Chapter 8: Crystal of Entropy

A week ago,

"I'm sorry, but Father Rhan isn't in right now, but I'll let him know when he returns," Sister Kiera says. Arthur thanks her and makes his way back to the adventurers' guild. The Church of the Null Space, the church that worships one of the many gods of Solaris, unlike other religious places, the church of Null only has nuns. It was a long-standing tradition that only males could be the main priest; the reason why only girls were allowed to join the church was because it had something to do with the gods' younger sister. This was the one story Arthur could never properly remember. Arthur lets out a sigh as he walks along the sidewalk. He was hoping to speak with Father Rhan; there was a chance he'd know something about the crystal. He would have to come back another time. For now, he'd go back and see Clair. She told him that she knew of a potential location where he could learn more about the crystal and the disciples. Arthur headed straight to Clair's. " Father Rhan wasn't there, so I didn't get to-" Arthur spoke as he opened the door, only to find the room empty. Sitting on top of the desk was a note that Clair left behind,

" Arthur, I'm stepping out to check on something, will be back soon. Anyway, the location of that Discipe base I mentioned before is here, good luck."

Followed by a smily face winking. Below the text was a little map with a red dot indicating the spot. Arthur set out immediately. The location wasn't far from Yvrial, and he should get there by sunset. Arthur reached the city's gates when a white gryph flew down and landed on his shoulder. White gryphs were often used as messenger birds by the church, which must mean Father Rhan has returned. He made the trek back to the church. Yvrial had many churches, the main one being located in the heart of the city. Apparently, that was where the greater god Vacthius spoke to and appointed his champion, Varelius. It has been heralded as a sacred spot ever since. The city at night was lively and bright. When he was younger, the place used to be less illuminated, but times have changed. " Hello again, sister," He greets sister Kiera, who had been sweeping the main area. She wasn't wearing the church's official uniform, so to speak. But today she wore a simple, deep purple blouse and a black skirt that reached down to her ankles. Normally, she'd be wearing black pants and a black dress shirt underneath a black linen tunic with a white collar. On certain days, Father Rhan allows the nuns to wear whatever they're comfortable in, as long as it's nothing too much. Her dark orange hair had been pulled back into a knotted ponytail. She had a really soft-looking face that made people at ease and speak to her softly, like she was a child, despite almost being 20. Arthur often teased her about it when they were younger. The church's interior was always interesting, despite how many times he had been here. The floors were made of tiled marble, but the walls and everything else were simply redfine wood. Despite being the main church, it looked like every other one; it didn't have a grand interior, just a plain and simple one, which was part of the reason why Arthur liked visiting. The prayer hall was vast, rows of chairs lined the sides and at the very front was a stage draped in red carpet. A podium stood in the center where Father Rhan would lead prayers or give announcements, behind all of it was a large glass paned window of Varelius holding his sword at parade rest. His face had no features aside from his blond hair that cut off just at his shoulders. Off to the side was a hallway where Father Rhans' office and sleeping quarters were. He knocked on Rhan's door.

" Come in," A voice calls from the other side. Arthur lets himself in. Father Rhans' room was very much like Clair's, but it was much neater, and the bookshelf was small as it was tucked away into the corner, and there was one behind him as well. Father Rhan was a very simple man; he often wore black pants and a black dress shirt, and he had hung up his robe, but he'd normally be wearing it. He has a tanned skin complexion, but his face looks like that of a veteran adventurer. Honestly, it had surprised him when he saw him when he was younger. He'd often have a warm and welcoming smile whenever he greeted people, or in general...now that he thought about it, he'd never actually seen Father Rhan get mad or express any other negative emotion; he was always in a good mood.

" Good evening, Arthur, I'm sorry I wasn't here to see you this morning. I had some matters with the King to attend to," Father Rhan greeted him. Father Rhans, the official Bishop of Yrvial, ranked the highest out of everyone, which meant he was part of the king's council and took part in those meetings, but in reality, he hates it, often skipping meetings and going whenever he feels like it or when sister Kiera catches him skipping and scolds him for it. "It's good to see you again, Father," Arthur returns his greeting, taking a seat.

