Page 3041

He knew from experience how dangerous new players on the board could be. Without a clear track record or reputation from which to judge, they could be hiding all manner of surprises.

The big fear, usually, was that it might be a so-called "secret emperor's" coming out party--that was, one of those folks who thought they could cower in the shadows for a few centuries and then just step out onto the world stage as one of his equals.

Nevermind the fact that true strength required so much more than just age. They never seemed to grasp that part, probably because their delusional reapers were too busy filling their heads with nonsense.

A coward could never be an emperor.

And Saqqaf was indeed a coward. Time would soon tell if this Darksteel was, too.

Bloodeye was out for revenge. He wanted Morgunov's blessing to go hunt Saqqaf and Darksteel down. Which was odd, because he and Crowe had hated each other's guts, as far as Morgunov recalled. Maybe they had built up a secret camaraderie over the years while he hadn't been looking, but Morgunov doubted it. More likely, Bloodeye just felt humiliated by their loss and wanted to save face.

Plus, if Bloodeye made it sound like he was doing it for Crowe's sake, then Crowe's men might be more receptive to the idea of following him as their new commander.

Eheh. If Bloodeye played his cards right, he might soon be able to stand alongside the likes of Vanderberk and Ivan.

Probably not Jercash or Gohvis, though. Those two seemed to be reaching new heights of their own now.

At last, the hierarchy of power between the strongest was slowly becoming clear again. Morgunov appreciated that. It had been ages since the last proper shakeup. It was important to keep everyone on their toes.

Page 3040

Briefly, he'd thought that perhaps the Vannies had finally made their big move when he got word that Crowe had been killed. That had certainly come as a surprise. Crowe and Bloodeye had been pushing Abbas Saqqaf for days, if not weeks at that point, so Morgunov had thought them wise enough to not get caught off guard by him. He'd even been in a weakened state, thanks to an earlier tussle with the Roberts.

But no. The wily, little Sunboy led them right into a group of reinforcements.

Non-Vanguard reinforcements, apparently. And they made enough of a difference that Crowe and his reaper had been unable to escape.

Bloodeye was the only one present for the battle, and his report was spotty, at best. Not that Morgunov necessarily blamed him for that. Battles were chaotic. Even with a reaper's help, it was often tough to keep track of everything that was going on.

But Bloodeye and his reaper, Arzil, both seemed fairly certain that it was not the Sunsmith who struck the killing blow. They said it was some new young buck named Darksteel.

So Morgunov decided to read the kid's file. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much there.

But there wasn't nothing.

This little Darksteel fella, Hector Something-or-other, had interfered with Abolish operations twice before, making this the lucky third.

The first instance had been a thwarted coup in the kid's apparent homeland, which was one of those tiny spits of land on the other side of Lorent that barely anyone ever bothered thinking about. All in all, a nuisance of an operation that probably hadn't mattered that much, either way.

But the second instance? That had been when Abbas Saqqaf managed to capture Ivan. And now this Darksteel had been present for the slaying of Crowe, too?

Morgunov disliked coincidences.

Page 3039

He should just relax. If a surprise arrived and tried to kill him, then that would just make things more interesting.

Rgh.

Only if he was fully prepared for surprises. Was he? That was the big question. He hated being unprepared. If he lost a fight, then sure, yeah, that'd be a big ol' pain. But if he lost it because he had overlooked something?

Now that was frustrating beyond measure.

He had to hold himself to a higher standard. The young ones were looking up to him, after all. Even the Vannie ones, he suspected. Just a teeny bit. They'd probably never admit to it, though.

He could tell that this war was going to be a big transitional period for both Abolish and the Vanguard. With so many Vannies currently at his mercy, the counterstroke would need to arrive soon. In fact, he was a little surprised that it hadn't happened already. Were they trying to lure him into a false sense of security, perhaps? Make him think that they no longer had the strength to reply after their loss at Uego?

Hmph. Nonsense.

Sermung. What were you up to?

Supposedly, Jercash had "something" that could keep the Crystal Titan busy, but to be quite blunt, Morgunov didn't believe the lad. Maybe in more peaceful times, whatever trick Jerky had up his sleeve would work, but now? With all these Vannies' lives at stake? With the Vanguard pressed as it was?

No. And Jercash had to know better than that.

Maybe this Project Blacksong of theirs would be their answer. But did they even know what they were doing with it, anymore? By all accounts, it had grown far beyond its initial premise and into a confused and tangled beast. Certainly, they couldn't expect to have kept it a secret from Abolish after all this time. He hoped it wasn't just another disappointing smokescreen, just another facade in the eternal war of disinformation between them.

Page 3038

He hadn't had this many new toys in ages. He sometimes found it difficult to choose between them.

Lamont the Iceheart was undoubtedly the most deadly among his current captives, and so it was no surprise that Jercash had been messaging him constantly about it, telling him to at least kill Iceheart, if no one else.

But ol' Jerky didn't understand. Not everything was about military strategy. Sure, it would've been the wisest move as far as this continental war was concerned, but there was a bigger picture to think about. Test subjects like this weren't so easy to come by.

Lamont would be invaluable for limit testing the next upgrades for the Roberts. Morgunov planned to start with the Robert that had retrieved Qorvass. That was a deserving boy if ever there was one, eheh. Recovering a lost reaper was no minor feat. And for as long as Qorvass had been missing, that chase must've lasted for hours upon hours through solid rock. It wouldn't surprise him if the Robert had ended up tunneling all the way through to the Undercrust while following him.

The gap did leave a bit of a mystery, though. Theoretically, Qorvass could have contacted someone during that time. Not for long, obviously, if he was being chased, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

Which meant that someone might have followed Qorvass and the Robert back here.

It was unlikely, of course. He'd personally canvassed the area a half-dozen times by now and found no such evidence, but still. He hated little, nagging possibilities like that.

Even he couldn't be entirely free of an emperor's paranoia, it seemed.

Agh. So irritating. He didn't want to share that quality with the others. He was different from them. He was the Mad Demon. He didn't let things like that bother him.

Page 3037

Morgunov was glad. He didn't have the heart to tell the reaper that it wouldn't have mattered, either way. If the emperor really wanted to, he could've just compelled Qorvass to do what he wanted through sheer force of will alone.

That would've been way less fun, though. He greatly enjoyed making others wrestle with moral decisions. He always felt like he was observing a primitive alien's thought process when he did that.

It was adorable the way they never seemed to understand how meaningless their ethical struggles were. And not just because he had the power to overturn any choice they made, either.

Morgunov was trying to be more careful with Asad's body now, though--like he had been at the beginning, before one of the Roberts had brought Qorvass to him. After having thought the reaper had escaped, that little present had been quite the pleasant surprise. Especially because Parsey Boy was still under the impression that Qorvass had gotten away.

He liked being able to keep another secret from him. That cunning monkey was fun to play with, but dangerous. But fun. But dangerous. But the danger was also what made him so fun. The longer Morgunov let him live, the more threatening Parson Miles would become. But the more fun, too.

Eheheh. It was a real pickle of a situation with that guy.

He could probably put it off for a few more years, at least. Or maybe just let him see how far he could go. Maybe he'd usurp ol' Sermy, one day. Wouldn't that be neat?

Morgunov wondered how Parson would've handled Qorvass' little dilemma. The lad had a callous streak, that was for sure. Learned from Overra and Iceheart, no doubt. Which was yet another of Morgunov's playthings, at the moment.

Page 3036

Frustrating though it was, it did make for an interesting puzzle. How many years had it been since he'd found a lock that he couldn't break? It was a fun exercise in its own way.

Qorvass sure wasn't cooperative, though. As was to be expected, he supposed. Several times, Morgunov had broken Asad's body down to more than little fleshy piles, and Qorvass kept trying to refuse regenerating him.

'I won't help you torture him,' the reaper told him.

No doubt, he was worried that Morgunov was just trying to drive the kid mad, and no amount of explaining could change that stubborn little mind, it seemed.

How did Qorvass not understand he was doing them a favor? They'd be able to contact their precious Rasalased once this was over. Surely, that was more valuable than any momentary discomfort.

And okay, yeah, maybe an entire month was a pretty long moment, but hey, time was relative. In fact, depending on who you talked to, time might not even be a real thing.

Qorvass didn't want to see reason, however, so Morgunov resorted to ol' reliable. The tactic that never failed.

Threatening to kill the other hostages if he didn't cooperate.

To the reaper's credit, he tried to remain strong even then, tried to play it off like the loss of all these Vanguardian generals and their reapers would be no big deal to him.

But Morgunov knew better, of course. Qorvass might've had the appearance of a broken clock, but he was no machine. Not even close. The reaper was a big softy when it came down to it. That was one of his more endearing traits, actually.

And sure enough, Qorvass caved not long after that. It helped that his boys had brought some more Sandlord hostages in, but only in terms of speeding things along. No way ol' Qorvy would've let the Vannies bite the big one so easily.

Page 3035 -- CCLXII.

Raul made sure to clarify the situation, eventually. But truth be told, once they'd settled back down, he was a little surprised that Donald could even tell that the three of them shared the same face--particularly Adan, who was still missing his left eye. The boys hadn't made contact with their reapers yet, so their wounds from being tortured by Abolish at Miro hadn't regenerated yet.

His brothers were in good spirits about it, though. Adan kept saying that he was thinking about letting the eye stay gone.

