Chapter 102: The Palace of the Divines
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"So," I said staring at the woman sitting before me. "What do you say?"
Victoria sighed. She fiddled with her long hair for a little while. Her thoughtful expression soured after a while. My heartbeat quickened as anxiety kicked in. Did she not agree with my words? Was she offended? Angry? I clenched my fists in anticipation and fear.
"Fine." She said after a long, heavy silence. "I don't like this – I hate it, in fact – but I'll go along with your plan."
I sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." She scoffed. "You knew exactly what your request meant." Her words hurt, but she was right.
"True." I sighed. "I should get going, I'm sure the others are waiting for me." I got up and headed for the door.
"Good luck." She softly said. "Look out for those two for me, would you?" She asked with a bitter smile. "Of course." I said with a nod before leaving.
I went back to the inn, where I met with the others. Samantha and Alina both seemed exhausted, probably because they passed out yesterday evening. With a sigh, I glanced at the other three. Erik was wearing his armour. He had obviously just cleaned it as the sunlight reflecting off it hurt my eyes. Vincent wore his usual attire, but made sure to cover himself with a long, white cloak. Joshua seemed to be the only one still acting at least somewhat normal as he grinned and waved at me as I approached them.
"Hey, man." He said with a cheerful voice. "Where were you?"
"I was just looking around." I said with a shrug. "I checked a few shops to see if I could find anything useful."
"And?" Vincent asked after a short moment of silence. I shook my head. "Nothing."
They both seemed somewhat disappointed as Erik took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Alright, let's go." He started walking towards the palace – the massive building that we could see even from the outskirts.
"Remember," I said as we followed the young paladin. "No matter what, don't let your guard down."
"We know." Alina said softly. Despite her tired complexion, her eyes shone with determination. I smiled but didn't say anything else. Now wasn't a good time to agitate Erik. As we were about to face the Ereth Divines, I needed him to be as calm as possible. We couldn't afford a single mistake right now.
"Kai," Vincent chimed in as we passed by the coliseum. "What do you think will happen?"
I shrugged. "We'll probably be offered a reward and given a task." I already had a fairly good guess as to what that task would be.
"You think it'll be that simple?" He asked after a moment's hesitation. "I don't think it'll be as easy as that."
I shook my head. "No, but that's probably the gist of it." I shrugged before continuing. "They'll probably ask us – or order us, I don't know – to kill the Demon Lord." As these words left my mouth, the young man flinched. "What?" He shrieked, then quickly lowered his voice. "No way, we can't defeat him all on our own."
I shrugged, but I still refused to believe that. Our power could grow seemingly infinitely. Eventually, we should be able to become more powerful than the Demon Lord. Or at least, that what I believed, and it was what I was going to act according to.
"We're here." Erik said after a short while. "All of you, make sure you behave." He said, glaring at me. Somewhat annoyed, I imagined punching him, but remained silent. Whatever fight we were going to have could wait until this was over. I wasn't stupid enough to risk everything because of my ego.
Instead, I looked up at the massive building before us. Naturally, the entire exterior was made of a white, marble-like material. I could see massive spires reaching for the skies as we climbed the stairs leading to the huge golden gates.
"This place is massive." Samantha whispered. I nodded; the palace was ridiculously large. And 'large' was the only thing I could say about this place. It was clearly made to look as majestic and breath taking as possible, but the only emotion I felt was disgust.
It was disgustingly clean and shiny. The white hurt my eyes as the golden accents only served to make the place feel more fake.
"Welcome," A cold, harsh voice sounded. One of the Ereth guard standing at the gates greeted us. "Please show your identification."
As we summoned our interfaces and showed her our status panels, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Like Asher had told me before – the Divines noticing that I am the Soul Keeper could create more problems than we could possibly handle.
"Please follow me," She said after a short moment. She led us inside, where I once again felt disgusted by the lavish yet horrible decorations. I couldn't spot any colour other than white and gold.
"The Divines will see you now." She said as we approached another set of massive doors. "Please remember to follow proper etiquette."
"Uh, wait." Samantha said as the guard motioned to open the door. As the Ereth raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, Samantha quickly explained. "We're not from around here so we don't know proper etiquette. Could you perhaps… explain?" As she spoke, blood rushed to her face. I couldn't help but smile, both because she was a bit funny and because her quick thinking had probably saved us already.
"Of course." The Ereth quickly explained. As I listened, it took some effort to keep my expression neutral. I already disliked the Divines, and I hadn't even stepped inside the room yet.
Once she had finished explaining, she opened the golden doors and let us pass through.
We stepped inside a massive throne hall. The long, wide hall had perhaps two dozen guards inside. As soon as we stepped in, I could feel their almost hostile gazes on me. I couldn't help but shiver – it felt almost as if we were there to be killed rather than rewarded.
Before us, seven thrones stood on top of a short set of stairs. On each throne, a cloaked Ereth sat. I could only see their massive wings and claw like hands as their cloaks and robes covered the rest of their bodies. Even their faces were shrouded in darkness.
We stepped forward in a straight line and as we arrived at the foot of the steps, we knelt.
