Hello, so first of all I apologize for chapter 9 from the last time. He wasn't ready but I struggled to upload Chapter 8 and things got confused. I also apologize for the slowness of this chapter but at least half of the next one is already written. It was just that I had made a very long chapter, too long, and decided to break it in two in the end.
WELCOME TO ALNUS (part 01)
In an inn, right in the city center of a small town west of Italica, a rumor spreads.
"A NEW GOD HAS HUNT THE DRAGON FLAME?!" "
"YOU ARE NOT SERIOUS?"
"IMPOSSIBLE !"
"The gods never interfere in the affairs of mortals. They send their Apostles for it."
"There are rumors that wizards from beyond the Gate use powerful illusion spells. Are you sure this is not a huge hoax?"
"No. The Risen are not illusions and their speeches is the same. In addition, the Flame Dragon was seen to fly in the direction of Elba without destroying anything on the way. He seemed to be running away from something because he didn't stop to attack us."
"What does all this mean?"
A little further on, at a table, a troop of imperial knights were having their meal.
"We do not know the true intentions of this magician, nor those of his masters. He could be a simple first strike. What do you think Norma?" Hamilton Uno Ror said.
"I think this is the best prime rib and country wine I have had in a long time. However, in relation to your question, we don't know which refugee stories are true and which are gossip" replied Knight Norma Co Igloo.
"I think the ones about an armored giant are true, but it's still strange." Hamilton added.
"Everything is true, noble knights." The innkeeper said as he poured wine over to Hamilton before adding.
"It was obviously a Flame Dragon. I have a reliable witness."
"A trustworthy witness? Who is that? The neighbor's son of an old friend of your cousin's perhaps?" Norma retorted, laughing.
"No. Just my nephew who lives in a small village near Alnus. He sent me an explanatory letter."
"Does your nephew know how to write? And soon you will tell me that he also studied at Rondel Academy. Very convincing ".
"He didn't write the letter himself, but he did ask someone who can write to do it for him. An Archmage of Rondel named Cato."
"An Archmage of Rondel in a small village on the edge of Alnus? More and more convincing," Norma quipped.
"Well, well, I believe you. Could you tell us the contents of this letter?" Hamilton asked as she handed the inn owner some coins.
"Of course, young knight. Let me make a general announcement first".
The tavern owner clapped his hands to attract the attention of customers and proceeded to tell the story that had reached him through this letter.
"In fact, there were just two men and one woman at the start. A nobleman whose name is not mentioned, an Elf and a strange young man who accompanied her in a magic cart."
"How was the Elf?" Asked a customer who had drunk a little too much and was more interested in the line than the cart.
"It is not specified. The letter said she was a survivor of an Elf village destroyed by the Flame Dragon."
"What else did the letter say?" Hamilton asked.
"My nephew explains that, upon hearing the news, all the inhabitants of the village quickly formed a convoy to come and take shelter in Italica. On the way, Emroy's Apostle, no doubt attracted by the impending slaughter, joined the convoy. Unfortunately, they were attacked by the Flame Dragon."
"And after that?"
"The Flame Dragon has engaged in slaughter. He started to devour, burn, kill everything he saw until…." At this point the storyteller paused in his story.
"Until what? » Hamilton asked.
The man then extended his hand to Hamilton, a sign that he was asking for an additional coin to continue his story.
Hamilton graciously gave another coin, glancing over to let the innkeeper understand that it would be the last and that he had to finish his tale.
"Emroy's Apostle appears to have attempted to confront the Flame Dragon, but to no avail. This is when the story gets really weird, hard to understand. My nephew says he tried to run away with his wife and son but there was a wall. A wall he couldn't see but couldn't get past. Until the Flame Dragon abruptly ceases his attack and soars into the air, before landing in the hand of a knight so tall he hid half the sky. Moments later, the flame dragon fled."
"And that's all ? This story looks like a children's fairy tale." Norma said, who remained skeptical.
"No that's not all. According to my nephew, the giant emitted light and everything was as before. The cart were repaired and the dead raised. The new god, as the villagers later called him, then spoke and gave his name: Amiek. Then he disappeared".
The storyteller paused in his story to take a sip of water, he needed to wet his throat.
"Do you remember the young man I mentioned at the beginning who came to the village in a magic cart? His name was Amiek too. Very quickly, the locals realized that he was the Apostle of the new god and wanted to know more. The young man then worked miracles too. He did not raise the dead but healed all the wounds, infirmities and diseases of those who had not been raised."
