106 Palatial Plots

A few moments after I stepped past the guards I found myself within the outer boundary of the palace, within a courtyard to be exact. It was a pretty place, one a few dozen meters wide and equally long.

Between myself and the entrance to the interior of the palace was a path paved with white stone, providing a faint path for those whose eyes needed light. On the sides of this path were massive crystals that radiated a faint pink glow and obstructed any visitor's views of the guards who patrolled the courtyard, as well as providing a sort of pretty decoration.

I began to walk down this path and noticed the relative emptiness of the palace's exterior area. I didn't know if the place was always like this, but I sincerely doubted it. All I could see were well-armed and well-trained guards going through the motions of their tasks, each of whom was as tense as the guards I had walked past earlier.

"Should I read their minds? It's one thing if a few guards are like this but now I've laid my eyes on ten of them and they are all like this. That's a sign of... something." I mused, internally. After a few moments of quiet debating with myself I chuckled and targeted the closest guard.

She was a squat dwarf, more muscular than the others I had seen. The guards I had seen were of both genders, and of a variety of sizes. The one I selected as my target could accurately be described as "Barrellike". I quietly activated my power and a few moments later I heard her thoughts.

"I wonder if the king is feeling better." She thought, in the supposed privacy of her mind. This intrigued me, but the superficiality of my power didn't allow me to peer any deeper into this. I chuckled, silently of course, and continued my exploration of the palace.

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I made it to the edge of the courtyard after a minute or so of quiet walking. Along the way I scanned three more minds, and in doing so learned that the king was currently sick. This wasn't true, but it appeared to be a sincere belief of the palatial guards.

I knew that the king wasn't sick, because I hadn't heard that he had gotten sick. And when I mentally inspected his status I confirmed that he wasn't sick. I did see something that intrigued me though. The king's personal vice was the sin of sloth.

"I'm glad that Rachel's dad isn't sick." I mentally muttered though I found the theory I had in my head quite amusing. I suspected that he was faking an illness to get out of work. A part of me considered speaking with Rachel about this, but I knew I could discover the answer myself if I felt like wandering through the palace. Which I did.

In front of me was a massive door, one far larger than any of the dwarves I had seen to date. I put a hand on it, simply to phase through the thing, and as I did I received a notification.

[Alert:

You have made contact with a historic object. As such your 'Historic touch' power is now activating.

You have touched the Emerald Palace. The Emerald Palace is the royal palace of the kingdom of Atlantis. It is a gigantic, by dwarf standards anyway, palace made up of stunning gemstones and precious metals.

The palace is thousands of years old and has been the seat of Atlantis' power for as long as the kingdom has existed. It has housed every king and queen of the kingdom and has been the birthplace of continent-spanning schemes. This place was the birthplace of King Abel and his daughter, Princess Rachel.

It contains a chapel once devoted to the ancient dwarven creator-god Morehammer who was also the overgod of blacksmithing. It is where ancient items once owned by the long-deceased god rest and the palace was once the god's seat of power in Torus.

The items are incredibly ancient divine artifacts. Recovering them would be a major victory for any god who seeks to become a true dwarven god. Not to mention the powers they themselves possess and would grant any deity who recovers them.

The items themselves are protected by ancient, impenetrable barriers made by Morehammer himself. To bypass them you must pass trials they place before you. All of the powerful gods left behind ancient artifacts. Recovering them is one avenue to power.]

I read through the entry with an interested smile on my face. That expression changed when I learned about Morehammer and the artifacts he supposedly left behind. My smile was replaced with a look that mixed shock and delight into one pleasant expression.

I prepared to badger the system with questions.

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"So... Morehammer. Is there anything I can learn about him right now? He is one of the first higher-beings I've learned about by name and the only other one I've learned about and also been close to one of their lairs was Morthos." I asked the system. I felt excitement well up within me.

The system replied to my question by chuckling. It then went silent for a few moments, considering my question. I proceeded through the door shortly after I asked the system my question. I found myself inside of a grand foyer, one larger than ever the one in Morthos' grand manor in Aronms.

The truth was, I had plans for the Morthonian mansion. I wanted to do something to it to symbolize the changing age the dark-elves of Aronms were living in. I hadn't yet, but I wanted too. It was one of the many things that I had mulled over throughout the last few days.

The mansion was an ugly reminder of an older age, and what was worse was that it was in my eyes unnecessary. This palace, as ostentatious as it was, was not unnecessary. It was still being used and still had a distinct purpose.

My thoughts were interrupted by the system's response to my question.

[Morehammer... That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.] The system mused, amused by my question.

[Morehammer was a long-lived deity of dwarves and blacksmithing. He was also a god of metals, blacksmithing, and the hearts of mountains, in a way not unlike your connection to volcanos. Dwarves were his people and he was the head of the dwarven pantheon.] The system told me, revealing that other dwarven gods existed.

[Morehammer's people have moved on from their once incredible devotion to the ancient god. That said, he created his chosen race to be faithful to his teachings, and even though he himself is long-gone his teachings still define the cultures of dwarves throughout the cosmos.] My companion revealed, causing me to wonder if piety was still important to dwarves.

[Morehammer was a blacksmith and tactician of unequaled skill throughout the multiverse. His people can still be found throughout the multiverse which in and of itself is a testament to the god's teachings and the intelligence of his people.] The system declared, speaking of Morehammer fondly.

