Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Tremble…/

Amidst the heart of the primal wilderness, the dense jungle that enveloped the land in an impenetrable shroud… The ground shook.

/Shuaa!/

Ancient trees, their gnarled roots intertwining with the earth, under the call of an ancient code, they moved, forcibly shoved aside as something parted the very ground beneath it.

The air was thick with humidity, and the cries of exotic birds and unseen creatures echoed through the verdant expanse, fearful and startled at what was about to happen.

/CRACK!/

/Rise!/

A rupture opened within the ground and dust blasted to the skies, casting a looming shadow over the forest…

Within the ground, a dark hole now stood, leading to untold depths.

/Shine…/

Rays of sunlight penetrated the tangled foliage, revealing the secrets of the earth, reflecting its splendor upwards towards the heavens once more.

They danced upon the surface of the now moving fortress… As if the air itself was beginning to thrum with unseen energy.

/Huummm…/

A soft, pulsating hum reverberated through the ground, carrying with it a solemn power, ancient and potent,

As the fort's core sprung to life. Mechanisms long silent began to awaken with an otherworldly glow, cracking and growling as a multitude of lights flickered on and off.

Crystalline runes etched into the walls shimmered to life as dirt and grime washed away under its vibrations, casting an eerie luminescence that contrasted with the deep shadows of the jungle.

Slowly, the ground trembled as the massive structure began to move, rotating with a mechanical grace that defied its long years of neglect and abandonment.

Sections of the fortification shifted, revealing hidden openings and chambers that drew in the air like thirsty beasts, sometimes even capturing any unlucky bird too slow to flee from the ongoing chaos.

Arcane machinery hummed and whirred.

/Stops…/

And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the symphony of mechanisms subsided, and the glow that had bathed the ancient walls faded into obscurity.

A tall tower now stood within the confines of the jungle.

…

/Meanwhile, inside the Bunker…/

Within the watchtower that oversaw the area, Dale stood confused as he felt the vibrations come to an end.

/Flash!/

Barely was he given any time to think, many lights flashed onto his eyes, momentarily blinding him.

Unbeknownst to him, this old fortification was reawakening, bringing light to what was once dark.

/Knock knock!/

While Dale processed what was going on, someone knocked on the doors outside of their room, and by the looks of it, they were in a hurry.

"Enter." Sarferato said without changing his expression

"Sir… Everything's ready." Someone reply as they took a step inside

It was a middle-aged woman wearing light brown clothes like those of a craftsman, they were thick in some places and she also wore dirty gloves stained with hardwork and sweat.

She wasn't a warrior given how thin her arms were, but her expression was sharp and strong, there was wisdom and knowledge behind those, the likes few could match.

She had strong dark bags around her eyes, it seemed she hadn't been slept for the past few days.

"Any problems?" He asked as he turned to face her

"Many… Many… But nothing we haven't calculated for."

"Everything to be expected from a century of lack of maintenance has happened, broken gears, shifting plates, rewired circuits, spill of energy..."

"It's good enough that everything has aligned correctly."

"However, we do have a… Condition."

"Speak."

"The problem doesn't lie with us, but with the other side."

"It is not replying properly… It's not calibrated and it seems the connection is on verge of falling through, though I'm happy it replied to behind with."

"The conditions further North must've damaged the relay point considerably, different from our case where prestarvation was partially possible due to its unique circumstances." .

"We should be able to open the connection without a problem, but I'm unsure for how long we can maintain it once we do."

"How long?" He asked with a serious expression

But she shook her head.

"Unknown, it could fail at any given moment, it would be proper to open it and rush to the other side, that is the best outcome I can think of right now."

Sarferato's expression wasn't light, he was pondering over what to do.

"... Send a team to catch up with the previous one I sent back to the Sanctuary, this time, tell them to rush it, as if their lives mean it."

"I want I reply from them within two hours at the latest."

"At the same time, send two more teams to clean up the passageway leading here, one will then proceed with the escort of the people while the other one will ensure the passage is safe at all costs before moving in with them as they make their way across it."

"I want everyone here by tomorrow, even it means carrying the old on their backs, use everything we have to make it possible, we won't need so many resources once we're on the other side."

"..."

When he heard that, Dale cringed a little, but it was partially true.

Resko may be able to provide if their population suddenly exploded to ten times its previous amount, but not for long if they didn't prepare for the future.

"Yes Sir!" She replied quickly and without hesitation, there didn't seem to be any intent on refusing his orders within her tone at all

She was loyal and reliable, no wonder she was the first to report.

"Hm… Things are flowing… For now." Sarferato said as he exhaled, turning to look at Dale and Testros

"I would like to thank you once more, but I'll do so once we're on the other side."

