Adamant Blood

David frowned a little at the video feed, showing on the screen to the side. It was midnight, and Mark had moved on to his third pebble, and then promptly collapsed onto the ground again. That boy was… driven. Sure. Let’s go with that. ‘Driven’.

David thought he was trying to do too much, but that was the singular defining feature of all superheroes, so was he really doing a lot? Probably just enough to stay ahead of all the new demands placed on him, really.

He turned back toward the other Inquisitors in the meeting of the Collective.

Most of the people at the meeting were on tele-conference, and the conversation had not stopped when COFR had alerted them to Power use inside Mark’s room, but it had briefly paused to ascertain the situation. David wasn’t worried about Mark using his Powers. In the opinion of practically everyone here, the situation was fine.

But some hardliners from Daihoon were unconvinced, and those people were the ones that demanded this new meeting after they saw the public video of Eliot’s training mission. It showed basically the same thing that David had transmitted, but in a bit showier way. That showier show had led to this.

Eliot certainly had the bardic spark, but David was glad that Eliot was giving up his bardic career for the good of humanity. In an odd sort of way, he was even glad that Eliot was in talks with Hearthswell’s people. Castellan would do a lot more to keep Eliot safe than Freyala.

It was still a major upset to a very powerful political bloc, though, so David dared not speak those sorts of words and get involved in that sort of schism. People were already half-blaming David for Eliot’s newfound appreciation for never-leaving-the-house.

David ignored those outside problems and focused on the present, for Lola was speaking again.

Lola, ever poised, repeated the same points she had already hammered on several times, as succinctly as anyone could hammer, “He’s growing at a disastrous rate, but he’s not an actual disaster, and I do not believe he will ever become a disaster. His own basic nature as a human-who-values-humans will not allow him to do such a thing. Adding to that: the simple rule of law is that we don’t censure or control based on ‘what ifs’. That goes triple when dragons try to control how humanity moves and acts.”

David found himself nodding—

Lola did not drop it, though. She advanced, saying, “I move to formally close the case against Mark as a possible future threat, or hidden dragon, and deescalate his case from an 11 to a 5, with further deescalation to follow. Furthermore, I formally request for Crytalis and the Aluatha Empire to figure out some sort of plan for a settlement creation somewhere that Mark Careed, Isoko Kanno, and Eliot Cybersong can participate in, together. I know you already have tens of these plans already. I ask for one of them to be enacted.”

There was a moment.

Any paladin of Inquisitor rank was allowed to participate in these sorts of meetings, but most did not. Due to the nature of this particular event, and how far-reaching Mark’s whole deal went with ‘Addavein’, a lot of people were here in this meeting, though most everyone was tele-conferencing.

There were only 100 screens in the room, but those hundred screens showed 335 different groups, or individuals. Over a thousand people.

Even the gods were watching, though only through their people.

A lot of people tried to speak.

Moderator Chambers was the first to press a pause button, though the other Moderators were close behind. On Chambers’ screen, Chambers became illuminated in COFR gold and his image grew larger. He was an older man of normal looks from Crytalis, dressed in his normal mage robes and looking proper, as he said, “As one of the parties responsible for carrying out Inquisitor Lola Turner’s secondary request, I will be speaking of her first request, first. All of those in favor of deescalating the case of Mark Careed to a normal level of Inquisitor investigation, from an 11, world spanning threat, to a 5, a mage or superhero-level oversight, please say aye, now.”

David, Lola, Orissa, the Mind Reader Cheryl, and Holy Mother Julia Garin’s stand-in, a man by the name of Chase, all said, “Aye.”

Rapidly, votes started coming in.

David thought it was too premature to completely remove oversight on Mark, but dropping down the investigation from an 11 to a 5 was a good common ground. Lola probably could have gotten away with a 3, which was the common number for all trainee superheroes. Mark would warrant a 5 eventually, but he was still a trainee, right now...

Eh!

Mark was going to end up a 5, for sure. Might as well go for the end result right now.

