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Chapter 727: The Hole Left Behind
🕑 Added 2023-11-28 21:08:17 +0000 UTCClaygon, at this point in his young life, couldn’t be considered ancient, old, or even aged, and as ridiculous as it sounded, he was still only a toddler, technically speaking. But, in his short life, the young golem had seen and experienced things that would inspire mortal legends for generations.
He’d seen battles that had changed the face of realms.
He’d seen magic and miracles.
He’d seen life, death, and the very fires of the Hells.
He’d even seen a soul pass through the gates of death, and return to help her friends in the world of the living.
Yet, none of these profound events could have prepared him for the sight now before him. Three people were at a long table—three powerful people with vastly different talents—sitting where he’d never expected to be a guest.
An astonishing sight he wished his father could see.
Toraka Shale’s drawing room—a place of wonder—was vast, far bigger than the Roth family’s entire apartment.
The dining table, covered in glass and crafted of white jade inlaid with platinum frescoes of scores of golems, stood in the centre of the room. Some frescoes were images of golems fighting hordes of ravening monsters, beating them down with only their immense fists. While in others, constructs accompanied masters, conveying entire carriages high above their heads. The largest fresco was of an enormous metropolis being carried on the massive shoulders of a dozen fierce looking golems.
Art covered Toraka’s walls, each piece a moving, living object; trees with leaves of varied shapes and sizes fluttered in a breeze, people sipped glasses of red wine, laughing soundlessly, while animals groomed their fur beneath sunny summer skies. A huge painting, stretching across a south facing wall, depicted a dragon of polished iron breathing flame, incinerating a golden landscape as a soldier crafted of steel stood within the inferno, holding his sword aloft, his expression defiant.
Wooden furniture was inlaid with gold, while comfortable chairs were covered with shimmering silks.
Steam curled above three cups of piping hot tea placed before each woman at the table.
Toraka Shale sat at its head, of course, her hair still damp from her morning bath. To her right was Professor Jules, blinking owlishly in the early morning light. Professor Mangal was across from her, looking as fresh and bright as a spring blossom. Claygon had heard Jules mumbling about ‘youth’ and ‘morning people’ earlier.
Her crusty comments had abruptly ended the minute he and Theresa—who was beside him with Brutus and Selina—had revealed why they’d urgently requested a meeting with the powerful trio.
“It's still early, so maybe I'm not hearing right.” Toraka took a long, guzzling drink of tea, almost draining the cup. If the heat bothered her, she gave no sign. “But, did you just tell me that Alex is gone?”
“I can assure you, you haven’t misheard what was said, Toraka.” Professor Jules buried her face in her hands. “This sort of madness is quite common with Mr. Roth.”
“I don't understand this, we were doing great work together, he and I,” Professor Mangal jumped in. “Why would he leave so suddenly, especially without a goodbye? I could see a sabbatical, but—-”
“Wait, wait, wait, I don't care about any of that.” Shale put the tea cup on the table with a trembling hand. “He can go wherever he likes, I just want to know when he'll be back. We do have a business to run, and a surge of new clients to satisfy.”
“Father does not…know when he'll be back…” Claygon admitted.
“Well, that's simply unacceptable, he has commitments. He and I have a contract—a very lucrative contract that I would normally never sign with anyone, I might add—that is taking advantage of what might be a very limited window of opportunity to make an enormous amount of profit. Word is spreading of these golems, and demand is up. I need him in the factory now more than ever.”
“Alex left so I'd be safe,” Selina said, her voice small.
“Just where did Mr. Roth go?” Professor Jules said, dread already apparent on her face.
Claygon reached across his link with his father who was far north of Generasi, asking him what to say, and telling him how the two professors and the business woman were reacting.
Alex’s words reached Claygon from the Empire.
‘Are you sure, father…do I tell them that much?’
‘They're being dragged more and more into this,’ Alex replied. ‘They deserve to know what we're dealing with.’
‘Are you alright…father?’
‘I’m okay, Claygon.’
The golem looked down at Theresa, Selina and Professor Jules, speaking softly. “Father said…we can tell Professor Mangal and Toraka Shale…everything that’s happened…”
“If he thinks we should, then we will,” Theresa said.
“I would suggest being careful with what’s said about a certain deceased individual,” Professor Jules’ voice was low.
‘She likely means Uldar’, the golem thought.
“Other than the dead fellow, and because the situation has escalated, Professor Mangal and Toraka should be brought up to speed.” Jules finished.
