God of Nothing

"Master! It's time to eat!"

Aleph sat back and sighed as he wrapped up the final item in cloth. It's been a while since he'd created so many things in succession, and the whole process felt very therapeutic. He contentedly put the wrapped artifact along with the rest, making his table look pretty crowded.

"What's next?" His dear assistant asked. Aleph looked at the woman who had been helping him all this time, the eccentric young artificer named Jodi.

"Unfortunately, that was the final one."

"Hmmm. When can I expect our next batch of projects?"

"...If all goes well, then these are all we will need…" Aleph said. He drifted off as he noticed a dip in Jodi's expression, though, and added. "I hope that your enthusiasm holds for much less grandiose creations, Jodi. We shall commence them after the war." 

His addition sent a subtle, but noticeable change. A more straightened back, lips marginally less droopy, a single tapping of the foot were all that Aleph could see, but he knew from days of proximity that that was Jodi's way of celebrating.

"...Then, contact me soon." She stood and left the workshop, swinging the door open to show a disgruntled disciple.

"Master!! Come, or our meals will get cold." Brandon's insistent shouts were all the more annoying without the door blocking most of it. He looked like he would be saying something more, but he stopped when he saw who opened the door. "Oh, Miss Jodi, you're welcome to join us, too, if you'd like."

"Tempting, but no thank you. I have other matters to attend to."

Brandon quickly exchanged glances with him, and, looking like he'd seen something in the way Aleph looked at him, he pressed on.

"Are these 'other matters' more important than herb roasted duck? Rayse was so glad you spruced up his old spear that he pulled out all the stops. I haven't had it in a while, but I'm telling you, it's not something to be missed."

Jodi sharply turned to Aleph's disciple, looking far more intense than the entire time they worked together. She said something in a low voice, something about not being one to deny someone's favor or some such. Either way, she strode off afterwards without further protest.

"Hmmm. She must really like duck." Brandon said in a low whistle.

"Good work, son." Aleph said approvingly. Brandon turned back to him with a grin, before the dozen or so objects covered in cloth caught his eye.

"So, what have you been working on, master?" He said, feigning nonchalance. 

"You'll find out soon, Brandon. One of them is for you."

"Really!? Which one? Ohhh, I bet it's that big one! What is it? I bet it's some good boots, or vambraces that increase my strength. No, wait, don't tell me…" His face dropped, suddenly looking dead serious.

"Is it a second, even bigger sword?"

Aleph chuckled. Maybe it was his way of relaxing after weeks of minute, intricate work, but seeing Brandon's reaction made him not want to tell him all the more. Not just yet, anyway.

"You'll know when we march." He said cryptically, before making his way back to the house. A fragrant smell had been wafting to his nose all this time, and it whet his appetite.

Brandon looked torn between following, or just digging through the mountain of equipment, but in the end, he opted to follow his master. His energy had all but left him, though.

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The night was punctuated by an excellent dinner. Rayse's duck was on point, and was gone almost instantly. The disappointed faces of his friends and family was quite amusing, but was quickly spoiled when Master Aleph pointed out a second duck that was roasting in the oven.

All in all, the dinner was a success, and had all but absolved him of his previous transgressions. Rayse bade the guests goodnight, patting them on the back for the pleasant company. Jodi was especially welcome, as she was more than willing to answer any of his questions about the completed Unbroken. The woman liked her food, but she loooved artifacts. Some people in town had trouble dealing with her, but once you figure out how to speak to her, she was surprisingly easy to deal with.

"Thank you for the meal." She said, bowing at the door. She stayed like that for a while. It was far too formal a gesture, so Rayse quickly pulled her up.

"Hey, enough of that. I heard master had officially taken you in, so we're fellow disciples now! Please, be at ease."

Rayse tried to help her straighten up, but when he did, he noticed that she was scribbling something in her notes. She tore off the page to hand to him before leaving.

Puzzled, he looked at the note. A quick glance showed him that they were activation spells embedded into his weapon. Their master had been surprisingly evasive regarding the details of their new artifacts that night, so this was a welcome spoiler.

