Svarik and the company I :)

[Mirach]

"I don't exactly enjoy it," Svarik muttered a bit wryly, since it wasn't something he would wish the Sage to know. "I just suffer it in the name of fun. But I don't think even Falcon would find it fun to carry someone all the way up these stairs..."

[VisAnastasis]

" If he had chosen you to sit upon Lowland's throne, and had chosen to keep on living despite that, if I may say, it is his equivalent of stepping down the throne he spilled blood sweat and tears to sit on himself, and choosing to sit down at the bottom of the stairs instead...  In his eyes at least. " Sage grinned, leaning with his back against throne casually, seeming to thrive on king's discomfort, as if finding it cute. " By what I know of him, and by his carefully composed letters, I would be pretty certain to say he would not find it too big of a bother. And judging by how fit he is... " he grinned. " I judge he'd be able to carry two or three people without braking a sweat - why not, if it is a crime to have endurance of a demigod, he is guilty. "

[Mirach]

"You seem to know a lot about him from carefully composed letters," Svarik noted. "Does he confine in you with much?"

[VisAnastasis]

" As I said, after he has indebted me, I had taken a special interest in him, naturally. " The Sage replied diplomatically and a touch slyly. " We.. collaborated on many occasions since. We have lot of common interests. I help him, he helps me, it works good for both of us, you see, you dear little thing. One thing I couldn't help him that I regret to this day, is to find this lad, meadow king. It was bad luck the kid never ventured to the sea, otherwise, I'd be more successful, I deem. I did provide him with all knowledge I could share on how mana, magic, souls, and all the rest works, to the best of my abilities, so I count that had made up that one failure on my side a little bit. " he observed Svarik, as curious about him as king was about his and Conrad's relations.
" That said - I don't think he really trusts anyone properly, that poor wonderful man, but I'd say I have earned a certain level of respect and confidentiality in his eyes, and that while not me, he has trust in my honor and discretion. He did indebt me a lot. And yes, we speak a lot - he had sent me many and many letters in last couple of months, both to inform me of things and ask me for important advises. I have a special little bird messenger that can travel very fast back and forth, so it's more less safe. We still use special codding to our messages, just in case, of course - that is one reason why it took me so long to see you yesterday. I had to take an hour to decipher the code, this one was a bit more tricky than usual. "

[Mirach]

"How much did he write you about me?" Svarik couldn't help himself but ask as his curiosity won. 

[VisAnastasis]

" I have only known him in person for half a year, while I was staying at capital in his hospitality. At that times, we spoke little of you, as we had many other huge problems with priesthood at our backs back then. Through letters, he didn't speak too much of you over years, besides inquiring if I by chance had heard of you coming south. At times when he met you in autumn, he only had told me of some silly ladybug he caught in your hair on the day you met, and he sent me one strand of your hair to analyze and tell him what I think of you from it. " man admitted innocently with an expression of a guilty man. " After certain coronation, he wrote much longer and frequent letters about you, though - but you should not worry, of course, about his discretion. He was just asking me lot of advises about souls, how life affects them, how sensitive Gifted people are to suffering, how to look after someone's soul and mind if you're not Listener, things like those. I imagine he was too proud to ask any Listener he knew in city, and felt more comfortable in asking me, because of the debt that lies between us. I also sent him supples of some rare and strong medicines, as much as my messenger could carry, of course, as a nod of good will and good luck to you two. "

[Mirach]

"I remember the ladybug," Svarik shook his head with some amusemet. "So he actually used that to take some of my hair and send it to you for an analysis? Actually, it doesn't surprise me... What did he want to find out from a hair?"

[VisAnastasis]

" You can tell enough of someone based on something of his, like a nail or hair, if you have such skills. " Sage chuckled innocently, tactfully avoiding his questions - as if trying to show king there is a line he will however not cross in his openness, as in his eyes, it was not polite to be only one sharing knowledge and info while the other's party's silent. " Let's just say I told him a bit about your bloodline, a bit about what kinds of Beings could had been in your ancestry, and what kind of things you may like and enjoy based on that. That was on top of his interests, besides, of course, can I feel some hidden malice within you. I told him what I could see, and I told him, no, as far as common definition of malice goes. It seemed important to him, so I wrote him detailed analysis right away, the very same day he asked me for advise, and he got reply the following evening, I deem. I destroyed the hair afterwards, of course. You are welcome. "

[Mirach]

Svarik nodded, indeed wondering about that. "It seems you are at an adventage here," he said. "You know a lot about me from the letters and even a hair analysis, but he never told me about you. I was wondering how he was able to get some exotic ingredients so fast... Now I wonder if he corresponds with more people like this, and how many know this much about me..."

