Chapter 109: SS37 – Amin – A New Life

~3 years later, by Teyrin’s calendar

Armistice ends in: ~987 years

 

“I’d like to go back to Teyrin.” Yannie said as they finished practise. 

Amin frowned as he put his wooden practice sword on its rack. “Why?”

“Well…” Yannie tilted her head. “I mean, it’s not like I dislike it here. But I think we should start a division back home. We might need one sooner or later, with the war still going on and all. And since it can’t be made public, it’ll need to be stealthy. Which means me and Cara would be well suited to lead it for the time being, right?”

Amin fell in thought as he considered the suggestion. They want to go back, huh. 

Has it been that long already?

Amin had already been on Whildernae for a few years. He wouldn’t have been able to tell, as the days seemed longer and there was little sign of changes in season. From what he had learned, a season on Whildernae lasted for approximately seven Teyrin years. 

During that time, Amin and Aleesha had taught each other their mother languages. It was not a choice done simply so they wouldn’t need to rely on translation spells, but also since they suspected they’d need to know each other’s language because of their respective positions.

There were many times that Amin was surprised about how much in his life had changed. After he was attacked by his teacher, he thought his entire world had come crashing down. Serving the Alarice Kingdom had been his entire purpose in life, from the moment he was born; without that purpose, he had nothing. For quite a while, he had been nihilistic. 

At least that was how he felt before he got used to his new life on Whildernae. His former life as the bastard prince seemed distant - almost to the point it had been forgotten. For the first time, he was given ample respect and appreciation, and although he knew it was because of the fact that he was a prophet, it still made him feel better. 

The countless centauri that approached him with questions about Amara or himself had been frustrating at first. Part of that was because they chattered endlessly, with the barest thread one could follow between the seemingly random thoughts they expressed without end. But after getting used to it and seeing beyond the words, he realized that what annoyed him was that they were all excessively cheerful and full of hope for the future. 

One time, Amin lost his temper and asked a group of centauri why they were so optimistic all the time. They were confused, yet they were more than willing to tell him. 

Most of their optimism was because they were far more devout believers than any humans on Teyrin. And their goddess had now given them instructions on what they should do. The centauri, much like humans, had short lives and wouldn’t be given the chance to fight. But they took an immeasurable pride in what they did for their goddess. Even something as simple as bringing a lump of ore that a sapling dug out of the ground to the smiths, made the centauri feel like they had brought down one of the demons that their descendants would battle in the far future. 

Amin had been skeptical over how such small actions could make someone feel as if they’d done something incredible. But slowly over time, as one after another of Amara’s projects went from being an idea into a tangible reality, he had to admit how wrong he had been. Because they were all achieved by the countless small acts that accumulated over time. More than once Amin ended up listening to Amara complaining about how she had nobody to help her, and how she was envious about how quickly things were progressing for the people on Whildernae. But even though she was complaining over how her progress was slow when it came to helping her people develop, she was working tirelessly towards that end. Despite claiming that she slept like regular mortals, there were several times Amin noticed that she had been awake for several days at a time - especially when she was engrossed in one of her projects. 

Watching how everyone was working to make the future better, Amin couldn’t help but be influenced by everyone’s attitude and realized that rather than looking at his past, he too should look towards the future. And once he did, he had started to feel that he wasn’t doing enough. He knew that his work as a prophet was important, but relaying Amara’s words was not a task he had chosen for himself to do. Amin was lacking a goal of his own. 

Setting up a goal for himself had been difficult, as the only thing that Amin knew was the work of an assassin. But once he considered, and heard how Cara and Yannie were working together with the elves to suppress monsters that wandered too close to the elven city, he had an epiphany. 

The leaders of the faith had, throughout history, mostly been agents of peace. But Amin could found a military organization whose sole purpose was fighting demons. 

Aleesha had been confused about Amin’s wish, as she thought that was explicitly what they were doing. But Amara caught on his meaning and approved, admitting that she had been planning something similar - but the situation on Teyrin had put a stop to that idea. She had judged that it would be dangerous for the church to do something of the sort, when many were already pointing fingers at the church.

With Amara’s guidance and Aleesha’s support, the organization that would lead the military efforts in the war against demons had been founded. One of the requirements for joining was having a class that was either combat-oriented or a healing class, and the members had to practise their skills daily. Although it was intended to be open for all races, most who did were elves who felt strongly about the war against demons. Zanadell had been one of the first members, and ended up in a leading position of the organization. Yannie and Cara had joined as soon as they heard, without asking any further questions. 

