Turns out, the carpenters were even better than Raffel said they were. They finished the first door in two days and said they would have the second done the morning of the day after tomorrow. This was exciting news, and I pulled in Aest to asked how he did it. Turns out, one of his crew already knew the best way to make the unusual joints that had concerned Aest. This allowed them to speed up the build process. I then asked him to build two more doorways, but on his timeline, because I was in no rush after this pair, but hopefully in the next two months. He agreed.
Coletec and Aile were just as proficient. They had finished the plan to complete the runs on their first day, and were already starting on the first doorway. They expected to be done today. It would only take one day to do the other doorway, when it was done. Then the two of us would empower the runes. Aile was happy to do it alone, but I really wanted to learn how, so it would be both of us. With luck, everything would go as scheduled and I would be done a few days before the deadline.
Later that morning, I met with Janos, of the Healer’s Association. The members from Toverville would be arriving in three days. I would meet with them and teach them how to cast healing spells, the day after. I told him about the Blind Quest and what I was building for it. He was anxious about the timing, but I assured him I was able to still meet with the Toverville members. He seemed relieved at that. I also informed him that he was now second in command of the Healer’s Association. He would be responsible for the day-to-day operations to ensure the focus was on healing. I would have a third party be responsible for finances, so he wouldn’t have to worry about that. I would set the rates and the salaries. His objective would be to ensure we could support all people regardless of societal position. I tasked him to come up with a plan to accomplish this, including visits to the small towns around Forest Glen and Toverville. The aim, I told him, is for the Healer’s Association to service the whole county, not just the cities.
I know that I don’t want the portal doorway in Covern House or anywhere near it. The company’s current warehouse is too busy to accommodate it, so I thought that a new warehouse, off the beaten path, would be perfect. So, I sent a note to Morisa asking him to purchase a warehouse with access to the main road for me. Unless otherwise instructed, I planned on putting one of the doorways there. This way, we could use it for our business after the Blind Quest was complete. Besides, I can also use it as a backup, if the portal business doesn’t pan out.
Fabia came by to check on me. Everything was going better than I thought and I told her son. She also let me know that Rodof and Medirre had a request. They figured that since you had a Blind Quest (I made no secret of it) and were building a Portal, that you would be going on a trip. Since no one knew where the location of the trip would be, they would like to accompany me. Not as guards, but as adventurers. Their reasoning (rationalization) was that I would need someone to watch as I slept or recovered from injury. As adventurers, they were used to handling the unexpected and could improvise. They also thought I could use their experience in unknown situations. I admit, I didn’t think about who would watch my back when I was sleeping. I asked Fabia what she thought.
“It’s always a good idea to have someone to watch your back in new places. But we don’t know if you will be allowed to bring anyone else with you. I am assuming that the Portal is being built to send you someplace, as they are. It wouldn’t be the worst idea, and both are good at adventuring. I think you should agree to let them go with you.”
“Okay. Tentatively agree, given I am able to bring people along. BUT, keep this between them and us. I don’t want anyone else to get the same idea. If I think we need more, I will reach out to the Adventurer’s Guild. Anything else?”
“Chef has been cooking for the last five days. You might want to go down there and start putting food in your storage ring. It’s beginning to pile up.”
I laughed and said “Okay, okay. I can do that now.”
Fabia and I left the office. She went to the store, and I went down to the kitchen to get my supplies and maybe a snack.
Next stop, Eldro’s.
Eldro was not very busy when I arrived. In fact, there was nobody else in the shop. I went up to his counter and asked how things were going.
“Business is slow today. Nobody has been by all day. Hopefully you are here to buy something.”
“Well, that depends. What spells do you have for sell? I may be taking a trip soon, so I need to get as many as I can.”
“I put these aside for you as you requested earlier. Earth Spike, Cone of Cold, Blizzard, Ray of Arcane Destruction, Snowball, and Stone. Each is an offensive spell, though damage varies. I also have three wands, if you are interested. The first wand is Earthen Wall, the second is Electric Spark, and the third is Molten Lake.
“Earth Spike causes a spike of solid rock to shoot up from the ground. The spike can penetrate armor and causes lot of damage. It is very good in caves, but not so good in the water. The range is 30 feet. It is medium mana expensive. Cone of cold is really a cold ray. It shoots in a straight line for 20 feet, expanding as it goes. Damage is dependent on the spell level, and at level ten can freeze living being. Medium mana expensive and if target is cold resistant, its damage is greatly reduced. Blizzard covers a large area and affects all targets, including allies, so be careful with it. Mana expensive, costing more the longer you keep it up. Ray of Arcane Destruction shoots out a one-inch beam that causes arcane damage. Damage is dependent upon level of caster and spell level. The beam can be moved around, but damages only what it hits. Many monsters have an arcane resistance, and damage will be reduced. Mana expensive to say the least. Snowball creates a snowball that you can throw at something. Doesn’t do much damage, but has a slight chance to cause Freeze. Freeze will cause an ice coating, about enough to cover your head. Mana inexpensive, very cheap. It’s a favorite of gnomes on unsuspecting targets. Chance of Freeze increases as spell level increases.
