❖ SOLMAR ❖ (Solmar/Nico)

Having arrived in Oak town for the first time in his life just a few hours prior, the young mage had been requested by the Magic Council. Though he wasn’t one for giving a whole lot of shits as to what the council wanted, especially given his past with authority. The only time he had ever really gone along with what the council wanted was when he had gone through the effort of getting a piece of paper that would allow him to cross the various borders of Earthland. Today was not like that though, though it had been nearly as slow as having to deal with the bureaucracy of getting a couple of stupid papers needed to cross invisible lines across the land, another stupid concept dreamt up by humans. Having stood relatively still for long periods of time stretched across a few hours, a sculptor had been working on making a statue in Solmar’s likeness to put with the other “Saints” both present and of the past. Rarely had he ever been as bored as he had been while posing for a statue, which he did by merely standing around the way he usually did.

At first, he had not really been on board with the idea of having a statue made of him, though he figured that there were also a few positives to it. Aside from the obvious downside of more people knowing who he was, what he was and what he did for a living, there was the chance that with this renown, some of the points on his agenda might be pushed towards the right crowd more easily. Because for the past few months, he had actively been going around, seeking out forms of corruption wherever he could find it and putting an abrupt end to it. And when he said corruption, he did not mean a few rich men making themselves even richer by shaving off coin from banks or other businesses. He meant corruption of the sort that changed people, changed nature, made it violent and sick until there was nothing left of the thing it once was. This was the kind of corruption that sought to eat away all life in this world, as well as other worlds in different places that most humans might not be able to get to. Some had considered him mad at first, though several others had already encountered this darkness and contacted him about it.

Making his way over to the local tavern, he thought about some of those people such as Yona who had been around when he made an attempt at rooting out the festering corruption in a mountain town, or Gangting when the two of them had gone about destroying a creature that seemed to embody corruption as it tried to devour the great Beanstalk. They were but a few of the people he knew had seen some of the things he had seen, though they seemed like the kinds of people that would be useful towards putting an end to it when they were to encounter it on their own. And that was exactly how his “movement”, for lack of a better word, would spread across Fiore and maybe even Earthland. People needed to see certain things with their own eyes before they would believe, which was strange in a world ruled by magic. As such, it had always been quite strange how some would scuff at what he had to say, yet they believed in dragons and demons. Truly, the stupidity of humans was often beyond what he was willing to deal with, which explained his wandering hermit lifestyle. Pushing the front door of the tavern open as he ventured in, he took off his hood and took a seat in the back.

There, he would sit back for a bit and wait for someone to come to him and take his order. Based on what he could see, there were a couple of people around, as well as more people waiting around outside that seemed to be too busy cackling and conversing to actually do so. Taking the menu and inspecting what this place offered to a weary traveler such as himself, he knew for a fact that he wanted something worthwhile to eat before he would head back out to his next destination.


(726)

Though it wasn’t like he couldn’t hear the woman talking in a way that might have been hushed enough for the average person, what with his slayer-enhanced hearing and all, it was more that he did not really care for that kind of thing to really give it the time of day. No, he had come here for a pretty simple reason, and that was to get something to eat so he would be able to go back to doing his job. Ever since he became a Wizard Saint about a week ago, people had been taking him and his warnings a bit more seriously. Now, he was getting word left and right about strange activity that seemed to contradict nature’s will across the country. Though some of them were easily dismissed, some of these things that had been brought to his attention had earned his legitimate concern. Having seen the mass of darkness known to a deity of nature as the “Hungering Abyssals”, he knew what could become of Earthland if he did not put a stop to it.

During his stay in another dimension, Solmar had seen how life itself had been consumed by a black mass that seemed to erase all sentience and form from whatever it made contact with, killing it and reconstituting it as a being that could carry out its will. Using those it devoured as a means towards converting, corrupting and devouring others, it was a plague that could quickly overtake and eradicate entire civilizations in a matter of days. While he had managed to hold it off once in the other dimension, the fact that he had witnessed the same corruption in Earthland a year prior to actually going to that other world meant that it had already managed to root itself in certain portions of this world before he had even realized what it was. So while these little “fun” detours to get someone to make a statue in his likeness for the rabble to enjoy, he unfortunately did not have all the time in the world. Luckily, he traveled quickly as he rarely needed to rest and had a fast pace about him.

That said, everything in nature needed sustenance in order to exist, and he was no exception to that rule. So as he waited for one of the woman to finish their shallow but flattering chatter, it was in fact a man that came to his table. Estimating him to not be much older or younger than he was, he brought up the Beef Stew, which sounded good to him. Not too long ago, he had first tasted the stew made by someone named Haraka, which in spite of not having any meat in it tasted surprisingly good. Being somewhat of a connoisseur of food, he looked forward to trying this beef stew to see if this Chef was really any good. At any rate, the notion of food in and of itself seemed quite good right now, and he really did not want to be picky. As long as it could provide him with the energy he needed in order to carry on for another day, it would have to do.

“Hmm… I guess you’re right. I’ll have the beef stew since you recommended it, some ribs, a turkey leg and a salad. Also, if you could provide me with a pitcher of water and a glass, that would be much appreciated.”

Not being one for small talk, there was not a whole lot else that came to mind for the black haired mage. To him, the fact that he mentioned taking a recommendation to heart was already small talk as he oh so rarely gave a damn about what other people thought. But as a Wizard Saint, he felt that the bare minimum he could provide to the organization was to not provide them with a bad name. So, instead of being quiet all the time, he imagined that at least trying to keep a conversation going and make people stop thinking of him as “That strange guy that hunts monsters and sleeps in caves” would be a good thing. At the end of the day though, he couldn’t really say he gave a shit as to whether it worked or not. The only thing that truly mattered to him was doing his job, and becoming a Wizard Saint was just another crutch aiding him towards that greater purpose.

