Page 3482

Of course it had. She was the thoughtful, worrisome type, wasn’t she? Yep. “What should we do?”

‘I don’t know,’ said Chergoa. ‘Doesn’t seem like there’s much that we can, except wait for the grumpy dragon to show up again and reverse whatever he’s done.’

Hmm. Ibai wondered if that was really true. Sure, it seemed like it was, but... hmm.

With all this knowledge around here, all this incredible power being hoarded by this sentient Library, there was almost certainly something that could be done.

It was just a matter of finding out how.

But of course, that would mean reading a lot of books. Like, a prohibitively silly amount of books. Which would probably take so long that, yeah, it would just be faster to wait for Gohvis to return, instead.

Plus, if there was, hypothetically, only one book within the entire Library that held the solution to Emiliana’s current predicament, then that meant it was quite possible he could spend the rest of his life reading books and still never find it. That was how many there were to go through, between all the different rooms.

Though, hopefully, there would be more than just one book that had the answer in it. Surely, there would be at least a handful of them, right?

Maybe.

Interesting to think about, nonetheless. Especially because he knew that there were still hidden areas within the Library that he had not yet been able to explore, areas that were probably being hidden--as in, purposely--by the Library itself.

He’d discussed this very subject with Emiliana a few times. She told him about how Gohvis had taken her through a hidden passageway in order to meet a funny squid-lady called the Weaver.

That story had actually piqued his curiosity so much that he decided to go on a quest to find and talk to her himself. He’d already been having plenty of fun exploring the Library without any particular goal in mind at all, so the notion that were extra-hidden secrets to be uncovered had only served to increase his motivation and enjoyment that much more.

And he hadn’t told anyone about this yet, but he’d actually succeeded in finding her.

Quite easily, as it so happened. She had apparently been able to figure out that he was looking for her and had therefore started talking to him telepathically in order to guide him directly to her.

‘What is it that you want from me?’ was the first thing she’d asked upon seeing him.

“Iunno!” he’d told her with a big shrug and a bigger smile.

Page 3481

Ibai exhaled a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He stretched his arms and rolled his neck. Whew.

He’d lost track of time again, hadn’t he? Well, at least he wasn’t feeling so utterly famished that he could barely walk. He’d gotten an earful from Chergoa and Emiliana after that one.

But the book was done. His next gift for the Library. Impulsively, he wanted to hand it over right away, but then he thought that maybe he should wait until his proofreader returned so that he could put the extra-finishing touches on it.

Hmm. Tough call. Making him antsy.

Either way, it was time for a break, he supposed. And thinking about Chergoa and Emiliana just now had made him want to go check on the two of them.

Emiliana in particular.

She’d been in a peculiar state, recently. Just before leaving, Gohvis had taught her some type of new meditative technique, and now, the entire time he’d been away, she hadn’t budged from that same spot in the center of the Library’s main room, right next to Arkos’ Great Globe of Eleg.

Sure enough, when he arrived, she was still there, just the same as he’d last seen her. Yesterday? Two days ago? He wasn’t sure.

He’d frequently seen Chergoa hanging around her as well, and indeed, she was here this time, too.

‘Hey,’ said the reaper upon seeing him.

“Hiya.” With his new book under his arm, he approached the young woman both curiously and cautiously. It was weird. He didn’t want to disturb her training, but at the same time, it had been so long that it was hard not to worry about her condition. She was looking decidedly quite pale and slim. “Any change?” he asked.

‘None that I’ve been able to see,’ said Chergoa. ‘Apart from the obvious.’

The obvious being her weight and complexion, Ibai knew. “Wow. It’s been over a week now, hasn’t it?”

‘Going on two, actually.’

Really? Huh. “And you still can’t rouse her out of it?”

‘Sure can’t,’ said Chergoa with a sigh.

“Hmm. Do you think...? Um.” He was hesitant to utter his next question, despite having thought it several times already, but it seemed to him that they were reaching a point where they shouldn’t ignore the possibility. “Do you think, perhaps, that this isn’t actually a form of training, like Gohvis said?”

‘The thought has crossed my mind, yes.’

Page 3480 -- CCXCI.

Chapter Two Hundred Ninety-One: ‘Thy primordial glimmer...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Man, the Library sure felt quiet, lately.

Well. Quieter, he supposed. It wasn’t like it had ever been particularly noisy to begin with it. At least, not in the conventional sense.

But there was definitely something different about it now, Ibai Blackburn thought. And it probably had to do with Gohvis, the Keeper of the Library, not being here for the first time that Ibai had seen.

He’d been trying to figure out the exact nature of the difference ever since Gohvis left, but it was difficult. What was a giant, sentient Library supposed to feel like, anyway?

Maybe it was apprehensive without its master around to protect it? Or maybe it was actually feeling uncertainty with the bit of freedom that it now had? Gohvis certainly had an oppressive presence when he was around, though most of his mutant followers didn’t seem to feel that way.

Gohvis had taken several of them with him, Ibai noticed, so that doubtless contributed to the quietude, as well. The refectory was emptier, as were the recreational rooms.

But it was really all the book rooms that made Ibai so curious.

So his current objective with his writing was to hopefully, somehow, gain some sort of clue about the curious puzzle that was this ancient Library of Erudition.

He’d been trying for a while now, writing original stories so that he might gift them to the Library and thereby gain its affection, and his first work had been a rip-roaring success.

Probably.

Okay, yeah, it was a little hard to tell if the Library had actually been pleased or not, but it definitely felt less hostile towards him, he thought. Why, just the other day, when he took a book off the shelf and started walking away with it, the Library waited nearly ten whole seconds before trying to kill him with a serpentine stream of ardor-infused, razor-sharp papers.

A few months ago, it would’ve only been five seconds. Progress!

So with this current story that he was writing, he was thinking that perhaps the narrative should in some way be related to his objective with the Library. Metaphorically, that was.

He’d decided to make it about two guys who were struggling to get to know and trust each other during a period of civil unrest under a despotic regime, where trusting one another carried even more risk than usual.

And he was just. About. Done. Putting the finishing touches on it.

Yeah.

In the end, true friendship won the day. The two men became lifelong buddies and took down the evil dictator oppressing the land.

Perfect.

Page 3479

Selena giggled but didn’t spout off another iteration, though perhaps not for a lack of trying. Judging from her expression, she was still thinking.

Hector had a feeling that this would keep going for quite a while if he didn’t change the subject first. “Have you had something to eat yet, yourself?” he asked.

That seemed to catch her by surprise. “Er, um, no...”

“Then why don’t you go grab something from the kitchen and join me?” said Hector. “Or you could have some of my steak, if you want.”

“What? No, I couldn’t possibly--I mean, I made that for you. It’d be weird if I--um--I don’t know if--that’s just--I mean, honestly, how could you even--?”

Hmm. Had that been a weird suggestion on his part? Maybe it was. She certainly seemed flustered by it for some reason.

He didn’t really get it. “Do you want some of my spinach, then?”

She took an abrupt break from her fumbling. “...I hate spinach.”

Hector couldn’t help snickering again. “It’s not for everyone, I guess. It’s pretty healthy, though, I think.”

“If it wants me to eat it, then maybe it shouldn’t taste like a bag full of lawn mower shavings.”

“I’m not sure it wants anything. It’s spinach.”

“I’m more of a carnivore,” she said.

“Oh, so you do want the steak.” He started cutting her off a portion.

“No, I--agh, if I want one, I’ll make one later! You just sit there and eat! I swear if you keep trying to give that to me, I’ll start to think you were lying before about it being good! That you’re just trying to find an excuse so you don’t have to finish it!”

Man, she sure was getting animated again. It was really strange how she could waffle back and forth between being so reserved and being so full of energy.

He was mainly just amused, though, and he did indeed go back to eating quietly as he waited for her to settle down.

Once she did, another bit of silence descended upon the table, though it felt decidedly less awkward than before. Instead, it felt more like they were both waiting for the other to make some sort of move so that they could try to counter it.

Or at least, that was Hector’s feeling, anyway. He smiled as he chewed.

“...Warm as a woolly mammoth,” said Selena.

Oh, goddammit.

Next page on the 28th

Thanks for reading, everyone. Also, what's up? Have a good Crimmas? If not, then keep it to yourself. I don't need that sort of negativity in my life.

Just kidding. Tell me whatever you want. Unless it's how to live my life. You're not the boss of me.

Page 3478

Hector laughed again. “I promise I’m telling the truth,” he said. “But I will say that I’m not exactly a food critic, either. If you’re looking to improve on your technique, then you should probably be consulting someone else.”

“Oh, I think Lluis and Margot have that aspect of things covered for me,” said Selena. “It’s actually kinda crazy. They’re so sweet and gentle and kind the rest of the time. An idyllic old married couple, you know? But then you get them to start teaching you about food, and they turn into the some of the strictest disciplinarians you’ll ever meet.”

“Wow, really? They always seem so laidback.”

She paused again, blinking as she perhaps rethought what she had been saying. “N-not that I’m trying to get them in trouble or anything. I love them both and am terribly grateful to them. I’m just complaining for, uh--for fun, I guess.”

Hector cocked an eyebrow, unable to conceal his smile. “For fun?”

“Yeah, you know? Talkin’ shit? So it’s no big deal. I just suddenly realized you might take me too seriously and go chew them out or something. And that’s the last thing I want. They really are too sweet for this world, when it comes down to it. They wouldn’t deserve that.”

“Okay, so first you were worried I’m too nice, and now you’re worried I’m too much of a hard ass?”