"An eye patch would make me look more distinguished, don't you think?" he'd said. "Like a grizzled warrior."

"You could wear an eye patch without actually giving up the eye, y'know," Esai told him.

"Bro. That'd make me feel like a giant douche."

"You mean you don't feel like one already?"

As their preparations neared completion, the pressure was beginning to mount for the task they were undertaking. Their scouting efforts were the real point of alarm for Raul. As they'd feared, they could see reapers hovering all over Logden prison, which almost certainly meant that Abolish was indeed present here.

That, or the VMP had a lot servants of their own. Which wasn't out of the question, actually.

Either way, it was terrible news.

Even worse news arrived, however, right as he was readying himself for his first attempt to infiltrate the building.

'Raul,' came Arumoro's echoing voice. 'Be very careful. We just got word that Vanderberk is in Vantalay.'


Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-Two: 'As an archdemon digs...'
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Man, those tattoos were a tough nut to crack. Just flaying the skin off of the little Lion of the Desert's bones was not enough to nullify their effects. Physically, they were destroyed, but their soul-signature remained, bonded directly to the lad's soul.

Page 3034

Almost none of Donald's contacts had any idea that he'd been in prison. Only the ones who called him John seemed to know, and even they didn't know why. Donald didn't bullshit them, though. He just left key information out. The ones who called him John, he told them he'd escaped and needed supplies.

It apparently didn't matter that he had no money. More than once, they told him that he was good for it, that he could pay them back later--or that he didn't even have to, that they would be insulted if he tried.

Raul was in awe. When they were alone, he asked Donald how he was able to gain the trust of so many people, many of whom didn't look like they extended their trust very easily.

"You're thinking about it the wrong way," said Donald. "When you've got years of friendship and correspondence under your belt, it's not about gaining their trust or tricking them. It's about being trustworthy. I didn't convince them to be my friends. They are my friends."

"But what if you have to betray them, someday? What if it jeopardizes your mission, and you're forced to choose?"

"Questions like that will poison your mind, son. It'll infect your behavior, make you feel like you're lying even when you're just having a normal conversation. It's not that complicated. In fact, it's the simplest thing in the world. Don't psych yourself out."

Half or more of that sounded like bullshit to Raul, but he supposed the man still had a decent point. Overthinking things wasn't going to help.

When his brothers finally made contact with them, the preparations were just about complete. The look on Donald's face when he saw the three of them standing together for the first time was just as enjoyable as Raul had expected. Donald asked if this was another of his superpowers, which made the Triplets laugh in unison.

That only seemed to make Donald more disturbed, however. Which also kinda made it funnier.

Page 3033

This was all business, though. No time for screwing around or enjoying each other's company. The only reason they Adan and Esai were being given to him for this operation was because of how important it was. The elders knew that if he could free the rest of their people, then the siege of Ridgemark would not be nearly as difficult of a problem to deal with.

A lot was riding on his shoulders here. Arguably, everything was.

And he was under no illusions that everyone was pleased about this situation, about him being the one in such a critical position, right now. In a perfect world, it would be someone else here. Someone stronger. More experienced. More qualified.

But it wasn't. It was him.

And again, he was calm. He had to be. At times, he felt like the world was spiraling all around him, enveloping everything except him in pure chaos. Like he was in the eye of a hurricane. A very small eye. One misstep, and the wind might just carry him off into some distant horizon.

Unable to do anything. Unable to be useful.

He had to keep his head clear. More than anything, he had to.

Their preparations progressed smoothly. Donald Elias knew the area even better than Raul could've expected, and he had old contacts all over the place.

Most seemed pleasantly surprised to see him walk through their door, and hardly any of them used the same name for him. John, Caleb, Fred, Marcus--Raul wondered how the man was able to keep track of so many aliases. It seemed a bit risky to be using so many different ones all within the same country, but if they hadn't been burned over the last fifteen years, then the guy must've been doing something right.

Page 3032

It was a big ask. Cousin Melchor's group had a difficult decision to make. They didn't want to get involved any further with the war than they already were. If they began openly supporting the RPMP, then there was no telling how that might complicate things later.

But on the other hand, they were already locked in a stalemate against the Killer of Krohin and his men. In all the time that Raul had spent away from Miro, the ongoing siege there still hadn't made much progress, apparently. Raul wasn't sure if that was a testament to the Killer's wisdom or to his cowardice.

In open battle, Raul was sure that Leo and Cousin Melchor would be able to win the day, but would they ever get that chance again? It seemed increasingly unlikely.

So when he heard that they decided to take the RPMP up on their offer, Raul was anxious about the news but not terribly surprised.

With the RPMP's help, they could safely move the civilians out of Miro and over to Ridgemark, where they could be either protected or taken out of the country.

But it also meant that Raul couldn't expect much in the way of help on his end. With everyone else busy protecting Ridgemark from being overrun and probably razed to the ground, manpower was difficult to come by.

But not impossible, apparently.

Raul got word that his brothers were coming to him. Adan and Esai.

Which was news that brought a faint smile to his face. It hadn't even been that long since he'd seen them, but somehow, it felt like ages. He wasn't accustomed to being on his own for even this length of time. It would be a relief to have them around again.

Page 3031

Crap. This was where House Blackburn's isolation over the last thirty or so years was a real problem. When it came down to it, he actually didn't know his kin from the other Houses all the well. Who was the smartest? Who was the sneakiest? Who was the best under pressure? Who was the most creative, the most tech savvy, the most experienced in the field?

For House Blackburn, he could answer all of those questions.

Tch. He needed to consult Arumoro here. The reaper had taken part in the House's isolation just as much, but even if he couldn't tell Raul who to choose, he could at least talk to others in Warrenhold and figure something out.

But it was a start.

And over the next couple weeks, he and Donald would have plenty of time to make their preparations.

The elders were surprisingly reluctant to act. He'd expected them to rush in, to dispatch reinforcements immediately. He'd even been afraid that they would have Cousin Melchor and the others join him up north in order to lay siege to Logden Prison.

He wouldn't have minded the assistance, of course, but it would've become an enormous mess. And he wasn't yet convinced that such extreme actions would be necessary.

Perhaps he'd been able to convince Arumoro to share his opinion, and perhaps Arumoro had then been able to convince everyone else at Warrenhold.

But Raul kinda doubted it. At best, his opinion was merely one small factor among a multitude of others.

Because apparently, the situation in Miro was evolving.

The RPMP had made contact with Cousin Melchor's group again. And this time, they were seeking assistance outright. No more playing coy like before. They wanted help repelling the joint siege on Ridgemark from the VMP and Abolish.

Page 3030

"Alright," said Donald. "Option six: we draw manpower away from the prison."

"How would we do that?"

"By applying pressure to the VMP elsewhere in the country. Somewhere that they are more vulnerable and might need to call in reinforcements. Relatively nearby, preferably."

"Hmm. Could be helpful. I don't see it solving all our problems on its own, though."

"Indeed. A hybrid plan may be best. But the more complicated the plan gets, the more difficult it will be to pull off with only the two of us."

That was a damn good point, Raul felt. "In that case... maybe we start with option three. Try to sneak a few key people out so that they can help us free everyone else."

"That is what I was thinking as well, but I don't know your prisoner friends or what their abilities are like. Do you already have an idea of who you would like to start with?"

Now there was a tricky question. The temptation, of course, was to go for the most powerful servants among the captives. Octavia Redwater and Rayen Merlo. Without a doubt, both of those old ladies would prove invaluable here.

But the enemy would surely know that as well. Those two would be the most well-guarded, for sure. And even if he managed to free one of them, it would probably cause the biggest possible commotion.

Which was not what they wanted if this was going to turn into a slow, grueling operation. Keeping Logden in the dark about what was happening for as long as possible would be better.

In that vein, it might best to free a non-servant first, someone who would have the lowest level of security around them. But who among the non-servants would actually be able to help them?

Page 3029

"It'll make my job progressively harder," said Raul. "And if Abolish is there, then they might have some means of detecting me through my invisibility."

"Ah..."

"If I thought I could sneak them all out on my own, then I wouldn't have gone for you first," said Raul. "No offense."

"None taken." The man stroked his beard again, then gave a nod. "Option four: we start a fire. Standard prison procedure is to evacuate the building in such an event, which would make it much easier to reach our targets and free them."

Interesting thought. Hmm.

"Downsides include potential danger to the captives, relatively small window of opportunity, and as you already mentioned, if Abolish is there, they might complicate things. Their superhumans may put out the fire too quickly and ruin everything."

It wasn't terribly different from the plan that the Triplets had come up with during their initial attack on Miro. Instead of a fire, though, they'd utilized landslides. Creating an emergency situation to the disrupt the enemy's defenses was a perfectly rational strategy.

But it hadn't worked before, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't work now, either. Mostly for the reasons that Donald had just listed.

"Any other options?"

"Option five: we tunnel our way in. That's a favorite tactic of you superhumans, isn't it?"

Raul nodded. "You're not wrong, and for that reason, we usually have safeguards against that."

"Like what?"

"Underground detection networks," said Raul. "Sometimes that means guards. Sometimes it just means sensors. But if they brought in a bunch of extra manpower for this, then it's a fair bet that it'll be guards this time."

"Mm. Or both."

"Yeah."

"So you think Abolish will be waiting for us underground?"

