Page 3267

A few at the table were staring at him with wide-eyes, Hector noticed.

'You're covered in blood,' said Garovel privately.

Ah. That made more sense.

This new armor had certainly done its job better than Hector ever could have hoped for, but even so, if he hadn't been undead, he likely would've ended up no more than canned meat by the time that fight had concluded.

But he could worry about that later.

Hector held up the iron box holding the captured reaper. "This is Grigozo. He was the reaper to Banda Toro, whose empty husk is over there." He motioned toward the much larger box behind him. "Grigozo has surrendered and offered to tell us all he knows of Abolish or anything else. I was thinking of letting Hahl Saqqaf take the first crack at him, while I get some rest."

Raheem perked up on the other side of the table. "A generous offer, Lord. Thank you."

Something tickled the back of Hector's mind, though. A thought or feeling that he couldn't quite recall but that still prompted him to say something more. "He is still my prisoner, however. I will be upset if I find out later that he has been mistreated. Is that clear?"

Raheem settled back down a little, then looked toward Abbas.

"It is," said the Sunsmith, his expression unreadable beneath his armor.

"I'm sure Grigozo is still exhausted from the fight himself, so if he needs time to rest, then that's fine. I think we can afford to have some patience, now."

"Very well," said Abbas. "And why have you brought Banda's body back with you?"

"In case someone wanted to study it," said Hector. "Your hahl is free to take first crack at that, too. In fact, now may be your best chance while most of the Rainlords are away."

"Hmm." Abbas took a step toward Banda. "This fellow was like Bloodeye, yes?"

"Yeah. I figured that might interest you."

"Interest may be a strong word. But if nothing else, I suppose I should take a look at his remains so that we might be better prepared to fight more of their ilk."

Hector looked toward Raheem again. "Would you mind taking Grigozo off my hands?"

"Not at all, Lord." Raheem stood and came over to do exactly so. "Where am I to take him?"

"The West Hall in the Star Tower should be fine. You can introduce him to Ericoros, if you want, but have some other reapers present, please."

The man returned a firm nod. "As you say, Lord." And he was off.

Page 3266

Raheem Saqqaf was Abbas' eldest son. His square jawline might've at first given the impression that he was a stern, no-nonsense type of man, but Hector had come to know that he was actually quite tender-hearted, which perhaps explained the softness in his eyes--and why he was the first one to approach and ask after Hector's well-being.

Hector was still struggling to learn all the other names. Abbas had so many sons and grandsons that it was hard to keep track. He was glad they were all here, though, because it meant that Warrenhold had ample protection while he'd been away.

When he finally met up with Abbas himself, the man of course had questions for him, but Hector just wanted to know that everyone was safe, first.

"They are, indeed," said the Sunsmith as they arrived in the East Hall, the largest chamber in the Entry Tower. The man was in his own armor, which was quite a bit bulkier than Hector's, making it more of a task to navigate these narrow staircases. He made do, though. "All have been accounted for. And it would seem you have already taken care of the battle for us. I feel a bit silly now for worrying so much."

Hector exhaled a heavy breath. "I'd say you were worried just the right amount. That fight was no picnic."

"Ah... in that case, I apologize for not arriving more swiftly." Abbas had been in turns eyeing the boxed-up husk and also Hector himself. "New armor? When and where did you come by this?"

"That's, uh... I'm not entirely sure how to answer that, actually..." Hector took a seat at a large table, and everyone else began following suit, save Abbas. He heard his poor chair groan under his sudden weight, then he decided he might be better off standing, after all.

Which apparently made everyone uncertain about whether they should sit or stand back up to, too.

Aw, shit. Uh. "Er, no, please sit, everyone." The awkwardness permeated the room, but they listened.

Hector removed his helmet. He had a little trouble getting it off at first, but it came free. He didn't want to just dematerialize it, in the hopefully off-chance that he wouldn't be able to rematerialize it again. He planned to have Abbas examine it later, but first things needed to come first. He looked toward Badat Saqqaf, the youngest of Abbas' great grandsons--or, probably the youngest, Hector thought. "Would you mind running to the Tower of Night and telling everyone it's safe to come out?"

