Novaris: Adventure in the Shattered Fang Continent

Novaris. Sax (June). 905. AGC.

Nodel. Waxing Crescent 🌒. Day 7.

The following morning, Alyx sent a message to the Temple of Sol to inform Rose to come and meet him at the Temple of Knowledge whenever she could. He also sent a message to Lili to let her know that he wouldn't be joining them in their get-together or that, at the very least, he was going to be late.

It was a bit after noon when a cleric informed him that Rose had arrived at the temple and was waiting for him. Naturally, he wouldn't meet Rose in his own personal chambers, so he told the cleric to prepare and send Rose over to the guest meeting room. Even if this particular temple was smaller than most, it still had at least one guest room.

Alyx walked into the meeting room, which was simply decorated, only holding a couch, a few seats, and a small table. The most notable thing in the room was the redheaded beauty wearing golden armor. She had been drinking some of the tea that had been placed on the small table. Noticing him, she placed the tea down and promptly got up to greet him.

“Hello, sir. As you know, my name is Rose. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Rose spoke in a sweet voice that completely contradicted the imposing figure she was.

He wasn't sure what it was about some woman, but he could instantly tell that she was not for him. Rose was definitely a beauty, but even if her sweet voice could hide it, one did not become a warrior of Sol by being a pretty princess. Not that they couldn't be pretty princesses as well as warriors, but just from looking at the redhead. Alyx knew that she was definitely on the side of the tomboys. There was just something about how she stood and looked at the room and her overall figure that was no doubt filled with muscles that told Alyx everything he needed to know. She was not for him, so he moved to greet her, a smile coming to him.

“Please, call me Alyx. So, what is this soul trouble you need help with?”

Entering the Temple of Knowledge, which Rose always saw as a library with all its books, she waited at the front desk while a cleric was sent to ask for this individual with whom she was to speak with. After waiting around for five minutes or so, she was taken to what had to be a guest room. There she sat and was given some tea as she waited for this unknown individual to come speak with her. The room, though simple, also had a few books, mostly basic bestiaries or other tomes that spoke about the history of their planet.

After waiting for a bit longer, and as she sipped her tea, a taller-than-average gnome wearing white and blue robes entered the guest room. What caught Rose by surprise was the gnome's eyes, which were more like gems. He stood at the doorway appraising her for a few seconds with his crystal eyes, and she decided to make the first move.

“Hello, sir. As you know, my name is Rose. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Oddly, the gnome didn’t react, which was starting to make Rose nervous, but thankfully, it wasn’t long before he spoke up, his voice average yet smooth.

“Please, call me Alyx. So, what is this soul trouble you need help with?”

“Uh, well, you see…” Rose stumbled, unsure of how to progress with the issue involving Jasmine.

“Let me guess, it's a secret, and someone is worried about their problem getting them kidnapped and used for experiments? Or, or maybe they are being haunted by a stray soul who has attached to them? Those are always fun.” Alyx replied nonchalantly like it wasn’t his first time dealing with this. In turn, Rose just stared at him, causing the gnome to chuckle and smirk.

“What? Not what you were expecting? Trust me, Rose, I have seen and heard all sorts of stories from people. You and whoever this person is are nothing new.”

“So, does this mean you are going to help?” Rose answered, hope evident in her voice.

“No. I won't be helping, at least not yet. I said I would hear you out, which I have, but I'm assuming you aren’t just going to take my word for it that I won’t try anything. If anything, this whole thing was just you testing the waters.”

Hearing that, Rose lost all pretense. Her face went dead serious, and her sweet voice turned just a smidge cold.

“You’re right. I don’t know you, and I wouldn’t let you get within reach of my friend so easily. However, it is fair that you don’t know us either, and there isn’t anything we can possibly give you to help us.”

“Honestly, just working with a new soul is enough of a reward for me. However, I am assuming that you are currently stationed in Wildwood as part of your training. Is that correct?”

“Yes. Why?” Rose answered, her voice still serious, though a bit of worry was starting to sip in there—not worry for herself, but for anything, Alyx might do.