"Probably." There was also the issue of reapers sensing their souls while tunneling in, but he didn't want to bring them up, especially when it would be mitigated by the Invisibility ring. The less he had to tell Donald about the way that the power of 'superhumans' actually functioned, the better.

Page 3028

The man breathed a short laugh and shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to read and listen to people."

Damn.

"Anyway, in order to stoke a violent confrontation between them at Logden, we would have to enact a two-step process. First, increase tension to new heights. Second, spark a related incident at the prison itself. All in all, preparing that first part would likely require a couple weeks, at least. And the second part would also require a bit of prep work, too. If it fizzles out and doesn't cause the kind of conflict we need, then the whole plan fails."

Raul just kind of nodded along.

"So that's option one. Elements of it are flexible, but for most part, it's a big, loud prison break that'll conceal our involvement with pure chaos."

"Right..."

"Option two: we somehow trick the guards into releasing everyone for us. Admittedly, this one sounds impossible to me. The only reason I mention it is because I've seen it done before, but circumstances were different, and it sounds like these prisoners are too high-profile for that to work. But if you've got an idea how to pull it off, then by all means, let me know."

Raul gave a shrug. "I dunno, dude."

"Fair enough. Option three: we take it slow. Using that power of yours, we sneak everyone out, one at a time like you did with me. This'd obviously take a while, but it might just be the safest bet to avoid anyone getting injured."

Hmm. "Wouldn't they realize something was wrong when some of their prisoner start going missing?"

"Probably. But if they have no idea where they went, then the only thing they can do is beef up security to make sure no more escape. And that won't help them against an invisible man, now will it?"

Page 3027

"Well, that's not really up to me," said Raul, "but I'm sure it wouldn't be our first choice. I only see that happening if we can't find any other way out of the country." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Or... if something else happens, I guess."

"Hmm? Something else? Like what?"

"Ah..." He didn't want to lie to the guy. Maybe that was a bad quality for a spy to have. But eh. "How much do you know about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in this country?"

Donald's back straightened for a moment as he gazed across the campfire at him. Then he settled forward again. "Not much, but I can guess."

"Mm. Well, um. Dude. If we see something really horrific unfolding right before our eyes, it'll be difficult not to get involved, at least a little. That's just the kinda people we are."

"I see..."

Raul had to wonder if he really did. Perhaps he should just admit that they were Rainlords already. Donald would probably understand right away, if he did. And he would almost definitely find out eventually.

Agh. Raul was torn.

But there were more important concerns, right now.

"Well, in any event, if we're to get all your friends out of Logden, then I have a few of different strategies for you."

Oh? Raul was listening.

"Option one: we turn the guards against each other. That would create the conditions for a mass jailbreak. It wouldn't exactly be quiet, but it would give us tentative support from the other prisoners."

"How in the world would we be able to make the guards turn on each other?" said Raul.

"By stirring the pot among their factions."

"Factions?"

"Mmhmm. The guards aren't all VMP, and even the ones that are have subgroups of their own. Factions within factions, you could say. There's the Prison Guard's Union, the United Worker's Union, the Vantalay Law Enforcement Union, the Anti-Corruption League, the Red Dogs, the Hoppers, the Winders--"

"How do you know all this?"

Page 3026

"Mm," hummed Donald. "And that's why you chose to spring me first, I take it? To see if I might be able to help you with that problem?"

"That, and it's a lot easier to spring one than three hundred. But like I said, if you don't know how to help, that's okay. I'll find a way to get you back to Atreya safely first. You don't need to feel compelled to come along just because I broke you out."

"That's very kind of you."

Eh. It wasn't really about kindness, actually. Raul just didn't want to give Donald any extra motive to betray him. If the man thought that the only way to get out of Vantalay quickly was to lie and give Raul the slip, then that would only cause problems.

Plus, he still wasn't entirely convinced that Donald would actually be able to help. So far, the guy hadn't really shared any concrete plans with him. Wasn't he supposed to be some kind of hyper competent spy? Well, Raul couldn't exactly blame him if he wasn't up for this. Fifteen years in prison had to have dulled his skills.

Raul kept his opinions to himself, though.

"...Are you hoping to ally with the RPMP?" said Donald.

"To escape through Ridgemark you mean? Maybe."

"Having so many superhumans on your side would be quite the bargaining chip during negotiations. If they're really fending off both the VMP and Abolish without the Vanguard's help, then they would probably be quite welcoming of your assistance."

"That would mean getting mixed up in this civil war of theirs," said Raul. "And potentially the continental war, too."

"Indeed. Hence my curiosity."

Ah. He wanted to know if they were going to drag Atreya into these foreign conflicts. It was certainly a reasonable concern.

Page 3025

"Jack... holes. I suppose that is one way of putting it, yes. And I would prefer not to walk back to Atreya on foot. Do you already have a better escape route in mind?"

Raul bobbed his head. "Sorta. Ridgemark is the only place still letting civilian craft come and go freely, so it'd theoretically be our best option, but it's also where the fighting between the VMP, Abolish, and the RPMP is the strongest. Now that the Vanguard has pulled out of the country, I expect Ridgemark to be pretty dangerous."

"Hence why more superhumans would come in handy," concluded Donald.

"Yup."

The other man gazed into the campfire for a long moment and stroked his scraggly beard. "Do you know where they're being held?"

"A place called Logden," said Raul.

"Ah... that's unfortunate."

"How so?"

"I wasn't kept exclusively at Bridgewater all these years. Been transferred plenty of times. Spent a fair few of my years in Logden. Huge facility. Deep in the mountains. Beautiful vistas, though. I enjoyed my time there a little more, actually."  

"I'm not hearing the unfortunate part, dude."

"The mountains make it extremely difficult to escape from. Heard about several guys who tried during my time there. All were caught, shot, or fell to their deaths. Mostly the latter, since they didn't have enough guards to watch everyone, but it seems like they won't have that problem this time. I was wondering why Bridgewater's security seemed to have lightened so much recently. Makes sense if they were being transferred over to Logden for the influx of new prisoners there."

"A little climbing shouldn't be too much of a problem," said Raul, stretching the fingers of his right hand. Difficult terrain was something of a specialty of his, he felt. "I'm more concerned about getting everyone out of the building safely. And quietly, if possible. There'll be normal people mixed in with the superhumans, and we need to keep them from getting shot at."

Page 3024

Raul frowned and scratched his head, knowing this would be difficult to explain without revealing his heritage as a Rainlord. Difficult, or just impossible, perhaps. Hmm.

Now seemed like a good time to resort to his tried and true strategy.

He gave the man a big smile. "Well, to be honest, it's all kinda complicated, and I don't really understand it very well myself, dude! But I'm sure it'll work out! You'll see!"

Donald Elias just kind of stared at him, blinking dully.

Raul filled the silence with a hearty laugh. "I've always found that it's best not to sweat the small stuff, ya feel me? Lord Goffe is a trustworthy man, which is pretty much all that matters at the end of the day, I think."

"...That's a very laidback attitude for a spy," said Donald. Raul couldn't tell if that was doubt or disapproval on his face.

"Well, I'm still pretty new to this whole gig. Maybe that'll get beaten outta me eventually. I hope not, though. I feel like I'm being true to myself this way, y'know?"

"Mmhmm..."

Raul knew that he probably wasn't convincing the guy of much, right now. But that was okay. That was a job for his elders if they so decided it--or for the Atreyan Queen, maybe. He just wanted to avoid getting bogged down in unnecessary details, right now. "Listen, bruh, I will vouch for these prisoners with my life, okay?" He paused to suck air through his teeth. "Plus, we, uh... we might kinda need their help in order to get outta the country safely, anyway."

"Oh?"

"I mean, maybe we won't. Maybe we could just make a break for the border right now and skip across it, no problem, but, uh... things are real messy in this country, at the moment. Lotta dangerous jackholes runnin' around."

Page 3023

"Well, for most of them, it didn't happen while I was in prison," said Donald. "This was work that I did beforehand. Meeting folks. Making myself useful. Building friendships. Surely they taught you a thing or two about that, eh?"

He didn't know who "they" was supposed to be referring to, but yeah, Raul wanted to think that he did indeed know a little about those strategies.

"But yes, I did manage to finagle a few new allies for myself while behind bars." Donald paused for a low laugh and rubbed his neck. "Bridgewater is infamous for a reason. All told, the men in there could probably take over this country if they worked together. Not that I imagine they would."

"Are you saying the VMP is right to be afraid of them?"

"From a strategic perspective? Without a doubt. Their collective influence would be unstoppable. But they're also leaderless, and half of them are true criminals, not just people with the wrong politics. If they were free to go where they wanted and do as they wished, I can't tell if they would manage to successfully organize themselves and overthrow the government or just destroy each other through in-fighting first. I hope the prisoners that you're after are different."

"Oh, they are."

"You really believe they can protect Atreya during this war?"

Raul had been a little surprised at first that Donald even knew about the continental war, but apparently even Bridgewater hadn't been able to keep that news from him. Good thing, too, because it seemed to be a key factor in motivating Donald to help him. "I do, yes."

Mr. Elias was still looking at him with a fair amount of skepticism, though. "How can you be so sure? These prisoners are superhumans like yourself, I assume, but Atreya is so small and so far away from here. This Lord Goffe of yours has their allegiance, too?"

