The Akhapost Conspiracy

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        If making a plan was hard, making it succeed was even harder. That's why they skipped the elaborate schemes, the sneaking about, and the sabotage. Instead, they were going in guns blazing.

        Literally would be nice. Alas, we aren’t in Kansas anymore, Barry thought as he shovelled a pit inside the cave’s crater. He had noticed the dirt resembled soil found in volcanic landscapes  - perhaps there might be rare metals he could extract.

        And ah-ha! The so-called ‘poisoned rocks’ were revealed by Barry's shovel and he grinned. Perfect, he now had a countermeasure against Hathor's golden staff.

        Parents of the chosen children sometimes tried to duel for the right of the child’s life, but they always lost because Hathor wielded that staff, crafted from resources beyond those outside his command. 

        They needed to destroy it and using magic was out of the question - Random said Hathor had made the staff impervious to magical attacks.

        Barry grinned again as he collected the extracted metal. Yes, he could easily dismantle it without resorting to magic.

        Now, onto the backup plan.

 

***

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        The moment had arrived, with the second sun low on the horizon. The denizens of Akhane gathered at the foot of Akhapost's mountain. It was time.

        Barry made his way to the front of the crowd and stared up at the platform. Governor Kadani was making his speech again, but         Barry’s attention was gripped by Hathor’s gaze. The fury in his eyes was impossible to miss.

        Oh, if looks could kill.

        “... anyone give themselves in the place of the unnamed?” Kadani’s voice rang out.

        No one volunteered.

        “Bring forth the box!”

        Barry waited impatiently as a large box was brought forward. Kadini reached in, announcing the name he pulled out.

        “No! You cannot take her from me!” A man screamed as they dragged away his daughter. “She doesn’t deserve this!”

        “Will you fight for her, knowing the consequences of your loss?” Hathor demanded.

        The man cried out again but said nothing. Rage settled in Barry’s chest. This wasn’t right. “I will!” Barry called out. “I, Bartholomew, formally demand a duel for the child’s right!”

        “Stand down you fool! You do not know what it is you speak of!” Hathor shouted. 

        “NO! YOU don't know what you are doing! You are deceiving these people! Making them live in fear for nothing! Meddling with things you do not understand!”

        “You’re the one meddling you inept meddler! You had one job!”

        “What? Want to tell the people what it was? What you did?” Barry taunted.

        Hathor’s face was red now. “We were generous with you Barry and asked for little in return. But if you want to fight so badly, then fight we shall!”

        Then Hathor was upon him. A blinding flash of magic appeared before his eyes. Barry barely ducked as the runed staff parted the air around it.

        The speed of the confrontation caught him off guard. Practically tripping over his feet, he narrowly avoided a second strike. 

        Fumbling inside his pocket, Barry retrieved a smoke bomb, the result of simple chemistry. All it needed was a vigorous shake.

        But Hathor was quicker. He snatched the device and taunted Barry, "You thought your science would help you, you petulant ingrate? Let's see how you like it!"

        Not knowing precisely what the device did, Hathor hurled it at Barry. Smoke billowed from the small device as it landed between them.

        Barry smiled - it made Hathor just as blind as he was.

        Acrid plumes filled the space. Coughing hard, Barry immediately realised how poorly thought out this was. Everyone was blind now. Oops.

        Hathor quickly cast a spell that cleared the air. Predicting this, Barry pulled out his second secret-science-weapon - the metal he’d extracted. He threw it across the distance separating him and Hathor. 

        Hathor laughed as the pathetic thing arced towards him and decided to play a little, allowing the harmless gizmo to come closer before blocking it with his staff. But he watched in horror as the vial shattered upon impact and a metallic liquid began to spread over the staff, the gold seemingly dissolving in his hands.

        “No! What have you done?!” He screamed, furious. 

        “Simple metallurgy, buddy boy. Also, I wouldn’t touch it if I were you; Mercury is toxic AF.”

        Missing or ignoring the warning, Hathor reached for his staff. Breaking off the untouched part, he turned it into a makeshift knife.

        Oh crap! It was time to fight dirty.

        Barry swiftly kicked the dust, sending sand flying into Hathor's eyes. Hathor frantically wiped at his face, screaming. Barry seized the opportunity to throw over a super-glue bomb, keeping Hathor’s hands immobile.

        Ha, try casting any form of magic without moving your fingers!

        “Do you yield?” Barry asked, panting heavily. The anticipatory hush of the crowd spoke volumes.

        “NEVER!” Hathor spoke out defiantly. “We did what was necessary!”

        “No. You thought it was necessary and covered it up when you realised you were wrong. You are not heroes. You are cowards. Any last words?”

        “You wouldn’t kill me.” Hathor snarled. “It’s not in you.” 

        Barry raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Yet you wanted me to kill another? Hypocrisy at its finest. Alas, you are right. I condemn you to the fate you deserve instead.”

        The people waited in terrified silence. Their world rocked - their heroes defeated.

        "Here they come."

        Echoing footsteps and trembling ground signalled the arrival of, not a monstrous force, but a hundred long-lost children, all grown up.

        “Agnistine?! What sorcery is this?” A woman cried out.

        Barry shouted over the crowd. “There’s no sorcery! The Agency has been hiding the truth from you for hundreds of years! Akhapost is not a monster to be feared! It is the magic of your realm! It welcomed the children that your society, by the demands of the Agency, sacrificed to cover up their mistakes!”

        “We were allowed to grow up in Akhapost’s Haven, and he helped us explore the gift his presence bestowed upon all of us - magic!” Agnistine added.

        "And we were going to destroy you with that monster, just like you both deserve!" Hathor spat at Barry. 

        “No, it is you that deserves to be destroyed.” Akhapost spoke, appearing behind the grown-up children. With a wave of its hand, Hathor and eleven others were immediately encased in a shimmering, ethereal cocoon that hovered above the ground. The crowd watched as the cocoon slowly dissipated, revealing Hathor and the others, now stripped of their magic.

        “A just punishment, for those who perverted the natural ways of magic; who selfishly sought that which was not theirs to receive or control, and have polluted our world with their generations of bitterness and greed.” Akhapost’s voice boomed. He turned to the crowd. “Life in Akhane begins anew, with freedom from your oppression!”

 

***

 

        "Thank you, Barry, for everything," Random said, tears in his eyes as they stood in the now-empty Agency halls.

        “Indeed.” Akhapost’s voice rumbled. “For showing me that not all was lost; that it was time to fight back. In return, I shall break my own laws of magic and help you. I shall send you home, to the day you were taken. We will destroy the technology after you are gone, and while we will never see you again, we will always remember you.”

        A portal opened, and Barry stared at it, still a little in shock. He couldn’t believe that after all this time, after all that had happened, that he was finally going home. And no one would even know he had left. He wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

        “Thank you.” Barry said, then took a deep breath, gave one last smile, and forced himself to step into the unknown. 

        Or rather, the known. His foot hit the carpeted floor and the familiar beige walls of his apartment surrounded him. Home.

        But it felt somewhat foreign to him now, since becoming used to the bright colours and majesty of the halls of Akhane. The magic of that realm had changed him, but he smiled as he thought to himself…

        Man did I miss food that doesn't eat you back. Now, I wonder if the ravioli is still fresh?