And now, Yannie wanted to start a branch on Teyrin.

“I’ll talk to the others about it. We’ll need to put you in the queue for settlers bound for Teyrin as well.” Amin eventually replied. 

“Great!” Yannie grinned and punched his shoulder, a bit harder than Amin thought was alright even between friends. “Let me know when we should pack! That honey that those deer-people make is just-muah!”

Amin snorted. “That good, huh?”

“Not sure I’ll be able to live without it!” Yannie replied brightly before she left. 

Amin shook his head with an amused smile. It was true that all of the food on Whildernae was better than that found on Teyrin in almost every way imaginable. But the one thing they lacked was meat. 

The elves frowned upon the humans’ habits of putting meat on their plate. However, Aleesha had been understanding that it might be difficult for the human migrators to adjust, so they allowed the humans to hunt, as long as they did it discreetly. 

But it didn’t stop the elves from glaring at the humans whenever they returned from a hunt. In the end, obtaining meat took both time and effort that Amin wasn’t ready to put on hunting to the degree that he would be able to eat meat as often as he had on Teyrin. Though, just like the other humans, he still missed the taste. On occasion they would organize a hunt together, if Yannie or Cara didn’t bring any monster meat back with them.

 

_______________

“Ah, Amin!” Aleesha greeted Amin with a smile when he entered her office. “It’s good that you’re here! They said that they completed Amara’s invention, and it seems to be working!”

“You mean the printer?” Amin asked in surprise. 

“Yes!” Aleesha replied. “Shall we go and take a look?”

Amin nodded in agreement. “Amara said it was top priority.”

As they made their way out of the world tree, Amin mentioned Yanne’s request. “Cara and Yannie would like to go back to Teyrin.” 

“Oh?” Aleesha asked curiously. “Why? I thought they liked it here.”

“They do.” Amin smiled wryly. “But…I think they’re a bit bored. Yannie wants to start a branch of the Amaran Guard on Teyrin.”

“Is that wise?” Aleesha asked in a concerned tone. “With the war going on?”

“She intends to do it stealthily.” Amin explained. “We’ll need safehouses and such in the future anyway, if we’re forced to…you know. Return unwelcomed.”
Aleesha was silent as they walked the winding road through the city. “I guess it might be a good idea. I think Vandelor was going to go alone to Teyrin next time anyway, so they could go with him.”

Amin nodded. “Then I’ll let them know.”

Before their destination came in sight, they could hear how the machine that stood outside the house was in full operation. Although Amin still wasn’t sure how it worked, he knew that its purpose was to provide something called electricity. It did so by boiling water into steam that drove a fan, and somehow the spinning fan created electricity. Amin had been skeptical about the whole thing, until they managed to create items that used electricity - after which he couldn’t deny that it actually existed and was some kind of energy, similar to mana.

Though, Amara kept insisting that it wasn’t magic.

As they entered the house that the machine was attached to, they were met with quite a sight. A group of humans and elves huddled around the table that held Amara’s new invention, and they could hear strange noises coming from the table. 

“So, it works?” Aleesha asked as they approached.

“It seems that way!” One of the elven enchanters Amin recognized as Erolith replied brightly as the group opened a path for them. “Though, don’t ask us how it works.”

As the gap opened and they could see the tool that had everyone’s attention, Amin and Aleesha both studied the magic tool curiously. It was best described as a wooden box, and as most of the machinery was inside it, they couldn’t see how it operated - other than that it took blank pages of paper through an opening on one side and spat out freshly written pages out through another.

“This one was handwritten, while this is a copy made by the printer.” Erolith said as he held out two pages to Aleesha while they were captivated by the sight of the printer in action.

Aleesha’s gaze moved between the two sheets of paper after receiving them. “...It’s a perfect twin.”

“Amara wasn’t kidding when she said it would help her spread knowledge!” Erolith exclaimed excitedly.

Amin looked at the copy machine that looked like a simpler version of what he had seen from Amara’s memories. Although the materials used were different, and that their version was much larger in size, it mostly looked the same - aside from that the cover was filled with slots that small, palm-sized wooden cases could be slotted into. 

Amin knew that the wooden cases were one of the latest versions of the mana batteries that Amara had created, with gemstones inside them. The cases were, as Amara had explained it, for the sole purpose of making the batteries a standard size.

