Chapter 214 World Phenomena
[Another long chapter.]
A loud storm of wind rushed past Dorian's ears, whipping up high into the air as he leaned over the edge of a very tall cliff.
He maintained his Shade form, but wore a pair of gloves, obfuscating that fact. The only real way to tell a Shade apart from a fair skinned human were the Dark Points on their hands that gave off particles of shadow that dissipated into the air. With his hands covered, the particles were trapped and vanished out of sight, and it was impossible to tell exactly if he was human or Shade.
Very few Shades would willingly come to Taprisha and publicly maintaining that form would draw needless attention. However, he intended to make use of his 'Lord Inigo' identity a bit, and didn't want any type of report to move up the chain, giving away to the public that he could shift forms and was an Anomaly. Disguising himself was the best compromise he could come up with.
"Well, well, well." He muttered, squinting.
"Long time no see, Taprisha."
Taprisha, the legendary Archipelago without a Sea.
The exit from the Aurelius Family territory towards the Exotic World of Blizzaria. And a world he was very familiar with.
Down below him, the tall cliff he was on extended into a gargantuan drop-off that went down for hundreds and hundreds of meters. A layer of fog obscured his vision to some degree, though his enhanced and powerful eyes could pierce through it enough to see the distant floor, more than one thousand meters down below.
He could see a large forest, a collection of jutting mountains, a huge canyon, and more. If he focused, he could pick out thousands of small figures moving on the ground far below, hunting monsters or searching for rare Magic Herbs and legendary Natural Treasures, a thriving economy in its own right.
"That's… the Overbal Canyon, right?" Dorian reminisced as he looked at one particular canyon and then the jutting pillars of stone beyond it. Memories flowed through his mind, memories of when he combined Bloodlines to create his Giant Myyr Dragon Bloodline, of how he fought and killed a Solar Rock Lizard, memories of practicing combat with Helena…
He couldn't help but smile. It hadn't even been that long since then, in real time. Some months at most. But it felt like it had been ages. He'd been through so much since his arrival in this world, it was hard to put everything into words.
After leaving from Evonon, Dorian's Giant Black Bat had flown almost on autopilot. The Vampires had a way of magically setting a destination for the creatures, causing it to fly without Dorian's direction.
That left him free to focus on meditating on the Laws of the Universe.
He split his time between meditation, something that would've bored him to death on Earth, and enjoying the sights all around him. The focus on exploring the Laws of the Universe was an enjoyable, fascinating one that never grew boring.
They'd passed over several worlds, including a few interesting ones, like the Water Planet of Torrin, which was, unsurprisingly, dominated almost entirely by water. Travelling so long and high without being on the run from constant danger was refreshing.
While they traveled, the Giant Black Bat flew high up in the air, about two-thirds of the way up to the atmospheric barrier that separated a planet from the dangerous Chaotic Space outside. It was well above most creatures and out of sight of almost everyone on the ground.
The bat itself was a Grandmaster Class creature, and a powerful one, its force of presence enough to deter any high flying creatures from pestering them.
It took him a couple days of travel to make it here, crossing over multiple planets. In that time, he solidified his understanding of the Law of Original Sin a bit more, just barely enough to reach 7% understanding.
His grasp of the Law, in effective power, remained about the same as before. However, Dorian felt that once he reached around 10%, his control in manipulating reality would increase, and that it would increase in increments at every 10% gap, while possibly gaining other powers. The Law seemed to require meeting certain thresholds to function.
It was an incredibly unique Law, such that even Dorian wasn't sure exactly how to best use it. Dorian had found that actively using the Law on other beings put a huge burden on him. The stronger the being, the higher the burden, such that Dorian wasn't even able to directly affect Master Class beings with it. He needed to get a stronger understanding of the Law before he could directly use it against strong creatures.
However, for weaker creatures, Dorian found that the Law could be used to affect their physical forms. It was an insidious power that could morph someone else's body, breaking bones and ripping apart muscles.
