The door to the inn suddenly burst open, and entering, a dwarf with unkempt auburn hair walked in.
He held a rucksack containing various materials and minerals, which were all useful in their own particular way. He was clad in bronze and ivory armour, that covered most sections of his body perfectly.
It was the advantage of being a forger that was who Thornfum was.
Thornfum Furdia came from a family of forgers; his mother, Reinhard Furdia, was an especially renowned and great forger known across the continent. Though no usual person would leave such power to simply be in the company of Xerxes.
There was a deeper reason for the separation of Thornfum and his mother.
Similar to Xerxes, Thornfum had his own story, his own motives and reasons to get stronger.
His emerald eyes locked onto Xerxes who was slouched in his chair.
"What's got ya in the dumps? I know things don't really change but seriously, ya' could at least be a lass who I could have fun with, but ya' gotta be a depressed bum!"
Xerxes wondered how someone could be so perverse openly, sighing, he stood from his chair, wiping his eyes before he faced Thornfum.
Glancing at the materials, Xerxes asked, "Did you get what you needed? My sword doesn't have much time left, the battle with Tristan pushed it to its limits."
Thornfum threw his rucksack onto the sofa which he slept on, "Well I managed to get most of the things from the market, I was able to grab some Luminant Wood, but cost me a fortune...and a bit of m' honour." He said dejectedly.
Xerxes thought what possibly could he have done to acquire a piece of wood from the great tree of Eros, but the fact he had gotten it was good enough. Regardless of what honour he lost...
"At least that is one part of the puzzle done, it's good, it may seem unassuming-only valued by collectors, but the good thing about the Furdia's is that your family has acquired a forging technique that brings out some of the tree's true abilities." Xerxes said, whilst admiring the piece of wood.
That was why Xerxes needed Thornfum.
It was only he who could utilise the full abilities of the great tree of Eros, but of course, Thornfum wasn't any master craftsman so he needed to develop, he needed to work more before he was on the level of a master craftsman and forger.
Xerxes took a moment to question himself, had he only viewed Thornfum as a tool for his progress, or a friend. Yes, he had a personality that was deplorable, but was he wrong for having such a relationship, despite his intentions being good.
Randomly he shook his head, and then continued, "Was there anything else you could find?"
Thornfum looked at him, deadpan, "Ya' seriously forgot, I sure as hell aint! We've been invited to the headquarters of the adventuring association. Remember, today is the date that all the prizes are awarded, I took a gander around the adventuring headquarters. Get this, it's packed, people are eager to know what others are gonna' get."
Xerxes picked up on the masses of people gathering; it certainly wasn't ideal.
The leader of the eclipse tournament, Daryul of Baratheon, who stood as head of the adventuring association of Baratheon, had told Xerxes that one of his requests would be met.
Something Xerxes asked for was a map. It seemed unassuming, he could have asked for most things. He first asked if he could use the stargate, but Xerxes discovered that there had been rising tension between the humans and dwarves.
Not only that, had he wished to use one to go to a closer kingdom, such as Indonyia, who were more peaceful with Baratheon than Layne was, the wait was extremely long. With the new year at Indonyia Magic Academy starting extremely soon, the stargate was extremely occupied, prioritising the students and their travel.
Additionally, graduate students were able to be sent to the eastern continent of Fedradia for further studies, and accounting all that time, it would amount to at least a year, and then there were more processes that Xerxes didn't have the time for.
Thornfum scratched his head, "Ya must be all the things they say about ya'. Crazy. Who would ask for a map from Luminaria's sanctum ?"
Xerxes spoke, "I just need the map, nothing more, nothing less."
Then without wasting too much time, Xerxes immediately found himself getting ready once again, not having time to rest as Airi had advised.
Xerxes looked at the phoenix, "You coming with us?"
She returned his gaze. As much as his actions hurt her, she knew deep down that Xerxes found it difficult to process emotions. And what companionship would they truly have when Xerxes perhaps needed her the most.
He may not know it, but Xerxes was dependent on her, just like she was. So she flew to his shoulder, "Of course I will come."
