Xeeseir’s declaration to take on challenging missions like him, surprised Rein. But he quickly realized that Xeeseir, with his origin skill now out in the open, actually needed to constantly deliver results. Doing so, in theory, should ensure that the Hall of Heroes use their power to impede those madmen that would do anything for a live origin magic sample.
“In truth, I have been carefully collecting news on potential members that I may be able to cooperate with on missions. Your name came up after a bit of digging,” Xeeseir said.
Rein felt relief knowing that his name has not necessarily spread far and wide. “So… did you intentionally approach me?” At least, to Rein, it did not seem that way when Xeeseir wandered to the back of the hall.
For a heartbeat, Xeeseir avoided Rein’s gaze by staring at the ground, and simply shrugged as if he was a kid being caught doing something questionable.
“I, too, will join.” Wilo pleasantly included herself. She then halted any questions from Rein and Xeeseir with a raised hand, as if sensing their inquisitiveness. “My own reasons.”
Things had definitely taken a turn. Rein could not have foreseen these events. He had more or less randomly come across two individuals that also needed-- or perhaps simply wanted-- to take on life-threatening missions such as himself.
Although thinking in such terms made himself feel somewhat guilty, Rein’s astute mind was fully aware that having someone like Xeeseir close to himself would actually draw attention away from himself.
He could easily attribute any ‘fortuitous’ events to Xeeseir’s origin skill, which was already out in the open. This would allow himself to stay out of the limelight.
As far as he could tell, Xeeseir seemed like a good man, which was why Rein felt rather uneasy when thinking of him in such a manner… He was once again reminded of the unfortunate deaths and forthright nature of previous users of this ‘Reflect’ origin skill.
As for Wilo, he frankly could not see past the wooden mask and the hood on her face. It would be impolite to press for answers seeing as Wilo had clearly implied that she did not welcome such prying questions.
The line of new initiates winded into another hall, completely identical in layout to the entrance hall. The major difference lay in the decorations, occupants and the carved motifs on the walls, ground and pillars.
Naturally, all advancers made sure to memorize the layout of the pathways to ensure that they would not find themselves lost and embarrassed.
Overseer Jeahz motioned with his arm at the incredibly busy hall. “Mission hall. A location that you will return to filled with relief from all your journeys.”
There were multiple long lime blocks used as tables, separated into sections: green circle, blue triangle, yellow square, red diamond, black star. It was evident to all initiates that these represented the difficulty of the missions.
Advancers dressed in all sorts of battle gear surrounded every station. They particularly stood out against the backdrop of the white and pearl nature of the hall.
As the new initiates meandered past each section, Rein noticed many devices being passed across the lime block station. When activated, the devices would spout out some sort of smoky cloud that communicated information through whisperings and images.
The most distinct location within the hall was a huge lime tower in the middle of the hall, at the center point between all the other five stations.
In Rein’s eyes, the tower structure consisted of multiple increasingly small, uneven and jagged limestone layers relative to height.
Every single layer had a contraption that spewed out a mist that displayed a name. Some were accompanied by a portrait, but not all. This artificial limestone mountain shrouded in rainbow misty images created a rather dreamy and mystical atmosphere.
What drew Rein’s attention was the name within the mist cloud at the top of the tower-- ‘The Blasphemer’.
To his knowledge, many advancers are referred to by titles, mainly because an advancer may use many different names across realms, or disguise their identity.
When Rein attuned his senses to that mist cloud, and the whisperings of an ancient voice echoed between his ears.
“The Blasphemer. He has been under many names and disguises across the ages. He is always hidden under a combination of magical abilities. His face may be hidden between physical alterations. Yet sometimes also hidden behind illusions.”
“Yet that too is, in itself, an illusion. His mastery of many magical paths allow him often to pose as an advancer that might very well, in appearance, be a higher augmented physical warrior. Or perhaps a bowmaster. As such, it is nearly impossible to identify him unless he himself so desires.”
“However, there is one trait that defines him. He will always appear to spoil an advancer’s path from immortality to godhood. Thus, he is known as the Blasphemer.”
“Reward for information to be determined by quality and accuracy.”
“Alarming, isn’t it?” Wilo seemed to have attuned to the mist cloud at the tower top as well. “From where I come from, this figure is well-known as well. Feared yet respected.”
Rein frowned at the contradicting details. “More like hunted.”
“Only for those that seek control.” Wilo’s tone was that of reverence. “Yes. The Blasphemer can momentarily be your ally, yet become your enemy the very next day. Where I come from, he is one of balance.”
Rein mulled over her words. Frankly, he would not wish to interact with such a being--one that could possibly turn enemy in a single moment. No doubt, that was the reason this advancer was a priority target for the Hall of Heroes. He was thoroughly confused as to why Wilo seemed to have a degree of reverence for this figure, and could only shake his head in reply.
