The land of eternity
After a long discussion with Lex, I finally got teleported to the palace. The night was closing in so I had to hurry.
I managed to convince one of the guards to let me in and lead me to the throne room. There I saw Crimson Ruby talking with some people, probably some city business, so I waited a while. She then saw me and I think she started to make the discussion end more quickly. Then she tells the others to leave and she calls me closer.
- So you are finally here. How was your trip?
- It was quite a journey. Didn't think it would've taken that long to finish.
- Then, were you successful?
- Can't say for sure, but at least Kiat promised to stop. But he's the demon prince of lies and tricks so I don't know how good his promise is.
- That is at least something. Did you find the reason why he talked to Sario?
- He only told me that it was for some god. Didn't specify which.
- So the true mastermind is likely to be someone else. Great work.
- Now that that's out of the way, do you know where Aktor has gone?
- Last I heard, he went on a ship that was sailing to the Isle of Aeternus. Before that he was investigating the sudden appearance of weird golems in some mines.
- Weird golems. What's that all about?
- There have been reports of some strange looking golems that take control over some mines, both abandoned and occupied. So far the reports say that they will not attack unless provoked, so there have been investigators who went to the mines and observed them quite close.
- What did they find?
- Some of the golems were made of wood or simple rock and they were the ones mining the mines. There also were golems made of bronze, silver, gold and glass. Some of the golems are still unidentified. Each type of golem seems to have a different type of fighting style. For example, the gold ones are mostly observed to use magic, the bronze ones are observed to use swords and shields and silver ones seem to be using bows. Glass is still unknown as it hasn't been observed to do nothing on the mining sites. Only when someone with an ill intent comes to the mine, they disappear from sight. It is speculated that they are assassin types of golem, but there has not yet been solid proof.
- I see. Where does the mined ore go then?
- That is the weirdest part. They usually bring the ore to a golden golem and the ore suddenly disappears. It is suspected to be some kind of transportation spell.
- I take that they are a headache to the countries owning the mines?
- You have that right. We had to send many soldiers to wipe them out and they luckily tended to not return.
- Has Aktor actually found anything about them?
- So far he hasn't sent any reports that were useful. Though he did say he saw a white and greenish variant of the golems. Oh, and also he said he saw ones that looked like they were made out of diamond and one out of mercury.
- But nothing else, huh. So, maybe I should follow him to this Isle of Aeternus. Why did he go there exactly?
- Something about political trouble. He seemed quite annoyed that he had to go there.
- Annoyed, huh. Wait.
- What?
- I just remembered something important.
- What? What did you forget?
- I forgot my ransu at the stables.
- You... you forgot your ransu?
- Yes. I need to make Lex teleport me back to Palsu so that she doesn't have to be separated from her owner.
- This... ransu... What is it exactly?
- She is my loyal ride, of course. She and I have traveled far and wide. I have to get her back. Perhaps I will need her.
- Well... You do that. I will go sign some papers and go to sleep.
I inform Lex about this emergency and he seems to not cooperate, so I threaten to not tell him anything interesting that might happen in the future. Then he reluctantly helped me and he made me a whistle that could summon her from anywhere from the world and back to her original realm. Lex said that it is better to keep her in her own realm. I arranged with the stable master about this and I offered to pay him the normal amount each week so he seemed ok with the arrangement. Lex seemed quite annoyed after the fact but I didn't care, since I got my trusty ride I'm going to call Bell.
Then Lex teleported me to a ship that Aktor was in. I didn't see him close to me so I decided to ask around for the captain to find out whether I was on the right ship and about my sudden appearance and payment for the trip.
When I talked to him he seemed quite surprised by me deciding to teleport to a ship rather than to the destination. I paid the boarding fee, with a discount for not being here the entire time, and he let me go around the ship.
Then I found Aktor leaning on the side of the ship. He seemed to be deep in thought so I quietly walked next to him. He doesn't seem to notice me. I hear him muttering.
- Oh how simple things were back then.
I don't say anything and just start leaning with him. Then he sighs and says.
- Why have you come here?
- To help with whatever you are doing.
- Are you so proud of yourself that you think you can solve every problem?
- I don't think I can solve every problem I come across. Just look at what happened on Nearn. I couldn't do anything to the people who needed help. It is a complete ruin of a country. Haven't actually heard what came of it in the four years. I wonder if there is any progress. Why do you ask? You seem annoyed.
- Just having a bad trip. That is all. Didn't want to go there, but I made a promise a long time ago, so I need to go there.
- Why do you hate going there so much? Did something happen there?
- It's both. I lost a family member here and her body is buried in the soil there.
- I would have thought this was a great opportunity to pay your respects. But am I wrong?
- No, you are right. I just... The memory is always so strong that... Nevermind.
- I see... Then what is the other reason you don't like to go there?
- Have you heard what the place is called?
- It's the Isle of Aeternus. What is with that.