"Other side?" Dale asked as his eyes furrowed

'It's time to get some asnwers.'

"Yes… It took me long enough to explain, but this is what Project Burnout was all about… The reactivation of the Stelar Path of the South… Well, a part of it."

"The name of the Project comes from the streak of red light that is created whenever it activates… I know, not a very fitting name but I took it as I needed something strong to stir hope in the hearts of others."

"If this isn't enough for you… A Stelar Path is the name of the connection between two 'Gates', it is a form of instantaneous locomotion whose creation dates back to the times of the Old Empire."

"There aren't many of these in use even further North in the Mainland… Unless they figured out how to make more or found more 'Cores'."

Testros seemed to understand what he was talking about, but Dale was a bit confused.

In truth, he also knew what the old man was talking about, he had read many forums over the weeks, but this was a chance...

A chance to learn the details of something the players understood little of.

"Wait, you're a bit too fast, so this is like a teleportation gate?"

"Hum… If you're referring to the Intermediary Level Magic Mages are fond of, then no."

"It is… Not even similar at all despite the fact the two share very straight-forward goals… But ask a Mage that has pride in his craft and knows what he's talking about and he'll lecture you about it for half a day out of spite."

"I speak by experience." He said with a chuckle as he remembered the past

He took a step forward, moving closer to an window.

He placed his hand on a flat and smooth plate below it, and the outline of his hand flared, leaving a mark on the metallic surface.

The moment he did so, the window turned opaque, and then, it lit up again, this time, showing a new outside... The forest.

"The Stelar Path is an adaptation of a term taken from Ancient records of the Old Empire that preceded the current one."

When Dale heard that, his ears perked.

This hadn't been the first time he heard about the Old Empire, but due to how little he knew about that time period, it may as well be.

If he had the chance, he would ask what the Old Empire was and what caused the transition between it and the current one.

Either way, at least he had a time, since he knew that the current Empire was founded 500 years ago.

Knowing such things could prove to be an advantage.

"The Stelar Path is one of the many ancient forms of technology that we were unable to fully understand, falling directly into the category of 'Extremely research but not fundamentally understood'."

"... Because we cannot use it in its base form, we were forced to break it apart to use it in this way."

"For generations, we studied everything we had on it, from what happens to why, we have grasped it."

"But without the 'Core', a machine left behind within the ruins of the past, we cannot create these Paths."

"As long as there are two Cores and a heap of resources, we can create these paths by connecting them to one another, the more effort put into the confection of their husks, the better the Stelar Path will end up becoming, being stronger, stabler, longer and so on."

"In the South, there are three Cores, borrowed from the Imperial Family to be used to strengthen the foundations of the Corps."

"Dating hundreds of years ago, three Stelar Paths were made connecting directly to the sole Mage Tower built within the confines of the Capital of the South, the place where the Core resides… Resko."

"We worked hard to reactivate this Core and connect it to the Pylon… And it worked."

"Our Stelar Paths were different from the usual, through research, we managed to create a path that allowed us to create an 'Artificial' Core to connect a real one to."

"But unlike our expectations, it only allowed for one way travel, so instead of a core, we called it a Pylon, or Relay as a form of extension to the Stelar Pathway System."

"Although as you heard, things will likely not remain like that for long… There were some complications with the Pylon and the connection could dissipate at any given moment."

"I am unwilling to activate the Core and send researchers to the other side, even if they can fix it, I'm not confident they can do so in time or if the other side is even safe."

"Everything would be over if the Pathway destabilized and the researchers became out of reach."

"But it's truly too late to give up now, not when salvation lies right in front of my very eyes."

"I'll save these people and bring them to the North and give them a new life… That's all I want."

""...""

/Silence…/

But despite his inspiring words, Dale and Testros remained silent…

Even if they succeeded in this endeavor, they still had one problem to take care of…

"Ah, yes… This isn't the end of your journey but only a quick stop on the road… You two still have a beast to slay at the depths of these woods." He said as his expression deepened

"... It may be too soon to brag about the sharpness of a block of iron, but now that I have accomplished my life-long dream, it would be too short sighted of me to believe all of our problems are over."

"We were driven to desperation due to the movements of such creatures after all, I can only imagine how things are even far away in the North."

"Even if we scape it, this chaos will eventually follow us there… No… It already has, hasn't it?"

"..."

"Thus… It is imperative we bring back peace to the forest so we may enjoy prosperity outside of it."

"It may be too much of me to ask, but would there be space for an old man like me on your journey?"

"?"

Dale was momentarily taken aback by his words.

He looked like a bag of bones, could he really do anything at all?

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Notes

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