"Ahahah, everyone knows this old tale. When Ral and Elange healed the sick in a village and founded Rondel there".
"Me, I do not know. I am only telling you the contents of the letter. Should I stop here?"
"No no. Keep going. It's very interesting. As for you Norma, finish your meal in silence. Hamilton said.
"So I continue. The next day, the new Apostle declared that the new god would welcome to Alnus all who will come with him, and he would protect them. About two-thirds of villagers have decided to go to Alnus. The others went to Italica and a few came here. It was one of them, an acquaintance of my nephew, who gave me the letter."
"Okay, let's say I believe your tale for a moment. What proof do you have? As far as I know this is a prank by your nephew, a scam on your part, or just rumors." Norma said as he put down his glass.
Hamilton banged his fist on the table.
"That's enough Norma. I told you to shut up. I paid to hear this story."
"Well, well. I am silent, but that does not change anything. It's just a story, there is no evidence."
"There is an evidence. The letter was the sealed by the mage who wrote it. He writes to me to show the seal if the authorities come to question me. No one has come but if you want to see the letter…."
"It would be nice thank you."
Again the keeper while his hand to receive another coin.
"Hey but I have already paid, twice, and generously it seems to me."
"Yes, and I told you the whole story, as agreed. However, if you want to see the letter itself, that's another thing."
"Good. OK. I pay you AND you show me the letter AND you will answer all my questions AND this is the last payment. After that I assert my rank to have you questioned for free at the guard room of this town." Hamilton said, tired of paying all the time. It wasn't the price that was a problem, she had more than enough to pay, but the unpleasant feeling of being mistaken for a dairy cow.
"Go…. Good. I'll get the letter. I'll be right back".
The innkeeper returned after some seconds with a parchment in his hands.
"Here is the letter. You can see the seal of the mage. I had it authenticated by a magician who works at the end of the market square. He assured me that the seal was genuine and imbued with the magic of an Archmage."
Hamilton was no magician, but she recognized the characteristics of a Rondel seal. The document might be a forgery, but what an effort it would take to prank an innkeeper. She would still have the seal authenticated herself a little later.
"Okay, the letter looks genuine…. But what proves to us that the miracles she describes are true? It could all be deception and illusions."
"I can't prove anything to you. For the armored giant, the Apostle, the magic chariot and the resurrection of the dead I have no evidence. Apart from the testimony of a few people who claim to have been resurrected. However, there is one such testimony that I have every reason to believe."
"Ah yes? Why?" Hamilton asked.
"The man who gave me the letter is Vimus. He used to work here but he moved with my nephew and his wife there is some years. He came back and he stayed a few days."
"So what?"
"And so it turns out that Vimus was one-eyed. He was born with a birth defect. The eyelid in his left eye couldn't open, he had to use his finger to lift the eyelid to see through that eye. When he gave me the letter, his infirmity was gone. He could blink his left eye normally. He told me that it was the blessing of the god "Amiek" lavished by his Apostle."
"How is the use of a healing spell proof?"
"I am no magician, but from what I know Vimus eye was unhealable because it was not a wound but a birth defect. No magician could do anything for him. Now he's healed. He says it's the magic of the new god."
"Are you ABSOLUTELY sure of yourself? Please note, we represent the authority. Lying to a knight of the Order of the Rose could cost you more than your tavern."
"I swear everything I said was the truth to the best of my knowledge. I swear on Zufmuut's name."
"Very well. I take the letter to have it authenticated myself. If you ever lied to us…."
"First, I haven't lied about anything, and second, knight or not, this letter is my property and not for sale. I….."
"It's enough." A voice said from across the table.
"Princess I….."
"It's nothing Hamilton. Hold. This ring is worth more than your tavern. This will be your payment for the letter and I am not asking you if you agree," said Princess Pina Co Lada, handing out a ring with a ruby.
The princess did not wear jewelry for herself when assuming her duties as a knight, but she had once seen such action in a play from her youth. The play was about a story where a slave with important information demanded payment from a nobleman for that information. The nobleman, not wishing to waste time arguing, threw an ornate ring at the slave in payment. The slave sold the information and, with the ring, he bought his freedom. Pina had loved this scene and had since dreamed of having the opportunity to act that way at least once. The opportunity had just presented itself.
