The journey to Excelsior took another few days. We travelled faster than before, the Khalkotauroi pulling the cargo wagon with tirelessness. The guards remained on high alert the whole time, watching the horizon for signs of another attack. None came, though I could feel eyes on us occasionally, observers in the distance who chose not to engage, though none smelt infernal to my divine senses.
Word must have spread, apparently. Don't attack the caravan with the bronze bulls.
Excelsior revealed itself gradually as we crested the final ridge. The city sprawled across a valley, built entirely of white stone that seemed to glow with an inner light. Golden spires rose at regular intervals, each one topped with crystalline structures that caught the perpetual twilight and scattered it into rainbow patterns. The walls were pristine, unmarred by age or weather, inscribed with runes that radiated protective magic so strong I could feel it from miles away.
Beautiful, in an austere sort of way. The architecture spoke of rigid order and absolute certainty in the righteousness of its design.
It reminded me of Olympus, though without the underlying cruelty.
The guards at Excelsior's gate were lower-tier celestial beings, angels. I was surprised it was a celestial and not humans or other mortals standing guard at the gate. They stood seven feet tall, their golden armor polished to mirror brightness, wings folded against their backs. Their eyes glowed with light as they examined each member of our caravan.
"State your business," one said, his voice carrying a melodious harmony that made mortal speech sound flat by comparison.
"Captain Mira of Tradegate," the captain replied, presenting documentation. "We are delivering contracted goods by the Trumpet Archon Octavi. We were attacked by devils two days out and have several were wounded."
The celestial's expression didn't change, though his wings rustled slightly. "There were devils near Excelsior, That's concerning." His gaze swept over our caravan, pausing on the Khalkotauroi and then on me. "And you are?"
"Heph. I was hired to guard the caravan from Tradegate."
The celestial studied me for a long moment. I'd dampened my divine presence as much as possible, appearing as merely a competent fighter with higher level of magic, rather than what I truly was. After a moment, he nodded and waved us through, I assume he trusted captain Mira having dealt with him before and the invisble barrier I could sense keeping out any tainted.
The city interior matched its exterior: clean and orderly. It looked like it was organized according to principles that valued function and form in equal measure. Streets ran in perfect patterns and buildings aligned according to some grand design, definitely everything around the city was fully planned.
Everyone here seemed content. Happy, even. That alone made me suspicious. Nobody was truly happy all the time unless something was enforcing that happiness. That could just be Michaels memories telling me humans were not content with what they had and that there would always be conflict.
Captain Mira led the caravan to a warehouse in the merchant district where our cargo would be inspected and distributed. As the guards began unloading, she pulled me aside alongside another one of the guards in charge of unloading.
"I need to deliver something to the temple district first," she said quietly. "The adopted child of one of the archons. She was travelling with us in secret, hidden in the third wagon. That's what the devils were really after."
That explained the level of response. Kidnapping or killing a celestial's adopted child would have been a significant blow, both practically and symbolically.
"I'll accompany you," I offered.
She shook her head. "The temple district doesn't allow guards beyond a certain point. I'll take her myself. But I need to ask you a favor."
"Go ahead."
"When I'm done, I'll find you and settle your pay. But I also need you to inform the archons about your side of things. They would definetly like to know about what you did with the fiends. Someone knew we were transporting both the weapons and the child. That information should have been restricted to maybe five people total. Someone talked, and the Hells found out."
I considered that. Getting involved in celestial politics wasn't necessarily wise, but the leak had already drawn me in. The devils had already attacked while I was present, which made it my concern whether I liked it or not.
"I'll speak to them," I said. "Though they may not appreciate a stranger bringing bad news or you can bring them to me, not that it would make much difference, as you were there as well."
"They'll appreciate it more getting a second opinion." She pressed a token into my hand, inscribed with celestial script. "Show them this. It'll prove you're acting on my behalf, it will tell anybody that you are with us."
She departed with two guards and what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary young girl who emerged from the third wagon. The girl's eyes, though, glowed faintly gold. Some kind of celestial bloodline, or perhaps celestial adoption worked differently here than mortal adoption.
