LIGHTNOVELONLINE (Vol 5) Chapter 6: Caution
Glae seemed to continue musing about Zadkiel. “He was most recently obsessed with Redberry. Now whole by your wondrous miracles and your ally by Pantheon. Does she obey you? Match her with him and you’ll have your slave to do with what you will. A better control than I was as long as you keep him fighting. Both halves satiated should make him even more of a monster.”
Thanks a lot, Hyginos. Just spill all the beans. I’d have to consider whether it was oathbreaking… but it hardly matters now.
“I don’t want a slave, for fuck’s sake,” Sammy replied in aggravation. “Once again — hypothetically — if that is what two consenting adults want, more power to them for whatever dynamic they’re into. Honestly, I don’t think anyone with Zadkiel under their thumb has anything but a slimy worm there, slipping away at a moment’s notice. I’m certain that your influence was a miracle work itself.”
“Perhaps I’ve pulled a few. Perhaps I’ll pull another.”
Mmn, very mysterious. Whatever his plans, if they hinder the Dominion and he remains neutral to me, I guess that’s good.
Despite those deliberate thoughts, she was quite worried. At best, his machinations seem to produce mixed results for her. “Where do we go from here, Glae? A treaty, a contract?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Neither of us should be swearing oaths, and such things from gods can hardly be trusted. This is a tenuous arrangement with little trust between us. A simple gentleman’s agreement will have to do. So are you agreeing or not?”
“I will leave Traesh specifically without manipulation and stay out of your affairs if you stay out of mine. That none of mine or Redberry’s Followers enter Traesh seems unreasonable, considering your countrymen come and go south to Geirkos constantly.”
“Trade will continue. It stands to reason we keep some eye on each other. The point is that you are not entrenched in my territory. If you accept the exile, release Hyginos as best as possible, stay away from the League of Glass and the affairs of my nobility, and do not recruit in my borders, the rest doesn’t matter.”
“In return, you personally stay out of Geirkos and the surrounding region, do not attempt to insinuate your agents or meddle any further there, and permit me access otherwise to the mountains beyond your borders. I need them, and you have your fortresses everywhere.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, all fine… The mountains are chaotic wildlands owned by no one. You can shelter in passing in the fortresses for all I care, in small numbers. Traeshans allow humans and elves of the Southlands free shelter and passage.
“I would never deny someone the desire to prune the pests on my borders or those seeking personal glory and combat experience. If you want to move larger forces, you need to contact me to discuss it.”
“Alright then. And the centaurs need relocation I guess.”
He shook his head at this. “Don’t bother. Those poor souls are irrelevant and keep to themselves anyway. Unless they care to move south under the protection of Redberry? But the choice is theirs.” With this, he thrust his hand out once more. “Do we have an agreement, Samantha of Geirkos?”
Sammy looked at the hand as she took a step forward. No contract. It’s so he can stab me in the back when he feels like it. Still, this will keep him from it for a while if what he says holds water. Having him do his own thing while I do mine is the best I can hope for now.
She took the hand and shook it, meeting his eyes. “It’s a deal, Glaelychus of Traesh.”
And you will either be my ally or my enemy in the end. There is no avoiding it.
‘Indeed not. The wildcard he remains.’
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Hivemind Central was subdued and quiet — more than it had ever been in Inquisitor’s Eight’s memory. All awaited instruction after the disaster they felt pulsing through the Astral when Two had been slain by some absurd, new monstrous entity. Something that felt… impossible. Two’s strength, his level was near that of one of the Seven!
It was all very confusing. A lesser agent had almost been killed when the Astral was demolished somehow in Geirkos thanks to a horde of spirits. It was assumed that Redberry and Madam Dark Helm had aligned to conspire the deed, possibly with a great deal of planning. Attacks on silver cords were well-researched. Somehow, the blades had also been used to shred the Astral vectors themselves.
But that was one thing — a formidable enemy perhaps requiring too many resources to bother with in such a distant locale, but hardly someone that could be a threat to their most powerful psychics.
Agent Two, whose specialties allowed unmatched speed and stealth in the Astral as well as the quick genesis of new, ostensibly temporary Astral pathway frameworks, had obtained concurrence to rush to the battlefield when it was gleaned that One had been somehow jammed out of all psychic capability.
Near the point of arrival, he got into an altercation, presumably somewhat expected, bypassed it dismissively, and then just as he neared the battlefield he was… gone. His consciousness was snuffed out as if the True Sage himself had attacked his psyche. His contingency protections, his array of failsafes to avoid the System lottery… all did not avail him.
I have to stop thinking it is impossible. It isn’t because it happened. We must adjust. At this point, any brash actions must be curtailed. The danger is World Class. Unless expendable, none should venture into that region at all. He couldn’t even hide from it! We wouldn’t stand a chance!
Eight had not expected to feel fear for something other than His Honor, but he did.
As if on cue, everyone in Central felt His presence finally cast its shadow over them. Precisely what they had been waiting for after recent events. The Master was thick with the residue of entropic spellcraft like a blatant stain. So much of it had been used in the battle it coated his soul and aura.
