Aperio debated making a few changes to herself as the guardsmen continued to stare at Caethya and her. They had finally reached the city, the mortals indeed needing a break that had been cut short with a bit of magic from her disciple.
It had been agreed that they would all visit Fel'Erreyth, Aperio because she was very sure the presence she could feel far below the city was the ruler of Procul, and so that was also where the dungeon core was likely to be; and Tiko because she was adamant that Fel'Erreyth would punish Ilo for his insolence and would likely also squash Aperio.
The All-Mother doubted that he would do anything of the sort.
"Will you intervene if Ilo really gets punished?" Caethya asked quietly, a touch of her own magic keeping the words private. "I am beginning to think that the people here are a bit… barbaric."
While the All-Mother would not necessarily agree with the assessment, she had no problem seeing why her disciple would think that. Everyone outside the city gates was armed, armoured, and looked as though they would start a fight if spoken to.
On the other side of the walls, it looked a little different. Her aura had no trouble seeing what was inside the city, and what she saw was much more in line with what she knew. People still carried weapons and wore armour nearly everywhere, but they also talked to one another.
"I don't know," Aperio replied with a sigh, a touch of her own magic reinforcing Caethya's. "I do not want him to suffer, but he did steal something and I am not certain if it is my place to judge… Perhaps I will intervene if they want to kill or enslave him."
"Maybe you feel it is not your place to judge," her disciple began, "but you are the All-Mother — you made all of this. I think that gives you the right to judge, or at least to prevent something unjust."
"Does it?" Aperio asked. "I do not even remember how — or even if — I made this planet. And even if I did do all that? Why would that entitle me to judging a random person?"
"Since most places are ruled through strength, you'd easily have the upper hand there," Caethya replied. "But I also already know that you would intervene if they did something out of proportion. You have done so already, after all."
The All-Mother sighed slightly. Caethya was right; she would do something if Fel'Erreyth decided that stealing a useless ring should be punishable by slavery or death. She was likely to come into conflict with the ruler of Procul anyway, as she doubted he would let her simply destroy the dungeon. And he won't believe me that the dungeon will still be there after I destroy the core.
"We shall see," she said. "But first we have to get inside."
That course of action was easier said than done. I should have gotten proper identification from the [Grandmaster], Aperio thought to herself. A mental message to Caethya revealed that Elders did not have special papers they carried with them and that Aperio could just copy what her disciple used. If I can copy that…
The small card Caethya had produced and now held in her hand was made from a metal Aperio had not seen before and was dotted with runes she could not read. The All-Mother tilted her head slightly as she focused on the card, trying to get a feel for it through her aura.
She had little doubt that she could make something that looked like it, but Aperio had no idea if she could replicate any of the card’s functions. A flex of her mental muscles caused her mana to flow between the threads of reality, something she hoped would hide her magic from the mortals.
Her mana flowed into the small space she had created, twisting the fabric of space further as she forced her will into reality. It was not long before the metal card she had wanted came into being, only hers carried a blue sheen that Caethya's lacked.
Because it's made from my mana? A thought turned the card in its secluded pocket of reality as Aperio inspected her creation. Even though it had been easy to make and, in the end, did not amount to much, the act of creation had been enjoyable on a level that did not quite make sense.
Another touch of her magic caused runes to slowly appear on its surface, each one flickering to life as soon as she was done etching it into the metal surface of the card. Her name was then etched into it in the excessively cursive script she had come to adopt, connecting the various runes to one another and causing the entire metal card to briefly shine with the full force of her mana before settling into a more subtle and muted blue and silver glow.
Aperio brought the card out of its secluded space — her attempt to hide it from the mortals seemingly a success — and gently placed it in Caethya's hand so she could inspect it.
Her disciple ran her fingers across the metal surface, tiny arcs of mana dancing over the card and her hand. Caethya turned it around, visually inspecting the other side before Aperio felt a bit of her disciple's magic flow through the card.
