Empire Of Souls - Chapter 179

Lariel smiled knowingly. She observed Aleks with her head c.o.c.ked slightly to the side. It was quite the cute appearance and Aleks couldn’t help but be affected by her even if he didn’t overtly show it. Lariel was the only one who could see the slight changes in Aleks’s expression or demeanor. Only she would notice the very minute reactions he would show sometimes. She was happy that only she could bring out such reactions or even notice them, but it also reminded her of her condition.

“So, what news do you have for me? Nothing good I suppose.”

Aleks sat up in his throne and took on a more sovereign-like posture.

“I wouldn’t need to come here if your mind wasn’t always so predisposed. A simple mental message would be enough, but these days it is as if your mind is closed. You must have much to think about.” Lariel replied gently.

“Sorry… I have been a little busy.”

Aleks looked somewhat apologetic, but Lariel could also see the guilt.

“Are you sure that is the only reason?”

Aleks ignored her question, “Your report?”

“I have been in contact with Lenia and Nelay, it won’t be long now until they arrive at the last reported location of the Spider Queen. We should hear reports soon of battle. This is a good test for Lenia. As per your instructions, Anathema will not interfere with the battle in any way, she will only deal with the Spider Queen and her pet. Lenia will have a chance to display her talents. Nelay is keeping an eye on the two and she is also taking care of that other matter.”

Aleks snorted slightly in disdain, “Hmph, good. Make sure you inform me as soon as she finds any trace of him. I know that bastard is plotting something. I felt his unique aura not long ago. There is no way I could ever forget that bastard’s stink. He is a tricky one. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to interfere in what we are doing here. Unfortunately, I can’t leave my domain for now and he definitely won’t do anything here in my own home.”

“That is true, in your domain, you are at your most powerful. The gods can’t interfere directly, and even one of their Saints can’t harm you in your own domain. It would be foolish for them to make a move on you in this place. The Tower of Babel is a magnificent thing, isn’t it? Truly unique in all the universe. To be able to project a god domain on the mortal plane, only Babel could do such a thing. Although it can be barely called a god domain at this point, nonetheless, it is truly miraculous.”

“It is not a perfect defense though. I can’t just sit around here forever, there are things I must attend to personally.” Aleks brushed off her words.

After considering for a moment he asked, “That can’t be all.”

“Grobak and Cladem should be arriving at the pass soon. They will enter the Blood Sovereign’s country and begin to sow chaos.”

Aleks nodded, “Yes, I know all this already. It is as we planned.”

Lariel slowly approached Aleks on his throne and said softly, “But, you are now alone, aren’t you?”

“I still have you don’t I?” he answered without looking at her.

“I can’t protect you anymore.” she replied.

Aleks took some time before answering and he finally looked at her, staring straight into her eyes, “From now on, it is I who will protect you.”

“You shouldn’t make promises you don’t know that you can keep.”

Lariel’s voice almost broke, but she didn’t look away.

“Is that all?” he finally said.

“There has been movement along the border of the Republic. It seems they have agreed on an armistice for now. Most likely because of you. There are other uncertainties, many are watching the Steppes now. A new Demigod is not a small matter and the failure of the expedition is something which won’t exactly go away just like that. The gods will definitely be sending their agents here, and they will begin to meddle with our affairs. They don’t know who you really are, and while you may be safe here for now, who is to say in the future? You are not strong enough to take them all on.”

Aleks slightly moved his lips into a half smile, “In some ways, it is a good thing that I am not yet strong enough. The gods are bound by their rules and what they can do is limited on the mortal plane.”

“But they can still do enough and there is no guarantee that they won’t find out who you are and what you possess. One or two Saints may not be a danger to you here, but what if there were several?”

Aleks chuckled, “You have forgotten something.”

“The Daemon.” Lariel replied knowingly.

“That’s right.”

Lariel backed away from Aleks. She watched him as he once more lounged in his throne without a care before sighing.

“You can’t trust them and I won’t be around forever.”

The throne room was silent, with only the sound of breathing and the occasional creaking of leather or the unavoidable movements of the guards and servants. Aleks reached for his mask which rested nearby on its pedestal. He caressed the mask gently while Lariel patiently waited. She knew he didn’t like to hear such things concerning her, but it was something that needed to be said. He refused to accept the reality, but there was always the possibility. The possibility that she would disappear forever.

Finally he said, “You are wrong. I can trust them, because I know what they want. There is nothing they can do to me, at least not at this time. As long as our goals align, I can always rely on them. If there comes a time when our goals no longer align, at that time it won’t matter any longer.”

Once more Aleks ignored the possibility of her dying and only replied as such.

