💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

46 - Landel

"Of course I would be willing to help the Crystal Vein Investigation Force." Yerda smiled as he sat down across from Adam and Landel. "Finally, we can have conversations that aren't going to get us in trouble." His gaze grew serious. "And you two can do some work that won't get you both killed."

Landel laughed, nodded, and took a sip of the water Yerda had given him. "Agreed."

Yerda looked towards his telescope. "Though, now that the Goddess's condition has become a national concern, I fear the men responsible will become more brazen. They will need to be."

"But it will also be easier to counter them," Adam said. "Landel has a pretty broad authority as leader of the force."

"That gives me hope, Adam." Yerda smiled at the outsider, an admiration in his eyes. Landel felt the same way. Adam had exceeded expectations in every way. He had taken on the concerns of Sesstria as his own and doggedly refused to be intimidated into stopping. It was equally inspiring, impressive, and sexy.

Landel cleared his throat, focusing his mind again, and rubbed his hands together. "So, we know that this is all being instigated by a mysterious unknown person that they call The One. I guess they believe that by absorbing soul, they can become the new God of the land."

"Absurd," Yerda said, shaking his head. "Dangerously absurd. I have read many briefings about your excursion to the coastal cave and the cultists you discovered there. I cannot comprehend how so many people could have fallen for a delusion like that."

"Some people need something to believe in, don't they?" Adam said. "Like in the aftermath of the Paxtan invasion. The people might have been vulnerable, easy to manipulate."

Yerda rubbed his chin. "Concerning, indeed. And they're using mingots and music to syphon the soul out of the Goddess. I cannot even begin to understand how they're doing that, but it must've been in that Gursish text they stole." He squeezed his hands shut. "If only I had gotten it first. That is a major advantage."

"If only Esteck had listened to you," Landel said.

Yerda straightened himself and fixed his robe. "Of course, I would never blame the King for such a thing. He was doing what he thought was right."

"He always does," Landel said. It was always what he thought was right, rarely what anybody else thought. If Esteck had listened to Yerda, the Goddess would have been safer for longer. Landel couldn't shake the feeling that it was his own fault too. They had been so close to getting that book and they had let the Shadow Knight run away with it.

"Regardless," Adam said, leaning forward. "The real problem is twofold, I think. One, how are The One and his lackeyes finding the crystal veins? They must be getting their information from somewhere, right? It is not common knowledge."

"It is not," Yerda said. "There has been very little written on crystal veins. Generally, when one is discovered, it is blocked off and records of it are destroyed."

Landel nodded. "Right. And the second problem is how do we find this knowledge. That is the whole point of this force. We need to find these crystal veins and have them watched by defenders. We need to cut off The One from his access to the Goddess and we have to do it before it's too late. I got lucky with the footnotes about the crystal vein in the mingot mine but, clearly, they have more knowledge than we do." Landel turned from Adam to Yerda and then back again. "We need to bridge that gap."

"Ah." Yerda lifted a finger. "I think I know someone who may be able to help."

"Really?" Landel said. "Who?"

Yerda pushed his glasses up and leaned back. "Master Tew."

"The geography teacher?" Landel said. "That Master Tew?"