“Now Stone is a dangerous spell. It changes the target to stone. If the target is steel armor, poof it is now stone armor. If your target is a monster. Poof, now it’s a statue. Of course, the spell has to overcome the natural resistance, which is pretty high for most things. The more mana you put in the spell, the higher the chance of overcoming the resistance. Noncorporeal beings are not affected. No matter how much mana you put into the spell, it doesn’t affect them at all. You’d be better off throwing stones rather than casting this spell.
“Now, each of the three wands are rechargeable. They will use ambient magic and that takes about 3 days, if empty. You can also send your mana into them to recharge. However, there is a chance for breakage, if you push too much mana or too fast. Molten lake creates a 10’x10’ molten area that is about 6” deep. It carries 4 charges. It’s cool down takes 30 seconds. An excellent tool when trying to get away from something and in a confined space. Not many animals will willingly cross molten rock. Earthen Wall simply creates a wall of earth that is 15’ long and 5’ high. The density of the wall is set to rock, or spell level 5 equivalent. The wand has 5 charges per day. An excellent tool. Many use it to provide fortifications for protection in the night. The last one is a favorite for dealing with low level mobs. Electric Sparks sends out a random number of sparks that move randomly toward the general area pointed. Specific targets cannot be set. The damage is minimal, but it does disrupt spell casting and other ranged opponents by giving them an electric shock. This wand shoots out between 7 and 10 sparks for each use. The wand can be used up to 10 times a day. See anything you like?”
That was a heck of an infomercial. I think I need all the spell tomes, and I can see a use for at least two of the wands. Molten Lake and Earthen Wall are really useful, but Electric Spark seems too random for me. I just have to haggle with Elrod to get the best price.
“What’s the bottom line? What is the best price you can give me, if I take it all?” I started.
“For the entire package, I believe 55 gold is reasonable” Eldro replied.
“That is a bit out of my price range. I have to pay for all the member in the Healer’s Association now. That was an unexpected expense. How does 40 gold?”
“I can’t give you everything for 40, the absolute best I and do is 50 gold.”
“Well how about 48 gold and you keep Electric Sparks?”
“You have a deal.” Eldro said as he accepted my counter offer. I guess he really like the Electric Sparks wand.
I left Eldro’s and went back home. When I got there, I spent the next three hours learning the spells from the tomes and then restoring the magic to the tomes. It worked wonderfully. I was about to get the tome for Chain Lightning, when Arigulius appeared in my office. It was like he was always there. Divine magic was weird.
“Count Trevor of House Tierra, I bear greetings.” Arigulius said formally.
“Arigulius of Heaven, I greet you. Why so formal?” I replied.
“I have been requested to impart a message to you. Will you accept the message?”
A message? Is this the kind on a piece of paper or the type the mafia sends? Either way, I guess I need to accept.
“I will accept the message.”
“The Council of Angels is concerned about your usage of Divine Magic on the world of Tellus Nova. The message has been accepted and delivered.”
“That’s it. The Council is concerned. Nothing else” I asked.
“Nope. That’s it. Very mysterious I know. I have absolutely no idea what it means. But since we have history, they felt I was the best one to convey the message.”
“Tell me what Divine Magic I’ve been casting. I don’t know the difference. To me magic is magic.”
“Divine Magic is transcendent magic. Your Heaven’s Heal is an example. Heaven’s Heal will completely heal any injury given enough mana. System Magic cannot do that. It can keep a person alive and heal most injuries, but it cannot regrow a limb. Divine Magic can. Heavens Heal can heal a dead body. It won’t bring it back to life, you need resurrection for that. System Magic cannot heal a dead body, so resurrection normally doesn’t work if the person dies from its wounds. Divine Magic is more powerful and works everywhere. System Magic only works where the System exists. Understand, good. Now, how have you been?”
“Things have been a little strange lately. Besides the Count thing, I just received a Blind Quest. At first, the quest threatened my House if I was unsuccessful, then I said to Fabia that I just wished my house wasn’t threatened. Next thing, I get a contract for stating that if I give my best efforts, my House wouldn’t be penalized only me. That was strange.”
