Chapter 263: Tanavol

"It's about time..." I said.

"Hold on. You don't seriously think Kestel will actually go for this, do you!?" Aldaril said.

"Who or what is Kestel?" I said.

"The Avatar of Creation. He's basically my mortal enemy. The foremost reason why Hikari was murdered and why I was exiled...other than that evil bitch, Nirani..."

"You exiled yourself, if I remember correctly. And while stealing the Eye of Order, too," I said.

"That's beside the point! Kestel is a very dangerous man. The only one who rivals his power is Eris, the Avatar of Destruction. And trust me when I say this...even you would struggle with her. Hell, you would probably die if you fought her..."

"You doubt his Majesty's power!?" Cassandra said.

"Eh...no... His strength isn't the problem. Our strength is. Mizik...the Elder Core shouldn't be underestimated at all. The Avatars of Tanavol are far stronger than any gods you've ever met. They're invincible! My power on Delvandal was only a tiny fraction of what I'm really capable of around that core!" Aldaril said.

"I know, Aldaril. I've been there before in a past life. I was fortunate that they left me alone for the most part. But...I have a job to do. Besides, what if the Corruption gets there before us?" 

Aldaril smiled and shook his head. Then he laughed.

"Seriously? The Corruption that WE faced? It would take nothing short of Difar himself to kill even one Avatar. Not even Valtheim could manage to destroy us if we all fought together. Kestel would make a mockery of her with his creation power and Difar would be incapable of attacking as long as...ugh...Nirani is around..."

"The...Avatar of Peace, right? If memory serves, you lived in that realm," I said.

Aldaril gritted his teeth in rage.

"Yeah...I idolized her... Nirani was a goddess to me. But as soon as I was cursed with this stupid Eye of Death, she turned her back on me. She treated me like a monster..." 

"Considering what the second Avatar of Death did, are you surprised?" I asked.

"I was a citizen of HER realm! I lived by their laws and loved my home! My family lived there, Mizik! I got roped into a bunch of nonsense in the Order realm because of the War and Chaos realm's actions and that was that!!!" 

"Eh...maybe you all should go? I don't have much else to say... And I'd like some alone time with Iris, if that's okay..." Johann said.

"Consider it done. And Johann...thank you for making her happy," I said.

He smiled. 

"I'm just glad to have her by my side."

Iris leaned on Johann and smiled contently.

"Alright everyone, let's get back to the ship. We have work to do," I said.

* * * 

We went back to the ship via teleportation crystal and made the call for everyone to return.

After a few minutes, they all came back and we took attendance.

Everyone was examined to ensure nothing had somehow replaced them and we got to our stations.

However, once they left to go to their stations, the three Enforcers and Rune remained. They seemed greatly bothered by something.

Sensing this, I decided to ask.

"You four...is something the matter?"

Jallah looked at Leiso.

"Should you tell him or should I?" He said.

"I'm the leader of the Enforcers. It should be my responsibility," Leiso said.

Isabella and Cassandra seemed confused.

Leiso looked at me and frowned.

"Mizik...we had a serious talk last night and came to a conclusion. As much as this hurts...our place is by Iris' side. Since she has taken the position of Johann's wife, she will likely be staying on Excelsis permanently. And...that means we should stay with her," she said.

I let out a sigh. This wasn't a conversation I was expecting to have.

These four were like family to me...

Their positions could be easily replaced by the Conquerors and heart soldiers, but I never wanted to do that. 

They were special.

Regardless...I understood. They likely wouldn't have a role in the coming battle and things would only get far more dangerous from here on out.

"Then I take it you four are resigning...?" I said.

"No way...after everything we've been through...?" Isabella said.

Cassandra remained silent. Then...I heard her begin silently weeping.

"Hey! C'mon...please don't cry, you two! We're not going away forever, really! We're just going to be staying on Excelsis!" Jallah said quickly.

"I accept your resignations," I said simply.

"Wait...just like that? You're letting us go?" Jallah said.

"Of course. Things will only get more dangerous from here on out. Leiso, I still expect you to help us with repairs, if that's acceptable. Same to you, Rune. You four have been an invaluable service to our cause. I understand completely," I said.

"Mizik!" Isabella said.

I held up a hand to silence her and turned away. I could already feel tears in my eyes.

"Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to be on the Cursebreaker. Do me a favor and get off my ship. Collect your things and go."

