Chapter 686 - The Ways

Zeke wasn’t certain what he had expected when he’d stepped into the ways, but it certainly wasn’t the landscape stretching before him.  Or given that it ended after only a mile, the expanse might be a better descriptor. 

The landmass, such as it was, seemed entirely mundane.  Even idyllic, with well-trimmed hedges, fountains, and other park-like features to complete the image.  Yet, he only needed to look beyond the edge to know that he had not found himself in a city park.  Instead, it was a wholly alien space characterized by a dense, black fog that seemed to press in from all directions. 

Zeke couldn’t be certain because his senses didn’t extend much beyond the glass dome that protected the landmass, but there were things out there.  Creatures that defied description and felt far more powerful than anything he’d ever imagined.  It simultaneously excited and terrified him.  The first, because he’d begun to fear that nothing would ever give him a true fight.  The second, because anything that could weigh on his senses so heavily was easily powerful enough to utterly destroy him, divine energy or no. 

It was humbling and horrifying.

And still, Zeke couldn’t deny that he wanted nothing more than to throw himself at the challenge. 

“I don’t think you’ll ever learn,” Eveline remarked.

“I wouldn’t be me if I did,” he countered.  He might have been a meathead with a one-track mind, but he didn’t necessarily see that as a negative.  Those traits that Eveline found so frustrating had seen him through some of the most destructive situations imaginable.  And he suspected he would need to lean on his nature if he intended to survive long enough to join the final battle in The End.

In any case, he took that opportunity to inspect the rest of the location.  Aside from a few more four armed guards, there were no other people present.  And Zeke wasn’t certain if they were real creatures or automatons. 

A path cut through the park toward the edge of the landmass. 

The original sentry said, “Please follow the path.  The Waymaster awaits you in the Nexus.”

Then, he went on to explain that the Nexus was the hub from which all other realms could be accessed.  That included the Mortal and Eternal Realms, but passage into those spaces was heavily restricted.  Anyone with any degree of power could only do so by sending a sliver of their souls to the lower realms.

More germane to Zeke’s situation was the fact that other realms – such as Oberon’s, which was known as Eden – were also accessible via the Nexus.  And the Waymaster controlled it all, guaranteeing everyone’s safety, both from one another as well as the creatures outside. 

“What are they?”

“Eldritch beings that live in the void between realms.  They have no names because they are entirely alien creatures that are neither alive nor dead, yet persist nonetheless,” the sentry explained. 

“Can they be destroyed?”

“Only with great effort.  The Waymaster believes it is easier to keep them at bay.”

“Why not just destroy them all?”

“They are too numerous.”

“How numerous?”

“I do not know more on the subject.  If the Waymaster cannot destroy them all, then it is not possible.”

Zeke frowned, but he accepted the sentry’s explanation.  Besides, he already had his marching orders.  So, without further delay, he headed down the path.  Along the way, he discovered a couple of oddities.  First, there were no animals within the park.  No birds.  No insects.  It was entirely unpopulated.  And it only took a little study to determine why.  The entire space was entirely devoid of life, and the vegetation – as real as it looked – was clearly artificial.  In fact, when he touched a leaf, he felt the cold, smooth surface of metal beneath his fingertips. 

The second realization that dawned on him was that the air was entirely still.  There wasn’t even the slightest breeze.  No moving air.  Just an inert atmosphere that gave the place an unnatural feeling even if he disregarded the lack of life. 

It reminded Zeke of the aquarium he’d had in his  youth, with its plastic sea plants and fake coral.  The fish didn’t seem to mind, but he liked to think that he was much more perceptive than a few captive fish.

“Barely,” Eveline said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, annoyed.

“You missed something else,” she revealed.

“What?”

“The divine energy.  It flows through everything here.  There’s no life, but there’s plenty of magic.”

“And how does that affect our situation?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” Eveline answered.  “But I think it’s important.  Or at least it has the potential to be.  Maybe it won’t matter.”

Zeke almost snorted at that.  Everything seemed to matter, and no matter how much he wanted to live a simple life – a debatable prospect – he knew he wouldn’t be left to his own devices.  It was much better to acknowledge the oddities before him and adjust accordingly. 

So, he filed the information away and continued forward, soon reaching the opening on the other side of the landmass.  It was there that he got his first close look at the barrier separating the void from him.  It was a thin wall of gray energy, and when Zeke touched it, he found that it was entirely solid but malleable. 

Vaguely, he considered attempting to break through, but he suspected that doing so would come with consequences.  Doubtless, the Waymaster wouldn’t take too kindly to Zeke breaking containment, and that wasn’t even considering the creatures he felt waiting just on the other side. 

Still, it was sorely tempting. 

He pulled away, taking a deep breath before deciding against ceding to his instincts.  Instead, he continued through the exit, which turned out to be little more than a tube.  Certainly, there was a flat ground and another path that stretched almost a hundred feet wide and twice as tall, but it was still a tube. 

Zeke kept going as it slowly curved away from his arrival point.  Hours passed with no changes until, finally, he saw something different in the distance.  As he drew closer, he realized that it was another landmass, though this one was far larger than the one he’d left behind.  When he reached the entrance, he saw that it was populated by the same fake plants, though it was dominated by a huge building – maybe ten stories tall – with incongruous features.  Parts looked like they’d been taken from Earthly structures, but others looked entirely alien, either because of the weird architectural choices or the materials used in its construction. 