Just by using his strength of will and activating the Law, without even touching anything, he could cause a creature to die with a single glance.
Dorian shook the stray thoughts from his head as he looked over the edge of the cliff for a moment before turning around.
In front of him, a large, burnt crater in the earth stretched out on the ground, all the way up to the city walls of a large, familiar city.
Potor City.
The same city in which he was captured and thrown into a jail cell, that he had his first long conversations with Helena in, that he stopped from being destroyed by a huge fireball.
Dorian stared at it for a moment before sighing with a smile.
"Ee! Eee!" Dorian's eyes flicked to the right as he heard a beast growling.
The Giant Black Bat that had flown him all the way here was staring at him pitifully, lying on the ground a few meters away. Its wings were tucked up into its body as it rested, lying languidly. Its face was twisted in what Dorian was somehow able to determine was a bored expression.
He patted the huge bat lightly on the head as he laughed out loud. The creature had been perfectly obedient, but Dorian could sense a stubbornness in its eyes when it flew out of range of Evonon. It apparently quite liked its home.
"Oh? Do you want to go home?" The Giant Black Bat didn't seem to like any of the food Dorian had offered it, instead not eating at all, as if it was hibernating. According to Ausra, Giant Black Bats could go for weeks without eating as long as they weren't forced into combat and just flew safely.
"Eee!" The huge bat wiggled as if it understood.
Dorian laughed again.
"Get outta here you. Go home." He spoke the command out loud, holding up his hand and tapping it on the head twice. According to the bat handlers, this was the proper way to instruct it to leave and return back to Evonon. The bats were intelligent, able to handle themselves and fly back on their own.
WHOOSH
Without even giving him a second look, the huge bat abandoned Dorian and took wing, shooting up high into the air. Dorian watched it go with a rueful smile. It faded to a dot in the sky, zooming out across the planet towards the World Bridge that they had arrived on, out of sight. He had flown over here to Potor City after they arrived due to his own familiarity with the area.
He hadn't come back here just to play around, after all.
He nodded his head sharply as he took in his surroundings again.
Several large groups of people could be seen moving in or out of the city, across the large plateau that raised this area up from the dangerous grounds of Taprisha. Many of them were men and women geared up in leather or plate armor, with bows or blades on their backs. Hunters, intent on taking down prey on the ground floor.
Some of them were clearly just Magic Herb gatherers, dressed in loose clothes or garments, with the occasional blade on their back. He spotted a few Wizards, wielding staffs or wands, or various other Artifacts. Vampires, Aethmen, even a few members of the Pyrite Race, a variety of beings moved in and out of the city towards the cliffs in flow.
Dorian walked away from the edge of the cliff and joined the general crowd of people that were moving into the city. The guards up front had long since streamlined the process, making each person suffer only a relatively short wait.
As he walked, his mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with Mello, and the catalyst for his reason for being here.
Back when he was impersonating a Shade and traveling to and fro on Moria, Dorian had traveled with Mello for a period. While the duo hadn't talked that much, they still managed to have a few private, casual conversations.
Most of the talk had been geared towards the task at hand, focused towards taking out the Anomaly Fifteen. They shared most of the information they had about the creature, pooling their strategies. While things had gotten a bit crazy in the end, everything ended up alright.
Some of their talks, however, had been about their past.
Dorian could remember one particular grumble from Mello that sparked his interest here, Dorian's Jade Memory meaning that even the most casual conversation was permanently memorized.
Even the most casual tidbit was something he could reflect back on at a moment's notice.
They had been in the midst of talking about Fifteen and somehow the topic ended up on other Anomalies.
Dorian had explained how he saved some of Mello's Anomaly comrades and Mello thanked him. He then brought up another familiar Anomaly, the rhyming Eleventhborn.