“Yeah, well, I’m still getting to know you, okay?”

“I feel like you might be too much of a worrywart,” said Hector.

“That’s quite rude. And not untrue. That’s actually something I’ve been trying to be better about, but it’s hard.”

Hector could relate. “Yeah, I’m... er, kinda the same way, honestly. It’s tough to not overthink things, sometimes.”

“Oh yeah?” said Selena. “But you always seem as cool as a cucumber. Are you telling me that deep down, you’re actually not cool or cucumber-like at all?”

“Heh, I’m afraid so...”

“Hmm. What would be the appropriate analogy for you, then? Warm as a trout?”

“What the--? Why a trout?”

“I dunno. I’m brainstorming.”

“Isn’t it supposed to, uh, start with the same letter? Like 'cool as a cucumber' does?”

“Oh, right, right. Maybe, then, um, warm as a wolverine?”

“Are wolverines warm?”

“Probably. They live outdoors with all that fur.”

“I’m pretty sure they can still get cold, though.”

“Warm as a waterfall.”

“Those aren’t really warm, either.”

“Warm as a warm waterfall.”

“You just used the word warm twice.”

“Warm as a warm spring.”

“You did it again!”

“Warm as a war with wizards.”

“I don’t even know what to say about that one.”

“No, hey, that one makes sense! Wizards cast fireballs, right? So it really would be warm! And it's fun to say!”

“I’ve forgotten why we even started talking about this in the first place.”

Page 3477

It seemed like Hector would have to be the one to revive the conversation, so he tried his best to think of something. Maybe he should’ve called Garovel over or just consulted him, but...

Hmm.

For some reason, he didn’t want to. For some reason, that seemed like it would be somehow inappropriate. Or disrespectful to Selena, perhaps.

What a weird feeling.

“...Is it something that you’re worried about?” tried Hector. “Or maybe something that you think I could help you with? Or... uh...?”

It took her few more moments, but she found her response. “I wanted your opinion.”

Well, that was a start. “Okay. About what?”

“About... ah...” She was hesitating so much that Hector became worried that she wasn’t going to finish her sentence again.

Man, was this what it had been like talking to him, not so long ago?

Wow.

She did manage to get the rest out, though. “About... your meal. The steak that you’re eating. What do you think of it?”

The steak? That had not been what he was expecting. Though, he supposed he didn’t even know what he’d been expecting. “Uh... why are you asking about that?” Then it clicked, and he blinked. “Did you cook this?”

Her eyes went a little wide, and then she nodded, meekly at first and then more vigorously. “Is it any good?”

Oh shit. He wasn’t exactly a food connoisseur. In fact, he’d only recently acquired a taste for steak, so he didn’t really have much to compare it against.

That didn’t seem like a good answer to give, though. In fact, it seemed like it might’ve been among the worst ones.

“Er, um. Yeah. It’s quite good, actually. I thought Lluis had cooked it, like the last few times.”

A smile arrived on her face briefly before disappearing into a look of abrupt skepticism. “Are you telling the truth? Or are you just saying that to spare my feelings?”

“No, I--”

“I won’t improve if you don’t give me honest criticism, Lord. Then every steak I make for you in the future will taste like shit, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself, you know.”

It was his turn to go a bit wide-eyed, and he couldn’t help laughing. She certainly seemed to have a way of catching him off guard. “I am being honest,” he said, still snickering.

Her eyes lit up again, but then she squinted at him. “Really? I don’t know if I believe you. You seem like the ‘too nice’ type.”

Page 3476

All of that had to have been made even more difficult, however, due to the current circumstances. With Zeff and so many other prominent Rainlords abroad, Hector couldn’t deny being a bit worried about Selena and Ojarea’s progress.

So to see her coming up to him like this certainly made him curious. “H-hello, Miss Cortes,” he said, setting his fork and knife down.

“Sorry to bother you while you’re eating,” she said, looking briefly like she was about to sit down across from him and then thinking better of it.

“...Is something the matter?” he asked. Wait, should he have invited her to sit? Probably. Dammit.

“Oh, no, I was just--er--” She looked around. A few of the other Rainlords were watching them now. “I’m sorry. Is this inappropriate? It is, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I’ll go now.” And she was already turning to leave.

“Hold on a second,” said Hector, more confused now than concerned. “Whatever it is, just sit down and tell me.”

She stared at him for a moment, eyes big and gray. Then she glanced around again and finally sat down without saying anything.

Hector waited for her.

But she still remained quiet.

Umm.

What the hell was going on here?

Girls had always been rather impossible for him to understand, but he had to admit that Selena here was consistently proving to be the most confounding one he’d ever met. He still remembered her jubilant, irreverent attitude when he’d found her having mounted a giant gun on that underground train. Compared to how he’d found her shortly thereafter, panicking and crying while Ojarea yelled at her, Hector didn’t know how to consolidate those two completely different versions of her in his mind.

Sure, maybe she’d just been full of bravado and hadn’t realized how much danger she was putting herself in. In fact, that was almost certainly the case. But he also had to wonder if that part of her was still in there, somewhere. Thus far, he’d yet to see it again, but... did people really change so dramatically so quickly?

She’d snuck away from her family during a deadly train ride in a foreign land filled with bandits and monsters. She couldn’t have been entirely ignorant of the danger, so that had definitely required some guts on her part.

Not that he actually wanted to see such recklessness from her again, of course. It just him made curious about her. About what kind of person she really was.

After all, he’d come to realize that he had some... different sides to himself, lurking within his mind. It only made sense that other people might have something similar going on, no?

Page 3475

Hmm. A queen with an obsession. A desire to restore her religion as the most prominent one of her kingdom. She converts her husband at a young age, and he quarrels with the court priests throughout his reign. Many call her a witch, a demon, a manipulative hag, and when her husband dies of pneumonia, they blame her.

But she has her faith. Her own priests. And a foreign papacy supporting her. Together, they call forth a host of holy warriors. The crown would normally pass to the eldest son, but he was born by the previous queen, the excommunicated one, and so he has no love for her, nor her for him. If she allowed him to be crowned, he would have her beheaded at the earliest opportunity.

And so there is war. Her sacred army proves victorious.

And there is no leniency in her heart. As would have been done to her, so she does to her enemies.

...Man, what the fuck? That was even worse than the last one. And how many of these memories ended with beheadings?

“Ah... Lord Goffe?” arrived a feminine voice.

He looked up from his ribeye steak and creamed spinach in order to see a familiar young woman standing on the other side of the large table in the Tower of Night’s refectory.

Selena Cortes was her name. Zeff’s niece. He did not, however, see her reaper, Ojarea, with her.

Hector was aware that those two had been working through some relationship troubles, which was a rather worrisome problem to have between a reaper and servant. It made him all the more grateful for Garovel, and yet he also felt in some tangential way responsible for them, too. Being the Lord of Warrenhold, where they were currently living, he felt like he needed to keep an eye on them.

He’d mentioned their troubles to Zeff a while back, who had apparently taken the direct approach toward trying to help the two of them repair things. Zeff and his sister, Joana, had confronted Ojarea and eventually arranged for strict regimenting of the time the two were allowed to see each other. And from what Hector understood, the other heads and reapers of both Houses Elroy and Cortes had been speaking with Ojarea regularly as a form of therapeutic engagement.

Which was an interesting concept, Hector had thought. Reapers, being immortal and so knowledgeable of the world, did not seem like the easiest subjects for therapy, but he supposed if he anyone could pull it off, it would be another reaper.

Page 3474

Given all that Queen Helen had said previously when Hector first broached the subject with her, it was clear that she wouldn’t be terribly pleased by this news of their expansion. She had, in essence, expressed concern that his bank might grow too powerful too quickly, and while Hector found that understandable from her perspective, he also knew that he had to do what was right by the people that were depending on him.

And if they didn’t expand into Lorent soon, then it wouldn’t be a matter of simply “slowing” the Bank’s growth. The Bank would begin to stagnate and even lose money, thanks to Atreyan regulations.

Or at least, that was his understanding of the situation. He did worry that perhaps these veteran bankers who were advising him were pulling the wool over his eyes, trying to make the situation seem more dire than it truly was so that he would be more agreeable about the expansion, but as far as he’d been able to tell, they were all being straight with him. He’d read the regulations himself. Learned about why they were implemented. And he’d consulted with several reapers and Rainlords who were knowledgeable about finances and politics.

This needed to be done. He was convinced. Even if it made the Queen unhappy with him.

The more time went on, the more Hector began to wonder what would happen if he and the Queen ever had a true falling out with one another. He felt like his relationship with her was probably the most important one that he had, politically speaking. And after all she’d been through, all she’d done for him, he hated the idea of allowing things to break down between them.

Was there something he could do to help ensure that they remained on good terms? There must’ve been, right? Yeah, of course there was. He just had to think about it.

He could feel a few ancient memories from the Candle bubbling up, wanting to assert their relevance to his current line of thinking.

Hmm.

A kingdom in decline. A class of warriors raised to nobility generations ago, now being disrespected daily in the king’s court. Soon, the king himself begins to chip away at their political power, little by little. Near a decade transpires, and they are a shadow of their former glory, figureheads at best. Talk of civil war has been bandied about for years, and it finally becomes more than just talk, but it is far too late. They have not the influence nor the resources to succeed, and in the end, they are all beheaded.

But the war still cripples the kingdom. Makes it even more vulnerable than it already was. And another war soon breaks out as the neighboring king seeks to take advantage of the opportunity.