Xerxes nodded, without a smile and collected his items, Thornfum stretched as they left the inn, making their way through the city.
As Thornfum had said, the streets were extremely bustling towards the direction of the main adventuring guild headquarters.
Not only that, Xerxes could sense a few familiar mana signatures within the crowd, notably those who had fought in the same tournament that he had fought in, but there was no sign of Leiya.
Xerxes didn't try to occupy his thoughts with her, and decided to focus on the next part of his journey. So they continued to walk, until they eventually arrived at the guild headquarters.
***
Before Xerxes, a towering statue of a warrior, carved from gleaming stone and bronze stood proud. His muscular frame was poised mid-stride, one hand gripping a massive war hammer, which was the only thing made out of pure gold.
Behind the statue was the Adventuring association's headquarters, an immense structure built from white marble and dark oak, which truly expressed the dwarven craftsmanship. Towering red banners, embroidered with the Kingdom's sigil hung proudly from its ramparts, fluttering in the breeze.
Around the base of the statue, merchants and adventurers mingled, admiring its beauty, their voices blending with the clatter of blacksmiths and the rustle of banners.
Airi seemed to take a moment glancing at the golden hammer, and as if unnaturally she murmured, "The Immortal's Hammer?"
Xerxes could barely hear what she said, but she seemed to be trapped in thought, Xerxes glanced at her, "Is everything alright, Airi?"
But she ignored his question, her mind perhaps recollecting something from her past, something her 'mission' entailed.
Xerxes wasn't going to disturb her because he still respected that if something led towards her own goals and ambitions, she needed to know as much as possible.
So, Thornfum and Xerxes continued forward, and as they walked forward, people who recognised Xerxes started moving out of the way for him, as they understood who he was and what he was capable of.
Thornfum, in a way, was also revered but it wasn't for who he was, instead, it was his family. The Furdia's. Once a noble house, now nothing. They were stripped of their titles, their noble status and were punished.
In all likeliness, Thornfum despised being here, but Xerxes needed that map, so he tried to relax his mind and not acknowledge the stares in other peoples' eyes.
They then arrived at the hallway, which led into the association. Those who didn't participate in the eclipse tournament were forbidden to enter, so that meant Thornfum would have to wait outside.
"Well, nice knowing ya, don't die in the sanctum, heard it's a deadly place."
Xerxes frowned, 'what could be so deadly about a sanctuary' he wondered, but beyond those doors and perhaps a few more, he would find out.
A guard then approached Xerxes as he walked forward, straight towards the door, he was a stern dwarf whose demeanour was of utmost seriousness, "May I ask your name, and can you please provide the token you had been advised to keep after the tournament."
Xerxes rummaged through his pockets, eventually finding the token, and then he handed it over to the guard, "Xerxes Draedon."
The guard, despite the reverence Xerxes had gained, still remained steadfast and professional, nodding, as he allowed Xerxes into the adventuring association's headquarters.
Xerxes pushed forward the door, he sighed, closing his eyes. If the people who would be receiving prizes were to be here, then he would surely expect 2 others. Tristan Godfrey, he was tolerable. Xerxes actually learned many things from him and only became as strong as he was because of him. The second person would be Learna Lovett.
She was candid, respectful and determined. Xerxes could have seen himself being such dear friends with her, she always tried to reach out to him after the tournament, she said she had seen something in Xerxes' eyes.
Like himself, she was fighting for family, but in a different sense. She barely had enough money to go by, her parents had both tragically died in a mining accident, and she was left to fend for her family, doing anything she could, but what Xerxes couldn't overcome was her hope.
Hope only led to devastating outcomes. It was better, it was better to have the lowest of expectations, that way, when something would go inevitably wrong, then it could be easier to face it.
Being around her, that hope would definitely rub off on him, perhaps making him, how he once was. A hopeful, and optimistic person.
However, when Xerxes opened the door and entered the room, no one was there.
Tristan wasn't here.
Learna wasn't here.
Simply, there was a floating structure of earth within the middle.
Xerxes furrowed his eyebrows, "Daryul, I know you're in there, where's Tristan and Learna."
