Naturally, nobody had contested his departure. Besting the patriarch of a dragon flight and numerous Avatars had a way of forcing people to heed his words. And when the hidden monster Balastion Novar had come forth? Orodan had bested him too.
Needless to say, those who’d attempted to contest his departure now knew that nobody on Inuan was up to the task of stopping him.
His month of honing his abilities had also led to gains in spatiomancy. While he’d previously struggled to teleport from Velestok to Arkwall, he could likely teleport from one side of Alastaia to another now. Using this he had stepped from Jerestir to the craggy deserts of the Aswarthian Peninsula in the Eastern Kingdoms.
He was a bit tired of the Republic and saw no reason to rub salt into their wounds and cause upheaval by remaining. So, while Ranmere’s Folly would’ve been a decent spot for entry into the depths, he instead made way for the deserts of the Eastern Kingdoms where another known entrance into the abyssal depths was. And from there...
...a trip to the world core of Alastaia.
The inner deserts of the Aswarthian Peninsula were bereft of regular people, only monsters traversed the dunes. A sandstorm had been brewing earlier, with the windspeeds fast enough that an Initiate-level individual would’ve been torn apart. And all the monsters had either hidden under the dunes or fled into any nearby caves or underground openings. Of course, a single clap from Orodan’s hands and the resulting shockwave had cleared the storm up easily enough.
And with the sandstorm now abated, the things which dwelled beneath the sands could finally get a good read on what traversed the surface.
A giant maw filled with thousands of sharp teeth erupted from the dunes, and it enveloped Orodan whole...
...only to spit him out immediately after. Along with multiple broken teeth.
A giant sandworm.
Unlike most creatures who relied on an instinctual sense of the soul and consequently couldn’t track him, these sandworms hunted through tracking the vibrations and shifts on the surface of the sands. To an extent, Orodan could still be tracked through such mundane physical methods. Thus, with the sandstorm gone and no interference in its tracking, it had eagerly risen upwards and chomped him right up.
Though, it hadn’t counted on its prospective meal being tougher than its teeth.
The sandworm took one look at Orodan, realized it could get no read off of him, and then promptly turned tail and fled. Which Orodan allowed as it was merely a Master-level creature.
In any case, no more sandworms bothered him as he approached the entry to the depths at Alvatel’s Snare. It was the location where a somewhat straightforward path to the abyssal depths was located, and it was named after the ancient hero Adeltaj had fought alongside who trapped the gigantic depths worm within in order to kill it long ago.
Yes, Orodan could’ve simply ripped right through the earth, but the damage would have been unnecessary, plenty of depths wildlife would’ve been massacred, and there was a good chance of causing earthquakes on the surface.
With a step forward, he entered the depths at Alvatel’s Snare.
There was nothing remarkable in the civilized depths, though it was quite interesting to note that the environment on the surface heavily influenced what sorts of creatures were within the depths below. Groups of scorpions, snakes and wild cats were sheltering in the initial few miles of the civilized depths, waiting out the sandstorm above. And they all gave Orodan a wide berth since they could get no reading on him.
The sandstorms, though dangerous, were still part of the natural ecosystem. And as a result, the wildlife had adapted to them. Predators waited in silence for prey to come shelter near caves or entrances to the depths, and then they would pounce. And the deadly high-speed winds also had the benefit of revealing many patches of magical plant roots beneath the sands which grazing monsters could then use for sustenance once the storms abated.
Depths ecology aside, things simply steered clear of him. Orodan was entirely unchallenged as he passed into the wild depths, then the deep depths and finally jumped down a rather deep hole leading to the abyssal depths.
Here too, nothing really came after him. The abyssal depths were rich in their density of world energy, and the monsters greedily fed off of it. The Grandmaster-level monsters that encountered Orodan shrieked, hissed and looked willing to defend their territory. Though, none came after him and they looked rather perplexed when he simply kept walking on.
While he could still learn from challenging those weaker than him, he wasn’t about to run around and dispense beatings to monsters minding their own business.
He passed many deadly creatures, which gave him a wide berth. And interestingly enough, saw a weird spider which seemed to practically phase out of reality upon the sight of him. The System’s loss was quite apparent here as he only received the barest sensation that the dimensional plane was moving. Orodan’s eyes widened for a moment as he recalled where he’d seen it before...!