Page 3022

Such details were unimportant, right now. The only thing that mattered was to free his kin. Raul had hoped that Donald would be able to help with that task, but he hadn't been holding his breath, either. The man was not a servant, and he'd been in prison for a decade and a half. After everything he'd been through, it would've been entirely reasonable of him to want no part of a second jailbreak. Raul was prepared to run him all the way back to Ridgemark on foot, if that's what the man had his heart set on.

But it wasn't.

"...Yeah, I can help you with your problem."

"Really? I was hoping you would say that, but, ah... how, exactly?"

Donald regarded him for a long moment, the campfire flickering brightly in his attentive eyes. "Would I be wrong in assuming that you're still relatively new to this business, son?"

Raul didn't answer, instead just tilting his head at him. What business was he referring to, exactly?

"Would you like some tips from an old hand?"

Oh. He was talking about spying, Raul realized. "Ah... sure."

"The key to any extended operation in a foreign country is acquiring local support," said Donald. "Whether they know your true identity or not, never underestimate the importance of having someone nearby to rely on when things go all twisty on you. That's the only reason I've been able to survive all these years."

"How do you mean?" said Raul.

"I made myself an asset to a number of different groups around here. Not all of them are still around, but the ones that are have grown pretty powerful in their own right."

That made Raul curious. "How'd you make yourself an asset while imprisoned?"

Page 3021

Now, Donald Elias was sitting across a campfire from him, deep in the Vantalayan wilderness.

It was actually kind of terrifying how easy it had been to break the guy out. Invisibility really was dangerous. Even with the ring's limitations, being able to just waltz into a hostile stronghold unchallenged was just insane.

The more time he spent with this Invisibility, the more impressed he was by the fact that Lord Goffe had apparently been able to fight off dozens of invisible enemies single-handedly back at Dunehall.

It made sense, though. He'd heard a rumor that Lord Goffe had unusually sharp senses--as if he had eyes in the back of his head, some said.

Raul could at least rest a bit easier knowing that Warrenhold wouldn't be caught off guard like Dunehall had. With Lord Goffe and all the Houses being well aware of the threat posed by aberrations with this type of power, he had confidence that anyone who tried that tactic on them a second time would be in for a rude awakening.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world wasn't like Warrenhold.

Donald, for his part, was a gray-bearded man with a deeply sunken gaze. His pallid face looked like it hadn't seen sunlight in ages, and he was so thin that he bordered on malnourished.

The man was sharp, though. When Raul had appeared in front of him, the guy hadn't made a fuss, asked any questions, or otherwise looked a gift horse in the moth. He'd cooperated as easily as could be. But once they were a safe distance away from the prison, he'd been full of probing questions, not all of which Raul could answer.

The man was up to speed by now. For the most part. Raul hadn't explained that he was a Rainlord, only that he was an ally of Atreya, working under Lord Goffe.

Donald had no idea who that was, apparently, which Raul found surprising, but whatever.

Page 3020

Everything he did, every breath he took, meal he ate, moment he spent--it was all leading toward one thing, right now.

But it wasn't a straight path. He'd realized that very quickly. He couldn't just run in and try to break everyone out. Even if Cousin Melchor and the others were with him, that wouldn't be the right way to go.

It was an open question as to whether or not they currently had enough power in the country in order to overwhelm the VMP with brute force alone, but even supposing that they did, there was the much more pressing issue of getting everyone out of the country safely once they were free.

These Invisibility rings were profoundly useful, but they wouldn't be able to conceal hundreds of people. And once they made a big splash, the VMP would be all over them--and most likely Abolish, as well.

They had to be especially mindful of all the non-servants among the captives. The entirety of Houses Redwater, Zabat, Garza, Stroud, and Merlo were all there. Once their servants were free, they would be a huge help in a fight but not necessarily in matters of stealth.

Great care was required here. Any mistakes could mean the death of his kin.

That was why he had decided to break the Atreyan spy, Donald Elias, out of prison first.

In that regard, the timing couldn't have been better. Between the new prisoners they were importing and the intensifying siege on Ridgemark, the VMP had its hands completely full, right now. They didn't have their attention on Bridgewater Prison.

It had certainly looked imposing from the outside with its high walls and watchtowers. But as expected, it hadn't done much good against the power of Invisibility.

Page 3019 -- CCLXI.

'It's good that you're awake now,' said Garovel, 'but I also have a feeling that one of the reasons the Rainlords haven't made their move yet is because they were waiting for you.'

'I kinda doubt that, Garovel.'

'Do you? Hmph, well, of course you do. Look, I'm not saying it's the only reason. They're definitely trying to pick their moment. They wouldn't tell you this in so many words, but I get the impression that they're terrified of running in half-cocked and letting even more people get captured.'

That was somewhat relieving to hear, at least.

'Obviously, it would be best if the team that we already have in Vantalay was able to free the other Houses without us needing to send any more reinforcements.'

'Would that even be possible?'

'That's what the Rainlords have been trying to figure out. It's a complicated situation with a lot of details that I need to tell you. Before we got too deep into it, I'm sure there other things you're curious about, hmm?'

He was right, Hector knew. 'The Forge. What's been happening with Abbas and the Forge?'

Garovel fell silent a moment. 'Heh.'

Hector paused, listening even more intently all of a sudden.

'It's up and running. Abbas has been working with it nonstop.'


Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-One: 'O, riving serpent...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Raul Blackburn had been busy.

The situation in Vantalay was more precarious than ever, but his determination to not let everyone down was stronger than ever, too.

The moment he'd heard that his captive kin would be coming here, everything had changed. His priorities. His strategy. His entire attitude toward this operation.

He was calm. Calmer than he'd ever felt in his life. His sense of purpose was so clear that all other worries had seemed to melt away.

Page 3018

'Listen, eh... can we talk about that later? I'm not really sure how to explain it all yet, and I feel like you should bring me up to speed on the past month, first.'

'Oh, I see how it is. You like leaving me in the dark, don't you?'

Hector's face flattened as he lathered himself in soap. 'Garovel.'

'Alright, alright. I mean. Yeah. There's. Some stuff. That I should probably tell you about. It might be kinda surprising, though. Just a tad bit.'

Hector waited. Recalling how many difficult situations he'd been worried about before his "soul-coma," he tried to brace himself for bad news.

'Hey, are you sitting down? You're not, are you? You're too busy washing your junk.'

'Garovel, just tell me.'

'Okay, well, first off, the Rainlords found their captive brethren.'

His head twitched. 'What?!'

'They're in Vantalay.'

'You're shitting me. Wait, who's in Vantalay? Tell me everyone didn't just leave Warrenhold while I was out.'

'No, no, nobody's left yet. But they've definitely been thinking about it. A lot. It's practically all they've been talking about this past week.'

'Shit... so the other half of the Rainlords are being held captive in Vantalay, right now?'

'Mmhmm. Apparently, one of the Triplets happened upon the intel while sneaking through a VMP base.'

It took Hector a second to piece all that information together. 'The VMP? I thought the VMP was working with Abolish. Why would they have intel on Vangaurdian prisoners from a totally different country?'

'They ARE working with Abolish. Mostly. It's a big ol' mess. It would appear that the Vanguard has made a secret deal with them to take custody of the captive Rainlords in exchange for pulling their forces out of Vantalay.'

Hector blinked. 'What the fuck kind of deal is that?! Wouldn't the VMP just hand them over to Abolish and be done with it?!'

'Supposedly, it's a temporary arrangement. The Vanguard would come back for them once the war is over and take custody again. But who knows how true that is?'

'Agh, fuck...'

Page 3017

'And also, congratulations on helping me invent a new term. Soul-comas weren't a thing until you came along and scared the shit out of everyone.'

Hector just showered in silence, unsure how to respond. The reaper sounded pretty upset, actually. Not necessarily with him so much as with the strangeness of the circumstances.

But maybe also with him. Kinda.

'And y'know, seeing as our souls are connected as per this whole reaper-servant situation we've got goin' on, you would think that something like a soul-coma would affect me along with you. But no. Apparently not. I've felt just peachy this whole time.'

Hector scratched his head at that as he applied shampoo. Oh hey. Yep. His hair had definitely grown a bit. 'Er... are you implying that you're upset about NOT being in a coma with me?'

'No. Maybe. A little bit.'

'Garovel, I'm touched. But that's stupid. Like, really stupid.'

'Yeah, well, maybe I'm just curious about what the Forge showed you.' A beat passed. 'And don't you dare tell me that it didn't show you anything or that you don't remember.'

Well, now, he was kinda tempted to say both of those things.

'You were standing in one place, motionless, for two weeks. And I've been waiting for some damn answers for another two weeks on top of that. So you better have some juicy-as-fuck details for me about what the hell happened back there.'

'Uh...'

'Hector...'

Frankly, he wasn't sure how to explain. Or if it was even possible to. What had the Forge shown him? What hadn't it shown him? There was enough information swimming around in his head right to fill a book. Or ten books. Or more, maybe.

Holy shit, he thought.

But it was all a mess. Disordered. And foggy, in places. Just concentrating on it was difficult, like trying to look through a dim window.

It wasn't supposed to be there, he was pretty sure.

Page 3016

Well. This was definitely the master bedroom in the Tower of Night. Everything looked the same. Why in the world did they bring him all the way back here? There was a bed near the Forge, right? They could've just let him sleep there.

Hmm.

His head was surprisingly clear, he realized. He didn't feel groggy in the slightest. Almost like when Garovel made his fatigue disappear. Except he didn't see the reaper anywhere.

