Axium

CHAPTER 15

XRenia woke several hours later and despite the artificially cooled air she felt sticky and sweaty. Magical CC is so much better than this gimmicky science stuff. She thought as she rolled out of the elephant sized bed.

She trudged over to the master bathroom and made her way over to what was obviously the shower, tossed her clothes on the floor and walked in. But when she turned it on the water came out in a curtain instead of a fine spray.

"The nozzles are too big," Verin said.

She half jumped out of her skin as she desperately tried to cover herself with her arms. Then she realized that he had spoken in her head and he wasn't actually there. "Do you mind I'm trying to take a shower!"

"I'm sorry it's just that I encountered the same problem earlier in the servants washing area. When you supersized the Palace it made the nozzles too big."

She reached her hand towards the door and locked it with her magic. "Okay, fine I'll figure it out, get out of my head." She snapped. She was obviously never going to have another moment of privacy in her life.

"I'm sorry. I'm not looking or anything I just."

She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth desperately trying to give him a mental slap.

Verin's presents vanished from her mind.

*

After taking a good long rinse and bemoaning the fact that she had no soap she ran water through her clothes then dried them out with magic.

"Much better." She said to herself as she left the bathroom fully dry clothes and not filling icky at all. Despite still filling slightly irritated at him for so thoroughly invading her privacy she reached out with her magic to search for Verin.

He was doing something in what appeared to be the kitchen. She lazily strolled in his direction through the insanity of what was her new palace. The architecture was nice the walls aesthetically placed the archways just the right amount of curves the rooms more than just roomy and the furniture though not her preferred style elegant. The Duke had decent taste.

If only he had designed everything to run off of magic not tech, she thought as she finally found the entrance to the kitchen through a well-hidden servant's walkway.

The smell of delicious food wafted in her face as she walked in. "What you cooking?" She asked.

"The turrets killed this man bull cow like thing while we slept. So I decided to cook it up for our lunch." Verin said pushing an image towards her.

"Ah, that's called a Minotaur. Though I've never heard of anyone eaten one before."

"Well I've already had a few bites and if I can rely on your memory for my taste buds I think it taste sort of like beef. Which isn't all that bad. It does have a slight tangy taste though so I'm trying to fix it up. Sadly the castle didn't come fully equipped with an assortment of spices. Thankfully the blueprint did collect a few herbs I recognize so I'm using them."

XRenia eyed the giant clay frying pan Verin was using and the unique meat in it with a tad bit of trepidation.

Verin laughed. "It's not bad really."

She was not entirely convinced but her stomach was rumbling so she sat down at the table in the middle of the room and watched him grind up various green plants and sprinkle them in the pan.

"O, ya I checked out this Lord Shan online. He has a nice website that is surprisingly quite informative about Ley lines." Verin waved his hand at her in the table she was leaning on lit up and an image of the website he was talking about came into view.

XRenia had seen such tables before in various shops and stores throughout Terra though she was kinda surprised that there be one here in a place meant for nothing but servants. She sat up and tapped through the website but the words were hard to read because they were stretched and slightly pixelated. No doubt a result of her super sizing everything.

Verin flicked his fingers and a piece of meat flipped over in the pan. "Yeah that's something we will both have to look into fixing later. But apparently Ley lines are sort of like the main arteries in the earth when one breaks it spews toxic energy into the atmosphere and if left alone long enough the capillaries around it burst as well."

"That don't sound good."

"It's not. From what I read on Shan's website it sounds like the only way to fix it is to basically rip the ground and re-lay it with magic." Verin floated a tiny piece of meat into the air and over to her. "Here have a taste."

She leaned forward and he pushed it into her mouth. She munched on it for a bit. "You're right it's not that bad, it taste like beef with a tad bit of a bite." She swallowed. "I'm guessing we have to fix the closest Ley line though before we straighten the land don't we?"