"…"
"That damned Eleventhborn. I'll tell ya, Inigo, if he hadn't flown over to Taprisha's Molten Core back then, he might've ended up joining me in the end." Mello had had a rare showing of emotion as he complained, but still stuck with calling Dorian 'Inigo' out of habit.
"Oh? What does Taprisha's Core have to do with anything?" Dorian had replied, curious.
"The Laws of the Universe are stretched around natural bodies of great power. The Eleventhborn was able to rapidly expand his understanding of the Law of Fire thanks to that." Mello informed Dorian of something he was only vaguely aware of. He had read, in his time researching and studying the Laws of the Universe, of something similar, but never thought about it in detail.
"…"
Their conversation had drifted back on topic after that, returning to discussing Fifteen's tactics.
When Dorian was with the Vampires, he did some research on his own. He confirmed what Mello had claimed and was actually able to expand upon it.
Places like the Molten Core of Taprisha were called World Phenomena. The Laws of the Universe were 'stretched' in these areas. Some Laws were enhanced while others were made more distant.
World Phenomena were usually extremely dangerous and while they could offer substantial benefits when it came to understanding and studying various Laws, few beings would travel there solely for that. Most wouldn't mind taking their time studying the Laws of the Universe in safety.
By the time most people grew strong enough to be able to survive World Phenomena, their understanding of a Law had likely already crossed into King Class, at which point their understanding of that Law would've reached completion.
Most Anomalies started with extremely powerful bodies and often inborn understandings of certain Laws, but at a much lower level than any King Class being. Thus, most Anomalies were uniquely suited to explore these dangerous regions and gain huge benefits.
By this point, as Dorian finished reflecting, he had reached the front of the line.
The walls of the city stood around 14 meters high. They were quite long, stretching an immense distance to completely encircle the massive city. Potor City was still one of the largest cities Dorian had been to, a huge place housing more than a million beings.
Several armed guards stood outside a large stone gate, checking people over. One particular guard was clad in a long black robe, sitting back and watching from the ground level as the guards inspected people.
He was a Wizard, and a Vampyrian Wizard at that, a member of the Aurelius Vampires that helped oversee the city.
"What's your business here in Potor City?" One of the armored guards waved at Dorian as he stepped up. The man had short brown hair and was human, with a blocky face and a rough looking nose.
"I'm here on official business for the Aurelius Vampires." Dorian pulled out a small brooch that flashed with dim red light.
The moment the guard saw it, his eyes widened. He turned to look at the Wizard behind him, his voice all of a sudden full of respect as he replied,
"Ah, of course, milord. Forgive my impertinence." The human guard backed away as the Vampire Wizard stepped forward and took over.
"I am Head Wizard Tantor, serving the City Guard of Potor in my 3rd year of service. Would you mind if I verify your authority?" The Wizard was an elderly Vampire, with white hair and a lined face. Dorian scanned him briefly.
-
Species: True Vampire
Class - Master Class
Maximum Energy Level: 79
-
"By all means." Dorian held out the necklace. It was made of a silver chain with a ruby gem set as the brooch. Marcus Aurelius himself had gifted Dorian this, declaring him an official Friend of the Aurelius Family. It gave him the authority to travel freely within the Aurelius Family territory as well as some degree of authority and privilege.
After fiddling with it for a second, the Wizard caused a red glow to appear from the brooch. His eyes widened for a moment before he immediately ducked his head, his voice eminently respectful as he replied,
"Thank you, your Lordship." He handed the brooch back over to Dorian, his hands trembling slightly. He eyed Dorian with a hint of fear, as if he was looking at a powerful higher-up.
Dorian watched all of this, feeling slightly bemused.
'What exactly did he see? What did Highlord Marcus put in it?' The Highlord had only told him he wouldn't have any trouble with this in hand, without going into further detail.
Just like that, Dorian was waved through, into the city.
With his Growth Energy to stave off exhaustion and rejuvenate his mind, Dorian technically didn't need to sleep unless he wanted to. As a result, he felt no inclination to look for an Inn despite it being late afternoon.