"Thank you!" Rayse gratefully called after her, waving until her silhouette had vanished completely.

"What's wrong with him?" He heard Sheila ask from behind him.

"I dunno, but it's weird. I'm gonna tell Lacey about it tomorrow."

"Hey!"

Rayse spun around at that, suddenly nervous. He chased his sisters around that night, tearing through the house until a tired Aleph forced them to bed.

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They left Hios a week after that. Lacey, Brandon, Aleph and Rayse rode out on horses just before sunrise, away from any prying eyes. They bid their goodbyes the day before, and for the first time, they even made sure to write out their wills. Aleph couldn't even hope to leave them behind, and so he had to watch as his disciples each gave tearful parting words to their loved ones.

He himself had no such person to leave such words behind to, but at the very least, he made sure that the settlement would thrive in his absence. He appointed Sheila and Shae as caretakers to his realm, and even gave Jodi some projects to occupy her time with. Matters of the settlement would fall on Tom as always, now with Andrew assisting him as an apprentice. Each one had taken their duties seriously, even the young ones, giving Aleph much needed reassurance before he left for what was likely their final battle.

The Frontlines were days away, but between taking a carriage and just sprinting the whole way through, they decided for the middle ground. Aleph didn't say much, but it was quite likely they would be fighting as soon as they got there. 

The road ahead was tense, but they had a lot to occupy their minds with. His disciples had been testing their new gear and, Rayse especially, were quite pleased with them. They kept themselves active for the next couple of days, familiarizing themselves with the items Aleph had prepared for them.

Along with more artifacts that were tailor made for them, all of them were outfitted with new gears. Gone were their mana treated leather jerkins, replaced by full body suits made from Oblivion's chitin. They were quite a bit tougher and, with their unique properties, were sure to offer vastly superior protection.

Aleph himself had been quite pleased with how his equipment turned out, as all the materials from the capital were proving their worth this time. So many of the items he could not have hoped to find in this world, Jodi just had lying around. He helped himself to them in exchange for teaching her as much as he could about magic engineering before they went to war. The result increased their battle power by an order of magnitude. It was enough for his disciples to tie up heralds for a time, at least.

His mind went to the upcoming battle. There were six more heralds to face, three of whom he had no clue what to expect from. He had made preparations for the others regardless, but for the two demon kings, at least, he needed at least one more who could fight with them. Lost, the one carrying Emily's soul, was more than a match for him, and the thought of there being another enemy of comparable strength kept him up until the wee hours of the morning.

His thoughts were interrupted as the scenery changed. The luscious greens and forestry he had always associated with this country were gone, replaced by a large, featureless, barren plain. The touch of the abyss had warped the very earth, turning the area into a place that rejects life itself. He could see the plains taper off to a massive barrier of earth, punctuated by a massive structure that blocked the path. A fortress stood in its place, a large, gray structure peppered with specks of blue. 

"Hyat!"

Aleph braced himself, urging his horse to quicken its pace. His disciples followed suit, solemnly following their master into the fray.

Soon, they had come close enough to see the mass of harbingers that surrounded the fortress. They were eerily motionless, not even sparing the godling a look as he and his group crossed in their midst. Still, Aleph trampled the ones in his path on the way to the gates, hoping that these idle harbingers were simply discarded troops from a previous attack.

Suddenly, as if dashing his hopes. One harbinger's arm stuck out to pluck his horse out of the ground. Aleph lept, sailing over a couple of their heads before he was crushed. Their previously unresponsive  eyes tracked his movement now, eyes burning a familiar, horrifying red.

Lacey and his friends plopped down beside him, unharmed and fully prepared for battle.

"It looks like they're ready to fight." she said as she took a stance.

"Excellent!" Brandon answered, brandishing something massive that was covered in cloth. "I've been itching to try this out!"

A red glint shone all around as Brandon removed its cover, bathing everyone around him in a sinister light. 

"Death wave!"

He turned with the strike, sending an ever expanding nova that sliced everything it touched into pieces.