Warrior of the Void Book 1, Chapter 49

“Very well,” With a rapid flick of both their fingers and wrist, the talisman was sent spinning across the table. Each rotation moved its center of gravity just so that its course was curving at just the exact angle to make a lazy circle along the table’s entire edge, “Perhaps I ought to have prepared nourishments as well.”

“T’would appear we’ve not erred in entrusting our waking duties to our brothers,” Cocobuki quietly declared as he pulled his cup out of the way of the twirling talisman and took a slow sip of his tea, “I do not foresee this to release us before the morning’s late hours…”

“Foisting, brother,” one of the Cocobani sharply chided the eldest, “do not call a spade a hoe, they are owed this much at least.”

That remark alone was enough to send the two of them back down the path of bickering in ways only siblings could…, “A word of warning, initiate. Though the Warden’s explanation will answer many questions, I would advise you to seek out further knowledge through the library. To hear a single lecture is all well and good, but an expert – or even a journeyman - it does not make.”

“Quite so,” Which the Warden and the third brother promptly ignored as they began to explain what, “Especially as I cannot speak of what Voidsents truly are. Such knowledge does not fall under my purview, and I would fail both myself and the scholars that have made such studies their life’s calling to pretend otherwise.”

“We could ask our expert for his best explanation,” Cocobezi said with a nod towards his brothers, “However…”

“Don’t you bring this into the disc–” “I can, and I shall!”

“In light of his indisposition, a simplistic overview, one eschewing true intricacies of their nature, shall suffice. Voidsents are, at their core, beings that do not belong. Think of them as… strangers. Unwelcome ones with no care for the rules of the land they tread upon. In their case, those of the star itself, rather than those of any country – I am suddenly reminded of an ancient excerpt that said that one did actually follow the laws of – No, nevermind. This is irrelevant to the situation,” Catching himself, Cocobezi made to reach for the pot of tea. Only to stop and stare at the cup he’d meant to fill. Finding it filled near to the brim, he slowly sat back down with a sigh, “The point is, tales regarding Voidsents and as countless as the stars themselves, and so are their names. ‘Abominations’, ‘demons’, ‘spirits’ and even ‘gods’ if reports about an ancient tribe are true. Their origins are just as numerous and hotly debated, but all agree on a single point: They hail from a dark land, where no light shines and where endless dark permeates all.”

“To step foot within our realm, Voidsents require two things. I doubt you are ignorant of what I speak of.” Taking the reins of the discussion once again with a minute motion of their head, the Warden waited for the talisman to complete its lap around the table. As it inched closer, they took careful aim before flicking the sides of it in order to revitalise its spin.

“A connection and a vessel. Without the former, they can’t reach our world. Without the latter, they are effectively souls without bodies.” Muur summarized with a bob of her head. Of course, what counted as a ‘vessel’ got extremely loose, especially if Voidgates came into play as they allowed the Voidsent to bring over their real bodies rather than need to possess a statue or an unlucky cultist. At least, she could only assume that was how it worked given how that ‘Void Monk’ had crawled out of the Gate.

“Thou art correct. However, no doubt you are thinking of the vessel as some sort of body, shaped to resemble that of the voidsent through means either profane or vile. But thou see, there exists a different means by which voidsents may gain a vessel,” Lifting a hand, the Warden gave a crystal clear snap that reverberated through the entire room. At once, the argument between the brothers stopped in its tracks, and the chains all around them shifted. In a display that should have been cacophonous, the multiple of forged metal moved with nary a sound, rhyme or reason. To the point that if their host’s finger snap hadn’t left them with an index pointing up, Muur might not even have noticed that something was descending from the darkness above them, “Or rather. There are three methods, united as one by the scholarly ways."

As they talked, a chalice came to hang above the table. Even wrapped in chains of iron that bit into its golden surface, Muur was able to tell that it had once been a beautiful piece of art with absolute clarity… Disturbing clarity even. The entire thing was dented as if it’d met the business end of a smith’s hammer, and thanks to how tight the chains were, the various gems dotting its surface looked on the verge of popping out.