“Did you not know that you can negotiate with the System on Blind Quests? The System uses Blind Quests to determine if you can help it. It wants you to succeed and will help you get the skills it needs you to have. You can’t ask for just anything, but things that will help you complete the tasks, such as removing the pressure of your House being penalized, the System is willing to accommodate.”
“So, these first few tasks are to prepare me to help the System accomplish a task down the line. That is interesting.”
“Yes, something is happening that is an anomaly to the System. It probably needs an outside observer to investigate and report to it. That is normally the purpose of Blind Quests. It probably picked you because of you being a Nephilim and having access to Divine Magic.”
Wait, what. I have access to Divine Magic? When the hell did that happen.
“What do you mean, I have access to Divine Magic? When did that happen?” I asked.
“You were exposed on Heaven’s Path. The magic you picked up there, Heaven’s Heal, Cure All, Cleanse, Wind Blade, Mana Dart and Fireball. They are all Divine Magic. The other spells you have are not Divine Magic, but System Magic. The spells you created are also System Magic. Any spells you learn outside of Heaven’s Path will be System Magic. Usable magic, but lesser than Divine Magic. Divine Magic is much more powerful than System Magic, so be careful. Using Heaven’s Heal and Cure All shouldn’t be a problem, but your offensive magic should be restricted while on Tellus. I suggest only using it against demons. Used against sapiens can result in destroying or corrupting their soul. If that happens, well, let’s not go there.”
“Thanks. That is a lot to think about, but I appreciate the information. Now I know why the Council is concerned. I will try to not use my offensive Divine Magic. Can I have my HUD denote the Divine Magic spells?
“You just have to tell it to do that when you call it up, and then set it as the default. You should try it.”
I called up my spell list while telling my HUD to categorize by magic type.
Spells:
Divine Magic:
Cure All 10
Heaven's Heal 10
Cleanse 10
Mana Dart 5
Wind Blade 5
Fireball 9
System Magic:
Close Wounds 3
Minor Life Regenerate 3
Minor Healing 6
Teleportation 5
Chained Lightening 3
Meteor 1
Minor Ranged Heal
Medium Ranged Heal
Fire Stream 1
Eldritch Protection 1
Flame Shield 1
Cone of Ice 1
Water Gun 1
Create Food 1
Create Water 1
Water Breathe 1
Portable Light 1
Start Fire 1
Minor Repair 1
Earth Spike 1
Cone of Cold 1
Blizzard 1
Ray of Arcane Destruction 1
Snowball 1
Stone 1
Portal 1
“That was helpful. It’s good to know the HUD is flexible. How goes the battle with Zemoculus?”
“We have agreed to put it on hold for a few hundred years. Both of us want to experience life outside of out constant battle. Both our Elders have agreed to let us take a break.”
‘What will you do with your time off?”
“Mostly, I will train the younger angels how to fight, but I will also spend time riding the currents. It is my favorite past time.”
I don’t know what ‘riding the currents’ mean, but don’t feel a need to ask about it either.
“I am thinking about creating a dungeon based on” … “and you aren’t here are you.” I said, apparently to myself because Arigulius was gone. It was like he was never here, except now I noticed a slight trace of Divine Magic.
Amazing, I have Divine Magic and System Magic. That explains why my magic seems different to me.
I just sat there stunned by the entire conversation.
*--------------------*
Today I am very upbeat. It may because of yesterday’s conversation with Arigulius, or the progress on the portal doorways. The second portal doorway was completed early this afternoon. The doorway was built and the runes applied. The next step would be to pair the gates, but that would wait until tomorrow. I wanted the doorways moved to the new warehouse and that would take the rest of the day. Morisa came through. The warehouse was positioned next to a main road and was very cheap. It needs some work, but not much. I already offered the job to Aest. I paid him 7 gold for the doorways, more than promised, but still worth it. With the extra gold, he will be able to hire a second crew to start repairing the warehouse next week.
This morning, I had Ramram take Rodof and Medirre to get horses for our trip. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but riding sounded better than walking everywhere. I even thought of taking a wagon, but that seemed like overkill. When they got back, I noticed that Ramram had got three horses. One was bigger than the others and seemed more spirited. Turns out it was a former knight’s war mount. He used it when fighting monsters and no one could come near it. No one except Ramram. Because no one else could even get close to the horse, he sold it to Ramram for cheap. It would make a good addition to our stable, so I didn’t say anything. It would be Ramram’s horse when we went on trips.
After lunch I was sitting in my office going over my magic books, looking for anything on Divine Magic. Knowing I had it and knowing its usage are two different things. Raffel came in a delivered a message from the Countess Katemilla Corville. Fun fact, an Earl’s wife is address as Countess because there is no earless. The reason for this is that a count and an earl are supposed to be equal ranks of nobility. However, the earl acts as an advisor to the king, particularly in times of war. So, unofficially, the earl outranks the count, but not really. Even more obscure is that both earl and count wives are called countess, throw in the fact that there can be a woman holding a count’s rank, and also being called countess. Not confusing at all.