It was the dimensional phase spider! He’d seen this weird creature in the hells and read about it too! Was this thing the key to learning more about how to access different dimensions?
He ran about, trying to get a whiff of where it was, and briefly considered reversing time to pull it right back. However, he could track one down later. For now, something else awaited.
The final wild monster before his destination was a five-headed lion, a triple Grandmaster-level creature and quite deadly. And it simply roared and hissed like a wild animal incapable of communication.
“Are you all so antisocial?” Orodan asked. “I’m just passing through, and all you lot do is growl, chitter or hiss at me.”
Practically everything in the depths had refused to speak to him. It was more than a bit odd.
In response, yet again it growled, though with what Orodan could swear was a look of confusion on its face.
“Wait a minute... of course... no System translation,” Orodan muttered. “Nod if you understand what I say.”
The five heads gave a slow nod.
No wonder he’d not managed to communicate with any non-human creatures so far. Mahari and Altaj’s pegasi hadn’t actually spoken to him at all this loop, the depths centipedes for the energy well had simply stayed out of his way as he cleared it, and he’d spoken to no dragons this loop.
“So, you can understand what I say, but I cannot understand you,” Orodan said. “Another reason to fix my lack of System.”
The five-headed lion looked confused, though Orodan simply walked past it and continued onward.
And at last, his destination...
...the first gate.
With a Gate Guardian standing in front, looking quite perplexed. It was an eleven-foot-tall troll with eight-arms with vicious-looking blades in each hand, and Orodan surmised it was stronger than any Gate Guardian he’d seen in the abyssal depths beneath Ranmere’s Folly.
Of course, that was still woefully weaker than Orodan himself.
The troll grunted and spoke in a strange tongue, and Orodan had to put out a hand, gesturing it to stop it.
“I can’t understand you; my System is gone. So, let’s dispense with the talking and get to fighting,” Orodan said. “I intend on reaching the world core, will you try and stop me?”
The Gate Guardian frowned, and then all eight arms began spinning the blades in their hands.
Battle called.
Or as good of a battle as he’d get against a weaker foe anyways. Still, fighting against eight-arms while limiting his own speed and strength seemed an interesting challenge. Especially since the troll Gate Guardian looked as though it knew how to handle the weapons.
His opponent had a reach advantage, and Orodan consequently brought out the halberd to counter it.
Eight serrated swords descended towards him, each of them coming in at awkward angles. And Orodan focused, spinning the halberd dextrously to catch six of the incoming attacks and sweep them aside. His shield in the left hand caught the remaining two.
Two seconds passed, and hundreds of attacks occurred, with Orodan casually weathering them all as he used the opportunity to sharpen his defensive form and polish his one-handed usage of the halberd with a shield in tandem.
Its attacks were of decent strength, but nothing extraordinary. The Eldritch Avatar was stronger, and Orodan felt confident that he exceeded it in strength by now. The troll seemed surprised that he could match its strength, but if anything, Orodan was greatly holding back.
Finally, its eyes took on a cautious look, and that was when Orodan felt it was his turn.
His leg shot out, and a swift low kick punished the Gate Guardian by bruising its calf and making it stumble. The halberd was then hooked around one of its eight arms, and it was pulled down to where two elbow strikes pummelled its face and caused its teeth to fly out from its mouth. Another step brought Orodan even closer, and a leg trip followed by a shove sent it to the ground.
“Not bad, but you fall into the classic trap of relying overly much on the weapon,” Orodan said as he waited for his opponent to get back up. “Eight arms and all you do is use the sword?”
That, and though it had eight arms, it only had two legs, which were an obvious point for trips and sweeps to imbalance it and bring it low.
The troll growled, but actually accepted the advice.
On the next pass it performed far more admirably and even taught Orodan a trick or two as he was forced to defend against a combination of fists and swords from eight arms and consequently shored up his combat style further.
Still, he could only gain understanding for so long from a weaker foe. Especially when it wasn’t arrogance to admit that Orodan was rather talented in the warrior arts and learned quickly. Thirty more seconds of melee, and he learned all there was to learn against this eight-armed warrior.
“This has been a good spar,” Orodan admitted. “Though, I believe that will be all.”
His halberd lashed out, and despite the Gate Guardian’s best attempts to defend, it was overwhelmed. The only difference was that despite holding back, Orodan was now going all-out in terms of skill.
