Chapter Fourteen

The world was a blurred daze behind Alders eyes, everything spun and twirled. He stood alone in a half constructed church, the stone below split and bent by the overgrowth. The air hung oddly still, and when he moved he felt it disturb… something. Something in the air maybe. He tried looking up and was met with the clearest view into the infinite that he’d ever seen. The nights on journey to-and-fro along the rivers and roads offered gorgeous views undoubtedly, but this… 

“Hmmm.” He piercing tone of scrutiny tinkled through the stillness and drove Alders eyes away from the flowing of infinity he sat precariously below currently. He was greeted with a rather androgenous figure in the Similar noble jacket and pants that only the haughtiest of the capital would wear. 

“Hello?” 

The creature frowned and sighed, then turned and sat in a reclined chair along a small table. Neither had been there moments before. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, nor what the creature wanted, but he was unfortunately in no position to leave, and the view above kept calling him back. 

“Well, are you going to sit?” The voice, decidedly more forceful than Alder felt was necessary, pulled his focus once more away from the twisting and shifting he was so fixated on. 

“Sorry.” Alder muttered, he closed the gap between them and sat. The chair was comfortable enough and the and at full recline he could comfortably stare up. He almost lost himself in the sight again, saved only by the offering of a cup with a steaming dark liquid inside. “Tea?” 

“No, sorry, bit of a different line.” 

Alder accepted with hesitation, but found the cup cool to the touch, and the liquid inside flavourless. He looked confused, evidently the creature had expected it and was already prepared with a disappointed sigh. 

“I’m not awake, am I?” 

“No, good of you to figure it out.”

“May I know where I am?”

“In your room, surrounded by companions currently drinking and gambling. You were nearly choked to death by that creature.”

“Creature…” The memories of the frightened Elizabeth slowly expanding in grotesque proportions and becoming something else flooded his mind. “Elizabeth. That creature made her try and kill me?”

“Through the bars, the little hole you made for your “contact” attempt. Honestly, how you all don’t find yourselves in the grave more often is beyond me.” The creature sipped from their cup and frowned, seemingly as disappointed in the lack of flavor as his companion. “Thankfully that isnt my concern.”

“We do typically. Atleast thats what Jeann says about Battle Mages.”

“Well…” The creature scratched its neck and slowly nodded. “Fair enough.”

“What am I looking at?” Alder asked after a minute of silence had passed, parsed only by the occasional sippings of the pointless liquid. 

“The Horrologium, the Universe as a whole rather. Everything that is, was, or ever will on an extended stream. Its where everything starts, and everything ends.”

Reflected in Alders eyes were the views of billions of years on loop, playing out their lives and struggling against the endless abyss of hopelessness. He couldn’t “see” the beings, so small and insignificant on this cosmic of a spectrum, but somehow could feel the brimming life flowing from the sliver of the universe. 

“Its…” Alder let the words die on his lips. Nothing he thought of could do the sight justice. Nothing likely ever would. 

“Yes.” the word was spoken with a sense of quiet understanding. 

“Should I ask who you are?”

“Aren’t you doing just that?”

Alder frowned, the creature let out a laugh.

“Easy Alder, all you need know is that I am more friend than foe, and our meeting is more chance that fate.”

“Are you related to whatever is possessing Elizabeth?”

“In a manner of speaking, but it isn’t fair to blame me entirely.”

“I’m not blaming anyone right now, I just want to help the poor girl.”

“What a noble sentiment. Are you sure there isn’t anything else to it?” 

Alder laughed and shook his head “Believe me, I have very little interest anything of the sort, its all just a job to me.”

“And what if I said it would work?”

He gripped his cup tighter and froze. 

“What if what worked?”

“Its not the craziest thing to ever have happened, certainly it would take some work. There would be dangers and set backs, of course. And the physical toll may be great.”

“So it isn’t just a theory then? Whatever possessing her, I can form a contract with-”

“Possibly. You're certainly capable of doing things when you’ve set your mind to it. The transcriptions of Le-oen Larose were of great quality, the early middle period was of particular excellence. The fool often wrote in such archaic ways that even I would get annoyed, still there were worse culprits at the time.”

“Ator Roudg.” Alders head sank “No, I understand. She could turn a lecture on plants into the dullest but most deep concepts.”

“A bit harder it seems.”

“Well excuse me,” Alder, laughing, waived his arms wide “it was the second lecture of moss that broke me. She covered twenty seven of the same points! With only minor changes! Retreading ground is one thing, but this was-” He stopped and turned to face the creature. They sat with a fixed stare of amusement at Alders sudden outburst. A look of satisfaction pierced their mask next as Alder slowly sank back into the seat. 