Since Justinian isn’t back from Decharte, Katemilla is acting in his stead. The countess requested an audience at my convenience. Since everything was going well, and I didn’t have anything until tomorrow, I wrote and let her know I would be there in two hours. The delay was to let her get ready, rather than my having stuff to do. Fabia said that unless it said ‘earliest convenience’ two hours was the appropriate wait time.
In my finest clothes, I boarded a carriage and headed to Earl Corville’s manor. Once there Fabia and I were taken directly to the Countess Corville. Everyone knows that the countess is the best person to run Forest Glen. Justinian is a marvelous warrior, but his management skills are rather lacking. Luckily, he married the finest administrator on the planet. Katemilla had been managing their estate since the day they got married. Of course, Justinian was just an adventurer back then, but they both realized their strengths and leaned into them.
The countess was surrounded by many younger nobles and courtiers. When we arrived, she shooed them all away, with the exception of her sons, Jeniibe and Jaster. Jeniibe took after his father but the jagged edges were replaced by Katemilla’s softness. Jaster was still the same, all arrogance and puffiness.
“My lady, I hope I have not caught you at an inopportune time” I said.
“Welcome Count Trevor. Not at all. I am glad to see you so soon. Would you like some tea?” she asked and gestured for me to sit. Fabia would have to remain standing, so hopefully this wouldn’t last too long.
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“Thank you, yes, please. And let me introduce Fabia of House Tierra. She is my private secretary and business manager.” Fabia bowed slightly to the countess.
“Welcome Fabia. It is good to see you again.”
“You know my sons, Jeniibe and Jaster, of course.” I nodded to each in recognition.
Katemilla continued as her servant poured the tea, “I have heard that you have received a quest from the System. Is that correct?”
“I have received a Blind Quest. I believe it is from the System, but it wasn’t exactly stated it way.” I answered.
“Justinian had a Blind Quest before. It was terrible. We didn’t know what was going on. It started easily enough, with the hunting of a minor monster. Then it just continued on and on. At one point he was gone for a month, and I was frantic every day. Finally, when he came home, he was battered and bruised all over. I was never so glad in my life, but for the day he come home. The upside is the rewards were incredible, so you have that to look forward to.”
“The first quest almost killed me, so I don’t know what to expect. The second part, so far, has been much easier. I don’t know exactly what to expect next, but I do have my suspicions. I may be gone for quite a while also. Fabia will be in charge of House Tierra, along with Gabriel. They pretty much run it anyway.” I chuckled.
“It is good to have people you can depend upon. Justinian wants you to know that if you need anything, House Corville stands with House Tierra.”
Wow. Total shock. That is an amazing declaration. It is not a formal declaration, but it is as close as it can come. Fabia seems just as shocked. I paused for a few seconds. There is tension in the air after such a declaration, one House could take advantage, but I have no intention of doing so. I picked my words carefully as I replied.
“That is an unexpected honor. My House is very grateful, and of course, House Tierra stands with House Corville.” Jeniibe and Jaster visible relaxes. Katemilla didn’t show any signs of distress, so it was hard to judge her. I assumed she knew House Tierra would also declare a mutual standing. Still, the tension evaporated as my last words reached everyone’s ears. A mutual standing as equal Houses was almost unheard of, as it now did between our two Houses. Neither House was powerful, like House Templar, but standing together, we made our Houses much stronger and that would deter aggression from other Houses. It was something that alleviated my concerns about leaving if the Blind Quest required it. It seemed that everything was lining up.
Ten minutes of small talk and then Fabia and I left.
In the carriage ride, I gave the alliance more thought. Originally, I thought that Justinian was just doing a favor to me, but the more I thought about it, the more I understood that it truly was mutually beneficial. Justinian is the cornerstone of House Corville. Like me, he came from commoner stock. He is also the strongest fighter in his House. His House hasn’t been around long enough to build up a lot of martial strength. In fact, I don’t recall meeting anyone else in his House that was over level 20. Jaster was a level 16 duelist, but would be unable to hold up if someone challenged the House. Now, with an alliance with House Tierra, if something happened to Justinian, I would be able to represent House Corville in any challenge given. And of course, Justinian would be able to represent House Tierra is I were gone. Really, this was a win-win for both Houses. Damn, I didn’t think Justinian had it in him to come up with this plan. Well… Maybe he didn’t. Katemilla on the other hand, I could see her coming up with it. It didn’t matter who came up with it. It is done and both Houses are safer.