In front of such a ring, the tavern owner made no comment and went to hide his new treasure before one of his customers decided to take it over.
"So princess? What are we doing now?"
"If our informations are correct, there is a place we need to stop over before going straight to Alnus."
-0-
It had taken the inhabitants of Coda 4 days to finally reach Alnus, according to the new Apostle. At first everything was going well but after two days the food had run out. As soon as the issue came to Amiek's attention, he had taken enough food and water out of his vehicle for everyone.
Some dishes were strange. When Colt asked what it was, the Celestial replied that it was "packed lunches" based on the data he had from all kinds of nature trips organized by "touring tour companies" on sphere 7534-273 called "Earth".
No one understood this gibberish except Colt who had a vague idea but no one really cared. The meals, although comprised of dishes, fruits, and all manner of foods unknown to the people of Coda (in fact none of its foods could be found on their world) were delicious.
Amiek had felt that preparing these people for [Innovative concepts/things they had never seen or imagined/the unknown] would be more profitable than watching how they continued to travel despite the hunger.
Apart from that everything was going well. No bandit attacks or wild beasts, the road was clean, no bad weather. Everything seemed to be done to allow the residents to arrive as quickly as possible.
When they arrived…. It was the surprise. There was nothing.
"Where's the hill?" Cried a villager.
"What does this joke mean?" Another adds.
Colt then approached Amiek.
"That…. What is going on? Where is the hill? Where is the house?" He asked.
Amiek put out her finger…. Toward the sky.
People looked at him curiously for a moment. What did this sign mean? Why did the Apostle point to the sky?
Lelei was the first to lift her head… and her jaw almost dropped as she watched, her eyes wide.
Her master looked up in turn, curious to know what was causing such an expression on his disciple's face.
His pipe fell from his mouth when he in turn saw what Lelei was seeing.
Soon everyone did the same and everyone had more or less the same reaction when they saw…. What he couldn't understand.
For 4 days the mechadroids had terraformed the entire hill, replacing the energy dome with an ultra resistant living crystal dome, building homes, streets, buildings, all kinds of convenience. In fact, they had built a city capable of accommodating 1 million people, while Coda's population was only a hundred. And now this city was floating in the air a hundred yards above the ground.
Such a sight was beyond the comprehension of the inhabitants of Coda village. It took several minutes before the amazement passed and someone finally asked the question.
"Is it…. Is this where we are going?"
"Yes." Amiek replied simply.
"Ho…. How? What ? We cannot fly."
Without answering the question, Amiek turned to [the specially designed man-made environment/the flying city/the vivarium]. Out of it came a [super-heavy photons/energy bridge/light path]. Who in a few seconds went down to his feet.
"[The direction is 4.05-6.8.9/This is the path/Follow me]" Amiek said as he stepped onto the light path. So he seemed to be sliding on it towards the city, his legs not moving.
Colt was the second to ride, followed by Tuka then Lelei and his master (and Lelei's pig) then Rory (who would have been the first if she had been closer) and Grassac. Then it was Melissa, her husband and her son then the mayor and afterwards everyone followed, seeing that the bridge was safe.
As some people rose into the air, they felt dizzy, but they found that they could not move. They were free to move around but it was like having their legs stuck in mud.
Once at the entrance to the Flying City, they were greeted by…. Crystal beings? They were completely transparent, you could see through them as you could see through the stained glass window of the village church, the only building in Coda that contained glass. They were all women had completely white faces but the crystal of their bodies was a different color. Yellow, green, red, blue…. except for the face who was perfectly white. For some reason, only black was excluded.
However, what gave these beings an uncomfortable feeling was their eyes. They were eyes like any inhabitant of Coda. Something perfectly human placed on completely inhuman bodies.
There was a banner above the crystal women's group that read "Welcome to Alnus". Since most of the inhabitants of Coda could not read, it was the few scholars who did the translation for them, then a crystal woman walked towards the group towards "The Apostle" Amiek.
The inhabitants of Coda then saw the woman bow down to him. Of course, the people of Coda didn't realize that this act was staged to make them understand that the Crystal Beings were Amiek's [maintenance workers/smart tools/minions].
Amiek then turned to the villagers and said:
"This city is now yours. These [inorganic mechadroids/robots/minions] are at your service. A banquet has been prepared. [The structures of this beehive city are placed under your administration/this city belongs to you/you are at home]. This is Amiek's will".