“Then we should tell Amara?” Aleesha asked thoughtfully as she took a closer look at the tool, appraising it from different angles. 

Amin nodded. Make A Call: Amara.

[Amin? What’s up?] (Amara)

[We completed the tool you requested of us.] (Amin)

[Which one?] (Amara)

[The printer.] (Amin)

[Already? You know, I really hate this.] Amara sighed inside his head. [Well, not really, but do you have any idea how long it took for me to figure out how printers work? And then create enchantments and-] 

Amin let out a sigh. [Amara.]

[-come on, let me rant a little! Do you know how frustrating it is when I spent years figuring it out and designing something you guys would be able to make, and then you guys finish it in just a short-] (Amara)

Amin crossed his arms and started to feel frustrated as he interrupted her. [Well, we just wanted to let you know we completed it. You said you needed us to do something with it?] 

[...Yeah, yeah. I’m preparing things. You guys should stop printing, and make sure it has full batteries.] (Amara)

After Amin relayed Amara’s command, the researchers made the printer stop before they double checked the batteries. After a while, they were clearly confused about something.

“What’s wrong?” Amin asked as he felt that if there was a problem, they needed to let Amara know.

Erolith glanced at him with a troubled expression as he scratched his head. “...All the batteries appear to be full.”

“Is that a problem?” Aleesha asked in a confused tone as she cocked her head.

“Well…if the batteries are full, then where did it draw mana from to operate up until now?” Erolith asked.

“Didn’t it use that thing from outside?” (?)

“You mean the electricity?” Erolith fell in thought. “I suppose that makes sense…but if it doesn’t need mana, then why…?”

“It needs the mana for whatever Amara is about to do.” Amin shrugged. “Something about connecting it to her.”

They all exchanged confused glances. 

[Alright, all done. Flip the switch!] Amara suddenly exclaimed, before she hurriedly added. [Oh, and take a step back. Just in case.]

Amin stopped himself from relaying her request when he heard the last part. [...Really? It’s dangerous?]

[Well, it depends on how skilled the enchanter is I guess. But they don’t seem like rookies. Just flip the switch!] (Amara)

Amin took a step back and glanced at Erolith. “Flip the switch, then take a step back. Just in case.”

Erolith paled as he looked at Amin. After swallowing audibly, he flipped the switch on the side of the magic tool and hurriedly stepped back with everyone else. For a while, everything was silent.

Without warning, the printer took a fresh sheet of paper from the pile as it started operating.

“...It’s working on its own?” One of the researchers whispered tensely.

Suddenly, the magic tool spat out a paper onto the desk it was resting on as it took in another fresh sheet. 

[Yes! It works! YES!!! Good work guys! Finally, I don’t need to read things aloud anymore!] (Amara)

[...It works?] Amin asked in a confused tone. 

[Go and see for yourself what it printed out.] (Amara)

Amin hesitated as the magic tool spat out another sheet of paper. With a sigh, he walked next to the table and picked up the sheet of paper that had come out of the magic tool. As he looked at it, he saw something written on it in a language he didn’t know. 

Amin looked at Aleesha as he held out the papers to her. “Can you read it?”

Aleesha glanced at the papers and frowned, before she cast a magic circle. When the spell activated, she looked at the sheets again and spoke slowly. “Beware the Prude by Sala Ciousdream. Episode one: The First Taste of Di-...divinity.”

Aleesha blushed faintly as she fell silent after reading the title. Amin, let out an internal groan. [Please don’t tell me that it is what I think it is.]

[It’s a cooking book.] Amara replied innocently, though clearly holding back her laughter.

[Have you no shame?] Amin retorted.

[Read the book and find out!] Amara replied with a grin in her voice.

[It’s about you!?] Amin exclaimed. [Have you no self-respect!!]

[Well, you have too much self-respect. That’s why you still haven’t gotten anywhere with Aleesha.] Amara retorted. 

 

_______________

Once they returned to Aleesha’s office much later, both the elf and Amin were deep in thought. Amin was relieved, as the fact that Amara’s invention worked meant that he wouldn’t need to spend time reciting her words to the scribes. But it also meant that he would have a lot of free time on his hands. 

Aleesha seemed to be thinking similarly, as she suddenly spoke. “What do you think about going to other worlds?”

Amin raised an eyebrow. “Why? What worlds?”