“Then we will…tell the story…” Claygon said.
The golem and huntress told of what had happened in the north, the search for Kelda’s sanctum, of the need to revert the Mark, and the situation with the hidden church, though no mention of Uldar being dead was made.
“…if this goes well…then the Ravener will be destroyed…forever…but our enemies are tracking father, somehow…and if he had stayed here…many people would have suffered if they had attacked him in Generasi…” Claygon finished.
Professor Jules groaned. “So his solution was to trap himself in a hostile Empire while marauders hunt him down? Is that right?” She made a sound of disgust. “I would find it unbelievable if I didn't know Mr. Roth so well.”
“This is a conspiracy of the highest order.” Professor Mangal’s hands were over her mouth. “A secret cult hunting students…by the gods.”
Toraka's mouth was a flat line. Her brow creased. “This does seem to be an emergency. One that's very, very poorly timed. Your plan is to move your family out to a villa in the countryside?”
“Yes, where no one else would get hurt if something happens,” Selina said.
“We wanted to buy golems from you to help with security,” Theresa said. “Alex left us access to his accounts so we could—”
Toraka raised her hand. “Don't even talk to me about coin; I'm not some shortsighted woman who’d slit the throat of her golden sheep. Or let random wolves rip it out.”
Selina winced at those words.
“And I'm not going to let the sheep's family come to harm either.” The golem crafter smiled at Theresa, Selina and Claygon. “I was there when you opened your bakery, I was there when Alex bought that building and turned it into something worthy. I'll be here for you now. I’m going to lend you four iron golems for your use at the villa, each one was built with advanced sensory magical items implanted in their eyes. They're equipped for war, of course. Now, they won't be as impressive as you, Claygon, but they'll still be more than a match for most warriors of flesh and bone.”
“Thank you.” Theresa lowered her head. "My family and I are going to feel much safer having them there. I owe you.”
Toraka waved a hand dismissively. “Alex is my business partner; of course I'm going to protect his family, if I can. Besides, you're nice people. Anyway, I'll feel much better when I know when Alex will be back."
She frowned. “I'm doing some mental maths…and he did build a fairly extensive supply of our advanced dungeon core-infused golems well before the situation he currently finds himself in occurred; thank the gods he’s someone who appreciates the value of contingencies. Hmmm, another question I have, though, is will our supply be enough to meet demand?”
The golem crafter ran the tip of her finger along the tabletop as though making a note. “So, with how they're selling…we should have enough golems to last about a year…unless… Oh! Oh!”
She snapped her fingers. “If this Ravener gets destroyed, the supply of dungeon core essence will dry up sooner or later. Let’s say a rumour gets out that these Thameish Heroes are getting closer to defeating it—a rumour that'll be supported by Alex's absence—that would create a perception of scarcity; there’d be a rush to buy, in which case, our supply could be depleted a lot faster. Claygon, would you tell Alex that?”
The golem relayed Shale’s words and listened to his father's reply.
“Father says…that he could try and think of a way…to craft golems in the Empire…” Claygon said. “He asks that you contact… Lucia…to arrange for supplies… Tell her to come and talk to me…”
The golem crafter raised an eyebrow. “He has a workshop in the frozen wilderness? I doubt it, somehow, and I don't want him making promises he can't keep.”
“He'll think of something. Trust me, he always thinks of something,” Theresa said.
“Well, there's another problem we’ll have to resolve. What about the dungeon core essence? If you and Claygon are going to be here protecting little Selina, then who's going to harvest dungeon cores?”
“Surely Thundar or Kybas can't go alone,” Professor Jules said.
The huntress paled.
“I didn't think of that,” she admitted.
Shale shrugged. “Even if we could get most of the supplies to him—as well as the equipment, if he finds a proper workshop—we will still need dungeon core essence to make the advanced golems with. Without that key ingredient, the entire venture is lost.”
“I think there's more important things going on here, Toraka,” Professor Jules said archly. “Such as the safety of our students.”
“They’re your students, Vernia, and I have a lot of employees, and a lot of families that need to be paid. This is still important. So.” Toraka looked at Theresa. “What will you do?”
The huntress bit her lip. “I…” Her face washed from pale to red. “We need that essence, and we need to keep killing dungeon cores.”
“You should go,” Selina said. “Those priests are taking everything away from us, I don't want them to take this away too.”
“Are you sure…Selina?” Claygon asked, relaying the question both he and Alex had.