“Very well, how about this? My team and I need someone who is more of a front liner, someone like you. How about we make a proper contract? You help my team until we leave the city, and in turn, I will help your friend and even promise not to do anything that might cause them harm. Does that sound good?”

After hearing that and thinking about it, Rose couldn’t deny it was the best possible thing to do. If they did a magical contract, any issues that could possibly endanger Jasmine would be taken care of. They could even put in a clause saying that he could not reveal any of the information even to his goddesses, which, depending on how the contract was made, could be a real possibility. Rose imagined that such a contract involving gods wouldn't be simple, but Rose knew there were ways.

“Very well, that sounds amenable,” Rose answered.

“Alright, would you like to make the contract right here and now, or would you like to take some time to come up with what you wish it to say?”

“What? No. If we are doing this, we will have the contract enforced by Xitrix.” An answer that the gnome was not expecting as he just stared at Rose, his face showing clear disbelief.

Hearing that Rose wanted to involve Xitrix, the God of Order, Law, Justice, and Truth, in their little contract told Alyx everything he needed to know. Meaning that unlike before, where he expected this whole soul situation to be just another relatively simple soul issue. If Rose wanted to involve a deity in the making of the contract, it meant that whatever was going on was definitely something interesting.

Contracts were very straightforward and often involved two parties making a deal with each other. When they added magic into the mix, the contract was enforced not only by the law of the land in which they made the contract but also by magic. This meant that whatever was stated in the paper would have very real consequences. A good example was if somebody put a clause in a contract stating that if either party broke it, they would never taste food again.

Afterward, if either party broke the contract, then not only could they be taken to court, but the magic of the contract would also take hold. This was done by the World Crystal interfering, but not directly. The contract itself would conjure ambient magic, and through some automatic guidance by the World Crystal it would cause the effects written on the contract to take effect.

Now, contracts were not one hundred percent foolproof as a contract could be destroyed, and some things were just not enforceable. Usually, a magical contract could be destroyed because the magic binding was weaker than the individual doing the destroying. To avoid this, multiple contracts were typically made so that if one was destroyed, then it would activate magical safety protections for the rest. However, even such a safety net could be overcome.

The other example is how some things just could not be enforced, such as the movement of physical objects. Essentially, a contract couldn't have a clause that if a party broke an agreement, all of their gold would be transported to the aggrieved party's house. It was an odd thing, as magic could accomplish it, but it was helpful nonetheless since it removed many possible scamming issues.

Either way, contracts between individuals were very common, though they were usually made by magic users who specialized in such things. These contracts often involved soul magic, though it wasn't necessarily needed. Essentially, the more intricate and important the contract, the higher the quality and the overall power required to ensure it was followed.

Of course, one of the highest powers you could use to make a contract was the gods themselves. Contracts involving the gods were one of the safest that anyone could make, as nothing was safer than a contract with a literal entity with unlimited power backing it. Still, even such contracts had downsides, such as if they involved two deities because they had to be careful not to bring the two gods into conflict. There was also the fact that even within the gods, one specific god was above all when dealing with anything contract or law related.

Xitrix's very nature was related to the concept that made contracts work, the deity's intervention in such matters gave any binding oath, whether on paper or not, an extra bit of oomph.

Alyx had never had to make a contract with the deity and was a bit worried. However, seeing Rose’s determined face, Alyx was even more intrigued by what was going on, so he felt it was necessary to make a proper deal.

“Very well. I accept your proposition to bring Xitrix into this.” Alyx finally replied after having gone silent, considering his options.

“Should we head out now?” the redhead answered, causing Alyx to smile. She was clearly worried for her friend, but she still couldn’t believe that he was capable of fixing souls.

“No, no, no. I know you still have your doubts about me. After all, I look so young. How about you go back to Sol’s temple and do some investigation to appease your worries.”

Then, with a simple nod and a “Thank you,” she made for the door.

Looking at the redhead go down the hallway, Alyx decided to make her search much more easier as he yelled out.

“My full name is Alyx Vinci, by the way!”