The villager did not know what to say to this statement. They had understood the meaning of the words but the concept was too far from their usual way of thinking. These giant towers, these crystal women, this flying city…. Were theirs? Like that? Their new god gave them a city and servants as if they were nobles themselves?
Their minds refused to accept the truth. There was an internal voice telling them "no, this is far too good a gift, there is a trap somewhere, beware".
It was then that the Crystal Women stepped aside, giving way to…. A banquet.
"This meal has been prepared to welcome you. You will sit down when the meal is over."
Indeed, in front of the inhabitants of Alnus there were all kinds of dishes…. Unknown. It looked delicious but he never had anything like this.
All of these dishes were unimaginably luxury to them. Was this the food of the gods? The common attitude was "this is to be eaten or to be watched?"
Despite this luxury, however, the people of Alnus were not high society people attending a meal hosted by the crown. They were simple peasants…. So they scrambled for food with the grace and subtlety of a horde of boar.
The presence of the Crystal Women did not bother them. They were the strangest demi-humans they had ever seen in their lives, but nothing more.
Even Rory and Lelei were part of the party. Without being hedonistic, Rory wasn't the type to miss out on a good meal when she had the chance to savor one and this drink called "coca-cola" was kind of a challenge. Not only did the color, black like the darkness of Emroy himself, appeal to her, but the sparkle put her taste buds to the test. Lelei tasted the dishes with as much pleasure as curiosity, constantly asking questions about the nature of this or that food. The discovery of chocolate was a revelation.
She did not, however, forget to feed her "pet pig" to which she had become sentimentally attached. She had asked if there would be hay for him and, indeed, moments later a yellow crystal woman brought hay. Find out where it came from.
Only Tuka was not drawn to food. She preferred to stay with Amiek and Colt until otherwise ordered. Like a child clinging to its mother, she was afraid that if she strayed too far from him, he would disappear.
As for the Count, much more used to having enough to eat and having participated in more feasts in his life than he could remember, these dishes were much less appealing, especially as he preferred to ask a few questions.
"What happened to Alnus? Or rather what did you do exactly?"
"I [download a mechadroid-specific program/give orders to robots/told mechanical servants] to recompose the geophysical structure of the hill into Kree/Shi'ar style architecture to [incorporate into the environment/give a place to live/welcome and lodge] the citizens of Neo-Alnus".
"In short, you ordered your creatures to build a city. That I understood. But why ? You don't do anything without motive, so why did you want to welcome the villagers of Coda here? I didn't dare ask before but now…. "
"I want to [observe their behavior in a different environment/study their reaction to new concepts and opportunities/see how they react to the unknown]".
The Count tilted his head and closed his eyes in weariness. He wondered why he was asking Amiek "why" when the Celestial's answers invariably remained the same: observe, test, study.
"And… what about me? What do I do now ?" Tuka asked.
"There is a meal in front of you. You can [take in proteins and liquids/regain strength through food/restore yourself]".
"No."
"So you [keep your metabolic parameters at rest/take it easy/wait]."
Tuka didn't like that answer but couldn't help it…. Except wait.
The feast, or rather, the feasting and drinking, lasted for hours. The villagers had never had such a meal. They ate and drank almost until their bellies burst. In fact, instinctively, they wanted to eat everything down to the last crumb, but that was impossible because the Crystal Women always replaced empty dishes. Gradually, the inhabitants of coda reached the limits of their stomachs.
They were now tired and wanted to take a nap, to digest.
As they lay down on the ground to rest, when the city's artificial consciousness-controlled psychic energy fields had finished numbing their cognitive functions to force them to fall asleep, the crystal women arranged the bodies in storage units which took the direction of the center of the city.
Only Tuka and the Count were awake. Even Rory had succumbed. Normally her Apostle constitution would have resisted any drug imaginable, but all physical protection was powerless against a field of psychic energy. So she fell asleep with the other villagers.
Tuka didn't ask a question. On the one hand she did not want to question the Qpostle of her god, on the other hand…. she was afraid. This city was so strange. No inhabitants, any sort of thing that looked like a piece of furniture or objects and that seemed alive at the same time, acting alone, in ways she couldn't understand.
Colt, who was more familiar with the Celestial, was not afraid to ask.
"What is going on. Where are these women taking these inhabitants? What will happen to them?"