Conquest follows swiftly, and the kingdom in decline is a kingdom no longer.

Huh...

Well, that wasn’t very comforting. And perhaps a little biased. Maybe one of these other memories would be better.

Page 3473

Hector wanted to respond to each and every one, but half the time, he wasn’t even sure how. And there were so many. Dozens, already, from the just the past month or so. He had Ms. Rogers helping him sort through them all, but even with her assistance, he simply didn’t have as much time to spend on this as he would’ve liked.

He considered maybe trying to organize a small team to aid with it. Like a proper mail room? Hmm. Which tower would that go in? Ah, the Book Tower, of course.

Going forward, it seemed like Warrenhold was only going to get busier and busier. He didn’t even want to imagine how difficult this might become if or when the amount of real, heartfelt letters he was receiving in a single month began to climb into the hundreds. And when compounded by however much the spam and business letters might increase...

Yeah, a proper mail room might be a good idea, he decided. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure that Amelia Carthrace had set up a makeshift one right next to her office, but she wasn’t staying here at Warrenhold nearly as much, as of late. She was quite busy managing the Darksteel National Bank from its pair of office buildings in downtown Gray Rock.

Which was a whole other thing to worry about. While he might’ve been content to just let her handle everything involving the Bank, Hector knew that it would probably bite him on the ass one day if he didn’t continue making an effort to learn the trade, at least a little. He doubted he would ever become truly great at it, but hopefully, he could manage to avoid making a total fool of himself if he ever needed to show up to a board meeting on short notice or something.

And on the subject of expansion, the Bank was obviously key. For both Warrenhold and his new land in Lorent. That was a lot of heavy lifting, financially speaking, and the Bank was going to be carrying the brunt of it.

After discussing it more with the Madame Carthrace, they decided that they would indeed be branching out into Lorent with their operations, offering full services to all Lorentian citizens in Hector’s southern Jagwa territory. The intent was to eventually expand to the rest of Lorent as well, but they didn’t want to rush that when they knew that they were already on quite delicate footing here to begin with.

Page 3472

He didn’t want to lie to the kid or give him some generic platitudes that he didn’t even necessarily believe himself, so he had to think about his answers to those questions for quite a bit longer than he probably should have, considering how much other stuff he had to do.

He found himself mulling his answers over and over while taking care of other business. And oftentimes, he realized that he wasn’t even using a background thought process, either. He was just thinking about it normally while on autopilot going around Warrenhold.

In the end, this was what he decided to write back:

Dear Mr. Caleb Hammerwell,

Thank you for the letter. Your questions have given me a lot to think about. It seems to me that bravery is a funny thing. You say that I’m brave as if it’s an obvious fact, but I’ve never felt very brave at all. The things I’ve done that you might say were brave, I would instead argue that those were just things that had to be done. Because if I hadn’t at least tried to do them, then something bad would have happened.

So I think that’s my answer to your questions, Caleb. Don’t worry about being brave. Just focus on figuring out what the right thing to do is--and then doing it whenever you can. It might be really hard, sometimes, so don’t worry too much if you mess up. A good friend of mine once told me that we shouldn’t respond to failure with sadness. We should respond by becoming better, until our best is good enough to succeed.

Sorry if that wasn’t the answer you were looking for. And congrats on turning seven.

Best wishes,
Hector Goffe

If only all the letters he received were like that. He wouldn’t have minded writing up responses to them all day long.

Unfortunately, while there were some letters in a similarly innocent vein--such as one from a particularly precocious little girl asking him to marry her when she grew up--there were also some that left him with a bit of heartache after he finished reading them.

One little boy wanted him to come beat up some mean kids at his school. Another wanted him to bring the family cat back to life. And still another wanted him to make his mother stop drinking.

Page 3471

‘Don’t beat yourself up too much,’ said Garovel privately. ‘And most importantly, don’t let this experience dissuade you from doing things like this in the future. It’s impossible to know how someone is going to react, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to do nice things for them.’

He supposed the reaper had a point. And it was still true that the rest of the Blackburns seemed to like it. He just hoped he hadn’t made things worse, somehow.

He’d have to check in on them later.

In the meantime, there were more things to see to. He could’ve started showing off the shrine to the other Houses, but after that disaster, he wasn’t much in the mood for it. Maybe he’d ask Ms. Rogers to do it for him. Or just wait until the rest of the Rainlords got back from Vantalay.

He had a mountain of mail to go through. That was one thing that Ms. Rogers had indeed been helping him with, but he wanted to handle some of it himself, at least. If nothing else, it was interesting to see all the random things people were sending.

There was food. Lots and lots of food. Cakes and pies and bread and cookies. Oh, and a big, insulated box full of frozen meats from a family farm out in Lorent. Apparently, they wanted him to pay them a visit and give him a tour. That was a new one.

Then there were the letters, of course. So many letters. But it was usually the handwritten ones that caught his eye. There was something about those that just seemed that much more important. Because the others often turned out to be veiled--or even not-so-veiled--solicitations from businesses or lords. They always wanted to set up some meeting or another to talk about some “opportunity” or another.

While it did feel a bit rude to ignore all of them, he just didn’t have the time or inclination to think about such things, right now.

But yeah. The handwritten ones. Those always felt a bit more special, even though they occasionally turned out to be no different by the time he got halfway through the first paragraph. All the good ones made up for that nuisance, though.

A little boy had written to him. Age of seven, according to the kid’s own declaration in the very first line. Apparently, he wanted to know how Hector had gotten so brave. And he wanted advice on how he could become braver himself.

Talk about hard questions.

Page 3470

He tried not to stare at the Lady Nere, but it was hard not to pay extra attention to her reaction, since she was the one he was most concerned about.

And he could see her slowly gravitating toward the cabinet with that somber gaze of hers.

‘This is magnificently thoughtful of you, Lord Goffe,’ Sentsia was saying over his shoulder. ‘Words can hardly express how much this will mean to not just House Blackburn but to all of our kin. In fact, perhaps we should...’ She trailed off as she presumably began to notice Nere as well.

Along with everyone else.

The small crowd parted for her as she moved toward the Ismael statue, eventually reaching for it with both hands. She picked it up gingerly and brought it closer to her face.

The statue was about equal in size to her head, and the sharp suit that Ismael was dressed in had been replicated from a photo that Hector had been given. As far as he’d been able to tell, the features of the man’s face had been recreated fantastically well.

And perhaps the lady thought so, too, because she soon began to cry. And slump to the ground.

The Blackburns closed in around her again, putting hands on her shoulders or trying to help her back to her feet.

But then her crying turned to sobbing, and she was abruptly not so quiet any longer. The shrine started to fill with the choked sounds of strained voice and disjointed breathing.

Then she started moving again, trying to wriggle away from her family members, who were now attempting to help her a bit more forcefully onto her feet.

She shouted something incomprehensible and threw herself away from the others, all but collapsing at Hector’s feet.

He knelt down to help her up himself, but she pushed him back and scrambled away, still with the statue in her clutches.

Her cries were more like wails now as she fled the room and disappeared from sight.

Sentsia was the first to give chase, but the other Blackburns were not far behind, leaving Hector there flat on his ass, alone but for Garovel hovering next to him.

‘Well, that could’ve gone better,’ said the reaper.

‘Fuck,’ said Hector, picking himself up off the floor. ‘Now, I... I’m not even sure what I was expecting to happen.’

‘You were expecting she would be happy, I imagine, no? Or perhaps sad but in a still-mostly-happy sort of way, hmm?’

‘Yeah, but, I mean... ugh, I don’t know. I feel like an idiot.’

Page 3469

With one last look at the awaiting Blackburns, Hector put the notion out of his mind and began pulling the tarps down from the room’s far corner.

What was revealed was a gargantuan cabinet with a few small statues and plaques dotting its shelves.

“I know it’s still a bit empty-looking,” said Hector preemptively, “but I thought I should leave plenty of space for you and the other Houses to add in whatever you like.”

The statues were made of polished stone. He’d had them commissioned from a sculptor on the other side of the city.

Every single person who’d lost their life at Dunehall was either named here on a plaque or given a statue.

And Ismael Blackburn was there in the center.

Hector hadn’t known him long, but it only felt appropriate to honor him like this.

He’d thought about just materializing all the statues out of his iron, and indeed, he’d even gone ahead and done so as a form of practice, but it ended up proving rather laborious, trying to capture the perfect likenesses of actual people, especially in a miniaturized form. While he was sure that he could’ve gotten it right eventually, he came to the conclusion that they probably shouldn’t be composed of iron, anyway.

In the admittedly quite likely event that he someday got himself into another dire life-and-death situation here at Warrenhold, he figured that he didn’t want to have anything delicate here taking up space within his volume limit. He could very easily imagine a situation in which he needed to start annihilating iron indiscriminately in order to free up volume quickly, and he didn’t want the extra concern of trying not to accidentally annihilate what was supposed to be a precious fixture of historical importance.

Plus, he supposed it just felt a bit more impactful, this way. Even if there was still a degree of skill involved in the process, using materialization was kinda cheating, wasn’t it? There was something meaningful about having this kind of thing done properly by a professional.

Eh, but then again, maybe if he’d had more free time on his hands to get it perfect, he would’ve gone for it, anyway. Because there was definitely something meaningful in doing it all himself, too.

If only.

The reaction from the Blackburns was definitely something, though. The smiles on their faces. The tears in their eyes. The solemn nods--of approval, hopefully--as they approached and looked more closely.

Yeah. That alone made this more than worth the effort.

