Choose Thy Quest (Part 2)....

Chiana

Oh frell, what now?

"Hey, I know I'm kinda new to this business," I sigh, looking at the others after they'd run through (more like blasted through) the latest developments that will make up our next Quest here (so many still outstanding). "Hey, I understand perfectly why you chose Artizza 1 and Fertal 1 over the others. Time factor thing, the longer we put it off that sudden . . . whatever ya called it...."

"Illegal ingestation of a substance from the Garden," Sigin says softly, shaking his head slowly as if this garden is....

Wait, maybe it is. Know so very little still about this Christianity belief that he follows. Wonder what Eden signifies. That and what this garden figures into things!?

Betty and Ragan are just muttering things to each other and shaking their heads, not really liking this latest development.

"Only on Terra Prime," Betty mutters to herself. "Only here would you have something straight out of Christian mythology slapping you right in the...."

"Well, what do you expect?" Ragan chuckles nervously. "Got evidence supporting every other religion out there from A to Z...."

Yeah, and there was that stuff about how they can still believe what they believe. . . er . . . . don't believe (re: 8997), especially after...

...

Nevermind that, but....

And why the Hezmana would this Flagg somehow "illegally" grabbed and force fed some kind of fruit from a tree?

Somehow, don't ask me how, it was a big enough (or one of two) thing to account for the early . . . release of the Demon's claim on these Dark Elves.

The other thing

"Dearie, it's simple as can be!" the newcomer says in an accent that . . . kinda is like what Sebacians have. Sorta....

"Oh, and would you be so kind as to explain it then?" I snap, frustrated.

"Blimey," this woman with glowing skin (Walker! That's her name!) sighs. "Cannot say much about your manners, young dragoness! But still . . . I'll help ya understand."

This is gonna be good.

"Now you remember earlier perhaps where you learned about these Offices being in charge of Fundamental Forces," Walker states, not really asking. "Dearie, they settle things with that Inter-Office politics stuff instead of all out warfare."

"Well, of course!" I say. "Beings of that power would and could frell everything up for the rest of us here in the Multi-verse! I mean...heh...if one Rule or Agent goes down then the same goes for that Universe they maintain. Same for the Demon and Angel, somehow....."

Yeah, mortals and their home realities are . . . . fragile things.....

Frell, what I could tell you what the Rules and Agents told me in passing about that business! If my hair wasn't already white in my human form then it sure would be....

Nevermind...

I have just gotta start learning about the others' religions so that I can make some kind of choice and stick by it. Won't be easy, let me tell you! Might even go back to just NOT believing. Follow Betty's and Ragan's example.

Or maybe not. Just that . . . what I say and heard . . . .

Frell, I've already told you why.

"Well dearie," she continues (why does she keep calling me that?), "It's like this. The Garden might not be the Eden that humans supposedly all came from, what with Adam and Eve, but still some things in it served as, perhaps anyway, as basis for what is found in so many different religions. In this case, the issue here is that while a Demon commonly called 'the Snake' got penalized for causing some mortals to eat fruits from a Tree of Knowledge (long story, ask Sigin about his religion's version of the tale). . . . Only has to now go throughout eternity crawling on it's belly. . . . This is something else entirely. This fruit was from another tree not really advertised too much at all!"

"This Tree of Immortality?" I ask blankly. "Does . . . that mean what I think it means?"

I thought that only Celestrials could do something like give immortality to us mortals!

"It does," she says, shaking her head and sighs. "It's something handed down from dear ol' Higher Up(s), yeah. But wasn't RF's place to hand out that fruit, you see. Big ding on his Office, even IF he'd gone rogue. Way things work. But that said and aside, I kinda figure the fruit's from the Forge and her kin, myself. Our Boss' Boss, but I'm kinda partial towards the Dwarven mythos, really."

....

Oh, right! This was that one woman who'd had some kind of life altering experience. Became some kind of avatar for the Dwarven Gods. The Forge.

Sometimes, gotta wonder if Inquirer is right about this all being some kind of computer simulation and these Celestrials are some kind of mid- level Computer System managers and the Higher Up or Ups is/are the Head System Programmer/Manager. This reality being some kind of software program proving ground or something or other....

....

Frell, this is a strange place.

And it's home. My home....

.....

Ya know, I kinda like it because of that. Believe it's much more fun for that than John's home world ever would be....

Gotta get Betty to show me her DVDs sometime. Wanta see how things would/could have gone if Sigin hadn't....

....

Well, rather like how my life is going now with Sigin. Like being a dragon and . . . love him . . .

....

Back to business, Chiana!

"So basically it's immortality granting without a license," I say. "Okay, I can see where that got some of the Others cranked at them and would probably be enough to get our elves here out from under the Demons' thumb.

"So what's this kid's story?" I ask, pointing at the young boy at our feet who's still unconsious. "What's his story ? What did the Demon's do to him that clinched Artizza 1's and Fertal 1's release into our Clan?"

1. Roland Deschain, adopted son of Inquirer's father, steps forward and speaks. Taking it upon himself to explain this part.

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