Leveling up the World

Finding the cult’s temple was easier than one expected. After Dallion had put on the ring from the general, the cultists in the area of the forests had stopped targeting him, moving to the southeast instead. It wasn’t a straight line. The cultists would stop, waiting till they gathered in small groups, then move on.

The closer Dallion got to the temple, the more helpful the aetherbird became. The creature helped Dallion follow the slight traces of void lingering behind the cultists groups. It seemed that they were less careful when outside of the cities. Either that, or Aether was extremely good at picking up what no one else could.

He’s far too eager for you to get there, Nil whispered. You know what that means.

He needs me more than I need him.

It’s all a matter of degrees. He’s a Moon’s familiar. He can survive pretty much anything. Not that anyone would dare go that far.

If something happens to me in the temple before I set him free, the Star will have him to do as he pleases.

I still say you’re taking a huge risk.

For half a day, Dallion kept on tracking the trail. The interesting thing was that the trees, plants, and animals proved incapable of detecting the cultists at one point. Dallion couldn’t get a valid explanation from the aetherbird, but from what he could make out, it had to do with the amount of void matter when the cultists got together. Apparently, in large enough quantities, the substance had the power to become invisible to all but magic, and other voidlings.

When night came, all cultist activity stopped. Unlike what Dallion was used to on Earth, it was the night that monsters feared. In darkness, the power of the Moons was unimpeded by the suns. If Aether could be believed, that helped them see better. Nil, same as Dallion, was skeptical about the matter.

“Which way?” Dallion whispered. “South?”

Why do you keep asking me? the aetherbird chirped in amused fashion.

“You’re already helping me, so just go all the way. You know where the Star is.”

I knew where he was a few years ago. He’s clearly not there, now.

“The temple’s location hasn’t changed.”

This is where you’re wrong. The temple might not have changed, but its location has. Don’t you even know how the wilderness and areas work?

Dallion had no idea. He knew the basics that every awakened was aware of: settlements created a protective domain around them, keeping them safe from wilderness influences. The stronger the area guardian, the larger the area, the more influence could be exerted within. That turned cities into fortresses aware of any unhidden awakened within them. Depending on the owner and the guardian, they were able to instantly invade the realm of anyone who set foot there. However, Dallion doubted this was what the aetherbird had in mind when asking the question.

The wilderness is a sea, Aether continued. Settlements are chunks of ice on the surface. With enough strength, one can pull them down.

“The Moons won’t allow it.”

It all depends on the circumstances. Besides, the Star never intended to destroy Nerosal. He wanted to have it and move it.

Not too long ago, Dallion believed there was little that could surprise him. Once again, he had been proven wrong. What annoyed him more was that the explanation was something he could have figured out on his own if he didn’t stick to old pre-conceptions.

Nerosal hadn’t just been a show of strength, it was supposed to be the Star’s new city; not the Nerosal of today, but the ruins buried beneath. Once the city had been swallowed up by the wilderness, the Star could have moved it anywhere he wished in anticipation of the aetherbird’s return. The world swords were likely only a small stepping stone in the grand scope of things.

“Why not just take the buildings in the fallen south?”

You think he’s stupid? If he could have, he would. The temple is all he could move about and do so frequently.

That explained why it was so difficult to find.

“Can’t he just change provinces?”

The Star’s not omnipotent. The aetherbird laughed. With the wound I gave him, he can’t achieve anything spectacular. He’s probably crawling like a grasshopper, trying to move away from you and other dangers. Thanks to the ring you got, things will probably calm down.

“What do you know about it?”

Enough to know that the star can’t see you. That’s why it’ll be stupid for him to shift locations, especially in his state. At this point, all he can do is hope you don’t find him before he recovers. That and that you won’t be able to pass through his defenses.

There was clearly a lot more that Aether wasn’t saying. Dallion was no different, even if he had a lot fewer secrets to share. When it came down to the final battle with the Star it was going to follow Earth rules, and that included elements that Dallion had learned in high-school—things he never thought would have any practical application.

The tracking continued the next morning. It was very much like aether had said: more and more groups were gathering, some of them dressed in the fashion of the far north. As all the ones before, they had as few item guardians as possible. Always the same thing would happen: they would gather, form a group, then seem to vanish in the forest. Several times, Dallion was in a position to attack a whole group and several times he didn’t. Brute force wasn’t the answer to this problem, it was patience. Around noon, he was finally rewarded.

One cultist had been careless enough to bring a stolen dagger with him. The weapon guardian wasn’t at all pleased, screaming his head off for anyone who could hear; and Dallion did have the ability to do so.

Combining three skills, he sprinted along the tree branches, aiming towards the single cultist. Just to make things more certain, he convinced the dagger to fall out to the ground.

