Chapter 3-91: Some Introductions (2/2)
This room was more like a small council chamber, and only had one occupant at the moment.
He looked rather plain, of average height and plain features, balding hair, and browned skin tones that could have come from any combination of bloodlines, although he did appear human.
He was writing with sweeps of his index finger, slowly and carefully scribing the book in elegant winding script that even from the other side of the room I recognized as Celestial.
Master Fred didn’t actually seem all that defferential, more cautious than anything. I thought about it, and realized why. If touching a Good person with his flesh made it char and burn, what would happen if he touched a Celestial?
The man looked up, and his eyes, momentarily plain brown, immediately glowed bright golden, turning into pools of dimly radiant light.
ELDER, Master Fred bowed. ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE TRAVELER.
“The bringer of the Human Tongue.” He eyed the reversed hue of my hair with some amusement, and awareness. “Touched by Sylune. Interesting.” The man rose with grace and ease, and the kind of poise you instantly associate with a very high MAB if you’ve got any sense whatsoever. “I was wondering if it was a trick of the light on the video.”
“The Silver Queen has her favorites,” I sighed. “I had the Highmoon Bloodline.”
His eyebrows rose. “Had?” he repeated.
“I also had the Darkmoon Bloodline. I burned them down to the Arcane Bloodline, as they were cancelling one another out.”
He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “You burned two powerful Bloodlines down to form a third?” He studied me keenly. “That is an extraordinary feat by any measure, Miss Traveler...”
“If I could request the Elder resume his true form for a moment?” I asked calmly.
He paused, sensing something strange was going on. He glanced at Master Fred, who just shrugged, and turned those golden eyes back on me.
The eyes were the only thing that stayed the same, as the human form the angel had donned flowed and grew in silver and gold, while a great and holy Presence filled the room with radiant Aura effects. Two silver and pearly feathered wings, each twice as long as the deva was tall, extended out to touch the walls, the ceiling being a little low for his seven-plus foot height. I said ‘he’, but his appearance was rather androgynous, being on the extremely slender and asexual side, with skin of pearl, and shimmering motes of positive energy sliding on quicksilver streams about him. His toga and hood were woven in platinum and mithral threads, a glittering and shining servant of the Heavenly Host.
“One of Aru’s astral devas, Third Host? Fourth. That would have been under Maccariabai, yes? You must have been coming here to escort a valiant soul when the Shroud manifested. Can you confirm my supposition that the World-Angel of this planet sacrificed himself to stop the full manifestation of the Shroud?”
The great golden eyes stared at me in some shock, and I stared right back into The Light he emitted.
In less than a second, the light gathered, compressed, and fell down into the thoroughly mundane earthly appearance of a non-descript balding human male of middle years with dark eyes.
He didn’t bother to conceal how interested he was. “I can confirm that the World-Angel Ooy’Ifphar,” the Name sang out sadly in the air, “is probably dead, and is definitely not Under the Shroud. Being unable to pierce the Shroud that isolates this world, I am unable to speak with my brethren or superiors to confirm any details beyond that... but his Name...” he trailed off.
“I am familiar with Urlhmenuus.” That Name also Sang in the air, but it was heroic and rising, and the deva started in shock. “Likewise, many lesser members of the Hosts have spoken about how Heaven is organized.”
He tilted his head, glanced at Master Fred, and back at me. “I sense there is a much greater story here than I had anticipated.” He gestured at the book before him. “At your advice, I have been recording my experiences on this world since the coming of the Shroud. I see I should have wondered more about how you knew such a thing was at work...”
“There are only five people on this world who know I am more than I appear, and you are one of them.” I gestured. “Shall we sit? I believe you want to know more.”
“By all means!...”
------
I started at the beginning of the story, where the man Aelryinth used to be played a game, which turned out not to be a game, but a way for an extremely powerful Archmage to find heroes to save their own world.
I Holo’d up the events of the Fall, and the Crusade against the Undead that had eventually wiped the whole planet clear of undead... billions of undead, and all their servants.
I skimmed over the intervening years, and the trials and tribulations of a world without enough people to keep it secure from all the interfering forces eager to establish their own servants and forces there.
Then a force from beyond, a force tied to the dead, dark moon above our world, came to Terra-Luna, found a whole bunch of Powered optimized to slaughter it, and instead of a world ripe to be made undead, it became a Portal to take the fight back to them...