Well. I wrote this chapter all of two days after uploading the last, but then found myself having a run of bad timing as the login system went down. Oh well. Finally, we begin to move into the first major "main quest" of the story. Enjoy.
Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge
Chapter XIV: Higher Powers
[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Elevator | 1:47 PM]
The whirring sound of the elevator does little to distract me from my thoughts, which at the moment are focused on one thing.
Guardian Forces.
Namely, my attempts to remember what I can about them, other than the basics. I know that Guardian Forces are commonly perceived as avatars of things that exist in nature. Quezacotl embodies storms, Shiva embodies ice, Ifrit embodies flame, and so on. So, if that perception of the Guardian Force's true nature is correct...then that means that Guardian Forces are essentially gods or goddesses.
"That is correct."
Apparently, Shiva can read my thoughts to some extent while junctioned.
'So, you guys are some sort of gods?'
"As you would define the word, no. However, clearly we are not mortal. Guardian Forces such as myself cannot be killed, in the true sense of the word. We may be incapacitated for a time due to the strain of maintaining defensive barriers over the one that is summoning our power, but there is no way to truly kill a Guardian Force."
'So you're immortal.'
"If you wish to put it that way, yes. We do not reside on this plane of existence, but merely make ourselves manifest in a form that mortals such as yourself may understand and see."
I had generally assumed that there was another plane of existence that was the home of the gods, specifically Freya, but I really don't know a whole lot about it. But now...maybe I can get some answers.
'So what is this 'other plane of existence,' anyway?'
"It is known among mortals as the Ethereal Realm. Essentially, it is the realm of the gods, such as Freya and Odin. Few mortals get to experience the sights of the Realm, but there have been humans who have traveled to the higher plane."
That gave me a good deal of surprise. Out of all the things I had expected to hear, that certainly was not one of them.
'Freya lets humans into the realm of the gods?'
"Under rare circumstances, yes, humans are permitted into the Ethereal Realm. For the past few centuries, it has only been for special training. Those permitted were chosen by Odin himself."
'Odin? I thought he was a Guardian Force, like you?'
"Odin is not just any mere Guardian Force. That title would be incorrect. Odin is the god of war, and even in the Ethereal Realm, few are capable of even matching his strength. However, Odin lends his strength to those that have proven themselves exceptionally capable in battle. That is where the misconception of his nature as a Guardian Force arises."
'Oh...'
"You seem rather curious about the higher plane," Shiva says, giving the mental equivalent of a smile.
'Well, I came here because, supposedly, Freya said that I needed to be here for some reason. I don't know anything about her, or this Ethereal Realm you talked about. The only thing that I really know about that classifies as a godly being is Hyne,' I reply.
"Do not worry. If Freya has said that you have a purpose here, then it is so. I am sure that you will find it, in time."
'Nothing I can do about it, at any rate. Except wait, of course.'
My mind shifts its full attention back to reality as I approach the Trabian square, heading over towards one of the shops. I'd started to think about purchasing a new weapon a while ago, but never got around to it. After seeing all the shops here at Trabia, I started thinking about it again. No better time to look than the present, in any case. It takes me a minute of searching to find the shop that I'm looking for, but I soon see the one that I'm after, walking up and stepping inside silently.
[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Location Unknown | 1:47 PM]
No noise was heard, nothing except the footsteps of a single figure as they walked quickly through one of the many Estharian mansions in the city. The 'click-clack' of the figure's shoes echoed throughout the large structure, reverberating off the many doors and walls of the hallway. Turning a corner, the figure stepped up to a large, oaken door, opening it silently and stepping inside before shutting it with a faint 'click.'
"You wanted to see me?" the figure asked, a woman's voice sounding clearly through the brightly-lit room. A chair behind the only desk in the room, a large chair with brown leather covering that matches the general decor of the room, twitched slightly, the seated figure behind the desk giving only the slightest movement to acknowledge the woman's presence.
"Yes. I have a job for you," a voice, obviously male, replied from the chair, his calm voice carrying an aura of command with it.
"Oh? So soon after the last?" the woman questioned, curious as to why the time frame may have shifted so.
"This requires a certain...how shall we say, urgency in the execution. After all, I would hate for such a prized artifact to slip through my fingers."
"Such as?"
The man turned slightly in the chair, reaching behind him without looking and taking a picture from the desk, before turning it and placing it back on the desk. The woman approached slowly, bending slightly to take a better look at the picture, before giving a small gasp.
"Is this...?"
"Yes. It is one of the stones," the man replied, the chair moving ever so slightly once more.
"Rumor has it that one of the stones is here in Esthar right now," the woman said, eyes still fixated on the picture.
"Yes, well...one of your colleagues is investigating that rumor as we speak."
Standing tall once again, the woman clasped her hands behind her, turning away from the chair and desk.
