Re: Timeless Apocalypse-Chapter 192: The Obsidian Spire

Samael didn’t hesitate for even a moment when he was given the chance to walk away from the embarrassing scene.

They slipped into the crowd as if they’d never been there at all, and the chatter quickly returned, most people forgetting about them almost instantly.

Samael’s shoulders dropped, and he shook his head. "Uriel, you are... strange."

Uriel’s smile deepened. "You ought to learn how to handle eccentric and strange clients, Sam."

Samael resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I suppose I do."

He refocused. "Earlier, you asked what made me think you were a potential client. It’s your attire."

Uriel felt his curiosity stir. "Oh?"

"You have the looks of a Noble Knight, yet none of the attire or power—"

"You’re saying I look weak? That’s harsh."

"—and none of the etiquette." Samael ignored Uriel’s words of feigned hurt. "So, I assumed you were from beyond the city."

"And if that’s the case, then you most likely know nothing about our magnificent city, and that is where I come in. I will fill in your gaps."

"We’re going to have to work on that wording," Uriel said with a frown that quickly faded. "Alright then, I’d like to know everything you have."

"What’s your price?"

"Everything?" Samael threw him a glance. "Are you sure you’d have enough money for that, sir?"

Uriel’s smile widened, and he softly elbowed Samael. The young man let out a muffled groan of pain and felt his knees weaken slightly.

"What a polite way to say I look poor. Truly tactless, aren’t you?"

Uriel flipped a palm over and, from his abode mark, summoned a single aether crystal.

A diamond-grade aether crystal.

He had more of them than he dared count.

"That’ll be enough?"

Samael’s eyes widened.

...

"Our city’s called Kael. It’s in the safest parts of the Wildlands—at least, I think so. I’m not entirely sure."

"I say this because we still often get deep beast and horror tides. That’s why most people you see are warriors or direct parts of an ecosystem meant to breed warriors."

The duo had settled at a café, sitting on a balcony overlooking the busy streets of Kael.

Uriel dug into a lemon sorbet he’d ordered, while Samael talked in between bites of a sandwich that overflowed with a ridiculous amount of meat.

The breeze was cool, the chatter a calming backdrop to their conversation, and the ambiance serene.

"Horror tides, you say?" Uriel asked.

Samael nodded and took a swig of the root beer he’d ordered. He’d wanted a real beer, but Uriel had refused.

"Yeah, the Wildlands are filled with all kinds of beasts, but every other week, something happens in the deeper parts of the wild that turns them into what we call Green Horrors."

"But I don’t know much about that."

Uriel nodded. ’Hm. This could have something to do with the Sentinels.’

"But as I was saying, we’re a warrior city. Most cities across the Wildlands are warrior cities. I heard the big capitals are different, but who knows."

The more Samael spoke, the more Uriel’s gaze narrowed.

’Am I in another world of sorts? Definitely.’ His thoughts flowed smoothly. ’But is this some kind of sealed world made by the Spirals, a small dimensional space... or is it an actual separate "seed" from our own?’

His gaze sharpened slightly. ’Or am I back on Ithuril?’

The possibilities stretched endlessly.

"Kael is pretty famous because it’s what we call a Guard city. It’s a city built to protect and maintain the Obsidian Spire."

He pointed toward the massive structure looming in the distance. "It’s that big thing over there."

Uriel followed his gesture and gazed at it. "Tell me more about that. I’m curious."

Samael nodded, then took another bite of his sandwich, chewing as he grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth. He took another swig of his drink before swallowing.

Uriel eyed him curiously. ’He’s a hungry little lad, isn’t he?’

"The Spires exist across the Wildlands, and they lead to the above. I don’t know what that is, but the Spire leads to it, and only the most powerful of royals and guardian knights are allowed in."

He crossed his arms. "You enter the Spire, and then you have to climb it. It has nine floors, each with challenges so steep they usually take decades to complete."

"Then at the top, or so I heard, you’ll meet a sacred beast. If you meet its standards, it’ll open the path for you, and you’ll be able to ascend."

He threw his hands in the air. "But that’s more town rumor than anything. Nobody has climbed the Spire in God knows how long. I don’t think either of us was even born the last time someone went in there."

Suddenly, he smiled. "But our Spire is very interesting."

"Because our Spire also serves as a prison for the worst of the worst across the Wildlands. That’s why Kael is so busy and packed."

"It’s also why everyone here is so ridiculously strong. Though peaceful on the surface, the place is actually quite dangerous."

"Both because of the prisoners and the beasts, but also because of the political nonsense constantly happening around here."

"Just last week, someone got hung for trying to break into a governor’s residence—someone who’d come here on a diplomatic mission."

Uriel nodded and smiled faintly. "You know quite a bit for a man as young as you are."

Samael shrugged. "I do what needs to be done."

"Everyone has contacts and agencies to follow."

...

The two continued talking for quite a while, but eventually, they separated. Not for long, however.

Samael’s price for the ridiculous amount of information and guidance he had provided had been steep, yet strange.

He wanted three things. First, he demanded quite a few crystals. Secondly, he demanded that Uriel protect him for an entire week. And third, he demanded that Uriel help him accomplish something. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He claimed the task wouldn’t be anything complex, but Uriel could already see the tide of trouble coming.

He didn’t care, though. He found himself growing more and more intrigued the longer he spent time in Kael.

When he eventually went to the inn where he would meet Samael again—where they had decided he would be protecting him—he would have more questions to ask.

But for now, he had another goal.

’So, my goal should be to ascend the Spire and reach whatever lies beyond.’

Uriel stopped not far from the Spire.

The area was surrounded by yet another layer of security, marked by high walls within the city itself, dividing it into two distinct layers: the outer ring for regular residents, and the core ring that housed the Spire.

Across these towering walls, thousands of guardians could be seen, but they weren’t like those stationed at the outer ring.

They all wore silver-white robes and carried auras Uriel could barely sense, even with his new technique.

’If that’s my goal, I don’t suppose they’ll let me in... especially since the other guardians should’ve already returned and raised an alert for me.’

He exhaled slowly.

’I should probably scout their defenses first, no?’

He grinned.