There were a couple of problems when thinking of the greater balance. It was a sensitive topic across the board of direct, or indirect ways of the Blessed and Gods in general.
Usually, very significant attention wasn't something that mortals should get overworked with. But when mortals wanted to touch the balance, change the tides, and do what they could or shouldn't, what then?
Mortals were the leading causes for most changes either way, and there wasn't much Gods could do if things couldn't get stopped. It was what this world thrived in, and Gods weren't responsible for why it worked. They wanted to see how and witness their rights.
For Razmund, this was no longer about the Encounter alone, even if it was hovering over this situation like a shadowy figure. He almost guessed the reason, yet didn't want to seek the answers. They were unnecessary. Useless.
Hunt overlapped the course of his time, turning the Hellscape upside down, while Vermillion pushed it ahead even more, giving it something that even Levandis couldn't refute.
It was wilder and great, filling this backyard with great plays that most Gods would love under normal circumstances. But with Levandis overseeing it alone, her Hell was calm and no Gods under her eyes would come and touch it. They wouldn't dare to.
However, the Sky might be different because the overreaching plot thickened and came from there. Everyone believed it fitting enough to touch the Hell, and Levandis was no longer messing with anything. She watched it from her throne, hoping it wouldn't last for more than a few more days.
Mindarch calculated that the end was nigh and approaching.
Razmund thought she was that variable that was changing his Hunt. What else was there? Who? What else was he overlooking or ignoring as a human pest that troubled this temple?
It wasn't his fault, he knew. It was his target that caused this inevitable problem. His goal! Nothing else.
Looking at how his group darted around the Hellscape, how his Hell Party formed from the start, and how the Centralis Kingdom affected this temple, he must be a villain in her eyes. And a fool worth hindering. Swallowing. Killing too, perhaps? Razmund bore gifts and treasures worth more than his level for sure. His power and history were even deeper, hiding things. Maybe Gods like her knew what he held and had, or lost.
With this small army, perhaps he went over the edge of what he should've done.
Yet, Ozeki promised, telling him that he didn't need to worry about this little party, let alone some overreaching troubles below or above. He will be his guardian! For his heart. It wasn't something insane for the heights of this Hunts. Ozeki knew more about his opposition anyway, and how he spoke to him revealed fewer doubts.
A former part of the First Legion should know what words meant. It was no oath or a great promise. It was no chain either.
But Razmund wasn't afraid. He was aware that his target got some decent Helpers and they might come at him like a little tide. For him, they were just additional targets that he would hunt, or for Ozeki to hinder.
How? Why? In a place that should be quite hostile to Anatidaes, this was unlikely to happen. According to small possibilities, there was a chance that his target would get captured or killed in this Gate under his calculations.
That was why Razmund finished Gate 2 as fast as he could, which then turned to misery and time where his dependable Voice ceased to exist.
At least, since Ozeki involved his little things and himself, this situation wasn't far from the balancing rules that followed many bones and heads.
Usually, the rules were simple: don't kill those in the Pivotal Cities. Don't kill those below your power, or kill when it is correct. Don't play with fire.
It was a testament to the great Ravine and the rules God stated many millennia ago. That expressed the power of Boosts and things of the greater gifts. Armies, adventures, and mercenaries followed them for as long as they saw their appeal. But when they weren't good, forgetting them might anger the rules and Encounter might be the same, yet there was something great about being free and doing things without impending rules. Then, one would have to follow what they have left, touch their convictions, not let go or ponder on what they could have from the leftovers driven by Ravine. There were no bans.
One would always improve their powers even without any of that and no Gods could stop that flow.
But crippling or killing haughty mortals was possible, for they were Gods! They were the rulers above the mortals.
Possible ways to ignore rules or Gods were lax, worth some voice, but not worth calling a law. Many ignored it for unusual benefits that ranged from freedom, their self-entitled powers, reasons stemming beyond this world, or luck. Others looked out for numerous ways in which Gods acted against one another, or how mortals' powers squabbled for power.
Plots. Betrayal. Mortals looked for benefits and as long as they had them, more wouldn't hurt. Gods could offer something good and they would take it, but if there were some hidden interest, or much better worth ahead, things could become complicated fast.