Fabia smiled the whole ride back.
*-------------------*
The next morning before we set off, I had all the members of House Tierra gather together in the garden. Everybody milled around wondering what this was all about. After about 5 minutes, I started the meeting.
“As everyone knows, I am currently on a quest. A Blind Quest issued by the System. This quest started with me being forced to learn the Portal spell. I have to learn it in 4 hours. Even with my levels, learning the spell in that short of time almost killed me. If I hadn’t, then a member of our House would have been killed. I would not let that happen. Before the next task in the quest, I made a contract with the System. I would do my best at each task, and if I failed, then the penalty would fall solely on me.” The crowd started murmuring, but I continued anyway. “Because the second task was to create two Portal Doorways, I believe it is a good bet that the System will task me to travel through them to another place. I don’t know where that place is of how long it will be before I can come back. So, with that in mind. Fabia of House Tierra please come before me.”
Fabia came and stood before me.
“Kneel please” and she did.
“Because of your outstanding loyalty and exceptional actions, you have proven yourself a commendable member of House Tierra. You have stood with us from the very beginning and steadfastly support the House’s effort.” I pulled out a long sword from my storage ring. “Loyalty” and tapped her left shoulder, “Commitment”, tapped her right shoulder, “and integrity of the highest order” tapped her head. “With those qualities ever present in you, I ask the question, Whose House do you serve?”
“I serve House Tierra” Fabia said in a cracked voice.
“What is the House motto?”
“We do not seek violence, but we don’t run from it either.”
“Are you willing to take up the duties and responsibilities of a Knight of the House Tierra?”
Fabia looks up at me, then answers “YES”.
“Please repeat the pledge of a Peer of Decharte.” I ask.
“I, Fabia of House Tierra, pledge to be true and faithful to the Decharte people. To defend them from evil and corruption. I will stand between them and those who would do them harm. I am their shield. I am their blade. I will ensure the people of Decharte will find justice. This I do swear.”
“I raise you to be a Knight of the House Tierra” and handed her the sword. She stood and faced the crowd and raised her sword over her head. The crowd went enthusiastically wild. People were clapping and shouting. Some even started dancing in a circle. When people started coming forward to congratulate her, I slipped out. It was her moment and she should enjoy it.
After everyone was done congratulation her, Fabia came to my office.
“Why?”
“First reason is because you deserve it. Yes, I know you were a spy for the Earl, now Duke when you first got here. Hell, everyone knew. Just like everyone knows you turned down a knighthood to stay with House Tierra. That type of loyalty needs to be recognized and rewarded. Second. I know I have to leave. You know it. This Blind Quest is going to make me. The House needs a leader, and while I am gone, you need to be that leader. A leader undoubted by anyone in our House. Yes, we have an understanding with House Corville, but we can’t run to them for everything. You will need to defend our House. You can do that better as a knight, than as my personal secretary. But even if I wasn’t going to have to leave, I still would have raised you to knighthood. You…deserve…it.”
Fabia stood there listening to me. The last three words hit her the hardest. I could tell she knew I was being truthful and finally accepted it. She smiled and then nodded. Too emotional to speak, I think.
“And as a knight, you need to outfit yourself properly.” I tossed her a coin bag with 10 gold. “Now don’t scrimp. You represent House Tierra. If you have magic needs, please visit Eldro’s. He charges a lot, but everything I received from him has been top quality.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“You don’t have to say my lord to me.”
“Yes, I do, and you need to get used to it. Everywhere except dinner. That’s my compromise.” Fabia told me sternly.
“What do you think of making Rodof and Medirre becoming squires?” I said and laughed.
Fabia replied “I think they would run away as fast as possible. Maybe bribe a mage to teleport them to Toverville,” laughing too.
*-------------*
After Fabia’s ceremony and our discussion. I went to the warehouse accompanied by Coletec and Aile.
When we arrived, I immediately checked the position of the two doorways. They seemed to be position correctly. Coletec and Aile started working on the outer diagram needed to empower the runes and pair the doorways. I started working on the innermost diagram. The outer diagram was a large circle encompassing both doorways. The circle itself was 12 inches wide and consisted of two bands and intricate magic symbols (or runes) between the two. The innermost diagram was also a circle, but only 3 feet wide. Again, it consisted of two bands with intricate magic symbols between them. After I completed the innermost diagram, I started working on the connections between the outer and inner diagrams. There were 2 connections. Starting at the outer diagram, I drew the connector through the center of the doorway and onto the inner diagram. I did this for both doorways. The connectors were about a foot wide and had the same template as the circular diagrams, bands on the outside and magic symbols on the inside. When Coletec and Aile were finished with the outer diagram, they went to inspect the inner diagram. I could afford no mistakes, so doublechecking everything was a must. I finished the last connector and did the same to the outer diagram. Coletec and Aile finished inspecting the connectors and everything was now correct.
