Embrace The Ether

As he said that, he lifted up a heavy and long spear-looking weapon. It was similar in design to the Jaeger but it was also visually different in several ways.

For one, the Jaeger was thin and relied heavily on its thinness to allow for quickened strikes. However, for the spear which Atra held, this spear was thicker in size and carried with it several heavy regalias, most likely for weight-balancing and personal use in prayer.

"Hey Atra, what is that weapon of yours?"

"Oh, this?" Atra lifted his head as he glanced at Deus, then down toward the heavy spear he held in his hands. "This here is a weapon of a distant city, known as Enshil. I had been there once before during one of my previous clan"s duties, and I had fallen in love with this weapon. I"ve always held it close to my heart, to the point where many believe I"m addicted." Atra chuckled, "You see, this spear is known by its craftsmen as an Ataka."

"Ataka?" Deus questioned in return, his brow raised in curiosity, all the while their ship continued to rock and shake under absorbed fire.

In fact, Atra believed it odd at how calm Deus appeared in the middle of battle, but he quickly moved past it believing it was simply his firm restraint and training, and only gave several nods of approval.

"Yes indeed, the Ataka was a unique style of spear forged within Enshil, a surprisingly beautiful city within Midnight. You most likely will only find a dozen or so other Atakas in your life, sadly."

Deus was shocked. "Wait, why is that? Are they truly that rare in creation?"

"Not originally, but now… I"m afraid so. Most others I imagine were lost during the fall of Enshil."

"Oh… so that"s what he meant when he said that. So this Enshil had fallen."

"Wait," Deus practically interrupted his own thoughts, "Was Enshil a city ruled by a Lord? I know Lords can fall and rise, but how can the cities? Aren"t they more… you know… permanent?"

"Well yes, I suppose. But, nothing could be done."

Atra held in his face a sad expression as if he were recalling some old sad memory.

"Years ago, and I truly do mean that literally. It had been many years now." Atra explained, "The city of Enshil ruled as a powerful force throughout Midnight. A city of thousands, if not more. It wouldn"t have been odd to proclaim it the center of Midnight."

Deus was shocked.

"Enshil had seen thousands of years of peace and prosperity, so it was no wonder it would continue to grow ever-expanding. That was until the City Lord had ordered the investigation of an old artifact that had been uncovered within a sanctum beneath the city. A hollowed room that was accidentally wandered upon, you could say."

Atra shot a glance toward Deus as he continued, "Don"t be mistaken, though… it wasn"t by accident. It was all a plot by some unseen force to create conflict between the Territorial Lord and the Grandmaster of Midnight."

"An unseen force?" Deus repeated in question.

"Indeed. Even to this day, no one will publicly admit to knowing who or what it was, but I"m of heart to believe it was a mysterious and dangerous being who held animosity with the Grandmaster. In order to cause chaos, it showed what I heard was a dangerous symbol to the City Lord, who was in turn driven mad through the years, gazing upon it."

"Hold on, so you"re telling me that the City Lord found some mysterious symbol beneath his city… and was driven mad… simply by looking at it?"

Atra chuckled, "It indeed sounds mad, but it"s the truth. In fact, if you ever get the opportunity to speak with a City Lord, never reveal you know of this, as it"s seen as taboo from what I"ve come to learn. I only know the truth because of my visit and connection to Enshil, which is one of the only reasons why I even serve such a powerful clan now."

Atra leaned in closer.

"You see, this symbol was believed to be a curse created by some ancient and primordial beast, hidden and cast from sight by the Grandmaster. Animosity built between the two sides. It"s the only thing that makes sense, after all, no one else could stand against the Grandmaster."

"I understand that and all, but how did Enshil fall, exactly?"

With another pause, Atra sighed.

"It was a horrible night, from what I had heard. From the center of Midnight, only seven survivors, each of them believed to be chosen to deliver a message to the other Lords. I"m of the mind to think that the message was their very lives, of course. They were spared. Only seven people survived, even though it was once a grand city of thousands. Some message..."

Atra spoke heavily as he recalled the ancient tale of Enshil, and how it had fallen from grace.

"It was said that the Grandmaster himself had descended from the black moon, and had unleashed a divine plague that left only those seven alive. Why they were chosen, I do not know… if it was even intentional? That isn"t up to me to decide, after all, this is the Grandmaster we"re talking about… the thought of him leaving survivors by accident, though? Doubtful."

Deus gulped as he listened, fear showed on his face as he imagined the events of that horrible night.

"The Grandmaster personally descended onto Midnight to destroy a city, and kill its Lord? I can only dare imagine how that went."

"Right, it was a true slaughter. We"ve seen Lord"s infighting, but this… from what I had been told, this was something else. The black sand itself seemed to fold to his command as if he was some deity above all life. He spoke a word, and the world went silent."

With a heavy breath, Atra went on, "The worst of it all was that even to this day, no one really knows why it happened for certain or even what that symbol was that the City Lord had uncovered. In truth, I doubt anyone even knows who left it, spreading only rumor and guesses. I"ve asked around the clan, and from what I"ve heard, even Master Roland himself was left with only more questions during his investigation, even being threatened by powerful and dangerous forces to not look further into those events."

Deus released a sigh, "What truly terrifying information. Say, this should"ve happened relatively recently, right?"

Atra paused for a moment as he let out a chuckle.

"I suppose it was relatively recent for some, but for you? That"s the question. You see, my last visit to Enshil was… let"s see… five hundred years ago? Yes, that sounds about right. So this all happened somewhere between then and now."

"Hold on, you"re five hundred years old?" Deus was shocked, "How is that possible?"

"Hah hah, I"m a.s.suming you"re quite young still, especially to not know that being five hundred years old isn"t anything special in these odd lands. I"m quite young compared to many, and only average for my species, the Krex."

He lifted himself back up as he spoke, "Let"s see… I"m around six hundred years old, I"d say, give or take a few decades. Master Elias would probably be around eighty or so, but he"s human so that"s expected. Oh right, from what I"ve heard, Master Roland should be around nine hundred, closing in on a thousand."

"Nine hundred years old, and almost a thousand? That"s maddening!"

"Even that"s nothing compared to some… h.e.l.l, you know that military captain, Roch, right? From what I"ve been told, that old monster is well over six thousand years old by now. A true old monarch, probably as old as the Territorial Lord who he serves, even."

"S-six thousand…"

Deus choked out in shock, he truly didn"t expect any of this to be the case. What had caused these long ages compared to his homeworld, he wondered.

Interrupting their discussion, Elias shouted out over the deck of the ship, practically drawing Deus out of some trance as he contemplated everything he had heard. "All of you, raise your weapons! It"s time to take the fight to those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds down below!"

Deus grinned, "Oh, so the fight is already here… I suppose it"s the vanguard"s turn."