As expected, when the votes came in and the AIs counted the votes, Moderator Chambers announced, “With a 78% agreement of the lowering of Mark Careed’s threat level, Mark Careed is lowered from an 11 to a 5. Breakdowns of the final votes will be given to all voting parties. Heavy dissent of this lowering has been noted by the Inquisitors of Crytalis.” With a calmer face, Chambers looked to Lola and said, “As for your secondary request for placements of Mark Careed, Isoko Kanno, and Eliot Cybersong, into a settlement program, I foresee this discussion taking a long while and ultimately arrive at no conclusion at all, for Eliot’s inquiries to Hearthswell have sparked something of a bidding war over him. I wish to table that discussion for a week.”

Lola was obligated to respond, so she did, “I request to be informed when that topic comes up for discussion in a week. Thank you.”

“So noted,” Chambers said, “Moving back to the discussion of Addavein, and since we’re here at the discussion of settlements, it should be noted that the dragon has spoken of founding a city since none of our cities are willing to take him in, in any capacity at all. I move we center the following discussion on this fact— Yes. Inquisitor Saikou Jawo, from Crytalis.”

Inquisitor Saikou was a purple-tinted man with bright blue hair and an angry expression, but that was just how he looked. Perhaps he might be slightly angrier than he truly appeared, though, because Saikou had been Addashield’s secondary oversight for the last 20 years. More of an oversight of tens of different cases than a true oversight, though, for Saikou was one of the main overseer Inquisitors located in the Aluatha Empire.

During his Fall, Addashield had killed his primary Inquisitor oversight, the understudy of the primary oversight, and everyone within a kilometer of them. Saikou was one of the survivors of that disaster, because he had been located far away from that disaster.

Saikou spoke with a calm voice, “There are many factors to consider with regard to Addavein and his desire to become human-adjacent, and thus live inside of a city, or at least nearby.

“Primarily, public sentiment is split about the dragon. Some of the Old Houses, built upon the bounty of benevolent dragons, wish to support Addavein. Many do not, considering how almost all of the dragons abandoned humanity once new lands opened up, and once unknowing subjects became available to subjugate and control. The few dragons who remained on Daihoon attempted to subjugate all of the people who remained—”

Some images on the screens lit up, for some people wished to speak on this matter.

A few people who wished to speak were almost furiously pressing their buttons.

Saikou had a few minutes to speak, though, and he was going to take his time.

“—and a few of those dragons would have been perfectly fine to have as rulers. Gedahowla the Bright. Darvonika the Obsidian. But those dragons fell to usurpers, and so we banished all dragons, and things have been a lot better since then. We no longer have to devote 20% of any and all city output to placating and honoring the whims of any dragons. We have equal say in our homes.”

Some of the people who ‘absolutely needed to speak’ based on the light around their images, sat back down, and decided to say nothing.

Saikou continued, “And so, I would not be surprised if, in the Aluatha Empire, House Ordell and House Varash attempt to support a dragon-led city. And especially one led by Addavein. There is already a lot of talk over here about how ‘disrespectful’ we’re being to a ‘Hero of Humanity’ who managed to make the ‘best dragon we’ve seen in recent history’, according to popular opinion. Addavein has yet to approach what Gedahowla and Darvonika have done for humanity, but he is headed in that direction.

“But I believe that anyone who allows Addavein into their cities or empires will open the gates for other dragons to come back into our lives, and thus we must guard against even Addavein gaining a city.

“That said… I believe the dragon will make major attempts to get a foothold in any city where Mark Careed goes, because I firmly believe that Mark, as talzarki to Addavein, will invariably invite Addavein into that city, and those new cities will not have the capabilities to resist that sort of pressure. He might not mean to, but his actions paint him as an uneducated good man, and he will try to cause the least harm, which means not inviting a dragon’s wrath.

“So perhaps we should focus the conversation on containing the problem of dragons and cities to a single city, somewhere, and thus solve and create a bunch of problems at the same time. Addavein’s creation has ignited a great deal of simmering sentiment about dragon overlords, and so, Addavein is going to get a city, one way or another.

“We should expect whatever happens with Mark Careed, Eliot Cybersong, and even Isoko Kanno with her connections to Crystal Tower, to make a city that both causes a great deal of problems, and also a great deal of solutions to a lot of current problems.”

Saikou finished.

David found himself deeply worried about dragons coming back into all of their lives, and he knew he was not the only one feeling that way.