I turned my attention to what I'd actually come to Excelsior for: the gate to Mount Celestia.
The portal stood in the city's exact center, surrounded by a plaza of white marble polished to mirror brightness. Unlike Bytopia's gate, which had been open and accessible, this one was guarded. Six celestials stood watch, their formation suggesting military training far beyond what mortal guards typically possessed.
The gate itself was magnificent. Instead of simple stone, it was constructed from what appeared to be solidified light, arcing upward in a perfect curve. Runes covered every surface, each one glowing with power that made Tradegate's gate look primitive by comparison. The magical framework was complex beyond anything I'd seen so far, layers of protection and authentication woven together.
I approached slowly, my divine senses extended to their fullest. The guards tracked my movement with professional wariness.
"Can I help you, traveller?" one asked. Polite, but carrying an undertone of warning.
"I'm interested in examining the gate's construction," I said honestly.
"The gate is not open to casual examination."
"I understand. I won't touch anything. I will just observe and here is a token", I lifted up the token so he could see.
The guard considered this. "You may observe from the perimeter. Do not cross the boundary markers."
Fair enough. I settled into a position just outside the marked boundary and began my examination.
The construction principles paralleled Bytopia's gate, but with significantly more sophistication. Where Bytopia's gate had been a simple two-way connection, Mount Celestia's gate incorporated authentication protocols. I could see the magical structures that verified travellers, checking for corruption, verifying intentions, and measuring moral alignment.
Fascinating. The gate itself was a filter, allowing passage only to those who met certain criteria.
I spent two hours examining every detail I could perceive from my position, committing the patterns to memory. The guards watched but didn't interfere. Eventually, I approached them again.
"Is there a way to visit Mount Celestia?" I asked. "Even briefly?"
"You would need a sponsor," the guard replied. "A celestial or archon who vouches for you and takes responsibility for your actions while on the plane. Without sponsorship, the gate will not permit passage."
I filed that away for later consideration. Getting celestial sponsorship might be possible, I did just save the adopted of an archon and seems captain mira token did not act as a sponser but it did allow me to exam the outer section of the gate. The gate's structure was more important than actually visiting the plane itself, at least for now.
I thanked the guards and returned to the city center where the markets clustered.
Excelsior's market was different from Tradegate's controlled chaos. Everything was organised, categorised, and priced accordingly. They must have had a unified directory of what something cost's as they were all pretty similar prices. Vendors didn't shout or haggle. They simply displayed their wares with clear documentation of origin, quality, and cost.
Ha! Meat from a thunder cow best quality 5 stars and they were probably being truthful as that one looked expensive.
Efficient, certainly. Also utterly lacking in personality.
I wandered through the stalls, picking up scraps of conversation. Merchants discussing trade routes and guards sharing news from other gate-towns. A group of scholars arguing.
And in one conversation, something that caught my attention.
"The tower near the eastern wall is accepting new students," a human merchant was saying to his companion. "Master Aldric is one of the finest theoretical magicians in the Outlands. If you're serious about understanding how magic actually works, that's where you go. He even has special premission from Lord Bahamut to be close to Excelsior".
That was worth investigating.
First, though, I needed a place to stay. Excelsior's inns were as organised as everything else, rated by a quality star system where 5 stars was the best and priced accordingly. I found one in the merchant quarter that seemed adequate. It was 3 stars, and I paid for 2 days in advance and deposited my pack in a clean, functional, and completely devoid of character room.
I sat on the bed, pulling out my notes on gate construction. The differences between Bytopia's gate and Mount Celestia's gate suggested design philosophy rather than fundamental limitations. Bytopia's gate was open because the plane welcomed honest visitors. Mount Celestia's gate was filtered because the plane required a specific moral alignment.
If I wanted to create my own gates, I needed to understand the mechanics and the purpose of how these worked. What did I want a gate to do? Simply connect two points, or perform some function in the connection itself?
Questions for later.