"Where is the stone located?"
"About eight miles outside of Trabia Garden. I'll provide you with detailed directions shortly," the man replied, folding his hands on his lap. "Such a pity...the DeValles are lying on top of a wonderful treasure...and they aren't even aware of it. I, on the other hand..."
"When do I leave?" the woman asked, her tone clearly showing that she was all-business.
"You'll leave as soon as I give you the directions," the man told her, standing up and looking out the window directly behind the desk. "Be ready to leave in ten." Without a word, the woman nodded, turning on a heel and walking out of the room, letting the oaken door swing shut behind her. The man simply continued to stare out of the window as his associate left, watching the clouds float through the sky silently.
"Soon...very soon indeed..."
[Ethereal Plane, Location Unknown]
The Ethereal Plane.
Realm of the gods, haven of the higher powers. The home of those charged with shaping, and even the very creation of, reality. It is here that everyone has a purpose, be it to create, to foresee...or simply to observe.
A lone figure sat in front of what appeared to be a small, blue portal, focused intently and watching as images flashed by one after the other within the ovular vortex. The portal shimmered with its own, faint glow, casting the magical light over the small area. The surrounding area itself was pristine, resembling part of a courtyard. A small stream flowed gently along the ground, ending in a small spring, and small bushes dotted the area, neatly trimmed. The figure knelt closer to the portal as the images continued to scroll, trying and failing to make sense of what the images might have meant, before sighing.
"Perhaps Freya was right when she said that humans aren't meant to be understood," the figure, a young woman with long white hair, said softly, her green eyes never leaving the portal. Her attire almost seemed unfitting for a goddess, consisting of no more than a simple tan robe and small sandals. "I can't even begin to imagine how long I've watched their actions, and they still confuse me..."
A small frown suddenly crossed her face, however, as another image entered the portal. Once again focused on the object of her viewing, she leaned closer to get a better look.
"What's this..."
The image was of a small, green stone, glowing brightly from its position on a desk. The stone lit up the surrounding area with its glow, giving the otherwise dark room a light-green hue. The young woman all at once stifled a gasp of surprise, seeming to recognize the apparently inconspicuous gemstone. Standing up quickly, she dispelled the magical portal with a wave of her hand, momentarily at a loss for words.
"It can't be...after all these years, could it really be one of them?" she said out loud, a look of worry crossing her face as white light slowly gathered around her. "I must tell the Mistress at once..." Folding her hands, the girl closed her eyes before vanishing in a small flash of light, headed to the central location for affairs within the Ethereal Plane itself.
[Ethereal Realm, Palace of Creation]
(Play: Valhalla - Motoi Sakuraba, Valkyrie Profile)
The Ethereal Realm has many great castles and structures, dedicated to events of the past, champions of the present, and visions of the future. None were as magnificent as the castle that the young woman stood in front of now, though, being the place in which the Creator herself resides. The castle itself was magnificent, resembling an ancient cathedral of sorts, with the exterior created out of the finest stone. The stone was a deep shade of black, giving the castle an outstanding appearance among the rest of the area. Many other gods and goddesses moved about the outside courtyard of the structure, tending to their duties, and the young goddess moved quickly but carefully around them, pushing open the doors to the castle and stepping inside.
The interior, she knew, was just as beautiful as the exterior, with pillars of marble holding up the ceiling of the enormous structure. The walls and ceiling were lined with beautiful murals and words written in a language beyond comprehension that detailed events long past, even as far back as the beginning of time itself. The walls almost seemed to shimmer, the ancient decorations shining as brightly as when they were first inscribed. The woman took no time to admire the area, however, instead moving quickly and silently through the halls as if she were no more than a ghost. Her sandals made small tapping sounds on the stone floor as she moved towards her destination, deep within the castle.
After a long period of moving quickly down the ancient halls, the woman finally came to a stop in front of an enormous door, a brilliant white in color that contrasted sharply with the dim tones of the rest of the castle. Two guards stood solemnly in front of the door, one to either side, each clad in shining golden armor and wielding large and beautiful, yet deadly, spears. The woman stepped close to the door, unaffected by the presence of the royal guards, before kneeling down on one knee.
(End: Valhalla - Motoi Sakuraba, Valkyrie Profile)
"I come to you, wise and beautiful Mistress, with news of great urgency. Please, allow me access into your sacred chamber."
The doors seemed to respond to her request, slowly swinging inward to grant access into the room beyond. Hurriedly, she made her way into the room, the great doors sealing themselves once again as she entered.
The inside of the room that the woman walked into was nothing short of breathtaking. Lavish paintings, sculptures, and designs much like the ones in the rest of the palace adorned the entirety of the room, and an exquisitely designed throne of shining silver sits at the back of the room. Perched upon the throne was a beautiful maiden, slender and delicate in appearance, but seeming to exude an aura of command and wisdom. Her long, blond hair flowed softly over sparkling green robes as she smiled sweetly at the woman, blue eyes fixed intently on the standing figure.