Next page on the 16th

Same time as usual. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 3468

It was a modestly-sized chamber, by Warrenhold’s standards. Maybe twenty or so people could fit in here without feeling cramped, and the old rainbow tiling had been cleaned up and refurbished entirely. No more cracks or fissures. Now they had a polished sheen to them.

The rainbow color had been relegated to only one wall, however. After having thought about it for a while, Hector came to the conclusion that maybe some of the folks interested in shrines as places of spiritual peace or meditation might not love having such a “loud” display of color surrounding them on all sides. Maybe, instead, they would want some plain walls that they could decorate as they pleased.

But for this particular shrine, he’d been focusing his research on the Rainlords and their history, not just their old religious views. It was his understanding that many of them were no longer spiritual in the slightest, so he wanted this to serve as a place of historical value to them, as well.

Hopefully.

So there was a table full of candles and bowls for burning incense. There were chairs and floor mats and tall poles for advanced meditative exercises. And there was also a large water basin in the center of the room with a long-necked, brass faucet curving around the top of it, releasing a slow, timed drop of water every three hundred seconds.

That last one, according to a few of the reapers, was an ancient fixture of their Luthic religion, meant to represent how Lhutwë, the God of All Water, created every single drop that had ever or would ever exist.

And it looked pretty cool, Hector thought. So he was glad to see a few of the Blackburns’ faces light up when they saw it there, especially some of the reapers who’d told him about it but not seen it yet.

Sentsia was all praise and laughter, which Hector was glad to see, but Nere, unfortunately, remained the same. Still with that somber, glazed-over look in her eyes as she silently took in the view.

Hector couldn’t be too disappointed. He understood.

But there was still one more thing to be revealed. He’d saved it for last because he’d thought it would make for the best surprise, and yet, now that he was about to pull the tarps away, he found himself suddenly hesitating as he wondered if this wasn’t about to go horribly wrong, somehow.

Page 3467

It was a bit strange to think that so many more of them would be returning here to Warrenhold. So many new Rainlords whom he’d never even met.

Very strange, indeed.

He couldn’t help wondering what they would think of him. He was aware that he’d garnered a bit of a... weird reputation among the Rainlords, so how were all these new people going to view him?

A little nerve-wracking. He was almost dreading their return.

But only almost. That was just a loose thought. A distraction. He still had plenty of important things to be devoting his attention to here at Warrenhold.

While it was true that most of the warrior Rainlords were away, there were many non-combatants here to talk to. It sometimes didn’t feel that way, since apparently the warriors were the rowdiest bunch, but he wanted to think of this as an opportunity to get to know some of them better.

Like the Blackburns. Particularly, Nere Blackburn. Her late husband, Ismael Blackburn, had been killed by the Salesman of Death at Dunehall--a death which Hector had personally witnessed in all its cruelty.

And despite Nere being positioned as the new head of her House, the leadership role had instead fallen upon the shoulders of Horatio Blackburn.

From everything Hector had seen and heard, Nere had not been doing so well ever since, which was obviously understandable.

Her reaper, though, name of Sentsia, was a different story. It made for an odd dichotomy whenever Hector saw the two of them. Sentsia leading the way, being talkative with others--jovial, even--while Nere followed wordlessly behind, shoulders slumped, gaze drifting about. It was hard to tell if the woman was even listening to any of the conversations that she was overhearing.

He wanted to say something to her, but each time he’d had the opportunity, it just didn’t feel right. Or he couldn’t think of what to say.

Sentsia, of course, was easy enough to talk to, like most reapers, but Hector felt repeatedly stuck trying to break the ice with that poor woman.

And so he began to think that, perhaps, words were not what was in order. Instead, maybe a real, tangible gesture would be better.

So in his free time, and with the assistance of some of the other Blackburns, he’d been working on a gift, of sorts. It wasn’t specifically for Nere, as he hoped many of the Rainlords would be able to get some use out of it, but he did want her to be the first to see it.

With a small host of Blackburns behind him, including Nere and Sentsia, he pushed open the door to the first fully restored shrine within Warrenhold.

Page 3466

Yeah. Hector was reasonably confident that it would rear its head up again, eventually.

Which wasn’t... necessarily a terrible thing, either. It was part of him, too. That anxiety. He’d come to understand that much. And on some level, it probably had its uses. Keeping him... alert, at the very least.

Mmhmm. And as nice as this current feeling of contentment or “centeredness” was, he didn’t think that he wanted to feel this way all the time. It seemed wrong, somehow. Unfitting.

And now he was confusing himself. How had he managed to make himself uncomfortable with how comfortable he was? This had to be some kind of new level of stupidity on his part. Maybe that was the real accomplishment of all his meditating. Improving on how much of a dumbass he could be, when he really put it his mind to it.

Well, at least he was starting to feel more like himself again.

The next few days remained rather quiet around Warrenhold. Which was a blessed change of pace.

Everyone was waiting on word from Vantalay--word which arrived via the reapers every morning, afternoon, and night. Apparently, the battle for Ridgemark was going quite well, even if it was taking a while. No new casualties. The city limits had nearly been breached when the Rainlords joined the fight, but now they had been thoroughly secured, and the combined forces of Abolish and the VMP were being continually pushed farther and farther back.

There was even talk of taking the fight beyond Ridgemark and going all the way over to Czacoa in order to try and catch the invading Vantalayan forces over there with their pants down. And maybe bring that entire warfront to a swift conclusion.

Mercifully, though, that was still just talk. After communicating to them about the attack on Warrenhold, the Rainlords seemed equally eager to get back here.

He wondered what would happen when they did. Even just from the reports that the reapers were providing, he could tell that the Rainlords’ overall energy had shifted dramatically.

Which was only natural, of course, now that they’d recovered all their lost kin. They’d scored an incredible victory over there.

A historic one, really. The kind that would probably be spoken of for generations among them. Like the victory at Magarabad, when the Redwater Twins struck down the Sawtooth General, one of the Mohssian Empire’s most reviled and bloodthirsty leaders. Or the victory at Denowa, when one Cassius Merlo, the Water Dragon of his time, led a group of Rainlords in the defense of a small island in the Luthic Ocean that had come under attack for its strategic importance by the forces of a young Dozer and a monster of a man called Suresh.

Page 3465 -- CCXC.

Well. Jackson couldn’t entirely refute the other man’s point there. If he was still being considerate of troop morale, then the apparent laziness of various governments around the world had always been a rather persistent point of contention within the Vanguard.

But it was also somewhat beside the point.

And right now, the only words going through his mind were the ones that belonged to the man he respected most in this world.

“...It is not the responsibility of others to take up this cause that we have ourselves volunteered for,” said Jackson. “To think otherwise is but one more path to dishonor, corruption, and self-destruction. And we certainly do not need more of those.”

At that, Senator Jacobson made no response. He merely stared back steadily at Jackson for so long that Jackson began to think that he may have accidentally killed the entire conversation.

Until, at length, another smile began to grow into the senator’s face, and a starry look appeared in his eyes. “I knew you were the real deal.”

Jackson’s expression flattened as he began to get the distinct and somewhat terrifying impression that, no matter what else he said here, this man in front of him was never, ever going to give up.


Chapter Two Hundred Ninety: ‘Intimation of an augured luster...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Hector had to take his time. After that last bout of meditation, he barely felt like himself, in some ways. And yet in others, he felt more like himself than ever before.

Was this what they called clarity? Heh. Enlightenment, even?

Ha.

Ha ha.

Wouldn’t that be funny? If he’d achieved enlightenment in a cave under a waterfall?

No. He was reasonably certain that wasn’t the case. How could he have achieved enlightenment when he didn’t even know what that meant, really? It was more of a buzzword than anything, wasn’t it? An old-timey buzzword, perhaps.

Eh, whatever.

All he knew was that he was feeling good. Not necessarily about himself or... the current state of the world, for that matter, but rather... just in general.

He felt... comfortable, somehow.

Which was a little concerning, in it own way. All this crazy meditating wasn’t making him too mellowed out, was it?

Now there was a thought he’d never expected to have. Where had all that anxiety gone? It was still in there somewhere. He knew it was. Or at least, he dared not hope that it was truly gone for good.

Page 3464

Boy, this guy sure could talk. “We’ve had a bit of trouble with that in the past, as well. Our policy has typically been one of flat refusal.”

“Aha, I see. What kind of trouble did you have, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“The misinformation kind,” said Jackson. “Filmmakers often have an unfortunate lack of care when it comes to depictions of the truth. Providing entertainment has too often been the only thing important to them. Which is fine, when dealing with entirely fictional stories, but not when it comes to representing my men to millions or even billions of people.”

“I understand completely. You are protective of your comrades. As any good commander should be. But I can assure you that I hold nothing but the highest esteem for you and your men. There would certainly be no unfavorable portrayals on my watch.”

Jackson cocked an eyebrow. “Excessively generous depictions can cause their own sorts of problems, too,” he said. “Some men might appreciate a bit of friendly embellishment, but others will not. Which can hurt morale. Matters of jealousy and so forth. Not to mention, if your intention is to inform the general public, then hero worship and comforting lies should not be part of such an endeavor.”

The senator’s eyes were now widened, just a bit, though he was still smiling. “It seems your past experiences with the media industry have left a lasting impression on you.”

“That is one way of putting it. I am not sure it is worth all the trouble.”

“Oh, no, please, don’t say that. It is absolutely criminal that the Vanguard is not more widely beloved here in Intar. Something must be done about that.”