Which was the first thing he needed to check on.

'...Garovel?'

'Hector! You're awake! Finally!'

'How long was I out?'

'It's been almost a whole month now, I think.'

Hector's eyes widened. '...This is the part where you tell me you're just fuckin' with me, right?'

'Afraid not, pal.'

Aw, shit. He rolled out of bed. Well, at least he had clothes on. Holy god, he stank, though. And he was so fucking hungry. He wasn't sure his stomach had ever felt so incredibly empty before--which was saying a lot, because he had many examples to compare it against.

Other than that, however, he actually felt pretty good. Light on his feet. Not sluggish at all. Ready to go somewhere and do stuff.

The first destination should probably be the shower, he figured. He made his way over to the bathroom while Garovel kept talking.

'Half of that time, you spent just standing there in front of the Forge. The other half, you spent asleep. In a fucking soul-coma.'

'A soul-coma?'

'Yeah. Figured that was a good term for it, since I kept trying to wake you up. Unsuccessfully, that is. Which was really obnoxious, by the way. Please don't do that again.'

'Yeah, er, I'll try not to.'

'Y'know, at first, I wasn't worried at all. You do weird and dumb shit like this all the time, so I was fine with just waiting. But I gotta admit, after that second week rolled around, I was becoming slightly upset. Peeved. Miffed, you might say.'

'Uh... huh...'

Page 3015

Why was it so freaking difficult to concentrate? He had the blessing of Focus going for him, didn't he? Wasn't that supposed to help with shit like this?

Or was it? He couldn't remember.

He felt himself say something. He had no idea what it was, though. It sounded like he was speaking with a mouth full of cotton. Hopefully it made more sense to whoever was listening.

After that, he just kinda drifted for a while. Thoughts were too difficult to hold onto. His secondary thought process was a bit aware, but it was like being trapped in a murky, gray box. He could sense the box just fine, but that was about it.

He needed rest, probably.

Which was kinda weird, wasn't it? Was Garovel not around? The reaper could've relieved his fatigue in an instant, couldn't he?

Hmm, maybe he couldn't. Hector had never felt fatigue quite like this before.

His soul felt tired.

Maybe that made no sense. He wouldn't have even thought such a thing was possible. But that was the only way his half-conscious mind could describe it.

Eventually, he slept. Or was fairly sure that he did, at least.

It didn't feel normal. At all.

For Hector, sleeping was always just this warm, welcoming darkness. Thoughtless and comfortable. A blanket that wrapped itself around him completely.

But now, he saw things. Scenes. Unfolding before his eyes.

From the Forge's memories? That seemed likely. He couldn't hold onto any of them, though. Even as he watched them, they slipped through his mind like water through his fingers. He didn't have the awareness or strength or whatever was necessary in order to understand them.

It was just... different.

When he awoke, he was in a bed.

His bed.

The one in Warrenhold.

Uh-oh.

He sat up in a rush, looking around.

Page 3014

Wow. In a secondary thought process, he was able to assess his own sorry state. How trashed his body felt. How clouded his thoughts were. How disorienting everything was. How flat this floor was. Hmm.

Beyond that, though, the thought process wasn't good for much else. The world was a gray blur around him.

Well, maybe that was okay. Maybe he just needed some sleep or something.

Or something? What did or something mean? What was comparable to sleep?

Nothing, probably. But it did feel kinda weird, because had he not been sleeping a moment ago? Where had his mind been? Hell, where was it now?

Confusing.

Come to think of it, he wasn't sure if he was actually awake, right now. His body and mind both felt sluggish enough that he could have been asleep. Maybe this was a dream.

Nah. He almost never had dreams. Oh, or maybe he just never remembered them?

Nah.

Maybe he was just stupid. Yeah, that seemed fairly likely.

His head was swimming with images. And feelings. Sensations.

"--ctor? Hector? Come on, Hector, look at me."

Hector? Wait, he was named Hector. Whose voice was that? It didn't sound like his own.

"Say something, Hector. Just let us know you're all the way back. Then I'll let you sleep. As much as you want."

Back? Back from where?

Oh, right.

That's where all these images were from. All these sensations.

The Forge.

He'd seen so much.

Too much, probably. All this information. All these memories. They weren't his. They didn't belong in his head.

Who knew a tree would have so much to tell him?

He wondered if he was even the same person, anymore. How long had he been in there? Maybe the voice would be able to tell him. If he could figure out how his mouth worked again.

Ugh, that seemed like a pretty tall order, right now.

Page 3013

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 8 of 8)~~

'You're that interested in recruiting us?' said Rezolo.

"I'm interested in giving you a chance. If the feeling is not mutual, then by all means, stay where you are."

'You really have changed. Where is Kalikos? I should like to speak with him.'

"Nowhere nearby. But I will be returning to him soon, if you wish to accompany me."

Loren glanced at Rezolo. 'You know Egmond and his reaper personally?'

Rezolo ignored him. 'We would need to join you first, is what you are saying.'

"No. But it would be a rather long trip to make purely to have a conversation. And there would be a few detours."

'Who else have you recruited?'

"Not a single soul. You two would be the first."

'Ah.'

Silence arrived, threatening to kill the conversation there. Only the background chatter of the Freemen remained.

Shit. Loren had a feeling that Rezolo would refuse now. It was hard to know what the reaper was thinking, even after all these years together, but he didn't think the Rezolo would want to gamble like this. If the reaper was going to be convinced, then they needed to pull something more concrete out of Egmond.

"...Does this 'new you' have a particular goal in mind?" asked Loren.

"Yes."

Great.

Loren waited for elaboration, trying to have patience.

Thankfully, it did arrive. "I've spent so long destroying things. Now there is something I would like to build."

'Oh?' said Rezolo. 'What would that be?'

"A tower."

-+-+-+-+-

Hector stumbled back, and before he could process anything else, he was on the floor, trying to move and finding that he didn't have the strength.

His head was pounding, and he could scarcely hold onto a single thought. He was fairly sure that someone was talking, but that was about the extent of what his faculties were able to tell him.

That, and he was tired.

Fucking exhausted, actually. Holy shit.

Page 3012

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 7 of 8)~~

'Changes that involve the Fellowship?' said Rezolo.

"Possibly," said Egmond. He looked around the clubroom for a moment before returning to his ice water for a sip. "I'm in the market for new, reliable subordinates."

Loren's interest was sufficiently piqued. He waited for Rezolo to ask another probing question, but when the reaper remained silent, he decided to jump in himself with a comment. "Those are difficult to come by in Abolish."

"Indeed."

"You think the Fellowship has the kind of men you're looking for?"

"Well, I know they have different men, at the very least. They've been trying to entice me to join for years, but I've always been reluctant to take the plunge."

"Why?"

Egmond paused for another swig. "Truthfully? My reputation was everything to me. And joining the Freemen would have meant gambling with it. Some doors might open, others might close. I was, to put it nicely, a bit risk-averse in that regard."

Hmm. Egmond made it sound like it had been entirely his own decision. Loren didn't see a reaper over his shoulder, and the man wasn't speaking in two voices, either. There was no telling if Egmond had even brought his reaper here. It would make sense, Loren supposed, if he'd come alone.

'And you're not like that anymore?' said Rezolo.

"As I said, I'm a new man."

'I see. What sparked this sudden change in you, then?'

"Why do you ask?"

'Professional curiosity.'

Egmond set his drink down and looked at Rezolo, then at Loren. "Join me and find out."

Loren's eyes widened. He wanted to say yes straightaway, but he knew it wasn't that simple. Even Rezolo probably didn't have the final say on a decision like this.

'We've only just joined the Fellowship, ourselves,' the reaper explained.

"Is that supposed to be a problem?" said Egmond.

'I'm not sure we'll have the latitude to choose our own assignments quite yet.'

"If I ask for you, they won't refuse me."

Page 3011

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 6 of 8)~~

Loren's gaze lingered on him, however. He didn't recognize his face, but there was something... heavy about him. Something that Loren had felt before in the presence of extremely powerful servants.

And he'd heard that Caster Egmond was on the shorter side... but this couldn't actually be him, could it? Just sitting here at the bar by himself?

The short man tilted his head at him. "Hmm. You're the one they call Lighteyes, are you not?"

Loren took a seat as he poured a glass for himself. "I am. How'd you know?"

The man smiled. "Lucky guess."

Hmm. Really? That made Loren want to take a guess of his own. "You... wouldn't happen to be Caster Egmond, would you?"

"Ah. How'd you know?"

"Must be our lucky day."

"Heh." Egmond took the pitcher and refilled his own glass.

Both men took a long swig.

"I'm surprised you've even heard of me," said Loren.

"It's a poor commander who doesn't pay attention to his men."

Loren threw a glance at Rezolo, who was still by his side. He was quite certain that they'd never worked for Egmond, but from the way the guy had said that, he almost wanted to double check with the reaper. He decided against it, though.

"I don't think I've ever had the honor of serving under your command, sir."

"My, you're very polite, aren't you?"

Loren certainly didn't want to come across otherwise. Not right now, at least.

Egmond gave Rezolo a look now, too. "Found yourself a good one, you think?"

'He has his moments,' said Rezolo.

Wow. That might've been the most praise the reaper had ever given him.

'What brings you here, anyway?' the reaper asked.