Attacks ruthlessly flowed into one another, openings which could be exploited were far too narrow to capitalize upon, and weapons, fists, legs and elbows all combined to leave the poor troll a battered heap upon the ground.
At the end of it all, it tried to desperately stop him. Whether out of pity for what Orodan would face, or its duty, he didn’t know.
“If you’re trying to warn me about the Void Horror that will be sent up to stop me, worry not. I’ll be fine,” Orodan said. “I have no plans on disrupting civilization past the gate either, so you need not worry about any innocents.”
The first gate looked mostly the same, even if it was an entrance at a different location. A wall made of empowered material which was covered in the language of the System, with the density of the writing getting higher towards the center, where a small control core lay.
Orodan put his hand upon the core, and the gate condensed inwards to reveal the sight of sprawling monster civilization behind it.
He took a step past the threshold...
...and nothing happened.
“As expected...” he muttered to himself.
With no System, as of yet nothing had shown the ability to track him through magic, the tapestry of fate or his soul. He also had no Quest System of his own, which meant that Alastaia itself couldn’t really detect the fact that he’d stepped past the first gate.
He could only presume that the detection systems accounted for everyone having a soul tied to the System. Without one...
...he simply strode past the gate without any interference.
Oh, the beings inhabiting these underground cities were in a full-blown panic and practically mass-evacuated at the sight of him. But no Void Horror came his way immediately.
He walked past the cities and began moving down the gigantic halls which would eventually lead to the world core, and it was nearly twenty minutes after this walk that he finally saw what was supposed to stop him.
The Void Horror.
Long, grey and lanky. And it shot towards Orodan like a speeding artillery shot, equal amounts of rage and confusion upon its face as it roared in a tongue unfamiliar to him.
Both arms were outstretched and a moment from making contact when a shield bash met them, and the entirety of its continent-shaking momentum was reversed and it was sent flying backwards like a ragdoll.
Once upon a time he’d died against this thing within the span of a single blow.
No longer.
It was dazed upon the ground, numerous bones broken. It would recover though.
But for now, it needed to sleep. And the follow-up fist to its jaw ensured it would do just that.
Two more Gate Guardians emerged as he continued speeding towards the world core, but two simple yet powerful blows flattened them into the walls where they’d be indisposed for a while.
And after rounding a corner, at last he came face to face with it.
It was gigantic, but not as large as the world cores of some of the truly massive worlds he’d seen. Covered in the language of the System, with a spear-like pillar embedded into it, was the world core of Alastaia. And it was infected with Eldritch, just as it had been the first time Orodan had seen it.
And the Transcendent Core Guardian bat which flitted about, ready to defend it, was also corrupted.
The world core spoke in a booming voice, though in many unfamiliar tongues. After a while, it began shifting, until it finally settled upon the one tongue familiar to him. The Common Imperial language used across Inuan.
“What... are you?”
“Once upon a time, your World Ruler,” Orodan answered. “Though, that story can come after. For now...
“...you might consider me the janitor. You’re long overdue for some cleaning.”
#
Cleansing the world core and core guardian of Eldritch had been trivially easy.
Orodan had cleansed multiple plague worlds of the taint. Purifying Alastaia was nothing in comparison.
In fact, his complete cleansing of the world core had led to the purification of all Eldritch upon his home world altogether. No more naturally occurring Eldritch, no more foul taint upon the Eldritch Avatar’s preferred landing grounds in the Valley of Spires.
Apart from one eccentric man in Arkwall, whose choice Orodan respected, Eldritch no longer existed upon Alastaia.
He was sure this phenomenon would be noticed and cause a stir in many circles. Still, it would take time for anyone else to verify the full extent of what he’d done.
The conversation between him and the purified Alastaia had taken near two hours. Over the course of which he’d explained who he was, the time loops, what he’d done during them, his goals and his current circumstances involving the loss of his System.
He’d also received an amulet from the world core, supposedly left over from the elves’ failed attempt to descend, which allowed him to now understand languages foreign to him. At least until the issue with his System was fixed.
Inside of a groove within the core, lay the world crown of Alastaia.
“Will you not claim what is rightfully yours?” Alastaia asked.
“I think not. Rulership has never been my desire, and I can already tell the crown requires a connection to one’s System in order to direct the flows of world energy,” Orodan said as he approached what actually interested him. The System Control Spike. “This thing though... it’s known as a System Control Spike. And it’s clearly of different construction than anything else here.”
