"Other… om… gulp… planes?"
After leaving the guild, I returned to my room and took out the Plant Guide I recovered from the alchemist.
Its size was small, but the letters and illustrations were pretty small as well. If not for my newfound senses, I would have had trouble making out each word without a magnifying glass.
Over the next few hours of careful reading, I managed to finish a third of the book, learning quite a lot about herbs, mushrooms, and other valuable plants in the area.
'This is like reading a small wiki that's been kept alive by a single contributor.'
The explanations were not very deep or detailed, but it was clear that the author - Julia, the alchemist herself - poured some effort into every entry, focusing on small practical tips that helped with spotting, harvesting and transporting the plants rather than some complex academic terms.
'Oh, so arcane moss typically grows in the Dark Regions, which is the general name for the network of caves that exists beneath most land, to some extent.'
It confirmed the tunnel I came from was probably connected to those Dark Regions – something I remembered Amelia mumbling about back then.
After a few hours of reading, I suddenly noticed I was quite hungry.
Packing the booklet back into the backpack, I left the inn for Old Laria's Dining House, the full name of which I only noticed today.
Unfortunately, there were no traces of the legendary meat pie – however, some other meat-filled pastries smelled quite appetizing, so I bought some of them with a small plate of fresh salad. While they failed to reach the pie's standard, they were well above average.
Grabbing a few of them on the way out, I continued onward to the shrine, where Amelia had just finished receiving some older woman.
"Yes. Other planes. Specifically, I read about Imps coming from the Abyssal plane, so I assumed there might be others, too."
After a few greetings, a few minutes of idle talk, and with most of my pastries gone, I asked the main question I came to ask.
"Oh, I see. I'll tell you what I learned, but…"
Her voice grew slightly nervous.
"You should really avoid casually mentioning the Hells and the Abyss, especially in front of clergy. It brings bad luck… and sometimes, even if rarely - unwanted attention."
"Of course!"
Seeing her worried expression, I instantly nodded in quick succession, and her face relaxed.
"There are many planes beside this one. Some are very small – as small as this shrine, even smaller. Those are called pocket planes. Powerful mages can sometimes create those, albeit with great effort, and some rich adventurers, nobles, or elite soldiers even own portable pocket planes, such as the Planar Bag."
"No way Imps live in those, though."
"I'm getting there!"
Amelia pouted, before continuing.
"There are also bigger planes that could reach the size of this town, or even the city. Those are often created by powerful otherworldly entities, or some of the legendary archmages."
"Created?"
"Those planes can serve countless purposes – from a hideout, to a permanent residence, to a vault, a prison, a library, and many more, including a combination of the above. Also, in time and without something to maintain them, they eventually destabilize, creating temporal rifts – unstable portals, appearing in our plane, leading somewhere inside their plane of origin."
"Like the one you mentioned in the mines? Back when you were discussing where I came from?"
"Exactly! When those rifts are created, it's usually an early sign of an impending plane implosion – everything inside exploding outwards, often leading to both the destruction of its contents, and serious damage to the area."
Amelia's expression turned serious.
"If you ever find such a rift, which appears as circular ripples in the air, and later becomes more like constantly shifting shards of glass, report to the nearest authorities immediately! Especially in the second case – it means an implosion is imminent."
"But.. did you think this type of rift suddenly appeared in the mines?"
"No. When those realms destabilize, their exits can lead to completely random locations, sometimes as far as a different kingdom, or the depths of the Dark Regions."
"So you thought I went inside such a rift?"
"Some reckless adventures and crazy mages sometimes venture inside, but don't ever think about it, by any means! Those planes were created by beings who could swat a Gold Path-bearer like a fly, and even if they themselves abandoned their creation, there are often plenty of guardians inside! Oh, and nobody knows where the unstable exit portals are, or where they would lead you, even if you somehow reached one."
Amelia stopped to catch her breath, with me continuously nodding my head with focused eyes.
