CHAPTER 42 – DEMASCUS
The group set out to the West Tower, crossing into the courtyard, and spanning the distance between. Excelsior entered first with Orion by his side. The Institute’s director noticed them immediately.
“Ah, Excelsior! You have returned to our fair city. Welcome home, I just saw your brother Whelan and his cronies not too many moons ago. I see holding a roaming court runs in the family!”
Excelsior brought the group over for introductions. Orion greeted the director’s dog, Greyden who sat tepidly on a tasseled worn-in paisley-patterned floor pillow by the bookcases. Greyden resembled his master in many ways, most notable his gray whiskers.
“This is Demascus, he taught me almost everything I knew before the academy, aside from my parents and sisters. If there is anyone that can find your clues, Mitakahn, it is this man.”
“Prince Mitakahn, it is an honor to have you here. I knew your father. He was a good man and a worthy king.”
“Thank you, my lord. A mutual friend sent me. His name is Echo.”
“Hmm…”
Mitakahn was not expecting an awkward hesitation. The memory of doubt crawled into his thoughts.
“What reason did this Echo send you my way?”
“He told me the legend of the warlocks, helped me call forth my visions from the Ignaleos Cor, and gave me a volume of the Mandrake Mandates.”
Upon hearing one sentence, Demascus’ demeanor completely changed. He brought Mitakahn, Excelsior, and the rest of the company in through the entrance hall to his personal office. The pressed oakmont bench table provided more than enough room for everyone to have a seat. The surrounding racks and shelves of books and essays distracted Mitakahn’s companions.
“Now tell me, prince, exactly how did Echo bring your visions forth?”
“A potion called Trillion’s Syphon.”
Demascus brow un-furrowed and a smirk could be seen under his long gray mustache. He scratched his furry chin. Mitakahn could tell he was piecing it all together and predicted the librarian’s next question.
“How did you get the berserker eye?”
“We hunted one that was already hunting me.”
Now the smile was on his face for all to see.
Anilithion exchanged concerned glances with Tron and Kunezar. Demascus continued.
“Not an easy feat at that. You have come a long way to speak with me. How can I help?”
“What are the Incapsulate Impernums and what does it have to do with the Carbon Terra?”
“Those are old founder words. The warlocks based the original runes off many of those gemstones. Do any of you know what it translates to in common tongue?”
Humbler had an answer at the ready, “Impernum means impermeable or another word for invincible or immortal, and Incapsulate means enclosure.”
“Correct. The same original celestial forces that turned into the gods when man was born went through yet another metamorphosis to pure crystal. Trapped by their own magic, made by the gods for the gods. Scattered all over MagnaThora, their divine power lay dormant for all eternity. The Carbon Terra was not just one of them but considered by many to be the crown jewel.”
“So, it holds the power of a god inside of it?”
“Not just the power, but each gemstone if properly accessed could release a founder god from the first age. One of the phenoms themselves. Praise be eternal.”
“Praise be,” many of them repeated, but decidedly not all.
“This has already been helpful. Our knowledge is limited on the Carbon Terra.”
“Then let’s start with the basics. Carbon Terra means ‘pure earth’. It is the perfect representation of earth’s purity as a flawless diamond. Look here…” Demascus pointed to the drawing on the page of a book he had seemingly pulled from thin air, “It is a massive diamond, perfectly symmetrical.”
Everyone took turns reading the article on the artifact. Mitakahn watched them after reading it for himself. They did not understand. It could not compare to the Mandrake Mandate. Sure, he was robbed of the chance to read the article he intended, but everything else he had examined leading up to the Carbon Terra chapter had more depth than these standardized scripts.
“It doesn’t say where the jewel is located.” Humbler pointed out.
“It wouldn’t contain a detail like that.”
“Would the Mandrake Mandate?”
Demascus looked directly at Mitakahn. There was no mistaking his manner. There was not a shred of doubt in his eyes before he said, “The Mandrake Mandates are not republic approved.”
“I am a prince of Zepathorum, the ways of the Republic matter not to me. Do you have a copy of them?”
Excelsior laughed.
“A copy?” Demascus smirked, “They wrote the originals under this very roof, but we do not need the volumes. I know everything there is to know about the Incapsulate Impernums.”
“Like what?” Bridger instigated wisely.
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“Like the fact that Quarrel was trapped in them by his own trick. Or that Apophas put the gods in the stones because of a broken heart. We all know the tales from the nurseries, but it takes a real dedicated expert, such as me, to find the truth behind all of the legends.”
THE LEGEND OF ESSENCE REACH
The Warlocks, through the Oculus Veil, had arranged an alliance with one of the phantom gods. Years of planning had led up to this one battle for the god’s gemstone. The warlocks had finally found it in a trap of monsters and disaster.
It was only until they were in the throes of battle that they made the brash decision to switch objectives. The master who designed this trap left an unknown gem unprotected. The great sorcerer Lantic Trombose led the warlocks in redirecting their forces and recovering the Sol Epher. In the aftermath of the battle the Carbon Terra was left behind and would vanish into legend. The ally through the Oculus Rift never tried to contact the Warlocks again.
You might be asking yourself, ‘how was this a victory?’ The Sol Epher gave us the Ephearian Order. The Warlocks took the gemstone back and before they did anything, they studied it. Taking their time with observations and examinations, they figured out how to use it to create champions of light, known as the Ethereal Order.