Egmond took another swig. "Good question. I guess you could say I'm a new man. And as such, I'm looking to make a few changes."

Page 3010

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 5 of 8)~~

If that was all true, then it might make sense why the Freeman Fellowship would be interested in recruiting him.

Loren had to wonder if that tale was really true, though. For all he knew, Egmond and Vanderberk could have fought for completely different reasons. But at the very least, he wouldn't mind meeting the Marauder and seeing for himself. As far as commanding officers went, Egmond sounded like one of the least terrible ones.

Not like Natia or Laredo or Itoya--or the Void forbid, fucking Vanderberk himself. Loren truly did not know what he would do if he were somehow transferred into one of that monster's sects. He'd been forced to work together with them before, and it was an absolute nightmare every time. How much more horrible would it be to work for them instead, he wondered?

Within the entirety of Abolish, those people really were the worst of the worst. Which was saying a lot.

Compared to past experiences, this club full of Freemen felt about as rowdy as a teenage slumber party.

Or what he imagined a slumber party to be like, anyway. He hadn't even finished elementary school before he'd had to start hunting wild animals with sticks and rocks just to fill his belly. But he'd seen movies. They were mostly realistic, right?

Man, these miniature hot dog things were good. He was starting to get thirsty, though. He didn't want to drink around a bunch of strangers, so he went for pitcher full of ice water at the end of the bar.

Another hand grabbed it at the same time as him, and he looked over to see that it belonged to a rather small man who was eyeing him right back.

"And here I thought I was the only one not drinking," the man said, letting him have the pitcher.

Page 3009

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 4 of 8)~~

The Marauder was here?

Truth be told, there were very few Abolishers whom Loren harbored any kind of actual respect or admiration for. That was just the nature of things when working under so many violent lunatics. But Caster Egmond might have been an exception. Possibly. Loren had never actually met the guy, but there was one particular tale that had piqued Loren's interest.

It was a story from the Vaelish Civil War. He'd only heard about it secondhand from other Abolishers, but supposedly, the Marauder of Calthos had conducted himself differently from his peers during that conflict. When tasked with the annihilation of an entire city, Egmond had first gathered up all of the children therein, intending to have them join Abolish.

That alone was already enough to set him apart from his contemporaries, but when word came down from Vanderberk that they had no use for so many children, that they should simply be executed instead, Egmond had purportedly gone against orders and allowed the kids to escape.

At the time, Loren had never heard of anyone daring to go against Vanderberk's orders. That vile bastard always made sure that everyone did as he said, no matter how far out of his way he had to go. And he didn't take insubordination well.

The rest of the story was more well-known. Everybody heard about it when Vanderberk arrived at the city of Loya, looking to make an example of Caster Egmond. Whether that example was to humiliate him or to outright kill him, no one had been entirely sure, but either way, the resultant duel leveled the already-ruined city into dust.

And the Marauder barely came away with his life. If not for the sudden appearance of Jercash, Caster Egmond would have most certainly died. Or so the story went.

Page 3008

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 3 of 8)~~

The place wasn't open, but it was still abuzz with activity. And Loren quickly realized why.

Dozens of large, ethereal geckos hovered in the air, unaffected by the club's low lighting.

Reapers.

'There are quite a few familiar faces in here,' said Rezolo in the echo of privacy.

Loren was already scanning the crowd for any signs of recognition. If these were all Freemen, then that was unlikely.

Zahi had already peeled off to go converse with one of the several groups that dotted the main room, and the trio of Freemen who'd brought him headed over to a corner, not waiting for him.

Loren found himself gravitating toward the bar area, instead. He wasn't a very heavy drinker, but there was a veritable buffet of snack foods that attracted him over. Hmm, did they have those little hot dogs wrapped in bread or whatever it was? Maybe some crackers with that white, lumpy shit on it?

Okay, so he wasn't exactly a foodie, but he knew what tasted good and what didn't.

A conversation in his ear caught his attention as he was looking over his prospects.

"Think he'll go for it?"

"No idea."

"I thought he was all about achieving glory on the battlefield."

"Can't believe everything you hear, I guess."

"Hrm. I suppose if he wasn't receptive to the idea of joining us, then he wouldn't have showed up out of the blue like this."

Loren's brow lowered as he stuffed his face. They weren't talking about him, were they? No, he'd only just arrived--and with an escort, too. Must've been referring to someone else.

He considered interjecting into the conversation to ask directly, but they answered his question without him having to.

"Having the Marauder of Calthos on our side would be a huge get."

"Yeah, no shit."

Loren paused mid-bite.

Page 3007

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 2 of 8)~~

If nothing else, it soon became clear the Freemen had something going for them in this country. The vehicle that rolled up to receive them was a midnight black Revenant M77 Phasma. As far as limousines went, it was one of the most handsome models on the market--and a beast of a machine, besides. Its long, sleek hood was hiding over seven hundred horsepower, and its on-demand four-wheel drive was a rarity among such vehicles.

The reason he recognized it immediately was because it had a sports car sibling that he adored, the Revenant L90 Kingswraith. If he ever managed to strike it rich, that beauty would be one of his first big purchases for sure.

That wasn't likely, though. He'd learned how to drive from many combat-focused teachers and was experienced behind the wheel in such circumstances to boot, but he'd never actually owned a car before. It was a nice dream with little practicality. He simply traveled too much for Abolish.

Heh. If the Freemen could somehow change that, too, then he would become a member for life. Assuming Rezolo let him, that was.

He gazed out the window as they drove. The other Freemen were too busy talking to Zahi Rambata to bother him with questions, which Loren actually appreciated for once. He had plenty of experience ignoring Zahi's incessant motormouth. He did not have experience with being pleased by Zahi's company, however. That was a new feeling.

In terms of design, Ritoro looked like a pleasantly simple town. Long, straight roads in a clear grid framework. Not too many tall buildings. Hard to get lost in and therefore easy to escape from in a hurry.

That would also make it difficult to hide in, though. Big cities with confusing layouts had their own sorts of advantages, he knew.

The ride didn't last long. They soon pulled into the parking lot of a colorful building with unlit signs all over it, making them difficult to read.

A night club, he realized as they made their way inside--though it wasn't yet nighttime.

Page 3006

~~Valentine's Day Special - (page 1 of 8)~~

Moreover, servants didn't actually need to breathe underwater. Their brains didn't require oxygen. It was just a matter of comfort and convenience, really. Plus, his mutant predisposition was for birds, not fish. It was a pretty dumb mutation overall, and at times, he found himself regretting it.

Maybe he'd take another crack at refining it one day, though. His whole reason for even attempting it in the first place was to help him overcome his fear of the ocean, and he supposed in that sense, it had proved somewhat helpful.

A Vaelish boy afraid of the sea? It was an absurdity. Or should've been. If his people's culture hadn't been shredded nearly to the point of extinction.

Agh.

His heritage hadn't mattered for a long time. It was stupid to get sentimental about it.

But that was what the ocean did to him. Reminded him of the past, of life he barely remembered.

Just one more reason why he hated it so much.

This port town of Ritoro was a welcome sight, at least. He'd never visited Steccat before. He could see why the eastern Eloan coast was so praised for its beauty. Pale white sands filled the oceanic horizon, and scores of slender palm trees lined most of the buildings and sidewalks.

When departing from Eloa to Ardora before, he'd flown out of Vantalay, but with travel there having become so difficult, Steccat was apparently the next best option.

Most of this country was rich and well-guarded, and he'd always thought that Abolish's influence here was limited, but if they were able to waltz into it so easily, then maybe that wasn't the case.

Perhaps this was the Freeman Fellowship's influence. They were obviously far from normal Abolishers.

And he was now one of them. Or soon would be. He wasn't too clear on that point, yet. He'd technically accepted the invitation from the Gentleman of Palei, but there was probably some sort of induction ceremony that he had to go through first.

Page 3005 -- CCLX.

Chapter Two Hundred Sixty: 'O, wicked shifters...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

When Loren Lighteyes stepped off the boat, he was only too glad to finally have solid ground beneath him again. He would have much preferred to simply fly back to Eloa, but apparently, there were huge dogfights going on all across the skies of the Luthic, and even Abolish didn't want to risk transporting anyone by plane unless they were to serve as reinforcements.

Concealing themselves among civilian boats, however, was somehow not a problem. He'd even seen jets patrolling the shipping lanes. Each time he saw one, Loren had expected it to open open fire on their big, lumbering tanker, but that thankfully never happened.

What exactly the fighting was about, he still didn't quite know. Popular sentiment seemed to be that it was some kind of proxy conflict, related to the Vantalayan war effort. Perhaps Czacoa and its allies were trying to prevent Vantalay from bringing in support from overseas.

Loren didn't think that explained why the fighting spanned such a wide swath of the Luthic, though. It was the largest ocean in the world. If they were only concerned about the Vantalayan region, then why had Abolish shut down all aerial transports out of eastern Ardora?

In any case, it was an enormous hassle. And while he didn't hate the ocean quite as much as he used to as a child, he was still far from in love with it. Perhaps the gills that he had mutated onto his back would one day change his opinion in that regard, but if so, he had a feeling that it would require many, many years.

And it didn't help, of course, that those gills still needed some work. They weren't exactly his proudest effort. While they did technically allow his body to breathe underwater, they were horribly inefficient, and he would still drown eventually--after a few hours or so.

