Chapter 24

“You gave him how much of a blessing? I expect this kind of behavior from the likes of Gilgot or Sorus, but not from you. I cannot begin to emphasize how empty-minded your decision was, and now you come to me seeking help? Gah! Never would I have thought the illustrious Scyris would stoop so low.”

Scyris flinched back at the imposingly deep voice coming from the leader of the Lumen Cabal. “Shurai, please accept my apologies for my mistake, I did not know I’d be brought down to this. I understand that I gave almost half of my power to that little leader, but how could I have known that would be harmful to me? Even at half-strength, I am still highly ranked in the Cabal. The fault lies with the Baseborn who somehow found his way into my domain!” Scyris scoffed and lifted her chin as she completed her statement.

Standing up from his grand seat, Shurai spoke as he walked with a calm candor towards the woman whose stature was diminutive in comparison. “Do not refer to me with familiarity. This is just one event on the growing list of your mistakes. Due to the blatant neglect you’ve shown your station, I hereby withdraw your claim to Planet Enternia. You may continue to gather contributions until another in the Cabal can spread their influence.” Scyris' shoulders slumped lower with each word until she was struck frozen by Shurai’s words.

Snapping back to herself from the shock, Scyris descended to one knee. “I know not of what I have done to draw the Ancestor’s ire, but can this issue be circumvented using means that are less drastic? I just gave my blessing and, barring Zilg's death, I would not be able to reclaim my power until a century has passed.”

The leader of the Cabal stood stalwart and unmoving. “Let the consequences of your complacency be your penance. I expect you to vet a newcomer to take your position as World Prime. Make sure that their subordinates are better at upholding our ideals since you have experience with the opposite.” The Lumen Cabal leader turned and started to return to his seat as Scyris was left gaping.

“Honored Ancestor, please have mercy on my situ…” Shurai appeared in front of Scyris so quickly that even her third category senses couldn’t follow. “Silence! You will follow the orders I give you!” Scyris fell onto her back from the force of Shurai’s voice and stammered to reply. Shurai didn’t give the chance to speak. “One more mistake and you will be stripped of the Cabal’s signature and cast out. Do not fail me again.” With his words spoken, Shurai disappeared.

Scyris stood after a moment and found him sitting on his seat with eyes closed. Controlling her emotions as best as she could, she silently strode out of the leader’s marble-adorned chamber. Moving as quickly as she could, she seemed to almost teleport to her private room. Stepping inside she immediately opened up her connection to Zilg to ask a simple question, to which he got her answer a moment later. “Kalex Wounder. You will reap what you have sown. Mark my words, I will exact my vengeance!”

—

A shiver took Kalex by surprise as he finished the last of his stew. “Are you catching something or did the stew not agree with you?” Arla spoke as she witnessed the odd shake Kalex gave. “No, nothing like that, Your food is as good as always! Thank you! I was just overcome with a weird sensation is all. As if I had been plunged in cold water for a moment.”

Arla gathered his empty bowl and put it with the other dishes to be washed. “Well you look fine so maybe someone was just talking about you.” Kalex stood and gently pushed in his chair. “I truly hope not. The only people who would be talking about me aren’t people I want to see anytime soon.” Arla made to speak but was interrupted by the front door flinging open.

“You’re awake! Hurry and come outside! I made some adjustments to the cart you made!” Sorene grabbed his hand and Kalex let her pull him along. Seeing the door close, Arla shook her head with a smile and turned to the sink full of dishes.

“Amazing! You’ve figured out how to change the structure of the cart just by looking into how I made that bag? The new storage area is amazing! It looks like you would have a hard time filling it up!” Kalex was truly impressed with the progress Sorene had made with the tools and knowledge he had given her. In such a short amount of time, she had managed to figure out how to alter the cart he made for her and implemented a storage compartment. Even on Diat, where storage items were commonplace, if someone made strides in creating and understanding the intricacies of using their presence to create and change items in such a short amount of time, they’d be touted as a genius.

“I just used what you told me about making my bottles better and whatever I could see with the bag to do this. Seeing you make the cart helped too! I’m excited to see what else I’m able to make in the future! By the way, when we were leaving the exchange, I overheard you being called the Axiom. Is that true? Is that why you know how to do so many things?” Sorene looked on expectantly with all her focus, Kalex scratched the back of his head. “I guess there’s no hiding it now. I haven’t been on Enternia long, but from what I gather and from what people have said, I do hold that title. Up until now, I’ve hidden a lot of information about my status from you and your mother. Take a look again if you’d like.” Sorene immediately took on a faraway look as she peered into Kalex’s status.

Arla came outside to the odd scene of Kalex actively attempting to pacify a bowing Sorene. “Oh geez, what’s going on out here? Sorene, don’t tell me you’ve gone and offended our guest in some way.” Sorene looked up at Arla as Kalex turned to do the same. Seeing an out from the awkward situation he found himself in, Kalex was the first to speak.

