Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Sorry for the slight delay, enjoy the chapter!

.

.

.

------------

After telling Rodi to go away, Dale went to the door of Prosperity with a satisfied smile, albeit a frustrated mind...

This was due to the unfortunate event of losing another great farming spot due to the matters at hand...

His luck with these has been, so far, terrible...

Upon arrival, he saw his teacher already waiting for him, with the final fragment of the key in hand.

And soaked clothes... Though he wasn't that much better.

"You're here, let's proceed." Testros said as he looked at the door with an expectant gaze

"I never came to the sewers... And it never really crossed my mind that such a passage was even possible."

"Although I'm confused about how you found out about it, I won't ask, just like before."

"Instead, I just want to see it… The place I spent my youth in." He said with a bit of melancholy, closing his eyes as he remembered the very faint memories he held dear

"..."

Dale didn't say much, it was better that way.

Perhaps it was due to his Reputation or something else, but the Villagers would tend to not ask too many questions about his actions, or be simply supportive of him.

And that was good for him, else, explaining some things would become too problematic… Although it did make him a bit concerned...

People aren't really fond of others who are shrouded in mysteries and secrets, especially when they are so impactful to the environment they live in.

People usually like to know the details of the things that will affect them… And even those that will not.

As most people have the desire to let themselves be heard.

"Shall we?..."

'I'll try to come up with a reasonable explanation for this later…'

'Hm… I can say I was chosen by God?'

'Would that work? It isn't technically wrong…'

[That may be a good option, but it would cause some consequences] David said inside his mind as he took a step forward

'?!'

[Don't be surprised by this, it's me, the one and only...]

'I… I thought you didn't want to spend unnecessary energy talking like this?'

[And I do, however, I have come to realize that… I was being too conservative]

[At most, this energy will last a day... Half a day, so there is no point in me keeping a hold of it, especially when I could be using it for something more useful]

[I'll keep communicating with you from now on as since you brought him here, this will allow us to better coordinate and proceed without causing too much of a fuss in the process]

[Still, I don't think it was a good idea to bring him, but I have only myself to blame for not giving you my opinion and opting to remain silent]

[If you so decide, I think that portraying yourself as a chosen one by Arkesios isn't going to cause any heavy repercussions, at least the ones you're thinking about]

[It's the least I should do as the one that caused all of this...]

[However, a God isn't just going to allow you to use it as a barrier for your own benefit, and even though that isn't necessarily what you are trying to do, there is a certain price to pay for that]

[Putting right and wrong in these kinds of circumstances is subjectively wrong, to begin with]

[So be warned that my Boss would probably ask something out of you in return for her favor and protection]

[My bet is that she may ask you to become a Paragon, the details of this can be discussed later, but by becoming one, there is no chance of you ever being able to interact with other Gods in similar ways]

[But for most people, they would never be presented with such a chance, so it's up to you really…]

[We'll talk more later, before that old man thinks you're a lunatic for staring at a door for half a minute…]

"Dale? Are you okay?" Testros asked with a bit of worry, seeing as Dale kept staring at the final piece on his hand for a good half a minute

"Hm? Oh! Sorry, I was... Just thinking about a few things." He replied awkwardly

Dale took a step forward to grab the final piece, and took out the other pieces given to him by Rodi as well…

[Showtime]

David started to glow slightly, so Dale took him from his waist and raised it towards the door.

/Flash!/

The Golden head's eyes flashed, illuminating the door.

Slowly, the symbols on the door's foot started to move and fuse, making a larger symbol as it covered the upper half of the translucent door…

"This is…" Testros said in surprise

'A… A miracle…'

For Testros, although he isn't a countryside boy per se, he did spend over 70% of his life in a remote village and the rest of it in a secluded Military complex.

The last time he saw genuine magic or anything remotely resembling it was long… Long ago.

And deeming the item's origin on Dale's hand, it wasn't difficult for him to attribute this to some miracle.