"Yeah, and that's the scary part. A mage standing anywhere near a broken Ley line will literally be drowned to death in the icky magic. I watched a few horrifying clips he has on the site, that I don't suggest you watch, and I tell you I don't want to get anywhere near one of those things." Verin picked the pan up and walked over towards her with it. "The only way we're going to even be able to possibly fix one of those things is if we had Shan's rings."

"I guess I can rip his head off and take them from him," she suggested as she reached for a piece of meat.

Verin who is in the process of bowing his head yanked his head up and gaped at her.

"What it's a good deal. I get his rings his city and his servants." She said shoving one of the largest pieces of meat in her mouth.

"No it's not! That's cold-blooded murder!"

She shrugged. "Yo..ur the o.ne that su. gested t.hat we ne.eded them," she said munching happily on the rather tasty meat.

"I didn't mean that!"

She swallowed. "Well, what did you mean then?"

"I don't know. But not that." He hesitated. "Maybe steal them," he said with half a shrug.

She floated another chunk of fried Minotaur flesh into the air and towards her mouth. "And just how do you suggest we do that?"

"I don't know. I have to think about it," he said as he bowed his head again. A few seconds later he looked up again and took a bite out of the piece of meat he already had in his hand. He chewed thoughtfully than swallowed. "Can you move things on the other side of a scrying?"

"Of course I can. But there's no way I can get that type of scrying past his security. That place was so decked out I'm not sure we would have been able to teleport our way out if we had to."

"You don't have to. As we both seen he is spying on absolutely everything in Thaxium all you have to do is find one of his scrying's or cameras and reverse it."

She stopped halfway through a swallow and almost choked until she forcefully pushed it down. "I've never heard of something like that before. I don't even think it's possible. Much less know how to do it. "

Verin's eyes sparkled. "What if I said I knew someone who does?"

*

XRenia tapped her foot impatiently as she watched Verin slowly munch on the last scraps of fried up Minotaur. How could he possibly know someone that could do something like that? She had looked through his memories and he barely ever met anyone. Albeit she hadn't scoured his like he had hers. But still.

He gave her a big toothy grin. His mind still completely closed off to her.

She fought down the urge to scream at him. There was just no expression to express how irritating it was for him to be able to hide everything for her while still being able to read her mind like an open book. "Alright this is gone on long enough you're finished eating. Tell me how you know this guy!"

Verin licked his lips and swallowed. "I'll do better I'll take you to him." He turned around pushed open a rift and walked through.

She quickly followed after him.

*

They appeared in a dank barely lit cave and to both of their surprise a balled thickly built oval faced man with a disheveled beard was standing before them.

"XRenia of Terra, I've been waiting for you." The man said with a slight bow.

XRenia glanced over at Verin and he shrugged as he mentally said, "I didn't tell him we were coming."

"How did you.." XRenia started to ask.

"God told me you were coming. May I offer you some Ryazhenka or tea?"

"okay.." XRenia muttered. This guy was obviously off his rocker.

Verin spoke up. "No thank you. We've come to ask you a favor."

"I know. And I will help you on two conditions. But first I believe I should probably introduce myself. I am Yefim at one time known as Neo but my name now is Zacchaeus and most people just call me Zach."

"Ya, Neo was the best hacker in my nation before God got a hold of him," Verin exclaimed.

The ragged looking man eyed Verin. "Was? I still believe I am. Though that may be just my pride speaking."

Verin obviously knew the man very well but XRenia for the life of her didn't know how and she wasn't at all sure of what to think of his weird greeting so she decided it be best for her to stick with the reason why they were there. "You said you would help us?"

Zach nodded respectfully at her. "Indeed. But I require two things of you first."

"Okay. That sounds reasonable but what are they?"

The man waved his hand forming the scrying that displayed names and pictures of people. "I wish you to provide sanctuary and citizenship for these people in your new Kingdom and when you draw up your laws and constitution I want you to guarantee everyone under your Reign freedom of religion."

XRenia stared at the list, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted a bunch of hackers to be her first citizens but they might be a great boon to her kingdom if she could keep them under control. The second part of his request though she hadn't a clue what he actually wanted. "Freedom of what?" XRenia asked.