A laughter echoed throughout the large hall, the dimly lit lights flickering with each passing of sound, eventually a hand emerged from the top of the floating stone, and then another, until Daryul pulled himself from the earth.
Then, there he was, the head of the adventuring association of Baratheon. He was a dwarf, who always held a playful demeanour, no matter the situation. His eyes were an unnatural rosy pink and his grin never left him. He slouched on the stone, holding his earthen staff in one hand, the other, holding his face upright.
"The adventuring association building is no place for the losers of the tournament, Xerxes, my dear friend. The world rewards the winners, and you seem to be one of them, champion of the eclipse tournament."
Hearing those words, Xerxes recalled the battles that had occurred, each one of them pushing himself to his limit, until he eventually won the tournament, albeit very narrowly.
"I appreciate the praise, yet, it doesn't diminish the efforts of Tristan and Learna. Tristan was known as the prodigious mage, before I took that title and Learna was the one who pushed me in reaching tier 4. You have given them their rewards, haven't you?"
Daryul nodded, "Well of course, I am a man of my promises, the 3rd place winner received 500 gold pieces, which is enough money for the next five or so years. The 2nd place winner received 1000 gold pieces, alongside an armour set crafted by some of Baratheon's top forgers and finally you. You are to receive 1500 gold pieces, alongside anything you desire from Luminaria's Sanctuary."
Xerxes was at the very least glad to hear that they didn't fight for nothing. Learna would be able to support her family, Tristan would be able to continue his journey of strength and with this much gold Xerxes could do many things, that he thought would be previously impossible to do.
Daryul chuckled, "It isn't everyday that someone is able to choose something from Luminaria's vault, I remember when the tournament concluded you asked for a map, but why something so simple, my dear friend? Perhaps I need to take you into the sanctum for you to understand."
He then fell through his stone, landing on the cold marble floor, as Xerxes was led by Daryul throughout the building, until they arrived at a door covered in gold, with immense pressure brimming on the opposite side.
Xerxes mind raced with various thoughts of what could be beyond the door; after all, he had not read much about the history concerning Luminaria's sanctuary, but the name did sound familiar. Unfortunately, he couldn't recall where.
"I'll need to call upon the Lord of Light's power, and once you enter the room, I very much doubt that the 'map' will be what you desire. How about a bet? You sure do love your gambits; that was made obvious in the tournament."
Xerxes didn't divert his attention; his focus was locked onto the golden door. "To be honest, there will probably be something in there that will pique my interest, but I'm certain the map is what I would like."
Daryul shrugged helplessly and wondered tirelessly about Xerxes' motives. Regardless of his questions fluttering in his mind, he needed to be professional and still live up to his promise.
Daryul then muttered a silent prayer, "To the immortal, I call upon thee to bless this form with the power of light, I am a servant, I am a slave, I am the Lord of Light's creation, now, Luminaria's vault, unveil yourself!"
An immense pressure then released from Daryul's hand, exploding into the door.
Xerxes planted his feet as fixed as he could, but the marble floor still sent his body sliding back slowly.
A shimmering, divine light streamed into the door, illuminating it, slowly and slowly until the light formed itself into the shape of a tree, then the doors opened.
The chamber unfolded like a dream within the void. Ironically, it reminded Xerxes of the setting within his soul core. A vast sanctuary stood before him, its walls stretched endlessly in the shadow, carved from stone that hummed with faint energy from various runes inscribed on the walls.
Then, what he saw next made him understand the value of Luminaria's sanctuary. He now understood why everyone fought so direly in the tournament. To Xerxes, it was just a means of escape. He wanted to occupy his mind with something other than the deaths of those he loved.
But to others, this was something so immeasurably valuable. Floating around Xerxes, as he moved forward to stand on a solitary platform, suspended above an abyss, were dozens, hundreds... no thousands of artifacts, floating in intricate, orbiting patterns.
Luminaria's sanctuary, wasn't just some ancient monument within Baratheon; it was perhaps the most powerful room within the entire continent of Elaijya.