In other circumstances, the Count would have tried to defend the citizens, but he was well aware of his powerlessness.
"I have ordered the Metacognitive system which governs the structures of the city to bring to rest the higher functions of their Encephali. [The inhabitants of Coda/the first citizens of New Alnus/these people] will be analyzed, receive a sub-cortical localization and surveillance system, cataloged, indexed and then [Inserted in an environment adapted to their biological needs/installed in their new home/tidy]".
Colt understood what the Celestial meant, for once, although he didn't like the use of the word "tidy," among other things, to refer to the people of Coda.
"And…. What about me and the young Elf?"
"You've gone through this procedure before when you were [put in extended preservation/stasis modded/asleep] before returning to Falmart. Regarding Tuka, the procedures will be different because [I will do the analyzes/This is my direct job/I will take care of her] directly. "
"Who…. What are you going to do to me?" Tuka asked.
"Map your DNA, analyze your energy structures, take stock of your established and latent psychic abilities, and a hundred other analyzes and tests that you couldn't understand."
Tuka hadn't understood anything ALREADY. So she just asked what she really wanted to know.
"That…. Does it hurt? Am I going to be hurt?"
"No. Now we are going there. Do you want to [make an act of presence/accompany us/come with us]? Or would you rather have an [inorganic macrocrystalline mechadroid/maintenance robot/one of the crystal women] take you womewhere?".
With nothing better to do and uneasy in this city with these crystal women, besides the Count wanted to stay with Tuka to reassure her as much as possible, he made up his mind.
"I'm coming with you."
The three of them went back up to the Pyram and Amiek led them to the town's medical-administrative center. Where the inhabitants of Coda, or rather the new citizens of Alnus, were already being analyzed, treated, cataloged and received an implant placed under the Cortex of their brain, while remaining in an artificial coma.
-O-
A few days later, Princess Pina had arrived at the last stop she needed to make before reaching Italica, at a small monastery halfway there. Inside, an injured old man was being best cared by the nuns of the Healers Guild.
"Lord Godasen…."
The Master Mage was severely hurted, lying in his bed with one less arm, so he could no longer perform his most powerful spells and was little better than an apprentice mage. His legs were crushed and unable to carry him yet, but the care he was receiving should restore some mobility over time.
He was just a shadow of himself.
"Milady Pina? Why…. Why did you come from the capital here? Did the Senate instruct you to bring me back to publicly execute me for my failure?"
"Don't be ridiculous. W…. Why are you alone here? You are the master mage of the Empire, where are your disciples?"
"My disciples took shelter and returned home or wherever they wanted to go. I released them from my service."
"Bu…. But why?"
"To save them. To prevent them from sharing the same fate as me."
"But what…. What happened to Alnus?"
"Has anyone spoken to you about the fate of the reinforcements sent to Alnus?"
"It has been established that the enemy had conjured spells of wind, fire and some clever illusions to rout the army during a night attack."
Godasen was seized with fury upon hearing these stupidities.
"WHAT ? THESE IDIOTS BELIEVE WE HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY WIND, FLAME AND ILLUSIONS?! THEY STILL BELIEVE THAT…. ARGH... HUFF HUFF…."
Unfortunately for the master mage, his health did not allow him to get angry.
Godasen made himself as comfortable as he could in his bed and delved into his memories, recounting to Pina what had happened from the day he first walked through the Gate until the night he had ordered the retreat of the army.
"How did you survive?"
"I had decided to bravely face what would come from the Gate. I was expecting a horde of monsters or something. Instead, the wall that prevented us from crossing began to grow. I was pushed against a blind spot in the construction we had created around. Then I don't know. When I regained consciousness, my apprentices were there. The first of them, Myros then explained to me the general's Numerius disobedience and the destruction of the camp. My apprentices then gave me first aid and brought me here at my request. The Mother Superior of this temple of healing is an old acquaintance. She agreed to let me stay until I was fully recovered. I told my apprentices to leave, hide my survival and watch out for them. How did you find me? Did any of them betray me?"
"No. Just rumors of a wounded mage who had survived Alnus trickled into town. I wanted to meet him. I never imagined it was you. On another matter, however, General Numerius did not mention that you ordered a retreat." Pina asked.
"According to Myros, one of my apprentices, he disobeyed the order to retreat, which resulted in the destruction of the camp. He must have thought that was not the kind of "detail" they should mention to the Senate and the Emperor."