"Thank you, Mizik. For everything," Carlos said.

"It's been an honor. I'll see you four when we get back," I said.

After that, the four of them left.

I took a few minutes to calm myself down and made my way to the bridge. Isabella and Cassandra remained silent the whole way.

I arrived and stood near the main console.

Rastair was the first to speak.

"Hm? You okay, captain? You look more upset than usual. Need some time in the sack with a pretty lady?" She said with a sly smile.

"No. You keep barking up that tree and the answer will always be no..." I said.

"How lewd! The captain doesn't need anything like that! What he needs is a nice plate full of pancakes and a glass of milk!" Virtus said.

"I don't need that, Virtus. And what am I, five!?"

"Virtus, he's a MAN!!! Pancakes and milk are't going to calm him down!!!" Rastair growled.

"Why!? They're a wonderful combination! I don't doubt that he would be overjoyed-"

"Virtus, please shut up or I'm going to kiss Isabella," I said.

"N-no...please don't! That's lewd!!! I'll get pregnant from proximity!"

Rastair rolled her eyes.

"Weirdo..."

"Do I still get a kiss...?" Isabella said quietly.

"Listen up everyone, I'm only going to say this once. Leiso, Jallah, Carlos, and Rune are no longer part of our crew. Their place is by Iris' side here in Excelsis. We can still visit them, but-"

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! NOOOOOOO!!! NOT BIG BROTHER CARLOS!!!!" Virtus wailed.

"Please stop crying..." I said.

"That's...a lot to take in... Even for me..." Rastair said.

Was that an innuendo...? No...couldn't be...

A few of the heart soldiers looked sad and I could see Masina wipe tears out of her eyes.

"I'll deal with promotions and the like later. Someone will be filling each of their roles. Who that will be, I'm not sure... But I'll get around to it, eventually. Now then, all I need is for the Artificer to send me the-" The ship's console lit up with a series of numbers. "There it is..." I said.

The coordinates of Tanavol flashed on the screen.

"This is really happening then...isn't it...? Dammit... And without those four...?" Aldaril said.

"Oh Aldaril... It'll be okay! Really!" Nasuria said.

She grabbed his arm and squeezed her chest against it.

"Your Majesty...? May I assist you? I would be honored in this trying time..." Masina said. 

She had closed a book before I gave the announcement about the Enforcers.

Something she did often was read whenever possible and kept a small library in an unused section of the ship documenting coordinates and historical events.

Masaina was more like a goddess of books and lore-keeping than moons...

It was her love for common literature and classical writing that made her despise Iris so much in the first place.

"Come here, Masina... Rastair, disengage the anchors and fly us into the firmament," I said.

Masina came close and stopped. She looked at Isabella quizzically.

Isabella nodded, giving permission, and Masina hugged my arm as usual while I connected myself to the ship's console.

"You got it, sir..." Rastair said.

She slammed her glaive into the console and twisted it.

The ship unhooked itself from the platform and rose into the air. 

Rastair twisted the glaive again and moved it forward.

"I'll handle the complex calculations from here, Rastair. No need to trouble yourself," Virtus said.

"Huuuh!? You think I need help from you, pipsqueak!? Go do a system check or something. This is my territory!" Rastair said angrily.

"Nnngh...MEANIE!!!" Virtual yelled.

"Quiet down, both of you..." I said.

They glared at each other and said nothing else.

"Masina, take us to Tanavol," I said.

I could see Aldaril looking my way with a worried expression. I knew he was absolutely dreading this, but he would have to make due...

We were already under a lot of stress due to four of our beloved family members missing.

"Yes, your Majesty," Masina said.

The ship fired the twin portal generators on the front and we exited Excelsis.

Moments later, I felt Masina's power activate. We entered the divine transit and arrived over an exceedingly strange world.

It looked like eight worlds arranged in a sphere...

Actually, it was more like seeing several pieces of one world all surrounded by their own barriers. In the center of the cluster, was yet another world. That one was heavily obscured by what looked like black static. Threads of magic in multiple colors could be seen crossing all around the inner region.

Masina began breathing heavily and I caught her before she could fall.

"Haah...haah...thank you...your Majesty... You're too kind..." She said.

"I'll transport you to your room. Rest until you feel better. Then let the gods of this world know that we're here," I said.

"Yes...I will do just that. Thank you..." She said.

I unhooked myself from the console then teleported Masina to our room. I used used magic to lay her on the bed.

