Chapter 675 - Utopia

Everything was wrong.

That fact was abundantly clear as the squad of demons drew closer.  Of course, they didn’t look like demons.  Instead, they resembled fairy tale knights, complete with silvery armor and majestic steeds.  They have carried a large banner bearing some unrecognizable sigil.

But Zeke could see through all of that.  Oberon’s warning echoed in his mind.  No matter what Mak’tar’s realm looked like, it was still hell.  Zeke only needed to remember his trip through the pit to steel himself against what was coming.  If he’d started in hell, that was certainly where he’d ended up. 

That was just how it worked.

Only when they drew closer did Zeke realize two very important facts.  The first should have been obvious – he was entirely naked.  His trip through Hell had long since destroyed his clothing.  So, as he stood there, he had no protection against the knights’ gazes. 

The second part was even more distressing.

The knights, one and all, were women, and they were absolutely gorgeous.  The leader had long, flaxen hair and a bone structure that would have made a runway model turn green with envy, and the rest were no less attractive. 

The leader slowed her white horse to a trot, then came to a stop only ten feet from Zeke. 

“That certainly is quite a large hammer,” she remarked, her voice a melody that stung his ears.  “Is that just for me?”

The others giggled haughtily. 

“Where am I?” he asked.  “What is this place?”

Certainly, he knew he was in Mak’tar’s realm, but other than that, he was entirely clueless.  He didn’t even know who Mak’tar was, much less what the demon might want from him. 

His grip tightened on Voromir’s haft as he prepared for whatever might come next. 

“You have the immense pleasure of finding yourself in Seraphane, an unequaled celestial paradise,” she said with a broad and inviting smile.  “This is the realm of our lord and savior, Mak’tar, whose name is synonymous with truth, justice, and peace.  Come with us, and you shall find pleasure unrivaled.” She made a show of studying every inch of his body before saying, “I personally guarantee it.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then you will surely fall to ruin.”

“You seem certain.”

“Because I am,” she stated.  “Seraphane is an island of peace in a world of chaos.  There is no place within our borders for those who refuse the sustenance we provide.  You will be cast out into the Badlands, where you will certainly die an ignominious death.  This is foretold and guaranteed by our lord, Mak’tar.”

“Utopia,” scoffed Eveline in his mind.  It sounded strangely muffled.  “Oh, I’m sure it looks that way.  I’m sure everyone’s all perfectly happy.  But I guarantee that only applies to people who go along with it.  Just watch.  No matter what you decide, they’re going to try to do something to you.  Don’t let them.”

Zeke didn’t need that warning.  He’d already read the cult-like vibes, and he wanted nothing more than to get out.  He’d take his chances in the so-called Badlands rather than follow these people anywhere.

So, he said, “The Badlands.  How do I get there?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” he responded, rolling his shoulders.  “You could just point me in the right direction.  It’s easy.  Just raise your hand, extend your finger, and say, ‘That way.’  Shouldn’t be difficult.”

Her smile faded. “You mock us.”

He held his fingers about an inch apart, saying, “Just a little bit.”

The other women guided their mounts forward.  That’s when Zeke saw a flash of the truth.  He wasn’t certain if it was due to [Primordial Mind] or his experiences in Hell, but he suddenly saw the women for what they truly were. 

Demons. 

Not all that different from Eveline, though somehow both more and less.  They were still quite beautiful, but in the same alien way that Eveline was.  Their mounts were a different story, though.  Ugly, quadrupedal creatures with exaggerated features – they were the stuff of true nightmares. 

The flash of the truth only lasted a second, but in that time, he also got a decent look at the terrain.  Before, he’d thought he’d had the good fortune of appearing amidst gently swaying grass and flowers on an idyllic plain.  However, now, he knew that reality couldn’t be further from that. 

Craggy rocks surrounded him, red and imposing.  Skittering insects, each one far too large, dipped in and out of pockmarked holes, and large demonic creatures of disparate parts lumbered in the distance. 

“Ah, that’s the hell I expected,” he said. 

The leader pulled on the reins. 

“You see the true world?” she demanded. 

“Oh, yeah.  That is one ugly mount.  The horn makes me think it’s a unicorn, but I don’t know.  The fairy tales led me to believe they were glittery good guys.  And no offense, but that thing couldn’t look more evil if you were trying to give that impression,” Zeke stated.  It was almost comical, how stereotypical the place was. 

“Who are you?”

“Zeke.”

“Is that a name?” she spat.  “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

“Keep pushing, and you’ll find out what it means,” Zeke said.  “I’m not here to hurt anyone, but I won’t hesitate, either.  I’ve come way too far for that.”

She stared at him for a long second, then burst into laughter. 

“You?  Hurt us?” she breathed.  “Oh, that is so ridiculous.  Do you truly believe you can do anything to us?”

“I’m giving you a shot here.  Don’t squander it.”

“He believes that because he descended the pit that he is special,” said one of the others.

“He’s not,” said still another.  “He must understand that.”

“Take him,” the leader ordered.  “We will brand him, then send him into the Badlands.”

The second one of them pushed her mount forward, Zeke embraced [Eye of Judgement]. 

Everything went white as divine energy erupted from his eyes.  It didn’t come in a beam, but instead a wide cone  that enveloped an area hundreds of feet across.  When the light faded, all but the leader were simply gone, and only a few motes of drifting ash remained.