“Well…” Aleesha’s expression grew troubled. “We already visited a few worlds before Teyrin, but at least one of them had people that were hostile to us. Because we were elves.”

Ah. Amin nodded as he remembered. “...So you want me to go and approach them instead?”

“You’re the prophet.” Aleesha tilted her head. “Who else would be better?”

Amin fell silent for a moment. “Zenon, perhaps.”

A smile spread on the elf’s face. “Actually, I was hoping to send you both. If they won’t accept the words of one prophet, it will be hard to deny the words of two. And you’ll be needing an escort anyway.”

It’s a good idea. Amin had been wanting to speak to Zenon for a while, but after their first meeting in the council chamber, the sapling hadn’t returned. Glancing at the elf, he asked. “Have you asked him? Do we even know where he is?”

Aleesha nodded with a complicated expression. “We know where he is, but…we’ve been unable to catch his attention. So I was hoping you’d call him.”

Amin raised an eyebrow before he nodded. “Give me a moment.”

Make A Call: Zenon.

Amin waited for a response. Just as he started to believe the sapling wasn’t going to reply, he heard the rumbling voice in his head.

[This one greets Amin, the prophet of Amara.] (Zenon)

[Well met Zenon, the prophet of Alarice.] Amin replied respectfully. During his time on Whildernae, he had learned some of the customs the elves held with regard to how to treat saplings. But Amin felt respect for a different reason when it came to Zenon, as the sapling was the mouthpiece of the goddess he had been taught to worship. [We could use your help with something. Would you mind?]

 

_______________

[Bang!]

Amin groaned as he fell on his back despite preparing himself for the teleportation. 

“Welcome to Dular.” Vandelor said, pretending that Amin hadn’t fallen over. “Homeworld of the race called dwarves.”

Amin attempted to push himself up, but immediately was met with a heavy resistance. “What the…”

“Oh, right.” Vandelor smiled as he glanced at him. “For some reason, we’re heavier on this world. Be careful not to exert yourself.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Amin retorted. “Though, perhaps it came a bit late.”

Vandelor shrugged. “Truthfully, I forgot about it.”

As Amin managed to rise, he took a look around. Zenon and Vandelor were both observing their surroundings as well, and they could spot a road nearby. Vandelor had managed to get them exactly where he had told them to. 

[The life on this world is in agony.] Zenon broke the silence. [The suns are too bright.]

Glancing up at the sky, Amin confirmed what the sapling had told him. No wonder it was that bright. Two suns? 

I didn’t know that was possible.

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“Well then.” Vandelor smiled as he looked at them. “Do you have enough batteries for the translators?”

Amin nodded. “More than enough.” 

“Then I’ll return. Call me when you need to return, and we’ll meet here again.” Vandelor said before he began casting the teleportation spell to return to Whildernae. After a few seconds, a strange sound of rushing air was heard when the archmage vanished.

Amin had felt a bit troubled about how they would be left without an easy escape if things went sideways. Though, everyone had reassured him that Zenon would be more than capable of keeping him safe. 

After placing a makeshift sign Amin brought with him into the ground to mark the spot for their meetup on the plain, the two prophets made their way to the road. For a long while, they walked in silence. 

But the increased weight of his body was soon taking its toll on Amin, as it felt as if he was hiking with weights tied to him, despite the fact that Zenon was carrying their luggage, which wasn’t much.  

“Mind if we slow down?” Amin eventually broke the silence as he realized he wouldn’t be able to keep the pace for a whole day.

[This one doesn’t mind.] (Zenon)

After significantly slowing their pace and having broken the ice somewhat, Amin glanced at the sapling before asking the question that he had waited a long time to ask. “Did you know Alarice well?”

Zenon was silent for a long time. [This one confirms.]

Amin was silent for a while as he wondered how he could ask about it politely. Somehow, the long wait for a response combined with the fact that the sapling didn’t elaborate made it seem like Zenon didn’t want to talk about it. “The kingdom I was raised in are followers of Alarice. But we don’t know much about her. Could you tell me what she was like?”

Zenon was again silent for a long time. Amin even started to believe he might have offended the sapling before the reply suddenly came. [The twins were as bright and warm as the sun. This one’s kind didn’t know how to fight before they came - that we could fight. Alarice taught us that being a caretaker of life also means being its protector.]

Amin glanced at the sapling with surprise. “We were told that Alarice is cold and ruthless.”