“Continue to have our scouts monitor the border between the Republic and the Steppes, they will definitely do something soon. I will prepare a special being to help with surveillance, especially in the case that the churches send their agents. We will need someone with certain expertise for that. The number of tribes arriving has increased daily and there are already over two million Barbarians that have arrived here. We need to increase the speed of development and push forward our efforts to attract new talents. We can’t keep this place a secret, so we might as well as advertise our presence so that we can acquire talented people as well as increase trade. If we can civilize this region and establish our power, it should help alleviate some of our problems. As long as we appear to be a legitimate force, what we have to face won’t exceed our level of power.”

Lariel bowed her head slightly, “It will be as you wish.”

She then turned and left. Aleks continued to watch her, but his mind was elsewhere.

“Just what are you plotting Moksha? I never did understand you and I don’t think Tihr did either. What is it that you really want?” Aleks mumbled while looking off into the distance.

______________________

A cool breeze blew through the pass. This was the only way to safely traverse the mountain range which separated the Steppes from the Blood Sovereign’s realm. These were treacherous mountains which seemed to pierce the clouds above. It was rumoured that there was ice and snow at the top, but Grobak didn’t believe it. How could there be ice and snow on the Steppes?

Even in winter, the weather might become somewhat cold, but never too cold. Certainly not cold enough for there to be snow. Snow was only something he had heard in rumours but never seen. At least not naturally forming snow, he had seen magic which could call forth blades of ice or unnatural blizzards. Perhaps in the northern parts of the Blood Sovereign’s realm it would be cold enough to snow in winter, but this was still technically the Steppes and ever since he had been born he had never seen it. Of course, it wasn’t as if he had lived that long or traveled that far. He had only ever lived on the Steppes and temporarily in the Republic as a slave.

“Is it true Cladem?” Grobak asked the giant who was standing next to him.

His height almost reached the same height as Grobak while Grobak was mounted on his Giant wolf. He didn’t even need to look up at Grobak despite this as their eyes were almost level.

“What are you talking about?”

Grobak pointed at the distant mountain top, “Is there snow and ice up there at the top? I have heard rumours, but it sounds like nonsense.”

Cladem chuckled, “There is. The higher you go up, the colder it gets. Beyond this world you call a continent, is an endless and dark space. You wouldn’t be able to survive there, and it is extremely cold. Of course, you’d die of oxygen deprivation long before you’d notice the cold. But, that isn’t anything you need to concern yourself with. Once you reach my level, none of those things matter anymore. For you, this world is a cage, but for me it is only just another type of scenery. What I have seen and the places I have been, hehe, you can only imagine. That is of course, until the end comes, as it always does. Then, all scenery is the same. Destruction is the true beauty that exists within this universe. It is always the same, but each time, it is like seeing it for the very first time.”

Grobak grunted and eyed Cladem sideways, “I don’t think I want to see what you are describing.”

With a strange knowing grin, Cladem replied, “You will see it one day. Everyone eventually faces the end. It comes for us all. Even I will return to nothingness one day. It is the only truth that exists in this vast and endless prison we call life. You are a small and insignificant life, in a small and insignificant world. To you, this world is immense and endless. But this world is only a speck of dust in the darkness of space. My vision is much broader, but at the end of the day, you and I are much alike. We are both prisoners, it is just that my prison is much larger than yours.”

Grobak was not happy to hear Cladem’s words, but he couldn’t deny that there was some wisdom in it. However, thinking of his master, he couldn’t help but feel some dissatisfaction and anger at what Cladem said. Was his master also just an insignificant being in this insignificant world like he said?

Cladem noticed Grobak’s displeasure, but he didn’t mind it.

“Sorry, I should correct my statement. This God Nexus is insignificant, but your continent or world here is not. That is because of some secrets I can’t say. Perhaps, this world of yours is much more significant than you could ever imagine, but that isn’t because of any special property of this world per say. It is because of your master. So, don’t be too upset.”

Cladem showed his toothy grin once more. Perhaps he meant it to lighten the mood, but any one who saw it could only see it as the smiling of a ferocious monster.

Grobak snorted, but his displeasure had been somewhat alleviated, “At least you know that much.”

Cladem laughed, and the two continued on their way through the pass with a small contingent of warriors following closely behind them. They were heading towards the realm of the Blood Sovereign. A large movement of warriors would be easily spotted once they arrived within the realm, so they had decided on a much smaller group to infiltrate. With the eradication of the army which guarded the pass, it would be much easier for them to infiltrate the land of the vampires and wreak havoc.

There were other demonic looking beings that lived in those lands, so Cladem wouldn’t stand out as much, even if he was much more fearsome looking than any other. Also, a small group of Orcs wouldn’t stand out too much either. It wasn’t as if there weren’t any Orcs in the lands of the vampires. Although predominantly Human, with the exception of their vampiric overlords, there were a minority of other races too.

With the Vampiric lords in constant conflict with each other and the destruction of their elite army at the pass, this was the perfect time to infiltrate and shake things up. Whatever chaos they could bring to the Vampires would make it much easier to conquer them in the near future.