The leader wasn’t much better off. 

She had become little more than a charred husk.  Her mount was gone, and she lay on the ground, reaching in his direction.  With every inch, a little of her crumbled away. 

Zeke stepped forward, raising his weapon.  Voromir had changed, though the soul of the weapon remained the same.  The prongs had extended, flattening out into a true hammer-shape, with hundreds of dense runes inscribed on its surface. 

“I warned you,” Zeke said.  “You can’t say that I didn’t.”

“W-what…”

Zeke didn’t let her speak.  Instead, he hefted his hammer, then swung it.  When it hit, it did so with the force of an earthquake, and she shattered into a thousand pieces. 

Only then did Zeke truly embrace [Primordial Mind], channeling divine energy through it.  The illusion broke, then faded into nothing, revealing the true landscape.  It was not a pleasant sight, but still, Zeke said, “That’s better.”

“That new skill was powerful.  My mind went blank for a moment,” Eveline said, manifesting beside him.  However, with [Primordial Mind] active, he only saw her as a flicker of amorphous light. “I don’t like that, by the way.”

“What?”

“That skill.  I feel naked.”

“I am naked,” Zeke reminded her.

“But it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.  You’ve been naked more than you’ve been clothed, of late.  And besides, I’m with you always.  I’ve seen everything you have to show,” she reminded him. 

That had taken a little getting used to in the beginning, but he’d grown so accustomed to Eveline’s presence that he certainly didn’t consider it an invasion of his privacy anymore. 

Still, after using two of his skills, he was eager to test the others out.  To that end, he activated [Primordial Titan], instantly growing in size.  Instead of the thirty-foot colossus that came from [Titan], he grew to a height of more than seventy-five feet.  What’s more, when he looked down at his hand, he didn’t see smooth metal.  In its place was jagged rock, crystal, and glinting ore. 

“Primordial,” he muttered.  It made sense to him.  The word felt primal to him.  Like it predated civilization or gods or anything else.  So, it felt right that it should eschew the more refined form of his old skill. 

“Impressive.  Do you feel stronger?” asked Eveline, flickering with every word as she hovered near his head.

“Very much so.”

Zeke couldn’t be certain, considering that he’d just received a significant power boost from becoming a {Primordia}, but if he’d had to guess, the form gave with a ten-times multiplier to his body. 

But there was more to it than that.  He could feel dozens of affinities coursing through him in the same way he’d once only felt a couple.  However, it was also stronger than ever. 

“This is a lot of power,” he said inwardly. 

“It is.”

“Do you think I’m ready for this?” he asked. 

“No.  But if I’m not mistaken, you’re going to have a little time to adjust and grow,” she answered.  “You are only a nascent {Primordial} after all,  I’m fairly certain that you will have to go through at least five stages before you reach your potential.  Did you feel anything from killing them?  An influx of kill energy?”

“A little.  But it was barely a tingle, and it dissipated after only a few moments,” he admitted.

“Interesting.”

“What do you think it means?” he asked.

“It means you’re going to have to practice holding onto the kill energy, and then you’ll likely need to learn how to use it to fuel your advancement,” she guessed.  “But we won’t know for certain until we reach your allies.”

“I could summon a gate here.”

“Try it.”

Zeke did, but when he tried, nothing happened.  “You expected that.”

“I did.”

“What do you think is going on?” he asked.

“You’re in another god’s territory.  There had to be limitations.  Your tower is one of them,” she remarked.  “So, no shortcuts.”

Zeke looked around.  With the advantage of his new height, he gained an incredible view of the landscape.  To his left was an enormous and foreboding mountain range with multiple volcanoes spewing ash and lava into the air.  To his right, what seemed like hundreds of miles away, was a roiling sea that shimmered with heat.  But straight ahead, he saw a glimmering city.  It was far enough away that he couldn’t make out any details, but the fact that he could see it all was a good indicator of the scale. 

Behind him was another mountain range.

“To the city?” he asked.  Oberon had told him to look for an embassy, and as far as he was concerned, the best place to do that was the metropolis ahead.

“Probably your best bet,” Eveline remarked.  “But two things.”

“What?”

“You’re probably better served to approach in your natural form,” she stated.  “Seventy-five foot primordial titans are bound to bring attention.”

“Yeah.  What’s the next one?” he asked, letting go of the skill.

“Clothes, Ezekiel.  You need some clothes.”

“Right.”

Fortunately, while his tower might not have been accessible, his storage space was.  And he had plenty of clothing in there.  So, he summoned a full outfit, which he donned after only a little struggle.  His body had grown with his class evolution, so not only were his clothes tighter than ever, but his pants were a few inches too short.  On top of that, his sleeves only came down to mid-forearm. 

And his boots definitely didn’t fit.

“How tall do you think I am now?”

“Seven feet.  Maybe an inch or two more.”

“Damn,” Zeke said. 

“What?  You can use a skill to grow to ten times that height.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been pretty much the same height since I was on Earth.  It’s weird that it’s changed,” he remarked. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Eveline asked.

He shook his head.  “I’ll get used to it.  Let’s go.”

“I am closer to a figment of your imagination than an independent creature.  I go where you go.”

“I know.  I just…”

Eveline laughed. 

“Funny.  Really funny.”

But Zeke couldn’t deny that it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  Clearly, Eveline felt the same way. 

With that in mind, he started toward the city, feeling better about his prospects than he had in years.