With a satisfied nod, Caethya handed it back. After responding to Caethya's mental query for privacy by erecting an invisible barrier, their conversation continued.
"It should work," her disciple said, "but it will probably still draw a bit of their attention as it has some… peculiar properties. It should not be too bad, but it would seem that your penchant for perfection is going to make things a bit more difficult again."
"I did not try to perfect it, though," Aperio said, tilting her head slightly. "I just tried to recreate yours as I have no idea what these are supposed to do in the first place."
"Usually they are made by pushing your mana through a tool that reads your signature and stores it in your runes," Caethya explained, tracing the small lines of her own card with her fingers. "Your mana creates them, marking it as yours forever. The name is just an optional touch."
"So it will work because I did the same, just without the help of a machine?" Apparently made it better, too.
Her disciple gave a nod in reply, taking a step forward as the group in front of them was finally done. Aperio let the magic that had given them their privacy fade, and followed.
Most of the guardsmen continued to stare at them, and only the one in charge of the gate seemed to be used to seeing people like Aperio and Caethya.
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Maybe wearing a dress is also not the best idea, Aperio thought as she stepped closer and handed the guard her newly-made identification card. Adding armour doesn't really make it more fitting for adventurers. While her disciple might have worn something similar when she had first encountered her, it did not mean that it would be normal attire for most adventuring mortals. Caethya is not exactly a normal adventurer, after all.
The guard placed the card on a small stone tablet that was not only ringed with various crystals but also had many runes etched into it. It's gonna break, isn't it?
Just as she had thought, the tablet flashed once with a blinding green before the crystals cracked and the stone seemed to melt slightly.
"You may enter," the guard said with a sigh, as another guard took the broken tablet in his hand and replaced it with a new one. "Should've known that would happen," he mumbled as he took Caethya's card, inspecting it before placing it on the tablet.
Aperio moved slightly past the man, a touch of her magic flowing around the tablet her card had broken. While she did not intend to fix it, Aperio did want to see if she could figure out what exactly went wrong with it.
The obvious theory was that her mana was too potent for the device. I do break wards by just being near them, after all. Though a feeling in the back of her mind told her that it would be useless, Aperio made a mental note to try pushing her mana between the threads of reality to hide it in a space mortals could not see the next time she encountered wards.
With that noted, Aperio shifted her attention away from the broken tablet and onto the mortals that had accompanied them. Much like Caethya and herself, they presented the guard with a little card that he placed on his stone before waving them through.
Jikoh's eyes lingered on the broken one for a moment, the Dragonkin glancing at the waiting Aperio as he passed.
The gentle touch of Caethya's hand against her back caused Aperio to fall into step next to her disciple. For a moment, the All-Mother wanted to fold her wing over her disciple in reply, the feathered limb almost appearing before Aperio caught herself and took Caethya's hand into her own.
She was not sure if the stares they received were from her general appearance, the fact that they were Elves or if the residents of Ullier did not appreciate them holding hands. The whispers that reached Aperio's ears not only caused them to twitch slightly, but also confirmed that it was her first two thoughts that were correct.
In comparison to the thousands of mortals, the handful of Elves — she could only locate a few within the city — would be a rare sight. That she looked exotic to them, apparently even more so than a normal Elf, only garnered more attention.
Can't exactly change how I look with mortals around, Aperio thought to herself, her senses wandering through the city. The dungeon was easy to find, but her hope of popping over to an empty floor to take a breather and maybe figuring out what to change about her appearance was quashed as she found more city on every floor.
It made sense, of course; if you can control the dungeon, why not use the space to expand your city? Perhaps A'ryein and Den'kelter will make the dungeon available to the residents of Ebenlowe? There is already a village in it, after all. She pushed the thoughts from her mind. What the people of Ebenlowe decided to do was none of her business. The only bit she cared about was that A'ryein and Den'kelter did not abuse their newfound strength.
