At his words of agreement, Alter once again felt Kalaton’s otherworldly gaze focusing upon him. In previous interactions, this scrutiny would have caused him to flail and spasm, or at least feel most uncomfortable. However, it was different now. There was a warmth to the god’s attention, a feeling of security, understanding and appreciation. It would be so easy to drift away on the currents of this sensation, and in this moment he understood how some people become intoxicated by faith. But, tempting as it was to simply stand and bask, this conversation was by no means over. Boozehound squared his shoulders, cleared his throat, and continued their line of questioning.
“Once we find the cause and snuff it out, what will happen to us?”
UPON THE ADVENT OF OUR SUCCESS I WILL GRANT YOU YOUR DESIRES. THOSE WHO CAN BE RETURNED SHALL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY. THOSE WHO WISH TO REMAIN SHALL ALSO BE ALLOWED TO.
“Hold on a moment.” Alter interrupted. “What do you mean by ‘those who can be returned’? That implies that not all of us are going to have that option. Am I understanding that correctly?”
YOU ARE UNFORTUNATELY CORRECT. FOUR OF YOU HAVE RECENTLY COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE DESTRUCTIVE ASPECT OF NEROTHYLL’S POWER THAT BURNS AWAY AT SOUL. IN THAT MOMENT THE LINK THAT CONNECTS THEM TO THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN WAS BURNT AWAY. TO ATTEMPT TO RETURN THEM IN THEIR CURRENT STATE WOULD BE TO CAST THEM ADRIFT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS. A FATE WORSE THAN STANDING BEFORE THE WITHERING GAZE OF MULLISVAR’S CHORUS.
“That’s us, isn’t it?” Riptide turned to Alter, his voice quiet. “When that spear-wielding Soulkindler hit us with those flames. The two of us, Walross, and Whim, we’re never going back.”
As he heard this, Alter felt the familiar, heavy stone of anxiety form in his stomach as he tried to parse the uncomfortable fact. Beads of sweat began to glisten on his forehead as his heart rate suddenly ramped into three-digit figures. Slowly and unconsciously, his left hand crept upwards and covered his face. He screwed his eyes tight shut before letting out a long, juddering breath. He’d been doing so well, his mind had turned into a fortress, a bastion of logic and determination that kept hordes of doubt at bay. But now, at this moment, the walls began to crack and tumble away. His breathing quickened, not to the point of hyperventilation, but fast enough for the feeling of light-headedness to cause the corners of his vision to swim out of focus.
“Is this a truly permanent problem?” Boozehound asked in a soft, pleading tone.
THERE MAY WELL COME A DAY WHERE THE LINK IS REFORGED. BUT IT WILL NOT BE SOON. IT COULD BE MANY DECADES BEFORE AN ATTEMPT IS POSSIBLE.
It was cold comfort to say the least, a handful could mean an entire lifetime. But it was hope enough to stop Alter from continuing to spiral. The stone remained, and would likely do so for some time, nevertheless he was able to get his breathing under control again, and managed to pry the disguising hand away from his face. Opening his eyes once more, he gave a nod and a murmur of reassurance to soothe the concerned look Riptide was giving him. If Kalaton was going to be unexpectedly open about things then it was his responsibility to keep going.
“Before we came here, it was widely believed that we were the only humans in existence. Your bringing us here has disproved that, and it leads me to wonder. If this world is a testing ground for the other gods, then what about us? What is our home to you?”
ARE YOU CERTAIN YOU WANT THE ANSWER TO SUCH QUESTIONS? MANY OF THOSE WHO HAVE PURSUED SUCH LINES OF QUERY IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN MOST TROUBLED.
“I’ll be alright. Please, can you answer the question?”
IT IS A PLACE WHERE LIFE HAS BEEN LEFT TO FLOURISH WITHOUT ANY STRICT OVERSIGHT. LIKE A GARDEN THAT HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO GROW WILD IN ORDER TO DISCOVER WHAT FORMS UPON IT. I, AMONG OTHERS, THEN USE YOUR WORLD TO POPULATE OTHERS SUCH AS THE ONE YOU ARE IN NOW.
Alter’s eyes strayed back down towards the floor as he pondered what this meant. So, the earth was like a garden centre, combined with some sort of inspirational art piece for creator deities? That was a lot to chew on.
“And, what about time? What’s that doing over there?” Riptide asked nervously.
TIME FLOWS AS IT MUST ALWAYS DO. AN EVEN TICK ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.
“You know, you were right. Knowing that is equal parts comforting and terrifying.” Boozehound muttered.
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“I think we’ve had enough existential crisis-bait for one conversation, let's get a little closer back to the matter at hand. I doubt whatever is causing this crisis is going to be found right next door. Do you want us to be ready to travel at a moment's notice?” Alter asked, very keen to change the subject.