The next step was to empower the runes and pair the doorways, but just before Coletec and Aile were ready to start, I received a notification.
Empowering the doorway must be accomplished by the questor.
Short and to the point. No confusion there. I told the mages to stop.
“Looks like I have to empower the runes and pair the doorways. It’s part of the quest. Let’s go over the process again, just to make sure I completely understand it.”
“Are you sure?” asked Aile.
“Yes, I just got a notification saying it had to be me.”
“Okay. First, you need to be standing inside the inner diagram. Next, Empower the inner diagram magic symbols. This is done by sending your mana over the diagram, covering it entirely, thus ensuring each rune gets the mana. When the mana has covered the diagram, imagine pushing the mana into the runes. This empowers the runes. When that is done, empower the outer diagram runes using the same method. This will be more difficult, since the outer diagram is a larger area, but you need to cover it all. After the outer diagram is empowered, the connectors need to come next. You will need to do this to both connector at the same time. After everything is empowered, it’s time to pair the doorways. Even though you are a silent caster, you will need to speak the words aloud. These are words of power and at the end, if everything has been done correctly, the runes will begin to flash, faster and faster., The doorways will resonate with the runes, flashing in time with the runes. The flashing will become so fast, it will look like they are always on. When the runes go dark, the doorways are paired. If the runes are gone, it was successful.”
“And if the runes are gone?”
“Then we need to determine where we went wrong. Are the runes correct? Did you misspeak a word of power? Are the diagrams in the right position? We check everything already. Unfortunately, we won’t really know until the ceremony is complete.” Coletec answered.
“I see. Well, nothing to it but to get to it.” I said and moved to the inner diagram, carefully so as not to disturb any of the drawings.
“We will be monitoring from outside the circle and let you know if anything unexpected happens” Aile said.
I was as ready as I would ever be. Still, I mentally went over the process one last time, including the words of power. I activated Magic Sight and started the ritual. I watched as g my mana spread itself over the first diagram. I rotated 360 degrees slowly to ensure every inch was covered. When done, I pushed the mana into the runes. Surprisingly, quick and easy. The magic was not inside each rune, no longer covering the entire diagram. Next step was the outer diagram. This took more of an effort. The circle was much larger and took a lot more mana. I had plenty of mana, the difficulty was in making sure the whole diagram was covered in mana. It took a lot longer than I thought it would after the first diagram. I got over confident because of how easy the first diagram went, but I persevered. I didn’t really have a choice, this had to succeed. Turning slowly through 360 degrees, I made sure each inch was covered in mana. I am sure I expended more mana that strictly necessary, but better safe than sorry. I was getting tired by the end. But I still needed to do the connector. This time rather than turning in a circle, I held out my arms to either side and spread the mana out to both simultaneously. This seemed to go easier. I think because it was just a straight line, rather than a curve.
All the diagram’s rune were now empowered. With my Magic Sight, I could see the runes slightly glowing. I looked over everything again. All the runes glowed with magic. It was time for the words of power.
“Twinning, становятся, Renacimiento, Aquof, Donte, Donte, Impet”. I said each word forcefully and clearly. The translation is basically ‘Two become one, Rebirth as one, accede to my will, as I command.’
The runes started flashing, and got faster and faster. Brighter with each flash. The doorways also flashed in time with the runes. Faster and faster. The sight started to give me nausea. The next thing I noticed was that my mana was leaking out of me and into the inner diagram runes. This started to worry me, because Aile never mentioned this happening. The faster the runes flashed, the faster the mana drained. Luckily, since I was a Nephilim, I had plenty of mana. In fact, I still have over half of my mana left. I took out a mana potion, just in case though.
Finally, the runes burned as miniature suns and then started to disappear, one by one. Quickly to be sure, but noticeable. When the last rune disappeared, so did the border lines. Everything was gone as if it never existed. Aile said that they would all go out at once. I was worried that something had gone wrong and we would have to start all over. My Magic Sight reassured me though because each doorway was filled with magic.
I staggered slightly and dropped to my knees. I hadn’t noticed but three quarters of my life points had just disappeared. What was happening? By the time Coletec and Aile got to me, I had recovered enough to stand up. I looked at the doorways, and could tell the ritual was a success. I had a paired set of Portal Doorways.
“Congratulations, we did it.” I said to Aile and Coletec. They both wore a huge grin.
“Congratulations to you, my lord. It is a wonderful achievement” Coletec said.