She did make a mental note to visit them later, however. Thus far, she had heard nothing whatsoever from the two, which unsettled her a little. I should also visit Maria again… "So much to do," Aperio mumbled, briefly contemplating simply teleporting to the bottom of the dungeon.
The idea was quickly dismissed, and Aperio instead tried to busy herself by observing the city. Most of the buildings were made from a dark grey stone that she had no doubt came from deeper in the dungeon. They all carried a certain note with them that the All-Mother could not quite place, but knew it came from the dungeon.
"I think we should invest into some veils," Caethya whispered, moving just a little closer to her Goddess. "At least if we intend to go places where being an Elf draws attention."
"I could make some now, if you wish."
"No," her disciple replied with a small shake of her head. "Just give me a little bit of time to prepare the next time we plan on going somewhere."
"Taking you with me had been a rather impromptu decision." Aperio wasn't quite sure how to put the reasoning for her decision into words.
The warm fuzziness that spread through her, the gentle note of calm that helped her stay out of infinite loops of doubt and memories that crawled out of the depths of her mind. It was a foreign feeling for Aperio; one she had not experienced before. She sent this information to Caethya in an indistinct mental nudge, no words she knew able to accurately convey the meaning, and privately admitted to herself that the comfort she drew from Ferio or Maria was different, lacking that certain something that she felt when she was with her disciple. It was a grounding calmness, she hesitantly decided, and it was the little urge she felt to hold on to the Elf.
The All-Mother indulged in the impulse, holding Caethya's hand a little tighter and pulling her a little closer. That she had to take meticulous care of how much strength she used was only a small downside, one she hoped would vanish in time. Though, with her never ending increase in strength, it was doubtful that that would ever be the case.
A giant, cathedral-like building made from black marble not unlike that which her own temple used took Aperio from her thoughts. Tiko walked straight towards it and the All-Mother could feel the floors of the dungeon stretching out underneath.
"Do we have to walk all the way down?" Jikoh asked. "I have only ever gone to the third floor, and that took quite a while."
"No," Tikoh replied, showing the ring to one of the guards at the door. "We will use the gate to go directly to the Valley of Everlasting Fire."
Nobody stopped them as they made their way through the giant hall. Aperio would have been impressed at it all if it did not remind her of her own temple. Did the dungeon try to recreate it?
The idea was confirmed for her when she laid her eyes on the gate Tiko had mentioned. It looked exactly like the one outside her temple, minus some of the runes. And the fact that this one is actually being used.
The Dragonkin did not hesitate as she stepped through, the rest of the mortals following shortly after. Aperio and Caethya gave each other a look before stepping into the portal themselves.
It was cool to the touch, almost like water, but what Aperio noticed more was the crude way in which this portal ripped reality apart. Her skin crawled as she emerged on the other side, almost reaching out with her mind to fix what was clearly in need of repair so she could be at ease when her eyes landed on the presence she had felt in her aura all along.
At the end of the cave she now found herself in was a Dragon, its scales a shiny black similar to the marble-like floor of the cave itself. Each one of its leathery wings was bigger than the gate they had used to get here, and a crystal embedded into its chest glowed with a familiar twinkling light as the red mist flowed within.
Aperio's swordstaff appeared in her hand before anyone had spoken, her assessment of the room having taken a fraction of a breath.
The Dragon opened its eyes in reply, shifting its limbs as it stood to its full height, easily taller than most of the buildings she had seen in both Ebenlowe and Ullier. The crystal in its chest, too, was bigger than any she had seen before. At least twice as tall as herself, and filled with the red mist she knew all too well.
"The Tyrant arrives," the Dragon rumbled, its voice causing the threads of reality to sway slightly. "I have been told to expect you."
Aperio did not reply, instead focusing on the monster in front of her. With a small twitch of her mind, she willed the System's notification into existence.
Fel'Erreyth | [Conduit of Memory] | Level: Error