Instead, he directly moved through the city towards a place from his memories.
One of the shops he'd checked when he was here in Taprisha, perusing instructions on various types of Magic, the Reinda Wizards Shop. There were quite a few shops in the city focused on Blood Magic, the most popular style of Magic for lower level Vampires, but still others that were general purpose.
Dorian vaguely remembered seeing part of a highly detailed map in this shop, one that plotted out various special locations all over Taprisha. He hadn't had his Jade Memory at the time, so he couldn't be perfectly sure, but he figured he would check anyway.
He hadn't been able to find a detailed map of Taprisha's special features within the library he had access to in the Castle of Darkness, and after asking, apparently there hadn't been one on hand either. World Phenomena were interesting, but not particularly valuable. The inherent danger combined with the little benefit to powerful figures left most of these unique places abandoned, with few people paying attention to them.
Dorian moved through the streets with purpose, blinking as he took in the bustling city. He saw merchants rush past in large carts, hunters and warriors move about confidently with a hint of bloodlust, Wizards stride forth talking grandly.
He also saw the regular people, bakers, cleaners, scribes, and more, move about quietly, but happily. Potor City was a large, but cheerful City, one that seemed far happier than Dorian remembered.
Dorian couldn't help but find it a bit odd. After walking roughly halfway towards the Wizardry Shop, he couldn't help but pause and listen to a conversation he'd picked up on the edge of his hearing.
He stood near the center of a bustling street, his finely tuned ears able to pierce through the cacophony of a busy city and pick out one particular discussion.
An apparent midwife was talking to a warrior that was dressed in bear hides, sitting at a table outside of a pub. The midwife was an elderly woman, with long grey hair and a wrinkled, friendly face, while the warrior appeared to be in his late 30s, but muscular and buff as any other human warrior might be. He had short black hair and a half-handsome, but somewhat forgettable, face.
He could tell she was a midwife because she referred to herself in third person as a midwife, a rather odd habit, but Dorian wasn't going to judge.
"…Son, your expedition took you far too long! It's good you came back, you almost lost this old midwife!" The elderly woman's voice wavered as she batted her son on the head.
"Ma, I told you I would be away for half a year! How could I have known the City would've been attacked?!" The son's voice was youthfully belligerent and wronged, not matching his age at all.
"It was a plot from those damned Shades, I tell ya! The old City Lord got killed and his wife went missing! And then a huge meteor almost slammed into the city but the Aureliuguon Vampires-
"Aurelius Vampires, Ma-"
"Don't interrupt your mother, son! As I was saying, the heroic Aurelius Vampires stopped it all and saved us! Thank the Heavens for that. Our city is truly a blessed one now!" She shook her head sternly.
The warrior looked at his mother with a helpless expression. He shrugged, picking up a pint of beer that was on the table before him and taking a swig from it.
Dorian smiled slightly as he heard all of this. Somehow, without even noticing, his actions seemed to have become a bit of a legend, though the Aurelius Vampires seemed to have taken most of the credit.
"Well, Ma, be that as it is, I need to go report to the Sixth Palace and-"
"Oh, the Sixth Palace, son?" The man's mother interrupted him again, shaking her head.
"Son, the 6th Palace is still in repairs, and has been ever since the attack! Someone destroyed the roof and the 6th Palace Master has had the repairs all done manually! He's currently living in one of the Exalt Mansions at the north of town." She patted her son reassuringly on the shoulder.
When Dorian heard this, he couldn't help but smirk. Helena had told him about how she had accidentally destroyed the Sixth Palace roof.
"He had the repairs done manually?! What? Why?" The warrior stared at his mother in disbelief.
"Oh, well, apparently the Spell Field of the Palace Masters catastrophically failed, spreading a huge amount of panic. Most of the Palace Masters decided on relocating after everything came to a rest, and the original Palaces are slowly being sold off."