[VisAnastasis]

" He is secretive lad. I am quite sure he always knows a lot more than he's leading on. " Sage agreed, sitting down at the arm of the throne nonchalantly, as it seemed they took a brake to talk and he sure as anything wasn't going to stand during it. " I am no surprised he didn't tell you of me or our history together. I know barely a fragment about him as well. His name lingers on people's lips through the land, of terror, awe and respect. Some deem him a God, even. I wouldn't go that far, but connections and skill the guy has are quite impressive as far as humans go and as far as I know. " he smiled compassionately at Svarik. " I am sure he has dozen of interesting acquaintances. He had to meet quite a lot of interesting people while inquiring about you, and searching for other candidates that could potentially take the throne if proven better than you. If I was you, I wouldn't feel bad about it - I'm sure you'll learn to accept there'll always be something he'll save telling or discussing with you for some other safer occasion, even at his death bed. I knew him in person for just 6 months, and during that time, he did enough for a lifetime of things normal people would not dare be proud of. I fret to think what all he had done during whole last ten years, though, as I have a soft spot for him, as I said, I don't really mind it much. "

[Mirach]

"Me too..." Svarik murmured, and then he took Xia into his arms and got up from the throne. "Shall we go further?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Why not? " man shrugged innocently, and he lead them downstairs, to other parts of the massive palace, where they continued to explore its wonders.

[Mirach]

"This is very interesting," Svarik told him after a while of exploring, "but you can find ruins and palaced on the land as well. Coule you show us something that you can only see here, at the bottom of the sea?"

[VisAnastasis]

" My, you are a challenging audience. To be honest, I mostly find people ones that make places interesting. I could leave you to mer-kingdom, for example, or something of such sort with ease. I would do it with gladness, if there was not threat of Death, hanging above our heads. " The Sage replied him truthfully. " But there are some interesting things that I think I can show you without danger of endangering anyone. There's this neat place three hours of walk from here - but if your little animal would be ever so kind to fly us to it, I think we'd come there much sooner... "

[Mirach]

"I will ask her if she would be willing to take you as well," Svarik said, not promising anythig before exlaining it to Xia as well as he could with words and gestures.

[VisAnastasis]

Xia normally wouldn't be so open to idea, but it seemed she was in good mood since Svarik was carrying her around and cuddling with her, and since she did understand Sage was kind to them and showing them new things, she felt it was alright for her to repay that kindness. She nodded to sign her agreeing, and she hugged Svarik one more before departure, purring loudly.

[Mirach]

"Thank you, dear," Svarik caressed her. "Just show her the direction," he told the Sage.

[VisAnastasis]

" We will need to go more slowly at first, till me manage to coordinate. Believe it or not, it's not as easy to maintain bubble of air with tons of water over our heads as it seems. " Man grinned. " But we can do it. "
And as he proclaimed confidently, so they did. At first slower, after little while they were flying much quicker, with vampire following them in step. After half an hour of flight, by increased aura of magic around them, king could feel they were nearing their destination.

[Mirach]

"Where are we?" Svarik asked as he felt it and understood that they are getting to the place that the Sage wanted to show them.

[VisAnastasis]

" I guess I could tell you nicely... Or I could just nod mysteriously to you and keep up the suspense. I am still deciding between the two. " Sage commenting innocently, his expression and leaned back gestures much more open than Conrad's, who despite all tries always seemed like elastic spring under pressure, unlike Sage whose leaned back attitude seemed genuine and peaceful. " Which do you think would be more fun? "

[Mirach]

"It would be fun if you decided to tell it to us, but we would talk about it too long and Xia would get us there before you could do it," Svarik grinned. 

[VisAnastasis]

" Alright then - let's keep it a surprise then! " Sage chuckled. " All you need to know is we must land now, as we are going to have to pass through there! " he said, and pointed at a distant source of light, where there was a massive rock among the sand, with a crack in it from which light and peculiar familiar scent of warmth were shinning brightly.

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[Mirach]

"I suppose it's not a Being, since you wouldn't take us to another one..." Svarik murmured as he watched the light they were nearing to. 

[VisAnastasis]

" Not in a real sense. But you all have to hold my hands while we pass through it. It's a portal that will lead us to one of my favorite places around, that comes right after my own palace on my favorite list, of course. " Sage explained innocently, building up the surprise, liking to tease, apparently. " It is sort of, in one way, Gate to other dimension of our Reality. Here, but not here in the same time. We are actually much deeper at sea bottom than you think, as we already passed through couple subtle portals on the way here. We are around a week of flying from my palace, I deem. Anyway, you can not enter the portal, unless you hold hands with someone who was blessed by the Sea, which is, conveniently, me. I will lead you in there, one by one. " he grinned more widely. " First I'll lead Erdel, then Xia. You'll come in with me last, little Nightingale, of course, as is proper. "

[Mirach]

"Okay..." Svarik said slowly. "But the air bubble will stay here when you go through the portal to another dimension or whatever there is, right? Have you ever tried it?"