“Yes, congratulation, my lord” Aile added.
Still a little wobble, I made my way out toward one of the Portal Doorways. That’s when it happened. The Portal Doorway disappeared. It was as if it never existed. It was just gone. It reminded me of Divine Magic, but somehow, I knew it wasn’t. I quickly turned and saw the other one. Thank goodness it was still here. That meant that the other one disappeared but wasn’t destroyed. If you destroy one of the paired doorways, the other is also destroyed. Usually in a fiery explosive kind of way. A notification popped into my view. Not a notification flag but the notification itself.
Congratulations, you have completed the second task, creating a set of paired Portal Doorways. Your reward is three Sun Gems (large capacity), one class level, Rune skill level 2, and three spell levels in Portal. You are now level 47.
The next notification did the same thing.
Task 3 is to meet with a stranger. The stranger will meet with you at Covern House in two hours. Don’t be late.
Dammit. I was hoping for a bit of a rest, but no luck. I asked Aile and Coletec to stay until I could send guards for the doorway. They agree and requested to talk later if I was available. I agreed. I still needed to pay them anyway. I didn’t even wait for a carriage. I just teleported home. I arrived in my garden and made my way to my office. When I got there, I asked Raffel to bring me a snack and tea and have Fabia send guards to the warehouse. Also, to bring Aile and Coletec in to see me when they returned. Then I sat down and closed my eyes.
I awoke to a knock on the door. I took a second to get myself fully awake and yelled “Come In”.
Raffel, Aile and Coletec came in. “Mages Aile and Coletec to see you, my lord.”
“Welcome Ail and Coletec. Today was a wonderful accomplishment. You should both be proud” I said.
“Thank you, my lord. We would say that it was a pleasure working with you and Aest. His craftsmanship of the doorways was superb. Also, your rune crafting work was errorless.”
“Thanks, not bad for my first time, right?”
“Surely you jest. That was not the work of a first timer.” Coletec replied.
“I actually got the Rune Crafting skill as a reward for the quest task. So, yes, it was my first time.” Both Aile and Coletec looked shocked, like they couldn’t believe it. Well, it was true.
I took out 15 gold and gave it to them. It was a lot of gold, but they worked hard for it and specialized knowledge is expensive. I should note, that I also supplied the Mithril, so this was payment for their services. They both looked hesitant to take the gold.
“Is there anything else you want to discuss?” I asked.
Ailes began slowly “My lord, we have been living in Covern with your House members. We have observed how you treat everyone and how everyone respects you. It has been a wonderful time. The two of us were wondering if there was a path for becoming members of House Tierra.” The last sentence came out in a rush as if expecting to be shut down and maybe yelled at or even as if they were afraid to ask. Both had their heads pointed down.
“Let me check with Fabia” I said and called for Raffel. “Raffel, can you get Fabia for me?”
A minute later Fabia walked in and asked “My lord, what do you need?”
“Aile and Coletec would like to join House Tierra. What do you think?”
Fabia looked at them and asked “Is this true? I ask because when Earl Donnert asked you to join his House, you politely turned him down. Why House Tierra?”
Coletec answered “House Donnert was not a friendly place for us. The Earl was kind to us, but most of the House members treated us like servants. We were a tool for them to use and then disregard until the next time a tool was needed. House Tierra is not like that. Everyone, and I mean everyone treated us like family from the moment we got here. We love it here.” Coletec started to lightly cry at the end.
“That is a reasonable answer. I would vote them in, but we don’t vote. It’s your decision, my lord.”
“Welcome to House Tierra. If you don’t already have quarters, let Raffel know. I called for Raffel. He stepped in immediately.
“Raffel meet the two newest members of House Tierra. Aile and Coletec of House Tierra. If they don’t have quarters, please assign one.”
Coletec really started to cry and Aile hugged her to himself. “Thank you, my lord. We will work hard for House Tierra.”
“If you have questions, check with Fabia. She is a knight and is second in the House. She may call on you if she needs magic work done. I feel that House Tierra is lucky to have people like you join us.”
Today’s successes just kept coming. Portal Doorways, Rune Skill, Levelled, and now two new members for House Tierra. Wonderful.
A while later, Raffel announced I had a visitor. He said he was a stranger and that his name was Malentine. The name sounded familiar, but I was expecting a stranger according to the quest, so I had him come in.
“Welcome Malentine. What brings you here at this hour?” I asked.
“Count Trevor of House Tierra. Let me introduce myself. I am Malentine Universal System.”
The System. That’s where I heard the name. Arigulius said it was the Malentine Universal System, but referred to it as the System. Everyone did.
