Back in his room in Argalis, Ashinaro pulled out Unar’s journal.
He wondered how old it could possibly be. It seemed in perfect condition, yet wasn’t empowered. But then, perhaps the fay had other ways of preserving things.
He opened it carefully nonetheless, full of excitement.
Excitement turned to confusion as he flipped through its pages.
They were filled with writing, but he couldn’t make sense of any of it.
Zanas claimed it was Ashinaro’s own ineptitude.
“So you can read it, then?” he asked mentally. He’d gotten a bit more used to speaking in this manner, though it still was slow-going and a little disorienting.
“Not through your eyes.”
“You can manifest physically. Then you’d be using your senses.”
“Indeed I would.”
“So, if you manifest, you’ll be able to read it.”
“Of course.” Zanas popped out and leaned over the book. “…not. Clearly, it’s been protected by a masterwork of a spell. Truly elegant. The gods could not forge such a work of insight and beauty.”
“A spell?”
“If I had to guess.”
“What’s a spell?”
Zanas slowly turned to look at him, his mask spinning between grin and frown.
“Zanas?” Ashinaro asked after the skeleton didn’t say anything for several breaths.
“Yes?”
“What’s a spell?”
“Spell?” Zanas asked. “What’s a spell?”
“That’s what I’m asking you.”
“You’re the one who brought it up,” Zanas huffed.
“No, you said the journal is protected by a spell and that’s why we can’t read it.”
“I did of the sort nothing of the like.”
Ashinaro sighed and brought out his divine scroll to check the next quest in his crusade.
Maybe it would have answers on what he was supposed to do with the journal.
Ashinaro sat, staring in disbelief at his new quest.
Jarnik in the smithy below was hammering away on something, but Ashinaro barely noticed.
He couldn’t believe what he was reading.
“Well,” Zanas said, leaning over his shoulder, “that’s interesting.”
Ashinaro slowly turned to look at him. “Interesting? It’s insane.”
He read over the divine scroll again.
During the next blood moon, Vershik, high priest of Joy, is set to perform the Ritual of Return. Disrupt this ritual, kill Vershik, and retrieve his scepter.
Disrupt the ritual and kill the high priest?
Disrupting the ritual he could maybe pull off, but killing the high priest?
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There was no way. He was a Sovereign Champion and the high priest of an Exalted. One of the most powerful people on Fayteraus.
And before the next blood moon?
That was impossible.
“Nothing’s impossible,” Zanas said.
“You think I can manage to kill the high priest—a Sovereign Champion—as a Lesser Defender?”
“Well, I don’t know anything about your renown… thing, whatever that is, but everyone can die.”
“Not the gods.”
Zanas waved this off. “Not that you know of, anyway. Besides, you’re not trying to kill the gods.”
“Yeah, just one of their high priests.”
“In any case, it’s quite simple. We make a plan to disrupt the ritual and then… kill Vershik. Wait, why are we killing him again?”
“Because my quest says to.”
“Right, right. Your quest from… yourself. I feel like there’s some kind of conflict of interest here.” He rubbed at his mask. “So, we make a plan to go in and disrupt the ritual, and then we dump a big vat of molten metal on top of him! No one can survive molten metal.”
“Where are we going to get a big vat of molten metal?”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s a ritual. I’m sure they’ll have some hanging about.”
“I really doubt that.”
“Oh? And have you ever attended a ritual?”
“No, but they’re not going to have a vat of molten metal.”
Zanas sighed. “Well then, I’m all out of ideas.”
Ashinaro was frustrated. He couldn’t see any way to complete the quest.
And what had been the point of retrieving the journal? He couldn’t read it, and the next quest didn’t seem to require it.
At least with freeing Zanas, he’d gotten someone with more knowledge than he had. If only the skeleton was better at sharing that knowledge in a way that made sense.
“Maybe you can sneak in through a wall.”
“I appreciate you recognizing my immense prowess, but I’m not sure breaking down a wall is within my power. Maybe a little wall. Certainly not a big one.”
“I mean for you to go through it. Not physically.”
“Oh I can’t do that.”
“Yes you can. Go insubstantial.”
Zanas sighed. “It’s so cramped in there.”
“Just for a breath.”
The mask rolled its eyes, then Zanas went insubstantial.
Ashinaro waved his hand through him. “See. You can pass through solid objects.”
“No, I can pass through you, because I’m in you. If you want me to go through a wall, you’ll have to go through it with me.”
Ashinaro looked down at the skeleton’s feet, which were planted on the floor. He picked up his staff and swiped it through him.
Zanas sighed. “That’s part of you. Or part of me. I don’t know, it’s all jumbled together in here.” He looked around, then walked up to the wall. Then he punched it. Nothing happened other than his fist stopping at its surface. It made no sound, and the wall was unharmed.
“I don’t get it. How does that make any sense?”
“Like this, I can do what you can do. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I can’t do what you can’t do. Even as weak as you are, you probably could have put a hole in this wall. Doesn’t look very sturdy.”
“It’s flamestone, some of the strongest in Fayteraus.”
Zanas shrugged. “Well, I can’t leave somewhere if you’re trapped. Not like this.” He became substantial, then walked to the door and opened it. “Like this I can.” He stepped outside and closed the door.
Ashinaro worried someone would see him, but a moment later he entered again. Then went insubstantial and tried the handle once more.
This time, it didn’t budge.
“But if I opened that door, or you did, then you could walk through it like this.”
“Yes, because an open door doesn’t trap you. That’s basically the exact opposite of its purpose.”
No sneaking in through walls, then. That was disappointing.
Zanas popped into existence, stretching. “Ugh, so much better out here.” He sniffed the air. “Smells weird, but at least not of monsters.”
Ashinaro put away the scroll and turned his attention to his two new relics. Maybe they would help.
“Yes yes,” Zanas said, “maybe they’ll have the effect of making you invincible. That would solve all our problems.”
He’d now gotten relics from both Disgust and Excite. From the same crusade.
Which was impossible.
“Hey, good news, right? You’ve already done the impossible twice now. Third time should be easy.”
[Epitome Veil (Relic of Excite)]
Absorb the remnant essence of a monster when you kill it, becoming invisible to other monsters of equal or lesser renown while the essence persists.
Test of faith: Experience Excitement for 550 breaths.
“Oh bother,” Zanas sighed, “more monster killing. How dreadful.”
Ashinaro didn’t mind the monster killing part, but that was… not a great relic. It wasn’t bad, necessarily. Being able to become invisible to monsters had its uses, but he wondered how long it would last. Beasts didn’t have much in the way of remnant essence, and having to kill a monster before becoming invisible to them limited its applications.
He turned his attention to the bonus relic he’d gotten for extracting the Excavator’s core.
[Blade Rush (Relic of Excite)]
When wielding empowered blades, rush forward while exhaling breath. While in motion, any damage you take is absorbed by your weapons.
Test of faith: Experience Excitement for 2200 breaths.
Now that was a better relic. If he amalgamated it with Flesh’s Frenzy, it might allow him to deploy his flesh golem faster, and perhaps jump in and out of it. It was a rather disgusting way to travel, but it would be exciting.
Since he had his Fossilized Staff linked to his battleform, it should also change to using that instead of a blade.
If not, he’d have to try to find a cleansed or cursed blade.
He got up, stowing the relics away and heading for the door.
He needed to bind his new relics. And, luckily, there was a much easier way to experience excitement than disgust.
