Apostles of Doom

Verigas was not really sure, but this seemed unusually direct and on point for a saint. Were saints not supposed to be sort of mystical and cryptic? “Oorstemoth has built a vessel, a flying metal ship,” he replied.

“A ship? You mean like the ones that were docked outside of Freehold?”

This saint seems remarkably up on current events for a dream, Verigas thought to himself. Yet, she doesn’t know about the Holy Sacred Mission? He said, “No, it’s all enclosed, sort of like a tube with towers on each end and in the middle. It’s covered in magical runes.”

“And how will this help them recover Talarius?” she asked.

“The Inferno can travel to any place in the multiverse,” Verigas said. “They’ve taken it to the Abyss to hunt down the archdemon and recover Talarius!”

The saint closed her eyes briefly and sighed. This really wasn’t what Verigas expected for a mystical experience. “I’m going to need some more details.” Hilda said, looking at Verigas and moving closer.

The Inferno: DOA + 5, Early Second Period

“Gaius?” Gadius called softly towards the bunk above him.

“Yes?” Gaius replied at a normal speaking level.

“I was checking to see if you were asleep.”

“I am not. Nor are you, unless you are once more talking in your sleep.” Gaius chuckled.

“Funny. No, slumber will not come.” The white knight sighed.

“Nor for me,” his ebony counterpart agreed. “I am not sure why; I should be exhausted by the emotional trials of this day. Mentally, I do feel it; however, physically I do not feel tired.”

“Perhaps it is the stress of our unexpected guest, or the fact that we are actually in the Abyss?” Gadius proposed.

“Hmm. I have been thinking about that; however, Sir Samwell did agree to disarm and check his weapons and armor into the armory, as per ship rules during non-combat periods,” Gaius said.

“And, in fact, divested himself of additional blades and weapons as well, beyond what we ourselves have done,” Gadius agreed. “And Sir Lady Serah is fully armed and standing guard on his quarters. She is surely powerful enough to hold off even an archdemon long enough to sound the alarm should he prove hostile.”

“So then it should not be that; we’ve slept with far worse enemies nearby,” Gaius said.

“Could it be what Barabus told us about the Oorstemothians not knowing about the aether?” Gadius asked. “If they are not aware of the aether, then there is no way this ship could be protected against aethereal penetration — unless they got extremely lucky with other countermeasures.”

“Perhaps, although that thought has bothered me less than the potential it opens up for our work in Oorstemoth.”

“I have not tried to shift. Doing so would allow us to determine if the ship is secure. If we shift and can leave the vessel, we can be fairly certain there is no such protection,” Gadius said.

“Good point. Why don’t you try?” Gaius asked.

“Because you are the one who loves the aether more than I and are far more versed in it. How many times have we had this discussion?” Gadius asked, his smile reflected in his humorous tone.

Gaius chuckled. “Yes, and it is your dislike of the aether that probably makes you paranoid of the ship’s vulnerabilities.”

“And you are not concerned?”

“I am now that you reminded me.” Gaius laughed.

“So?”

“Very well,” Gaius replied with mock resignation.

Gadius waited, staring up to the bottom of Gaius’s bunk, waiting for the knight to test the ship’s defenses.

“Hmm, that is very odd,” Gaius said, sooner than Gadius had expected.

“What is odd?” Gadius asked.

“I shifted, and I felt the shift, but after shifting I was still in the material realm. Right here, not aethereal.”

“What do you mean? You could not shift to the aethereal realm?” Gadius asked.

“No. I shifted, or at least it felt that way; however, everything stayed the same. It felt like the material and aethereal realms were one and the same,” Gadius said, and paused. “I have not shifted back, in fact.”

“So you think you’re aethereal now? I should not be able to hear you,” Gadius said.

“There, I shifted back, and I’m still — still here. This is very odd. I have never encountered this, nor heard of it.”

“Thinking back to school, was there not some philosophical speculation that the Outer Planes had no aether? Similar to the Astral Plane?” Gadius asked.

“Hmm. Good point. Let me think.” Gaius went silent for a few moments. “I do think you may be correct. Although there were different arguments about the why of this. But perhaps that is the answer.”

“The Abyss is an outer plane?” Gadius asked. That seemed to go against everything they had been taught.

“I am not sure I would go that far, but it would appear that the Abyss is something different. It is not one of the Planes of Man. Perhaps only the Planes of Man have aethereal realms?” Gaius said.