U-SKALD06 (Aug 15, 2022)
Puzzle
"Things grow dark."
Knowledge – II | 5 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: Direct quote, this time.
Clue 2: One of Malachi's prophecies.
Answer and Explanation
Answer: When They've Found Their Ark
Explanation: In CD-TAGS06 of Date With Death, Malachi’s prophecies’ last line states that “Things grow dark when they’ve found their ark.”
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
Skald had become everything Entropy was not. A world that was always changing, always growing, always improving. It was a world far from perfect, but it was a world at peace. Abraxas couldn't be prouder of his children or his Utopia. Naturally, other Archons, weary of the never-ending bloodshed in Entropy, came to Skald to stake their claim. Abraxas welcomed them all with open arms.
Eve had long ceased her dalliances from Eden, not that she had much choice. As Skald grew, the power of Eden was needed—the power of creation. Abraxas, too, had grown fond of the stolen powers of Kaos. Over the centuries, he took many lovers in Eve's place—other Archons who fled to Skald and desired their own mortal children. Together, they created an abundance of mortal life in Skald. None were quite as powerful as Abraxas's first seven children, but still, they were children of Archons.
On another fine morning, Abraxas sat upon his gilded marble throne, the metal and stone plundered from Arcadia. A figure in red approached, worn and ragged.
"My Lord, what an honor it is to see you here!" Abraxas boomed, rising from his seat to greet his old friend. "And that crimson, it is rather dashing on you—"
"It was white."
"Ah. I take it Arcadia is still troubled?"
Demiurge let out a huff as he approached Abraxas' stolen throne. "Yes, vassal. It is still 'troubled'."
"I am sorry to hear that, my Lord. I must repay your generosity. I can rally a thousand soldiers—legions upon legions. Together we can—"
"Archons can't die. Your people can."
"Ah. But surely there must be a way we can right this wrong? Some manner of creation—"
"You and your kind have done quite enough creating, Abraxas. No. The Pale devours my creations faster than I can make them. Faster than Eden can provide them. My subjects are dying, and my oceans are being tainted with more undying beasts. You are fortunate that the Pale and its ilk have not yet reached Skald."
"There must be something I can do."
"Your children—the ones of Eden—they are less frail than your other offspring. Born of Creation itself. And, cut from the same cloth."
"My children? What would you—"
Demiurge raised his hand to silence him. "It is not like that. They are your children. I will not send them to war like my father did with his. However, I could use their help. My own creations—they are merely reflections of myself. If I could have solved this problem on my own, I would have by now. And my little mortals? They stand no chance against the Pale."
Abraxas pondered for a moment. "You cannot mean to suggest that my children—"
"I believe they are the only ones who can."
"I understand the predicament, my Lord, but I cannot risk sending my children to Arcadia. Not when there is so much at stake in Skald. Not when… Not when I could lose them."
"They won't be in Arcadia. It's a nightmare down there. I've even taken up residence in another space for the time being. A space outside our Universe. The Pale has yet to reach it, as they do not know such a place exists."
"And what would you have them do?"
"Act as counsel. Utilize their talents, I suppose. Your eldest, Belphegor, is rather talented with the flow of time, yes? Her wisdom is invaluable. And Satan, that spitfire of yours, can help keep Arcadia from crumbling into nothing. Mammon—" Demiurge paused, scowling at Abraxas' throne, "—he is well acquainted with Arcadia already. Beelzebub and Leviathan could keep my lands and seas in check—"
"To me, it sounds like they will be in Arcadia."
"…Perhaps. But only as needed. They would not even exist if it were not for Arcadia."
"Is that a threat, my Lord?"
"No. A reminder. Your Utopia is not the only one. Skald alone cannot achieve what we have dreamed."
After a long silence, Abraxas nodded in agreement. "I will speak to my children about your proposition. But know this, Demiurge: they are not at your beck and call. They are mine, and mine alone."
"Of course, my dear vassal. They are your children, after all."