“Its good to see you have some spirit, but yes you’re quite right. Her work was brilliant, the only fault was her brilliance lacked any common access. Well, enough of history. I believe i’ve given you all you need, and truthfully so have I.”

“Glad I could be of assistance?”

“You haven’t yet, but you will be. Just try not to die, you’ve been lucky so far, but you never know.”

“Wait, what am I supposed to do? Kill that creature in Elizabeth and try to take the power? See if I can reason with it? And will Elizabeth even survive? What even is the thing?” His questions were coming more frantically now. The realization that he had taken something so strange as this “dream” with stride. He reached out a hand to stop the figure, currently rising from its chair. 

“Like I said Alder, this isn’t fate but merely chance. I’ll leave you this room, since you seem to find it interesting. Maybe they’ll help you as they once did me.” The creature turned to face the shimmering expanse above and smiled, then made for a door that had suddenly appeared in the collapsed wall. 

The creature left, but the door and room remained. More importantly the universe above him remained exactly as it was. Alders mind felt a sudden adjustment from sluggish to active, as if he’d finally woken up. In truth he knew he hadn’t, the liquid in the cup never drained and still bore no flavour. He considered the oddity of the offering of the cup. The creature had habitually made sips from it, but was always disappointed by its lack of content. 

The creature… Alder replayed the last few minutes in his mind as best he could. He tried to make out their semi glowing androgenous form and near featureless face. Nothing stuck, and the more he focus on it the fuzzier it became. Suddenly the sluggishness returned and struck his mind as if weighted by bricks. He felt tired, could barely keep his eyes open, and dropped the cup. The contents spilled onto the stone and the cup shattered. 

Crack

“Damn it!” The shout of frustration mixed with the realistic shattering of a cup shot Alder from his stupor.

Alder lay in one of the many beds of their team chambers, the others were gathered nearby and sharing a pitcher of ale. They were joined however by another person, someone who had just happened to drop a cup containing an amount of beige liquid, now slowly seeping into the wood and carpet. 

“Count.. Philistine?” 

The group turned to face the slowly rising Alder, most offering a raised mug or quip of satisfaction. Philistine was busy wiping the liquid from the knee of his pants, while Jeann rose to offer Alder a hand in assistance. He accepted it gladly and leaned on the woman for strength, his body felt strangely heavy and his mind felt slow. 

“Good of you to join us,” Jeann said “you had us worried for a bit there.”

“Was I out long?” Alder croaked. His throat was dry and he found the task of speaking to be painful. 

“Only a few short hours, thankfully.” Philistine said “Lady Jeann is correct. Your friends were terribly concerned.”

“Jeann insisted you’d be fine,” Dantes added “Claimed you battle mage sorts were made for that type of near death thing.”

Alder gave Jeann a look of annoyance but she only returned it with a wide smile. It was probably for the best, he wasn’t sure how he’d survived but that wasn’t really important. He still had a job to do, he had to help Elizabeth. 

“And what if I said I would work?” Eight words. One question. A thinly veiled consultation on the crazy theory that had driven Alder into the possibility of even accepting the task before him, beside the request of his eldest friend. 

“How is she?”

“In as good health as we can expect.” Philistine said. He lowered and gingerly picked the pieces of shattered cup off the ground. When he’d collected all that could be seen, he placed them roughly back into their original shape and whispered. A line of opaque white popped from the shattered material and began to weave itself throughout the shattered shape. Within a moment the cup was nearly pristine, only small bits of the upper edges seemed thinned or dipped in odd places. 

“Impressive. Restoring items can take some practice.” Alder said, his eyes were transfixed on the miniature miracle performed so lightly before him. 

“Oh?” The Count tracked his gaze to the cup in his palm, the shimmering light now faded entirely and gone without a trace. “Yes, well, i’m not as accomplished an arcanist as my father sadly, but i appreciate the compliment nonetheless.”

“What brings you here?” Alder took the seat opposite Jeann, who had allowed him to attempt the monumental task of standing with the complete knowledge he’d fail. She took a certain joy in reminding him of her superiority in the more “soldiery” arts, he would return the favor for anything “intelligent”. 

“The good Count came to check up on you.” Jeann said. The group proper had apparently been playing cards again, from the pile Ulma still retained a healthy lead, and with their resident “crazy-magic-mystic-nonesense” specialist once more active, were more than willing to allow him his fair share of space to move. That is to say, they were happy Alder was awake so they could push the complications of the events onto him. But that was fine, it was his job anyhow.