“Its nature eludes even us...”
“The boon it granted me in the last loop still works,” Orodan said. “This space within my soul which can carry things across the time loops hasn’t been affected by the destruction of my System. Though, to interact with the Control Spike again, I’ll need to repair my System.”
“Which would require learning the language of the System... and tapping into the power which empowers it,” Alastaia said.
Did it? Orodan was feeling more and more dissatisfied with the thought of repairing his System using System energy and its own language. Still, he kept his brewing thoughts on the matter to himself for now.
“In most cases, yes. But this System Control Spike is... different. It’s tied to the time loop mechanism which I empowered,” Orodan explained. “Unlike Quest Rewards, this I believe, might work even if I didn’t utilize the language and power of the Eldritch Boundless One. Though, I surmise I’ll still need to repair my System if I’m to change the boon it offers.”
“If any being is suited to such a tall task, it would be you, time looper. Your course is set then?”
“Aye. I have more learning to do, skills to hone and a System to repair. And at the end of it all... a fated meeting in five months where things have a good chance of escalating towards something more.”
In five months, the Eldritch Avatar would descend. And if Orodan managed to get things done by that point... then far worse awaited.
But before that, Eldiron was his destination. And on the way to it, mayhem to cause.
#
The peaks of the Dokuhan Mountains were hot, arid and plenty of monsters frequented them. Wandering tribes of orcs frequented the peaks and travelled from cave to cave in order to eke out survival. And as if life wasn’t hard enough for them, they also had to deal with frequent harassment and ‘censuses’ from the under-mountain confederation of the dwarves.
The under-mountain confederation was a kingdom of dwarves which resided beneath the Dokuhan Mountains. And Orodan knew from his time battling across the cosmos that they were a splinter, a remnant of the greater dwarven peoples which were spread across the galaxy, under the rule of the Dwarven God Varkir.
“For starters, I need passage to Eldiron,” Orodan said, and before one noblewoman could ask why on Alastaia he needed passage anywhere with his level of power, he continued. “Peaceful passage. I suspect the three Gods of elvenkind will not take it well if I simply barge onto their continent.”
And while the situation with his soul and its untraceable nature meant he could likely enter with some sort of stealth, he needed to actually act openly if he intended to learn.
“I see... that is... something out of our hands,” Elder Xalyth Mezzer said. “It’s not that we don’t want to help you, but that your might is too great. If we were to smuggle you onto Eldiron, the God-Queen would descend upon our heads with fury for allowing one of such power onto her continent unchecked. What we can do, is arrange for a meeting between you and the elven divinities. What is the purpose of your visit?”
“Learning. I have a goal that requires me to understand the various enchanting languages,” Orodan explained. “I’ve got a good grasp of the human enchanting language. And now, I need to understand runic enchanting. On the side, I also need to study various skills.”
“As I promised, we can definitely assist with any studies in runic enchanting,” Elder Xalyth declared. “Though, Goldleaf in Eldiron would likely be the best location to access a wealth of knowledge on the subject. I shall send a message to a friend of mine, and he’ll be coming forth to meet with you.”
“Fair enough. In the meanwhile, mind if I get to studying?”
#
“What the hells... this is utterly profound...” Orodan muttered.
His concentration was buried deep into the intricate pattern of webs before him.
Dark elves and dwarves both used the same runic enchanting language, though, they did so in different ways. Dwarves used runic enchanting in a conventional manner. Magic chisel to material, the standard way. The drow though, also did it in this manner, but with the caveat that they also used the silken webs of spider dragons to pre-fabricate an enchantment, study its effects and then consider the application of it.
At first, Orodan thought it was a unique method of studying the language itself and nothing more.
And then he’d learned that the drow not only studied enchantments by weaving them with spider dragon silk, but also wove actual runic enchantments using the silk and the webs were then forged into the material.
What was so special about using spider silk?
The fact that the silk of spider dragons was tied to their soul. If one were to examine the silk, the story of a spider dragon’s life, their history, their struggles... it could all be revealed. The silk as a material, wasn’t simply static... it told a story.
One of...
“...time. An enchantment which is not only three-dimensional, but also touches upon the fourth dimension, that of time. Utterly profound... to think I’d uncover such a secret on Alastaia...” Orodan muttered to himself as he was enraptured.