“Mm.”

“Have you not found this relationship between your organization and the Intarian government to be a bit... sad and pathetic?”

Strong words. Jackson elected not to respond yet.

“A bit parasitic, even?” said Jacobson. “You do all the work, keep the world safe, and get none of the credit. Or not nearly enough, at least.”

“We don’t do this for adoration.”

“Of course you don’t. And that speaks volumes of your character. But tell me. Does it not slowly breed resentment among your ranks, when your men are so regularly putting their lives on the line, only to then see my government, for example, sitting back and doing basically nothing? Sitting on its rather plump bottom while you’re putting out fires all over the word?”

Page 3463

Of course, there was also the matter of having some sort of media entourage following his men around the battlefield. Unless the senator had some other strategy in mind. Jackson supposed he needed clarification on that point before anything else.

“How, exactly, would you intend to go about ‘showing the truth of this fight’ to your people?” he asked.

“Oh, I had various ideas in mind. Camera crews, for one. They would be key in capturing what is really going on out there. And I think enlisting the help of a number of skilled documentarians would be quite helpful, as well. Someone needs to not just see what is happening but also piece it all together into a coherent message. And thirdly, I would ask that you appoint someone to become the new face of your organization. Or perhaps more than one person. A small team of public representatives who can regularly meet with average citizens and answer questions. Do television appearances and so forth. Might you have someone like that in mind already? Individuals who handle themselves well under spotlight and scrutiny?”

Indeed, several names came readily to mind. He was not about to bring them up so quickly, though. “And what if you go through all this trouble, set all these things in motion, only for the war to suddenly end, a week from now? Or even tomorrow, hypothetically?”

Jacobson broke for a laugh. “Well, that would hardly be cause for disappointment, now would it? Such a quick resolution to the hostilities? Why, a celebration would be in order, I should think! In which case, what better way to go about it than to give very public credit where credit is due?”

Ah.

Yeah.

This fellow was definitely a politician alright.

The man paused for another mild laugh before continuing on. “Forgive me if I am presuming overmuch, but I am getting the strange impression that you, sir, do not fully realize just how curious the general public is about you and your people. But surely, I must be mistaken, yes? I can only imagine the countless offers you must have gotten over the years from the folks out of Bellvine or Windreach to make motion pictures out of various legendary Vanguardian exploits. I always thought it curious how there weren’t more of such things. Have you been turning them down? If so, then I must say, that is a shame.”

Page 3462

Jackson’s brow tilted a little. “Disregarding for a moment how that might needlessly complicate all of our lives... why do you want this? What do you stand to gain from shining a light on our operations?”

“Me?” said Jacobson, pausing a moment as if he had genuinely not even considered that question, which must’ve surely been a facade. “Well... um... hmm. I suppose if things go smoothly, like I am hoping they will, then the credit for it all might be traced back to me, but that’s really neither here nor there. Especially because one should never assume that things will go smoothly. In fact, this may very well blow up in my face and cause me no end of political trouble.”

Now Jackson was truly confused. “I’m even less certain of your motives, now. Which is not something I can abide, Senator.”

Jacobson held up both hands and bowed his head a little. “I understand. Fair is fair. But I am not sure how to explain my motives here without coming across as an over-eager, self-righteous fool. Or a liar. So...” He scratched his chin. “I suppose I should just stop trying and let you think what you will.”

Jackson just waited.

“This war of yours,” the man went on, “it’s a rare one. A truly... just one. That’s not something that can often be said. The world is messy, and typically, there are many reasonable arguments to be found on both sides of any given conflict. Or at least, that’s the modern way of thinking that we Intarians have bought into.”

Ah. Finally, Jackson was starting to get the picture.

“If we could show the people the truth of this fight, of the brave men and women involved in it, and of the justness of your cause, then I think popular sentiment about Intarian neutrality could begin to shift in favor of intervention. And then we could bring things to a swift conclusion. For the sake of all Eloa.”

Jackson’s gaze drifted away from the other man, but he still nodded with a degree of understanding. Truthfully, such an offer was not something he should refuse, regardless of how he might feel about the circumstances of its arrival. Whether Jacobson was being truthful about his intentions or not almost didn’t matter, if it meant that full Intarian backing was on the table.

The only thing giving him pause was the fact that it was already a bit late in the game for this kind of thing. Would such support be necessary? Hell, would it even arrive in time?

Page 3461

Jacobson took a deliberate breath and shook his head, then offered another smile. “Perhaps I already seem like I am beating around the bush. Allow me to be quite blunt with you, then, Master Jackson. Ultimately, what I am getting at... is that I believe public support for your war would be much easier to achieve if the Vanguard took on a more visible role in the eyes of the people.”

“Visible,” Jackson echoed flatly.

“Yes,” the senator went on. “And believe me, sir. I know how my words must sound, especially to one so old as yourself. The prattling of a pampered ignoramus. Or the badgering of an attention-seeking opportunist, perhaps. I know these labels and views of me well. But, sir, the only thing I want is to help bring this continental war to a swift conclusion before it grows any worse.”

How noble. “There have been times in the past when we have taken on such a role as you are suggesting,” said Jackson.

“Oh, I am aware, sir. The history of your legendary group has been of great interest to me since I was a child.”

“Then perhaps you are also aware of the reasons why we no longer do so.”

“I am aware of various arguments, yes. As I am also aware of counters to those arguments. Which I would like to provide, if you would be so kind as to hear me out.”

Oh, boy. Here we go. He had to hold back a sigh. “I feel as though I might be able to save us both quite a bit of time here by simply telling you ‘no.’”

“Saving time, sure. Saving lives, though? That is the more pressing matter, surely.”

“With respect, Senator, if you think it is that simple of a dichotomy, then you are even more ignorant than I feared.”

“Hah. Not simple, no. Not at all. But important, nonetheless. I understand your trepidation completely, sir. You do not wish to become an appendage of some bloated empire again, to have your reputation strangled and tarnished by some bureaucratic contract.”

“Well, in the past, it was more of an autocratic contract that gave us trouble, but yes, that is one of the major issues.”

“Ah, indeed, indeed. But I am not here to try and ‘bring you into the fold,’ as it were. No, I think the Vanguard is just fine where it is. Independent of any government. Beholden to none but itself. What I am offering, sir, is simply attention. Eyes. On this war of yours.”

Page 3460

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” said the senator, offering a handshake. “I know how busy you folk are.”

Jackson didn’t forget his manners and shook it.

You ‘folk,’ was it? These days, all of the politicians were well-acquainted with the Vanguard, but Jackson was not in the habit of meeting with any of them personally. He typically left that sort of thing to his men.

Most of those men were currently quite busy fighting a war or being held prisoner, though.

“It’s a bit strange for you to be dropping by unannounced like this, no?” said Jackson.

The man gave an airy laugh. “Strange is one word for it, I suppose. Persistent would be another. I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting with you for months. These last two weeks, I’ve resorted to coming here almost every single day in hopes of bumping into you.”

That was news to Jackson. “Is that so? My secretary never mentioned that.”

“Really? I’m sure she must have seen me. And taken my team’s calls.”

“Mm,” hummed Jackson. “Perhaps I should have a talk with her after this.” And maybe give her a raise.

“Ah, no--don’t be too harsh on her on my account,” said Jacobson. “I’m sure it just slipped her mind.”

Jackson gave a laugh of his own. “Gracious of you.” He welcomed the man over to his desk so that they could both sit down.

What an old and familiar feeling. This stilted politeness. Appearances, appearances. Worry, worry, ever weary.

Politicians. He supposed he counted as one, himself.

Maybe he wasn’t as rusty as he thought.

“She said you wanted to talk foreign policy,” said Jackson.

“Ah--straight to the point, then. I appreciate that. Yes, sir, I did indeed wish to discuss the matter of this so-called Second Continental War going on, among other things.”

“Sounds like a long conversation.”

“Might be, might be. Although--well, ah, actually--how familiar are you with Intar’s official position regarding the war?”

He had to think a moment. It seemed rather obvious, so he was wondering if there was something he was missing. “Officially, you are neutral, yes?”

“Yes, but... everyone also knows that we are not truly so, since we are still providing considerable aid to one side. And the pressure has been mounting to make some sort of... formal announcement regarding our stance, one way or another.”

“Okay.”

At that, Jacobson hesitated.

But Jackson just waited. He did not see how any of this was relevant to him, nor did he wish to try and read into the other man’s intentions, just yet.

Page 3459

The Sandlords had such a long and turbulent history. The idea that they might have been snuffed out as a result of his own inability to keep them safe...

Ugh.

He was being irrational again. Thinking the weight of the world rested squarely upon his shoulders. How silly. When it was obviously much more complicated than that.

And yet, also not. Because really, if he was so curious about their whereabouts, he could simply begin asking the right questions.

What?

Yes. The right questions. Of the world.

No.

Of Avar.

He growled.

His stubbornness wasn’t doing anyone any favors, least of all the innocent civilians that he so wished to protect. If he was true to his convictions, then--

A knock at the metal door arrived, pulling him out of his own head.

“What is it?” he said loudly, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Sir, ah--Senator Jacobson is here to see you.”

He blinked. Jacobson? Out of the blue? Well, there was no point in thinking about it. While he might’ve been past the stage where he was afraid of accidentally harming those around him, he was still in no state to be hosting civilian guests. “Tell him I’m sorry but that I’m not taking visitors at this time.”

“Ah--he’s, er--very insistent, sir...”

He rubbed his forehead. Well, maybe it would be okay. “What does he want?”

