Demon continent Alsace in the year 307 in the 10-month Asmodum on the 25th day after the shattering of the empire.
"So it is because of the great power of Nereus that everyone can talk to each other at his table, it is among us Ilayda a kind of sign of power when you manage it, that everyone can talk to each other. Of course, we elders can do this as well and I could pass on this knowledge if there should be interest."
Kepa tried to sell her the knowledge on how everyone could talk to each other.
"I thank you for the offer nevertheless I would rather talk before with someone, which can give me the knowledge about the old demon writing."
What was still ranked one and had been the reason she had sought out the Nereus Ilayda in the first place.
"That's clear, but as I've said several times, we can't offset our debt to you with that little bit of knowledge about the Ancient Language, as you call it." He interrupted himself to look her in the eye, seemingly searching for something whether he found it she did not know. His surface thoughts, however, didn't shift anywhere in that direction.
"Which is why I'm trying to figure out what else we can offer you. In addition to that, it seems that a promise on your part with a third party is attached to our knowledge. Even if one of our elders deceived you, it was in the best interest of both parties and never with the intention of harming you. This I swear by the three sisters." Already Kepa was enveloped in a golden light, which formed into chains that wrapped around his wrists.
She did not like how willing Kepa and also Nereus had been to swear by the three sisters.
While there was no escaping the obligation that came with an oath to the Three Sisters or a god, it could still mean responsibility to her. It could bind her to a place until the debt to her was paid off. It always depended on the circumstances under which these oaths were made and how heavy the debt was that they were binding to another person.
And the debt that was owed to her was, by their own admission, greater than the knowledge of a tongue that the demons had unlearned.
Perhaps I should have simply stolen the knowledge from Eder's memory. Even if Diva had noticed my intrusion into the mind of one of her priests. It seems that things are getting more and more complicated.
She couldn't forget that possibly hidden in the library was the knowledge of Diva's prison, and thus a way to free herself if she ever got into such a situation.
"Before you make another oath, I ask that you send me a Nereus Ilayda who can instruct me in the ancient script, preferably one who knows everything about the ancient script. After that, I will determine if you still owe me anything, and I hope you will accept it that way."
She interrupted Kepa, who already wanted to continue talking and she could see what he wanted to talk about.
After blinking in surprise for a moment at her sudden request, he just nodded his head.
"Right away, I'll have someone call for our best teacher right away." With which he summoned one of the Nereus Ilayda who was swimming around, and sent him away after a brief conversation in their native tongue.
"It will take a few moments, which is why I must ask you to be patient. However, I must say that it will take some time to learn the script. Which is why I don't understand your impatience, since you will have to spend several months, if not years, to learn it." Doubt had crept not only into his thoughts but also into his voice the further he talked.
"I don't think so, I think you are familiar with the concept of an Arcane User of the Mind?"
No sooner had the sentence been uttered than his thoughts froze, until shortly after everything was gripped by panic and Kepa began to wonder over and over again if she could read his mind.
"I know the reaction, yet you have nothing to worry about, I haven't looked too deeply into your minds, you're all just a little loud, which makes one pick up something here and there. And with this, it should be clear to you that I do not learn like other people I can simply copy the knowledge from the memory of another person. And here I will swear that I will not penetrate further into the mind of the person and will also only take the knowledge of the ancient scripture."
Whereby I will not take anything away, but simply copy what is there and then add it to my knowledge.
Something she had learned early in her old life and that made her think back to the military academy where she had spent some boring lessons after copying the knowledge from the teachers' heads. She still had to use the knowledge after that or she would forget it, probably the only way an Arcane user of the mind could forget something.
"Of course, I know users of the Arcane Powers of the Mind, as you call it, yet you do not seem like a user of that Arcane Energy to me. I have taken you as a user of the physical arts. With your appearance and your physique, I could have sworn on the three sisters that you are a user of body art. How wrong one can be." At the last sentence, a smile crept onto his features.
A Nereus Ilayda approached her, who, without looking older than Kepa, one of the oldest Nereus Ilayda, seemed older. Like she was seeing an old man on the street, only this one looked like he was in his early thirties, which was to be expected with a level seven user of the Arcane Energy of Will.
"Venerable Cali, I am Sorav. I am honored to be able to teach you, and I expect great things from a Titan like you." After bowing to her while speaking, he straightened up after speaking.
Kepa cleared his throat, which earned him a questioning and also shocked look from Sorav.
"Cali will enter your mind with your permission to acquire the knowledge, she is a user of the Arcane Arts of the Mind."
Sorav nodded thoughtfully before replying.
"This is of course a new experience for me, even though I would have preferred to teach you if that is your preferred way of learning, then as a teacher, I obviously cannot stand in the way of that. Also, I have the problem that in my old age you don't experience so many new things. So yes, I would give you my consent."
"I can only thank you that you have so much trust in me. However, it will take me some time to get used to your mind and make it work for me, so if you could think of the knowledge. Then I would begin as soon as you are ready."
Sorav just nodded weakly before sitting down cross-legged in front of her in the water and closing his eyes.
She did the same and began to immerse herself in his mind.
It was not that the mind of a human or the mind of a demon were not also fluid or had elements comparable to a body of water. Ilayda, however, were their own being and in their mind, everything seemed to flow and there seemed to be nothing solid. And it was as if she was immersed in a river, a river of information and memories.
She didn't have to look for long because already the knowledge of the ancient writing washed over her. She had used this particular trick before, to find the knowledge she was looking for faster, one simply asked the person to think of said knowledge. A technique that the Imperial Secret Service had developed to interrogate prisoners, only they didn't ask for it but made the prisoner think of the knowledge.
Like a sponge, she absorbed all the knowledge around her, and like a wrung-out sponge, the knowledge came out of her again without damage.
Already she opened her eyes again to look at him the open eyes of Sorav.
"That was an interesting feeling." Before the latter could say more, however, they were both interrupted by Izatra and a Nereus Ilayda in armor.
"It seems that Eder is asking for the help and it is urgent."
She just looked at the elders and Nereus and nearby Nereus Ilayda who had overheard this. Lerna had awakened from her digestive slumber.
"Then I will have to apologize,- "Turning to Sorav, she said. - "I thank you for the knowledge and at the appropriate opportunity, I would like to learn more from you. Lucina, I thank you in particular and you also Nereus and your tribe for their hospitality." With which she stood up and started to swim away.
