My brow rose. Erzili laughed. “It sounds like an exaggeration. Erzili assures you, if anything, it is an understatement. The Holy Empire of Maris has both the finest, and the largest number of healers, priests, clerics, physicians and surgeons in all of Alamir.”
“A country of doctors,” I muttered underneath my breath. “Imagine that.”
“If you’re considering visiting, Erzili would highly recommend against it,” Erzili said, immediately. “Marisians, while remarkable, have little room for anyone who disrespects or does not follow their faith. Those who do not worship the Saint are branded faithless at best, and heretics at worse. In the brief time Erzili visited, Erzili witnessed a child stab his mother seventy-two times in the middle of the street because she was branded a heretic. The child was later awarded a medal of nobility and honor.”
“Fuck.”
‘Holy shit we should visit that place.’ Sunny laughed.
“Fortunately, their healers and physicians all swear the Oath of Nil Nocere and are required by Marisian law to obey it. If a healer is found to have willfully or knowingly committed harm against a patient, they are punished severely.”
“…I take it the Marisians have a group of people who go around converting others to their religion, usually at held at sword-point?”
“You’ve encountered the Vertueux?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I just guessed. Fanatical religions tend to spread into the military, one way or another.”
‘We should visit. We need to know what sort of medical practices Alamir has on offer, and if there’s anything we can get out of it.’
I stretched my arms, taking a stand from my sitting position. “I think that’s enough of a history lesson for one day.”
“Indeed. There is much we must do.” Erzili’s hand stretched out, grabbing a book from the shelf. “Initially, Erzili was going to bring this up later, but Erzili feels now might be the right time.”
“Bring what up?”
“Remember when you said your Epithet Skill was the power to turn back time?”
“…what about it?”
She held the book open. “Whereas Erzili does not doubt that you will survive in the battle against Giggles and against all foes we have to face, Erzili does not feel too confident about her darlings. Erzili desires for them to be stronger, but Erzili is lacking the patience needed for them to grow naturally. A nightmare gains power as they fight and age, but there is also the risk of death and demise. Erzili needs safeguards against this,”
My brow furrowed. “You can’t safeguard against death.”
“With The Heart of Sisyphus, it becomes possible.”
My brow furrowed harder. “The Heart of Sisyphus?”
“A Floater Relic. An artifact of immense power that can overrule everything under the sun. Once one is with it, supposedly, they cannot die or fail until they complete a task or finish a condition that they must have set beforehand. If they die before they can complete that task, or fail to complete it, they are sent back to the moment at which they set the condition, and must try again.”
She brought the book to my attention, showing me the image of what, to my surprise, was a crude drawing of a human heart attached to a chain.
“The Heart of Sisyphus can also be considered a curse. If one were to set a condition that can never be fulfilled, they would find themselves starting over, doomed to attempt an impossible task for eternity.”
‘Janus?’ Sunny was quick on the take. ‘This might be good for us. To have a safety net knowing that if we fail…’
We’d be able to start over. Complete with our memories.
“Where can we find it?”
Erzili snapped the book shut. “Erzili does not know.” She admitted. “Erzili searched for centuries but could never find it. The Heart of Sisyphus is one of the first of Alamir’s Relics. I searched an ancient ruin once, and saw murals that narrated the story of the Heart of Sisyphus as the very artifact that allowed the Prince to triumph against the Mother – that allowed light to endlessly challenge darkness until darkness was defeated.”
I scratched my hair. “If you don’t know where it is, why bring it up?”
“As a Demiurge, you have access to certain commands that only Nightly Ones do. One of these commands should include the word ‘Find’ written in the Mothertongue. With it, you should be able to find anyone and anything, as long as your authority is suitable enough.”
‘Jesus. Talk about sheer bullshit.’
I grabbed my chalk again. Erzili stared at me, anxiously, and I took a deep breath, before writing into the air: FIND THE HEART OF SISYPHUS.
[Recognizing Command Prompt…]
[Analyzing…]
[Checking Authorization Level…]
[Error!]
[Authorization Failed]
[You have not met the requirements needed to access this command.]
Requirements Needed:
Tier 7+
High [Sense] Parameter.
Any High Level [Scrying] Skill
Any High Level [Scrying] Spell
Any [Scrying] Item
“Well?” Erzili asked, eagerly.
“I don’t have the requirements needed,” I said. “Not strong enough, and don’t possess any scrying abilities.”
The wind didn’t vanish from her sails. If anything, she seemed more determined than before. “You can use the ‘Display’ command to search for alternative options in cases when you don’t meet the requirements.”
My suspicion rose immediately. “How… how do you…?”
“Erzili will explain in due course, but first – please, Lord Janus.”
Grabbing the chalk again, I wrote out the words in the air: DISPLAY REQUIREMENT ALTERNATIVES.
Requirement Alternatives:
Using the following items, you may access the Find Command for “The Heart of Sisyphus” item:
Human Champion’s Blood x1
Nine Starred Devil Pentagram x1
Hair of a Nightly One x 1
Alhamisian Virgin Sacrifice x 9
Heart of a Beloved x 1
“It says I need –”
“That’s it?” Erzili’s voice broke out, as she stared at the words floating in the air. “That’s all Erzili needed, all