"So, you finally arrived." A mighty voice echoed inside the hall.
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"So," I said staring at the woman sitting before me. "What do you say?"
Victoria sighed. She fiddled with her long hair for a little while. Her thoughtful expression soured after a while. My heartbeat quickened as anxiety kicked in. Did she not agree with my words? Was she offended? Angry? I clenched my fists in anticipation and fear.
"Fine." She said after a long, heavy silence. "I don't like this – I hate it, in fact – but I'll go along with your plan."
I sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." She scoffed. "You knew exactly what your request meant." Her words hurt, but she was right.
"True." I sighed. "I should get going, I'm sure the others are waiting for me." I got up and headed for the door.
"Good luck." She softly said. "Look out for those two for me, would you?" She asked with a bitter smile. "Of course." I said with a nod before leaving.
I went back to the inn, where I met with the others. Samantha and Alina both seemed exhausted, probably because they passed out yesterday evening. With a sigh, I glanced at the other three. Erik was wearing his armour. He had obviously just cleaned it as the sunlight reflecting off it hurt my eyes. Vincent wore his usual attire, but made sure to cover himself with a long, white cloak. Joshua seemed to be the only one still acting at least somewhat normal as he grinned and waved at me as I approached them.
"Hey, man." He said with a cheerful voice. "Where were you?"
"I was just looking around." I said with a shrug. "I checked a few shops to see if I could find anything useful."
"And?" Vincent asked after a short moment of silence. I shook my head. "Nothing."
They both seemed somewhat disappointed as Erik took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Alright, let's go." He started walking towards the palace – the massive building that we could see even from the outskirts.
"Remember," I said as we followed the young paladin. "No matter what, don't let your guard down."
"We know." Alina said softly. Despite her tired complexion, her eyes shone with determination. I smiled but didn't say anything else. Now wasn't a good time to agitate Erik. As we were about to face the Ereth Divines, I needed him to be as calm as possible. We couldn't afford a single mistake right now.
"Kai," Vincent chimed in as we passed by the coliseum. "What do you think will happen?"
I shrugged. "We'll probably be offered a reward and given a task." I already had a fairly good guess as to what that task would be.
"You think it'll be that simple?" He asked after a moment's hesitation. "I don't think it'll be as easy as that."
I shook my head. "No, but that's probably the gist of it." I shrugged before continuing. "They'll probably ask us – or order us, I don't know – to kill the Demon Lord." As these words left my mouth, the young man flinched. "What?" He shrieked, then quickly lowered his voice. "No way, we can't defeat him all on our own."
I shrugged, but I still refused to believe that. Our power could grow seemingly infinitely. Eventually, we should be able to become more powerful than the Demon Lord. Or at least, that what I believed, and it was what I was going to act according to.
"We're here." Erik said after a short while. "All of you, make sure you behave." He said, glaring at me. Somewhat annoyed, I imagined punching him, but remained silent. Whatever fight we were going to have could wait until this was over. I wasn't stupid enough to risk everything because of my ego.
Instead, I looked up at the massive building before us. Naturally, the entire exterior was made of a white, marble-like material. I could see massive spires reaching for the skies as we climbed the stairs leading to the huge golden gates.
"This place is massive." Samantha whispered. I nodded; the palace was ridiculously large. And 'large' was the only thing I could say about this place. It was clearly made to look as majestic and breath taking as possible, but the only emotion I felt was disgust.
It was disgustingly clean and shiny. The white hurt my eyes as the golden accents only served to make the place feel more fake.
"Welcome," A cold, harsh voice sounded. One of the Ereth guard standing at the gates greeted us. "Please show your identification."
As we summoned our interfaces and showed her our status panels, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Like Asher had told me before – the Divines noticing that I am the Soul Keeper could create more problems than we could possibly handle.
"Please follow me," She said after a short moment. She led us inside, where I once again felt disgusted by the lavish yet horrible decorations. I couldn't spot any colour other than white and gold.
"The Divines will see you now." She said as we approached another set of massive doors. "Please remember to follow proper etiquette."
"Uh, wait." Samantha said as the guard motioned to open the door. As the Ereth raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, Samantha quickly explained. "We're not from around here so we don't know proper etiquette. Could you perhaps… explain?" As she spoke, blood rushed to her face. I couldn't help but smile, both because she was a bit funny and because her quick thinking had probably saved us already.
"Of course." The Ereth quickly explained. As I listened, it took some effort to keep my expression neutral. I already disliked the Divines, and I hadn't even stepped inside the room yet.
Once she had finished explaining, she opened the golden doors and let us pass through.
We stepped inside a massive throne hall. The long, wide hall had perhaps two dozen guards inside. As soon as we stepped in, I could feel their almost hostile gazes on me. I couldn't help but shiver – it felt almost as if we were there to be killed rather than rewarded.
Before us, seven thrones stood on top of a short set of stairs. On each throne, a cloaked Ereth sat. I could only see their massive wings and claw like hands as their cloaks and robes covered the rest of their bodies. Even their faces were shrouded in darkness.
We stepped forward in a straight line and as we arrived at the foot of the steps, we knelt.
