Chapter 69: A Bit of History and Old Elven Flames

"Wut?"

Anselm is excited, giddy even. He's flying about in twirls like a little girl and giggling with so much glee.

But I'm confused. Very much so. He's just announced that Saia, the home we've been looking for is simply what we stand on now.

I can't disagree or refute that the possibility of Saia being Ire hadn't crossed my mind but, the day we met those soldiers with that Elven slave, the ones Anselm proudly boasted his position as squire to some guy even deader than he is…

Well, their reactions showed nothing but contempt for some asshole getting in their way, rather than the respect and honour Anselm no doubt thought he'd receive.

"Okay, Okay, Okay. Cool down a bit and tell me everything-from the top!"

With a grin still plastered on his face Anselm descends from the clouds and spills it all out.

"Right, so according to the books dating, Saia was destroyed about five-hundred years ago, meaning…"

"Meaning you're half a millennium old." I gasp out. Despite his large, wide grin, I can't help but feel some sadness for Anselm. 

He's been floating about in purgatory for five-hundred years and all because some Goddess leaves the Souls that desire to live in the scene of their deaths.

It's no wonder his memory is so shot, five-hundred years in isolation, watching people pass you by, watching the rocks decay and the earth rise over and around you…That's some kind of torture I cannot bear…total isolation.

"Yes!" He exclaims, "Guess what else was happening around five-hundred years ago."

I let out a sigh and quirk an eyebrow, "What?"

He blinks, "I said guess."

I hold out on the urge to groan and take a guess, "A war?"

"Oh, well, yes but that's not what I was thinking of." He inhales and with unnecessary drama pedals on suspense before saying, "The Synagogue! The Synagogue was just being formed!"

He outright laughs at the look of shock on my face now, going off on another bout of happy flying.

The Synagogue was formed around the same time Saia fell, or was destroyed. There's no doubt these two things are connected. Whatever happened to Saia had a hand in the Synagogue.

Frankly, I suspect the Synagogue is the cause of Saia's fall, but it's best not to jump to conclusions yet.

"Hey! Get back here." I call out. He zooms downward again, grin ever widening, "What caused the Fall of Saia? Why did the Synagogue fall? What happened five-hundred years ago, Anselm?"

"Well, that's the thing…there's a bit of conflict with these recordings."

"What do you mean?"

"The shattering…the continent, the singular one…The war of the Gods." He pauses, "The shattering happened several thousand years ago and yet…Saia's fall is a direct result of it."

At this I can only stay silent. How is this even possible? If we were to take the books words to heart then that means there's something that isn't taught in regular history classes then.

I can only imagine how an event that happened several thousand years ago directly influences recent history; recent history being the last five-hundred years.

"Are these the only answers we have?"

"There is a place, the books author is inviting us to visit. Ire is laid on the foundations of Saia, this place could perhaps be the last vestige of my people and their history." 

He smiles and exhales satisfied, "It could also be where we get some answers of how this paradox is possible, and if anything it says about Saia and the Synagogue is true."

"Right…" I mutter under my breath, "Lets head over to Carbina first though, then we'll detour to this place."

Anselm begins to prattle on about the many cultural symbols, rituals and meaning of his people he'd forgotten but I'm barely listening.

For whatever reason, I am filled with dread at the thought of uncovering whatever it is that linked the Fall of Saia to the Synagogue.

***

The sun rose up and cursed at me with its painful glare. It's time to move, time to head back to Carbina and get Leriva up and moving once again.

To do that however, we've got to get her the medication she so desperately needs. And for that we need Kaylin.

Tapping her awake proves to be more difficult than I thought. The woman is so deep in sleep that even my pinches on her light, soft skin barely fazes her.

In the end it only takes some good fashioned tickling to get her up with a laugh and glorious smile on her shapely face.

"Let's get going. We need to be at Carbina before it's too late, remember?" I speak.

Wiping her eyes clean of the bit of gunk that managed the settle overnight she nods and gets herself ready.