Page 3004

"Oh, not this again," said the man in bed, also in Valgan. "I told you before: they can't be trusted. Negotiating with them is pointless. As soon as they have our confidence, they will betray us in order to attack Abolish. This much should be obvious."

"Ritter, just listen to me for a minute, will you? My contact is reliable. She wouldn't bring me this if it wasn't worth our time."

The man sighed but didn't argue further.

"They're saying they can get Graves to pull his forces out of Ridgemark in exchange for a simple prisoner transfer."

Raul blinked. Whoa. That was massively valuable intel, if true. It didn't sound like this Ritter fellow was going to go for it, though.

"Absurd. They expect us to believe that they would leave Vantalay entirely for the return of a few of their prisoners? Do we even have any of their men?"

"Ah, no, it would not be that kind of exchange, actually."

"Hmm? What kind would it be, then?"

"They don't want prisoners of ours. They want to hand some of theirs over to us for safekeeping."

"What? Why?"

"They're having operational difficulties, at the moment. Their forces are spread thin all over the continent. They're trying to free up manpower, no doubt. This would eliminate two birds with one stone. They could pull their troops out of Vantalay and also retask those prison guards as soldiers."

"Hrm."

"It's a great deal for us, Ritter. We should take it before they change their mind."

"So eager. You truly have no reservations about it? It's highly irregular. Why would they trust us to look after their prisoners? Why not one of their allies?"

"Because they're afraid their allies might release them. And perhaps make it look like an accident, afterwards."

"Why would they do that? Who are these prisoners?"

"The Rainlords of Sair."

Page 3003

He made his way up the nearby staircase, careful not to walk on the center of any of the wooden steps. The edges were less likely to make noise, he'd always thought, and he didn't want anyone hearing his footsteps. It helped that there were so many other people roaming around below, but he was still mindful of foot traffic on the higher floors.

It was quieter up here, which was both a good and bad thing. He didn't have to worry about bumping into anyone accidentally, but they would also hear him coming if he made any sounds at all.

Slow and steady, he thought.

He was looking for the largest quarters. He didn't know much about how the VMP laid out their buildings, but logic would dictate that the higher-ranking officers would be in the larger rooms.

He'd only planned to eavesdrop from the other side of closed doors, but on the top floor, he discovered a much more inviting prospect. One of the doors was ajar, and he spotted a group of people therein, all standing around a bed-ridden man.

Most of them seemed to be nurses or doctors, tending to him and fiddling with medical machinery. The man himself was only wearing an off-white gown, but there were three sharply dressed officers in front of him, all talking to him with obvious deference.

Two of them left just as Raul was settling in to listen by the door, making him curse his timing. The one remaining officer, however, said something that most certainly caught his interest.

"--my contact within the Vanguard." The green-suited officer spoke Valgan with a deep, almost grinding voice. "You recall the deal I mentioned a while back?"

Page 3002

Which was pretty surprising, honestly. When he'd asked if he could go, he'd thought for sure that they would say no. But for whatever reason, they hadn't.

True, he'd technically only said that he wanted to go there in order to gather more information about this Atreyan spy, not to break him out single-handedly.

But that had been mostly bullshit, and they probably knew it. If it genuinely looked too difficult to bust him out, then yeah, Raul wouldn't risk it.

He had a feeling that it would look quite doable, though. Especially with Invisibility on his side.

All things considered, these rings were pretty ridiculous, but they did have their limitations. They couldn't cover nearly as much area as the living aberrations at Dunehall could. Those bastards had been able to cloak dozens of people each, whereas these rings could scarcely go beyond his own body. If he wasn't touching it, then he probably couldn't make it invisible, and if the object in question was large enough, touching it didn't matter.

That was one of the reasons he was making this trip on foot. Cloaking an entire car was too difficult, and even if it wasn't, the noise it made would still be too much of a problem when trying to make it through checkpoints like this one.

His primary concern, therefore, was not if he would be able to break the spy out of prison. Rather, it was how he would be able to get the guy all the way back to Ridgemark. Even for him, an undead servant, making this trip on foot was pretty rough. He wasn't sure how well a non-servant would be able to manage it, even with his help.

He could worry about that later, though.

Page 3001

He had to maintain his composure, though. Getting riled up here was pointless. Finding useful intel was the only thing that mattered. If this place couldn't help in that regard, then he should just keep heading north.

It had been a long trip so far, walking cross-country on foot like this. His friction power let him move much more quickly over sufficiently level terrain, but Vantalay was so huge that it would still be a couple more days before he reached his destination, barring any unforeseen complications.

His actual objective for this journey was not merely to gain intel, however. It was to reach the town of Kristol, where the infamous Bridgewater Prison was located. According to his contact at the RPMP, that was where the man named "John Wright" was being held.

That whole situation had been a mess of its own to unravel. When the request came down from Lord Goffe himself to look for this Wright character, the Rainlords hadn't really known what to do about it. Apparently, Lord Goffe said that it wasn't a priority, but hey, it was an opportunity to go for bonus points. And the Blackburn Triplets loved bonus points.

So Raul decided to risk asking the RPMP about him. The guy's name wasn't actually John Wright, after all. It was Donald Elias. So using it wouldn't expose his Atreyan ties.

It might give the RPMP the impression that they were working with Intar, however, because apparently, John Wright was captured with a group of Intarian spies some fifteen years ago.

So yeah. A mess.

He'd gotten permission from his elders in Miro, though, so that was a plus. Unlike the last time, when the Triplets had sorta-kinda gone off without telling anyone, resulting in two of them getting captured, he had actual approval for his recklessness, now.

Page 3000

If he were to take a cold, detached stance as neutral third party, then Raul could empathize equally with both sides' perspectives. For the RPMP, they were just defending themselves against an oppressive government. And for the VMP, they were just trying to enforce the law.

Ideologically, though, it was a bit murkier for him. He didn't really have strong opinions either way regarding economic systems, nor did he harbor much love in his heart for large, money-grubbing corporations.

But at least they weren't working with Abolish or invading their neighboring nations. And unlike the rest of the country, Ridgemark was actually protecting its citizens from violent exploitation. On those points, actions spoke quite a bit louder than words, Raul felt.

These VMP officers seemed to think they were fighting for the sake of the people, but having seen what happened to Miro--and several other villages on the way here--Raul had to disagree.

Unlike Miro, most of them had already been abandoned. That might've implied that the VMP had successfully helped them evacuate, but Raul had seen the decimated homes, the overturned vehicles, the rotting corpses in the streets.

And the mass graves.

If he was feeling generous, then maybe he could argue that the VMP wasn't directly responsible for all that stuff, that Abolish was acting without their knowledge. But that didn't mean the VMP was free of blame, either.

And frankly, he wasn't feeling generous.

In fact, the more he listened to these officers talk, the more irritated he became. Did they really not know what was happening out there? Or were they just so wrapped up in their ideological war that they'd become blind to the atrocities being committed against their own countrymen?

If these had been Sairi soldiers, he would've been ashamed to even associate with them.

Page 2999

He kept eavesdropping for a while and heard similar discussions being held. Different perspectives on who should do what and how they should do it. The way some of these guys talked, they made it sound like if only they were the ones in charge, then the war would've already been won.

But one thing was consistent, at least: their hatred of the RPMP.

These VMP officers were believers in their cause--that was for sure. And the RPMP, being led by a small group of powerful companies in Ridgemark, represented the exact opposite of what these guys were supposedly fighting for.

Raul had already heard about the ideological divide between Vantalayan government and Ridgemark many times, but hearing it from this side was a bit different.

"Burns me up," said one officer among a small crowd eating at a table. "Selfish bastards. And for what? To fill their coffers? Our brothers fight and die, sacrifice their lives for the future of our country, and those traitors in Ridgemark have the gall to claim that they're the ones fighting for the people?!"

"Aye," said the one next to him. "They only care about money. Hallick's got it right. They're inhuman. No compassion in them. No sense of right or wrong. At this point, I wonder if they even have red blood in their veins."

Graham Hallick was the Vantalayan Prime Minister. He was the one who'd been spearheading the effort to centralize almost everything in the country over the last few years. The banks, agriculture, entertainment--one industry at a time, every company in the country had been forced to employ a "team of government liaisons" who would ensure that "the needs of the nation came before the needs of the company."

And apparently, economic growth had been explosive. Until Ridgemark broke away, that was.

Page 2998

"Don't be absurd," said the other voice. "Their spirits are weak and corrupt, driven only by greed. They would stand no chance before even Whitehand alone, but there would also be Riev, Jorga, Mikas, the Killer, the Tiger, the Seeker, the--"

"Hmph. It is precisely that kind of overconfidence that worries me."

Hmm. That was first time that Raul had actually managed to get some specific names or monikers. Apart from Graves and the Killer, he only recognized a couple of them.

The Seeker might've been referring to the Seeker of Ardora, an infamous "treasure hunter" of Abolish. The name sounded less menacing than it should have, which was probably by design. The guy had a reputation for procuring treasure by any means necessary, including but not limited to kidnapping and homicide.

If that was really who they were talking about, then Raul found that strange. The Triplets had come to Vantalay in search of a treasure of their own, the Sword of Unso, but it was already in Abolish's possession, specifically in the Killer of Krohin, Thaddeus Croll's possession. Did that mean the Seeker wanted it, too? That seemed unlikely.