She felt Verin shift uncomfortably and she turned to him. He looked her straight in the eyes and his pure blue eyes were completely serious and devoid of the joviality that normally filled them. "Casara I haven't mentioned it because I didn't feel the time was right. But what do you think about God?"

The seriousness in his voice and the way he had said her real name unnerved her. This time it was her that shift uncomfortably as she shrugged. "Well it's obvious there's a creator that much is a no-brainer. But whether he's some type of supremely powerful mage or some type of cosmic consciousness it beats me."

"What do you think he thinks of you?" Zach asked softly.

"Probably just as much as I think of the creatures that live on atoms which compose me. They exist but it's not like I could give a rip about them." She said flippantly.

Zach reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "What if I told you I believe that he not only knows your name but deeply cares for you enough to send his only son down to die for you?"

She didn't know why but as she looked into Zach's face and listen to his question she suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. She stepped back pulling away from his touch. "Um, sounds insane to me."

Sorrow filled the ragged man's eyes and she quickly added. "But to each his own. If you and your friends want to believe that, I won't stop them. Just as long as they don't go killing people who don't believe that. Or some such insanity."

Zach covered his sorrow with a half-smile. "Don't worry about that were peaceful. In fact I sometimes believe were too peaceful. If we had spoken out more in our nation's history things may not be as bad as they are now."

Despite feeling uneasy about the subject Zach's statement piqued her interest. "Are things really that bad?"

Zach turned around and walked over to a makeshift icebox, pulled out what looked like some type of fermented dairy drink with a weird name on it and answered her question as he took a few sips from it. "Those in power believe that man is a supreme being and those with the most power should rule over the lesser beings. And those who don't agree with this belief... Well." He waved at the cave around him.

XRenia wasn't exactly sure how to answer his statement so she just nodded in understanding.

"I understand you being young might sympathize with their belief. But you should know that your family through their actions have proven on many occasions that they believe that the powerful should watch over serve help and guide the weaker which might sound slightly the same but it's not."

The scrying of the original state of Terra flashed in XRenia's mind and she knew without a doubt that Zach was right. "Why haven't you fled to Terra then?" She asked.

Zach gave her a big toothy grin. "If only it was that simple. Your grandfather for obvious reasons has made it very difficult to immigrate into his kingdom."

"Oh."

"Yes Terra's rise to such immense power has resulted in it having many enemies. And any wise leader knows that you just don't let anyone into your borders lest your own citizens suffer the consequences."

This was news to XRenia but as she mulled it over in her mind she felt slightly foolish for not even thinking about it before. If she was going to create her own kingdom she had a lot to learn. And from the looks of it if she didn't learn fast what she did manage to create could easily crumble out from underneath her.

She watched the man as he put away the milk drink and for the first time felt that she could see deeper than just his bedraggled exterior, there was wisdom and understanding in his eyes far beyond that of her own and.. And something else more important but she couldn't lay her finger on. She let her eyes trail to the scrying still hang in the air with the names and pictures on it. "I'll grant you this freedom you speak of however I want to meet each of these people before I allow them into my king.. Well palace."

Zach nodded. "Perfectly understandable." He turned to Verin. "I asked them to gather in the dahlia meadow. I believe you've been there before?"

"I have," Verin answered as he pushed open a portal. He waved his hand for Zach to go first.

"Thank you." The bald man said as he walked through.

XRenia raised her eyebrows at Verin and he shrugged, "I guess there's more to me than you thought."

"Ahuh." She muttered as she walked through the portal.

*

She came out at the edge of a meadow covered in purple flowers and surrounded on all sides by thick woods. In the middle the meadow a group of about twenty-five adults and a couple handfuls kids of loitered around a small fire.

Zach led them over towards the group and as they walked closer she couldn't help but notice that all their clothes were ragged and the men of the squatters looked rather rough.

One of their number seen them coming and motioned to the others. The crowd turned their attention towards them and became disturbingly quiet.

