The Tediad - Chapter 1

One Man Audience

Tedieous, the Potter, stood alone amongst the ruins. Around him, the rubble stretched as far as he could see. He would have had little difficulty convincing some outsider that there had never been a settlement there in the first place.

The destruction was his to behold, but it was nothing compared to what loomed ahead. The grand finale, which would wipe bare that which was already toppled, was intended for a one-man audience.

When he wasn’t contemplating his own fate, his thoughts returned to the companions he had unwittingly dragged through this stunning debacle. Though he did not know precisely what their fates would be, he did not have to contemplate long to arrive at his own.

For the first time, he could feel every inch of the journey in his bones. Every bump, every stumble, every fall, every cut, every scratch, every collision, every overexertion, every hyper-extension, every impact, every impalement, every punch, pelting, pummeling, and punishment was there with him. They were his companions now.

He had traveled many difficult miles by foot and by paddle. He had passed over great swaths of violent sea and visited many strange lands. He had faced dangers that far more prepared men would have refused. He realized the final steps of his journey were closer to him than the first steps.

Tedieous clenched a small object tightly in his right hand. In his possession was a gift of tremendous power given to him by the divine. It had gotten him out of many dangerous situations, though how it actually worked he did not understand. In truth, he could not quite distinguish between times when it was helping and times when it was not. Standing there, he was sure the token had ceased all activity and was receptive to him no longer.

That was fine, as there would be no need for rescue anymore.

Tedieous returned his eyes to the sea. The sea had also been a companion, even though their relationship had taken a turn for the worst as of late. Once calm and for the most part comfortably horizontal, the sea had reared up into a wave of monstrous dimensions. As it rolled over the landscape, grinding the rubble beneath it into gravel, grinding the gravel into sand, swallowing everything in its path, Tedieous felt many things. Among such familiar feelings as despair, regret, and terror, he felt an uplifting sense of release. He could feel otherworldly threads begin to snap around him, threads that had connected him to powers far beyond his comprehension.

The voice of the Goddess came into his mind. He recalled the words she had left him with. It was a voice of such sweet melody that he was transported away from that terrible stage. His heart was filled with renewed vigor. His muscles, which he held tensely, relaxed. With one hand he wiped the tears clear from his eyes and stood up, the winds picking up from behind.

The voice had spoken thus:

“This was your plan.”