Chapter 23: Jazari

Lord Guille joins us in the hall and explains a bit more about the situation in Borikan and his request.

“I apologize for not being forthright with you all but I couldn't risk another hostage incident. That being said, I’m glad to have your aid. I recently corresponded with the Council back on the island and they informed me that some lesser demonic entities have been detected by our priests. They are still unsure where they are coming from. It’s nothing serious as of yet but we must be proactive. I want you to return with me to help facilitate an allyship and establish a plan of action to defend against a potential invasion.”

Having dismissed the armor once again, I fold my arms in contemplation. “Hmm,seems easy enough. What you’re describing sounds a lot like what we experienced. We aren't sure how but the demon army just sort of appeared out of nowhere in another town.”

Guille nods. “If the demons have accessed some new kind of magic, it could spell trouble for all nations. We will do our best to forge a strong alliance between Dusud and Borikan.”

With everyone up to speed, we make plans to depart at the harbor. The king lets us know it’ll take some time to gather a suitable vessel and captain for the journey, about six more days. My chest tightens as I realize we’ll be sailing to Borikan. I’ve never been overly fond of open water. Overcoming my anxieties is one thing but the ocean? It's a bottomless pit that should be feared and avoided at all costs. I have no shame in staying away from something so scary and I would’ve died happy never having to sail the open seas! But it seems like fate has other plans.

We leave the castle and set about preparing for the voyage. Kizzik vanishes again to go do who knows what.

When I ask Rina about it she just shrugs. “Their business is their own. I don't question Kizzik because they’re reliable. Simple as that.”

Fair enough. I take this opportunity to put in a formal request with Camilla. My next goal is to have my mana saturation issue fixed by the time we arrive in Borikan. I tell her my situation and she seems a little too eager to get started.

“I’d be happy to help! It’ll be a good way for us to bond now that we’ll be fighting together! Just know, I wont take it easy on you like I did when we sparred.” She says in a frightfully serious tone.

That was her taking it easy on me?? Oh no, I think I might’ve made a mistake. Camilla grabs me by the arm and hauls me back to the training grounds.

“Wait Wait! We already worked out today! The body needs to rest right?!”

I think she’s just pretending not to hear me at this point.

By the end of our first session, I am sure that it was a mistake to train with Camilla. After another three grueling hours of intense calisthenics, my whole body is a network of pain. Even my eyeballs hurt! I collapse in a sweaty heap onto the ground, gasping for air. Oh god, I feel like I’m gonna puke!

“Please! No more!” I beg my instructor as she stands over me. She barely looks winded even though she did everything alongside me.

“Your stamina needs work Kenji. We can take a break for today but we’ll have to go twice as hard tomorrow. I think we’ll strap some weights to your legs. Maybe throw in a boulder or two for you to carry.” She says nonchalantly.

As I lay there looking up at the evening sky, I think I might start crying. This woman is the devil in disguise! She was sent to kill me slowly with sumo squats!

The lanterns of the city flicker on, powered by small magical motes of light. It takes me a full forty five minutes before I’m able to peel myself off the floor. Camilla already left so it’s just me now. I slowly walk back to the hotel, my legs shaking uncontrollably. Rina is waiting for me downstairs when I arrive.

“Get cleaned up. We need to visit the temple.”

The despair washes over me. All I want is a warm bath! I seriously consider denying her request. The worst she could do is turn me into charcoal and even that would be preferable to the fresh hell that Camilla has planned, but my shoulders slump as I accept my fate.

“Just give me a sec and I’ll be right down.” I mumble as I try to negotiate the steps.

We take a carriage to the center of the Capital, a small mercy for my broken body. Minerva tells me the suit is working to heal me but it definitely doesn't feel that way.

[Gradual healing must be employed to allow the muscles to strengthen.] she chimes in.

We arrive at the temple quickly. The building is a set of massive circular structures that get smaller as you get to the center, like a bullseye. The innermost building is topped by an enormous statue. Unlike the temple of Melissandra back in Provo, this one is a bearded man. He’s holding a snake in one hand and a staff in the other. He basically looks like a very grumpy and judgemental father figure. The whole place is lit up with bulbous amber and violet colored lights that float gently above us. As we pass through the outer structures, we’re greeted by several priests.

“Thonil’s Blessings upon you.” They say.

I’m not really sure how to respond so I just repeat what they say back to them. Rina on the other hand just ignores them, strolling deeper into the center of the Temple.

“Thonil? Is that another god?” I ask.

She nods. “The god of Judgment and husband of Melissandra, the goddess of Mercy.”

We come into a room that is lit only by torches. At the center is a shining sphere about the diameter of a city bus. It’s got two metallic shells that rotate independently. Something blue rests in the center, emitting a soft pulsating glow on its surroundings each time it’s revealed. There’s a man in robes seated at a small desk in front of it, filling out some paperwork. He doesn't seem to notice us come in. Rina taps her staff on the stone floor with a CLANK!

It startles the man quite a bit, his papers go flying as he squawks and I have to stifle my laughter. Rina places her hand on her hip impatiently.

“We’re here to appraise an item.” She says.

“Yes of course! Right this way!” The man hops up and leads us around the sphere. On the other side is a roughly hewn stone pedestal. It’s ancient rugged look is at odds with everything else in the room. There are some kind of runes carved along its surface.

Rina chucks a bag of gold at the man. “Leave us.”

He disappears with a quickness. Smart man.

My companion turns to me. “Summon the suit and place your hand on the stone. It’ll identify the Dawn Relic and it should be able to tell us which god created it. It might give us some insights on how to power you up.”

I know better than to question her at this point. I follow her instructions and touch the stone. It thrums to life under my armored hand. Blue energy illuminates the glyphs and traces lines straight down and to the sphere. It begins to rotate faster, glow brighter as it drinks in the mana. Before our eyes, words start to etch into the outer metal shell. Once the process is finished, we are able to read what it says. Or rather, Rina is, it's not in a language I can understand.

“Alright lets see.

Item Class, Legendary

Nature is divine, we knew that already.” She skims over the details, scanning with her finger. “It says this Dawn Relic was created by… huh…”

“Is that a good ‘huh’ or a bad ‘huh’?” I ask nervously. “What does it say?”

“Jazari.” She seems confused.

“What’s he the god of?”

“It’s not a god. It's a city. An ancient city from before the first demon war. Jazari was known for their magical prowess. During its golden age, they were known as masters of the arcane, secretive and dangerous...” Rina folds her arms. She looks deeply perplexed.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” I can tell she’s holding something back.

She speaks hesitantly. “Every race in our world can trace their heritage back to a divine source. Even demons have a godly ancestor, a fallen one but still. The citizens of Jazari, however, were different. No divine lineage to speak of. It is said that their city wasn't built but simply appeared one day.”

“Like out of thin air? How is that possible?” I can hardly believe an entire city could just pop into existence.

Rina shrugs. “No one knows even now. Most people just write it off as a fairytale. One day it was there and then roughly 100 years later the city and all its inhabitants vanished from the world without a trace. They existed in that place without the blessing of the gods, yet they created their own Dawn Relic. It doesn't make any sense.”

I wish I could be more useful in the moment but I know less than nothing about the history of this world.

Minerva, Are you from this Jazari place? Do you remember it?

[Jazari was- KSSSHHHHH Destruction of- KSSSSSHHHH… FILES SEALED. ACCESS DENIED.]

Well that's ominous.