"VAKRA!!! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!" Rastair shouted gleefully as she approached him completely unarmed.
"What do you want!? WHY ARE YOU BREACHING YOUR AGREEMENT!? DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?" Vakra roared.
"I just couldn't get enough of that wonderful body of yours. I came back for more. That a problem? I figured bringing the real Leviathan would get your attention a bit faster. Was I wrong?" Rastair said.
"I...what? Is that it!? YOU BOTHERED ME FOR SOMETHING THAT TRIVIAL!?" Vakra shouted angrily.
Rastair smiled at him.
Since the other members of the crew were around, she did her best to maintain her composure.
"Nah, not just that. See, I didn't have time to go back to Ripper Isle. This is kind of urgent. We have a bit of a situation here. Care to let us come ashore?" Rastair said as she came closer to Vakra.
"Hold it. I will not allow you to strong arm me into something until I know what is happening! What sort of situation?" Vakra said.
"Like, my companions here just got their hands on the legendary heart stones and some horrifying evil just showed up in our world. One of my friends just happens to be the one made specifically to fight it. Oh, and he's also dying because of said heart stones," Rastair explained.
Suddenly Vakra seemed to be deep in thought.
"Who are these companions?" He asked.
Rastair pointed to me and Isabella, then Vakra came close to us.
"Who are you?" Vakra asked me.
"Mizik... I'm the guy that's supposed to destroy the Corruption..." I said.
"Corruption? Is that its name?"
I nodded.
"Entirely expected. Why do you look so old and decrepit?"
"I'm degrading... This damn heart stone in my chest is killing me and my wife..." I said.
"I can see that. She's the center of that strange cult, yes? The...divine goddess Isabella? She looks horrible. Far uglier in person," Vakra said bluntly.
"She's degrading too, you ass..." I said.
"I know I'm ugly... You don't have to point it out..." Isabella said through tears in her eyes.
"I'm an ass? I'm not the one who tried to absorb a legendary heart stone. What did you think would happen? Most mortals can't even tolerate a regular heart stone. Why do you think we confiscated them?"
"Because of greed...? How was I supposed to know? I'm not from this world!" I said.
"Obviously. You stink of the Firmament. And the other four smell like one of the Divine Realms and their primitive transit system. Now then, why are you on Delvandal?" Vakra asked.
"That's a long story..." I said.
"Ugh. Very well. Rastair, bring The Leviathan to shore. I'll take the six otherworlders here in for questioning and I'll ensure your safety while in port. But we aren't through yet!" Vakra said.
"I sure hope not. It's been a while, you know?" Rastair said with a smile.
"...Just keep your damn pirates in line. I'll return for you later," He said.
After that, we made our way to shore alongside The Exodus.
* * *
The first thing that we noticed, was that technology here was likely to be far more advanced than Ignitus.
The Enforcers and Rune were overjoyed to find that simple things like transportation, plumbing, and of course, air conditioning, were very much a large part of society here.
The people here seemed to be a mix between many races.
There were elves on Avernia, but they tended to live in vast forests and kept to themselves. They also despised humans because they were often hunted and enslaved due to being beautiful and strong.
Things were a tad different here.
Although the ruling class seemed to be elves and humans, I saw every kind of race working as slaves, here...
I guess an advanced society can still be built on the backs of others...
Beast men, humans, elves, even dwarves...
It didn't matter to them. A worker was still a worker, despite their race.
Vakra told us that the Emperor only allowed it because of his awful advisor who claimed it was a wonderful thing.
What I mean, is that Imperial Advisor Jarbold lied to the Emperor, who is a naive child, and told him that slavery is necessary to grow such a large empire. That someone who is against Elysium should be made to serve it in some way, and that they would be glad to do so once they saw how wonderful it was.
We were horrified to learn of the things that occured here because it reminded us of Nexus.
Vakra mentioned that it would be best if we did not anger Advisor Jarbold in any way...
As much as I would probably want to kill this guy, in my current state that would be impossible.
While looking around, I saw massive structures and buildings much more complex and advanced than anything I had ever seen on Ignitus.
Most things were made with a white metal. At the same time, huge machines patrolled the streets with menacing weapons on their backs.
