A Temporary Alliance

A JP by Tahjerius and Ender

((The Royal Dungeon, Karavoss))

"I am known as the Anthema of Life, The White Lady, The Guardian, The King in White. I knew the Being, your master. I want to make an agreement with you two, we have a common enemy, called The Nameless, both of you have already faced its agents." The King in White loomed peacefully over the two, a calm feeling filled the room. So this was the Guardian Sabriel spoke of.


Ponce took in the majesty of the King in White, and just like he had many times before when facing his master of Chaos, he pushed down the feeling of awe that began to rise inside of him, beholding the god with a now steely expression.

"So that's what that writhing mess was talking about on the boat. You were there…"

"Only in essence, but that was enough to hinder the creature's attack."

Ponce shifted on the bed, sitting up a little straighter as his mind went to work on how he could take the most advantage possible of this exchange.

"Why have you come to us? Why not ask the forces of Order for help?"

"For many reasons, " The god started, taking a few floaty steps forward as he continued to speak, "the forces of Order are twisted in their cause and purpose. Their idea of Order is a perversion of the real and natural thing."

"Oh, " Ponce said with a surprised expression, "well I couldn't tell."

"The cause you fight for is no different. Rather than being a cause of free will, and freedom of the pursuits of happiness and other mortal pleasures, it is one of exploitation and self-gain."

Ponce frowned, "Don't assume to know what I fight for. You don't."

"If that is so, you may want to ask your master what exactly they believe in."

There was a moment of silence in the room. As per usual, it was then that the Tor spoke up, making an effort to be more measured in his ways.

"What is it you want?" The Tor asked, doing very little to hide his distaste for the godly being, and it was obvious that this was a sentiment the two agents of chaos shared.

"A truce, a temporary alliance. We have a common enemy, the twisted force with no name. Aeran is my responsibility, I act as it's guardian. I don’t need some vile lord of order taking the will of others and enslaving this world, nor do I need the world to become a living battlefield. The Nameless is the bigger threat. So, I purpose an alliance, in ridding the world of the Nameless and his agents." The being showed no face, it's hood only showed a white void of light, like the sun.

"Interesting…" Ponce simply said, gently tapping his foot against the ground.

"If we are to engage in this truce, and if you have any intention of actually defeating this Nameless being, I'm going to need allies, aren't I? The forces of Order have proven to be a considerable threat when faced one on one, so what we need is depth, individuals who can assist when necessary, and possibly counter certain abilities that our enemies may possess."

"I think you already have your allies, your companion has faced them already. They plan to go to the Endless Dark. The assassin will be with them, but knowing Jace, he won't say anything unless you do anything to give him reason to. In the Endless Dark you will meet two beings, Drakor and Necrosis. I suggest being on your best behavior with them."

"You mean that woman, Kalena, and her allies." Ponce simply said, giving Horns a quick glance.

"They were fearsome combatants, the one you call Kalena managed to injure me. What she suffered was far worse, though."

"She's Awakened, like us, which is why she's such a headache to deal with."

Ponce turned back to the King in White, " Alright, these individuals will do. Their aid should prove more than beneficial for my purposes."

The King in White gave a gentle sigh, "I don't understand what drives you to betray your birth land. The Being will only replace you with a more suitable agent once you fail them."

Ponce raised his eyebrows, a blank stare upon the King in White.

"My birth land? Oh, you must mean the simply delightful place where I was suppressed from being my true self and living my life the way I chose, only to then be locked away and left to die as punishment for trying to break free from my chains? I do what I must, to bring the change necessary to ensure my fate befalls no other. That is what drives me."

The god shook his head, "You act like everyone decided that to be your fate. Every mortal thinks fate is set in stone. It's not. Fate is always and has always been what you decide. Fear begets hate, hate begets violence, and violence begets fear. It is a tortuous cycle I have watched over and over again. You, Ponce, are a victim of that cycle. Chaos is something needed to break these cycles, however order is something needed to make sure everything isn't decimated to dust. Two sides of the same coin. What you fail to see is that you are still imprisoned, but not in the traditional way. I don’t mean this cell either."

He turned around, "There was a time where the Being and I were allies, friends even. That time is over."

Once again, silence. Ponce was doing his utmost to not explode completely at the being, for he knew well what his cause was, what he believed in. If it was not clear now, it would be in the end.

"Where can we find this Kalena?" Horns then said.

"Ponce can find her with ease, in fact, she resides in Osilon, on the outskirts of the city. You, Horns, can't go, for you have already ruined your reputation with them. However, you can deal with Leo. The Nameless has brought him back and, I believe he took the Mortith while you were in this cell." The King spoke in annoyance.

Ponce turned to Horns, severe alarm on his face.

"You don't have it?"

The Tor shook his head, slightly more annoyance in his expression than usual.

"Give me a damned break…" Ponce muttered.

"I figured that book was of some significance, " Vance suddenly spoke up, "It was under heavy lock and key at my direction, this Leo must have been very driven to take it."

Ponce let out a sigh, before standing.

"Well, I suppose that sacrifice has yielded a boon much more readily tangible. It likely would have been a long and strenuous process to extract Kelmoran's power from the book."

Vance gave Ponce a surprised look, "So this Mortith houses the soul of Galathus Kelmoran? I heard whisperings when I held it, though I thought that was just me…"

"I have no more time for this lunacy. Our friends, the agents of Order are on the move, and as such we ought to be as well. We need to leave this place, this instant."

Vance smiled, looking to the King in White.

"Shall I release them now?"

The god's hooded head nodded.

"Then it shall be done." Vance said, stepping back from the glass and flipping a switch on the far, darkened outer wall. The cylindrical glass wall descended, and the room began to light up, revealing a larger circular chamber with smooth walls of white marble.

Vance gestured gracefully to the other side of the room.

"You will find your exit at that door there, my colleagues here at the dungeon are not always on the same page as me, and they will likely attempt to detain you once more if they spot you."

"You said there was only one door." Ponce recalled.

"I did." Vance simply said with a smile.

"And our things?" Horns spoke, having long missed the slight but familiar weight of his axe upon his back.

"You will find them along the way. The necessary arrangements to expedite your departure have already been made."

Ponce turned to Vance, and then the King in White, "Fine then. We're done here."

"Oh, one more thing Ponce. Beware the X." The god spoke grimly, "Take care, I hope we meet again."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Ponce said coldly, already having turned to leave. There was a final silence as the door slid open, the two agents of Chaos walked through, and it closed again.

"He will do great things for us, once he gets his mind right. I believe the other one is already on the way."

Vance nodded, "What a find, I must say. I'm going to have to keep a close eye on those two."

"As will I." The King in White said, turning to look at the door one last time.

"As will I."