[Look at the old man, he is super baffled, how about you go and tell him some cool words in the process?…]

"..."

'Just focus already…'

After a few seconds of waiting, the runes on the door formed into a long string of words.

Dale couldn't read them of course, and it seemed Testros also couldn't... At least not quite.

/Clink!/

With a loud metallic noise, the door started to disappear into nothingness.

Dale found this process rather cool, as the door was excellent, being extremely solid.

But now it vanished like air…

[I'm not over yet, time to fix that key on your hand]

/Shine.../

Just like he said, the broken pieces on Dale's hand started to float, connecting with each other in the air…

In the blink of an eye, a palm-sized metallic object formed.

"This is… The emblem…" Testros mumbled to himself as his head dropped

He shook his head soon after and said:

"Is everything over now?"

"Uhum."

Dale nodded as he strapped David to his waist.

"So let's go." Testros said as his pace quickened, becoming faster and faster without him knowing

"I'll be right behind you..."

'He's a bit... Overly excited.'

[Be careful Dale]

[The old man is being oddly emotional, and whatever we're going to find on the other side isn't going to be pretty I assure you]

[I'm not insensible, I understand his circumstances...]

[That is why I can't blame him, he has all the right to be upset about this situation and to feel what he is feeling right now…]

[But the worst kind of companion you can have on such an adventure is someone who cannot keep their calm and give in to their emotions during a critical moment]

[It's meaningless to pardon a friend's mistake in the afterlife, after all...]

[Keep an eye on him else you may be going back alone... Or not at all] David said in a solemn tone inside his head

'...'

'I will.' Dale replied as his eyes sharpened

…

/Time passed.../

The path was long, but it was surprisingly clean.

It was an extremely well-made passage that even after many decades, no damage could be seen anywhere…

'I would've never thought that bellow Resko and the forest would be a tunnel like this one... My skin feels a bit itchy though...'

[Who knows Dale, often not in the most serene of places you'll find the most bizarre of things]

[This place is a treasure trove in itself, a clear testimony of the immense wealth the Church made during Resko's peak and how much importance they gave to the Southern Corps]

[This entire pathway is made from a rather uncommon rock, it doesn't have many interesting properties, but when it's processed, things change]

[From its extraction to its processing, all of those steps are hard and complicated simply due to faint toxic gasses the rock emits when in contact with air]

[After being processed and laid out in a tunnel… A 4x4 M tunnel that stretches for several Km, the rock was then magically fused together, turning an otherwise ordinary brick tunnel into something akin to a tube]

[This isn't easy to do, especially the post-processing, I can feel faint traces of Magic all around us… To the point even you might've felt it by now]

[In the future, it may be worth it to dismantle this passage and use its materials for something else, after all, I see no point in such a strong material being kept 10M under the ground...]

[Though, that is only possible if you find a way to properly disassemble it, crushing it all under your fist isn't going to do anyone any good]

...

/Later.../

Like David said, the passage was several Km long, and because they were being cautious, it took them over an hour to arrive at a pace of around 20 km/h.

"It's here." Testros said as he stopped walking

Another door, just like the previous one, but this time, the door seemed a bit mightier, with symbols of mythological creatures and metallic ornaments that gave the door a militaristic feel…

It was a barrier, a seal, an Oath...

This was the door of Promise.

[Just put the key on the door and the rest will happen on its own... Given that the mechanisms are still working...]

/Clink... Shine.../

Dale did just as he was told, and the same process as last time happened as the door and the key disappeared at around the same time.

Before he could even ask, David already said:

[Don't ask me, I have no idea where the key or the door went, why, much less how]

[I could try explaining what I do think is happening, but that would take... An uncomfortable amount of time]

[I just know that this path will be open for one more hour, and if we're not back by then, we won't be able to return]

[I can open the other door again as long as I have enough energy, but not this one, though I'll try to figure out its password based on what I just saw so we may have another option aside from bursting through it]

[But don't trust that too much]

[So get going!]

…

.

.

.

Notes