"I guess that's true." Pina facepalmed.
"Princess, you must understand something very important. This enemy has nothing to do with what the Empire has faced before. I am a master mage. It was not illusionary magic, the being who came to the camp and spoke with Podawan is not a human despite appearances. I don't know if he really is an Apostle but I do know that he is not human and his magic which is unlike anything I have ever seen was not illusions. I actually saw Podawan turn into a toad in front of me. I really felt the invisible wall crush my limbs."
"I can't judge it. I am not a mage. Court mages believe that the enemy cannot advance into Imperial territory and that this dome will eventually fail for lack of mana. My father instructed me to make contact and determine if the individual is a simple mage or a true Apostle and what his intentions are."
"I don't know what his intentions are and I don not know if he is a real Apostle or not, but I know he is not a simple mage. That I confirm".
"I'm not going to abandon you as it is. I will bring in some experienced healers from the capital and make sure none of this falls on you."
"Princess, I beg you, don't do that. It's too late to help me. Apart from my apprentices and you, everyone must believe me dead".
"Eh? But why? If you are worried about my father's reaction, know that he won't hold it against you. My mission is precisely to promote peace talks with beings across the Gate. He doesn't care to find a culprit".
"I'm not worried about your father. These are all noble families who have lost a son or lost money and need revenge. They cannot hit the enemy so they will surely hit me and my family. My only hope to protect them is that they think I'm dead."
Pina was saddened because she had to admit that the master mage was probably right. However, despite the compassion she felt, she had a duty to do.
"Master mage. Tell me at least one thing. What kind of person is the magician, I need to know to prepare to meet him".
"Princess. I have already told you everything I know. If you want to know more you will have to ask Count Colt."
"It is not possible. If all you're saying is true, Colt is a hostage at best, a traitor at worst. Either way he won't help me. You must help me, if you die or disappear, all this suffering will have been in vain. Help me and I will help you. I will keep your secret, I will use my influence to protect your family. I give you my word" the princess promised as she knelt beside Godasen, holding his hand in plea.
"Wait a moment, let me think."
Godasen plunged back into his thoughts for a few moments.
"There are…. maybe something. This is only a light feeling but….".
"But what?" Pina asked, her eyes filled with hope.
"I don't think the Apostle is hostile. I felt like I was talking…. to a child."
"Eh?"
"I don't know what happens to the beings beyond the gate, but the Apostle himself, who is called Amiek if we trust the Count, seemed…. Unable to lie. I didn't feel any duplicity in him. Gigantic power yes, but no deception or manipulation. He was like a child".
"You mean he could be easy to handle?"
"No, I mean he's totally unpredictable and what he says should be taken very seriously, even if it seems incongruous. I have seen children with powerful magical powers before, they are very dangerous because they are not mature enough to use them. They can easily kill someone in a moment of anger without realizing the significance of their actions. This is why these children are usually left with a special guardian to prevent them from doing something dramatic. This Apostle looks like them… but with the powers of the gods."
"Thank you for your warning."
"That's not all. I have one more thing to tell you, come to think of it."
"What do you tell me?"
"While I was on the other side, when I was leading the army, the Goblin leader who was under my command came to talk to me."
"The goblin leader?". Pina was surprised, what did the goblins have to do with the current situation?
"Yes. His name was Roak. He was a goblin like any other and all there is to say about him is that he was a little bigger than the rest and he was a little more intelligent. However, something scary happened."
"What?"
"He had smelled something, like the other goblins. He spoke of a house of the "great old one ". He said he didn't understand but that he "know" and that we had to go. At that moment I was amazed. At the time I thought he was just afraid of the strangeness of this place, but since then I have had time to think about it and I think it was not fear, well not exactly. Goblins don't know fear. It's an emotion…. That they don't feel, just as they are incapable of love or loyalty."
"That, I confirm. I myself have purged enough Goblin caves over the past few years to know that these beasts fear nothing and fight to the end. But why are you talking to me about this? What are you trying to tell me? "
"What I mean princess is, ESPECIALLY DON'T be fooled by appearances when you meet the Apostle accompanying Colt. He seems weak, easy to handle. It is absolutely not the case, never relax your vigilance".
"I don't believe it's an Apostle. I am willing to believe that those beyond the Gate have very good magic but if it was an Apostle then why would the gods open the Gate?"