“So what else is there to this place, aside from the rain, the statues and the chef’s beef stew.”


(762 // 1487)

“I am.”

Speaking quite plainly, there was really not that much to say about it at this point. For as long as he could remember, or at least close to as long, he had been wandering from place to place in search of work, food and a place to spend the night. For most of his life, he had been living within Sakuramori, using an abandoned bear den as his home as the animal in question obviously no longer needed it. Still wearing that same bear in the form of the large cloak he had hanging over his shoulders, the thing had gathered up quite a bit of dirt already as it seemed incapable of staying clean for more than five minutes. But that was what happened when one constantly strayed from the beaten path. At some point, he imagined that he would need to replace it with something else, something new, though this cloak still had some significance to him. It was the first time he had really managed to stand up for himself as a kid, and the first time he manifested his magic fully.

Returning his mind to the present time, Solmar believed that it was only natural to sometimes get lost in thought when in a place such as this. To say that it held history in high regard was probably an understatement, as it was claimed that there were all sorts of relics still hidden throughout the place. It was also no coincidence that they wanted to make his statue here, as it was where the others had also been placed for all to see even many years after those who had them made in their likeness were no longer around. But in truth, it was mostly because of the relics buried here that he had come, the statue was just extra incentive. Catacombs and other such hidden burial sites often had such things placed alongside the dead as the people of old believed that their loved ones would be able to take them with them into the next life. Not being one for believing in any kind of life outside the one they were living now, he did not really believe they needed them. On the other hand, he did not feel like grave robbing was an acceptable hobby either, especially when the goal behind it was to sell these items to the highest bidder.

“Today however, I came here not as a wanderer, but to have a statue made and to search for an old relic of the past. But I don’t imagine that kind of thing is in any way interesting to someone else.”

What Solmar wanted was to find one particular thing here, a piece of armor that had been hidden from the world for decades now. The people his mother hailed from, the Kendov, were a people that descended from a mixed human and Fomorian bloodline. Being known far and wide in their time on Earthland as savage warriors and shoreline raiders, they had constantly been fighting against the people of ancient Fiore before eventually integrating and diluting into the people one would encounter today. Had it not been due to the spirits he had encountered months ago, he would not have known anything about these people, nor the armor. While there was a huge chance that the armor he was searching for had gone missing as a grave robber might have gotten to it years ago, he still wanted to try to find it. For the time being, he would just convince himself that the relic was still where it had been left so many years ago. If nothing else, it helped keep him thinking positive thoughts.

“You wouldn’t be able to point me to where most of the burial mounds have been unearthed, would you?”


(638 // 2125)

“Rest assured that I won’t be robbing any graves, I am merely taking back something that is mine from someone that no longer needs it.”

When he said so, it wasn’t like he was lying or anything, though he wasn’t exactly telling the truth either. No matter how one might twist, turn and bend the truth, there was no hiding the fact that Solmar was planning on “robbing” a grave as there was something there that he needed to take. Being something that had been a part of his mother’s extended family, or clan, him being the last living member of it meant that Solmar was now the rightful owner of this relic that had gone down into the grave with the last person that claimed ownership of it. Because of the fact that these relics had never been meant to be buried with someone, and were meant to stay within the clan, Solmar felt that it was his job to head on over and take it for himself. Clearly these items such as the twin blades he wielded were meant to be used by a decently powerful mage and aid them on their path, though that was something most modern folk would not be able to wrap their heads around.

“You know, while I personally hate being in open waters, part of my extended family used to be plunderers and raiders, descendants of… wait, do you know what Fomorians are? Truth be told, it doesn’t really matter. Long story short, when one of them died, they passed on their belongings to the next person in the bloodline. And since I’m the only one left, I wish to reclaim it.”

During his stay within the Greenscape, a different dimension that was overcome by natural forces and beautiful beyond measure, he had received glimpses of some of the relics he needed to find. With his blades, Caladbolg and Fragarach already being found in similar burial mounds and catacombs, the black armor known as Gwaed Tywyll was up next. Judging from a glimpse of the past, back when a Kendovian warlord had worn the armor was that it was pitch black in color, was made out of segmented plating and two large demonic horns sticking out of the helmet. Believing that such an armor would not be all that hard to find once he actually entered one of these burial mounds, it created the thought as to how he would use it in his head. Up until now, he had always fought using his magic and his speed, at times using his twin blades to enhance the potency of his magic and switching up his fighting style and execution style, though he had never worn an armor before. The way he saw it, doing so would just weigh him down, though he would not have received this vision with regards to the armor if the nature deity did not consider it to be an important keystone.

“I could tell you more about it, though I feel like doing so would keep me from getting my food any time soon. So here’s what we’ll do. Once you’ve turned in the order with your chef, I’ll tell you more about it, and you can tell me more about these burial mounds and their location.”

While partially joking, he was in fact quite hungry and would have liked having something to eat right about now. Him being here, aiming to get his armor was, after all, just a small detour from the larger scope of things that still needed to be done. As his visit to Rakshasa headquarters had proven, there was still much that needed to be done before this world would be able to stand a chance against the corruption that threatened to consume it. And if getting his armor could help him prepare for such things, obviously he would need to go through the trouble of getting it.


(657 // 2782)