As it spoke I was carefreely wandering the palace, while moving in Rachel's general direction. I was currently on the third floor of the building, and examining the furnishings of an empty hallway. This was the floor Rachel was on.

[Morehammer was a kind god who valued both his people and all blacksmiths. He respected everyone who sought to use the bounty of the planet in peaceful and civilization-expanding ways. I miss him.] The system revealed, speaking personally for a moment. As it did so I focused on my initial reasoning for coming here: I oriented myself in Rachel's direction and began to move towards her.

[Morehammer and I collaborated frequently. He was fond of me, of the order I represented. Together we worked to create a vast dwarven empire that transcended universes. It was one of the first of its kind.] My companion confessed, speaking reverentially of an era in the distant past.

[Morehammer, like a few other overgods, was a transcendent being. He was mighty enough to cross over into other universes. And his people followed him into them. Together we created all sorts of new powers.] My old friend told me, reminiscing about the distant past.

It was at that point that I found myself just outside of where Rachel was, and all that separated me from her was a single metal door. The system fell silent as I stared at the door, waiting to see if it had anything else to say. When it was quiet for nearly a full minute I stepped forward through the door and laid eyes on the dwarven princess for the first time.

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I stepped through the metal door that separated me from the princess who owed her newfound freedom to me with ease. It didn't resist me in the slightest thanks to my power to determine my own corporeality.

I found myself inside of a huge chamber, several dozen meters long and more than a few meters tall. It was a perfectly square room, and each corner of it served a purpose.

One corner of the place housed a desk whereupon several documents laid in a messy pile. Another corner housed Rachel's bed. A corner housed the door I walked through to enter here. And the final corner of it housed the entrance to another room.

Beside the door that led to the other room was a small statuette of what appeared to be Rachel's newly pregnant form. I could tell because Rachel was kneeling beside it, her face facing my general direction but her eyes closed in silent mediation. The statuette looked exactly like Rachel.

Rachel was a tiny dwarf woman, shorter than the other dwarves I had seen. She stood just around a meter tall, while most of the dwarves I had come across stood around one and a quarter meters tall. Rachel had auburn colored hair and a soft face. She had oval lips and a button nose.

Rachel was wearing brightly colored robes, which helped illuminate her in the otherwise dark room she was in. A single royal handmaiden dressed in a smith's smock stood over her and silently watched her. Rachel was every bit as silent as her handmaiden was.

I quietly spoke to the dwarf via our shared mental link.

"Open your eyes." I telepathically whispered, allowing myself to become corporeal once again as I did so. The corporeal form I had chosen for the occasion was my regular human form.

Rachel let out a single shocked breath and opened her eyes just in time to see my body beginning to form within her chamber. Her handmaiden kept her eyes locked on the princess.

"Princess! What's going on, are you okay?" The dwarven woman asked, her voice low and stoic as she spoke. There was little emotion audible in it. As the handmaiden spoke I continued to corporeally materialize behind her.

"Amaris! Turn around!" The dwarven princess said, her voice much louder than that of her servant. Rachel's voice was an exact match of her mental voice, which was unsurprising. So far that's been consistent with my experience on the rare occasions I've met individuals I've telepathically spoken with.

The handmaiden turned around and gasped softly when she saw me. I was just now fully formed and I smiled serenely at both the princess and her handmaiden.

"Hello. Rachel, I believe you know who I am. Amaris might not though." I said, as I took a careful first step towards the pair. Amaris turned to fully face me, and stepped in front of her mistress. I chuckled.

"Amaris... Has Rachel not told you about me?" I asked, enjoying the handmaiden's bold protectiveness. I didn't blame her for reacting the way she did. I was a stranger and a human-looking one at that. Her reaction was quite reasonable, even if it wasn't the wisest one she could have chosen.

I looked at Rachel silently. I was waiting to see how she reacted to my presence. She was quiet, still absorbing the suddenness of my appearance in her chambers. She was quiet for a few moments and there was a look of obvious confusion on her face. I chuckled gently at her expense.

"Rachel... I'm hurt that you don't recognize me. Not very long ago you prayed. And I answered. I am your friend. Your god." I told the young princess, enjoying the game I was playing with her.

Amaris stiffened at this, surprised by the revelation I had just dropped on the princess. The handmaiden turned to look at her mistress, who was paralyzed by a different kind of shock now. And then the princess's eyes were filled with recognition. When she next spoke her words were reverential and soft.

"Althos? Is it truly you?" She asked, an awed grin on her face. I nodded at the dwarven woman, and watched as she looked at me uncertainly.

"Althos... To what do I owe this... honor? Pleasure? I'm unsure of which would you prefer." She told me honestly. Amaris watched this in silent confusion. And then the princess turned to her with a serene smile on her face.

"This is the deity to whom I owe... My freedom? My life? Both?" She revealed, causing her handmaiden's eyes to widen. The woman turned and faced me, an uncertain look in her eyes.

"Is this true? Are you the god who answered my mistress' prayers?" She asked, her voice containing more emotion than before. I silently nodded at her. She had a look if skepticism on her face, and spoke once more.

"I understand that my mistress wants to believe you... But can you prove it? Can you demonstrate you are who you say you are?" She asked, a hopeful tone audible in her voice.

I looked at her and wondered how I could go about doing that. I had so many powers at my disposal now that deciding how to answer that question would always involve a bit of creativity on my part.