He continued attuning his sense to the mist clouds surrounding the tower. There were many advancers on the list that had gone down the path of the devil, with the reward being various currencies.
Other types of targets that were also relatively common were beasts or plants that had gained spiritual awareness-- demons.
A rather memorable one was an advancer that specialized in blood magic. They supposedly drained blood out of their victims, and only bloodless corpses were found. Their identity was still completely unknown. The reward? A chest of ten thousand lumite coins.
Rein quickly noticed a pattern. The uppermost mist clouds of this tower had unspecified rewards, followed by a quantity of fictite measured in stones. Further down mist clouds rewarded amounts of lumite coins, and the bottom-most ones rewarded limpite coins.
There were also miscellaneous rewards littered randomly here and there. Rein recognized some of them to be alchemical produce, but he honestly lacked knowledge regarding most of these items-- something he certainly aimed to rectify.
Their procession through the many passageways led Rein to develop an understanding of the Hall of Heroes stronghold-- An underground impenetrable defensive labyrinth. Any that invaded the Hall of Heroes would become lost in the passageways. He would not find it surprising if many of these passageways had magical traps that could be activated if the situation demanded it.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
After winding through multiple underground passageways, and following Overseer Jeahz to multiple halls of various uses, Rein found himself assigned an underground small cave that was supposed to be his living quarters.
Looking around his future accommodation, Rein felt both depressed yet impressed. There was no ‘proper’ furniture in the small cave. The bed and table inside the cave had literally been sculpted into the ground and walls of the gray stone material of the cave.
The illumination came from a few glowing metallic balls, the same source of light that brightly lit this whole underground complex.
For the sake of his own mind, Rein knew that he would need to introduce something of color into his new completely gray stoned lodgings.
After settling down his belongings, he strapped the soak staff onto his back with a chest wrapping cloth, took out the snapped wooden slab that he had received ever since he applied to the Hall of Heroes, and pressed it against the circular stone door.
A magical contraption rolled the inscription-covered stone slab into a gap, and once Rein passed through, the stone automatically secured the small cave behind him as a defense inscription blinked upon the closing of the opening.
He groaned as he turned and twisted his way through the passageways back to the dining hall he had briefly passed through previously. What a monstrous labyrinth. Rein could only inwardly lament-- he had already developed a distaste for the dourness of this place.
Of course, the Hall of Heroes needed to be able to protect itself against the demons and devils. The internal layout needed to be absolutely confusing. Rein and the new initiates had even been told not to head down certain paths, as those paths were meant to be traps.
What astounded Rein most was the fact that, supposedly, this underground layout could change at a controller’s whim if they were to be invaded. The current layout was just the default standard, meant to allow its members to be able to conduct their daily activities without getting lost.
At this point in time, the metallic orbs lodged orderly into the white walls of the passageways had somewhat dimmed, to reflect the nighttime aboveground, and Rein, following both old and new members whose faces he had already begun recognizing, entered an expansive dining hall that immediately dispelled the claustrophobic feeling of traveling through the passageways.
Contrary to the mundanely colored small gray caves and white passageways, the dining hall was filled with an array of colors, sounds and smell.
“You’re finally here.” Rein found himself jovially welcomed by the voice of Chirh. “Only place in the whole place where one can really let loose. This tavern is where people return to after a deathly mission,” Chirh then lowered his voice to a fearful whisper, “or to enjoy their final moments before dying on a deadly mission.”
Chirh lead Rein to a table made from amber brown wood. The accompanying seats were also of the same wood, essentially tree stumps with their tops sculpted for more comfortable sitting.
Being in closer proximity to the furniture, Rein wriggled his nose when he quickly noticed a distinct and rich aroma. It was a combination of sweet, floral and spicy, and obviously came from the wooden material.
“Maloewood. The most expensive type of wood across all the realms.” Chirh gestured at the whole dining hall. “That’s the power of the Hall of Heroes.” He tapped Rein’s shoulder, indicating for Rein to stay seated as he strode toward the direction where many seemed to be headed.
Rein swung his head around. Indeed, the hall was literally plastered with this fragrant wood. Layered on top of this extravagant wood were shimmering bright red as well as deep blue silk-like cloth.
The lighting of the room clearly came from a similar type of device as the orbs of light commonly used. However, unlike the orbs, these lighting devices, though made of the same material, came in all shapes and sizes. This difference led to the emitted light being less uniform, cascading into each other that made the light flow throughout the hall like waves breaking onto a rocky shore.
He found his eyes drawn to a maloewood staircase that led to an upper floor, guarded by two intimidating guards. The two guards were dressed in a similar fashion to all Hall of Heroes guards-- fully hooded and cloaked, with a silver sheen of armor peeking out from underneath the cloth.
Arching his neck backward, Rein could see upwards through the central atrium unique to this hall, glimpses of the upper two floors. In a single glance, he could tell through their clothing, that the occupants dining in the upper two floors were of a higher status.
