302. Border Control II

302. Border Control II

302

White Shore

The White Capital city of the White Statue was, in many ways, an aspiration for the entire Empire. Edna watched, as the wagon that carried her crested the hill, and the city was in full view.

The main city, commonly referred to as the White Capital, but formally called Claritas of the White Statue, was eye-catching and beautiful. It comprised a central conical hill, and at its peak stood a large white temple, the largest temple of any Edna’s seen in any of the cities so far.

But the city itself wasn’t massive. Instead, Edna thought it looked fairly compact for a capital city. It was what appeared to be a planned, properly organized structure where not a single piece was out of place.

In some ways, it reminded her of the angels.

It was as if an array of marble structures was built to decorate a single hill. Every building was made out of a kind of white, shiny marble that never seemed to accumulate dust or wear. It was apparently an ability of many stonemasons, though it originated from the White Statue itself.

There were white statues all over the city. Edna was alone this time, and she felt it the moment she walked through the city, and entered the city guard’s checkpoint.

[Domain has blocked an ability]

“Well. What is this?” Edna mused to herself, and just about instantly, a siren blew.

At that point, the guards had an unusual reaction. Then, the guards at the gates immediately stopped her. “Milady, please come with us?”

Edna smiled at the four guards, all clad in full body armor. Their weapon of choice was a double sided shortsword, and a set of spears. They were all of a decent level, maybe level 50 or so. They were tense as hell, and prepared to fight. In their eyes, she could see their readiness to die at the moment.

Was this her turn to go through what Lumoof did back when he first visited the Crystal King? Would this White Statue be friendly, or hostile? But she saw enough of the White Statue’s impact, and realized that it was probably worth talking to this entity. “Sure.”

They were relieved when she did not resist, and at least, they did not chain her. They seemed to understand how different their powers were.

The four began to lead her through the path. Those along the road looked, and she could hear them whisper. But the guards paid them no mind, and none of the busy citizens blocked their path.

“So, where are you taking me?”

“To the hill, the White Statue.” The guard answered.

Edna could feel the throbbing presence of another domain holder. It was as if the air itself was layered with a kind of invisible white dust.

She was escorted through the city, and so, she took the chance to see the lives of those living here. Streets were clean, and beautiful. Each and everyone looked healthy, and they were doing business with each other. Everyone, as weird as it sounded, looked good. Men were tall, muscular, and healthy, the old people looked wise and still fit with none of the patchy features common in older people.

“Are there poor people in this city?” Edna asked.

“No.” The guards answered. “No one who comes to Claritas will be poor. The White Statue guides, and the citizens follow. Their poverty is but their starting point.”

Her eyes squinted, and tried to sense it in the presence of the four guards around her. She blinked. “He touched all your minds.”

“The Virtues of the White Statue is imprinted in our souls, milady. No one who obeys the Virtues will be a poor citizen. The State will ensure a role appropriate to you is created, and a fair remuneration is paid.”

“What of the sick?”

“The White Statue heals those it can, and those who can’t be healed are sacrificed at the altar.”

Edna paused, but her feet kept walking. It was a centrally planned economy, but to an extent stronger than even that of Freshka. A city controlled by a god, and where everyone did what it was told to do.

She blinked. This was not far from an ant colony.

Yet, as she looked at how everyone looked happy. Everyone had a purpose. A task from God itself. It mattered, because their god told it to their soul it did. She blinked again, when she realized Aeon could do this too, and wondered briefly whether it should happen. Everyone seemed to take their work seriously.

“Virtue.” She repeated. “It’s a fascinating thing.”

The guards naturally agreed. “It is.”

“What’s yours?”

The guards looked at each other and didn’t say a word.

“It is not for us to say.” The guards answered. “Only the White Statue has the right to reveal what is one’s virtue.”

Edna nodded, as they passed even more buildings. There were administrators here. People who collated reports. This was the heart of the Empire, and she felt the touch of the domain holder in every single one.

It was like a magical familiar, but more pervasive. The knight refocused her attention on the four guards around her. They were calm. Prepared. She wondered how strong this domain holder had to be. Perhaps in the same tier as the Osroids.

“Do they still summon heroes?” Edna asked. When she asked about heroes back in the other cities, they’ve gotten nothing. Instead, all they got were blank stares. When she probed about the demons, strangely, all she got was also just blank stares, before one of them said they would be handled by the White Statue’s elite forces.

The guards looked at her, three of them said nothing. But one of them turned, and walked close to her. He whispered. “Those who claim to be representatives of the Pagan Gods? The visitors from the stained well. That is something only the White Guards know. If you wish to know more, you must ask the question to the White Statue yourself.”

Edna paused, and felt strangely unnerved.  This was the first time they mentioned the term, ‘Pagan Gods’. Much of what happens in the regional towns of the White Shore is so normal, so perfectly manicured that Edna kept wondering whether there were unusual things. There must be secret things only the special people know. The touch of this domain holder kept most things secret, as the pieces began to come together.