- When translated from an old text, it means "The land of Eternity".
- Land of Eternity. Sounds pretty impressive. Does it have any backing?
- It is said that the land was made by the gods for their visits into the overworld. It is said that they created it to withstand the passage of time and it is somewhat proven. They say that, in terms of aging, a human who's born there and lives the rest of its life there, can live up to 300 years old.
- 300 years old?! That is quite impressive.
- It has to do with the ground and soil that has been enchanted with something. The rock in there is close to impossible to break by normal means. The natural life here has also adapted to it. They say that the soil was made to resist erosion.
- That is interesting and all, but why do you have a problem with the land of eternity?
- While the physical erosion is proven to take much longer in the soil there, the same does not go for the mind.
- What do you mean?
- When things that last longer than they are meant to, they tend to make people forget that the end is inevitable that we all must face and deal with in time. Something that last longer than it should, must still be replaced one day. And just because it lasts, doesn't mean it is necessarily good.
- So you say that people tend to take the slower erosion for granted?
- That is part of it, yes. Now that you are coming with me, you will see what I mean.
- Now I'm quite worried.
- Don't worry. We can go see some landmarks and the nature there. Those two are the only things I like about the place.
- Okay. How large is the landmass compared to Ehstos?
- It is a little bit smaller than the entire continent of Ehstos. It is also the capital for the five gods belief and the entire land is covered by the pope and his elites as a one country.
- I hope we don't clash with some fanatics.
- Boy do I have bad news for you.
- You gotta be kidding me.
The rest of the way took only four days and during that Aktor told me about the landmarks there and about the animals there.
There is a place called "Diamond teras" and it is a garden made purely out of diamond. The flowers, the building, everything. Then there is the golden tower that is said to be the place where the god of time Aeon rested. There is also Chator, which is an arena full of unbreakable stone pillars.
There are also a mythril statues to honor the dragon lords Bahamut, Tiamat, Fafnir, Stoor, Kur, Lóng, Ryū, Quetzalcoatl and Akhekh. Dragon lords are the first dragons that came to be. Apparently Bahamut, Kur and Fafnir have died thanks to their fighting, but their descendants still live. Aktor also told me that the statues are said to be in the original scale and they are huge. I need to ask more about these dragons later from someone.
Apparently the plants and animals have adapted to the unchanging land. The plants have adapted in a way that they can move the soil in a way that normally is impossible for plants. The soil is apparently hard to move around so it takes special tools to move it. That doesn't mean that the ground is rock hard but it feels as soft as normal soil. You just can't dig in it easily. But the grass has adapted to be able to.
Aktor said that it is a common belief that the animals were blessed by the gods Vita and Cantio. The animals seem to hold much more mana in them than they do in other places. Some of them can apparently cast some spells. Especially the animals who tend to be smarter.
Aktor said that it is thought that the great thunderbird comes from here, though it is not proven. Apparently thunderbirds are native to the region so the fact that the great thunderbird comes from here is not far-fetched. Though some say that the great thunderbird can take a humanoid form, but no one has been able to prove it.
Then we finally see the land, but apparently that is not where we are headed. We only stop by the port town. The port town that we stop by is mostly for trade and we aren't here for that. The city we are headed to is surrounded by a huge island almost like the crescent moon.
The center island we are headed to, is the capital of the Isle of Aeternus. The name of the city is Atlas. It is called the most luxurious place in the whole of Norbul and many want to go there for a visit.
In only a couple of days we see the turning point towards the center island and in only a couple days more, we see the capital city Atlas. The city is blistering light from the shining towers. The port of Atlas is huge and filled with many hundreds, if not thousands of ships. We finally are docked to the port.
We take our first steps on the land and I'm filled with awe at the size and beauty of Atlas. Then Aktor taps me in the back and starts walking towards the city.
- Let's get moving. The faster we are out of here, the better.
- Can we at least go see the things you told me about?
- After we are done with our business.
- Fine. But it is a promise.
- You probably will leave this island with Lex's teleport, so you don't have to worry.
We start walking for a while. I slowly got a weird feeling and I told Aktor about it.
- It is the slowed down erosion coming to effect. You get used to it soon.
We keep walking for a couple of hours until we are in front of a giant church. The doors were bigger than you would have thought.
- If you are wondering why the church is so big, the answer is that it was built, by the gods, to house all the races. The giants included.
- That would explain the size. Are we going in?
- It is the place the person who called me lives in, so of course we are.
- I see... Wait what!? Living here. Wouldn't it be some important figure?
- The one who called for me is the pope after all.
- The pope did...? You know what. Why should I be surprised at this point. You probably know many more important people for all I know.
- Don't worry. I'm even surprised about how I manage to do it sometimes.
We enter the church and call for a nun. The nun asks us to verify ourselves and Aktor shows her a letter. After she reads it she guides us to the pope's room. There were lot of guards on the way there so I was little nervous.