Asymmetry seemed the rule of the day, and it was represented by hunks of crystal that had been fused to more mundane blocks of stone.  Towards the top, the building looked like it curved in on itself in a mind-bending optical illusion that made Zeke question his own eyesight.

“I don’t think it’s an illusion,” Eveline said.

Zeke just shook his head, unsure what to believe.  So, he pulled his eyes away from the oddity and focused on the people milling about.  There were thousands of them, most with very different features.  Sure, there were clumps of familiarity – like the groups of elves or dwarves – but some of the creatures were entirely alien to Zeke’s experiences.  He found himself staring at a tentacle monster for a few moments before he realized just how rude he was being.

He jerked his attention away, instead focusing on his other senses.

The smells were odd, too.  Human-seeming body odor was presence – that unmistakable aroma that came when a bunch of people gathered together.  But there was perfume, too.  A few scents were unplaceable, like what smelled like vinegar, but with a note of sweetness to it.  That seemed to come from the tentacle monster.

In all, everything coalesced into something entirely unfamiliar and a little disconcerting. 

But it was nothing compared to what he felt when he felt their energy.  Some blazed with divine energy, and they were clearly lesser gods.  But those were fairly rare.  The majority were obviously lower on the totem pole, and they used the much more watered down mana. 

To Zeke, they felt almost ephemeral.  Like they weren’t truly real.  He likened it to looking at mist.  Or a ghost.  Sure, they were visible, but they clearly weren’t solid. 

By comparison, he knew he carried quite a lot of weight – both in a physical and ethereal sense.  And the second he came into view of the building, he felt the balance of power tipping in his direction.  The lesser gods noticed him, but they quickly moved on about their business.  The others quickly averted their gazes, obviously afraid that he would hold them accountable for their attention.

It made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. 

However, it also quickly became apparent that he couldn’t proceed without asking a few questions.  Largely, this was because there were almost a hundred other exits from the landmass, and he had no clue which direction to go.  Sure, there were signs, but they were written in a language he couldn’t understand. 

It seemed that when Zeke broke free of the Framework – at least as much as he had – he’d lost access to its translation abilities.  So, he had no choice but to enter the building and find someone who might point him in the right direction.

Plus, he couldn’t deny that he was interested, both because of the alien nature of the place and its inhabitants as well as the simple need for companionship.  He’d spent countless years in hell.  Talking to new people – that weren’t trying to kill him – was a benefit he hadn’t enjoyed for quite some time. 

So, he found his excitement growing as he stepped toward the building.  Along the way, he couldn’t ignore the fact that his presence drew plenty of attention.  Most was confined to probing abilities – which he felt like cutting glances – and a few actual looks.  Once people recognized him for what he was, they scurried to get out of his way.

“There’s no way they can tell exactly what you are,” Eveline remarked.  “You realize that, right?  If they knew you were a primordial…”

“There would be a much bigger response.  I know.  They probably think I’m a greater god.  Or something close,” Zeke responded in his own thoughts.  “I don’t know.  There has to be a gray area between one and the other.”

“Maybe,” she acknowledged as he closed in on the building. 

Soon enough, he found the entrance and stepped into the lobby.  The room reminded him of a combination of an inn, a bar in a western, and a restaurant crossed with a tourist trap souvenir shop.  Part of the space was taken up by racks of weapons, armor, and supplies, while there was a huge area where people were drinking, gambling, and otherwise commiserating with one another.

“What can I do for ya?” asked a short, stout woman who might’ve been a dwarf.  She wore a pristine apron, and her hands were calloused from manual labor.  “We got plenty of vacancies, so if you need a room, that won’t be a problem.  Bar’s a bit crowded, but there’s room if you look for it.  Can do the private dining thing too, so long as you’re willing to wait a few hours.  And if you’re lookin’ to resupply, well, we got everything you might need.  So, what’s it gonna be?”

“Information.”

“Not that kind of establishment,” she said.  “You want that, you go next door to the knowledge mongers,” she said, spitting on the sawdust-covered floor.

“Hmm.  Fine,” Zeke said.  “Then, a meal.  And a room.  It’d be nice to sleep in a bed.”

“’Course,” she said.  “Follow me.”

Then, she led him deeper into the building before entering a wide hall that twisted and turned what felt like a hundred times.  When Zeke asked about it, she only remarked that the inn, called The Dusty Lizard, was much bigger on the inside than looked from without. 

Soon enough, she guided him to the restaurant.  Fortunately, when the subject of payment came, she only required him to touch a device and siphon a bit of his power into it.  She was very happy with the amount – or maybe the quality – so from then on, she was incredibly accommodating. 

After that, Zeke was shown to a private room where he was served a banquet of high-quality but unidentifiable foods.  He’d eaten so many odd things over the years, that he didn’t even bat an eyelash at it.  Regardless, it was all extremely filling and better tasting than anything he’d had in some time.  So, when he was finally shown to his room, he was more than ready to simply kick back and wait.

Unfortunately, someone was there waiting for him.

“I didn’t have a choice.  You have to understand,” the innkeeper said, backing away.

“It’s fine.  But if it comes down to it and I destroy your little inn,” Zeke said, facing the newcomer.  “Well, that’s on you.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Blackwood.  I wouldn’t dream of starting anything in the Waymaster’s domain,” said the surprise guest. 

“I’m not so restrained,” he stated as the innkeeper retreated and shut the door behind her.  “Say what you want to say, then.  And I guess you should hope that I don’t take it poorly.”