And presently, this Encounter that Razmund had started was something like that.
Aside from him, Ozeki knew there was some worth in transformations. He alone was as powerful as this partial Battalion, while Razmund was closing when it came to offensive power and means to kill. Perhaps he could even injure some Extremes who wouldn't pay him attention or those who had weak defenses wouldn't take his Intent, or sword that well. Physicality was still somewhat of a rule, meant to covet some reasons, and losing too much blood was possible death. Zao, the Goldsteel Titan whom Razmund defeated was that sort of being. He lost in a clash where his body couldn't keep up. He lost in pride. He lost it all.
When flesh and blood separated, guiding blood out, everything could lose its meaning. Extremes were the same. Gods might not be, but their issues were far from those of mortals. Everyone had some weakness, which Razmund thought wasn't wrong. Pissing off, ignoring, or betraying Gods was easy if one was shameless enough, or good.
Here, what other forces could covet anything related to what he wanted? Razmund thought about it for a long time with less-than-usual prospects. He was unable to care for the outside problems, or this Gate too much. Leaving everything up to Ozeki, who was unusually glad to take this opportunity, was his choice.
Murai wanted to know whatever he could and ensure he was no clueless duck. Well, most went still through Lisa's head or voice, while David did the rest, or Bagus changed it little by little. Still, Murai couldn't change in a few days. Few could.
For Razmund, his choices had steeper principles and simple points. He never cared for some questionable, explicit, or fixed balance. By culture and meaning, he was unhinged Blessed from the Surface, holding no small amount of experience with causing trouble, and certainly no hopes of making any peace, so he should act like one. Continue and not stop.
Whatever this place wanted to create, he planned to crush it with, or against the rules, or around it like a falling snow. So what of the opposition was coming, his target was moving to unknown, and his party and Ozeki were close? Could he crash it regardless of anything, helped by Ozeki and his men?
That was probably no longer an easy option, yet he had it alone. Slowly, as they traveled on their horses, a rocky section of the plateau appeared beyond the horizon, going upward into a ten-kilometer-long hill. It wasn't very steep, but since it went for so long, its peak was hundreds of meters tall, protruding like a ramp in the Hellscape and hiding massive dark cave systems below.
Along the way to the top, Razmund saw the humongous mountainous monuments, and a lot of bloody sights and residues of battles. No corpses, for obvious reasons. Everyone got their share of the essence gathering that this place carried some hours ago, or it was older, coming from some clashes against gangs.
No weakling had a chance to get far into this opportunity, as badges held ranks that worked with efficiency and various benefits. The better the badge, the better the benefits of the essence went, and the greater a denizen's standing increased. There was also this so-called game of chance, which made many killings and targets significantly enticing because one could not always know what essence would drop out of someone. But there were something, like element-touched essences coming from beings holding some form of Law, or Affinity in their cores.
Mana Essence of an Extreme described a fortune that most upper Gates could never imagine. It went without a question that few of those were even purchasable, let alone available with easy methods. Every Extreme was cautious in this place.
Reputation and power went along with that, causing dependence on badges, powers, and numbers.
Badges were like a personalized and treasured Guide in their grasp, and looting one was like stealing great treasures.
Razmund had it too, depicted by a Token that was nowhere to be seen. For him, it wasn't that useful besides acting as a means to his portal, yet that was an unlikely idea for him. He planned to go all the way to his target. He didn't even care for its ability to create an essence out of a corpse.
On its own, essence gathering was working all the time, yet mysteriously so in many ways. Benefiting from it need a link to this method. It needed a confirmation, which poised as a political aspect that everything was under Levandis's grasp.
Razmund found it impressive, regardless if it was the work of a Demonic God. He had no plans to go where he didn't belong. He would catch his foe before this Gate did, while his Essence Gem was quite deep, acting as something that could store unnatural essences without any troubles. He had plenty of them for the rest of this Gate.
Razmund shouldn't be prosecuted like a criminal. He did nothing wrong. The world did! This place did.
For anyone or anything to go against him, against them anyway, he planned to show no mercy. He just forced his hands against the rules that were a bunch of nonsense, while he was kind of a tool himself.