[This one recalls that she was cold when she was in battle.] Zenon replied. [But outside of battle, Alarice was warm. Kind.]

“Then…what changed?” Amin asked hesitantly. After all, he had his suspicions based on what Amara and Aleesha had talked about, but he wasn’t sure how much the saplings knew. 

Zenon replied dejectedly. [This one thought it had made a mistake at first. Alarice would no longer respond to this one’s prayers. Neither did Alaric. But eventually it was clear that Alarice went silent because of what happened to her brother.]

Amin frowned. “...What do you think about the rumours about how the elves betrayed the gods? About how the elves are responsible for Alaric becoming the first demon lord?”

Zenon stopped and turned its head to Amin. [This one grieved when Thessinda brought the news that Alaric has been lost. But this one doubts the elves were responsible. This one has not seen any sign of the elves being allied with the enemy.]

“Thessinda?” Amin looked at the sapling with a surprised expression. “As in Shau Thessinda? With the same name as Aleesha?”

[This one denies.] Zenon replied. [This one recalls that Thessinda and Aleesha are not the same name.]

Amin suppressed his frustration. “How is Aleesha related to Thessinda?”

[Aleesha is her descendant. That is what her title expresses, as Shau Thessinda means ‘Child of Thessinda’.] (Zenon)

Amin thought for a moment before he asked the immediate question that came to his mind. “What about the title Vhau? The one that the councilors have?” 

[It means ‘Heir’. Those who express their ancestor’s will.] (Zenon)

“Then, Vamellen, Heyleene and the others? Were there elves named that as well?” (Amin)

[This one confirms. They were all the leaders of their respective clans on Gomorrah.] (Zenon)

Amin frowned. “Why haven’t you told Aleesha about this? Or someone else?”

[This one wasn’t asked. This one suspects they already know.] (Zenon)

I better tell her when I get back. Zenon apparently knows a lot about the history of the elves, and believes they remember. Amin fell into thought for a while as they continued their trek in silence. “What about Thessinda? What was she like?”

By now, Amin had realized that saplings were slower than any other race when it came to communicating. So he wasn’t surprised that Zenon was once again silent for a long time before the reply came. However, the grief that permeated through the sapling’s voice was something he hadn’t prepared for. [This one recalls that Thessinda’s life was filled with immeasurable grief. She was the prophet of Alaric, and lost him. She had a brother, Thessin, that like this one was the prophet of Alarice. But Thessinda lost him as well when the demons advanced after Alarice, her friend, abandoned them. She even lost the goodwill of her people, who called her a fool for remaining loyal to the gods. Thessinda eventually succumbed to her grief.]

Amin fell silent as he didn’t know what to respond. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he spoke the only thing he thought of. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

[It was a long time ago, and this one would have outlived her eventually.] Zenon replied. [But this one is grateful.]

They continued following the road as it began to incline, leading towards one of the mountains. “What did you do as a prophet? What did Thessin and Thessinda do?”

[The role of a prophet is to act as a bridge between the mortals and the divine. The gods can’t see nor manage everything, so the role of a prophet is to understand what their protector is capable of, and when and where divine intervention is needed. That is what this one, Thessin and Thessinda did.] Zenon replied. [Amara is taking on great responsibilities to help her people grow stronger. But she is losing sight of what her true task is in the process.]

The demon lord. Amin nodded grimly. “Then-”

Amin cut himself off as he suddenly heard shouts behind them. Turning around, he saw that there were people - dwarves - who had stopped their carts at a reststop. The place where they had stopped was surrounded by boulders and trees, making it an excellent shelter from the wind that grew stronger as one ascended the mountain - and it had also kept the large number of dwarves hidden from their view.

Despite the distance and shelter, Amin thought he should have been able to hear them. I’m getting sloppy.

The dwarves seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he was, because they were shouting angrily at each other while rushing for their weapons. Before long, a group of a dozen dwarves were already rushing down the path towards them with weapons in hand. 

“They don’t seem very friendly.” Amin commented as he prepared himself to run. But he soon realized that he was probably too tired to outrun them for long, and the speed of the dwarves was something he thought he’d have difficulties keeping up with even if he hadn’t been tired.

[This one confirms.] Zenon lowered his stance, and Amin could feel the ground underneath him as the sapling dug its roots into it. [Stand behind this one. This one suggests you prepare the translators.]

Amin nodded as he went behind the sapling and dug the translators out of the satchel. The translators were supposed to be hung around one’s neck, and required one of the mana batteries to operate. 