“Nothing of the sort, I just allowed her to see my full status and she started bowing and wouldn’t end it no matter what I said.” Sorene turned to Kalex and gave another slight bow before answering her mother. “Ma, Kalex might look like a small boy, but his status shows a different story.”

Interest peaked, Arla looked over to Kalex with a raised eyebrow. “I will show you too but only on one condition.” Kalex said. “That you treat me no differently than you have been already. Throughout my life, I’ve craved normalcy and I’m happy to say I found some with you two.” Arla gave a nod and Kalex allowed her to see his status. “I want to thank you for showing me kindness and taking care of me when you didn’t have to. I have to journey to Everblade City, but I will come back to visit when I’m back in this part of the Realm.” Kalex gave a bow to each of the Mix’s and disappeared as a lightly blue screen filled Arla’s vision.

“Compared to my stats, his are on another level.” Arla looked at a stunned Sorene with a motherly smile. “He’s still just a good kid in my eyes, even if he’s a little scrawny.” Arla gave a laugh that Sorene soon mirrored.

Surprisingly, Kalex didn’t feel fatigued at all after he teleported into the woods surrounding Grangardd. “Hm, it looks like I can move myself like that once or twice before I pass out. Good to know! Now how am I going to get to Everblade City? I could make a fast-moving cart or something like that. Wait! Lex, can you scan around Everblade City and find a safe spot where I can wait out unconsciousness?” Lex floated out of Kalex’s pocket with a slow droning blink.

“Mr. Wounder, I have to advise against this plan. Although you would arrive quickly, there is an unknown to how much time you would be out of commission. If I may, I would like to suggest a slightly slower but much safer method.” Kalex took the faceted rock into his hands.

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“I know I can walk there, but that would take forever!” Lex glowed in a pale light that warmed Kalex’s hands. “I was not going to insist on you walking, Mr. Wounder. With the power you now wield and the amount of control you have over it, I suggest you attempt to fly over to Everblade City. You’ve hovered in the air without much focus, so propelling yourself through the air should be a sinch.”

Kalex’s eyes drew to slits and his eyebrows scrunched together as he focused on the idea. His feet slowly left the ground and he was amazed at how simple it had been. Without any further thought, Kalex blasted off of the hard-packed game trail and into the air, leaving a small crater in his wake.

—

“His name is Kalex Wounder.” the Potentate sent mentally to Scyris. After a moment of silence, Zilg thought that was the end of their short conversation until he heard a laugh. “Take down your shields and prepare your warriors, Kalex will come to Everblade City. You will not take his charge defensively but will attack as soon as he comes into range!” a maniacal cackle ended the Lumen’s statement.

“Honored Scyris, we have most of the warriors deployed to the west in hopes of slowing down the charge of the Realm of the Forge, there is only a skeleton crew in reserve. If even you could not hold the child back, what hope do we have?” Zilg broke out in a cold sweat as he thought about what would happen if he took the fight to the Axiom, but was brought out of his head with the authoritative voice echoing in his mind.

“Follow my orders and you will succeed. Have your troops touch my statue before leaving and I will grant them protection. Do hurry, there is not much time to wait.” Zilg lifted his hand from the shield generator and started walking towards the stairs. “I will do as you command, but if we start to fail, I will not hesitate to call upon you.” The Potentate said in a half-hidden threat.

“You know as well as I do that you can only summon me once, you’d dare to use that right? Either way, it’s no bother– the moment Kalex shows himself will be the last time he takes a breath. Advise me when he arrives.” Zilg opened the door to the war room, where his most trusted were assembled. “As you wish, Honored Lumen.”

—

“Why hadn’t I thought of this before? That is amazing! Lex, you’re a genius!” Kalex screamed over the loud whipping wind. “Technically, I am currently using your neural pathways, but it seems I take more advantage of them. Also, I believe you were too focused on teleporting your way to every destination.” Lex spoke directly into Kalex's head. The trip was very fast, and the two hours of flight had brought them to the outskirts of Everblade City.

“Mr. Wounder, I recommend slowing your velocity as we are approaching the city. I’d also advise donning a different presence signature.” Kalex nodded at Lex’s suggestions and slowed down as he camouflaged his presence as a simple merchant. “Do you think I could just walk through the front gate? It seems like they have a huge checkpoint, but they’re still letting people in.” Kalex felt a heat on the inside of his brain and took that as an affirmative.

Kalex landed silently in the vast shrubland just outside of the city where he was sure nobody would be able to see him. After a last check that his false presence was in order, he pulled out a change of clothes from his storage and started walking as he changed. A long line came into view and an ostentatiously dressed Kalex promptly found his place in the back of the line. A moment into the wait, a tall man standing in front of Kalex turned around and looked him up and down.