TRAVEL YOU WILL. HOWEVER YOU NEED NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE OR THE SERVICE IN WHICH YOU BIND YOURSELVES. THERE IS A REASON I BROUGHT YOU DOWN INTO THIS SANCTUM. ALLOW ME TO DEMONSTRATE.
A sudden shaking caused the three men to widen their stances and brace. Above them, the crystal lights embedded in the ceiling began to shift and move like stars dancing across a stonework sky. Once they had halted in their new configuration, Kalaton spoke once more.
YOU HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED FROM SITE-17 TO SITE-05. PLEASE EXIT THE TEMPLE FOR THE MOMENT AND CONFIRM IT FOR YOURSELVES.
The men looked at each other for a moment before shrugging simultaneously and beginning to make their way back up the ramped passageway. When they arrived back in the temple’s main chamber, differences were immediately spotted.
“Look, the flower basket is different.” Riptide pointed towards the altar where the basket had indeed been replaced.
“Really? You noticed the flowers before spotting that all the benches were a different colour?” Boozehound smirked.
“The doors are carved differently, too. It certainly seems like we’re in a different place. Is it me or does it feel a bit hotter now?” Alter quickly interjected before Riptide could respond.
“Well then let’s find out, shall we?” Riptide hurried across the rest of the room and threw the double doors wide open with a loud creak.
Bright, piercing sunlight immediately caused the trio to shield their eyes as a wave of hot, dry air rushed into the interior of the temple. Small pools of sand that had gathered outside eddied through the open doorway as a playful breeze pushed them around. Once his eyes had adjusted to the drastic change in light conditions, Alter looked out at the vista on display before him. Arid was the word that best described the scene. The early morning sun had shifted into sometime just past midday, with at least double the intensity felt in Jestriff. In the distance beneath the cloudless sky, row upon row of rocky, red-hued hills stretched away in all directions. Sparse, hardly looking trees sprouted amidst grassy tussocks that appeared half-dead in the heat. The temple itself was situated on the highest hilltop, looking down to the valley below revealed a town mostly composed of squat, square buildings on either side of a small river that sprang from underground. Alter could make out people moving between the structures, though none could be seen on the winding path that led up to their lofty vigil. Finally, to either side of them sat three other temples to the other gods, their surprisingly similar architecture making them easy to identify.
“It’s beautiful.” Boozehound spoke with a smile.
“It’s bloody hot.” Alter countered.
“Fast travel system unlocked, I guess. Imagine all the cool places a god puts their houses that we get to see.” Riptide grinned.
“All marvelous and ethereal, to be sure. I think Kalaton has successfully proven their point, let’s get back inside before someone notices a bunch of strangers watching them from a place they really shouldn’t be.” Alter commented before turning to head back inside.
The others took an extra few seconds before following, pulling the doors back together behind them. Once they had made their way back down into the sanctum, Kalaton again made his presence felt.
AS YOU HAVE NOW SEEN, SO LONG AS MY TEMPLE IS MAINTAINED I CAN MOVE YOU BETWEEN THEM USING THIS SPACE. WITH THIS I SHALL DELIVER YOU TO THE PLACES YOU MUST ACT. HOWEVER THERE ARE MANY OF MY TEMPLES THAT HAVE FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR THAT CANNOT BE USED. AS SUCH THERE MAY STILL BE TIMES WHERE I CANNOT BRING YOU CLOSE. NOW, I BELIEVE THAT IS ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY. I AM SURE YOU HAVE MUCH TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR COMRADES.
“You certainly have. We’ll take our leave, then.” Alter agreed and, feeling the need for some ceremony, bowed deeply to the empty space.
With the others in tow, he made his way back up once more, and out into the familiar Jestriff streets filled with people none the wiser to their magical round-the-world jaunt. Confident that he no longer had to worry about malicious prying ears, he began to speak as they moved.
“That’s certainly given us plenty to talk about. What do you reckon the others are going to think?”
“I believe they shall be receptive to this new mission, although fighting more Unrepentant is going to be a pain.” Boozehound replied.
“What about Oliver and the others? We can’t keep him in the dark if we’re going to start disappearing into the temple for unknown amounts of time. We’re on payroll, after all.” Riptide asked.
“I think we can trust everyone enough to give them most of the details. Kalaton’s got his claws in us, he needs us to deal with an unknown threat the only we can handle, and that we promise to give as much advanced warning as we can before we set off. Sounds fair?”
“I can agree to that.” Riptide answered happily, with Boozehound nodding along.
Suddenly, the Frenchman’s face turned pale, and his head slowly turned to look at them with a serious expression.
“Not to put a downer on this, but we got some pretty nasty news back there. You two seem to be handling it well enough but what about the others? Simon will probably take it well, but we all know how adamant Peter has been about making it back as soon as possible. So, umm, which one of us is going to tell him that he’s not making it back for his wedding?”
