Section Five: The Port of Victoria (Part Two)

“What’s going on?” came a man’s voice from within the cabin, resonant with the authority of a high-ranking leader.

A man on deck replied, “Your Eminence, there’s been a situation. It’s said some Fishmen were spotted near the port. The guard fleet has already set out, but the alarm hasn’t been lifted yet. No one is allowed to enter or leave the harbor for now.”

“Hm. Those creatures, not much different from the orcs, have always coveted the land. But as long as they can’t solve the problem of coming ashore, their threat is limited. High-ranking sea folk alone cannot conquer the land,” the prelate in the cabin remarked.

“Such insight, my lord. Still, these beasts do know how to cause trouble and have delayed your important affairs. Actually, my lord, why don’t we travel overland instead?” the man on deck suggested.

“Oh, Lynde, His Holiness needs us to observe the Golden Broom. If we can persuade Edward III, our arrival in the capital of Randia will be to our advantage.”

Lynde entered the cabin and respectfully sat opposite the archbishop. Though the status of a paladin in the ecclesiastical hierarchy was by no means inferior to that of a bishop, this particular prelate was different: he was an archbishop, and among the candidates most likely to ascend to the rank of cardinal.

“My lord, if there truly are God-defiers in Randia, we can simply move to eradicate them.”

“Eradicate?” The archbishop shook his head almost imperceptibly. “That is not our best option. The current political system in Randia appears similar to that of the Ancient Elven Empire—both parliamentary—but in truth, they are fundamentally different. The fate of the ancient empire was decided by councilors obsessed with bloodlines, whereas Randia is a nation of commerce, ruled by gold. Even the church’s power is being seriously challenged. If, in fact, God-defiers lurk within their cabinet or assembly, it would not be surprising. Yet the Pope’s primary directive is not to ferret out God-defiers. If such exist, I have no qualms about eradicating them as we did the vampires, but that task should fall first to the Tribunal. Our primary mission is to ensure the Randian Republic joins the Holy Covenant, securing the church’s unshakable standing and leaving God-defiers no ground to survive.”

“But now, in Randia’s politics, Prime Minister Warenheit repeatedly insists that the Republic respects every citizen’s freedom of belief, and refuses to let the Celestial Deities be held in supreme reverence,” Lynde said with concern.

“It’s not just that. The Holy Covenant has two core articles. Besides what you mentioned, there is another: every member nation or force must unconditionally eradicate any self-proclaimed Transcender, regardless of whom they have replaced. Randia, once part of the House of Celestials, signed this pact upon its founding. For fear of public panic, this second core provision was never published, so many believe the treaty is simply an alliance of the human nations faithful to the Celestial Gods. In truth, the treaty involves many powers on the continent: the elves of the north, still at war with both humans and orcs; the great neutral guilds; even the vampires lurking in humanity’s shadows have agreed to uphold this second article. In practice, it is the true purpose of the treaty, and the clause most faithfully observed by its members.”

“But now Randia, claiming all decisions must be made by the people, refuses to sign a secret pact. They say that for any agreement to be binding, it must be passed by their assembly and enshrined in law. My lord, I don’t understand—why can’t this clause simply be made public?” Lynde asked, bewildered.

The archbishop rubbed his forehead. “If every person were told, perhaps Randia’s accession to the treaty would be far simpler. But the consequences would be unbearable for most members. Think—if all knew of the Transcenders, knew that being replaced is unavoidable, unbreakable, undefendable, and that we do not even know why it happens—what then? Faith in the gods would collapse, the church would fall, and the authority of all powers would be shattered, for the people would suspect even their leaders of being replaced. Lynde, this would trigger a chain of disasters: the continent’s order would dissolve; lesser elves would no longer obey their betters; the faithful would see the church as powerless, their beliefs useless; and the nobility would dread the scandal of a Transcender in their family becoming public, a laughingstock. Moreover, Transcenders are typically selfish. Even if they appear in a great family, they seldom show the loyalty of the body’s original owner, but will climb by any means, sacrificing all, even destroying their original line.”

“I see now,” Lynde said awkwardly. “No wonder the secret of the Transcenders is so closely guarded—even I only learned more because I am accompanying you on this mission. Before, I only knew them as the greatest God-defiers.”

“Yes, the church founded the Holy Covenant and thus values secrecy above all. Usually only the innermost circle knows: the cardinals; even most archbishops know only that Transcenders are God-defiers. But both you and I have a chance to rise further. As a future Vice-Commander of the Paladins, you’ll be privy to more. Some others also know the truth: the Tribunal, those who guard the cathedral’s underground prison, the laboratory staff—they have long sought to unravel the mystery of the Transcenders.”

“Any progress?”

The archbishop sighed. “None. Our research has yielded some results, yet the greatest secret—why Transcendence occurs—remains unsolved. Without this, we cannot prevent or defend against it. Our studies suggest even the Transcenders themselves cannot control it and are seeking answers. Unfortunately, we never obtained the Rochester treasure; otherwise we might have learned more. He’s the most well-documented Transcender and the first discovered by the church, though perhaps not the first in time. It was through his journals and messages left for other Transcenders that the church confirmed their existence. Imagine—a gnome who ruled the continent for over two centuries. Because of him alone, that lowly race once lorded over humanity. To say he changed the world is no exaggeration.”

“Not every Transcender is so formidable. I once escorted a God-defier under orders from the Cardinal Council, all the way from the north to the cathedral’s underground prison. I’ll admit he was clever, but he was never a match for the church,” Lynde remarked.

The archbishop nodded, then frowned. “True, among the Transcenders discovered so far, none have surpassed the Gnome Emperor. In the past century, the most dangerous was the Lionheart Duke, dealt with a decade ago by Lord Salman. But do you know why humanity triumphed over the orcs and elves?”

“Because…” Lynde hesitated.

“Because of unity,” the archbishop supplied. “Faith strengthens our unity. But Transcenders, in essence, are not inferior to us; in fact, they are smarter than most humans. The reason we haven’t seen another Rochester is largely due to our suppression, especially through the Holy Covenant. Yet they can also unite.”

At this, a deep worry and a hint of fear flickered in the archbishop’s eyes. “In fact, they already have. For years, once discovered, every Transcender—no matter how powerful—has met only death at our hands, for our combined strength is greater. Thus, some have banded together to resist us. Even ants, in numbers, can kill a man. History records several Transcender organizations that once threatened us, but ultimately we divided them and crushed them one by one. Yet this war is not over. The more seasoned Transcenders, especially those who survived the great purges, have grown ever more cunning, ever deeper in hiding. I sense they have reformed into a new, secretive organization, but I swear I will find them—and destroy them.”

“What if Randia still refuses to sign the covenant?” Lynde pressed, returning to the mission at hand.

“Then they will be our enemies. I will inform the Cardinal Council that enemies must be destroyed,” the archbishop said gravely.

At that moment, the crew of the Celeste were celebrating their escape from danger. Among was clinking glasses with Wei, and Fulton was bargaining with the harbor authorities, seeking to go ashore and purchase supplies for tomorrow’s voyage. First Mate Anderson was busy expelling the sailor Leah from the ship, while Captain Kaplan sat in his cabin, lost in thought, pondering Wei’s true origins.