There were no cars, but instead, everyone seemed to move through the roads in a sort of train-like transit.
There was no traffic. No one would be hurt in car accidents or run over because no one was allowed to drive. If someone wanted to go to a different location, they would simply ride in a custom transit. And nearly all of it was fully automated.
It was actually quite amazing to look at...
Nevetheless, we were taken to a massive underground laboratory that Carlos immediately fell in love with.
"So much technology! So much knowledge! Tell me your secrets, wise one! Who are you!? How have you gained such intelligence!?" Carlos asked joyfully.
"Am I to assume you are also a scientist?" Vakra asked.
Carlos nodded.
"I am Carlos Ortega, Enforcer seat 3. Former head of research and development for Ignitus."
"Ignitus is a world, yes? No doubt consumed by this Corruption...? I am Supreme Admiral Vakra of Elysium. Also known by most as The Mad Admiral. I am originally from a world called Kranox, a paradox cluster. That world was heavily fragmented into hundreds of thousands of different worlds. It is also called a 'multiverse'. In which, multiple universes of the same world exist in tandem with one another," Vakra explained.
"Tell me more. I wish to hear about this phenomenon. And furthrrmore...how did you escape such a place?" Carlos said.
"I was a lone researcher by the name of Doctor Vals Kranel working on some theories that I had about dimensional travel when I discovered the existence of other variants of our world. I expanded my research and eventually managed to connect with another version of myself. When we made contact, we fused. I gained all of his memories, strengths, and abilities. Then I made it my life's goal to find all of the different me's. In short, I did. I am a walking paradox. Also, I cannot currently explain what caused Kranox to fragment. It is far too complex to simply speak it. I can bring you a report if you're interested."
"Very much so. Please, I would love to learn about these things," Carlos said.
"Splendid. The pursuit of scientific knowledge should always be rewarded. I can-"
Suddenly Vakra paused for a moment... Seeming to shudder.
And when he spoke again, his voice had changed drastically. It was more of a raspy whisper.
"Blast it...and this is what you get for trying to play god with yourself. For the immense power and knowledge I gained through my actions, I was cursed by the gods..."
"Excuse me...? Cursed? How?" Carlos asked.
Vakra touched the side of his head and the mask began to break down. On all sides of his head, the helmet retracted into his hat. What I saw surprised me.
He was a skeleton. His bones were pitch black and his eyes glowed with an azure light.
"At any point in time, for about five minutes to a few days, I can remain in one form. One of the living with great physical prowess and some magic. The other half is what you see here. It is the reverse. My physical abilities decline greatly and my magical prowess increases drastically. Despite how it looks, it isn't painful. And despite how much the gods tried, they could not remove the immortality I gained through fusing with the other me's," Vakra said.
"Speaking of which...are you going to experiment on us?" I asked.
"Why the hell would I do that?" Vakra asked.
"Akari said you experimented on otherworlders," I said.
"And you believed her? There is a reason they call her the deceiver. Nothing she says can be trusted. And damn her to hell for constructing such lies! If I ever find her, she will make a fine subject for the experiments she claims I preform on others!"
"So...you're not going to hurt us...?" Isabella said.
"No. We don't hurt otherworlders in Elysium. We train them. We better them. Otherworlders are a great source of power for our country and a grand fighting force. We have many of them here all in preparation for this day," Vakra said.
Now I was confused.
"You mean for the Corruption?" I asked.
Vakra nodded.
"Now you are beginning to understand. That fool, Jin, only wanted to worship Isabella instead of helping me with my plans, so I sabotaged his little robots for him. Speaking of which, you might want to go get them later. They aren't happy about living there."
"What do you mean by 'robots'?" Carlos said.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!!" Isabella said quickly.
"Now then, shall we get down to business?" Vakra asked as he looked at me and Isabella.
"Please," I said.
"You two are a couple of fools who thought to use legendary heart stones as a power source. Although, this reaction is...much different than the normal one," Vakra said.
Ignoring his insult, I decided to ask.
"What's the normal reaction?"
"Normally, someone incompatible with a heart stone would simply explode and cease to exist. But this is a tad strange... Degrading? I've never observed such a phenomenon..." Vakra said.