The fully-robed boy gave a furious nod and bolted off, disappearing down the staircase on the far side of the room.

Page 3265

Hector had to wonder if that was really true. Sure would've been nice if it was, but his natural pessimism made it all but impossible to believe it. And while he didn't know much about Bloodeye, the guy didn't seem like the type to let things go. "You really think he'll give up just like that? I was under the impression that he wants the Sunsmith's head really badly."

'Oh, he does,' said Grigozo. 'You are certainly not mistaken about that. But even with the victory at Uego, the situation in Sair is still tenuous. If that country slips away from Abolish's grasp, much of the blame will fall upon him. A loss here, to you, will not likely affect his reputation much, but a loss there would be devastating.'

Hmm. When he put it like that, Hector was abruptly tempted to march over there and start raising hell. If most of the Rainlords weren't still in Vantalay, then he would've been more than just tempted.

The conversation didn't last much longer from there, as Grigozo's tone began to quickly sound more haggard and less focused. Perhaps the reaper was just faking it in order to persuade them to let him rest, but judging by Grigozo's visibly trembling form, Hector doubted it. He didn't have trouble believing that the exhaustion was simply catching up to the reaper now that the question of his immediate survival had been answered.

And so, they headed back to Warrenhold.

Banda Toro's ashen husk was not left behind, either. Maybe it wasn't appropriate to take his body with them, but leaving him there in the middle of an open field seemed pretty weird, too. Whether or not they would grant him a proper burial was also a lingering question in Hector's mind, but at the very least, he figured that some of their people might want to study his remains in order to learn more about this mysterious "Chaos form," as Grigozo called it.

He expected Garovel to finally give him a piece of his mind on the way back, but the reaper merely remained quiet the whole time. Granted, it wasn't actually that far, so maybe Garovel was just waiting until they had more time and privacy.

But there was quite a bit to do before they would have that, it seemed.

Because Hahl Saqqaf had arrived in force while he was away. A couple of Abbas' sons met up with them before they even landed and began asking about the situation, as well as everyone's condition. Hector could sense Pauline lingering nearby, too.

Page 3264

There was a certain degree of reluctance in Garovel's voice, and Hector couldn't exactly blame him. It was hard to cut Abolish any sort of slack. Maybe this was more than Grigozo deserved.

"Well, you can relax a little," said Hector. "We accept your surrender."

Garovel hovered up behind Hector's shoulder. 'Hello there, Grigozo. My name is Garovel, reaper to Lord Darksteel here.'

Hector could feel Garovel trying to find an opening in his armor, presumably to invoke the regeneration and numbing vigor, but the reaper was apparently having difficulty. Which was a bit strange. But after a couple moments, Hector just dematerialized his right pauldron.

Oh god, that felt better. And he could see clearly again, too. With his actual eyeballs. He'd almost forgotten that was even possible.

And to his mild surprise, Grigozo's blurry, blobby form didn't become much crisper like everything else in sight did. Perhaps it was the after effects of pan-rozum. Or maybe from releasing Banda's soul? Hector had never seen a reaper do that before, now that he was thinking about it.

In his foremost thought process, however, Hector had to confirm something with Garovel. 'Banda's soul isn't there anymore, right?'

'Yeah, it's gone. Ugh.'

Banda's leftover husk was now much clearer as well, and Hector could understand the reaper's disgust. The smoking, distorted corpse was even more grotesque than he expected it to be. The skin was already an ashen gray and beginning to flake off.

'Y-you...' Grigozo's form shuddered visibly, though Hector wasn't sure why. 'You were not even using pan-rozum during that fight?'

Oh.

Uh.

Hmm.

Garovel chose to skip past that question, which was probably the right thing to do. 'You're not looking so good. I think we'll let you get some rest before we continue with the questioning. Unless, of course, there is something particularly pressing that you feel we should know right away. Such as another imminent attack, perhaps? Being forthright with that information would go a long way with us.'