Dorian looked away guiltily at that. He had absorbed that Spell Field long ago, though only out of necessity. Perhaps he should anonymously donate to have it repaired.
"They say it was that dreadful Titan that destroyed the Spell Field of the 12 Palaces and the roof of the Sixth Palace, after murdering one of the Palace Masters! What a monster!" The elderly woman shuddered, shaking a first in the air.
Dorian squinted, instantly losing any desire to help repair the Spell Field, while also feeling mildly wronged. He hadn't had anything to do with the collapse of the Sixth Palace's roof, and the Palace Master he had killed had had it coming.
"As a midwife, I can tell you right now, all that energy being blown apart is bad for the children! Nobles these days let their babes rest way too close to unreliable Magic." She sighed as she shook her head.
It was at that moment, as Dorian was immersed in eavesdropping, that he was rudely jarred from his focus.
"Out of the way, out of the way! Carriage!"
A loud voice caught Dorian's attention as he snapped his head forward, staring.
A large and sleek, black carriage was bustling down the road at high speed. Dozens of people moved out of the way quickly, wagons and warriors alike avoiding the carriage. A few of them turned to swear but paused when they saw the sigil emblazoned on the carriage, turning away in defeat.
Dorian squinted at the carriage, his eyes scanning it. Inside, he could feel the presence of a Grandmaster Class being, as well as two Master Class beings. An important looking sigil was emblazoned on the side of it, likely that of one of the Palace Masters of the City.
In just a few scant seconds, the carriage had moved halfway towards Dorian, with no intentions of slowing or stopping.
"Out of the way!" The driver was a young, Sky Class human, dressed in a fine suit and looking every bit the important steward.
Dorian blinked slowly as the carriage rushed towards him.
And then casually walked out of its way.
The driver was a bit rude, but there was no need to waste time causing a scene, right?
It wasn't like he had to be arrogant and demanding now that he'd gained a bit of strength. His personality wasn't just going to jarringly shift, not like it did when he'd had Yukeli's memories.
As the carriage shot past him, however, a small smile appeared on his face.
'Baby Hyperion Beam!' He called into existence a minuscule Hyperion Beam and fired it off immediately, creating a nearly invisible line of power that shot through the air and landed on one of the back wheels.
BOOM
The back wheel of the carriage exploded, causing the carriage to crash and skid to a stop, bits of wood falling off as it tumbled forward. None of the common people were injured due to most of them having already moved out of the way, but the inhabitants of the carriage were sent flying out of it, tumbling unceremoniously on the road.
"Who dares?!" The half-Vampire daughter of the 3rd Palace Master came up sputtering, her long blonde hair full of wooden chips as she picked herself up off the ground. She had been wearing a nice green dress, one that was now covered in dirt and grime from the street.
By the time she managed to look around, however, a certain, mischievous Anomaly had already vanished, jogging away with a cheerful smile on his face.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
A short amount of time later…
Dorian was back outside the city, opting to move quickly instead of stay and visit. In his hands, he was currently folding up a detailed map of Taprisha, his memory proving true in the end. The shop he'd travelled to not only held a detailed map, but the Wizard overseeing it was able to give him a clear explanation of several points.
He smiled as he stretched his arms and legs, looking over the edge of the cliff and then around him.
It was already evening, with darkness making its inevitable march onward to conquer the last dying embers of daylight. The surrounding area was far less busy, with very few men and women about doing business. Almost everyone he saw was making their way back toward Potor City, with very few headed out to the cliff edge.
After double and triple checking that no one was watching, Dorian stuck his toes off that edge.
He then leaned over it.
"Let's go see what this Molten Core has to offer before we skip off to Blizzaria." He casually jumped forward, tumbling down away from the edge of the cliff. As he fell, his body rapidly transformed, his Sun Eagle form bursting into existence.
A light trail of flames fell from his wings as he thrust forward, blazing off into the distance, headed towards the most dangerous region on the planet.