She was Freya, the Creator of the Ethereal Plane, and the supreme authority over all beings in the Ethereal Plane itself. The woman quickly bowed to the plane's overseer, kneeling in front of the throne in respect.
"Lady Kisara, Ethereal Mage, warrior of Xeios, you may rise," the woman on the throne commanded, watching as the woman stood quickly. "What news do you bring to me?"
"Forgive me, Mistress Freya, but it is a matter which I felt urgent. The first of the Holy Stones, Aries, has been discovered," Kisara explained. Freya seemed untroubled by the news, remembering numerous times in the past in which similar events had happened without incident.
"Mortals have been passing the Holy Stones down unknowingly for centuries now. What is so troubling about this news?"
"Because, Mistress...it has been unlocked as we
A small frown graced Freya's face as Kisara spoke the last words, the news obviously at least somewhat troubling to the Creator.
"Unlocked, you say? The demon inside has been released?"
"Yes, Mistress. The demon known as Velius has emerged and made a pact of power with a mortal."
"This is troubling news, indeed," Freya remarked, one hand going to her chin as she looked downward, deep in thought. The Holy Stones contained great power, though mortals had long since forgotten how to unlock the true power contained within the artifacts, a fact that had kept Freya from bothering to take action to remove them from the mortal plane in the past.
"What should we do, Mistress Freya?" Kisara asked, looking intently at the Creator.
"We will not interfere with the mortals' actions at this time."
Kisara's face turned to one of shock at Freya's response. Surely she could see the risk inherent with such a decision, could she not? "But, Mistress-"
"The Holy Stones are a problem, I agree, but it is a problem that can afford to wait," Freya replied, cutting Kisara off before she could object. "You are well aware that even now, we have our own troubles to contend with. We are not to interfere with the affairs of the mortal realm until it becomes necessary. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mistress," Kisara said slowly, a small sigh leaving her lips as she reluctantly gave up the argument. The young goddess bowed once again as light gathered around her, before she vanished, returning to her own private haven in the Ethereal Plane.
[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office | 1:50 PM]
"There's a transmission for you from Esthar, sir," a female voice spoke through the communications line, causing the figure sitting behind the desk to nod, pressing a button on the console in front of him.
"Patch it through," the headmaster of Trabia Garden, Darius Elric DeValle, Sr. replied, turning his attention to the small computer screen in front of him. A moment later, the screen changed from a blank screen to showing the face of a young man, probably in his early twenties, dressed in the standard uniform of an Estharian soldier.
"Good afternoon, Headmaster," the man greeted, keeping his mannerism professional as he addressed Trabia's headmaster.
"Good afternoon," he replied calmly. "You needed to speak to me?"
"Yes, sir. We've got...an issue of sorts. Approximately seven minutes ago, our para-magical energy detectors began picking up a strange reading somewhere outside of Trabia. I'm feeding you the coordinates to your console now. We're not sure exactly what the disturbance might be, but-"
"You want us to look into it," the headmaster interrupted, causing the man to nod.
"Our department wanted to dispatch a party to investigate, but the President refused. He said that we should contact you, since it's in your region."
"I see. I'll have it looked into immediately," Darius Sr. replied, nodding.
"Thank you, sir," the man said, ending the transmission with no further ado. Calmly, Darius Sr. pressed a button on the console on his desk, the image of Katanas DeValle appearing on the screen after several moments.
"Yes, Father?" the eldest DeValle son asked, watching as his father leaned back in his chair.
"I need you to investigate a disturbance outside of Trabia," Darius Sr. replied, typing something into the computer in front of him. "You should have the coordinates momentarily. Estharian technicians just picked it up and contacted me with the request to look into it. I want you to go check it out and report back to me."
"Understood," Katanas replied, the screen flickering back to black as the transmission ended.
[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Darius DeValle's Shop | 1:51 PM]
"Well, well, well. What could you possibly be doing here?" Darius says as I enter, a sarcastic undertone to his voice.
"Take a guess," I retort, looking around. "I'm not picking flowers." Revolver's shop specialized in melee weapons of all kinds, it seems. Darius' shop specializes in one thing.
Guns. And lots of them.
Displayed in cases along the shop's interior and mounted on the walls are guns of every sort. Rifles, shotguns, pistols, and others that I honestly can't say I recognize right away.
"Looking for a new weapon, huh? Well, I'd say you've come to the right place. Then again, knowing you, I'd be surprised if you could shoot straight," Darius comments, looking me over. "You don't even look like the type to use a gun."
"Looks can be deceiving, you know. I'm not too sure that my enemies would expect me to pull out a rifle and start shooting, what with the amount of knives and swords I have on me," I reply, smirking slightly.
