Odyssey of the Guardian Emperor

Alaric blinked… What had he just heard? No, that couldn't be right.

He was a bit confused from the fact that he was looking up at the last thing he wanted to come across, a creature powerful enough to make him question the life choices that led him to this point.

Still, he couldn't have failed to hear the big majestic death sentence of a Heaven-Crested Eagle say something along the lines of, 'Alaric of the Five Hills, you're the one we've been looking for, O Chosen one…'

[ I don't think he said anything like Chosen One. ] Alia rolled her eyes at the boy.

Since Alaric was now even more capable of splitting his focus between his guardian and the outside world, the two would continue to bicker, with Alaric throwing more lines in support of his 'Chosen One' argument.

Outside this wholesome and pointless argument between guardian and master, however, the situation couldn't be any worse. First off, Alaric hadn't even planned on meeting anything remotely close to the power this 'High Sentinel' was packing. He started to wonder whether he'd raised too much chaos.

The boy was downright suffocating in the aether flowing off this golden bird, its feathers rippling like flowing silk in the wind. Its golden eyes were fixed on him, a sight that should have made him crumple to his knees… and yet, he didn't.

Just then, a familiar voice spoke up, filled with a heavy dose of malice, "Your Greatness, High Sentinel, this mortal couldn't possibly be… You-Know-Who. He's chaotic, lacks any form of decorum. He's working with others to steal our Storm Orbs, and he was setting off explosions everywhere like a lunatic… He's nothing like…"

"You judge too quickly, Dara'k." The Great Sentinel thundered.

"My tongue stays true, Your Greatness. A thief is a thief," Dara'k insisted, not backing down in the face of the majestic Heaven-Crested Eagle.

The High Sentinel chuckled to himself, "I… will be the judge of that."

The entire conversation had happened in the Old Tongue, which meant that nothing of it was a lie, or at least everything said was, in some way, true. That didn't paint a good picture in front of the big Heaven-Crested Eagle. Even then, however, Alaric still found himself reluctant to speak in his defence.

'I'll give Dara'k a point for guts,' Alaric mused, 'The day I stand up to someone like Guildmaster Schiller like that will be quite the auspicious one. It will probably rain.'

[ You're also capable of great defiance. You just haven't had a chance to show it. It happens to everyone. In moments of great turmoil and loss, everyone makes a decision… and that decision is one that comes from deep inside. You made a decision to kill the Demon King. That takes courage… and guts. ] Alia's voice echoed through his mind.

By this time, the High Sentinel was done talking to an Eagle that had approached him, and Alaric was done talking to Alia. Turning back to the boy, the great eagle asked in the human language, "Would you happen to know a boy by the name of Alaric?"

'So even Aether Beasts speak the human language when they feel like it,' he thought to himself. He'd come across a Naiad that could speak the Human Tongue and now, a Heaven-Crested Eagle.

The boy cleared his throat and answered in the Old Tongue, "Actually, I do know someone by that name. But before I tell you, I would like to know how you know that name."

There was a period of silence before the creature spoke in the human language once more, "You need not speak in the Old Tongue, human. Feel free to use your human language. And about the name, some High Ones, such as myself, have been blessed enough to know this name. It sings in our minds in the Old Tongue… as though the Constellations themselves whisper it."

Alaric raised an eyebrow at the beast, "The Constellations?!"

"It's just a figure of speech," the High Sentinel explained.

Alaric nodded. So it had nothing to do with the actual Constellations. He still didn't understand what that 'figure of speech' was supposed to mean though. If anything, it placed him further away from figuring out how they'd found out his name.

He knew the Old Tongue allowed one to refer to the Great Protector as Alaric… but even then it wasn't easy to come across the name. After all, there was another way of saying the word Protector without speaking the boy's name. The Old Tongue was powerful that way.

The High Sentinel noticed his doubt, then sighed, "Fine… The Tower of Seekers informed us of Alaric's existence… your existence. They went on to ask that we offer you sanctuary if we meet you. We hear you're interested in killing the King of Tainted Ones. We could teach you a thing or two about Wind Magic."

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"What makes you think I am who you say I am?" the boy asked.

"You wear his Storage Item," the High Sentinel shrugged, "Any more questions?"

Alaric's body had already gone cold without aether going through it. His gut didn't alert him of any danger and yet, he felt very much in trouble. Alaric shook his head, suddenly confused by something, "No, no, no… wait, this isn't making any sense. What's the Tower of Seekers doing talking to the Heaven-Crested Eagles?"

"Your Greatness, he came here with a party of adventurers. They are only here for the Storm Orbs. They are only here for profit," Dara'k intervened.

Alaric's mind was buzzing.

No, this wasn't part of the plan. Heaven-Crested Eagles were sentient. All Aether Beasts were sentient to some extent. Alaric had known this. Even then, however, he hadn't expected this level of sentience.

He'd learnt from the Three-Cut Bone Tiger that some communities of aether beasts went on to live sophisticated lives with hierarchies and lives much similar in nature to human lives. Still, none of that had prepared him for this.

