Chapter 10

"I really hope that that was necessary!" said Jackson, now looking at his hand, which showed no signs of a cut finger or of blood ever having been present on his skin.

"I can assure you it was. Tell me, do you know about The Great Mage Elodrian?"

"You would be hard-pressed to find anyone in this world who didn't know about the greatest mage to have ever lived!" answered Calvin.

"Great, but did you know that she had a twin?"

"No!" answered the three unified and confused voices.

"Well, she did. She had a twin brother who was nearly as brilliant with magic as she was. I just happen to be named after this great mage. His name was Fellaroth. Fellaroth was a curious young boy, always tinkering with new kinds of magic, or trying to find ways to improve older magics, much like his better-known sister. Over the course of a lifetime, Fellaroth was able to accomplish a great many feats, including founding a great and prosperous empire that stood for a thousand years after his death. The empire he founded was the first empire known to mankind and was one in which all people thrived. It was known as The Dyzanthian Empire, and it was a place where all people were welcome, and peace was never interrupted. All races came together in the great Arcane Academy, which encouraged its students to further the development of magic in all facets."

"An Arcane Academy, and The Dyzanthian Empire? Surely if such a thing truly did exist, then knowledge of it would be commonplace today?"

"I'm sure that records of this would still exist in some of the older libraries of this world. I'm talking about events that took place many thousands of years ago Calvin. There have been several empires to rise and fall in the days since Dyzanthia stood tall. The truth is that there would likely only be a handful of people in this world today that might have lived back then."

"Wait, you just said that you were talking about an empire that was replaced many times over, so how could anyone from that time still be alive? And on that same line of thought, how is it that you are named after and know so much about this person who lived during the first age, a person who has long since disappeared from living memory."

"It's simple Calvin, as I said, there are books in libraries around the world that still keep records of those days. Just because most of the people who lived back then have now passed on, doesn't mean that the information is gone. And as to people that could still be alive since those days, there are races in this world that have vastly longer lives than elves and dwarves."

"What, no there aren't, if these beings do exist, then where are they, and why don't we know about them?" interjected Jackson.

"There are beings in this world capable of living indefinitely, provided they do not lose their lives violently. Over the millennia it became apparent that the other races came to envy them, to the point that they were being persecuted. After some time and a number of wars, some of these races were killed off, but one decided to go into hiding, somewhere they would be able to live in peace, without ever being disturbed by the mortal races again."

"I don't understand, if they are immortals then how can they lose their lives to violence?"

"They are not true immortals Jackson. They have what is known as eternal life. So long as they do not lose their lives violently, members of this race will grow and mature until adulthood, at which point the ageing process will stop and they will then be capable of living theoretically forever. These beings are the chroniclers of history, the people who observe and record everything that takes place in this world, or at least they used to be… I would love to know what has become of them since the second age."

"You speak as though you know of them personally Fell."

"Nonsense Jackson, I have just read books and different accounts about them. So many in fact that I feel as though I may have known them at some time."

"As interesting as I find all of this, it's not the reason that we signed that blood covenant, is it?"

"No, it's not, sorry I got a little sidetracked. What I was supposed to be telling you about was the magic that Fellaroth had created. As he grew older, Fellaroth started a hobby of collecting rare and bizarre kinds of magic, the sort of magic that could change the colour of a person's hair or slightly change their appearance, or maybe make a flower bloom faster; magic that most people would find to be a waste of time. He had developed an intense love for magic in all of its forms. The problem that he had come across was that he found the need to travel vast distances to find these rare magics, once he heard rumours about them. He found it tedious to have to travel for months on end just to collect a single strange spell and then have to travel home again. So, over time, he started to develop a new form of magic to make these journeys easier and faster. He started to create gates that would allow him to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye."

"I fail to see why you think this magic should be kept secret from the world, Fell. If this magic truly does exist, it could change the world forever. Elderly and sickly people will be able to travel without fear of death. Important messages or medications could be delivered much faster than ever before. The world could truly be made better for having access to this magic!" said Riegert excitedly.

"What you're talking about is teleportation and if such a thing did exist in this world, without proper regulation it could spell disaster for everyone. Think about it Riegert, a person could simply appear behind the king of the elves, drag a knife across his throat and be gone again before anyone knew."

"But that's not what Fell said. He was talking about physical gates… weren't you?"

"Well yes, I was talking about physical gates, but…"

"But how long would it take for crafty mages to develop the magic until it reaches a point where a physical gate was no longer needed? This kind of magic should not be allowed to exist in this world, at least not until there are magical precautions put into place to prevent its abuse!"

"I think Calvin has a very good understanding of why I would rather keep this information secret."

"That story was all good and well Fell, but was there a point to you telling us all of that? Do you know where one of these gates are and where they could lead us?"

"I do Jackson. The reason I spoke with Andria, was to find out about an old fortress not too far from here that used to be long to m… Fellaroth… If my research is correct and that fortress is still untouched, then we should hopefully be able to find one of his gates there, which should hopefully allow us to travel to a location closer to The Cruwshant Mountains than we are now. Meaning that we could stand a chance of completing The Queen's request in a more reasonable time."

"I love the idea in theory Fell, but what are the odds that he ever actually completed the magic, and if he did, are you sure that we will find one of his gates there?"

"I am confident that we will find what we are looking for in that fortress!"

"How can you be so confident Fell?"

"Because I have been researching Fellaroth for a very long time, I feel as though I have lived his life myself, and Andria assured me that no one goes anywhere near that fortress because of all the traps in it. So, I feel very confident that we will most certainly find what we are looking for there!"

"Hang on, now we're talking about traps, we're not equipped to deal with traps. We're going to need to recruit a scout to our party or find some kind of magic artefact that can detect traps."

"Don't you worry Jackson; I know a spell that will allow me to detect any trap that is set in that fortress. And besides, just think about it, he was the first true king of humanity, there is bound to be obscene amounts of treasure in that place!"

"I don't like this. A few minutes ago, you were questioning every aspect of that request and suddenly you're rearing to go? What is it about this dead king that has you so keen Fell?"

"Like I said, I've been researching him for a very long time. I couldn't possibly turn down the chance to walk through that fortress again… I mean for the first time."

"Well, what do you guys think? Should we try to find this fortress and hope that this gate Fell is telling us about really exists and that it will help us, or do we start the long journey to Cruwshant?"

 "I'm going to side with Fell on this one. I don't think he would have wasted our time with some random fable, I think that Fell knows what he's talking about, and we need to trust him. I mean there's no way he would have gone through all of the trouble of making us sign a blood covenant if there wasn't some truth to what he was saying. Besides, if it turns out that this 'gate' isn't really there, then at least we will still be able to tell everyone that we were the first people to conquer a fortress that has stood untouched since the first age."

"I don't see how anyone could possibly argue with that logic. Fine, I will also trust you Fell; I mean it looks like we might be in for an amazing adventure either way!"

"Then that makes three yeses. It looks like we're headed for The Lonely Bastion!" said Calvin.

"The what now?"

"The Lonely Bastion, it's the only fortress around here that has yet to be raided, so that has to be the one you're talking about."

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, we are headed for The Lonely Bastion!"