“Rather kind of you.” Alder said nodding. “I appreciate the concern.”

“You’ve gotten farther with her in the ten minutes I was gone than every other Arcanist I’ve hired. So I wasn’t about to let you go.” The stain on his knee was evidently as dried as the man felt it could be, so with a quick dropping of the cloth he’d been using he stood. “Care to join me for a walk?”

The ever slow lapping sea of fog drifted through the cobbled streets of the Mist Mile, in the clouded light of the moon mixed with flickering street lamps, the view truly did seem to reach on for miles. The two men strode through the from of the Pere hall and were confronted with a well maintained Carraige, four horses, and several armored guards. Philistine waved the group aside and made towards the central fountain with Alder in tow. 

Alder had never been one for the uncertainty that the night created, but in the ever wavering world of the misting fog he felt a strange sense of ease. The central Fountain bore the sculpture of a family. A man, a woman, and a child. All dressed in the finery fit for the Nobility of a city. At the feet was a single plaque with a faded inscription stating something about a great Arcanist of the Domicorta name. 

“My father.” Philistine locked eyes with the statue. Its visage was nearly life like, and with the wisps of fog catching the light the statue would almost seem to breathe. “He didn’t found this city but he certainly drove it from obscurity.”

“He sounds like a great man.” Alder said, confused but more than willing to listen. Only, nothing seemed to make any sense to Alder. “Is something wrong Count?”

“How do you mean? My only daughter is under the possession of some monster and i’ve no idea if she’ll survive any attempt to free her! Of course theres something wrong!” 

Alder retreated a step in surprise and tried to calm the mans growing temper. After a minute the Count finally took a breath and sat at the fountains base. Moments later Alder was at his side, he didn’t know if it was the right thing to do but he had little other ideas. Soon he could see the subtle shuddering of repressed tears, Philistine had broken down and covered his face from view but the obvious was still there. 

“I’m sorry Alder… I just don’t know what to do here.”

“I know.”

“Shes so close… and shes all I have left… I can’t lose her like this…”

“You won’t, I promise.”

“So you know whats wrong?” Philistine met Alders eyes with such hope in them that Alder wanted to lie then and reassure him of the impossible. But it was… impossible, and there was no changing that. 

“I… I don’t. I’m sorry. I tried to speak with it, and I think I managed to speak with your Daughter. She told me a bit about the night of her attack, but something forced me out and tried to kill me.”

“Yes, that was… difficult to see.”

“It was difficult to breathe, actually.”

Alder hadn’t meant it as a joke, in all seriousness he’d only half been thinking of the conversation when he’d spoken. He was too busy trying to repeat the past encounter in his mind, trying to pick up on anything he’d missed in the interim. Whether Philistine understand its literal meaning or not, the man began to laugh. No stomach busting out cry of joy, but a slow chuckling accompanied with a smile. 

“Sorry if that was-”

“No, no, it’s quite alright. I find it amusing is all, I’d imagine it would be in that situation. Just interesting to have it be the thing you draw attention to.”

“Well, if it helps it was an interesting situation. Thank you for… whatever the lighting was.”

“A safety measure of the cage I’d inscribed. In case the creature tried to take her over. We had used it before, but it was far more dangerous with her actively trying to choke you.”

A minute of silence passed between them. The sounds of distant cheer and music made its way through the plaza and the two sat and enjoyed the peace of it all. Alders mind raced between the options before him, what the creature could be, what next to do, but instead he found a question take priority.

“What did your parents do about this back when it happened before?”

Philistine froze, eyes transfixed on the void ahead. He didn’t speak, didn’t turn his head, did nothing but simply stare ahead. After another moment of silence he let out a slow breath and spoke. 

“They killed it. Killed it in its lesser form.”

“But the document-”

“Spoke on the incident, not on the results. The priests documentations of the events accounts for the body of the man afterwards. He was cremated and cleansed before being locked away in the crypt.”

“Was there any attempt to categorize or discover what it was? Your father was a skilled arcanist correct?”

“They tried but the church at the time kept demanding to burn the demon and free the town of the inevitable curse that would befall them.”

“Impossible to debate the pious…” Alder muttered, the count nodded in agreement. 

“What were they to do? They ran the town sure, but they didn’t control the cities flow of faith, and if the Goddesses demand the burning of the Demon to free the town of any fear…”

“Right. So still nothing then.” Alders frustration at the lack of leads was only mitigated by the residual high from surviving a fairly close encounter. Instead he leaned back, stretched, and then rose. “Well, I’m off then.”