It was humbling. One could never rule out from where a profound secret might come. Yes, he was far stronger than anything on Alastaia, but that didn’t mean his knowledge was beyond it. One could still learn incredible things from paths already trodden.
“Now you see why our method of enchantment is so different? I will admit, the dwarves are excellent at the application of runic enchanting, but they’ll never comprehend the actual language the same way we do,” Elder Xalyth said. “Not when they refuse to look beyond their conventional methods. Which dwarf would sully themselves by working with a spider dragon?”
Spider dragon silk was tied to the soul of the creature that produced it. When initially produced, the material was aspected, attuned to its producer, and not really useful for crafting and in fact interfered with enchantments as the spider dragon’s memories and experiences caused disharmony. Though, with time and the careful application of many expensive rituals, this spider dragon silk could be wiped clean, it could be made to ‘forget’ its owner and become unaspected.
This unaspected spider dragon silk was an incredibly valuable material which was critical in the crafting process for some of the most powerful weapons of the drow.
For Orodan, it wasn’t the silk itself which drew his attention, but the fact that an enchanting medium could be not just three-dimensional, but four-dimensional. And potentially...
...something which might give him inspiration to complete the grand ambition which had been forming in his mind for a while now.
“I see it. Coming here has been the best decision I’ve made this loop,” Orodan said. “Studying runic enchanting the conventional way might have taken too long. With this critical bit of knowledge, the fact that such a thing is possible... it gives me hope.”
“I still have a hard time believing your System is destroyed... what an outlandish tale you’ve regaled me with,” Elder Xalyth said. “Claiming to be in a time loop is one thing. Telling me your System is gone is another.”
“It’s the truth. Whether you believe it or not,” Orodan said. “In any case, I owe you for this.”
“Consider it repayment for your rescue of me,” the elder drow said. “And your unfathomable and illogical talent in cleaning for which we have enough silk to last our enchanters a few centuries. Frankly, the council may try to persuade you to stay if you’re routinely capable of such things.”
Spider dragon silk was turned from aspected to the valuable unaspected form through magical rituals of great expense. And Orodan could simply turn it unaspected by cleaning the memories and experiences right out of it. A powerful application of his Celestial skill which was quite lucrative. He’d created a few thousand pounds worth of unaspected spider silk and would likely cause economic chaos in that particular industry. Not that he needed the money of course.
“If you say so,” Orodan said. “Unfortunately, my goals dictate that I must make for Eldiron.”
“Given how your actions have put many of them out of a job, the spider silk manufacturers will be pleased to hear it,” the elder said. “Now then, let us look deeper into this web. If you look here... the flows often focus on significant memories, a natural imperfection in the spider silk. The higher the quality, the more even the flows no matter how significant the memory, and to counter that...”
They discussed, Orodan studied, and he asked questions all while getting a grasp for runic enchanting. Elder Xalyth scratched her head and expressed her shock at how Orodan managed to make a three-dimensional enchantment using human enchanting language. And while the enchantment itself wasn’t anything special, the proof of concept baffled her and had the drow insisting that he remain in Xan’Coran.
He was forced to refuse of course.
“I cannot,” Orodan said.
“But... but...! To do such a thing with so primitive a language!” she exclaimed. “Nations would wage war over your talents if they found out!”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m at a point where nations cannot threaten me,” Orodan said. “In any case, it’s not revolutionary. I simply had an advantage that no other enchanter did. I had the gift of failure. I was allowed to fail over and over, the wall which the System removes through the granting of skill levels... I never could overcome it through raw repetition. With this wall before me indefinitely, I could study, meditate and train on ways to surmount it for as long as needed.”
“...I see. I believe I am beginning to believe your claim about not having a System any longer,” elder Xalyth professed. “Now then, show me that enchantment of yours one mo-”
The door to the enchanters’ study opened, and a drow messenger walked in.
“I believe I said we were not to be interrupted,” elder Xalyth said sternly. “Unless you bring news.”
“I do, elder,” the messenger said nervously. “One of the four have arrived to meet with Orodan Wainwright.”
“Hmm, very well,” she said. “I suppose this can continue later on. Depending on how your conversation goes, I shall see you either here, or in Eldiron, Orodan.”
“Eldiron?” Orodan asked. “Doesn’t an ancient woman like yourself have duties here?”