"Sadly, you just might have a point," Darius says, shaking his head.
"Anyway. What kind of rifles do you have?" I ask, looking over some of the ones on the wall.
"Anything you're looking for, really. I've got everything from simple bolt-action rifles, to pulse rifles custom-made in Esthar."
I wasn't really expecting to hear the words 'pulse rifle.' Granted, a pulse rifle may be a nice investment, but personally, I don't think I need that kind of firepower.
"What about that one?" I ask, pointing to one of the rifles mounted on the wall, a small rifle with a design much like a classic .22 caliber rifle. Carefully, Darius walks over and takes it off the mount, holding it up for me to see.
"The CL-A4. Nice rifle, all in all. One big drawback for in-battle use, though, and that's the fact that you only have one shot. After that, you've got to reload. It's accurate, though, probably one of the most accurate single-shot rifles that I have."
"Well...I want something that I could use well in a tough fight, if I had to. I'd hate to have to reload after every shot in the middle of a fight with a T-Rexaur, or something."
Darius takes a moment to consider my words, before placing the CL-A4 back on its wall mount, then stepping over and taking another rifle off of its mount, holding this one up for me to see as well.
"The BXR-03. Third in a series made by Esthar. This rifle is made for versatility, and holds 12 shots in the magazine. It isn't as accurate as the CL-A4, for instance, but it shoots practically any kind of ammo you want, from standard .308 caliber ammunition all the way up to Pulse Ammunition. Of course, I don't have any of that in stock. Garden policy, you see."
The rifle itself is bigger than the CL-A4, a smooth, streamlined rifle with a silver finish. Carefully, I take the rifle from Darius for a moment to examine the weight, finding that the rifle is somewhat heavy, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to use it well with practice.
"How much for it?" I ask, and Darius smirks.
"Think you can afford it?" he says, and I shrug.
"Not until you tell me the price, of course."
"Two hundred and seventy thousand Gil."
I whistle softly, amazed somewhat by the price. Making a general assumption that the rate of conversion from Gaian currency to Earth currency is one hundred Gil to one dollar, that's two thousand and seven hundred dollars. It's also practically every bit of the Gil that I have on me at the moment.
"Why so much?"
"This rifle was made by master gunsmiths in Esthar. That alone should explain enough. But, this is one of the highest-performance rifles that exist right now, as far as solid ammunition rifles go. I can only think of four that perform better. And if you think that's expensive, I doubt you want to know how much the pulse rifles sell for."
"You know? I think you're right," I reply. Sighing, I take out my wallet, removing the money inside and counting out five fifty-thousand Gil notes, as well as two ten-thousand Gil notes. It only leaves me with around twenty thousand Gil, but I believe it will be worth it. Taking the money, Darius places it into his pocket before walking behind the counter, reaching down and pulling out a strap. Quickly, he attaches each end to special places on the rifle, before handing it over to me.
"What kind of ammunition do you have, while I'm at it?" I ask.
"Almost everything, really. I've got the standard ammunition for every gun here, special spread rounds for shotgun-like fire, darkness enchanted rounds for blinding enemies, elementally-imbued rounds, dense ammunition for inflicting maximum damage, and ammunition made specially for optimizing semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire. I'd have more, but I'm not allowed to sell the rest."
"Let's see...I know there's also armor-piercing ammunition, and Pulse Ammunition, like you mentioned before?"
"You're not completely oblivious, then. Like I said, I can't sell those under Garden's rules. Too dangerous."
"Then just give me three boxes of the regular ammunition, then," I say, causing Darius to turn to a set of shelves behind him. Scrolling down the contents quickly with his eyes, he selects three boxes from one of the middle shelves, handing them over to me.
"That'll be another fifteen hundred Gil."
Putting my money back into my wallet, I take out a single two-thousand Gil bill, handing it over to Darius, who gives me a five-hundred Gil note back. Placing the bill into my wallet, I put it away, before setting the rifle down beside me. Darius just watches as I spherechange to my Gunner dressphere, putting some of the ammo into a small pouch on the belt encircling my waist and then shouldering the rifle. Quickly, I spherechange back to my special dressphere, the rifle vanishing along with the rest of my Gunner dressphere.
"Guess that's it," I say, turning back to Darius. "Thanks. I've got to say, you really seem to know your stuff."
"Well, I wouldn't have my own shop if I didn't, you know," Darius retorts, with no small amount of pride in his voice.
"Guess not," I say, heading for the door. "Later." Without waiting for a response, I step out of the shop, headed back out of Trabia Garden to train once again.
Hopefully, this chapter is as good as I believed it to be while writing it, as this will begin to set up the basis for the upcoming part of the story. You'll begin to see a lot more point of view changes, as well, as I begin to show what's happening in other parts of the world. As always, please read and review!