Zach smiled at them. "I've asked you all here today because XRenia of Terra has been banished to Thaxium or rather she will shortly be, and she is looking for servants to man her newly erected palace. I have suggested all of you to her and in return she has guaranteed you all citizenship's in her new kingdom as well as promised freedom of religion."

XRenia had thought they had all been disturbingly quiet before now however they completely froze and if she had dropped a pin she was certain she'd be able to hear it landed in the soft grass.

After what seemed like an eternity one of the woman muttered. "Thee, XRenia of Terra?"

Zach gave a hearty laugh. "Yes. Thee. Now just don't stand there gawking at her, lineup in an orderly fashion and introduce yourselves."

There was a rustle of clothing and a flurry of movement and before she could even blink the entire group had formed a perfectly straight line in front of her.

Zach waved his hand and with some trepidation the first in line came forward. "I am Irene," said a stocky woman. "I am Harvin her husband and these are our children Tarik and Garland."

XRenia smiled and nodded to the family and they stepped aside for the next person in line.

A man over six feet tall with a bushy beard and biceps as thick as her neck step forward. "I am Peter. It's nice to meet your highness."

"Likewise," She said softly and he stepped aside as well.

As the group continued to present themselves to her she found herself confused. They all had the size and girth to be criminals but none of them seemed to have the demeanor. And they definitely didn't have the smarmy attitude she had come to associate with hackers. What was even more disconcerting though was how most of them seem to know Verin as well. If you have asked her she would've sworn he had never done a bad thing in his life, but maybe she was...

"That's because they're not." Verin said in her mind breaking her concentration.

"What?" She asked back barely stopping herself from saying it out loud.

"They're not criminals. None of them are."

"Then what are they?"

"The best I can think to call them is outcast."

"Huh?"

"In this nation when it's discovered that your beliefs don't coincide with that of those in power you are labeled a dissenter and sent to a labor camp for the rest of your life. There you do manual labor like taking care of the government's crops and are treated as a common slave. It's not an unbearable life but it's not a pleasant one either. These are some of the people Neo has helped free."

Not unbearable? That sounded downright dreadful, XRenia thought. She turned her attention back to the people introducing themselves to her with new understanding.

After an order lady that said her name was Nadezhda gave Verin a giant smile and a half curtsy XRenia mentally asked Verin, "how do they know you?"

"I've helped Neo hide them a few times and anytime I get a chance I go to their meetings."

"Meetings?"

"Ya, we gather together and talk about God and all the good things he's done for us."

God again. Apparently Verin was a little fruitier than she thought, but then if she had grown up in the wilderness like he had she might be as well. "Good things?" She asked.

"You know the wonderful things he's done for us."

"Wonderful things? Look at these people. They are dressed in rags and living in the wild. If they stay out here half of them will probably die when winter hits."

"So you say. But here you are the most powerful mage to ever exist about to give them a job."

"Yeah but that's because of you. Not God."

"And yet I was nothing but a shepherd boy just a day ago."

"And that's the last one. Was there any of them that you felt uneasy about or want to meet again?" Zach announced interrupting their conversation.

XRenia scramble to pull her thoughts back together. "No, they all seem really nice," she answered lamely.

Zach beamed with pride as if he had just shown off his own children to her though he couldn't have been more than thirty-six himself. "Then shall we be on our way? If you wish my help in retrieving this ring I believe it be prudent for us to act before he restores it to his vault."

At his words XRenia narrowed her eyes at him. Verin must've somehow secretly told him that they were coming and why. She didn't buy that God told him one bit.

"Honest to God I didn't," Verin protested.

XRenia resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she went to push open a portal, but as she did a thought struck her. "Zach, you do understand that all I have right now is a barely working palace I don't have any food or clothing. My own bed doesn't even have any sheets."

"I know. We will pray and God will provide food he always does. As for the rest they will use what they have until God gives us more."

She frowned, not entirely pleased with his God talk answer. But she figured it couldn't be much worse than they already had especially if creatures continued to throw themselves on her palace defenses. Which meant if worst came to worst they would at least have meat.

XRenia pushed open a portal and led them all to Thaxium.