Moderator Chambers said, “I believe that might be enough said on that entire subject for a while, for that is a lot to think about. Thank you, Inquisitor Saikou. A vote then, to move on to smaller topics, or to remain discussing Addavein. Please vote now.”

Soon the votes came through and Addavein as a topic was dropped.

297 groups faded from the screens as Chambers began reading off the next topic.

David stood up, and told his people, “I have places to be. I’m glad Mark got lowered in threat.”

Lola smiled softly as she stood as well. She told Holy Mother Garin’s stand-in, “Thank you, Chase, for the alert.”

Chase nodded. “I’ll let you all know if Mark or the dragon come up again.”

- - - -

Eliot sat down across from Mom and Grandma in a small room on the third floor.

This was going to be the third discussion about this stuff, but the first one with Grandma here, and so far it was already feeling a lot more serious.

Elysia Cybersong was a 25-year-old-looking woman, with bright auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and an agelessness to her that could only happen through demons, or True Healer treatments, and Grandma had opted for the True Healer treatments. She could afford that, and a hundred times over, too. She was actually something like 80-ish, but she did not look 80-ish at all.

Grandma opened strong, “I don’t think you understand the main draw of Freyala, Eliot. Hearthswell’s Castellan can make a city more protected and organized and run smoothly, and at first, that seems like a good thing. And it is! I have three Hearthswell Inquisitors that work for me. You’ve met them.

“They empower the walls I build. They make the computer systems flow better. They basically take the cities I make, and make them function better. This is great!

“But Freyala’s Union does something that few other Powers do. It allows you to work endlessly. You can put up a city wall that’s 20 kilometers in diameter in a day. You can protect yourself outside of your city, too. You’re never without truly good healing, Eliot, and you can learn to defend yourself, too. That’s a big deal.”

Eliot calmly said, “I hear and understand, Grandma, but you could have a Union Paladin heal, protect, and sustain you, couldn’t you? That’s what Mark did. If I went with Hearthswell, then I could do all of a city all by myself, and make sure that I’m actually protected behind very good walls.”

Grandma frowned a little. Mom gave a tiny, unhappy hum.

Eliot added, “One Freyalan Inquisitor, and then myself, is all I need to build an entire city.”

“A city that you would have to leave to other Hearthswellians,” Grandma said, “Because it needs people there to maintain what Hearthswell can do. You can’t maintain it from far away, or from another location. You’re locking yourself into one city if you pick Hearthswell.”

“I know that, but I can hand over the cities to other people and let them maintain it just fine.”

Mom added, “Didn’t you want to travel, Eliot? To see the two worlds? To be a bard?”

Images of mind goblins assaulted Eliot. The air itself felt prickly with teeth, but there were no teeth at all. Eliot knew he was safe, but… Was he? Really?

Eliot softly said, “I did want to see the two worlds.”

Mom and Grandma both got quiet.

Grandma said, “It was bad, wasn’t it. Mind goblins are the easiest ones to counter, too.”

Eliot exclaimed, “Yes! Exactly that! It was terrifying! They just… They just put me to sleep, like it was nothing!”

Eliot didn’t want to think about it, because thinking about it was like pulling off a bandage and seeing that his skin was rotten underneath, or maybe it was like touching a stove. It was bad.

Grandma nodded, knowingly.

Mom got a look of disbelief on her face as she looked at Grandma. “Mother?”

Grandma said to Eliot, “Thanks to Freyala, I haven’t needed to worry about mind monsters for 50 years. I’m a High Paladin, Eliot. You would be a High Paladin, too. You could still travel the world as a Freyalan. Hearthswellians put down roots. Do you want to live in one city forever that will make you dependent on that city? Or do you want to put up cities anywhere and everywhere, and never be beholden to those who run those cities? Because that’s what roots gets you; it gets people tugging at you, and you unable to leave them behind because you won’t want to leave them behind.

“I still remember bouncing you on my knee, talking about all my adventures on Daihoon, and how you wanted to see the grand falls, and the floating mountains, and the Half-There Ocean. Hearthswellians never get to see those places, except on television.

“Freyalans get to see all those places, and more.”

Eliot frowned a little, in thought.

Mom just waited.

Grandma waited, too.

… Dammit. Grandma was changing Eliot’s mind right back to Freyala, wasn’t she.