As he put one on himself, he heard the surprised and terrified screams from the dwarves. Looking over at what had happened, Amin felt a shiver run down his spine. 

Zenon’s roots had crossed the distance underneath the ground, and attacked the advancing dwarves from behind as they were advancing. Many had been tripped as a root wrapped around an ankle, and new roots were emerging in quick succession as they went for the dwarves’ weapons and arms. In a mere few seconds since the surprise attack began, almost all of the dwarves were disarmed, and all of them were immobilized. 

Amin quickly dug out a mana battery from a satchel and put it into the translator. As he pushed the button, a small amount of mana was drawn from him to activate the translation spell within.

“-yes! YES!! This is exactly how I imagined-” (?)

“Dafuq is wrong with that guy!?” (??)

“He’s sick in the head, that's what! I fuckin ‘new it!” (???)

“Quit yer yapping and work on getting loose! We gotta kill the elf!” (????)

“The elf isn’t the one trappin us!” (?????)

“The elf gotta be controlling it!” (???)

Elf? Amin frowned as he prepared the other translator and hung it around Zenon’s neck. “They seem to believe I’m an elf.”

[This one admits you look like one.] (Zenon)

Amin let out a sigh as he turned his eyes back to the dwarves. Now what?

After thinking about it, Amin approached the struggling dwarves and stopped at a safe distance. “Well met strangers. I am Amin, the prophet of Amara. I’m not an elf, but a human, a race that has a similar appearance.” Amin pointed behind him with his thumb. “That is Zenon. He’s a sapling, and the prophet of Alarice.”

“Prophet of Amara?!” (?)

“Yer lying!” (??)

“Never trust an elf boys! Never trust an elf!” (????)

Amin’s lips twitched as he wasn’t sure whether to feel amused by the dwarves’ pitiful appearance as they struggled harder, or annoyed over the fact that they didn’t believe him. “If you have an appraiser, we’re willing to prove it.”
“If yer willing to prove it, let us go!” (???)

“Yeah!” (??)

Amin nodded and returned to Zenon. “You can catch them again if they attack, right?”

[This one confirms.] (Zenon)

“Then let them go.” Amin instructed. “We’ll see if we can get them to trust us at least a little bit.”

Seeing how quickly and effortlessly the sapling had subdued a dozen dwarves, Amin suddenly felt a lot more confident. Aleesha had told him that every sapling supposedly had incredible power, but they rarely brought their strength to bear. 

As the roots carefully let the dwarves go, they all quickly got on their feet and stumbled away as they watched how the roots returned inside the earth with pale expressions. A red-bearded dwarf, seemingly the leader, picked up his waraxe and turned his gaze between his comrades and the newcomers.

After a moment of hesitation, he slowly made his way towards Amin and Zenon. He stopped at a distance where he wouldn’t be able to reach them before he looked them over. The dwarf stared at Amin for a long time, before he spoke. “Show me yer ears.”
After a moment of confusion when he wondered why the dwarf wanted to see his ears, Amin turned his head sideways and made sure none of his hair covered his ear. 

Some of the dwarf’s tension seemed to fade as he nodded approvingly. “Ye passed the first test at least. Doesn’t mean we trust yeh, but we’ll at least hold our judgement til we find an appraiser.”

Amin nodded. “Sounds good.”

The dwarf looked behind him and nodded towards the group that was watching them. The group all started muttering amongst themselves as they made their way back towards the carts. 

As the dwarf returned his eyes to them, he spoke cautiously. “I hope ye don’t take offense, in case ye two really are who you claim to be. Since we’re a bit paranoid, ye should follow behind our carts at a bit of a distance.”

_______________

The dwarven town was located in a ravine. Amin could see that buildings seemed to have been carved out from the walls into layers, with bridges between the two sides to allow for passage.

Even from a distance, Amin could tell that the town must have taken a long time to build - not to mention that those who built it must have been excellent stoneworkers. 

A wall Amin estimated to be two stories tall prevented entry into the town. When the caravan was about to enter, the same dwarf that had spoken with them before jumped off a cart and walked back to them. “Ye should wait outside. I’ll be back soon with an appraiser.”

Amin nodded in understanding and crossed his arms as he continued to study the dwarven craftsmanship. 

“It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it?” Amin asked the sapling.

