Chapter 107: Key
The underground meeting was shrouded in secrecy. Dim lamps lined the walls of the winding tunnels, casting long shadows. Disguised, he navigated the labyrinth, taking several sharp turns before arriving at an unmarked door. He knocked thrice, then once more. The door creaked open.
"We've been expecting you, Lord Caelus," a man in an olive-green robe greeted him, bowing slightly.
"Spare me the formalities," Caelus replied coldly. "You failed to recover my son and let the alchemist slip away. What makes you think you're welcome here?"
Four men stood in the room, each draped in similar robes, but their accents revealed them as emissaries from different human realms. One stepped forward, his voice thick with a Kemetian accent. His massive frame and dark skin made it difficult to discern his expression in the room's dim light.
"We were ambushed by bandits near the Mist Forest. They deliberately took an alternate route," he explained.
"That only makes your failure more disgraceful," Caelus snapped. "I hired seasoned warriors for this task, not amateurs."
Another man, speaking in fluent Mogholian, pleaded through his blindfolded translator, "My Lord, we scoured the forest for days. Many of our men perished. We implore you to grant us access to one of your portals. It could lead us to Wahrheit, where we might find your son."
The others nodded in agreement. One of the men added, "Wahrheit's borders are heavily fortified. If we try the sea route through the Mayan Islands, we'll face dangerous storms and pirates. We can't afford more losses."
"Who says the Mayans are infested with pirates?" a voice cut through. It was a man with striking red skin, adorned with a feathered headdress. His body was painted with intricate patterns of red and white, a testament to his status as a Mayan priest. He bristled under Caelus' gaze.
"It is forbidden to bring national biases into these meetings or reveal your identity," Caelus reminded him sternly.
The priest clicked his tongue but said no more.
"I will arrange a passage for you," Caelus continued. "But if you fail again, your heads will roll across Amanecer, and you'll be boiled in oil."
Amanecer's punishments were notoriously brutal, keeping its citizens in line through fear. None of the men dared to oppose Caelus' threat. After a moment of deliberation, they all reluctantly agreed. The meeting concluded, and the group dispersed into the labyrinth.
As Caelus returned to the surface, the distant cheers of a crowd reached his ears. "The Olympiad has begun," he muttered, discarding his cloak. His destination lay elsewhere: the Alchemist's Tower.
The tower was as busy as ever, its inhabitants immersed in experiments, their minds focused solely on their work. Caelus was halted at the entrance by an apprentice, who asked about his business. He stated he needed to meet Canute, the head alchemist. The apprentice led him to Canute's office and left him there.
The office was cluttered with documents and artifacts, many marked with alchemical symbols that Caelus couldn't decipher. He rifled through them, searching for anything related to the portals. His eyes landed on a pendant resting on the desk—a key, worn only by high-ranking alchemists. Each key was unique, a symbol of their status.
With no hesitation, he grabbed the pendant and continued his search, but still found nothing. Frustrated, he ventured into the tower's vast library. At the far end, a secluded bookshelf caught his attention. Just as he was about to give up, he pulled a book, and the shelf rumbled, sliding open to reveal a hidden passage.
The lamps along the walls flared to life, illuminating the secret corridor. The key in his hand began to glow with the same blue hue as the lamps. Heart pounding, Caelus stepped inside, determined to uncover what had been concealed from him.
The path led to a chamber twice the size of the library, filled with ancient records and artifacts. At the center of the room, a massive orb floated in midair, a miniature model of the planets, with smaller spheres revolving rapidly around it. A sundial at its base kept precise time, casting an ethereal glow that lit the entire space.
Turning to the walls, Caelus saw intricate paintings and symbols from Amanecer's ancient and modern histories. Finally, he found what he sought—a collection of books on portals. He pulled one from the shelf, a thick tome titled The Keys of Portals, a translated version of an ancient manuscript.
He leafed through the pages, absorbing the knowledge on how to reconnect a portal to Wahrheit. His breath quickened, fearing discovery. He was aware that this act, if uncovered, could ruin him. But he pressed on, unaware that the path he now walked would soon risk the fate of the entire realm.
Soon he found a way. A simpler but risky to attempt. He did not want to involve himself with an alchemist.
He searched for a quill and piece of paper to copy the text that was the apparent solution for him.
After noting it down in urgency he put the things back into their place and carefully looked around to see if anyone was around.
He hurried out of the library after glancing left and right. The paths were clear.
He strode to the office and found Canute at the door talking to an apprentice alchemist.
"Oh? If it isn't Lord Caelus." He grinned and looked at him.
He froze on the spot breaking in cold sweat.
"C-canute? Where have you been making me wait for hours like this?"
"My bad. The tower is always busy and the Grandmaster is out to attend the Olympiad instead. So I am in charge of the tower in his absence."
The apprentice didn't care about Rudolf and pulled Canute's attention back to him. Rudolf didn't like the alchemists because they didn't care about status or fame. They didn't like the hierarchical system. All the alchemists were equals in terms of knowledge and their work.
Canute asked him to wait in his office to which he gladly took the offer.
As Soon as he entered, he put the key in its place on the desk and looked around if anything was out of order.
"So I heard you wanted to talk to me about something?" Canute entered shortly after him.
Rudolf took a deep breath and turned around.
"Until when will the Grandmaster arrive?"
"Huh?" Canute couldn't figure out that was the only thing that Rudolf came to ask for.
"He will come by nightfall. So waiting on him would be pointless."
Rudolf cleared his throat and subtly agreed that surprised Canute. Usually he was all fired up losing his temper soon if they ignored him.
"Then, I will come back at a later date. Give my regards to the Grandmaster." He left in a hurry that left Canute speechless.
"What's gotten into him?"
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