“Again with the comments on my age...” she muttered with an annoyed frown. “You’ll find that us drow age rather gracefully. And nothing precludes me from spending my time upon Eldiron. I’m not a councillor, and my clan will doubtlessly grant me a well-earned rest after my ordeal.”
“Fair enough, but you needn’t travel so far just to teach me... I’m sure there are plenty of instructors upon Eldiron as well,” Orodan said.
“For all you’ve done for us, and for your rescue of me, it’s the least I could do,” the woman said, a smile on her face.
Well, if she wanted to help, who was Orodan to refuse? The study of the spider dragon silk and the runic enchanting language was definitely an important stepping stone towards his main goal. Still, a bit strange for her to offer to come along when Goldleaf likely had many tutors and Grandmasters of enchanting.
His soul also thrummed a bit weirdly and he looked inward to where Zaessythra was sleeping. Perhaps she was kicking about in her sleep?
In any case, he didn’t have the time to dwell on such things, and Orodan accompanied elder Xalyth and the messenger to the council chambers.
The doors swung open, and Orodan wondered just which member of the elven pantheon had come.
The matter was answered when he saw a familiar elf, a friendly smile upon his face. A man who was on the verge of triggering the trial of ascendance.
Eldarion, the elven God of Friendship.
#
“This tea is quite good...”
“It’s a small sample of what the elven continent has to offer. As a matter of fact, this small settlement, Ildisiar, is where the tea leaf is grown and harvested.”
Now where had he heard this before?
The tea was quite good, with a sharp flavor of the forest as though the flowers and berries were coming alive on his tongue. Still, it wasn’t anything ground-breaking, and he’d sampled the Inuanan Auslivik leaf tea as well, and the comparison was closer than he’d have thought.
Where was he?
Eldiron of course.
From Orodan’s vantage point, high atop a tree as tall as a mountain, he had an excellent view of the coast and the surrounding lush forest which was almost unnaturally green. The leaves were the color of emeralds, the rivers flowing out to the coastline were the color of sapphires and the very winds carried a beautiful song upon them.
He sensed an extreme abundance of world energy all around.
They were on Eldiron, specifically, within a small settlement which couldn’t even be called a village. Perhaps a hamlet? Either way, Ildisiar was the name of the settlement, and the only people who lived here were tea-makers, ancient masters and Eldarion himself, an elf on the cusp of pushing past level 100 in a skill.
“I’ve had this tea before,” Orodan said. “Though, it was with the headmaster of Woodworking, and it was at Bluefire.”
“Osolon Velrayn has a penchant for attempting to impress people with trinkets and goods from his homeland,” Eldarion said, a casual smile upon his face which had Orodan feeling at ease. “To think you’ve met him and so many others before in these time loops of yours...”
He had to remind himself, that prior to his departure for the cosmos, this elf gave off the most dangerous instinctual feeling he’d ever gotten from someone save the Void Horror and Eldritch Avatar. Still, Orodan had resisted the Celestial Emperor, a peak-Transcendent with a Celestial skill. Eldarion, while impressive, just didn’t compare any longer. Though, Orodan would consider the elf’s overall power level with the social skill to be at least early-Transcendent level if Eldarion acted seriously.
“I will say, I don’t get to meet people under the same circumstances every time,” Orodan explained. “The last two times we met were under tense circumstances where we were both acting as mutual displays of power for our respective factions. I’m glad to see it’s different this time.”
“If you’ll pardon me, Mister Wainwright... is it really any different?” Eldarion asked. “Here I am, the mightiest of the elves of Eldiron, sitting before you, the mightiest human I’ve ever seen. The decision to send me for this meeting was no doubt intentional, and the very existence of someone like you who could simply destroy Alastaia is threat enough by itself.”
“Heh... I suppose you’re not wrong. Which makes it three for three. I suppose we’re fated to meet this way no matter what,” Orodan joked. “Though, I’ve broken fate a fair few times.”
“That you have. Every single scan we’ve attempted gives us nothing, and your presence in the tapestry of fate is blank,” Eldarion said. “If you hadn’t told me about the circumstances you find yourself in, I don’t know if this conversation would be as casual as it is, my friend.”
“All it took for you to feel at ease was the honest truth?” Orodan asked. “I thought the security of Eldiron would be taken a bit more seriously than that.”
“You’re not wrong. In fact, Cithrel will doubtlessly be working at a furious pace to prepare safeguards and contingencies in case you decide to act against us,” Eldarion explained.
