Artemis's eyebrows became like the peaks of mountains on his face.
"God? You're going to kill a God?"
It took everything Artemis had to suppress a demeaning laugh.
While he was used to the idea of a 'Deity' from the storybooks and history documents he had often perused, all the Gods of the Blackbaast had died long ago.
But he knew of their might.
Stronger than the Daemonic Knight.
Probably stronger than Lark or Leon.
Most definitely stronger than Gardner Song of the Reds.
"Yes. Me and my comrades are going to kill the Creator of this Shadow."
His face paled, momentarily pausing his musing. The Creator of the Shadow? This was the person that Lark had said constructed the Hunt that would somehow send him home! This was his patron, his benefactor, or perhaps neither, really his tormentor.
If he is after the Creator of the Shadow, then isn't this a problem? After all, I was set on the path to serve the purpose of this Creator... to Hunt the things he wishes to die.
"Ah, right! I forgot to introduce myself!" Gardner laughed loudly. "My name is Gardner, Gardner Song! I'm the acting Captain of the Reds, the Guard of the Lord's Palace in Anor Ligrisia, otherwise known as the greatest student of Tristinis, the Red Prince, the God of the Bloodiest Battles!"
He bowed deeply as he spoke so exuberantly in a flaunting manner. He was like a bird flaunting its colourful feathers.
The Captain of the Guard? Of a God?
He's like me... but how could I compare myself to a titan?
Artemis chuckled inwardly as he postured himself. It was clear that Gardner had no intention to harm them in the moment.
Since all the Gods in the Blackbaast had long died, the closest thing the underground continent's people had to one was the Witch-King, and his son, August. Because Artemis had served as Captain of the Guard under the Witch-King, it was a reasonable stretch to say he was also under a Deity.
So he wanted to take this moment to even the ground between them, to ascertain whether Gardner was someone who would kill him, and if he could change that intention with careful sleight.
So, he spoke in a casual intonation while glancing away from the man absentmindedly.
"My name is Artemis Lunastre, this is Cia. I am a Prince from another world."
Gardner's eyes widened. He lurched forward, causing Artemis to tremble as his hands grasped the hilt of his blade tighter, preparing to throw Cia to the side and draw it.
However, just as he was about to do so, Gardner's right knee hit the ground below. His head bowed down, and although he was now kneeling, the man remained the same height as Artemis.
Artemis's eyebrow twitched as he saw this sight.
Why is he...?
"It's an honour to meet you, Prince Lunastre!" Gardner's voice boomed. "I extend the greetings of his Highness! My apologies, I didn't know of your status!"
Ah... it's just formality.
"Should you be bowing to other nobility whilst being a direct servant of a Prince...?"
"My teacher always told me to display utmost respect to those of high stature!"
"I... see..."
He felt quite odd in this situation.
Artemis quickly removed his hand from his blade, gesturing for Gardner to get up.
"Don't worry about it. It's not important right now. More than that, you know where we are, Gardner?"
Gardner nodded his head. "Yes, Lord Lunastre. This is the Cradle of Ash, the most pointless journey you can make to reach the depths of the City."
"How pointless?"
He had been thrust into this place... not by choice. Now he was saying that his struggles were pointless?
"This Cradle leads to a strange whirlpool of crags, a place bombarded by wind, this Gale... from there, you can reach the City. But no other point reaches this Cradle, you can only reach it by climbing up. Certain of that, there is a place all the way around the structure of the cliff that leads directly into the city, but it's guarded. It would have been better if that were the case that it could be accessed, making this journey useless, but it's impossible..."
"Guarded by what?"
"By whom." His tone was grave. "A Spire of Nocturne at the foot of the path leading to the city is guarded by the Fated King's Priests. They're whelps... but they're protected by something greater than my Lord's boon."
Artemis felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt an itch scratching at the base of his head, like it was trying to scuttle into his thoughts. Even though he took a second to stop and check his Mind Core in his Internal World, there didn't seem to be anything of note. But it persisted, even as Gardner continued.
"That King is capable of orchestrating the outcomes of Fate. Anything related to him will experience Fate's fortune, anything against him its misfortune. Anything tied to him is probably one of his calculated plots. Anything that he could have any indication of interest in has probably already been calculated many years before."