But a different one, meant to fix things.
That went within, or outside of Levandis and her touch, but not as if it was important.
Her Hunt; her rules.
And right about now, her swallowing yet weakened rules created a significant shift in Hellscape. The Vermillion Church was here, inside the temple, going through it because Levandis allowed something she never did.
Churches from the Surface were places that Depths hated to their bones! It depicted places and people filled with resentment toward the Sky. It was in their blood. In their cores. They hated one another. It didn't matter if some neutrality was put to the test, or if some God wanted nothing but good terms towards the Depths.
When one was of the Sky Divine Kingdoms, Hells opposed them. It was as natural as it could be on this planet and time.
It wasn't fair or square when grudges moved Gods like little children.
Razmund followed his eyes, figuring that his target wasn't in this angled forest. Finding them ahead shouldn't pose any issue to anything else than their whole group, his Dice, and his hand.
Encounter be damned. But then, what if? Ifs... Razmund sighed and couldn't help noticing how his time was turning to a weird page. This group continued forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bagus on his flight, or noticing Ultium or David. They were nowhere in sight.
They were late, far even with mounts, and not that many gangs were around. They ran away. How?
Well, Razmund didn't want to look for unnecessary good causes. He knew that flying was better than these questionable horses, but what about those left on the ground?
Razmund expected the toughest targets to come first, clashing against their group before he would focus on his main target. Ozeki wanted it. So they continued with great speeds, though limited flexibility because their group was far too large, and these horses weren't fit for long stretches of sprints.
But very soon, it was time to get personal.
Both for him and Ozeki.
Something happened again. Something that was concerning Levandis, yet she couldn't voice it as an excuse, for they were Invaded! A WAR was coming.
Or so Mindarch would like to say, but couldn't. Levandis swallowed Ceila's plotting and relaxing time in the Hellscape that crashed against this Hell.
They were here, waiting. They destroyed half of the Hunt's reasons and posed as immense walls as four powerful beings. The reason Murai had fewer enemies wasn't because of their savagery, though Lisa hoped it was the case. The case was no Ozeki or Razmund either, or the ground team's work of art that was keeping up with the flying Bagus. At least for the most part, that was. The ground was vast, and there were some changes of hearts amongst some beings on the ground.
It wasn't anything simple, as neither knew that the situation at the first two Provinces turned to shit that shocked gangs, scattered them, and turned Hellscape into an unfortunate incident. A Church came. Yet their Lady hadn't said a word. She let them do it. It was an incredible slap to the face to most denizens and the reputation that Levandis had decreased.
Further ahead in the Sectors, Lisa flew, intercepting some souls or pursuers that she did know existed, but didn't know where. Catching a glimpse was enough for her because she had her experiences, words, and wisdom to say and do. Unfortunately, nothing changed even from far away, and the lack of words made her mad. This deafening silence that something was wrong. She hated it.
For something to cease the flow of information and even Marthosh, Lisa wondered what was happening. Alas, even in the madness, Murai didn't complain one bit and found a great spot on top of Bagus who didn't care much about anything either. He kept on flying, while Itrosh was the sole ground member below them, going back and forth between them and David with Ultium, who went forward against Lisa's orders an hour ago.
That pissed her off because they didn't listen to her anymore. David acted as if their tactic of going away and wiping dangers before the Scorching Light was clever.
Knowing their plans, and taking initiative was an unexpected act. Not bad, by any means, but Lisa didn't like when things went away from her eyes and plans where they shouldn't.
As for the whole ground team, neither David nor Itrosh knew a thing about the sudden change in Hellscape. Mindarch hadn't said a word either, nor had any new screens spread across the ceiling.
Still, some places and hopeful gangs wouldn't back against anything, be it the mountains, walls, or the sun.
Hunt was ongoing, and this chance won't come every year. Enticing Hell Points and increased reputation was enough. Murai and Lisa were worth an insane amount for their Level, yet right now, it was less about them, much to their unknown.
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The rest of the team was worth some attention as well, but their powers were quite high. Be it Itrosh, David, or Ultium, they met some groups every once in a while, crippling them, killing them, or forcing them to reconsider their life choices. Everyone had their share of battles.
