Chapter 11: Dejected: The Fall of Datrio

Dejected - The Fall of Datrio is the eleventh chapter of The Mazkertis Paradox. In this chapter:


 * Garfielf leaves Earth to wage war on other characters of great hunger, such as Pumkin and Hungry-man.
 * Having split into two groups to cover more ground, the Claws of the Phoenix faction led by Klak travels to Datrio in search of Mazkertis, who has already arrived on the planet to consume more mana and grow in power.

Summary
Jon Arbuckle awakens to find that he and his house have been consumed by his pet cat, Garfielf, whose hunger knows no bounds. After confronting Garfielf, Jon and his house are teleported back to Earth and Garfielf leaves on a journey through space, intending to challenge others who claim to have insatiable hunger: Pumkin, Hungry-Man, and the prophesied Man From Another Place.

In the month and a half that has passed since the Claws of the Phoenix last encountered Mazkertis (as seen in Chapter 10), funerals are held for James Howard, Kong, Cutter, TPK, and Angonce, while three new allies join the Claws: Cassius Calm, whose new friend Sachiel rejects joining the Claws in favor of aiding those affected by Mazkertis's attack on Liquid-Metallicon; K'theenya, who claims that she will remain on standby until they find Mazkertis, and Tezzeret, who comes out of the blue once more to aid his old friend Klak. To cover more ground, the Claws split into two groups: one led by Klak and the other led by Kakamu. Meanwhile, Ynot's crew and Blackout search for Figlio di Armechio after hearing from Eos about Figlio's betrayal on Shinar-Karana, but they fail to find the Dachori. Malygos claims that Dominarian forces encountered several individuals claiming to be affiliated with the Kindred of Dawn, who Klak suspects might have been behind the theft of the Keruvim from Vizima, but the Dominarians fail to apprehend any suspects.

On Day 55, the Claws of the Phoenix faction led by Klak, which includes Caiaphus, Cassius Calm, D-Klak, and Tezzeret, gather aboard Anzu's ship and lament their lack of progress. While discussing mana-rich worlds, the Claws realize that Mazkertis has yet to attack Datrio. The group immediately charts a course to the lush planet, planning to have Anzu and Tezzeret trap Mazkertis in a containment field to prevent him from escaping again.

Meanwhile, Mazkertis arrives on Datrio to cast a spell that will allow him to consume more mana and grow in power. He recalls that, after losing a hand to Quolas and unleashing the Counter-Actor, he spent several days recovering on Kalta Thaea, but Blue's magic and potions stolen from Misaki Raregroove healed him quickly. In addition, the Kindred used Lurian, Cooperative, and abandoned Kalta Thaean technology to create a new prosthetic hand for Mazkertis attached to a magical staff that was created with enchanted wood obtained from Misaki's home. In the following weeks, Mazkertis and his Kindred successfully conquered several other territories, including a land of multicolored equines, but were driven from Aselia by Genis Sage and from Kråvenhold by its native gryphons.

On Datrio, Mazkertis gathers his allies, which include several Lurian and Death Vanguard soldiers, Raziel, Genetoes, and a Kra'lythe known as Minutún, and orders them to secure the area. Once alone, Mazkertis uses magic to communicate with two of his allies: Lord Zrintch and Blackout. It is revealed that Blackout learned about Mazkertis after receiving a vision of the future in the Forest of Lights (which Blackout had been banished to during Malygos's ascension months prior) and had decided to secretly ally with the wizard to benefit his future plans; any blows that Blackout and Mazkertis had previously exchanged were restrained and meant to keep up the pretense that they were enemies. Zrintch and Blackout inform Mazkertis that none of their own allies suspect that they are working with him, and Blackout adds that Ynot is running in circles on his investigative crusade, thereby removing him from Mazkertis's path.

Figlio then coincidentally arrives on Datrio, having tracked Mazkertis there, and declares that he will finish what he started by killing the wizard. Figlio almost succeeds by using a magic-negating shield that he acquired from an anti-Dominion rebel, but Mazkertis gains the upper hand and impales Figlio on his own sword, killing him.

Mazkertis creates a Twilight Storm to engulf the Datrioan city; a type of storm which unleashes Shades and other horrors upon its victims to consume their life force and feed it back into the spell's caster. Anzu's ship lands nearby and Anzu, Klak, Caiaphus, Cassius Calm, and Tezzeret emerge to do battle with the Shades, though they soon become occupied with evacuating Datrioan civilians as well. After the Claws discover Figlio's corpse, Mazkertis confronts them and is immediately attacked by Caiaphus. Raziel arrives to assist Mazkertis in the duel, informing his former master Caiaphus of his new allegiance and his goal to alter the timeline, much to Caiaphus's distaste. Before Anzu and Tezzeret can cast a containment field around Mazkertis, the wizard forms a similar containment field around the area to prevent the Claws from reaching him, though Klak and D-Klak are on Mazkertis's side of the field. Noting that their own strategy has been used against them, the Claws deduce that they have a mole in their ranks. They then fight the army of shades, Lurians, and Death Vanguard soldiers led by Genetoes and Minutún.

Klak and D-Klak approach Mazkertis and attempt to talk him down by revealing that D-Klak died in Ragnarok and the D-Klak fighting him now was merely brought from the past to the present, but Mazkertis insists that he must have vengeance and that he cannot rest until all Klaks have been erased from existence. During the prolonged battle, Mazkertis weakens D-Klak enough to knock him unconscious with a sleeping spell before assaulting Klak with telepathic visions, including one of the Utopian Universe.

Outside the barrier, the Claws deduce that Klak has been trapped in a vision, but are unable to reach him. Caiaphus duels Genetoes, finding himself evenly matched until Genetoes impales the Makuta on his staff. Cassius Calm attempts to empower himself by summoning chakra, but Minutún corrupts it, causing Calm to lose control of his powers and inadvertently destroy Tezzeret's metallic arm. Tezzeret is weakened enough by the injury to allow him to be knocked out with a single punch from one of the mooks. Anzu is shot in the wing by one of the last two surviving Lurians, but remains resilient enough to send Calm to sleep, thereby subduing the corrupted chakra within his body and saving his life.

Meanwhile, Klak finds himself in a foggy plain, where he is tormented by visions of foes and friends alike, including Caiaphus, Uterio di Armechio, Akzer, Blackout, Zev Raregroove, Nadle, Jinx, Peter, Ynot, Kakamu, Axalara, Treveya, and many more, all of whom either remind Klak of the tragedies that has occurred throughout his life or blame him for their misfortunes. As Klak falls into despair, the Twilight Storm subsides and Mazkertis and the Kindred depart from Datrio, having completed their mission on the planet.

Characters

 * Anzu
 * Blackout
 * Caiaphus
 * Cassius Calm
 * D-Klak
 * Figlio di Armechio
 * Garfielf
 * Genetoes
 * Jon Arbuckle
 * Klak
 * Mazkertis
 * Minutún
 * Raziel
 * Tezzeret
 * Lord Zrintch