• • •
“So. . . you may ask questions now.”
The group started talking all at once.
“Who is inside the Carbon Terra then?”
“Why was the battle called Essence Reach?”
“Which god was inside the Epher Sol?”
“How are we going to find this thing?”
“You are asking the wrong questions,” Demascus went on, “No god was inside the Epher Sol. It took the warlocks a very long time to figure that one out. It is made up of an essence created long ago by the alchemists. Only epher can make an ephearian. I could spend an entire day explaining what I just said.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Bridger sighed.
“Then let’s get down to it. What you lot need is some modern facts as opposed to all this ancient myth. There are many who would agree with me when I say what the republic does not know won’t hurt anyone. This is not a new idea. Long ago, the canine kingdom found the godstone and sold it in order to avoid our complete collapse. Although time has helped fade the Carbon Terra into obscurity, important things always find a way of coming home.”
“I knew it!” Mitakahn took another step towards the validation of his dreams.
“Now we are getting somewhere.”
“Before I go any further…what are your intentions with the diamond?”
“For a while on the road I did not know. I only had pieces. Now as I get closer to the diamond it seems clear and obvious all at once. We wish to unlock its potential and free the god inside.”
“There is no way of knowing what will come out of it. I cannot allow that.”
“Whoever it is, will lead me to the Crucifire Sword.”
“The great evilbane? It is a legend. Only Patronalus, Lord of Man, can wield it.”
“It is said to belong to any king worthy enough to wield it.”
“And your kingdom is in dire need of one of those, I’m beginning to see...”
Demascus took a deep exhale. He was troubled and clearly weighing things out to himself, like a jury of old librarians all wrapped up in one old man’s body, one dusty beard of deliberation.
“It is too big of a risk unleashing the god inside the Carbon Terra. Even if we could… how do you plan on identifying who it is?”
“With the combined wits of this group, I suppose.”
“Does that include Orion?”
“If it must,” vouched Excelsior.
Demascus looked at Excelsior and then continued his line of questioning, “Why should I help an outsider unlock the powers of the Carbon Terra when even the most gifted of Epitaph scholars have never been able to solve the mystery?”
“Because of your friend Echo. He helped me conjure the vision, a vision of my kingdom getting attacked. Tell me, if he was standing here before you today would you doubt his claim or deny his request?”
“No, I would not…If it is the same man I think it is, but I must tell you the name Echo is a common alias for warlocks.”
“I knew he was hiding something.”
“I do not doubt that your intentions are true, prince. I am merely calculating if it is worth the risk. The credit of your companion Excelsior is worth quite a lot. With his endorsement, I see no reason to keep you from your quest as long as we unleash the god together.”
“That was easier than I expected.”
“To be honest with all of you I have been waiting a long time for the right reason to see if the legends are true. I have spent many days pondering the ancient riddle of who sleeps within the god stone, as its guardian. Whoever it is, I think it is safe to say that it must be the same god that worked with the warlocks from the other side of the Oculus Veil. Many think it is Thora, the goddess also known as mother nature, because of the etymology of Carbon Terra, some think it could be Ample or Nero, and there are all of the others to consider. There just is not enough information and too many options, not to mention how long it has been. In this age, people think it is all myth. Monsters can attack at night, but gods are still just a story. How very sad, indeed.”
“It could be Queen Epiphany, she dishonored the gods by staying in MagnaThora.”
“There were always those who thought it to be Lady Epiphany, but as you said the legend is she was not there when the Phenom gods were cast out of Legacy City.”
“I’ve heard the legends of Quarrel and Isola. She was a beautiful genius. An inventor,” added Kunezar.
“Yes you are correct. The goddess Isola, in fact, forged the Incapsulate Impernums for Quarrel. She was madly in love with him. That love blinded her to Quarrel’s deception. It could very well be her.”
“She is the goddess of ingenuity and not malevolent in any way.”
“The never world has no fury like a woman scorned,” Kunezar quoted one of the common colloquialisms from his hometown in the desert.
“None of whom he mentioned are evil really, not even Ample or Nero, odds are we set free one of the good ones.”
“It is not a matter of whether they were good. We have no idea what all of that time in the NetherRealm has done to them. Best-case scenario they are crazy with immense power, worst-case scenario they are angry with immense power. It was never a worthy risk, but frankly, I have grown bored of playing it safe. An ordinary life has gotten us this far, and now, according to Prince Mitakahn, there are people in danger. We simply cannot do nothing. I see no better time to conduct the ceremony of relinquishment.”
“So, I guess there is only one other thing left to do. You must be careful. It is the most sought after jewel in the world. Be extremely discreet. You are not the only ones looking for it. Keep your quest a secret and be wary of anything out of the ordinary. Now go to the market and ask for Conroy.”
“This has all been very helpful, Demascus” said Excelsior. “I can never thank you enough.”
“You thank me every day by making me a proud mentor.”
The group gave their appreciations as they said goodbye and left the Western Tower. They went down to the marketplace and at first they had no idea where to begin. Orion bowed to Greyden who was far too old to pay any attention to the pup’s antics. Orion walked away and licked a patch of dirt off the back of Anilithion’s neck, making the young prince giggle.