Dorian had a multitude of Demonic Bloodlines to expand upon, many of them looking like very useful additions. If he combined them with his Balance Demon form, even he didn't know how powerful he could become.
'That will have to wait for later, though. I can't afford to waste any time at all.' The Demonic Councilmembers were fighting for their lives right outside.
"How good am I at… handling turkeys?" Kaladin blinked, staring at Dorian.
A few short moments passed as Dorian filled the Thunder Saint in. He didn't share everything, but gave the man a general gist of the situation. He had the power to shapeshift and could temporarily morph into a brainless turkey that could teleport.
However… the soul adaptation period meant he couldn't instantly shift back.
'As long as I ask Ausra, even if I become an idiot turkey, I should revert back after the adaptation period is done.' He nodded his head, sighing as he tried to convince himself.
'This is our best bet out of here. I don't really have any other options.'
"Well. I can make a mean turkey cobbler." Kaladin commented, answering Dorian's question rather late.
'They have cobbler in the 30,000 Worlds?' Dorian pushed the thought aside as he commanded Ausra,
'Begin evolving the Warping Turkey Bloodline!'
'…Acknowledged…' Ausra's voice echoed in his head.
"You'll need to hold on tight to me when I transform!" As Dorian reiterated some instructions, he saw Kaladin nod back.
'This had better work… Ausra, transform me into the turkey as soon as it's ready!'
'Acknowledged.' Ausra replied, and then a moment later,
'Absorption complete. Transformation beginning. Soul adaptation period starting…'
Dorian transformed into a Warping Turkey.
"…"
"…"
"…"
WHOOSH
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Cluck.
Life is cluck.
Cluck is life.
I look around.
Everything looks dull.
I don't like this room.
It feels old.
Cluck.
I walk up to a wall.
PECK
The wall is hard.
I don't like the wall.
thud
A noise!
I spin around.
A being.
An ugly being.
I don't like it.
It jumps at me.
I don't like it more.
I try to jump back.
Oh wait, there's a wall behind me.
I hit the wall.
Ouch.
The ugly being grabs me!
No!
I hate ugly things!
I try to run.
It won't let go!
I struggle.
It still won't let go!
Bad ugly being.
It's why you're ugly.
'Cuz you're bad.
I can't escape.
Wait, I can!
I feel a… hole.
A hole that I can't see.
But I know there is a hole there.
I jump into the hole!
WHOOSH
We leave the old room.
Oh hey, the ugly being let go!
We both appear in another room.
Lots of beings in here!
Lots of small ones, and then lots of big ones.
They're fighting!
"…"
They're also ugly.
One of them tries to hit me!
I jump backwards.
I am mad.
Gobble, gobble.
Oh?
I can feel something.
I can hit back!
But not with my wings!
They are too pretty to hit such an ugly being.
I feel like I can…
Create a ball.
And that ball will shoot something.
A laser.
Oh no, the new ugly being is trying to hit me again!
It's covered in metal and shiny!
But still ugly.
I jump in a hole!
I appear right behind it!
I make a ball and shoot a laser!
The ball feels like it's hard to make.
But I ignore that and then it's easy!
The laser hits the metal ugly thing and knocks him backwards.
Hahahahaha.
Stupid metal thing.
Oooh, wiggling is really easy here.
~Let's wiggle and dance~
Shake that turkey butt.
~wiggle wiggle~
Oh? I see a bunch more of the ugly metal beings!
They're fighting small ugly beings.
I don't like the metal ones.
They're mean.
And ugly.
Well, they're all ugly.
But those ones are super ugly.
I frown fiercely.
Wait, I can't frown.
I don't have lips.
What is a frown?
What are lips?
Ah, another ugly metal one is coming at me!
I make 5 more balls.
5 more lasers knock it back.
I really don't like it!
Oh no!
More of them are appearing from the walls!
Dozens of them!
They're so ugly!
No!
I raise my mighty head.
Bow before this Godly Turkey!
CLUCK!
I wiggle.
100 black balls appear above me as I glare at the ugly metal beings.
Go away!
"…"
"…"
"…"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
The first thing Dorian heard when he woke up was Ausra's voice echoing in his mind.