But not impossible, Raul supposed. Trying to discern an Abolisher's motive for doing anything was perhaps a fool's errand. There could have been any number of unreasonable explanations for their actions.

The other one he'd heard of was the Linebreaker, but he could've sworn that nickname belonged to a Vanguardian who was famously gigantic. The name supposedly came from his ability to charge headlong into a defensive formation like a bull and still make it back alive. If he was working for the RPMP now, then it must have been a fairly recent change. Not more than a few years, probably.

In any event, it was decent intel. Maybe he should stick around here for a bit longer.

Page 2997

It was also clear, however, that the RPMP really didn't want to side the Vanguard, if at all possible. Why else would they have decided to help the Rainlords run Abolish out of Miro? They were probably worried about inviting the Vanguard in and then never being able to get rid of them.

Like what had happened to Sair.

That was Raul's interpretation of events, anyway. But even after all the intel he'd gathered over the course of this mission, he was sure that he was still missing some of the big picture here.

So he couldn't help himself. When he happened upon a tall building marked "Officer's Quarters," he decided to give it a closer look. He had to wait for the door to open, but that was no great issue. The facility was bustling with activity.

The conversations therein were a bit more interesting to him than the ones outside. There was talk of the war in here, of the progress being made. The officers' morale seemed a bit higher than that of the rank and file. Maybe that wasn't abnormal, though. Raul didn't have much experience with this sort of thing.

Arumoro did, however. Perhaps he would ask the reaper's opinion later, once he wasn't trying to concentrate so hard on listening to a half-dozen other conversations.

At length, he overheard one by the stairs that piqued his curiosity.

"--we don't depart soon, their situation will worsen," someone was saying in Mohssian. "Graves could move against them at any time."

"I disagree," said someone else. "If he abandons Ridgemark, it would allow Abolish to join us there and overrun the RPMP. He wouldn't risk losing the entirety of the South to us."

"You underestimate the capitalist swine. Between the Jailer, the Black Artisan, and the Linebreaker, they have more than enough power to hold Ridgemark without the Vanguard's help."

Page 2996

As he tried to find his way through the compound, he overheard a surprising variety of languages. Valgan, Mohssian, Gishi, and even a bit of what sounded to him like Tharish.

Raul was only fluent in Mohssian and Valgan, but he knew a little Gishi, too. Along with Kotaka, Maricot, and Vaelish. If that was really Tharish he was hearing, then did that mean they were hosting foreign guests here? As far as he knew, Tharish wasn't even spoken on Eloa. It was an Ardoran language.

He hadn't come here to spy on the VMP, but he was suddenly growing curious. His current objective was merely to keep making his way north, but his overall purpose here in Vantalay was to gather information, so maybe it wouldn't hurt to listen a little harder for anything interesting. At least until he managed to find the exit, that was.

Most of the conversations were just the soldiers talking to each other, usually to complain. Hmm. Morale didn't seem very high here.

Maybe the war wasn't going well for their side.

The VMP was the primary armed force of the Vantalayan government. The VMP, therefore, was the main aggressor in the invasion of Vantalay's neighbor, Czacoa. Supposedly, Abolish was here to support them, but Raul had yet to see any actual evidence of that. So far, he'd only seen the bastards attempting to exploit the civilians in Miro.

Maybe things were different in northern Vantalay, closer to the war front with Czacoa. In the south, at least, he suspected that the reason Abolish wasn't moving to help the VMP was because of the Vanguard's presence in Ridgemark. If Abolish started giving obvious support, then the RPMP would be more likely to side with the Vanguard against them instead of merely remaining neutral.

Page 2995

This was fine. With the aberration ring, he was able to just wait for the front gate to open and walk through. There was semi-regular traffic through here, due to this being the only road through the mountains.

Lo and behold, his patience paid off. Less than an hour of sitting next to the entrance was all it took for the huge metal gates to start creaking open.

A group of soldiers came out first, not yet allowing the line of waiting vehicles to pass through. They were going to check each and every one, Raul figured, but he didn't intend to hang around and watch. He stepped softly through the small opening in the gate and made his way inside.

Wow, the place was bigger than he expected. And there were even more soldiers around that he thought there would be, too. The VMP wasn't hurting for manpower, apparently.

Hmm. It wasn't a straight shot to the other side, apparently. The only reason he'd come here was because he wanted to use the pass through the mountains, but it looked like the layout of this installation was going to make that simple goal a pain in the ass.

Which was a bit strange, he felt. This gravel road was clearly meant to accommodate motor traffic, so why did they make it wind around so many buildings and go off in weird directions?

Ah, perhaps it was for security. The place was currently serving as a military checkpoint, so they probably didn't want people trying to blow through it at top speed. A labyrinthine design definitely made it more defensible.

Unfortunately, that meant Raul ended up wandering around for quite a while just to get his bearings. And with so many soldiers around, it only got more nerve-racking as the time dragged on. Sure, they couldn't see him, but they could still hear him. Or bump into him, if he wasn't careful.

Page 2994

Esai had been noticeably quieter since then. He was probably replaying things in his head over and over again, wondering if it could have gone differently.

Or perhaps just reveling in the accomplishment.

That was how it had been for Raul. A bit of both. Conflicting feelings.

He shouldn't feel good about taking a life. But it was well justified. Abolish had it coming. Absolutely.

Why should he feel bad or guilty about delivering justice? Someone had to.

But that line of thinking was a slippery slope, he knew. He had to keep a clear head about these things. All those stories about servants losing their minds after so many years--he was already starting to see why that might be the case.

Power really was a terrifying thing, wasn't it? And he didn't even have that much yet.

Perhaps that was why Cousin Melchor had always refused to lead House Blackburn. The man already had enough power and didn't want more.

If so, then Raul could admire that decision.

Regardless, none of that was on his mind at the moment. The only thing that concerned him right now was getting through this VMP installation without alerting anyone to his presence.

It made for quite the imposing sight, too, as he approached. Nestled between two cloud-tipped mountains, the compound was blocking the only passage forward for a hundred miles or more. There was no way he could climb those sheer cliffs without undead vigor or his alteration ability over friction--and the latter would involve creating about a hundred landslides and avalanches in order to reshape the terrain.

Which wouldn't be very stealthy of him. And would almost certainly kill any hapless bystanders in the area.

He thought about provoking a landslide nearby just to draw some of the personnel out of the fortress before sneaking through it, but eh, that would probably be more trouble than it was worth, he figured. And sure, this area seemed pretty desolate, but it would still be dangerous.

Page 2993

He was concerned for them, but he'd also never been prouder of his brothers.

Truthfully, Raul wasn't entirely sure if he would've been able to endure such torture without cracking. It was tempting to think that, yeah, of course he would be able to withstand it. He was a servant, after all. The psychological threat of death or irreparable damage was all but non-existent.

But there was more to it than just that, he knew. The effects of that much pain on the body? Along with the sweet temptation to just tell the interrogators what they wanted to hear and let it all be over?

Plus, it wasn't just about endurance, either. It was also about performance. If his brothers had endured it too well, that might have tipped off their captors, too. They had to play the part of true non-servants.

Raul had a feeling that he would never really know whether or not he could handle such a situation until he was face to face with it.

But there was no doubt that his brothers had conducted themselves remarkably well. When their fellow captives from Miro discovered that the two of them were, in truth, a part of the rescuing force, the surprise on many of their haggard faces was unmistakable. They'd been convinced, too.

And they were full of praise for his brothers, as well. For Esai, in particular. He seemed to have bonded with the Miroans quite quickly, Raul noticed. A small family among them had apparently been the target of one of the crueler Abolish bastards, until Esai managed to draw attention away from them and onto himself. He'd even managed to slay the monster when battle first broke out by catching the reaper off guard.

That was the first time Esai had ever killed a reaper.

And Raul knew the strangeness of that feeling. His own first had been at Dunehall, which wasn't all that long ago.

Page 2992

Plus, if Abolish were the ones to identify him, they wouldn't have sent someone to talk. They would've sent someone to either kill or capture him. Probably the latter. Then they could've used him as leverage against his brethren in Miro.

Not that he would have allowed that to happen, of course. He'd sooner destroy his own brain and be sent back to Warrenhold than let this mission become compromised in that way.

He knew that would most likely mean being unable to return to Vantalay, as his elders probably wouldn't green light a second trip here, considering the circumstances. But it would still be worth it, if it came down to that.

All that being said, Raul was still hoping to use this mission to prove himself as reliable to the elders. And to Lord Goffe.

He knew his brothers felt the same, too. After their time as Abolish captives, they'd been in rough shape. The only reason Abolish hadn't killed them, apparently, was because they weren't sure if Adan and Esai were actually servants or not. His brothers had played the vulnerability card--and quite well, apparently.

But that hadn't saved them from multiple daily beatings and worse.

Much worse.

Abolish had ripped their fingernails off, one by one. They'd branded their faces with cattle prods. They'd taken Adan's left ear, and Esai's right. They'd whipped them a half-dozen times and then flayed the skin off their backs. They'd threatened to kill Miroans in front of them. They'd poked out Esai's left eye and started pulling out Adan's teeth with pliers. And apparently, Abolish had been planning to slowly saw off their feet next, followed by their entire legs.

Raul had never seen his brothers in such terrible states. He'd wanted to send them back to Warrenhold, but they wouldn't hear of it.

"We're still breathing," said Esai. "We can still help."