“...‘To discuss foreign policy,’ he says.”

Oh boy.

This was hardly the first time that a political leader had come knocking at his door, and there’d been various points in his life where he’d grown quite comfortable in the presence of such people.

It had been a while, though. Even disregarding his questionable mental state, he still felt a bit rusty.

But that name. Jacobson, huh? It was hard to keep track of all these Intarian senators, especially when so many of them didn’t keep their positions for more than a few years, so the fact that he actually recognized this one was saying something.

He took a deep breath. “Alright, show him in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Maybe he was being an idiot. Or maybe this would be exactly the kind of distraction he needed, right now. He honestly couldn’t tell.

When the door opened, a middle-aged man in a sharp suit walked through while smiling graciously at Delilah, Jackson’s secretary, who closed the door behind him.

Page 3458

But from what sparse reporting Graves’ men had given, Vantalay seemed to be largely secured now. Abolish was on the backfoot after Graves routed Vanderberk’s forces. Apparently, the Weasel himself managed to escape, thanks to the last-second intervention of Gohvis.

As ever, the Monster’s movements were a surprise. Jackson never could figure out when that son of a bitch would actually do something. He’d been dormant for so long that it seemed like the rest of the world had all but forgotten about him.

And now he was making international headlines again, though most of the news outlets apparently didn’t know that he was the reason behind all the volcanic eruptions.

It pained Jackson all the more to be on the sidelines, right now. He had to wonder if that had factored into the Monster’s reasoning.

Probably. Morgunov must have told him something about it. Or perhaps he’d just known. In that obnoxious way of his.

Jackson knew he needed to stop dwelling on it. Whenever he allowed himself to think about Gohvis, he again felt that temptation welling up. That inner voice telling him to let it all go. To just embrace Avar’s power and go set the world to rights.

Mrgh.

Bastard.

Of all the times to reemerge. They were long overdue for another fight.

No. He had to calm himself.

The war front in Sair was the worst off, and that was of course due to his own failure. His attempts to restructure things in the defense of the Wetlands had not gone over terribly well. They just didn’t have enough men left who could lead in the field. Without that, it was all the more difficult to strike that already tough balance of protecting civilian lives and also communication and supply lines.

Honestly, it was a wonder that Sair wasn’t already conquered. Apart from a few minor victories here and there, the remaining Vanguard forces had been in constant retreat. Jackson didn’t understand why Bloodeye hadn’t been pushing harder. It was like he was distracted.

Perhaps with the Sandlords? Reports about them were scant in detail, but it did seem unlikely that they would have been entirely defeated so quickly. They might have been giving him hell as best they could, still.

If only the scouts could make contact with them. Even just being able to confirm their survival would mean so much, right now.

Page 3457

Regardless, that was a problem for another day. The other war fronts were in greater need of attention.

The defense of Hoss had started out horrifically, of course. The death of Carson was a blow that would not soon be forgotten, even if Kane and Grant seemed to have gotten things back under control. With Jercash’s forces routed, it was possible that not only Hoss had been saved but also Kavia, as well.

Jackson was hesitant about that conclusion, however.

Jercash had been in Kavia for months. By all reports, he and his men had had free reign in the capital, doing whatever the hell they pleased.

While it was possible that all they’d done during that time was celebrate their victory, Jackson had known Jercash for quite some time, now. And that man was not one to let an opportunity go to waste.

For that reason, Jackson had been taking an extra interest over there, keeping in constant contact with not only Kane and Grant but also many of their men.

The two of them didn’t always appreciate that. And he understood why, of course. Especially lately. His peers didn’t want him acting like their superior and ordering their men around.

Oddly enough, though, his poor condition seemed to be helping in that regard. He noticed the two of them behaving more empathetically toward him, if only a little. They probably realized that he wasn’t about to usurp or upstage anyone while he was in this state.

Hmm. Or maybe they were just worried about him. As much as they butted heads, it was sometimes easy to forget that they were all still the oldest of friends, when it came down to it.

How odd.

The Vantalayan war fronts were all sorts of curious. While he couldn’t say that Graves had mishandled things over there, it was certainly a mess and a half to keep track of. And it didn’t help that, out of all the marshals, Graves was the worst about keeping up with proper documentation.

Jackson had chastised him countless times and appointed dozens of secretaries and accountants over the years to help him manage everything, but it never seemed to do much good. Jackson didn’t think he’d ever met someone so disorganized. How that man’s divisions managed to get anything done at all, Jackson still did not know.

Page 3456

Whether Fen could actually keep such a promise, Jackson was not sure. The Old Wardens were notorious throughout history for various reasons, not the least of which was their tendency to exile people from their community.

They were a curious bunch, to be sure. At various points, their reputation had gotten them into quite a bit of hot water, usually from excommunicated members looking to find a way back in or to simply take revenge.

Fairly recently, in fact, there’d been some confusion over whether or not they still existed. Rumors abounded that they’d been wiped out entirely, purportedly by some other enclave that they’d been feuding with for centuries.

None of that bad publicity ever seemed to impact their allure, though. Hell, it might’ve even helped it, in some ways.

Jackson couldn’t say that he fully understood the appeal, but then, he’d never personally visited the Old Wardens and seen what all the fuss was about with his own eyes. He’d only heard about the supposed wonders that they kept all to themselves.

Libraries and debate parlors. Research institutes and theaters. Pools of ethereal water that even reapers could bathe in and enjoy. And countless guarded secrets that even exiled members had not been privy to.

Hyozen, for his part, was one of the reapers who was not particularly impressed.

‘If even half of the things said about them are true,’ the reaper had told him once, ‘then their isolationism is the cruelest of insults to the rest of the world. Keeping such intellectual riches to themselves would serve no other purpose than to empower the few at the expense of the many.’

But then, Hyozen had also originated from a rival enclave, so his views weren’t exactly surprising.

‘Moreover,’ the reaper had gone on, ‘their exclusivity is extreme even by enclave standards. And whom does that serve? Not the world, certainly. The entire purpose of enclaves is to provide a safe environment for reaper families to nurture new generations in order to stave off our ever-dwindling numbers in the world at large. But if they never leave their enclave, then that purpose is moot.’

How Fen had managed to earn his way into their good graces, Jackson very much wanted to know. Assuming that was actually the truth, of course. Fen certainly wasn’t the type to lie, but it was still rather hard to believe.

If it was a lie, though, then whatever house of cards that man had been building over there wasn’t likely to last for much longer.

Which would at least be interesting to see, Jackson supposed. He just hoped it wouldn’t be because of how disastrous it ended up.

Next page on Dec 1st

Look, man. My bad, okay? We good? We're good. Thanks for your understanding. Phew. I was a little nervous you'd be upset.

But yeah, thanks for reading, guys.

Page 3455

While he did trust the officers to do their jobs properly--especially since he’d appointed or promoted almost all of them himself--it was still good to take a hands-on approach with these sorts of things, from time to time. If he didn’t, then he might begin to lose his touch.

And on this particular occasion, all this paperwork was helping to give him a better view of the war effort than perhaps anyone else in the world, right now.

Thus far, the war front in the best logistical position was clearly the defense of northern Melmoore against Ostra, though the southern defense against Corrico was a close second.

Most of the public credit for that seemed to be going to the Surgeon Saint, and judging from the books here, that wasn’t undeserved.

In fact, most of these invoices had been signed by Fen personally. Jackson also noticed copies of numerous handwritten letters by the man, sprinkled among all the accounting records. Each one was providing detailed instructions to his men about where to go next, what to do, and how to do it. He gave information on enemy movements, their numbers, and their access to local resources.

Oil seemed to be of particular concern to Fen. And with good reason, of course. That region was famous for its oil reserves and mining operations, so keeping Abolish off of those deposits was an understandable priority.

It hadn’t taken long for Jackson to begin questioning how Fen was acquiring his information. Usually, such impressive intel was an indication that Sparrows were being deployed, totally unimpeded by the enemy.

But Fen didn’t have command over a team of Sparrows. Or not at first, anyway. Jackson had since sent him one, which indeed only improved things further.

And... maybe he’d also wanted that team to report back to him on Fen himself. To answer that important question about how the Saint was pulling off these not-so-minor miracles.

The answer, according to the team, was something quite unexpected.

Fen had somehow acquired for himself a privileged status within the Old Wardens.

A prestigious reaper enclave. In fact, the prestigious reaper enclave. The most famous one, to which many reapers in the world longed to become a part of.

And so Fen had been using this newfound status as leverage to turn enemy reapers away from Abolish with the promise that they could one day join.

Another delay, sorry

Next page on the 28th. Apologies again, but thanks for reading, as always.

Page 3454

The complexity of the world was partially to blame for that, he felt. When things got messy. And tedious. And exhausting. That was when the temptation to “simplify” often arrived.

He didn’t want to imagine how strong such temptations might be after becoming one with a “god.”

His ego didn’t need that kind of boost. It was hard enough to remain humble, already.

Though, his current circumstances were certainly helping in that regard. He hadn’t felt this pathetic in quite some time.

While it was true that he’d never wanted to be a part of Project Blacksong, it was still tough being stuck here while everyone else was out there fighting so hard.

With so many of their leaders captured, it was impossible to deny the importance of Blacksong, right now. If things didn’t go well... if they suffered another major loss here...

Not to worry.

Abolish was getting absolutely hammered, and not just by the Vanguard.

Jackson stopped and blinked again. Where had that thought come from? Avar?