" So, what brings you here? I take it it's something important if you came to me for help," He says, chuckling. Arthur, since he was little, often went to Father Rhan whenever he needed help with something, like today. Arthur reaches into his subspace and pulls out a wooden box. Father Rhan kept his smile but scrunched his brows, staring curiously at what could be inside. Arthur carefully places it down facing Father Rhan and opens it. He had put the crystal of entropy inside for safety measures; he had no idea what exposure to it might do to someone. Arthur lifted his gaze from the box back to Father, and his heart began racing. For the first time since he'd known the man, Father Rhan had a look of anger and confusion on his face, and quite frankly, it scared him. So much so that he abruptly stood up from his seat, the chair skidding against the wooden floor. Father Rhan closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, the anger that had spread through the room seemingly disappearing, but his smile doesn't. " How did you come about this?" He asked, and Arthur remained standing, still shaken at what had happened. " In the Perpetual dungeon during the Adventurers' assessment, but the vice guild master and I have been looking into this for a while now. I was hoping you'd be able to tell me something about it," Arthur spoke cautiously. Father Rhan leans back in his chair and breathes out heavily, " The Crystal of Entropy is the crystallized remains of the Ancient god that plagued Calriva for years. It was a being that brought nothing but death and destruction; these are all that remain of its original body. It seems that when the flesh decayed, the energy turned into this as a means to preserve itself," Father Rhan explained. There were no records or mentions of an Ancient god like the one Father Rhan described; had it been removed from history, or maybe any mention of it was destroyed long ago. " Why is it that this 'ancient god' has never been mentioned before?" Arthur finally pulled his chair back to its original position and sat down as Father Rhan got up he grabbed an old-looking book from the shelf behind him, which was from the middle row, where books were placed in random order instead of neatly like the other rows. " This is the only record I have of this god; every other piece has either been destroyed by time or is currently being held by the royal archivist," He hands Arthur the book, " It was resealed using magic so that it didn't fall apart when opened, and I trust you with it," Father Rhan says, his smiling returning. Arthur sets the book down carefully. " I assume the disciples I've been hunting down are tied to this ancient god?" Arthur leaned back in his chair, Father Rhan also sitting back down, nodding his head. " The Disciples have been around for a while; your best bet is to find and interrogate their members. One thing that I can tell you is that the high-ranking officials are referred to as, ranked lowest to highest, Archbishops, Apostles, and Elders, just below the Leader. You'll be able to tell roughly what rank they are by just feeling how much power they wield," Rhan leaned forward, a frown creasing his mouth, " If you ever find yourself facing down an Apostle or even an Elder, don't even think about fighting it, those people are beyond your realm of strength." Rhan heavily emphasized that last part, worry filled his eyes and tone of voice, but Arthur understood, smiling, he nodded, putting Father Rhan at ease as he leaned back, exhaling heavily. Though it could also mean that he knows that if Arthur were to encounter someone like that, he'd most likely fight it, but he hoped he wouldn't.

Arthur thanked Father Rhan as he decided to investigate the location Clair left behind, " I'll come back once I'm done with that, hopefully I'll have learnt something new," Arthur stands up from his chair as Father Rhan rummages through his desk drawer, he hands Arthur a small slip of paper with a magic circle inscribed on it, it read, " Return", " If you ever find yourself in trouble, just say the inscription on the paper and it'll bring you back here safe and sound," Arthur thanks Father Rhan again, he says his goodbyes, but as he takes one step out the door Father Rhan calls back.

" I just want to mention that The Ancient god's true name has been lost to time, unfortunately. But through every record we have, it's only ever been referred to as the " Valued one."

                                                            -MAIN OBJECTIVE-

                                                           -SIDE OBJECTIVES-

PROFILE: Arthur

LEVEL 120

ATK:594

SPD:490

DEF:600

STAM:660

MANA:590

INT:104

BLESSED: 100

(available stat points: 0)