“Have you come up with something?” Philistine asked

“No, but I can’t stand the idea of sitting around like this. If I can use what i’ve learned so far, maybe I can narrow down the options.”

“What are you using for resources currently?”

“The local selections and the Pere Hall. Why?” 

“You should come to the Keep, my library will have more suited to the study currently at hand. Not to mention i’d enjoy the assistance, since my work hasn’t exactly created any breakthroughs either.”

“Are you sure? I tend to stay and read long hours, often not stopping for days.” He’d been chastised by his mentors for years, and the others of the library would often become concerned.

“Then you shall be in good company, as i’ve a similar schedule. All my time is spent dedicated to solving this issue, however I have not been able to do much. My responsibilities for the city take priority, and I can’t delay them much longer. Would you permit me to offer you and addition to your contract?”

“I don’t-”

“Come stay in the Keep, I’ve several rooms and it would do me some good to have an active mind working in such close proximity. Perhaps that could be enough of a compromise.” He said the last bit to someone else, clearly preparing an argument for sometime later. 

“It would be an honor, but are you sure?” 

“Alder, you’ve seen the Keep. We wont suffer from inviting you, and perhaps a more delicately curated library beneath your fingertips could provide you with better chances for a cure.”

“Do you keep several wash rooms or locations for it? And would taking my meals within the library be rude?”

“Washing should be no issue, and eating within the chambers is more than expected for a scholar. I would almost find it ruder for you not to.”

“Then I have no reason to refuse.”

“Excellent. I have need to return now so can join me if you so wish.”

“I’d rather inform the others if its all the same.” Alder said

“Of course, in that case i’ll have your things brought over in the morning. I must bid you good evening.” Philistine nodded and began to head back towards the Pere Hall. Alder followed not long after.

Instead of sleeping, Dantes had convinced Alder to join them until the carriage arrived in the morning. He’d refused initially but when the prospect of essentially leaving the team entirely behind was brought up he relented. Ulma had continued her winning streak, leaving Alder with near nothing in the way of spending funds. This seemed to be the case for everyone involved, though Dantes seemed the least hurt and the others just mocked of him cheating. 

“So he gets knocked unconscious and wakes up to earn free room and board?” Dantes quipped, “Seems awfully unfair. He didn’t even help in capturing the acrused thing!”

“Wats it matter?” Boulin said “Pays the same.”

“Unless you’d like to read all those tomes in search of whatever the answer is.” Jeann said. 

Alder stood near his recent bed and packed the remains of what hed brought back into the bag. The others remained wrapped in their cards and conversation, a fact Alder was beginning to worry about as its frequency was unusually common among them. Jeann had explained it as their normal downtime behavior, and with the wait now being squarely on Alders shoulders to find some impossible answer that time didn’t seem to be shrinking. 

“I’m no happier about it.” Alder said. It was a lie, the prospect of a single room and the quiet to read was beyond tempting, but there was no point in agreeing and giving Dantes the win. He hadn’t known the man long, but he knew enough to steer clear. “But his library should be far better than the one available her. With that in mind I can-”

“Yes, yes.” Ulma waved a card bearing fist, shining a cocky grin in the process “just go. We wait.” She placed the fists contents onto the table. The others erupted in groans, at which Jeann rose and gave a relenting sigh. 

“I’ll walk you out, I need some air anyway.” 

With Jeann as his guide Alder was led through the chambers and down the halls to the familiar entrance he’d been at only hours before. The sun had risen and the pains in his shoulders felt a sudden ease of tension at the growing warmth. 

“So you’ll be spending the majority of your time in the library then?” Jeann asked

“So far as I know.” Alder said “Not much else for me to do. We need an answer, and i’d imagine soon.”

“Just… be safe. You’ll be the closest to that thing, hopefully it wont remember you.” 

“I’ll be fine, it’s a library Jeann. I couldn’t be more at home and it’ll give me the added bonus of no longer losing to Ulma.”

Jeann groaned again and lowered her head. “I know… I’m down so much right now. I’m honestly afraid of what i’ll have to sell if you don’t get an answer quickly.”

“Can’t you go drinking or something? Instead of wasting everything against her?” 

“Or you could find an answer today and we can all get paid and leave.” 

Refusing to fall into another of her traps, Alder sighed and stepped into the carriage. With a wave and shout of confirmation he was off towards the gates.