It is not that they don’t know, it is that they were not allowed to know.

There was a vast, white building filled with windows, in it were men in white tunics all walking about. They looked busy, going over papers and reports.

Edna’s long glance was answered by one of the guards.

“That’s the main office of the Philosopher King and the Council of Elders. All matters of the Empire travel through that office.”

Edna nodded, and wondered how much of it was for show. Though the Philosopher King supposedly rules the nation, it is truly the White Statue that holds the puppet strings. In some ways, Edna thought that was similar to Aeon, though, each domain holder and society found their own stable position in the spectrum between ‘control’ and ‘freedom’.

By now, she was almost at the peak, and the grand temple stood before her. At this distance, she looked up, and couldn’t quite admire the temple. She felt the aura of another domain holder from outside, and it was trying its best to press against hers. It didn’t work.

The guards stopped, they were unaffected by the domain holder’s aura. It was focused. “Milady, you’ll have to step inside yourself.”

The knight looked about, took a good look at their city, and then back at the door. She gently pushed it, and the heavy painted steel door opened without a sound. It was perfectly oiled and maintained, and though it was pitch dark inside, she could feel that it was just a single, gigantic chamber. The door closed behind her, and here, she sensed no unusual magic.

There was no need for little toys in the presence of an existence that likely considers itself a god. In it, was a giant statue of a man, and she felt the emanating power of a fellow domain holder.

“Hello. I’m Edna.” Edna answered, as she walked towards the White Statue. Here, in this large, ethereal chamber, her footsteps echoed. “Pleased to meet the White Statue.”

The Statue’s eyes glowed white, and it went directly to a question. “Are you sent by the pagan gods?”

Edna’s eyes squinted. “Who are these pagan gods?”

“Those that deserted us long ago. The old ones.” The White Statue answered.

Edna frowned, and then looked at the White Statue. There was no facial expression to read in an object like the White Statue. It’s carved face was that of an old man, but yet, she wondered what she was dealing with. “We encountered them, but no, they didn’t send us here.”

“Then why have you come? Have you come to represent them? To retake the lands that were once theirs?”

Edna shook her head. “Not at all. I represent the Valtrian Order, led by our tree god, Aeon. I am one of those in Aeon’s pantheon. We have been asked by Hawa, to deal with the demons in these faraway worlds.”

There was so much history scrubbed from the memory of those present. The people of the White Shore do not remember the past. To them, their creation myth started from the White Statue. It was a lie, naturally.

There was a moment of silence.

“Like the souls that they lied to?” The White Statue asked.

Edna paused as she realized. “The [heroes]? No. We are not summoned like them.”

“Then what do you want? If you seek to upset the structure I have created in their absence, then we will be enemies. I will slay you here and now.” The White Statue declared. Edna was fairly certain she would survive any conflict.

The knight felt the probing energies of the White Statue’s domain, but again, it was ineffective. She couldn’t quite sense what the White Statue was, though the founding myths she heard so far claimed the White Statue always existed, and he held the light of wisdom that brought the men of the White Shore wisdom. It is so that they exist as productive members of society, instead of living as barbaric creatures in the faraway lands.

“We merely want permission to deal with the demons.”

“And deny us the experience we need?” The White Statue countered. “We do not need help dealing with those creatures from beyond, or the lost lambs the old gods send our way.”

Edna frowned, as she realized the White Statue probably has some means of dealing with the demon king. Briefly, was this something she needed to feed back to Hawa? This world didn’t need help. So, why did Hawa still mark this world as a drain on their faith points? Something didn’t add up. What happened to the heroes?

“I see. ” Edna said. “Who do you do with those summoned by the old gods?”

For a moment, the two just stood in silence, as both took a sense of each other’s power. She roughly estimated the White Statue to be around Level 200ish, and probably had some means of dealing with the demons. Perhaps a collection of ancient weapons, or some unique power.

The White Statue folded.

“We will send them back, of course. A swift death.” The White Statue declared.

“Death.” Edna repeated. “You killed them?”

“Yes.”

“May we propose that you send them to us, instead? That we take them away from you?” Edna countered.

“For them to return one day and exact the old god’s vengeance? No. My White Guards hunt them down.”

The knight stared at the White Statue and for a moment, felt a sense of injustice. She tried her best to hold herself back, and took a deep breath.

“Are you dissatisfied with our conduct?” The White Statue asked.

“I’d rather not kill them.”

“They are a potentially rogue agent and a poorly constructed weapon of the old gods. Their presence only serves to create chaos, as their incredible potential is turned into the tools of their whims.” The White Statue declared. “Such poor tools do not deserve to exist.”

“You could rip the class out of them.” Edna countered, as she recalled what the Osroids or the Ularans did to the heroes. “They become regular mortals, and at least, they get to live normally.”