At the pope's room I see a well dressed old human man, some luxurious items and a lot of paper. He started talking.
- Aktor! My old friend! It's been a while! How have you been?! Come here and sit down. Your friend too. Hey, could someone bring us some tea!
We are seated down and as ordered, someone brings us a warm cup of tea. It tastes wonderful.
- Now then. Could you tell me more about your friend here? I trust he is someone I can count on?
- He is Nor and he is someone I trust quite a bit.
- And pray tell, why have you brought him here?
- I trust him and that's all you need to know.
Aktor gives him a sharp look.
- Right, right. Well, where are my manners? My name is Pope Kristoffer the IV and I am the current leader of the Five gods religion and the ruler of the Isle of Aeternus council.
- I'm Nor, a traveler.
- Right... Now to the main topic. I trust you have read the letter?
Aktor shows the paper.
- Yes, and I want to ask you something straight. Can you promise that we don't need to kill anyone during this issue?
- That I can't promise, as there is a possibility we need to remove him from the picture entirely.
- Right... Can you explain to my friend what we are talking about?
- Fine. Ahem! As a pope, I must do many things to ensure the integrity of our core beliefs. As such, I have come to the conclusion that the next person likeliest to be the next pope, will be taken out of the candidate pool. And to make sure he is gotten rid of, you may need to make him "disappear" from the picture, one way or another.
- I've made a promise that I will assist you in one way or another, so I will do this task as promised.
- Excellent! Since my days are closing in, I need you to do this as quickly as possible.
- We make sure this is done. Come Nor.
- Oh, make sure if you kill him, that it looks accidental!
We leave the room and while I wish to tell Aktor some words, I wait until we are out of the church's ear. We get to some tavern and order some food and drinks. We start to eat and I get straight to the point.
- So, please tell me that the guy that we are meant to get rid of is some corrupt guy.
- Unfortunately, he is a person who has done some charity work on the side and paid quite a lot of his money to fund the orphanages around the church's jurisdiction.
- So he is a good guy. Or is he just pretending to be.
- If he is, then he has been able to stay out of the current pope's eyes. If he had done something the current pope would just use it as an excuse to get rid of him, rather than calling for my help.
- Then why is he so against him?
- Two reasons. One, he belongs to a different faction of the church. Second. and this is probably the main reason, he is one of the beast folk.
- He is a beast folk... Huh... He belongs to another faction I can understand, but because he is a beast folk. Why?
- Isn't it obvious. It is because he is a racist. It's not like there haven't been popes that were other races. On the contrary. There have been more popes that were non-human than there have been human popes.
- That is... quite something. And you must keep your promise, huh.
- Yep. That's how it is.
- So how are we going to handle this?
- We have three options. One, we just kill the guy as promised and we are out of here.
- Well that is straightforward.
- Second, we make him renounce his right to become the next pope.
- And would he listen to us?
- If not, we might use some force. Third, we somehow make people think he is dead and once the current pope is dead, we announce that he is, in fact, alive.
- In that, we would need to make the current pope believe he is dead. So which one are we going to pick?
- I was thinking of plan two since he seems the type of guy who would let it go if it was better for the people.
- Why can't we just make him disappear? Not making people believe that he is dead, but just making him disappear for a while.
- If we do that, then the Pope will make us find him and we need to stay here for as long as the pope is alive. While it may not be long, it can still take a couple of months. Just making people think that he is dead lets us leave the place sooner.
- But won't there be a problem in him just appearing one day when everyone thinks he is dead and announce that he is still one of the pope options. Will people voting still vote for him?
- Look. I don't care if he is a good guy. I just want to leave this place as soon as possible!
- Won't you go pay your respects to your family member?
- That's... I still just want to leave as soon as possible. Let's just kill the guy.
- You sure are being so impatient.
- WELL WHY DON'T YOU GO WASTE YOUR TIME IN A PLACE WHERE YOU WATCHED ONE OF YOUR OWN DIE!!!
There is silence at the tavern. A while passes. The charter finally returns to the tavern. Aktor starts to talk a lot quieter.
- Look. This place doesn't exactly let me relax, so why don't we just get this over with.
- If we do it your way, a lot of people are likely to suffer. Do you want that? Why don't you think for a minute. I'm going to get us some more drinks.
I go for a short walk for a minute to let him cool off. Then I return with two drinks in my hands and I see Aktor with his hand on the table while looking down.
- Here, this isn't much but at least you don't have to be alone.
He looks up with a sad look on his face. Then he smiles while he realizes something and grabs the drink.
- At least I'm not alone, huh.
He takes a sip from his drink. He gives a small laugh and we continue to drink the rest of the drinks in silence while the rest of the tavern chatters.
Then he says.
- Let's go sightseeing tomorrow, shall we.
- Yes!
And then we go find an inn to rest in and spend the rest of the night there.