“Then why... are you accepting this all so casually?” Orodan asked.
“Because... in you... I have the chance to achieve Transcendence,” Eldarion said, a grim look on his face. “And...”
“...the opportunity to escape my wife.”
Orodan stared at Eldarion.
Eldarion stared at Orodan.
“...”
“Now... no need to give me that look,” Eldarion said. “I assure you, she’s a real terror.”
Orodan’s palm met his face, and a sigh left his lips.
“If by terror you mean a woman who leaves her spouse exhausted and happy, then perhaps more folk could stand to have terrors in their lives.”
“I’m clearly not built for such exhaustive physical pursuits like you are, my friend.”
Eldarion smiled.
Orodan’s mouth curved upwards... and a bout of laughter was shared between the two of them.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew there was the possibility of the social skill.
“Jokes aside, I’m just surprised you let me onto Eldiron without any fuss,” Orodan said. “I only told you of the time loops after we came here for our discussion. While this settlement has a rather sparse population, surely letting me onto Eldiron can’t be wise?”
“Of course not. But despite the Novarrians’ attempts at matching us, it remains clear that our intelligence network is the greatest upon Alastaia. Our eyes and ears are competent at their jobs, and they report many things,” the elven man said. “The disabling of the ancient machine in the Republic, the shattering of our psionic web in Inuan which gave Athandelu a real scare and of course... the clash which occurred in Jerestir near the Imperial border with the Republic where Novarrian forces were bested and the Eldritch crown of Balastion Novar was destroyed. We have been keeping tabs on all these happenings and tying you to them isn’t difficult when you act so openly.”
“So, you’ve been aware of me for a long time, which doesn’t surprise me,” Orodan said. “Why allow me onto your continent then?”
“Because Orodan... those accolades also came with accounts of your capabilities,” Eldarion said. “The shattering of Arkwall’s anti-spatiomancy wards and the assault upon Var Turum where Thavri Grimbreaker was slain in a singular strike do not escape my ears. Cithrel will doubtlessly be angered at me for this... but powerful as we are, as many countermeasures and contingencies as we have... we lack the means to meaningfully contest the likes of you.”
“And so, you allow me onto Eldiron? For what?” Orodan asked.
And in response, Eldarion rose to his feet...
...and a hand was extended.
“Friendship.”
The elf was the bearer of a powerful social skill. One that could influence the thoughts of many, and even Orodan had to get truly serious in the past when facing it for the first time in the loops.
Yet, what cemented Orodan’s decision...
...was the absence of said skill altogether throughout the entirety of the conversation.
Orodan’s hand met Eldarion’s, and the two shook.
What was the point of strength if one couldn’t trust an honest outreach of friendship? If someone betrayed him, he would simply exact revenge. If someone spurned him, he would simply spurn them in turn. And if someone offered friendship?
Orodan would take it without hesitation. To act in a straightforward manner was his path. The way of a warrior.
“I can abide by that,” Orodan said. “Many of the things I’ve achieved were only thanks to people helping me. Teachers, allies... friends.”
There was more than a bit of pain involved in saying that last word, but such was his lot. To experience bonds of companionship, and then to lose it all. However, he would be spitting on the people who’d sacrificed themselves for him if that prevented him from making new friends and living life to the fullest.
“In five months’ time, the Eldritch Avatar descends. Working together, we can best it, and in working with us, we can help you take the steps necessary to rebuilding your System, and from there... for you to best the apocalyptic foes before you,” Eldarion said. “Administrators, this Boundless One... I have no idea where to even begin and regret to say that those battles might well be your own. Though... what we can help you with, you’ll carry well into those fights.”
“Useful skills, esoteric knowledge... and the ability to fix my System,” Orodan said. “Alongside whatever else I might learn.”
“Indeed,” Eldarion said. “And as long as you’re in a time loop, you’ll continue to return and ensure the best possible outcome, won’t you? In helping you, I’ve committed myself to seeing you succeed and in return you’ll help us.”
Eldiron and Goldleaf Academy awaited. And beyond that, in five months, the descent of the Eldritch Avatar and hopefully...
...the restoration of his System.
And with it, a mad goal... and it only grew more concrete as he continued pondering upon it.
The unvoiced grand ambition which Orodan had in regard to his System restoration.
The desire to see it realized burned strongly within his heart.