"I don't claim to know the wishes of the gods, but I do know what I saw across the Gate. This place was beyond what I could have imagined. I felt far more humility before the metal giant than before the few Apostles I have encountered in my life."
"Master mage, it is obvious that these were illusions."
"Still clinging to this idea? Very well, so be it. If these are illusions then mages capable of such illusions will win this war for sure. Better to negotiate with them."
"The empire will not lose this war."
"You are still free to believe that it is a war, but I warn you again Princess, Apostle or Mage, the powers of these beings are comparable to those of the gods, and much more powerful than the Empire. Keep this in mind when you meet them."
"I… will be careful Thank you for all Master Mage Godasen."
Pina left the room, leaving Godasen to rest as she pondered his words. She now had to go to Italica where she would meet the young Countess…. Or at least Count Colt's daughter. The survival of the latter remained to be confirmed. Godasen had spoken of him, but Pina did not rule out the possibility that the Count was dead and that Godasen had simply seen an illusion. Everything in the reports converged to this theory.
She would avoid talking about it. This had to be confirmed first and foremost, and although she did not know her personally, she did not want to give the girl false hopes…. Especially if his father was indeed a traitor who collaborated with the enemy.
On the way to Italica then. She thus hoped to obtain more complete and more recent information from the House of Formal than simply by relying on rumors.
Incidentally, she especially hoped that this story of Flame Dragon was exaggerated. She had enough problems without having to worry about this monster.
-0-
On another plane of existence, 11 deities met. The gods of Falmart were in meeting again. It was Zufmuut who presided. He seemed to enjoy leading the proceedings which the other deities couldn't care less about. In addition there was some logic in a god of order wanting to organize things. That's his role after all.
"Well. Before we start this meeting, does anyone know why Wareharun is away?"
No answer.
"So I guess we'll do the meeting without her and ask her for an explanation afterwards. Now, I would like your opinion on the development of the situation".
It was Elange who answered first.
"Well I think we can take the idea of illusion out for good. What we saw in the minds of the soldiers was very real. We have had proof of this with the Flame Dragon."
"I agree with my brother but that raises another question. Who are these beings? I have never seen or even imagined anything like it." Ral added.
"I have another question: can we fight them? I observed this armor. She is perfect. I will be unable to do that and I see no way to pierce it. I don't know what it's made of, but it didn't match any metal or alloy from my forges." Duncan added.
"I have an even better question. What do we do if he starts spreading a new religion? And if in addition it is contrary to ours? I saw the faith and hope in the eyes of the people of Coda and rumors began to circulate in Italica. I fear a new holy war. Whether the creature is a god or not.» Explained Deldort, Gods of the Covenant.
"Bah. It won't be the first we have, nor the last. If this creature ever tries to oppose the order of our garden, it will know our wrath" Palapon retorted.
"I am okay. However, we should know more soon. Now that my little Rory has contact with the creature, I have an agent in her city."
"Ah yes, the flying city. Let's talk about it. What are we going to do with this stuff? We can't swallow it underground if it becomes necessary like with the city of Romulus, and I don't believe rain, wind or lightning will do anything. If ever we are to destroy it, we will have to manifest ourselves." Said Lunaryur, the god of music.
"So what? If you were still a mortal I'd say you're scared. You're not so what would bother you? Are you afraid your lullabies are useless?"
Emroy hated and respected Lunaryur at the same time. He loved war songs, which boosted the morale of the troops and could even cause a war frenzy in some, but he hated the calming aspect of some songs. Certain wars which promised their share of deaths and bloodriver had been stopped by bards which "calmed the tensions". Regardless, in no way did Emroy underestimate the music power.
"What worries me is that I have lost control of the weather around this city. My light can still pass, but the winds and clouds no longer obey me. I wanted to cause a rain but soon after it started the rain stopped. I felt an obstacle as if the elements were controlled by another, more powerful force."
As he said this, Flare believed that the entity inside the city had created an area around him that he was in full control of. He was totally unaware that it was just the climate monitoring systems inside Alnus monitoring the weather around.
There were still many debates but one entities remain silent. Hardy. She observe her peers with amusement.
"And you Hardy, have you something to say? You are the first concerned it seems to me, it is because of you that we have this problem."