'Transforming back into Balance Demon physique as requested. Soul adaptation period complete.'
"Ughh." Dorian groaned, clutching at his head as he blinked blearily. After a second he shot up, his heart pounding.
'I'm back to-' His train of thoughts abruptly cut off as he looked around, his eyes widening in shock.
He was standing in a wasteland.
"Huh?! Wh-what happened?! Where am I?"
The only thing he saw was utter devastation and destruction. Collapsed rocks, shards of metal and rock, cracked stone, smoke rising from small fires, it was as if he was standing in the aftermath of some horrific war.
The stench of burning sulfur, melted steel, and smoke stained the air, causing his nose to twitch.
"Co-cough." He coughed by instinct, not because he needed to, as he waved his hand, clearing some of the smoke around him.
'Ausra?! How long was I in a Warping Turkey form?!' His heart was filled with worry as he stared at his surroundings. Vast destruction like this didn't just happen in 5 minutes after al-
'Approximately 5 minutes.'
Dorian blinked.
"Oh. Huh. Errr. That was quick." He rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Did I cause all this?" He queried.
'I do not track your ongoing activities beyond Evolving forms and Law progression.' She replied unhelpfully.
Dorian took a few steps as he sifted through the rubble. He could make out some heavily scarred white stone, similar to the stones that built up the Central Castle.
'I must've wrecked it when I was brainless.' He rubbed his chin,
'Did un-Sealing so many things weaken the protection that made the castle so durable?' It was the only thing he could think of. The pillars inside that room had indeed crumbled after all. It wasn't an unreasonable conclusion.
'Wait! My Warping Turkey Bloodline! Ausra, show me the info for it and my status!'
–
Dorian – Soul Status
Soul Stage: Lord Class (Pseudo-King)
Health: Perfect
Energy: 210,827/533,221
–
Warping Turkey – Grandmaster Class (Peak)
Maximum Energy Level: 1012
Ability: One With Nature, Warping Physique, Resilient Body
Warping Turkeys are creatures beloved by nature. Standing roughly half a meter tall with a coat of thick brown feathers and a several meters wide wingspan, they possess the unique Ability to create holes in reality and instantly transport from one hole to another. However, because they are blessed by nature, storing a great deal of energy and the extra organs needed to have a Warping Physique, their intelligence is greatly limited.
Warping Turkeys have tough, durable bodies equivalent to a Grandmaster Class beast in raw strength despite their small size.
–
'The Warping Physique Ability… that's the one that screwed me over, but also saved me.' The Ability required extra organs stored in one's brain to operate, but as a result, vastly limited the size one's brain could reach.
'Woah?! I spent so much Energy in only 5 minutes?!' Dorian ignored the other Abilities for now as he blinked, his head looking left and right in shock. The area around him looked like it had been destroyed for an hour or two at least, not just a few minutes.
"Kaladin? Baron Radishow?" His voice was calm and collected, not betraying the nervousness he felt. The smoky surroundings were eerily quiet, something that he found faintly unsettling.
Abruptly, Dorian felt a twitch in his soul. A feeling of familiarity, one that touched him to his core.
A feeling he only got when another Anomaly was present.
He spun around, his heart pounding as he zeroed in on where the feeling was coming from. He immediately began to jog towards it, his eyes cool.
Several seconds passed as he scampered over the rubble, his Balance Demon form agilely dodging through the ruins of the large Central Castle. As he moved, the smoky and dusty air gradually began to clear in front of him.
thud
He came to a halt on a type of solid stone floor, only marginally cracked. He could vaguely make out several cracked pillars and a partially broken down wall in the background, much of the room destroyed.
At the very back of the room, there was a familiar stone platform, with an archaic, cracked throne.
As soon as he saw it, he instantly realized this room was a physical replica of the one he had been trapped in. Or, rather, the room he had been trapped in was a replica of this room.
These thoughts were brushed to the side, however, as he saw the figure resting languidly on that throne, staring back at him calmly.
A vaguely human looking being with grey skin, wearing a set of ordinary grey clothes. A small dagger was clasped into a sheath on his waist, while his fingers tapped lightly on the side of the throne.