Not exactly the most flattering look, and yet…

A glance at her teachers showed only that they clearly recognised the cup, and were none too happy to see it either, “...” Silently, woodenly, Muur looked between the chalice and her talisman. She did not at all like the picture this was painting.

“The first two are not wholly different. Let us use this cup as an example, it is little more than a convenient anchor. Something crafted to hold the Voidsent’s essence– but little else. The vile seductor held within had but one goal with it: for it to be overflowing with the lifeblood and flesh of sacrifices, that it might fashion a ‘true’ body with which to… ‘sample’ those it had enticed into unleashing its poisonous lust,” As the Warden recounted its sordid history, the drinking vessel started to shake. It looked angry – at least until its jailer made a fist, and caused the chains around it to tighten even more, “Wards and enchantment keep its essence trapped within. For it is merely a temporary bridge meant to allow passage. Not a tool through which its powers can be channeled.”

“Nasty thing this one,” Cocobuki grumbled, rather than fall back into squabbling with his brother– the frown on his face, and satisfied smile on Cocobani telling Muur exactly who had lost the argument, “It’s influence infiltrated the upper reaches of nobility when Ul’dah’s twin city still stood. No less than four bloodlines were lost to it and the purge its discovery brought about.”

“A dark time in Thanalan’s history indeed. Thankfully, it has long passed from tragedy to a near-forgotten tales… However, this method concerns us none,” Unraveling their fist– just in time for the Warden to send the talisman spinning for a third time –caused the cup to shoot back into the ceiling, “But the main method by which our order entraps Voidsents is not too dissimilar. Their essence is torn from whatever form they may occupy, that it might be bound into less dangerous, and convenient, ones. Coins, gemstones, rings and other such trinkets are preferred. The greater the vessel, the harder the Voidsent held within must struggle to shatter its bindings…”

“Yet, despite being so very similar to the one I spoke of moments ago. This method is one that interests us far more, for the simple reason that there is nothing voluntary to its execution…,” Lowering their hand, the Warden drummed their fingers against the stone table. For someone that lacked facial expression, Muur had to admire how easily they conveyed their emotions. Because from the delay between each rap-tap-tap, the Au’Ra was able to tell that the entity was– not hesitant per-se, but thoughtful at the very least, “And so, we come to the last method. One most insidious by far, hence no example shall be provided, for even I fear the horrors they could wrought should their bindings slip, even for just a moment. Thou see, some Voidsents are far more cunning than their ilks. Their intellect, sharpened by unnatural hunger and eons of existence, cuts through the madness that all Voidsents suffer from, allowing them to scheme and whisper in ways that few are prepared for. For you see, they do not seek a single meal, bought by blood and violence. But rather a never ending banquet, that shall know no end. They will wait and wait, until by luck, scheme or dark providence, a mortal’s existence brushes against theirs.”

“Rather than consume them, or entreat them to be summoned, these monsters will instead… speak with the unfortunate soul that has crossed their path. Wielding words as one might a chisel, they chip away at their victim’s mind. Each sentence a strike of the hammer of insanity, until their ‘friend’s’ soul is twisted and malformed in such a way they are little more than tools for the Voidsent– not mindless puppet however. For that would make what comes next impossible,” This time, rather than flick the talisman as it passed in front of them, the Warden seemingly ignored it, allowing it to continue onward as its spin started to wobble, “A request is made. A design is shared, and life and fortune are spent without care to see it realised. The result is not a mere shell resembling their body in the Void, or an anchor like the cup. It is a peerless vessel, an artefact of fathomless power that contains the dark entity’s essence and might, all of it. Of course, they are not ‘unkind’ and will ‘share’ their power with the one that so ‘kindly’ brought them into our realm.”

“Why, for a time such a relationship might even hold true, and armed with such a potent tool their first victim will sink into endless sin and debauchery…” The talisman slowly came to a stop. It’s once clean spin turning more and more erratic, until it fell against the table with a quiet clatter, “Until the Voidsent becomes bored of this dish. How the item of power shall change ownership is unknowable, but it is an inevitability most often written in blood and betrayal.”

For Muur however, the clatter was anything but quiet. Because the coin-shaped talisman that had kept her soul safe had ended its travel right beside her cup of tea.