It symbolized stubborn fools who well arrogant or hopeless, for they were meeting their Ends because stronger beings came at them. They might be careful and sensitive to dangers, or waiting for their time, yet when the worst comes, why wait? Observing or not taking part in this Hunt was also a fine choice.
Bagus was flying far above the ground, followed by Lisa who was taking a look all over the surroundings. She was sensitive to the souls and her sight was incredible. She had all the time to do what she wanted.
“What's this unease?” Lisa mumbled to herself, “Feels like ants crawling in my head.”
“Perhaps you are fed up. Needs outlet, I tell you.” Murai added to her mind. “But ants? Call me stupid, but your head is seen through.”
“I am not a battle maniac like you,” She retorted from afar, hitting him with her mind. “The situation is changing unpredictably. Marthosh is nowhere to be heard. That was the bare minimum David said a while ago, before ceasing all communication. That ass... He and Ultium can get lost. Whatever they want or do, they should drop their heads to the ground!”
“But they don't do what they can't. Not something idiotic, hopefully. Like flying in the air for others to see us, eh?” Murai argued.
“We are different! We are baits and for the killing tools to get lost, it is annoying. I hope they won't regret it though, or make us regret their acts. At least Itrosh is sensible enough to scout and work with us.”
Sitting on Bagus, Murai glanced at her. “We will deal with it.” Then, before catching her annoyance, he seized this chance to disappear into the Heavenly Shaping Manual once again. It was time for yet another test after he finally mastered the art of sitting like a duck without flying from Bagus's back.
***
Time went on. Some hours later and not even one noteworthy change, Murai saw the change on the horizon. Wavy air appeared like scorching air above the campfire, dust swirled in the dry wind, and yellow and light brown colors were everything to be seen. Even the walls and ceiling turned from gray and darker colors to yellow or brown, closely resembling some orange hues.
Scorching Light was enormous and hot, but not restless like Death Valley. Both in weight, feeling, width, and length, it was bigger and hotter. It went around the whole direction of this enormous "cave", going around a hundred kilometers far. There was no hiding before this desert.
Rocky grounds that he saw from below slowly turned to the dry sand of a desert. Sand or scorched yellow gravel stopped anything green or wooden, causing the scenery to change like the temperature.
And the sun!
Oh, the sun.
Murai saw an incredibly picturesque and massive artificial bright sun on the ceiling, frightening the surroundings even from a great distance away. It was like a dot, but that dog was like a steam that surged with visible heat and colors. That one was colossal, with a craze that overwhelmed the majority of the whole desert. And it was still dozens of kilometers away.
The brightness was questionable and not as intense. It was like a hot flame that had no bounds, which meant the heat was bigger than brightness. Murai wondered what sort of things empowered these artificial suns. Nothing small, he believed. Nothing common. He was shocked to discover that the Scorching Light had just one such sun.
Orange, with numerous sheens of red and brown, and who knew what else, the ground had expected appearance. The air turned thicker, making breathing harder and flight heavier. Temperatures doubled quicker than the difficulties in breathing.
The sand desert ahead was unlike anything from before. It was much flatter than Murai through, apart from numerous protruding mountains from the dunes, or sand plains. They were like boulders protruding from flat lands. Most were burly, tall, and thick like monuments sticking from water.
Perhaps some minerals, blood, bones, or something else could color the sand to such a color. There weren't many tall dunes, unlike in the Death Valley.
Surprisingly, the wind wasn't much of a thing on the ground, or even in height in the air. The heat was the issue, posing unimaginably dense heat that was unbearable for most lives. They had to hide because this place was inhabitable, unless their Bloodline, flesh, or some unique powers allowed or cherished those places.
Which meant there was some flourishing life for sure. Large scorpions and stone-looking snakes swirled in some sands, though these were rare and not potent for most travelers.
This place was lively in a different light than dangers lurking in some nests of beasts, or unknown areas. Those looking for wealth below were all taking shelter in specific cities, settlements, or zones underground or within those mountains.
Around the desert, rocks in pure red colors were seen everywhere, clustering some mountains that looked artificial at some angles, or natural. Murai hadn't found much about them. Perhaps they were man-made to provide shelter as he imagined.