"Fifteen." Dorian's voice was calm, but on the inside he raged as he stared at the creature that had tried again and again to kill him, putting him and Helena into grave danger.
"Brother. You never did tell me what number you are." Fifteen shrugged.
Dorian took a few more steps forward, energy starting to crackle around his body.
'Touching Light.'
A brilliant blade of molten light appeared in his hand, one he held up and pointed at Fifteen.
"You aren't going to get away this time." He glared at the other Anomaly.
Fifteen sighed,
"I didn't even want to kill you." He kept tapping on the throne as he watched Dorian walk towards him.
"I can sense that you used the same method as I. You dilated time to gain an advantage, I can feel that your consciousness is older than it should be. I've done quite a bit of research into souls."
Dorian paused,
'Is he talking about when I was trapped in my Soul Spell Matrix for several years?' That had been a trying experience, so long ago.
"Why are you doing all of this, Fifteen? What are you trying to gain from me?!" Dorian decided to question the Anomaly directly before doing anything else. If he could force Fifteen to stop attacking him, he would be fine with simply leaving, though he had little trust in Fifteen's words.
"You understand nothing, brother. You and I… we are merely pawns in HIS game. Gathering experience, gathering knowledge. Experimenting." Fifteen sighed. As he spoke, his body shook, as if he was weighed down with some terrible burden.
"Anywhere the Laws touch, he can see. He can't read your mind or see into your heart, but everything you say, everything you do…" Fifteen's Gray Mantor body looked up, his eyes piercing towards Dorian,
"HE KNOWS."
A brief pause ensued as Fifteen's words echoed. More smoke continued to clear around them, revealing more chunks of rock and destroyed castle.
"You cannot permanently hide from him, lest you break the chains he has set upon your soul." Fifteen gestured at Dorian. The Anomaly leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands as he brought them up.
"The chains? Do you mean… the remnant of Yukeli that is connected to our soul?" Dorian asked back, his mind racing as he went over Fifteen's words. If what Fifteen was saying was true…
Fifteen's silence was all the answer Dorian needed.
"But how can you kill that? The remnant isn't something that can be destroyed. The moment it's removed or an Anomaly dies, it will merge with Fate and vanish, seeking out more of its kind." This was all knowledge Dorian could instinctively feel, tidbits he'd picked up over time.
Fifteen was silent for a moment. He seemed to be talking to Dorian as an excuse to go over his own plans, instead of genuinely wanting to talk. Dorian got the feeling that he didn't talk to people often.
"I cannot kill the remnant. I don't know if anyone can, not before he escapes to inform others."
"But you sai-" Dorian began but was interrupted.
"I said I could break the chains he left." Fifteen's eyes flashed,
"The method I devised can dislodge the soul remnant and free my soul. It can't kill him."
"But then, the remnant will just merge with another Anomaly. It won't have stopped him at all!" Dorian countered.
"Yes, that is accurate. And that remnant will carry memories of an insane, foolish Anomaly that risked its life doing foolish things. He will assume I died, allowing me to survive freely. With my Grey Mantor form, it should be simple to avoid interacting with him ever again." Fifteen smiled grimly, nodding his head.
"But… if you've interacted with the remnant, you know what he is like! He is an actual monster!"
As Dorian spoke these words, he surprised himself.
Deep down, in his core, he realized that he had become fiercely opposed to Yukeli. From the memories he had of the man, as well as the vision of the future he saw, Dorian was certain that if Yukeli was left to his own discretion…
Something terrible would happen. Something that would kill billions, that would kill trillions.
And, as he grew stronger and stronger, as he grew closer to Helena and made friends, he gradually came to realize that he wanted to stop that thing.
If he let Yukeli go unchecked, people he knew and loved would die.
As an Anomaly, and as a man that cared about justice, he had a responsibility to face off against the other Anomalies.
"Why should I care for their lives? No one has cared about mine." Fifteen's voice was cutting as he shook his head,
"Who do you think you are? This reality's destined savior or something? The universe does not revolve around you, brother. You are merely a small piece, just like me." His words were biting,
"A single pebble cannot block a raging river."