"There's an Alchemist I know who can help us, regardless of who we are. Although, I'll have to go in first and then introduce you as a friend." She huffs, downing a bottle of what she produces from her one of her two bags.

"And even then, she might not accept you, he's very particular about who she helps."

"Isn't that completely contradictory to what you just said?"

She gives me a puzzled look as she straightens out her shirt. "What did I say?"

"That he helps…ugh, just, let's go."

"Not yet!" she calls out to me as I leave, "I haven't prayed."

Prayer huh…

***

After she gives her prayer and worship to Vuius, the Goddess of the Elves we get moving.

The Alchemist she speaks of is down in the strata, closer to where she and her family are based. It would have been more efficient to go there as we came up the strata yesterday but alas, things were a bit awkward.

To an extent they still are, with Anselm not around to offer the motivating buffer between the two of us, there's just that lump of coal hanging over each of our heads, waiting to fall on once we pronounce the wrong things.

I suppose this is only natural, it'll take a while before she comes out of her shell and even longer for me to do the same. Anselm? Well, Anselm only cares that I love well enough to summon him.

Before long, with the expectation of the roads to be full of people milling about with purpose and some running away from the law, we arrive at our destination.

It's a rather dinky shop for one based in the strata where all the fanciness begins, but I suppose looks aren't everything, quality is what matters.

Kaylin has me wait outside while she breaks the ice with the store owner, I can hear some yelling about a minute after she enters and I simply hope she doesn't mention my powers.

The shouting calms down after about a minute, I'm glad I don't feel any magic flare up. Kaylin calls out for me to come in and I do with great caution and preparedness. My instant kill skill on hand.

"Hello, I'm Asher." I announce upon my entrance.

The store is full of shelves and not much else, shelves holding all sorts of colourful fluids in bottles of varying sizes and shapes. Some bottles are tied up in black cloth and others are simply empty.

There's a space to the side with a mat on the floor and a table right next to it with a teacup and a kettle, I suppose most store owners expect to be hosts, or perhaps that is just a testing arena for the concoctions the Alchemists comes up with.

Speaking of, beside Kaylin is a rather tall man, much taller than I am with blonde hair that falls over and between his noticeably pointed ears. Behind the ugly googles he wears I can easily catch the blue of his eyes and the point of his nose through the mask he has on.

He pulls down the mask, letting himself the luxury of unperturbed air and speaks, "So you're her new man?"

"I'm sorry what?" I blink.

"I said, you're her man." He steps out from behind the counter and past Kaylin her towers over me, "Or are you not?"

"Uh, no, I'm not."

"Then what are you doing with her? Above the underground, you're not Merlara." 

"We're just travelling together, her moth-"

"Travelling!" his neck snaps to Kaylin and he barks, "You didn't say anything about travelling!"

Quickly growing tired of this I ask, "Kaylin, its mana exhaustion, Leriva is in a coma, can you get the potion?"

The towering Alchemist looks to me with indignation, "I never said I'll sell to you."

Still looking at Kaylin, I add, "We don't have time for this. Spirit Summon."

"You think because you're a Mage you can take Kaylin away!" he barks out, grabbing at one of the clothed bottles on the shelf, "I have fought Mages! So think again!"

"Anselm!"

It doesn't take much explaining what I want Anselm to do. Swift as ever Anselm plunges into the Alchemist, immobilizing him with a possession.

"Anselm?" I question as the big guy falls still, the cloth bottle still in hand.

"Yeah," I hear him say in a much less confrontational tone, "I can only keep his body still so…hurry up with whatever you're doing and lets go, I haven't used possession in ages!"

Right!

"Kaylin, got the bottles?" I demand.

She heaves up a leather back and jingles it a bit, the rattle of glass is a clear enough answer.

"Great, let's go, Anselm will catch up to us in a bit!" Grabbing hold of her hand we bolt out of there and I idly wonder as we run, just what other troubles she'll land me in.