She passed out immediately and I teleported back Once that had been taken care of, I looked over to Aldaril.

"Who should I take with me down here?" I asked.

"You're asking me...?" He said.

"I was only there for a short time before getting killed by a Demon King. I have no way of knowing how strong the Avatars are," I said.

"Tanavol doesn't have any Demon Royals...not that I know of, anyway..." Aldaril said.

"It has two, as far as I know. Maybe they arrived after you left?"

"Ugh...bastards... Fine. I don't recommend anyone other than our strongest members. You and the Albatross twins...maybe Stella? She might not be strong enough even as an Ascendant... Probably not...uh... Yeah. You three should be able to handle it. Good luck! Let me know if you manage to find Kestel and I'll make myself scarce," Aldaril said.

"There seems to have been a misconception..." I said.

"Nope. I understand perfectly. You asked who should go down there and I answered."

"You're coming with us whether you like it or not, Aldaril. That's an order. I'm sorry, but I need you to do this."

"Gah...figures... Dammit... Well, I don't know if I can take Nasuria with me-"

"I refuse to simply let you be part of this traumatic world without me. I can link myself to you through my bead and boost my power to your level. I'll be fine, my love," Nasuria said.

"Your fox bead might not be able to handle that kind of power, Nasuria. I can already feel my energy rising, being so close to the Elder Core..." 

"I don't care. I swore that I would stand by your side and that's what I intend to do." 

"Fine...stubborn fox..."

Nasuria was beaming with pride over her success.

"Alright then. If she insists, Nasuria can come along, too. Where would you recommend going first as a place to set up a base camp?" I asked.

"Anywhere but the Peace realm...but that isn't an option. The Peace realm is a point of entry for Tanavol. The ONLY point of entry... We'll be meeting Nirani very soon...ugh...evil bitch..." Aldaril said.

"We'll talk more about it in a moment," I said.

I tapped the console and set the backup team to be comprised of Stella, Sato, Mikoto, and Gin. Normally, the Enforcers would have been part of the backup team...I felt greatly saddened that they weren't here right now.

"Enter the world, Rastair," I said.

"You got it!" She said.

The ship lurched forward and we flew towards the world barrier. There was a secondary outer barrier surrounding the entire cluster. Eventually, we flew through it and the ship seemed to...slide towards a certain angle. As if it were being directed by an unseen force towards a specific direction...

"Uhh...captain..." 

"It's alright, Rastair. Like I said before, the Peace realm is the only point of entry. It's directing us there. It should be fine," Aldaril said.

"Well put, Aldaril," I said.

Finally, we approached the Peace realm's barrier. As soon as we got close, a large portal opened and the ship flew into it.

The Cursebreaker entered a massive sprawling city with a great castle sitting in the distance.

I narrowed my eyes as I felt a tremendous energy scan our ship.

"So this is..."

"The Peace realm..." Aldaril said.

I had an extremely faint feeling of impending doom.

"Code red. The Corruption might be around. It's faint, but I feel it," I said.

Virtus tapped a few keys on the console and touched the side of her head. The ship's intercom turned on.

"ATTENTION! THIS IS VIRTUS! WE HAVE ENTERED THE CLUSTER-WORLD OF TANAVOL! THE CAPTAIN HAS DECLARED A CODE RED! STAY ON HIGH ALERT AND EVERYBODY REMAIN CALM! REMEMBER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND DRINK PLENTY OF MILK!" Virtus said.

"Idiot..." Rastair mumbled.

After that, Aldaril clutched the area over his left eye and I saw the cyan blue light of the Eye of Death flare up.

"Isabella!" I said

She enclosed him in a barrier as his energy violently exploded. It took everything she had to keep it contained. 

Once it finished, Aldaril composed himself and Isabella released him.

"Gah...that was intense... I feel much better, though..." Aldaril said.

I couldn't believe what I was looking at.

Aldaril's power had just multiplied exponentially. At this point, he might've been able to kill me. His energy readings were on my own level.

"This is...normal...?" I said.

"It is. And you might have put everyone in terrible danger by coming here. This is your last chance, Mizik. We might still be able to find a way around this..." Aldaril said.

"No. We'll press on. The ground team will consist of myself, Isabella, Cassandra, Aldaril, and Nasuria. Let's get moving!" I said.

We moved towards the lift bay and prepared to descend.