The cultist bent down to pick it up, and never rose up again. One single hit with the Nox dagger was enough to crack his head, granting him a quick, painless death.

You could have gone about it in a more elegant fashion, Nil commented. He could have cried out.

“He didn’t.” Dallion went through his belongings.

Other than the knife, there was nothing of value. The man had simply been responding to the call to get back to the temple. This presented a limited opportunity, and Dallion quickly took it. Switching clothes, Dallion then left all non-combat items, including his armadil shield, hiding them within the hollow of a tree. It was a risky move, though less risky than being spotted.

Thread cutter and dartblade too, Nil reminded.

This wasn’t something Dallion agreed with.

It’ll be risky enough smuggling a harpsisword in. The dartblade is a dead giveaway.

Theoretically, he would still be able to summon them while in the awakening realm—since the items were linked. It was getting to that point that worried Dallion. Fighting without a shield was bad enough. Having to go without Lux was beyond reckless.

“I’m relying on you getting to me, Lux.” Dallion put him on the branch of the tree.

Got it, boss! The firebird chirped.

“Ruby, you’ll have to hide as well. Don’t go out until I say so.”

Sure, the shardfly replied.

Three weapons and his skills against potentially hundreds. Dallion would be surprised if there were over a thousand present, though given the roots of the Star, anything was possible. Right now, his greatest weapons were going to have to be stealth and cunning, both of which had to be achieved without relying on music skills. For all intents and purposes, Dallion had to become a cultist, one with a completely different set of abilities than his own. It would have been a lot easier if Gleam were here. She would be able to use some of her illusion magic, to make things go smoother. Sadly, that wasn’t an option.

Done, Dallion adjusted his dark beige cloak and dashed forward.

Keep going for a few miles, Aether said. I’ll tell you where to stop.

“Don’t trust me. I’ll get there on my own?”

Your group’s waiting for you. If you’re seen moving about in circles, they’ll know something is wrong.

“How are you sure they’re waiting for me?”

The system the cults have established is quite smart, but that’s only because most of their cultists are stupid. Groups are composed of eight members, all of which have similar void concentrations.

“Will I get in trouble?”

The void threads of the clothes you took, combined with your crackling, should be enough to fool them. No one in their right mind would try to infiltrate the sect.

Everything still involved a lot of guesswork, but it was better than the alternative. After a few more seconds, the aetherbird told Dallion to stop and turn to his right. Soon after, he reached the spot he was supposed to. Five cultists were already there, waiting. A few glanced Dallion’s way upon arriving, the rest didn’t even do that, waiting still as columns.

Looking at the faces, they were common—everyday people that wouldn’t be noticed in a crowd. One, similar to Dallion, was wearing a disfocus ring and, judging by the position of his head, was looking back.

After about five minutes of silence, the seventh member of the group arrived.

“We need to go,” she said. The intonation of her voice suggested that she had authority.

“We’re still seven,” the person with disfocus said.

“Two groups were killed off. We’re going as we are.”

Not time to see how you do it, Dallion said to himself.

The members of the group gathered together. Dallion did the same. Then, without warning, smoke threads of void matter emerged from all of them. Dallion’s output was a lot less than the rest, coming only from his clothes. Thankfully, it didn’t seem that anyone noticed. A sphere of smoke quickly formed around the group, after which the world suddenly faded away. One flash and the entire forest was gone, replaced by a barren rocky desert. Another, and they were in a sea of blackness, similar to what a person turning into a chainling would be.

The sea of the void, Dallion thought.

The aetherbird hadn’t been using metaphors when describing it. Black murky water was in all directions, though every now and again there were other bubbles—bubbles full with eight people each all flying at high speed towards a common point.

Now it was clear why no one was able to track the cultists after a specific point. This was their world, a domain that at the same time wasn’t a domain, just void in various forms.

Fascinating, Nil gasped. To think I’d see this. There’ve been theoretical studies, of course. Scholars have argued upon the concept for centuries, but to see it…

All it takes is to join a Star cult, Dallion replied in cynical fashion.

Sorry to disappoint you, dear boy, but it doesn’t work like that. Mages cannot be affected by the void, not while they are alive in any event.

That was news.

That’s why mages are more inclined to enter deals with him, Dallion added. Meddling with all those cursed artifacts…

Also why we have to be so careful when we do? We can still be killed, but worse, if we’re not careful, we can carry the void without noticing two items and people who are less fortunate. As you promptly found out during your fight against the phoenix, the spark has the same effect on us as it does on the void. We cannot cleanse ourselves from void, not in the fashion the Order does. Rather, we have to meticulously examine every inch of our own beings and everything we carry. Unless we are a Moon’s familiar naturally. You see, magic has its limits. We just don’t talk about it.