“Yes.” She nodded, her eyes sparking like green fire. “I'm positive.”
The young wizard’s words came through his and Claygon’s link, and the golem then said aloud. “Father… is not completely comfortable with this…but he says…the church is tracking him…if Theresa…or I…go to Thameland to destroy dungeon cores…then it should be alright…as long as he's distracting them…”
“Well, that’s a huge relief,” Shale sighed. “You know what? I do believe I’ll be sending you a fifth golem for your protection.”
“I’ll have a word with the accessibility department at the junior school,” Professor Jules said. “We can send someone out to make sure you can keep up with your education, Selina. I won’t see a young mind being robbed of what it needs because of filth.”
“Thank you.” Selina bowed her head. “That means a lot to me.”
“I simply wish that there was more I could do, unfortunately, this is a little beyond me. Unless… Perhaps, I can help. I am in relation with certain contracted spirits…” Professor Mangal said. “I could ask some to attend your new home in the countryside and help guard it, and I can also request for others to come to the material world and try to locate these hunters wherever it is that they might be hiding.”
“You are doing…a lot…” Claygon said.
Mangal sniffed. “I like to think of myself as a kind woman, but my motives are not a hundred percent pure. Alex has the makings of one of the greatest summoners of this generation. That Mark does help him, but his personality and proclivities give him a unique talent for the art that few share; I would not have the summoning arts robbed of such a brilliant practitioner.”
“I don't really care what your motives are, I just care that you're helping us,” Theresa said. “This would be a lot harder without you.”
The three women looked at each other, quickly taking long sips from their tea cups.
A blush crept up Professor Jules’ cheeks. “Yes, well, on another note, it looks like I'm going to have an especially busy day ahead of me. The danger has clearly escalated, so the ruling council should be informed of this new development immediately. I’ll have to speak to Councillor Kartika.”
###
“And…That's what they said… Father…" Claygon’s voice came through their link.
Alex floated above a bluff, his cloak pulled tightly around him, surveying the land below. ‘Good, thank the Traveller we've got so many people that want to help us.’
He looked over his shoulder. “Any sign of the church?”
“Thankfully, no,” Birger said, as he and Bjorgrund flew beside an ice-locked cliff.
The frozen mountain peaks rose far above the young wizard and the two giants.
“Any sign of the sanctum?” Bjorgrund called.
“Nothing yet,” the young wizard called back. “Come on, this is only the second location of four. We've got a lot of mountain crags to look at before we leave.”
Together the trio continued combing the mountains.
In the back of his mind, Alex wondered how the city council would react to Jules' news.
He hoped that they'd be calm.
###
Hello THIRTY-SEVEN cool fools, almighty chosen, wise sages, and mighty champions! Thank you for your support!
Welcome back to a new week of fool! And so we enter the next stage of the hunt for Kelda’s sanctum, starting with what happens with Alex gone.
Cya tomorrow!
Comments
George R
Really liked this chapter
Rebecca Junker
The sanctum is all 4 locations superimposed on each other in some way. I’m pretty sure they escaped to the sanctum when seeking sanctuary from the priests. It was in the cracks Alex found in the interdiction.
Robyn Davis
Selina could give them a firey reception
Dominic Pernicone
If Selina even so much as gets a bruise I will find my way into your fictional world to obliterate the hidden church.
Dennis
I hope that doesn't happen.
Dennis
I'm wondering if the the sanctum isn't just a series of portals like the travelers cave which basically means he will have to travel across the world searching for the actual sanctum. Or maybe the hidden realm that attacked the hero's in the travelers cave was her sanctum and he'll have to find a way to gain access.
Fleetpanda
With Theresa and Claygon getting pulled away, it feels like a setup for Selena to be captured… kinda hoping that the city full of archwizards can protect a single girl, but we’ll see
Decide
I hope the sanctum is actually in one of the locations, and that their current search isn't for nothing. Finding the keep isn't even the end goal, just part of the process that I'm hoping we're already along. If he has to go back to the guild to get more info, it's going to suuuuuck. As for the keep, I'm somewhat expecting the keep to be a spatial anomaly of sections of the four locations overlapped with each other, sort of like Uldar's realm. Or, big chunks of the locations will feel weird, like they're folded in, and those folded spaces will be the keep entrances, and the spaces itself will ask me joined in a greater whole
Voror
They won't be calm lol Given their investment in Alex I presume they might be willing to commit resources as well.