"Even the things that happen inside this Shadow?" Artemis retorted kindly, hopping to prod that particular point further. That itch was festering now. Like it was trying to tear away whatever separated it from him.
"Yes, even this, this conversation, this meeting. All things that happen in this Shadow are of his doing. All the things that come here... all the people, you and I, my comrades, your companion..." He reached into an interior pocket of his cloak and procured a small metal flask.
Artemis took a keen interest in this, but as he watched Gardner uncap it and tilt his head back, pouring the liquid inside into his mouth, he averted his gaze. That liquid was thick and red as rubies. And it certainly wasn't wine.
That itch in his head was starting to become blinding. He could see that blanket of stars in his eyes, even when he looked down at the ground. More than that, those stars were beginning to seem like eyes themselves. Staring down at him, watching him.
Gardner spoke once more. "Well, if one were considering its name, this Shadow is constantly following behind us. But that's not really why we call it a Shadow. It's really because it's a Shadow of its Creator's divine kingdom. A reflection, a recreation. But it's bastardised, filled with stolen elements. From what I've gathered due to the stories of others, the divine kingdom of the Fated King is a golden paradise... but there is no fog surrounding its city. Instead, the vast and docile plains are blanketed with a fantastic sea of gold, its ocean of Fate that the Fated King gleans his divinations from and arranges his plots..."
Through an emerging haze, Artemis felt his thoughts echo through his head.
The Fated King? Is this the honorific name of the Deity who created the Shadow?
But there's something peculiar about this...
...how can someone have first-hand information regarding the diving kingdom of a Deity?
Instead of posturing further questions and demeaning the stature he had been trying to carefully maintain, Artemis remained silent, still looking towards Gardner as if expecting him to continue.
And so, the man complied.
"Well, this is all coming from those with the Insight Warden Aspect... who knows if those trickster fools are ever telling the truth. Gambling is all they love. 'Ah... the odds... the odds! They're in my favour!' They all speak like madmen, I'm telling you!"
His expression darkened.
"But if they are to be believed, then that means this sea of fog isn't a direct recreation of the Fated King's divine kingdom. It was intentionally implanted here, or it was an infection of some sort..."
Artemis replied suddenly in a deep intonation. His words had begun to crackle, almost as if he was starting to use that strange language discerned by [Eyes of Discernment] by accident.
"So you didn't expect to encounter these Fog Lords when you first came here?"
Gardner shook his head, chuckling. "No, not at all. None of us did. If it weren't for our Lord's Boon, we wouldn't have lasted this long. It took me a century to cross that plain of fog. I'm sure my comrades are still traveling, but will arrive here soon. Although at that time, I would have liked to open the entrance to the city. Climbing up the cliff-face into this Cradle of Ash was far too treacherous."
He paused for a moment, glancing towards Artemis before heartily slapping him on the back again. Artemis winced, still feeling pain weigh down his entire body. His hands instinctively drew the Sign of the three-pronged jagged triskelion, muttering silent words of praise under his breath.
"But to think it would have let me meet you! Ah, my friend, you're a brilliant sight!"
He looked at the titanic man oddly. He had already gathered a sense that this figure was mystical, partially based on the face that he had once regrown his entire face... but to think he was more than a century old? He had spent that entire time travelling, but what about the rest of his life? Was he even older than one-hundred years? Just how vast was his experience as Captain of the Guard?
Artemis knew he would lose to a fight if he had to battle against Gardner. But if it really came down to it, would it not be a matter of putting up a fight, but being crushed completely instead?
Wait, why was he thinking about this? He wanted to know more about the Fated King!
"Mr. Song, I-" That feeling in his mind shocked him out of his speech. His eyes navigated to the ground again, towards the sprawling ash.
He could see it now. It felt like something in his mind had shattered, like a vase fallen from a shelf onto the floor. The water inside spilled out now, it twisted itself among the stars of eyes, curling into jagged, contorted lines.
And before him, a jagged three-pronged triskelion of golden hue painted itself onto the ground, illusory and unreal. That itch in his head was gone, but a feeling remained.
A calm, tranquil feeling.
A loving feeling.
An adoring feeling.