Bagus began to talk to pass the heat and flight, mentioning how there were numerous cities deep in those mountains, dug out, or created by mashing rocks to one another. With great history, it was a matter of time to create great survival spots in this hell. Through some effort and time, these rocks became bigger, turning the tides of the Sectors, and most belonged to something large under the ground, becoming one with the Scorching Light.
At certain Sectors, mountains turned into an enormous range of cluttered peaks, leaving the desert less hot. It wasn't very wide, yet it went through most of this Province, all the way to the next one, which provided way-points to the second half of Hellscape.
The walls or the ceiling were mostly bare red, scorched to high temperature with few things worth mentioning. They were corroded rocks and earth, so if there used to be something, it was long gone, or not worth saving. Heat must've destroyed everything apart from the ground.
Or Bagus's flying potential, because, unlike Anatidaes, Grifharts had issues with heat. Bagus landed half an hour into this scorching flight, haphazardly wheezing and hating the heat with all of his heart even before entering this shitty desert.
“Well, fuck me and my feathers. I expected less. Why again? Why am I doing this to myself every time?” He scowled, lowering his head and hoping for some remedy, water, or ice.
There was hardly any cover unless one went to the mountains or numerous mines. It wasn't worth it to reach further by flying. The more one went by flying, the heat turned to something that Bagus could no longer take.
With the first goal succeeding, Lisa was happy it went without crashing. For an entire half an hour, nothing and nobody even attacked them.
However, David and Ultium were nowhere close. And they didn't even reply when she called their constructs. They must have their reason to be so stubborn, so they must know their mistake if they didn't dare to call back! Lisa decided to ignore those assholes by hiding her worry.
Murai jumped from Bagus's back, bothered by the heat a little bit. Weirdly, his hoodie didn't increase the discomfort as he through, but perhaps he was just having weird feelings about this desert that wasn't as bad. It was his first time being in a truly hot desert, so he seized the air, breathing, and discovering how his feathers relaxed and Flame inside of him flared up. He shot it down, calming everything about him in a heartbeat.
“Interesting place. It stinks of Laws.” Murai commented and remembered the place above.
Death Valley was more... dreadful and windy than hot. The aura of that space carried most of its dangers, hiding Laws and ways of Necromancy, and who knows what else. The sun wasn't there as a critical heat conductor, as it was like pushed land into the ground in the middle of the Seventh Death Forest.
Murai felt kind of fine no matter how he felt the sun or the sand. His feet felt like nothing. It was as if he was standing on a squishy road, and thanks to his flat feet, he wasn't having any issues with walking.
The heat wasn't an issue, thanks to his feathers and elemental aspects that he recently uncovered. Personally, he was yet to acknowledge that as something very helpful. If Bagus knew it, he would have some serious issues with Murai about his way of thinking.
Murai needed practical answers to truly get what he learned from his Question Mark or his research and experiments.
“There we go. Let's finish these before I will turn into a feast. Seeing any enemies?” Bagus said in a hurry, glad that his flight was over, but not hopeful he had to go through this hell. He swore he could become a roasted chicken if he got closer to that sun. And he knew it was coming, so he whimpered and dreaded the future.
Lisa didn't expect him to fly regardless of anything. Even if he said he was fine, she would reject it. Groundwork was up to their benefit since this was the destination that Murai required and Ip'ur Mountain wasn't that far away from them. It was halfway into this hellish Province that was making travel and flight awful. Then, one had to regard political problems and limited, yet distinct populations living off of mines. There was a lot of greed and lawless places filled with maniacs. There might be no time for Hunts for these mines or settlements.
[][][][][][]
The main problem wasn't heat or the sand, which Lisa knew. Politics and wars for resources were incredibly greedy and worthy for large or even small-scale organizations. Water was also an issue, as expected for any living being, and sheer heat long ago created effects one wouldn't want underground. Any water from steams or anywhere evaporated and quickly went deeper or to the latter parts of Hellscape. What about grass? Nonexistent. Not even tough cacti or other tough vegetation remained either. Calling it a death province wasn't far from the truth.
