flood of Light that will consume this world. Not a single onze of life will be spared, not a soul will find refuge in God’s eternal sea.” 

The light on the horizon gave just enough for Elidibus to see how Arbert’s face paled.