"As I said before, I just opened the Gate like each of you already does at least twice and under the same circumstances. The fact that the situation is completely different than usual doesn't make me feel guilty about anything. It could have happened to any of us. I don't feel particularly concerned".
An awkward silence fell over the assembly. Most of the time they hated when Hardy was right and there she had totally reason.
"You should at least be concerned that the entity resurrects the dead. It concerns you it seems to me."
"In fact he raised YOUR dead, Emroy, not MINE. All the souls of my kingdom are still there, I have just counted them. Besides, I am jealous."
"JEALOUS!?"
"Yes. If only my dead could be resurrected, or better yet, stopped to die, that would be fine with me. It would do me less work."
Everyone nodded in resignation. Why, why but why did Mirittia choose this girl to become Apostle and then goddess? She was absolutely neither worthy nor fit for such an honor.
"At times I wonder why you haven't become the goddess of pleasures, laziness or idleness. It would suit you much better" Emroy sighed.
"I had thought about it at the time, but I was afraid I would get bored quickly. This is the downside of this function, when you do nothing you get bored quickly. At that time I thought that the dead were standing still and the underworld was calm. I had no idea how boring it was to tidy up souls."
Everyone just facepalmed but no one wanted to discuss this shameful topic any further, because there was nothing anyone could do about it anyway.
"Okay, so again, what do we do now?" Zufmuut asked.
"The same as before, we just wait. Now that Rory is in the city, I can see what's going on from within, gauge the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, learn more about their objectives," Emroy said.
"And what did you learn? I will be curious to know what this city looks like from close up." Ral asked with a smile.
"I prefer to keep this information for now. I'll tell you more at the next meeting."
Granted, the point was that Rory was in an artificial sleep and he was unable to wake her up, but he didn't want to brag about it. The others didn't need to know anyway.
"I think we must preparing for war. I hope we don't get there, but there is no time to waste time". Ral said in a rare burst of concern and determination.
"As I said earlier I have been studying the giant's armor over and over again, from what I could perceive during its brief appearance," Duncan said before adding.
"Let's be clear, I am unable to estimate its harshness and I have not found any loopholes that can be exploited. If a fight takes place, in my opinion the best approach would be to concentrate all our strength on a specific point".
"It's good to know if things get that bad. However, war with these giants is the last thing this world needs," Zufmuut asked.
"So take my advice: a preemptive strike. Let's immediately converge towards the gate and destroy it. A show of force can often prevent war. Believe in my experience," Emroy retorted.
The meeting was going to be long, and once again no solution was proposed.
But the Falmart gods weren't the only ones watching the situation from afar. They too were being watched.
There he is, floating in the void of space and he is waiting. He's been here for a long time, but few people know about it. Not as long as the planet, but long enough to have seen the birth of the first gods, but not long enough to know what was before. He's had plenty of time to guess, but he can't verify them. He watched the opening of the first gate and through it he saw other worlds. He saw kingdoms being born and he saw them die. He saw each be born, live, and their souls migrated to soul realm on the day they died.
And he fears that soon there will be nothing more to see.
The Celestials have arrived on this world. Their methods and objectives are well known to his people, so he knows that whatever the Celestials' decision, soon Falmart will not be the same.
Maybe the planet will be destroyed.
Normally he should remain impartial and refrain from judgment, but he must confess to himself that he would prefer the survival of this world. However, he knows that as it is, it is unlikely. In this kind of scenario, there is an 87.36 percent chance that the Celestials will choose to purge the planet and reset its evolution from the Hadean stage. 8.74 percent chance that they will opt for a more or less complete overhaul of the biosphere and only 3.90 percent chance that they will deem this world worthy and leave…. Until their next visit.
The best hope of this planet are the acts undertaken by the unknown Celestial. He is not a member of the host, on the one hand, because he has no information about him, on the other hand, because certain details prove his inexperience in this situation.
His observation of the young Celestial aroused his curiosity. The so-called Amiek seems more and more in tune with those he studies. Is he aware that he himself is being observed by several others including himself? Too bad he couldn't share his observations with the Celestial and have a discussion with him. It would be very interesting. However he cannot because it would be an intervention on his part and like all of his race, Ygarth has vowed to be content to observe, never intervening, regardless of the consequences and his personal feelings.
This is the eternal oath of the Watchers.
Okay, here it is for this time. I hope to finish the Italica chapter before Christmas. It all depends on when I can go back for a walk. It's the Coronavirus and French president which decides.