"Finally, there are planes whose size we simply don't know – some are presumed to be as large as a kingdom, some even as large as our whole world. They are usually called 'true planes'."
The young priestess put forward her hand, slowly raising four fingers.
"The four largest true planes are the Abyss, the Hells, the Heavens, and Elysium - the Eternal Paradise. Those are also the ones even an apprentice priest would know about."
"So one of them is where Imps come from?"
"Yes. The Abyss is the realm of chaos and rage, home to the ferocious Demons. The imps you read about are the lowest of the low demons, which also possess the uncanny ability to occasionally slip between the planes, making them a common menace. You must have seen the bounty if you read about them."
I have indeed seen the 1 gold bounty for each imp head. However, the same entry suggested not to waste time chasing one. Unless you had extraordinarily mobility, or the small flying pest was caught unaware or cornered, trying to chase after it was unwise. If it came close, to try to steal something small or pull one of its 'pranks', you could try killing it in one hit, or at least damage its wings. If you failed, it would usually fly away from anything more threatening than a child.
"Demons are creatures of chaos and malice – there exist a few foolish cults who worship them, hoping for a sliver of their power, but such stories often lead to either being torn to shreds, or entering into a life worse than death."
Amelia's voice came down to a near-whisper.
"The ones who rule the abyss are terrible Demon Lords, each reigning over at least one layer – those are a multitude of smaller planes, each with its own twisted rules, tightly linked together within the Abyss."
She stopped talking for a moment, before showing slight confusion.
"Ahem, where was I?.. Ah, yes!"
Her voice regained its former volume, yet her face remained solemn.
"The Hells, also called the Infernal plane, are home to devils – ruthless, hateful creatures, who relish law and order, only to bring the greatest suffering through it."
For the first time, I saw her face harden in what almost seemed like righteous anger, which looked out of place on her small, gentle face.
"Many greedy and foolish wretches make pacts with them, only to pay a price far greater than whatever the vile devil offered, and have their souls dragged to the depth of the Hells."
Her eyes narrowed.
"The devils have their own hierarchy, with the Infernal King, Asmadeus, sitting atop his throne in the deepest layer of hell."
Then, she suddenly paused in a moment of recollection.
"Oh, the Hells have ten layers. Actually, the holy lore says they used to have nine layers, until roughly five centuries ago, a smaller new layer spawned at the top - the Fields Of Malevolence. It is presumed to be connected to the Eternal War fought between the Abyss and the Hell – records before that time indicate that certain layers within the ever-shifting Abyss used to exist before that time, and were never found again."
"Wow… You sure know a lot about devils and demons. Ah, no offense, of course!"
"None taken."
Amelia giggled, before turning serious again.
"It is the duty of a priest to bring light to lost souls, and guide the faithful away from the path of corruption. Much of our apprenticeship involves studying such dark topics, so that we can recognize such darkness where it must be banished."
I nodded again.
"And the other two?"
"The Eternal Paradise, Elysium, is a plane of joy and freedom, home to many benevolent spirits, some of the deities – as well as the elysians, its eternal citizens."
Finally, a pious smile adorned the young priestess's face.
"The final one of the four are the Heavens – divided into seven heavenly courts, and many smaller layers of some of the gods, those are the plains of order and benevolence, which most mortals strive to reach after the end of their short lives."
"I take it this where the Sun Goddess resides?"
"Yes. The gods residing in the Heavens, including the Shining Lady herself, are often guides and protectors, worshipped throughout the land of man."
"I see… so, all the gods reside in Elysium and the Heavens?"
"Erm… not all of them."
Amelia grew silent for a moment, playing with a lock of silky golden hair between her fingers.
"There are some gods, or even pantheons, which have their own planes - sometimes even True Planes. Those include the pantheons of certain monstrous species, such as orcs, or some… malevolent gods, like Neron, the god of destruction and war. Of course, it's not just them! Some are considered neutral, like the Silent Lady, goddess of Death and Reincarnation, who rules over the Great River – a plane to which souls that would be accepted into neither of the greater four planes are sent to be cleansed, before being sent off to their next life."