The remnant music of a woman singing along with a lute being plucked echoed down from an upper floor, and the tune soothed Rein’s mind, dispersing his worldly troubles and filling his heart with a sense of contentment.
Rein tilted his head back down to find a soundless Wilo sitting across him at the table. SHe had arrived without his notice, and her head was slightly cocked in Rein's direction. Rein could not see past that wooden mask, but he was certain that she took some form of amusement at his behavior.
Although he knew next to nothing of her origin, the fact that her hometown had knowledge of ‘The Blasphemer’, a wanted man of the Hall of Heroes, surely indicated that she would not necessarily be entranced by this wondrous tavern.
An artful wooden plank supporting multiple small dishes of delicacies was carefully placed on the table. Chirh had returned.
“This is…” he was befuddled by the masked lady’s presence.
“Wilo...” Rein hesitated, unsure of how to introduce the masked lady. She had been tight-lipped about her origin. “A newcomer as well. She expressed a desire to participate in…er,” he quickly recalled how Hall of Heroes ranked their missions. “... red diamond and above missions.”
He reversed the introductions. “And this is Chirh. Someone I had bumped into on the road to this city half a year or so ago, when he joined the Hall of Heroes.” Come to think of it, Chirh never bothered to explain why he came to this place either.
Wilo acknowledged Chirh with a silent nod, and Chirh sat down. Glancing at the generally talkative figure next to him, Rein could see from his expression that the man seemed rather uneasy, perhaps creeped out by the masked lady.
Rein inwardly groaned before breaking the awkward silence. “Chirh. Will any of the people you’ve met the last six months be joining? Give us an idea perhaps.”
That was the wrong question. Chirh, now red-faced, muttered, “How would anyone dare to associate themselves with me with that son-of-a-bitch Rekcen of House Larne laying down the law?”
Rein could only pretend not to have heard his murmurings as he picked up one of the tiny dishes. The delicacy appeared to be an assortment of expertly wrapped vegetation into a mouthful. WIth a chip fork, he shoved it between his lips.
Every single bite caused a surge of rich aurae mixed with a complex unique taste to explode in his mouth. It was bittersweet with a tinge of alcoholic flavor to it. Rein could feel the aurae within his own blood slightly burn with energy as he swallowed the delicacy.
Chirh had also consumed a dish. That thoroughly dispelled his dour mood. “Amazing, isn’t it? Normally, we have to pay for delicacies in this hall. Today’s just a special day because of you, new initiates. Honestly, only the nobles even bother eating most days. Risers, only occasionally.”
Indeed, Rein had found himself not really having the need to consume much food as he strengthened his body in the inner phase of an advancer’s journey. These delicacies were clearly luxurious, meant to give an advancer a slight aurae boost-- if one could afford it.
Chirh gradually shifted his body next to Rein.
“Rein,” he whispered into his ear. “Are you sure she can be trusted? Remember, we need to bring enemy heads back to get credit and standing… some advancers… they like to murder their allies to steal kill credit…No one can properly prove a murder in the western wilderness after all.”
“She hasn’t shown any hostility. And should have no connection to the Larne Clan.” Rein replied in a low tone. “From some far off place. It’ll be fine.”
Rein reached out for another dish, but felt that Wilo should get her pick first. Looking up, he noticed that Wilo had remained completely motionless, displaying zero interest in the delicacies. Perhaps she simply did not want to take off her mask. Rein shrugged, then picked a dish that looked to be some sort of baked snail layered in pungent spices.
A figure suddenly plopped down in the seat next to Wilo. It was Xeeseir with downcast eyes. The man seemed to have lost even more hair, but it might just be the cascading light in this hall that made him appear more bald.
Wilo, as if reading the man’s mind, posed the question. “You’ve consumed the vial of psychedelic?”
A nod of his head. “Close to no effect. Barely got a vision out of that vial,” Xeeseir grumbled.
Supposedly, for those ‘blessed by the heavens’ with a strong elemental affinity, these types of psychedelic would have brought them to the limit of the inner realm, or even past it directly into the shell realm..
Unsure of what to say to comfort the balding man, Rein could only introduce Chirh and Xeeseir to one another, before picking a random delicacy and sliding the dish across the table to Xeeseir.
That instantly made Xeeseir forget-- at least temporarily-- about his lack of progress from the psychedelic.
Absorbed by the unique and extravagant taste of each individual delicacy, with the exception of the silent and unmoving Wilo that maintained zero interest in the food, the group lost themselves to their euphoria.
Rein returned to his senses from a tugging on his worn black top. Chirh’s sixth sense had allowed him to notice a new group that had arrived in the dining hall.
This group was incredibly well-dressed in expensive silk. Under the cascading light in the dining hall, their clothing had a shimmering sheen as they strode toward the staircase blocked by the two guards.
A smaller group broke off and headed right toward Rein’s table-- It was Beincen of House Larne.