“Congratulations on completing the Gateways. They are very hard to create. I know you thought you were creating a Portal, but instead you created a Gateway. I am here in an avatar to discuss the Blind Quest and the next steps. While I usually use notification to communicate, I understand that the nuance is lost with them. What I am tasking you with will require initiative, nuance, and the ability to work under extreme pressure. You will be outside my span. I will be unable to help you or even communicate with you until you come back.”
“Come back? Back from where? I realize the Portal was made for this trip, but I assumed it was somewhere on Tellus Nova. You make it sound like it isn’t.”
“Very good. I can see I picked the right agent. You are right. It is offworld. You’re an offworlder, so you know it’s possible to travel between worlds. You will use your Gateway to travel to this other world. On that world that I was monitoring for inclusion into the Malentine Universal System, there is an anomaly. This anomaly shouldn’t exit, but it does. My sensors cannot penetrate it to find the source. I want you to go to this world, find the cause of the anomaly and return to Tellus Nova. The objectives are simply, the execution will not be. I don’t know how long this task will take you, so you need to settle things here. How long do you need to get everything in order for your departure?”
I had already taught the Healer’s Association the magic healing spells, but I still needed to put Chief Janos in charge. I could do that tomorrow morning, or I could even write a letter tonight. Actually, I could invite him to come to dinner tonight that would be best. I already had supplies in my storage.
“I could go tonight after dinner. I need to put Chief Janos in charge of the Healer’s Association, write some letter to explain my absence. After that, I could go. May I bring companions? Rodof and Medirre have asked to accompany me.”
“You may bring those two, but no more. I want to make it clear that I don’t know what you will run into in the other world. It used to be a technologically advance world, but has fallen into ruin. Other than that, I don’t have any insight. Because of that, this task is voluntary. You don’t have to go. I will task another, but they don’t have your experience with another world. I expect they will fail and I will send another, and another. You have the best chance of being successful, but I can’t guarantee anything. If others can’t, then I will need to destroy the planet.”
A bad feeling was building inside of me. I started to suspect something. Something bad.
“What is the name of this planet?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“It is called Earth in English.” Malentine told me, and I suddenly realized our conversation had been in English the whole time. “It’s your home planet. Two years after you left, and yes, your wife and child are still alive. That much I know.”
GOD DAMMIT. I FLIPPING KNEW IT. I yelled in my mind. But only two years since I died? What could have happened in those two years? War World 3? Nuclear war? Hit by an asteroid? My mind conjured all sort of disasters. But in the end. My wife and daughter were still there. I had to go. Hell, nothing could stop me from going.
“I will go. I will find out what went wrong, and I will come back. But, if things are as bad as you say they are, I want to be able to bring people back. Maybe a few, maybe hundreds.”
“Thank you for going. The Gateway will provide you the means to come back and bring people through. The Gateway will require mana on the other world, ergo the Sun Gems you received from completing the Gateways. They are fully charged and each one has enough mana for the Gateway to open.” Malentine paused at this point, then continued “I truly believe that this anomaly is dangerous to all planets covered by me. A universal threat so to speak. I also believe that you have the best chance to succeed in helping me identify the threat. I know your wife and daughter are there in Hollis New York. Your portal will take you close, but not exactly there. Lastly, if you decide to stay on Earth, I will send Whisper of the Seven Suns to bring you back if you aren’t dead. Whisper is not known for subtlety or restraint.”
Wow, with a pitch like that what could I say, except “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
Congratulations you have completed Part three of the Blind Quest. Your reward is one class level.
You are now level 49.
I have Raffel send an invite to Chief Jonas, then wrote out a letter putting him in charge of the Healer’s Association until I got back. He would report to Fabia, but everyone one else would report to him.
Dinner was a more somber affair than normal. Everyone knew something was up, just not what it was. Before dessert, I announced that my quest was taking me away this evening. The only change is that Fabia will lead House Tierra in my absence. Gabriel was still in charge of all household staff. The store would be staffed by magical healers from the Healer’s Association. This limited the strength of healing, but there was nothing that could be done. With that, dessert arrived. We ate in silence.
*-------------------*
We arrived at the warehouse dressed in our armor and weapons. I received another notification.
Part Four. You are tasked with opening a portal using the Gateway. Open as normal, but use Divine Magic instead of System Magic.
I cast the Portal Opening spell, concentrating on using Divine Magic instead of System Magic. I can only describe it as the spell having a different taste from my normal spells. More like Heaven’s Heal. The Portal, or should I say Gate, connected and opened onto a bright, sunny field of wild flowers.
Congratulation, you have completed part 4 of the Blind Quest. Your reward is waiting on your return.
With that, Rodof, Medirre and I walked our horses through the Gateway and onto Earth. But a very different Earth from the one I left.