Silliness. Still making a distinction when there was none. The information was already there. Available to him. If he would just allow himself to see--

Jackson cut the notion off with a shake of his head. Enough.

He returned to his papers. There were plenty to go through. Thankfully, even in his current state, he could still make himself useful.

And it was calming work, too. Perhaps because he’d never really grown out of those early years as an accountant. If anything, his passion for thorough record-keeping and organizational beauty had only ever seemed to grow stronger, much to the chagrin of many of his subordinates and contemporaries.

Where they all saw tedium and hassle, Jackson saw a slow, wonderful march toward perfection. So slow, perhaps, that it might not always make it there, but that was okay. Steady progress was itself satisfying.

For the life of him, he’d never been able to understand why so few others felt the way he did. So many of them wanted to skirt the rules, spend their time on “more important things,” or otherwise avoid “busywork.”

Meanwhile, this was what kept everyone accountable for their actions. And what kept everything operating.

Very few things were more important than that. In fact, maybe nothing was.

The logistics of this war were certainly nothing to take for granted. At the very least, he was glad for the opportunity to go over everything personally.

Couple more days

Thanks for your patience, guys. And happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating. I'll have the next page on the 25th at midnight PST.

Page 3453

Rather, he’d always thought of it as what people meant when they talked about one’s “conscience.” A guiding principle, of sorts. Something that seemed to have a life of its own.

But if that were the case, then wouldn’t that mean that Avar truly was a benevolent force? That Avar had been quietly helping him discern right from wrong his whole life?

Mm.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

Jackson was too skeptical, though. The more he thought about it, the more he was realizing that the simple truth of the matter here was that he did not trust Avar. Judging from both the folk tales of the Fire God and from Avar’s own admissions to him, it was clear that Avar’s past incarnations were very flawed beings.

And sure, perhaps that had been the human half corrupting the godly half, but wasn’t it equally possible that Avar himself was the problem? He was the only common denominator, after all.

And ultimately, that was why Jackson was so resistant. It wasn’t just about holding onto his own sense of self. It was about ensuring that he did not become some new, tyrannical incarnation.

Because he knew that he could. That was absolutely possible. And he would’ve been an utter fool to think otherwise, to think he was too strong of character or noble of heart to ever allow himself to go down that path.

Hell, even without someone threatening to meld minds with him, the temptation to tyranny was plenty strong enough.

That was a lesson he’d thankfully learned relatively early in his career as a Vanguardian. Sermung had made sure to impress it upon him over the course of many lectures and elaborate field studies.

“Above all, we must refuse the call to conquer,” said the Crystal Titan, once upon a time. “Down that road lies all manner of sweet songs and alluring rationalizations. Appeals to reason. Appeals to emotion. Appeals to ego. Appeals to simplicity. To tradition, even. But that is not us. We are defenders. We are the ones who stand against the conquerors and tell them that the world is not theirs. And if ever we forget that, then it will only be a matter of time until we become our own worst enemy.”

Jackson believed that sentiment wholeheartedly. Believed in its importance. And in its reality.

Over the course of his life, there had been many times when he’d felt the exact “call” that Sermung had been referring to. The temptation to just... solve everything himself.

Page 3452

From what he’d been able to learn--both from archived sources and from his passenger directly--each incarnation was a distinct entity. They all had their own views and personalities that set them apart from those that came before--perhaps even because of those that had come before.

Because Avar was the throughline that connected each new incarnation. According to him, he remembered all of his previous lives and therefore possessed their accumulated wisdom.

Wisdom which he was offering to share with Jackson.

The only problem being that Jackson, as he currently knew himself, would disappear into a newly merged entity. A new incarnation.

How, exactly, Avar had managed to get into his head in the first place, Jackson was still not entirely sure.

This voice speaking to him was certainly a new development, but truthfully, Jackson was beginning to wonder if Avar might not have been quite as “new” of a passenger as he’d first thought.

He wondered if, in fact, Avar might have been with him, silently, for a very long time already.

Perhaps since even before he’d met Hyozen and become a servant.

Because what had prompted Avar’s sudden arrival? The emergence at Jesbol? Why would that have done it? What sense did that make?

Not that things were making much sense, these days.

At the very least, it seemed clear that the emergence had been what brought this voice on. And these... memories. Ones that didn’t belong to him. Those hadn’t been there before, either.

It was to the point, even, where Jackson wasn’t always sure of what he was saying. Like only moments ago, when he told the voice that everything he’d been given had come with a price.

What price? What had he been given?

He felt like he knew the answers to those questions, and yet... he couldn’t quite put his finger on them. It was like he’d forgotten something but that it was also just on the tip of his tongue. If he could only remember.

Frustrating.

Meditation helped, though. He’d been neglecting that practice for years--decades, even--but he was suddenly finding it quite helpful again.

Calming. Relieving. Giving him a bit of the peace he was in such dire need of. If only for a little while.

Yes.

Yes, perhaps Avar had been with him for a very long time, indeed.

Because for as long as he could remember, Jackson had always felt a kind of second presence in his mind. Not a voice, of course, until now. Never anything so clear as that. Or so unsettling, either.

Page 3451

Even these archivers might not be so forgiving, though, if he accidentally incinerated some of these priceless tomes. Hell, he might not even forgive himself if that happened.

But he’d needed to learn more about this Avar character. And about what it truly meant to become a “vessel” for a supposed Primordial.

Unfortunately, none of what he’d learned had made things any simpler. In a way, it might’ve been better if the stories about Avar had all been terrible, because at least that would have made everything clearer. But no. The tales were wildly varied. In some of them, Avar was a benevolent force for good--a warm, nurturing figure who went to great lengths in order to foster and protect those who’d found themselves in dire straits.

One such story told of how Avar bestowed the Secrets of Fire upon the Aruni--theorized by some to have been the first homo sapiens--teaching them how to wield it safely for warmth, cooking, and warding off deadly monsters. It told of how Avar quarreled with other gods, who thought him too enamored with humanity, too generous with his gifts and teaching.

But other stories were more brutal, telling woeful tales of destruction. Of Avar’s flames becoming all-consuming, razing entire cities in a single night.

Such as the Tale of Vanwa. In it, Vanwa is a fishing village under siege from a larger village to the north. It is being raided constantly and having its goods stolen. And when Avar arrives--named Avarith in this story--he teaches the villagers of Vanwa to wield a magical form of fire so that they might defend themselves from their oppressors and protect what they rightfully own.

Which they do. And so Avarith departs, satisfied with the results.

But he returns many years later and discovers that Vanwa has become the oppressor. Where it was once a humble village, now it is a fortress town, possessed of a powerful military that uses the magic he gave them to subjugate its neighbors.

Incensed, he destroys Vanwa utterly, leaving not a single soul alive, not even the children.

And those were only the extreme examples. There were many others that fell somewhere inbetween, where Avar--or whatever the incarnation of him was being called--did not come across as good or bad, but rather just neutral.

It left Jackson feeling uncertain in all sorts of ways.

This business about “incarnations” was particularly curious, he felt.

A few days

Next page on the 20th. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 3450

Jackson just growled to the empty room around him. The pain was beginning to abate, but that might have been a result of his irritation more than anything else.

The voice in his head was not like that of a reaper. It was not distinct from himself. It was an inseparable part of him. And he knew it. He liked to pretend otherwise, to act as though these thoughts were not already his own, but deep down, he knew the truth. It was really just a matter of time until he finally gave in.

Or died.

In vain, most likely. Which would be a real shame, wouldn’t it? When he absolutely had the power to make this problem go away.

To make all his problems go away.

Jackson clutched his forehead and tried to steady his breath, as if doing so would help steady his mind, too.

“Please,” he said, more weary than angry now. “Please, just give me peace...”

He already had peace, of course, so this made no sense. He was just being his own worst enemy, as often seemed to be the case.

Nonetheless, the part of him that knew better decided to relent. To let him return to his comfortable denial.

For a while longer, anyway.

When Jackson opened his eyes again, he saw that he had sunken all the way down to the floor without realizing it.

Agh.

How much time had he just lost? Hopefully not much. He checked his phone and was relieved to see that it had indeed only been a few minutes.

He took another deep breath and stood up.

Dull aches still lingered across his body, but at least his head felt clear again.

He found the papers that had fallen to the floor and took small comfort in the fact that he had not accidentally incinerated any of them, this time. That was something, at least. A bit of hope that perhaps he truly was regaining more and more control over himself as time went on.

It was hard to have too much confidence in that theory, though. Especially when those intrusive thoughts sometimes felt like they were growing stronger, too.

The intrusive thoughts of Avar, the so-called God of Fire.

Jackson had come to learn quite a lot about this new passenger of his. That was one of the reasons why he’d decided to come to Intar. The work of the archivers here rivaled even that of those in Luugh.

That, and he was on better terms with these ones.

Page 3449

Now, well over a century later, people didn't say those things anymore. Instead, they whispered behind the Magician's back. Jackson had heard them many times. Talking about what a disappointment their "best and brightest" was against the likes of the Mad Demon. Talking about how incompetent or arrogant he must be, despite almost certainly having never met him.

Jackson hated the idea that, in his own moment of weakness, he might have added fuel to the inferno of self-doubt that he knew brewed within Xander Ulsmith. He was supposed to be a source of inspiration and encouragement for Xander, not the opposite.

He pushed the pain back down. Or rather, his perception of it.

Mind over matter. The age-old trick.

He’d been through fifteen surgeries in the last few months. And the first ones, at least, had certainly helped. But now, they were starting to seem like a waste of time.