“Even without their powers, their whims and thoughts are tainted by a world unlike ours. Ours possess a structure that is fundamentally incompatible with their world, and now, I realize your world has a structure incompatible with ours too.” The White Statue declared, and for a moment, the two auras clashed once more. The entire city of Claritas experienced a rare tremor, as the two domain holder’s weight of existence slammed into each other.

“Have you spoken to the administrators?” Edna asked, and in an instant, the clash of aura stopped.

The White Statue’s white eyes glowed brightly. “You speak of something I do not know. Elaborate.”

Edna realized that the White Statue must have not yet reached Level 250. Because if it had, it too, should be offered the choice.

It possessed a religion centered around the White Statue. It was strong. By both counts, it met the criteria. Her mind thought of the angels of Angelworld, and that moment when they hosted the eight-winged angel, Raph. Would their presence here set off another chain of potentially hostile power?

She closed her eyes. “It seems you have not reached that level of power. It is not my place to tell.”

“What?” The white marbles of the temple moved, but stopped just as quickly, as if the White Statue realized it was useless. It thought quickly, and then, suddenly proposed. “If you want me to spare the lives of the future summons of the old gods, then you will elaborate on this ‘choice’.”

“It is not my place to decide. We will discuss your offer.” Edna said.

***

“I have a bad feeling if we tell them.” Lumoof said. “From what you described, he gives me vibes like the angels. Do we really want to let him know about that future?”

“If we don’t, we don’t get to save the heroes.” Roon countered, and asked a rhetorical question that didn’t really need to be answered. “Is that important to us? Should we have to weigh what we want to do here?”

“Of course we do! They are heroes. Alright, let’s look at our options. Let’s start with the obvious. Should we go in there and fight that White Statue?” Stella asked, and it was met with silence.

Lumoof waited, and frowned. “I don’t think it’s a good idea in the short term. At our stretched levels, we cannot deploy enough personnel to fill the power vacuum or maintain order. It’s also going to be pretty hard to predict how these folks will behave should the White Statue suddenly disappear. The imprints on their mind sounds like it could go either way. I think we leave that option for much later. It should be a nuclear option, once we conclude that the White Statue really is hostile.”

It was an uncomfortable reality that fighting is often the easy part. Maintaining order, and advancing society were significantly harder.

Was it worth it, just to save some heroes? It was a line of thought that Kafa raised. “What makes a hero’s life worth more?” Kafa countered. “We’re at the point where they are more of a liability. A rogue element, and I would even go as far as saying that the White Statue is right to consider them as erratic. Like we all remember what happened to Chung.”

“We need them because heroes can help defend the existing worlds. They can move around freely with nodes, and through Lumoof. They are our defensive pieces, and their situation can be managed. The more heroes we have, it becomes less risky for us as a whole to rely on them.” Roon explained. “And as much as I hate to admit it, heroes are worth more than normal people. Their potential to save lives is so much higher.”

Stella squirmed uncomfortably. Discussions of the value of lives made her react this way. She knew how I thought about it. “So we’re going to tolerate this White Statue’s murder of mostly innocent fresh heroes.”

Lumoof sighed before he explained. “We all make sacrifices, and I am cognizant that even Aeon’s branches are stained with more blood than the White Statue. We’re in no place to comment on the sort of sacrifices the White Statue made to achieve a stable, prosperous society.”

“I mean, that’s fine with me. We’ve all killed, some way or another, so, I think we’re not really innocent. We just think that it’s the right thing to do. But more importantly, can we actually trust this White Statue’s offer? Is it an offer in good faith? What if it reneges on the deal?” Ezar, the brawler, then asked. “I mean, there’s really nothing other than our word and theirs to hold this agreement together. We’re giving special knowledge, in exchange for a promise.”

“What does Aeon think?”

I reviewed Edna’s explanation, and personally, I thought it was a matter of time. “If it has been defeating demon kings, it may be a matter of time before it reaches Level 250 anyway. By then, it will meet the administrators. The very fact we have informed him of the existence of these administrators is already revealing much.”

“My bad.” Edna said.

There were sacrifices made in every society, and from what Edna saw on the White Shores, they made some too. I had my share of brutal experiments and demonic touches. If I could save these heroes in exchange for knowledge, it seemed like a fair position to take.

“Letting it know beforehand could be advantageous. Maybe it’ll be a future god we can work with, or at least, reason with. Or it might be a threat. But for now, I don’t think we need to see it as one.”

I saw the heroes as useful, even if they’re increasingly less so relatively speaking. If anything, saving these high potential individuals was worth it, even if we’re sharing information with a potentially risky individual.

Maybe it’ll be like the angels, a force for order in a chaotic world.

Maybe Raph was right after all. The world does need some agents for structure and peace. My approach may work for some, but I do not think it is the perfect one.

In a world where the system grants so much power on individuals, maybe we do need gods that play a more pervasive role to mitigate the potential chaos of errant individuals with system-granted power.

Anyway, that was a side thought.

“I think we can agree on this.” I proposed. “If it doesn’t deliver, then we know it can’t be trusted. We’ll deal with it when it happens.”