literature

Soldiers of Perim [Chaotic Fanfic]: Ilx

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Amongst the loose-tied ranks of the UnderWorld are Ethereals—conscious spirits bound to Perim and not as intangible as one would think. The cause of their origin varies depending on the spirit; most were never part of a body in the first place and appeared from somewhere not even the ghost themselves can't recall, but a small fraction were once living, breathing creatures lacking the memories of their past and finite life. Ilx is in that minority.

The sneaky phantom that is Ilx is known for being the slipperiest of spirits, having sneaked into the most secure places and escaping with precious information. Sent to Mount Pillar by his ruler Chaor whenever needed, he's become hated with passion by Danians, being able to lose pursuers in the nooks and crannies of the hive. He's risen to the surface to steal information from the OverWorlders and Mipedians from time to time, although they don't seem to care who he is other than being an UnderWorlder. Even creatures in his own tribe dislikes him for being nosy, worrying he'd stick his nonexistent nose in their business.

Ilx awoke from a coffin with a body to fill it and buried six feet under. He took a glance at the body he'd risen from, but found it unrecognizable from whatever he'd sustained and died from. The memories of his mortal self didn't transfer to his soul, so he couldn't remember what happened in his final moments. The specter wandered the vast UnderWorld wastelands, finding absolutely no sign of life in the expansive badlands. Eventually he came across UnderWorld city, the lights and smoke making it stand out in the darkness. His nosy nature lead him there. He quickly began sneaking into all sorts of places, making him the topics of certain conversations throughout the UnderWorld. He'd listen to them, finding himself funny, annoying, and creepy according to the residents of the city.

One day while ambling in an alley, he was greeted and approached by a small blue dragon by the name of Agitos. He claimed he posed no threat to Ilx and merely wanted to help him. Ilx listened to Agitos, who described himself as an advisor to Chaor, as he explained his reasons for tracking him down. Chaor had caught word of the Ethereal and found his sneakiness very useful, demanding him to join his army. With nothing else to do in his purgatory—and hungry for answers for his mortal life—he accepted Agitos' offer. He followed Agitos back to the UnderWorld castle where Chaor welcomed Ilx with his trademark laugh, the warmth of it feeling a little out of character for this creature whom Ilx quickly learned had a very rough reputation. No one else found it unusual, so he dismissed it.

Chaor wasted no time in sending Ilx on his first mission, a simple spy task in Van Bloot's castle. He completed it with ease as his sneakiness was seemingly in his nature. He handled later missions with the same ease, the whole stealth thing just being to easy for him. Small habits he formed while sneaking about felt like he'd done them a thousand times before, and voices of a few creatures sounded familiar for some reason. He wondered if they were a clue to his past life, but even searching high and low when off duty earned him no answers. When he realized he could just ask somebody, he turned to Chaor.

Ilx followed the guard to Chaor's throne room. Though capable to reaching it on his own, Chaor warned him of using his abilities within the castle. Even though that was hard to monitor, Chaor would snap the second he found evidence of him breaking the rules. Ilx felt no need and assured Chaor he wouldn't do it, but the ruler had a limited trust with most of his underlings.

They soon reached the large door leading inside the throne room. The guard stepped inside and signaled him to stay put it. Ilx nodded as the guard went in and he heard him speaking to Chaor. He heard the word 'sure' in their muffled conversation, and seconds later the guard emerged. He stepped aside from the ajar door.

"You're free to speak with him," the guard said.

"Thank you," Ilx thanked the guard.

After entering, the guard shut the door behind him and he turned back for a moment. He looked forward again and found Chaor staring him down from atop his elevated throne. Normally Agitos and another UnderWorlder would be on either side of him, but they weren't here this time.

Ilx knew not to try Chaor's patience and immediately floated forward, bowing for his king and awaiting for him to speak first.

"Oh, Ilx. Uh, what brings you here?" his ruler asked, seeming as if he didn't expect him to be the visitor. The guard must have gotten away with not mentioning his name. But that didn't seem right, or possible.

"My apologies for interrupting. I'm not interfering with anything important, am I?" Ilx inquired as he faced Chaor.

"No, but you're still short on time. What do you want?" Chaor said.

"I was just wondering if you could answer some questions I've been seeking since... the beginning?"

Chaor's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying in my spare time, I've been trying to uncover who was I was when I was alive. My attempts have been fruitless, so I decided to seek you for answers."

"So you want me to tell you if I knew you before you were dead?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What, can't you remember -" the blue-horned creature paused as his eyes now widened slightly. Ilx's four eyes did the same.

“Is something the matter, Chaor?”

Chaor cleared his throat as he put a fist over his mouth. "Nothing, I had something my throat. Uh, what was I saying again? Oh, right, so you don't remember your past life?"

"Yes, all I remember is awakening from the coffin my body was buried in. My corpse was far from recognizable."

Chaor put his hand against his spiky chin. "Well, I don't know. Ethereals like you who were once living can be hard to trace back to. Where was your grave?"

"Far beyond the city limits, the landscape was very rocky."

"Oh, out there? Hm, that would prove... challenging to send someone out there. I've sent soldiers there before and many never returned. With the M'arillians on the rise I need as many troops as I can get, strength in numbers."

Ilx felt a bit disappointed, but didn't dare press his luck. His head lowered. "Oh, I understand. I'm willing to wait until the conflict is resolved. I could also ask someone else, too."

"I wouldn't bother, creatures come and go in the UnderWorld and are forgotten easily. That's just life."

"Sounds harsh, but I see what you mean."

"Yeah, you're probably better off dead anyway." Chaor broke into laughter as his hands covered his face. He must have found it the most clever thing he'd created in a while.

Ilx wasn't sure how to feel about it, though he didn't necessarily find it offensive.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

Chaor straightened himself in his chair and glared down at Ilx, the comical moment dying. "What was that?"

Ilx knew he'd pushed it. "Um, nothing sir."

"That's what I thought." Chaor then pointed towards the door. "Now get lost!"
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bobosmith01's avatar
Yowch.
Though Chaor isn't known for being subtle, is he?

I love this characterization so much hngghhhhhh.

I'd love to see your interpretation of Gespedan.