That was probably because the Surgeon Saint had conducted the first ones and then handed the project off to others once Jackson had begun to improve. Perhaps that man really was his best hope.

Jackson didn’t blame him for stepping away, though. Fen Frederick had been instrumental to the Vanguard’s success in Melmoore. Jackson couldn’t justify keeping the man here in Intar for no other reason than his own personal convenience.

Plus, there was Project Blacksong to consider. Fen had his own involvement in that. And it was imminent.

Or had it already occurred?

Ugh.

His head throbbed again, despite his efforts.

Dammit. The slightest slip in concentration was enough to bring it back.

If this kept on indefinitely, he didn’t know what he would do.

Well.

Then again...

That wasn’t entirely true, now was it?

No, of course, the actual truth of the matter was that he already knew exactly what he needed to do.

He just didn’t want to accept it.

“Stop,” said Jackson through closed eyes and clenched teeth.

Still, he resisted. Of course he did. That was his nature. A part of what made him such a worthy vessel.

“Shut up.”

No one was saying anything to him. No one but the silent voice in his head that he hated listening to, despite everything that it had given him.

“Given,” he echoed, his voice thick with resentment. “Everything you’ve ‘given’ me has come with a price. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

Well, that was one way of seeing things. The wrong way, but a way, nonetheless.

Page 3448 -- CCLXXXIX.

Chapter Two Hundred Eighty-Nine: ‘O, tempted Star...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

A small stack of papers slipped off the steel desk and splattered across the metal floor.

Jackson clutched his chest as the all-too-familiar pain shot through him anew. He grit his teeth and growled as he gripped the edge of the desk and tried not to fall out of his chair again. Flames whispered into life at the edge of his fingers, scoring the otherwise silvery metal.

Sudden and debilitating, that’s what this pain was. And if he had Hyozen numb it for him, then something else would go wrong. A hand would stop listening to him. Or a leg. Or an eye.

By now, he knew what the cause was, but in those first days after the disaster at Uego, he thought the blasted Mad Demon might have genuinely cursed him, somehow.

At times, he wondered if a curse might have been preferable. Having his body infested with nanomachines that were apparently programmed to torture him for the rest of his life? That didn’t seem like the more pleasant option.

He'd heard back from the Magician, who had managed to get his hands on various samples of Morgunov's work, and apparently, there were multiple different iterations of these damn nanobots in play around the world, at the moment.

"The ones that have a hold of you are the worst of the worst, by far," the Magician of Light had told him over a satellite call. "They're parasitizing not just your body but your soul, as well. That's why you can't just have Hyozen regrow your body from scratch and be rid of them. They will be regrown with you."

Jackson had been hoping for a solution from the Magician, but as of yet, all he'd gotten was an explanation. He tried not to let his disappointment with the man show too much on his face, but he probably hadn't succeeded. It was hard to even think straight, oftentimes, much less control his emotions.

Agh. Poor Xander. He didn't need Jackson piling more pressure on him, right now.

The Magician of Light had been having a rough go of it himself since the outbreak of this war--and indeed, since long before it started, too. Xander's success as a younger man had come back to haunt him, it seemed. When people started calling him the "Brain of the Vanguard" or the "most brilliant integrator since Skapa," they probably didn't realize the enormity of the burden that they were placing upon the young genius' shoulders.

Page 3447

“Your boss will not be happy with you if he learns about this,” said Gohvis.

“Eh, maybe,” said Jercash. “But a part me think he’d be too excited to get angry with me. Either way, I’m not handing Lozaro over to him. Guy’s too valuable.”

“Why did he come to you for protection?”

“Heh. Well, it wasn’t like he had many options. Couldn’t exactly go to the Vanguard after all he’d done, and Sai-hee isn’t particularly fond of him, either.”

“That’s not what I was getting at.”

“Hmm? Oh, you meant why didn’t he go to you!” Jercash broke for another laugh. “Don’t be jealous, pal! I’m sure you were his next choice!”

“How puerile.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. Look, if you want people to approach you with these sorts of things, then you have to be more approachable. Get it? This whole scary-dragon thing you’ve got going on is cool ‘n all, but it invariably has its costs, y’know?”

“...Are you blackmailing him?” said Gohvis.

“What? No. How would I even do that? Everyone already knows he’s one of the evilest dudes in the world. And I’m pretty sure there’s precisely nothing and no one that he loves in that cold, black heart of his. Hell, sometimes, I think he even hates the very knowledge that he spends so much time trying to amass, strange as that might sound.”

“You’re holding him prisoner, then.”

“Excuse me, but I’m quite capable of acquiring new subordinates without resorting to such things. He’s with me of his own free will, thank you very much.”

“Hmph.”

“Speaking of my subordinates, how many of them survived the battle? Tell me where they are, already.”

Gohvis exhaled a deep breath and began trudging through the snow, heading in the direction of the nearest mountain slope. “I will take you to them.”

Jercash just stood there and watched him for a second before following. “Y-you’re not... you’re not actually going to walk, right? At this snail's pace?”

“...I’m thinking about it.”

“Wow. How is it that so many people have come to look at you as their new lord and savior? Do you think they’d have a change of heart if they learned that the real you is just a giant baby?”

“Do you think your followers would have a change of heart if they learned that the real you is just more lucky than smart?”

“That’s not an insult. I’m incredibly smart, and yet I’m even more lucky than that! Where's the downside, huh?”

“I should’ve let them kill you.”

“...A big, fat, dragon baby.”

“Shut up.”

Page 3446

“You’re the worst friend I’ve ever had, y’know that?” said Jercash.

“I highly doubt that,” said Gohvis.

He was right again, of course, but Jercash wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. He took a deep breath as he began to reassess their situation. “Alright, well, what are your plans moving forward? Do you intend to be more involved in this war now? Or is this it for you?”

“The tide has already shifted against us,” said Gohvis. “I don’t see much point in prolonging this conflict. We should pull all of our forces back and focus on recouping our losses.”

That didn’t exactly answer his questions, but Jercash was also not surprised by the Monster’s opinion here. “You were never in favor of this war in the first place.”

“Nor were you.”

“True. But I’m also a very sore loser.”

“You’ll be much worse than sore if you pursue this much further. Neither Morgunov nor Dozer will come to our aid.”

Jercash actually perked up at that. “Oh? ‘Our,’ you say? So you’ll actually be sticking with me, then?”

“That depends. Will my staying incentivize you to do something stupid?”

Jercash barked a sudden laugh. Gohvis may have been playing coy, but he could tell that the dragon man had no intention of abandoning him here.

Finally, some good news after so much bad.

Jercash took a moment to regain his composure. “Well,” he said, “what if I told you that I didn’t plan on winning, any longer.”

“Mm?”

“What if I just wanted to go and give the Vanguard one last kick in the testicles before calling it quits?”

Gohvis fell quiet for a time. “...Have you actually formulated a new plan of action, already? Or are you just saying that to amuse me?”

He laughed again, more faintly this time. “Oh, I’ve got something alright.” More than just one thing, in truth, though he wasn’t yet decided on which he wanted to go for.

“Elaborate.”

Ah. He’d have to choose right away, it seemed.

Hmm.

Well, which one would Gohvis appreciate the most?

Oho. When he thought of it like that, the answer was abruptly obvious.

“When was the last time you met Lozaro?”

The Monster paused for a rare look of genuine surprise. “You have Lozaro?”

“That’s right.”

“For how long?”

He snickered. “The whole time. He came to me for protection straight away.”

Page 3445

Because who all was near the top, these days? Just him, Gohvis, and Vanderberk.

Which reminded him.

“Do you know Vanderberk’s current status?”

“Dead,” said Gohvis.

Well, fuck. “How?”

“The Hawk got to him.”

Graves, huh? Damn that bastard.

Truthfully, a part of Jercash had been expecting this. It was only a few years ago that the Hawk had been hunting the Weasel down--and not being very subtle about it, either. Jercash had to go to great lengths in order to protect Vanderberk, which eventually deterred Graves. Or seemed to.

With the death of Gunther and Dunhouser earlier in the year, Jercash’s plan had been to keep Vanderberk close to him while he taught him a few things. But with Morgunov starting this war out of nowhere, Jercash had been forced to let Vanderberk go off on his own.

He’d told the stubborn son of a bitch to head for one of the Melmoorian fronts, but did he listen? Of course not. He wasn’t afraid of Graves. The idiot never got it through his thick head that Jercash had been protecting him during their previous encounters with the Hawk.

Agh.

So much effort wasted.

Not that this was the first time.

“I have a feeling that you will see Vanderberk again, however,” said Gohvis. “So if you do, do not be fooled.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Already, it appears that the Hawk is pretending not to have killed him. He even tried to convince me that he would just capture him, instead.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he intends to make use of his corpse in some way. As some manner of puppet, perhaps.”

Double fuck. “That’s some of the worst news I’ve heard in a long time. Are you sure about that?”

“Moderately. It is an educated guess. You do know that Graves is an illusionist, yes?”

“No. I did not know that. I would’ve warned Vanderberk about that ahead of time, if I did.”

“Ah. Mm." A beat passed. "Too bad.”

Jercash shook his head and sighed. “Gohvis... while I’m grateful for all this sudden assistance, I also can’t help noticing that it’s just a bit late. Is there a particular reason why you’re only telling me all of this now?”

“Yes.”

And when the Monster offered no further elaboration, Jercash deduced the rest on his own. “But you’re not going to tell me what it is.”

“Yes.”