"And that was the best tasting Griffin I have ever enjoyed!" Siv exclaimed bursting into a loud and full laugh.
Thalia smiled weakly…for hours they had been walking together and she had been desperately trying to get useful information out of him. Somehow Siv managed to turn every one of her questions turned into a ridiculous war story or some unbelievable near-death experience memoire.
Among the many questions Thalia had asked Siv, she asked if he had ever encountered a man with silver hair and skin with a soft silver tint. She desperately hoped Siv could share with her useful information about her father…anything would due. Even the smallest clue or hint would offer much needed hope of seeing him again.
To her disappointment, Siv had no useful information to offer…only another tangent story about a creature that nearly ate him.
"So are we close yet?" asked Thalia desperately trying to conceal the annoyance in her voice.
"Ask and you shall receive!" Exclaimed Siv…his voice chipper and joyful.
"We are here!"
"This is where the famous historian lives?" asked Thalia clearly underwhelmed by the sudden appearance of a small hut resembling a run-down Mongolian yurt. She was expecting a castle, modern building…or at least something with solid walls.
Thalia felt relieve that Gaia and the children opted to stay behind at an abandoned village they found along the way. The small village although dilapidated, had a few houses that would provide much needed protection for the children. The hut standing in front of them could not shelter more than 4 people, Thalia mused.
"Let me do the talking…he can be cryptic," warned Siv. His voice hardened as his face grew serious.
As they approached the hut, a short and stocky man wearing glasses step out to greet them. His hands were stained with ink and he had notes folded under his arm pits.
Was this man really a historian? He looked more like a coal miner…
"I'm busy and not interested in buying anything," said the historian firmly with a dry and quick voice...clearly annoyed at the sudden interruption while busy on some important work.
"Oh really, well that is a real shame…we will be on our way now." Siv said uninterested.
He continued, "I think I remember a VIP customer of mine that would love to buy this book. It's called 'War and Peace'…the writer is from earth…should fetch me a good price."
Siv's voice dripped with honey, each word more succulent than the previous…clearly aimed at provoking the other man.
The historian's eyes widen, his checks flustered, and heart raced…somehow the three things he loved most in the cosmos were all put together into one single yet spectacular sentence.
War, Peace, and Earth!
His mind raced, salivating over the prospect of acquiring yet another hidden gem of information. The historian closed his eyes and took a brief moment to restrain his emotions. He looked at Siv and Thalia closely…he knew Siv well enough, after all they had conducted many trades in the past…but who was his companion?
He had never seen this girl before…it was clear she was a terran. This was obvious based on her eyes. Her pink hair, soft yet open facial features suggested she was young…perhaps early 20s. However, her slender figure and firm gaze suggested she had seen her fair share of battle.
The historian let out a loud groan and said, "alright, come in then."
"I see you still live alone…a handsome and accomplished historian such as yourself…why I imagine you would have a line of women ready to marry you and have a dozen children...specially with the war coming to an end…" Siv said like a professional actor reciting memorized lines with heartfelt emotion and conviction.
"Where did you hear that? Who said the war is ending" asked the historian in a rushed voice.
"Well…you can forget all that nonsense…whoever said that is a fool…the war is not ending…its just getting started," the historian said firmly.
For a seasoned salesman such as Siv, everything has value…especially information…and there was no way he would let this opportunity slip without gaining some useful information and it seemed the historian was more than willing to share.
With the precision of an expert surgeon, Siv pressed onward.
"What do you mean?" asked Siv. His voice both sincere and interested.
"There is a coalition of Gods forming as we speak," answered the historian. His voice full of confidence like a seasoned college professor giving a lecture to freshman students.
"Awww…that's nothing! There's been a coalition of Gods for years now! In fact, during the Great War dozens of Gods joined together in attacking the Dark God and his Shadow Army." Siv replied like an expert fisherman baiting the fish.
"It's different this time!" exclaimed the historian…his voice growing hot and full of passion.
"You see, before the Gods were equals so there was no real leadership. Each was free to do as they wished…this time its different. Now there is one God who has managed to rise above the rest…its said that his power far exceeds that of the other Gods…and that the only thing greater than his power is his ambition."
Thalia remained silent during the entire exchange of words. Her mind recording everything she heard and saw. Ongoing war, one God rising above the rest, a new coalition…what did this all mean? Is that the reason her father was missing?
"Well, if that's true…good thing all that's happening far away from us," remarked Siv…clearly fishing for more information.
"Wrong again," replied the historian firmly. "We are right in the middle of two storms…" His voice grew solemn and thoughtful as he uttered those words.
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked…breaking her silence. Her eyes full of curiosity and interest.
The historian looked at her, then looked at Siv…he took a long pause, debating in his mind whether he should share more information. After some thought, he figured this would all be public knowledge soon…so there was no real harm explaining further. Besides, he had a captive audience at that moment begging to hear his wisdom (so he thought).
"There is no standard or agreed upon map of the cosmos…mostly because there was no need for one in the past. You see, before the Outer Gods War, it was pretty much impossible to cross dimensional walls and move across universes. Even if a person was able to move freely across universes, it would have been difficult to distinguish one from another. It would have been like drawing a map of a forest where all the trees look alike…where you do start?" The historians voice grew more and more academic with each word.
"All that changed during the Outer Gods War…you see, now everyone has heard of the Dark God and the Dark Universe…it's truly the first unique universe in the cosmos."
The historian continued, "so if you assume the Dark Universe is the center of the cosmos, you can start charting a map of the universe with a solid reference point that is easy to identify."
The historian paused, walked to a stack of books nearby…rummaged through some papers then returned his attention to Siv and Thalia.
He continued, "I have been developing this map based on my travels and studies. The Dark Universe is here, in the center. We are here…and the new coalition of Gods is here. I call this region the "North Quadrant." Until we know more, I am calling this new coalition the "North Empire."
Thalia and Siv's faces grew stern…their current location was indeed sandwiched between two superpowers. That did not bode well for them.
Thalia observed the map intently, recording as much details as possible. After a brief moment she asked with a hopeful voice, "I am looking for a way out of here…do you know of a gate?"
The historian clearly bothered by the sudden change of topic, let out a small gasp. He thought for a moment and said, "I will make you a deal. You help me with a little problem I have been having…and I will tell you where you can find a gate."
"What kind of problem?" Thalia asked cautiously.
The historian replied, "about a week ago I was excavating a nearby cave…out of nowhere a pack of Ligers suddenly appeared. I had no choice but to abandon my research and notes…I tell you what, you clear out the Ligers and I will keep my end of the deal."