"It's a result of surpassing the level cap using status magic. Although I also feel like I'm going to explode at any moment..." I said.
Suddenly, Vakra paused as his body was covered in an azure aura.
When it finished, he had the appearance of a younger man of about 35 years. His eyes still had the same azure color to them and his hair was white like an Attendant. It was very short and well-kept.
I could see streaks of azure in his hair as well.
He flexed his hands and smiled.
A menacing smile... The smile of an insane scientist.
"Ahhhh...much better. A more minimal time. Delightful. Now then, tell me about status magic," Vakra said.
I began explaining status magic to Vakra.
When I finished, he simply nodded.
"Truly interesting. Converting personal strength into a viewable interface in an effort to also increase it. With the downside that it can kill you if abused. This isn't the first time I've witnessed it, but this variant is different than the ones I've previously seen. Are your companions also affected by status magic?"
"Yes, but they have a different power as well. One that Isabella and I possess too."
"Then continue your explanation. Don't let me stop you. I've seen many strange powers in the past from otherworlders. I want to know everything."
And with that, I explained Aspects to him as well. When I has finished he simply remained neutral.
"Intriguing. Not the strongest power I've seen, but interesting, nonetheless. Using a fragment of a divine entity's power in order to awaken special powers based on compatibility. Where did this Iris get such an idea?"
It wasn't widely discussed, but Iris had actually been good friends with Johann for thousands of years. She told us at one point that the original idea to create Enforcers using her power was something that Johann taught her. His people used a similar method of awakening power in others he called a 'dragon contract'.
In short...
"It was something shown to her by a dragon god. Although, the concept was stolen by another god living on Ignitus at the time. Hence starting a global war between them that lasted thousands of years," I said.
"Hm. Quite unusual. But I don't really care about that last part."
Asshole...
Vakra pulled out a small pair of glasses and put them on.
"Now then, I have to find a solution to this degradation problem, yes? You said that if you had a usable power source, it would cease. One would think a legendary heart stone could be enough. Truthfully, it likely is. But they are unstable. Which has caused more harm than good. You need a way to purify the energy coming from the stone and prevent it from overloading you. You also need to ensure that the power source remains as it should be. A power source. This is to prevent you from degrading in the future. Or exploding."
"That...sounds about right..." I said.
"Splendid. Leiso, you can make metal, yes?" Vakra said.
I had introduced the Enforcers during my explanation of Aspects.
"Yes. I can create metal from nothing at will," Leiso said.
"Splendid. This may be a simplistic form of divine creation magic at work...but I am curious. What types of metal can you make?" Vakra asked.
"I can make any kind of metal that I want. Even new types. As long as it has the properties of metal, of course. Although I usually stick with making iron for its simplicity and durability in battle. Mostly thorns due to their effective and easily crafted shape, but I can make metal into any form I wish," Leiso said.
"MARVELOUS!!! TRULY MARVELOUS!!!" Vakra shouted.
"Umm...are you okay?" Isabella asked.
"Just fine. Anyway, here's what I need... I already have several theories. I need Leiso and Carlos to follow me. I'll need his knowledge of your abilities and her Metal Aspect. Perhaps Jallah as well due to him being able to use lightning. I need to take temporary custody of the Heart of the Deep for testing, and for you two to follow me. I have theories on how to relieve you of the harmful energies... But...there is something else," Vakra said.
"What is it?" Isabella asked.
"You two surely don't expect to get everything for free, do you?"
Damn you.
"What do you want...?" I asked.
"I want your assistance. Help Elysium subdue its enemies and stop the Corruption. Agree to do this, and I will ensure that you will both become weapons of mass destruction. Do we have a deal?" Vakra said.
I looked at Isabella and she nodded.
I did the same.
"It's a deal... Just please help us..." I said.
"Excellent. I'll go over the details of your citizenship. I may also extend my invitation to Rastair. Not the crew, however. They disgust me. These Enforcers and the 'Attendant' Rune, will also receive invitations. Once you two are presentable, I will introduce you to the Emperor and his malevolent Advisor. Follow me, we have work to do," Vakra said.
We followed behind Vakra and he led us into another part of the laboratory.