"Deliverance, the easternmost port city of the Elmaiya Empire, had always been an odd case of a city. Half the city was built atop the sea, while the other half was on top of a cliff right next to it, connected by a series of rope ladders, cranes and pulleys.

It was a rather inefficient way to build a port, especially when better terrain existed but a day or two's march eastwards, closer to the border, yet the founders were determined to build their city right on the cliff.

Rumor has it that those founders were some of the earliest examples of Unliving, who had escaped the early persecution of their kind under the then second Elmaiya Empire. They escaped the empire right from that very cliff, where their deliverance was given, which led to the name of their city." - Frilla Borsdatter, Jötunbergian historian, circa 518 FP.

"Oh, hi, Jerrod. Been a while," greeted Kino as she returned from a nearby street stall with platters of finger food in her hands. The way she nonchalantly greeted the unliving man Cal had been talking to hinted that they had known each other from long before.

"Lady Renard," replied the man with a slight bow of respect, clearly an old acquaintance with the way he greeted her. That and the way he beamed into a smile right after. "I had not expected your visit. It is a pleasant surprise."

"Cal, meet Jerrod Ashendale. Jerrod, this is miss Celeysria Ambervale, of Al-Shan," said Kino as she introduced them to each other. "You'd probably know her better as the Blood Demon of Al-Shan," she told Jerrod to which he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Jerrod here is one of the oldest amongst our kind. He's got like… four centuries on me, in fact."

"Nice to meet you," replied Cal as she shook Jerrod's hand. The man's grip was firm, and he returned a smile at her words. Meanwhile, Kino had just plonked herself in one of the nearby cushioned chairs and placed the plates of finger food on the large table the party shared.

"The pleasure is mine, lady Ambervale," replied Jerrod politely. "I was just a lowly peasant who had the fortune to rise into an unliving back then. It was lady deVreys who had saved me and my family at the time, right from these very cliffs."

"It was why I had returned here with my descendants when the situation allowed later on, and we built this city of Deliverance right here," explained the man, as they all enjoyed the drinks and snacks on the table. "Now most of my old friends have either gone elsewhere or passed on, though I suppose I still have distant descendants right here in town. Still, for us that remained, this place remained as a reminder of the early days."

Cal had a rather pleasant chat with the man while they ate and drank leisurely. The old hunter was an example of the wide differences of those who rose from the dead into unlife, as he had some of the most pitiful magic capacity Cal had seen.

It was a drastic comparison with the likes of Aideen, who was one of the strongest archmages Cal had met, as well as others like Hans-Grell or Vernon. Then again, given that people rose into unlife seemingly at random, it was no real surprise either.

The conversation also inevitably made Cal think about the offer to Champion the deities once more. Jerrod's experiences in his over twelve centuries of "life", in which he saw multiple generations of his descendants, friends, and other loved ones often from birth to death, threw a reminder of what immortality entailed, beyond the obvious attraction it offered to many.

The thought that she would at least have some friends and family with her does alleviate some of her worries, but as the current champion of blood had proven, immortality was not for everyone, as his family had eventually tired of it and passed on, with himself eager to follow after them now.

On the other hand, she also thought of Aideen's extended family, whom she had met back at Paradise, even if she had not known of their relationship yet back then. Every single one of them had lived over a millennium by now, and seemed perfectly content with their lives as it was.

Cal herself wasn't sure how she would have dealt with immortality, as she was in many ways still a bit too young to fully contemplate it. Even so, as she was a half-elf in a land of mostly humans, she had seen for herself the difference that lifespan makes. How some passionate youths she knew in her own youth had by now become decrepit old men, or buried already.

More than herself, she was unsure how others she cared about would handle it. She could think of many she would happily share such immortality with, but she was uncertain how many of them would have taken it, especially as more time passed.

In a way, she understood why Aideen had told her to take her time and think about it. Such a decision - even when the offer was so heavily in her favor it practically had no downsides - was not one to be made lightly. Somehow, she suspected that the deities would not have offered it to someone who took it lightly either.

Well, most of them, at least. When Cal considered what she knew so far, she could totally see the deity of wind doing just that on a whim.

In the end, Jerrod had happily volunteered to give them a tour of the city. Pride was evident in the unliving man's eyes as he led them around. They even took a trip to the port section below in one of the passenger baskets, which was lowered by rope to the lower section.

There they saw the floating city, which swayed with the waves, a design decision made to lessen the wear and tear on the foundation of the city. Even though it swayed like that, the city was anchored securely both below, and to the sides of the cliff, and despite the swaying, never actually collided with the cliff, nor drifted away from it.

It was a bit of a marvel of engineering, brought by human hands and ingenuity, which Cal couldn't help but appreciate.