Not only were these birds sentient, but they were also interested in him and had connections to the Tower of Seekers. This threw more than a wrench in his plans. They threw the whole toolbox into them. If he stole or helped adventurers steal Storm Orbs from them, then what would that make him? Would it tarnish the relationship the Tower had with the Heaven-Crested Eagles?

Dara'k was right to be sceptical about him.

'This wasn't a part of the plan,' his mind echoed once more.

How many plans would get out of hand before everything would get better again? He was supposed to be playing the part of a decoy, but that had failed. He didn't even know if there was a Plan B in the event that he failed. Their party was powerful but the number of Eagles he'd roused on his way here was nothing to scoff at either.

Then there was the fact that he couldn't return to Melbourne. The sun was far past its zenith. He needed to get to Flintstone Quarry or any nearby town if he was to make it through the night, when demons roamed the lands outside the Holy Barriers. This was all going to ruin. And all for what? A few gold coins?

He took a step away from the High Sentinel, against his screaming gut instincts. Lately, his gut was sending him more messages than he could decipher, and now that he'd taken a step back, it screamed one more message into the chaos drowning him…

The noises around the boy faded into the background. He could hear his heart pumping in his ears. He stopped moving and swayed slightly, dazed. His world was spinning, 'What is this?'

[ You'd run away after promising to get Troy that Storm Orb? ] Alia whispered in his mind ominously. The boy's heart sank. There was no way he was leaving without that Storm Orb. That thought only made him swallow hard when he glanced toward the High Sentinel. How was he going to get through that?

Alaric was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The High Sentinel noticed the boy's turmoil and sighed, "Don't look so lost, child. Ask… and it will be done as is our agreement with the Tower of Seekers. I'll advise you, of course."

Alaric stared at the majestic eagle with the same lost eyes. How was the Tower connected to the Heaven-Crested Eagles? Were the Eagles friends or enemies? How would he be taking back Storm Orbs now?

"What is going on here?" the boy whispered.

The boy thought he saw the majestic bird smirk, "Whatever do you mean, Dear Protector?"

[ Calm down, Alaric. ] Alia tried, feeling the boy's overwhelming emotions. There was too much happening in his mind, most of it unprocessed and noisy. His gut screamed for him to get his emotions under control, and yet, logic dictated that this was the time to be most wary.

Whatever his gut was telling him, his mind failed to interpret… and the end result was chaos. He wanted to make it back to his friends… and yet, he also wanted to stay here with the High Sentinel and find out all he could about what was happening right now.

It made no sense to want both, considering he knew nothing of what his friends were currently going through or what the High Sentinel wanted with him and yet, that was his situation.

"You're worried about your friends," the High Sentinel's voice rumbled. Alaric nodded feverishly…

There was a warm look in the great eagle's eyes before he said, "Then let's get that out of the way."

The great beast's talons landed on the ground in front of Alaric before it proceeded to lower its head, "Hop on."

The other Heaven-Crested Eagles rushed to stop their leader, "Your Greatness, no!"

"No human's worthy of riding on your back. Protector or not…" Dara'k yelled, landing on Alaric's other side with a heavy thud of his feet. His anger was clear for Alaric to see.

The large eagle merely laughed, "Worthiness is a virtue determined only by the Constellations… but I hear you, Dara'k. Would you be more comfortable carrying him then?"

"Yes… I would," Dara'k bowed.

"I wonder how you fit all that pride into that little body," the boy sighed, shaking his head at the young Heaven-Crested Eagle.

"Hey, human. I hate this just as much as you do… But if you show up to your friends on top of one of us, it will be a lot easier to convince those idiots not to kill us for a few stupid Storm Orbs," Dara'k argued.

Alaric's mind popped… "Storm Orbs aren't stupid. And since when can you think?"

Dara'k's aether flared, and the wind around his feathers turned erratic in response to his emotions. The only reason that wind wouldn't reach Alaric was the presence of the High Sentinel. Even without putting in any effort, all the air around them remained under his control. It was still, almost as if it would get punished for moving.

"You have a big mouth, human," Dara'k growled.

Alaric laughed at the fuming Eagle as he approached him, "Just so you know, Dara'k. Riding on your back won't suddenly mean we're friends. You tried to put a hole through my head, and it still hurts."

"A small price to pay for cracking one of my ribs," Dara'k countered, lowering his head for Alaric to hop on.

Eagles weren't exactly built to hover or even support anyone on their backs, so Dara'k had to struggle a bit before taking flight. Once he'd found his balance with the wind, the flight smoothened out.

Alaric had questions, as always, but he was also eager to see his friends again. They flew high, going high enough to nearly touch the clouds. This high, Alaric managed to fathom the height of the Barren Mountains. To be stuck between two of the peaks in these ranges was to be truly stuck between them. They were high up… and yet, both sides of the mountains pierced the sky, only breaking, peeking out as they neared the end of the valley. Here, he even caught a glimpse of the Shimmering Creek.

There, an idea struck him: "You knew we were coming."