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Daro paused again, scratching his chin. "Is that true? That might explain why he sometimes does not appear in the footage when I know that the camera was looking right at him..."

Zeff tilted his head at the man. "How am I more informed about the nature of psychics than you are, Black Artisan?"

Linus and Kristof exchanged amused looks. It wasn't often that they got to see Daro getting scolded for not knowing something.

Daro scoffed. "This is hardly my area of expertise."

"A poor excuse," said Zeff.

"In fairness," said Kristof, "psychics are notoriously reclusive. They go quite far out of their way to conceal such information. Which begs the question: how did you learn of it, Water Dragon?"

Zeff shook his head. "Doesn't matter."

"It matters if there's still more that you can tell us about them," said Daro.

Zeff looked at them a moment. "Perhaps there is."


Chapter Three Hundred Thirty-Two: 'O, beating heart of the protectorate...'
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The Vanguardian headquarters in Andeyal was honestly a bit disappointing, Hector thought. Given how much incredible architecture he'd seen elsewhere in the city, he'd been expecting this place to be similarly impressive, but apparently, that had been a mistake. The HQ was little more than a blank slate of an office building, indistinguishable from those around it. Moreover, it wasn't even tall enough to reach the lowest of the elevated highways that ran all over the city.

It was like a little tree stump, sitting in the shadow of the forest around it.

'That's because Vanguard HQs have a long history of getting attacked and destroyed,' Garovel was telling him privately as they were walking through the featureless main lobby. 'At some point, they got tired of putting so much effort into rebuilding them. Plus, blending in has its perks.'

Hector remained unconvinced. 'If it gets attacked so much, then that's all the more reason to build a super cool fortress, instead.'

'What, you think they never tried that?'

'Hmph. They should've kept trying until they succeeded.'

'Of course you'd think that way.'

'The right way? Yeah, I would.'

Before coming here with Sermung and Jackson, Hector had stopped off to talk to Roman and the others, bringing them up to speed as best he could. He'd wanted to have them come along, too, but Garovel advised him against it, telling him not to push his luck too much with these two friendly juggernauts.

Even Voreese had implied something similar. 'When you get invited to dinner, it's impolite to bring a bunch of strange guests.'

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Linus didn't know the full details of that mess that had gone down between the Vanguard and the Rainlords in Sair, but he knew enough to realize that he shouldn't have been surprised by Zeff's attitude here.

Daro was the one to break the tense silence. "Well... if that's the case, then there is little doubt that there must be more to Graves' objectives than we can currently see."

"Have you no ideas?" said Linus. "You have been spying on him, have you not?"

Daro gave the Linebreaker a look, then smacked his lips. "What makes you think that?"

Linus just returned a flat expression.

Kristof gave voice to Linus' thoughts. "You've been spying on both of us for years, but when Graves shows up, you suddenly give him a free pass? Please."

Daro looked between them. "I..."

The two of them just waited, ready and eager to counter whatever protestations to the contrary the man might be about to attempt.

"I... haven't spied on you that much."

Linus and Kristof shared a chuckle.

"We know you're paranoid beyond all reason," said Linus. "And we've accepted it."

"For the most part," said Kristof. "That drone watching my lady friend was a bridge too far, though."

"Hey, she was cheating on you."

"Yes, and I appreciated the information, but it was still rather creepy, no? Why was that drone outside her window in the first place?"

"Because I'd had suspicions for a while and was keeping tabs on her!"

"So you've said..."

Linus recalled the woman in question. "She was quite the looker, wasn't she?"

"She was, damn her," said Kristof.

"The level of ingratitude here is astounding," said Daro.

Zeff broke in with a question. "Do you have extra intel on Graves or not?"

Daro exhaled a breath. "I've been trying. He's very difficult to spy on, I'll have you know. The fact that he can be in multiple places at once is quite the problem. And I'm certain he's noticed some of my cameras and microphones."

"Obviously," said Kristof. "But has he noticed all of them?"

"No, but it means he's constantly on guard, because he already suspects that someone is always watching him."

"I was under the impression that cameras could see through psychic trickery," said Zeff. "Their illusions work by manipulating the mind's perceptions, but a camera has nothing to manipulate, no?"

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"At the very least," said Zeff, "I know that he is spreading himself thin. Not only has he influenced all of my kin, but he is also manipulating others across the entirety of your country. And Vantalay is no small nation. I suspect he is even affecting minds out at sea, as well."

"What exactly is his objective?" said Linus.

Zeff took a moment to chew on that question. "Having spoken to him many times now, I do not think it is any one, singular thing. He claimed that this was all temporary--and perhaps that is so--but as far as I have been able to discern, Abolish has been fully routed from these lands for some time now, and yet he still has not released my kin."

Kristof spoke next. "When I talked to him, he kept saying that the VMP was a greater threat than he'd realized. He seemed intent on wiping them out completely."

Linus recalled much the same. "That was the main goal of this mission he sent me on. Cleaning up scattered remnants."

"That cannot be all," said Daro. "The VMP may barely be functional in this region of the country, but the government in Abara is still intact. And as long as they remain so, the VMP will endure and rebuild. Graves would understand that, surely."

"If he does, then that might explain what's taking him so long," said Kristof. "Partially, at least."

"What do you mean?" said Linus.

"If one of his major objectives is to destroy the VMP completely, then he's got himself a real quagmire, because that can only be accomplished via regime change here in Vantalay. And where the Vanguard is concerned, that is quite the taboo line to cross, no matter how influential Graves is."

Ah. Having served in the Vanguard himself, Linus understood well enough, but he knew that Kristof was especially knowledgeable on that matter. It was the main reason why the man had left, after all. And Daro's reaper had also worked with them extensively, even if Daro himself had not.

Come to think of it, the Water Dragon used to be a member, too, didn't he? So he probably understood, as well.

"The Vanguard cares not a whit for such taboos any longer. If you think Graves is hesitant to cross that line, then you are a fool."

Or maybe not.

The harshness of his tone left the three of them eyeing him.

Zeff, however, merely looked unfazed and unapologetic.