Yet it wasn't what it was known for. It was one of the richest in most regards. Nearly a quarter of the wealth of this entire Gate was in this desert alone, representing hundreds of cave and mining systems with various resources, veins, and secrets. There were literally places deeper than the next Gate, and some mines were as deep and old as this Gate.
Rumors even chirped that there were many hidden secret, or ancient dungeons here, stemming from the archaic Depths beyond the Old World. They could've been part of the previous temple, or part of something even beyond, as this cave wasn't here forever.
That was general public knowledge. Some rumors, however, said that anything regarding the Gates or this earth itself followed ownership of the Sun God and newly established places created by Levandis. Everything that Gods touched ended up incredible, which made Gates, Levandis, and many mysteries famous, yet secretive.
No one wanted to dig against her impatience, or hopes, let alone seize the wealth she had accumulated for millennia.
[]
Thus, many touched this earth like thin ice, thinking about their steps, and acts, for there was no return against a pissed-off Goddess who liked money and death.
Murai wasn't thinking of the bigger picture. He was happy for the ground below his feet and observed the neat effects of this place on himself. His hoodie was incredible, yet deep down, he had no clue what it was even doing or why. Sending mana into it created nothing and observing its passive layers or work acted for some sensible defenses that hugged his feathers. Mana was the same, however, and he didn't notice his magic rising either. It was locked like a cursed object. So he devised some experiments with it for later and noted that the effects of the heat put rising feelings onto his Flame and both cores.
“So, where is Sector 45, Ip'ur Mountain? Do I see it in this wild desert? I haven't noticed a single Sector from the top of Bagus.” Murai asked something about what he wanted to know since their previous big planning. When they flew for half an hour, he forgot about what mattered because of the heat and Bagus complained a lot.
Thus, he sent his voice to Lisa, who was floating aside, lost in thoughts and perplexed for the better part of the last hour. She didn't talk much or rested and figured her plans could change in ways she couldn't foresee, or something forced it, or she regarded this province poorly.
Everything was silent. Too silent. There was no speck of Dread or Necromancy. There weren't any fools waiting for them before the actual dangerous desert. They already flew over the land where battles could happen.
Yet she saw nothing. Nobody.
Well, perhaps they were coming or hiding since this desert was quite long and vertically deep. David and Ultium were gone, and what they were doing or where they were was still a question. Perhaps they were closer than she thought.
“Lisa?” Bagus said, stopping her lost look before Murai got physical when he realized she ignored his message. His eyes shined in anger so he smacked the ground as usual with his beak.
She shook her head, obvious to the fact that some measly heat wouldn't ever affect her body, let alone hinder her sona. “What is it? No. No. Get down if you can't take the heat.”
“I am already on the ground,” Bagus said, glaring at her as if she was stupid.
Lisa cleared her throat even when she didn't have to. “Anyhow, see that range of cliffs and mountains? Sectors have their point and a lot of mountains have towns and mining business that acts as boundaries. We don't need those too much. There are wild roads to cross and go onward. They look like lost river beds.” Lisa pointed forward, and Bagus followed her finger.
He saw heat and rocks. Many rocks. Tiny rocks. Large mountains. All hot. Then, Bagus cried and hated how the sand felt on his paws. “I don't follow rocks. Rocks don't follow me either.” He whimpered and regretted his choices.
“Ip'ur is where?”
“I heard you! What an impatient duck,” Lisa barked at Murai and turned to his seeping white eyes and glinting beak. “It is far. Going there follows yet another plan and path. So far, getting here this easily isn't something that I've expected. I will lead you out of here if you can't even notice mountains from maps, seek reality with goals, or see sectors with the rest. Seriously...”
“You barely showed me a map of the Scorching Desert,” Murai argued.
“For the better, I think. Also, it is called Scorching Light. What if you got there when we rested? You are unhinged like a Child that can't think straight.” She said to him coldly, hovering close, sona fluttering against the heat like wind of smoke.
“I am not that insane.”
“And I am not a ghost. Now, for us to see Ip'ur Mountain, there are many things to reconsider and know first. What to do before entering, afterward, or when seeing it. What then? First, we have to go on foot. That is the first step. Then, I will talk.”