[This one doesn’t understand the interest in shaping non-living things.] (Zenon)

Amin shrugged. “I think it looks good though. It’s a beautiful town.”

Zenon looked at the town silently. [This one doesn’t understand how it is beautiful. Every line and every curve is perfect.]

“That’s what makes it beautiful.” Amin replied with a wry smile.

[But since it’s perfect it means it’s not alive. What is dead is not beautiful.] (Zenon)

Amin shook his head with a smile. “I guess you might have a point.”

He wasn’t sure how long they waited, but after what he guessed was a half hour, three dwarves emerged from the gate. One was the red-bearded dwarf that they had spoken with before. One was an elderly, grey-haired dwarf female.

The last was also an elderly, white-haired dwarf dressed in a white and gold raiment. With a staff in his hand, Amin immediately drew a conclusion about his position.

Probably a pope. At the very least, he’s got to be a bishop.

When the trio reached them, the religious leader cleared his throat. “Welcome to Dular, otherworlders. I am Bofus, a priest of the temple that serves the gods.”

…A mere priest? 

What’s with the wealth? He looks wealthier than a king.

“You have met Alfor.” The priest gestured at the red-bearded dwarf, before introducing the last member of the trio. “And this is Holly, who is third cousins with the king. We were told that you claim to be prophets of our goddesses.”
Amin nodded. “I’m Amin, the prophet of Amara.”

[This one is Zenon, a prophet of Alarice.] (Zenon)

Bofus nodded. Almost immediately, there was an awkward pause where Bofus and Holly were staring at Amin.

Realizing why they were staring, Amin let out a sigh and revealed his ear. 

“Ah, my apologies.” Bofus said with a smile. “We didn’t mean to be rude, we simply…”

“It’s fine.” Amin waved his hand. “We were going to be appraised, weren’t we?”

Bofus nodded and gestured at Alfor to step forward. The dwarf had a stone tablet with him, which he held out towards Amin. “Put yer hand on it and say ‘Status’.”

Amin raised an eyebrow as it wasn’t the kind of appraisal he was expecting, but followed along. With his hand on the cool stone, he spoke. “Status.”

For the first time in his life, the status page didn’t appear before him when he spoke the word. Instead, he saw how words lit up on the tablet underneath his hand. 

Alfor nodded and turned the tablet to read it. “Amin, Human, twenty-eight years old, level thirty-six, Assassin…Bastard and Prophet of Amara.”

Well, that’s one way to appraise someone…

The other two dwarves frowned as they listened. Holly snorted as she turned her eyes to Amin. “Bastard, eh? Royal, noble or neither?”

Amin shrugged. “Royal.”

“Claim to the throne?” Holly immediately shot back. 

“None.” Amin replied with a wry smile. 

“Ahem!” Bofus cleared his throat. “Alfor, please appraise the…the…”

“Sapling, sir.” Alfor nodded and stepped towards Zenon. “Put yer…thing on the tablet and say ‘Status’.”

Amin glanced at Holly as Zenon followed the instructions. Could she be who Aleesha told me about? We should be in the same area as they were…

“Zenon, five-....five…” (Alfor)

Everyone stared at Alfor as his voice faded. 

“What’s wrong?” Bofus asked with an annoyed tone.

Alfor shook his head and cleared the tablet. “Something must have gone wrong, sir. Let me test it again. Status.”

After reading his own status from the tablet, he nodded and held it out again for Zenon to repeat the procedure. After that was done, Alfor started reading the tablet again. “Zenon, five-...that can’t be right…”

“Oh, give it ‘ere!” Holly stepped forward and snatched the tablet out of his hands. 

Don’t tell me…

“Oi.” Holly gave Zenon a suspicious glare after reading what was on the tablet. “What level are yeh?”

Zenon’s tendrils swayed gently as he looked at her. [This one is level one thousand five hundred sixty four.]

…What?

As both Alfor and Bofus paled, Holly glared at him suspiciously. “Are ye a god or something?”

[This one denies. This one is merely immortal.] (Zenon)

“Merely immortal, eh.” Holly snorted. “Good joke.”

“...Does that mean the appraisal was accurate?” Bofus asked worriedly. 

Holly nodded before she began reading out what was on the tablet. “Zenon, Sapling, old as fuck, level one-five-six-four, Warden, Archdruid, Archbishop, Grand Martial Artist…Prophet of Alarice, Parent of Life, Choirleader - are ye fuckin messing with me!?!”

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