"So, you finally arrived." A mighty voice echoed inside the hall.
"So," I said staring at the woman sitting before me. "What do you say?"Victoria sighed. She fiddled with her long hair for a little while. Her thoughtful expression soured after a while. My heartbeat quickened as anxiety kicked in. Did she not agree with my words? Was she offended? Angry? I clenched my fists in anticipation and fear."Fine." She said after a long, heavy silence. "I don't like this I hate it, in fact but I'll go along with your plan."I sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry.""Don't apologize." She scoffed. "You knew exactly what your request meant." Her words hurt, but she was right."True." I sighed. "I should get going, I'm sure the others are waiting for me." I got up and headed for the door."Good luck." She softly said. "Look out for those two for me, would you?" She asked with a bitter smile. "Of course." I said with a nod before leaving.I went back to the inn, where I met with the others. Samantha and Alina both seemed exhausted, probably because they passed out yesterday evening. With a sigh, I glanced at the other three. Erik was wearing his armour. He had obviously just cleaned it as the sunlight reflecting off it hurt my eyes. Vincent wore his usual attire, but made sure to cover himself with a long, white cloak. Joshua seemed to be the only one still acting at least somewhat normal as he grinned and waved at me as I approached them."Hey, man." He said with a cheerful voice. "Where were you?""I was just looking around." I said with a shrug. "I checked a few shops to see if I could find anything useful.""And?" Vincent asked after a short moment of silence. I shook my head. "Nothing."They both seemed somewhat disappointed as Erik took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Alright, let's go." He started walking towards the palace the massive building that we could see even from the outskirts."Remember," I said as we followed the young paladin. "No matter what, don't let your guard down.""We know." Alina said softly. Despite her tired complexion, her eyes shone with determination. I smiled but didn't say anything else. Now wasn't a good time to agitate Erik. As we were about to face the Ereth Divines, I needed him to be as calm as possible. We couldn't afford a single mistake right now."Kai," Vincent chimed in as we passed by the coliseum. "What do you think will happen?"I shrugged. "We'll probably be offered a reward and given a task." I already had a fairly good guess as to what that task would be."You think it'll be that simple?" He asked after a moment's hesitation. "I don't think it'll be as easy as that."I shook my head. "No, but that's probably the gist of it." I shrugged before continuing. "They'll probably ask us or order us, I don't know to kill the Demon Lord." As these words left my mouth, the young man flinched. "What?" He shrieked, then quickly lowered his voice. "No way, we can't defeat him all on our own."I shrugged, but I still refused to believe that. Our power could grow seemingly infinitely. Eventually, we should be able to become more powerful than the Demon Lord. Or at least, that what I believed, and it was what I was going to act according to."We're here." Erik said after a short while. "All of you, make sure you behave." He said, glaring at me. Somewhat annoyed, I imagined punching him, but remained silent. Whatever fight we were going to have could wait until this was over. I wasn't stupid enough to risk everything because of my ego.Instead, I looked up at the massive building before us. Naturally, the entire exterior was made of a white, marble-like material. I could see massive spires reaching for the skies as we climbed the stairs leading to the huge golden gates."This place is massive." Samantha whispered. I nodded; the palace was ridiculously large. And 'large' was the only thing I could say about this place. It was clearly made to look as majestic and breath taking as possible, but the only emotion I felt was disgust.It was disgustingly clean and shiny. The white hurt my eyes as the golden accents only served to make the place feel more fake."Welcome," A cold, harsh voice sounded. One of the Ereth guard standing at the gates greeted us. "Please show your identification."As we summoned our interfaces and showed her our status panels, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Like Asher had told me before the Divines noticing that I am the Soul Keeper could create more problems than we could possibly handle."Please follow me," She said after a short moment. She led us inside, where I once again felt disgusted by the lavish yet horrible decorations. I couldn't spot any colour other than white and gold."The Divines will see you now." She said as we approached another set of massive doors. "Please remember to follow proper etiquette.""Uh, wait." Samantha said as the guard motioned to open the door. As the Ereth raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, Samantha quickly explained. "We're not from around here so we don't know proper etiquette. Could you perhaps explain?" As she spoke, blood rushed to her face. I couldn't help but smile, both because she was a bit funny and because her quick thinking had probably saved us already."Of course." The Ereth quickly explained. As I listened, it took some effort to keep my expression neutral. I already disliked the Divines, and I hadn't even stepped inside the room yet.Once she had finished explaining, she opened the golden doors and let us pass through.We stepped inside a massive throne hall. The long, wide hall had perhaps two dozen guards inside. As soon as we stepped in, I could feel their almost hostile gazes on me. I couldn't help but shiver it felt almost as if we were there to be killed rather than rewarded.Before us, seven thrones stood on top of a short set of stairs. On each throne, a cloaked Ereth sat. I could only see their massive wings and claw like hands as their cloaks and robes covered the rest of their bodies. Even their faces were shrouded in darkness.We stepped forward in a straight line and as we arrived at the foot of the steps, we knelt."So, you finally arrived." A mighty voice echoed inside the hall.