"That's… very interesting. Thank you very much for telling me all of this."
Perhaps expecting a different reaction, Amelia flushed, her hand playing with her hair again.
"I-it's nothing! You brought me plenty of tasty food, anyway, so I was in your debt!"
"Is the food at home really that bad?"
"No! Usually, the old man makes delicious food. Well, maybe not delicious… but, umm, better than.. Ehem!"
Amelia's face attained a hue slightly similar to the local lumber, before she changed the subject.
"Anyway, he left for some errands today, and won't be back until evening, so I had to cook for myself…"
Amelia's resolved expression melted into hesitation.
"Are you… leaving now?"
"Emm… I wouldn't want to take too much of your time, especially if it kept you from receiving real visitors."
I really did feel slightly bad for that.
"No problem! If you want, you can just leave when a visitor comes."
"Ah… in that case, I'll stay a bit longer."
"Of course!" Amelia flashed a bright smile.
After around thirty minutes of idle chatter about life in town, and the general duties of a priest, and the other faiths in Valoria, I heard footsteps approach the shrine.
"I'll be going now."
"Alright. Feel free to come anytime!"
"I will! But… tomorrow I have quite a busy day, with a 2 day mission next morning, so I won't come by until after that."
"Of course! Please be careful-"
Amelia put her hands on her medallion.
"And may Her light guide your way."
I didn't feel any different, but I could appreciate the gesture.
"Thank you, Amelia. See you soon."
"See you soon, Sebastian!"
I exited the shrine just as another old woman made her way in.
Following my newly acquired routine, I went to the Inn for dinner, swung my sword and ate a few mouthfuls of dirt at the guild courtyard, and returned to my room, reading Julia's booklet until I fell asleep.
***
Away from the town, when the sun was only starting its descent, as if desperately hanging onto its spot atop the sky, a lone figure approached a cave.
The figure's dark gray robes, adorned by a few emerald strings, could not hide its bony outlines. If one could not see the skin on its hands or face, one might have mistaken it for a skeleton.
Of course, that would be the case if a sentient creature, looking at the figure, could truly see through it.
Slow step after slow step, the figure approached the cave.
'This is… not good.'
A few steps into the cave lay a single dead goblin – its green skin was so dark it came closer to black, as if its whole body had somehow suffered a frostbite in the beginning of summer.
'The Misdirection Circle… by this vermin!..'
The figure did not even bother going farther into the cave, where it knew a (former) circle, made of dried blood and bone dust, lay scattered across the ground.
This single green vermin, barely capable of winning against a human child equipped with a knife, had now ruined months of careful preparations.
'No… it's not ruined yet.'
Despite the cave now being visible to every random hunter or adventurer going this way, it was intentionally chosen for its location, away from any popular trails, nothing useful in its direction, and the natural cover provided by the elevated ground nearby.
'The ritual can still be performed.'
While its concealment and trap were gone, the latter had at least served its purpose, preventing the goblin from rummaging deeper inside.
'I don't have the time to inscribe either of the two again.'
Instead, the figure tore off a rotting goblin limb, starting to draw a circle of blood on the floor.
A few hours later, one more limb was missing, and bone shards were scattered across the stone floor.
A bit farther ahead into the cave, the figure had just finished drawing its grotesque creation, made of rotten blood and smashed bone.
[Minor Circle Of Misdirection] ~
The figure renewed the cave's concealment, albeit at the cost of the previous one's potency.
Right now, even a normal, Pathless hunter with good enough perception - let alone an actual Path-bearer - had a chance to notice the cave.
"I will have to… expedite things."
The ritual was not planned to take place until around two months later – however, under the unexpected circumstances, every day brought a higher risk.
'I must make haste. As much as I can.'
With a sigh of regret, the figure had exited the cave, leaving a bare goblin skeleton deep inside, as well as an ominous chill permeating the dump cavern air.