Dorian stared at the other Anomaly, his eyes narrowing. He didn't let his emotions fly through, controlling them as he stared at Fifteen.
"A pebble alone can stop nothing. Yet it only takes a single pebble to start an avalanche." Dorian began,
"What if it's not a single pebble, but many. Working together, shaping as one. It may take time, but even the course of a raging river will change as the eons pass." His eyes flashed,
"Do not discount the might of a single pebble."
Fifteen started at Dorian and then shook his head, laughing quietly,
"Your foolish idealism will merely lead to your death." Fifteen waved around them, motioning at the ruined castle,
"Here… this is my sanctuary. The one place I can hide. Where I can be myself. He has no idea what I truly am, he has never seen my true self." As he looked around, his face wrinkled slightly. The damage Dorian had caused was quite… extensive. Dorian pretended he didn't notice.
"The same applies to you. What happens here, he cannot see. Try to contact the remnant soul, you'll find that he cannot respond. In his soul form, he is tied to the Laws. In places where there are no Laws, he can't see or hear anything through you." Fifteen finished, looking back at him.
Dorian took Fifteen's words in, blinking. He tried what Fifteen suggested, seeing if he could contact Yukeli.
'My connection with that small remnant of Yukeli… it's… distant?' As he tried, he instantly realized that something was strange. It was as if the remnant soul that he could sense, a tiny portion that was faintly attached to him, was no longer present. He was used to constantly knowing that the remnant soul was there, in the faintest depths of his soul. For it to suddenly feel distant…
'It's not like I try to talk to it ever, not these days.' He was more than strong enough to ignore the tiny remnant now.
'But that… that is odd.' There was at least some truth to Fifteen's words.
'Still… He's like a mad dog. If I leave him here, he will just come back to haunt me. I need to take him out now.' It felt somewhat callous, but with Helena at risk, Dorian wasn't willing to leave Fifteen walking free.
He took a few steps forward, halfway across the ruined stone room towards Fifteen's throne. As he walked, he activated his Perfect Body Ability, the world around him losing some of its color as his physique was greatly boosted.
Fifteen noticed all of this with a smile,
"Are you sure you have time for this now, brother?" He nodded at Dorian languidly.
"I have all the time in the world to deal with you." Dorian didn't let himself become swayed.
'When I get a few steps closer, I'll send out a dozen Hyperion Beam-' His thoughts were broken as Fifteen said something that caught his complete attention,
"Oh? What about your lover?"
Dorian felt his heart freeze over.
"What do you mean?" He stuttered out, his stomach dropping.
"Are you sure you have all the time in the world? I must say… your lover is in quite the sticky situation right now. You might want to retreat and go check on that." Fifteen's words sounded sincere and honest.
"What did you do?" Dorian stared at Fifteen, his every iota of being emanating killing intent. The air around him trembled, Fate itself reacting to his emotions. Darkness swarmed around Dorian, a deep-seated, deathly Aura faintly appearing.
"Me? I didn't do anything… But I happen to know some extremely powerful people are on Shaptle right now, looking for you and her. Do you really have the time to waste here with me?"
Dorian froze, blinking several times. His heart pounded as he tried to make a decision, caught in a quandary.
"You don't have time to dal-"
THUD
BOOM
Fifteen cut himself off abruptly as blood spattered from his lips, a look of shock rising as he looked down.
A large, glistening black dagger had appeared, speared right into the center of his chest. A small explosion of blue light formed from the dagger, energy crackling in the air and then instantly fizzling out.
"Would you look at us, this is practically a family reunion." A sardonic voice broke in as, out of the smoky darkness, a new figure appeared, juggling a half dozen blue daggers. A somewhat handsome human, with short blonde hair and a lean build.
One that Dorian instinctively recognized, his soul pulsing as his heart grew steady, pushing past his emotional turmoil.
"Mello."
"Damn. Another one. Brother, you were supposed to leave so I could kill you on the way back. I can't believe you enlisted another one of us as an ally." Fifteen's body seemed to shiver as he looked at Dorian with a sigh,
"You're smarter than you look."
Fifteen's body blurred and then vanished completely, leaving behind one last, fading remark,
"I guess I'll bury the two of you here and now…"
.