“Oi, mighty fine get-up you have there. Are you here to meet a lady perhaps?” Kalex took a moment and blinked as he took in the words of the lanky man. “Oh, hello. No, I’m not here to meet anyone like that, I’m actually here to see the Potentate!” Kalex said with a smile that put his teeth on display. The man’s eyes went wide as he crouched low to look Kalex in the eye.

“Hey, be careful what you say. The leader has eyes and ears everywhere and even speaking of him can cause them to come after you.” Kalex’s smile waned and he nodded. “Thank you for the information. I’ll take this into full consideration.” Kalex reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. The man stood up to his full height as Kalex held out the coin. “This is for you. Thank you!” The man stammered as he took the coin but Kalex walked away towards the front of the line before the man could say anything. “What a weird kid.” the man said as he pocketed the coin.

“Halt! You must wait in line with the others! Please return to the back of the line or we will be forced to escort you away!” Kalex put on the most innocent face he could and waved his hand in what he thought was a friendly gesture. “I’m so sorry, I was called here by the Potentate to bring sorely needed commodities.” Kalex lied in hopes that talking about the Potentate would get him into the city faster.

“If I had a copper for every time someone has come up here saying they were here to meet the Potentate, I’d be rich enough to get out of this stupid job. Get back to the end of the line young one.” Kalex was not going to the back of the line and there was one tried and true way to make the situation turn in his favor. Kalex bowed and apologized as he reached into both of his pockets and held out a handful of gold coins to the guardsman and the quiet one standing to the side of him listening to the exchange.

“Please, it's very important that I get inside. It could be a matter of life and death!” The Guard’s eyes shown with greed as their demeanor changed instantly. “Our mistake, honored trader. Please allow us to guide you to the vending hall.” Kalex grinned at the sudden change and silently thanked whoever had owned the gaudy clothing he was currently wearing. The dismay of the others waiting in line was palpable as the guardsmen showed him inside.

Kalex had made it into Everblade City and as he saw the gate close behind him, he mentally checked off that part of his quest. He let the guards show him in, but he had no intention of visiting the local exchange. “The vending hall is just up ahead, if you look to your right, you will see some of the best eateries in Everbl…” The guard speaking turned around as he was speaking, only to find nobody. He turned to the other guard with a question as to if he’d seen where the young trader went. The response was one of unknowing, and after looking in all directions, they conceded and shrugged their shoulders as they walked back to their post with pockets fuller than when they had started the day.

Everblade City was a far cry from Grangardd. Where Grangardd had farmland, Everblade City had industry. The inner part of the city was filled with blended stone buildings that stood taller than Kalex thought necessary. The streets that cris-crossed the city were filthy compared to what seemed to be the norm on Enternia, but two buildings stood out from the rest, however. One was a building that covered more land than any other, with pristine white stone adorning its exterior, that rose into two central towers. With the myst signature it gave off, Kalex knew this was where the citizens gave tribute to the Lumen who acted as the protector of the Realm.

The second building was fashioned from the same building materials as the rest of Everblade City, but its height extended well into the clouds above. The thin swooping shape gave off the image of the blade of a common farming tool and Kalex guessed it was made that way to further enhance and give credence to the city's name. No matter how attractive the building may have looked, it held the person Kalex wanted to speak to. The Potentate.

Kalex moved his presence sight upwards in an attempt to see the Potentate’s myst. He hadn’t thought of sending his presence sight upwards since his abilities with it were fairly new, but he found it easy and surprisingly effective. One thing worried him as he pulled his sight back. The Potentate’s myst was different and much more powerful. The signature felt denser than even Sorus’ had been but with the unmistakable flavor of the Lumen whose domain he’d just visited.

Kalex steeled himself as he knew this would be anything but easy. With the heavily armed and armored guards who seemed much stronger than normal standing watch around the giant building, he knew he’d have to be thoughtful about his approach. Wanting to complete his quest fought with his plan of carefulness though. Taking a look at his status, Kalex made the decision to face whatever came next head-on.

Removing his false presence and changing into his regular attire, Kalex began to walk towards the imposing home of the Potentate. He only lifted his head to look at the building as he got close enough to see the front entrance. He was greeted by loud klaxons and a mob of men sprinting to his location. With a flex of his core, myst visibly flared around him in an aura of transparent blue flame. He clenched his fists as he prepared to take on the group of warriors. He felt ready for anything the Potentate could throw at him, or so he thought. "Mr. Wounder, please avert your eyes upwards." Lex sent mentally. "Upwards?" Kalex questioned before looking to the sky. "What on Diat?" Kalex's skin paled at the oncoming onslaught.