The Master spoke. “You lot weary me so soon into my awakening. We lost two of great value. The Sage of Judgment had obtained more power and status than his reason deserved, and his successor is arguably better in the balance of things, but the Sage of Stoicism was iconic in his role, and the oldest of all of you, with good years still left despite that immortality eluded him.
“One of the closest ever in a very long time. I have deduced that the other two leaders ignored too much of his counsel, which may have prevented the sorry events that occurred due to his restraint and caution. Unfortunately, he had the least say for the war efforts. How much more could things be bungled? Why weren’t his superiors superior? Has proper conduct been forgotten?”
He let that hang over them in silence for a while before continuing. “The greatest failure lies with the leader of you all, and suffice to say I have reprimanded him extensively in private. Publicly, I say this: were Two alive, I would replace One with him, despite the power disparity. That should speak volumes for how terribly things have been mismanaged.”
It did. Eight was disturbed by the suggestion. It struck him with an intense feeling of disorder, even…
The Sage, unfortunately, noticed this. His terrible ‘gaze’ fell upon Eight. “You have an objection, Inquisitor Eight? Speak it.”
Eight fought down his fear with an intense effort of will. The Truth is with me. I am the Truth. Truth and Wisdom Prevails. “It would seem to undermine Inquisitor One’s authority as a leader.”
“True. But he is very far above any other in power, which cannot be ignored. Perhaps a decade ahead. Enough that even Inquisitor Two will remain vacant for now. So it is not as if any of you challenge him in any meaningful way. His mind can be bent to correction from the prior unsatisfactory state. So it will. My undermining is part of his humbling and correction.”
Eight was fairly certain that ‘bent to correction’ meant actual alteration. Probably already conducted, even. Mere tweaks — to sidestep any System determination of personality death — but no one wanted to experience or imagine such things. He hoped he was wrong, however. “I see. Thank you for the additional information, Sage.”
“Do you still object or do you concur?”
“I concur,” Eight said automatically. This was shortly followed by concurrence from Three, Four, and then all the rest.
The Sage continued. “Very well, then. As for the collective, what does logic suggest going forward? Inquisitor Three?”
Three was quick to reply. “Supreme caution. This entity — or these entities, plural — have proven to be of the greatest psychic danger, on the level of power to One and Two. Active operations in known hives must cease and all exploratory ventures must be done with the highest expenditure of preparatory protections.
“At any sign of trouble, we must flee, as Twenty-Four did, which we can now safely say saved his life. Even mere moments of more stubborn persistence might have resulted in what happened to Two.”
Yes! Exactly. Thankfully, Three is a more conservative fellow than Two was.
The silence was deafening in the wake of the suggestion, as all no doubt waited for the Sage to concur, but he did not react, just waited.
“I concur,” Eight said with confidence. “It is the simple truth.”
Four was right on his heels. “I concur as well. Risky behavior has cost us. Perhaps something of a failed experiment. We will need to utilize the physical space in Geirkos.”
Five and Seven gave concurrence as well.
The Sage finally replied, “So be it. I concur. However, I want every scrap of information found on this entity. I must know its identity. That will be the first key to dealing with it.” There was a pause. A strange feeling of profound weariness. “I will not be assisting any time soon. Those vectors at such distances tax me. I must both recharge and conduct spell preparations of the highest order. Do not count on my salvation if trouble finds you. Inquisitor One will have to suffice.
“Your services to Wisdom have not been satisfactory, Central. You must achieve the proper balance of safety and productive gain. Achieve results. That is all.”
Eight was happy to feel the Master depart. They’d function better without him breathing down their necks. The question remained what One would be like, though. Hopefully subdued. He had always left general operations to Two. If he now left it to Three, all the better.
Four addressed him suddenly. “Eight, how goes tracking down our foolish rogue?”
With satisfaction, Eight replied, “It goes quite well. The lead of the suspicious character in Daliker is nearly fully verified, as this high-likelihood persona was caught speeding on the southern road to Eltridge. In the exact expected timeframe, an entirely different persona — but fitting into our profiles — was seen passing through the northern village before Eltridge on an enchanted horse. Magical Sympathy is fuzzy and weak but a tertiary confirmation that may improve.”
“Illusory disguises. That is damning unless she utilized decoys.”
“Indeed. Three leads elsewhere were verifiably disproven but did not show evidence of being decoys. We now have active agent contingencies in Eltridge and likely destinations from there. All gates and the walls are covered. We are honing in on her despite her impressive mental cloaking maneuver. Unless she went to the wilderness, which is unlikely, we’ll have her soon. A fine test of our informational abilities, in any case.”
“So it would seem. I look forward to news of your operation’s success, Eight. I truly hope that Twenty-Seven has salvageable value. We’re all most curious to crack open the ‘why’ of her desertion.”
“Rest assured that there is nowhere for her to run or hide from us, nor will she find aid under our dominion.”