'I... ah...' Apparently, Grigozo needed a few more moments to answer. 'I... could be mistaken, of course, as Bloodeye's mind is at times even a mystery to Bloodeye himself, I think. But with that being said, I believe that Bloodeye will not risk another attack on you any time soon. Truthfully, he should not have even bothered with this first attempt in sending Banda. When we do not report back, he will likely realize that this continued pursuit is not worth the resource expenditure.'

Page 3263

"Do you know Lozaro's current whereabouts?" said Hector.

'Yes,' said Grigozo. 'Or at least, I know where he is most likely to be found. If you are to seek him out, however, then I would advise you to be exceptionally cautious in your approach. He is a man that has been on the run for many years from not only the Vanguard but also the Mad Demon himself. Lozaro is a man paranoid beyond measure. Any sign that something is amiss, and he will flee--and be quite difficult to pursue, I suspect.'

"So?" said Roman. "Where is this guy, then?"

'If you accept my surrender, and give me your word that you will not kill me, then I will happily tell you.'

"Uh-huh..." Roman gave Hector another look. He seemed like he had plenty of questions for Hector, too, but now obviously wasn't the time for them.

Hector still wanted to wait for Garovel's input before formally accepting, but... he was already feeling quite certain that he wasn't going to kill a defenseless, surrendering reaper. That just seemed flatly too cruel.

He decided to ask one more thing first, though.

"If I were to ransom you to someone, would you rather they were with the Vanguard or Abolish?"

At that, Grigozo seemed to finally struggle with finding his words.

Hector just waited, though.

'That... seems a loaded question to me.'

"Why?"

'You ask me to choose between certain death and a life of torment.'

"You really think the Vanguard would kill you when you have so much valuable information you could share with them?"

'Yes. If I were lucky, they would milk me for all I was worth and then put me to the sword. If I were unlucky, then I would be given over to one of the many malevolent idiots that infest their ranks, and they would simply skip to the end. Either way, it is not something I would choose.'

'Hector,' arrived Garovel's private voice.

Ah. Hector searched for the reaper's presence and found it, though it was still fairly far away. 'Garovel, I think I'm just going to accept his surrender.'

There came a pause. No doubt, Garovel was not pleased with being left out of the fight again and wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but the reaper stayed on topic. 'You sure about that?'

'Yeah. We can keep him prisoner, can't we?'

'We can. What's his name, though?'

'Grigozo.'

'...Alright, that's fine for now.'

Page 3262

'No,' said Grigozo. 'I will make no such excuses for my involvement. Though I was an unwilling participant for many years, it would be both naive and disrespectful to claim total innocence. In fact, if I were so innocent, then it would not be mercy on your part to spare me. It would simply be the right thing to do. Mercy, I feel, is a thing that can only be rightly granted to someone who has transgressed, as I have. So please, have mercy upon me, Lord Darksteel.'

Roman gave an audible sniff. "When the fighting stops, all of a sudden you're a philosopher, huh?"

'I would not refuse such a flattering label,' said Grigozo. 'Though, the truth may in fact be that I am simply attempting to continue talking in the hope that my death will be prolonged even just one second more. I cannot claim to be in the most cogent of mind states, currently. Perhaps I am being foolish, but I cannot seem to stop talking. Is there anything you would ask of me? I assure you that I will be entirely honest, if only to increase my odds of survival by the barest margin.'

Holy shit.

'Please, anything you wish to know is fair game. Hold nothing back. Regarding me? Banda? Abolish? I will speak of whatever you wish. Nothing is off limits.'

Well, more info on Abolish certainly wouldn't hurt, Hector supposed. One thing in particular came to mind, actually. "What can you tell me of Lozaro?"

'Ah. You know of him already. Yes, that is indeed a wicked man if ever there was one. I have met him several times, though our most recent encounters have been far more memorable--and not for pleasant reasons. Are you perhaps curious about the monstrous Chaos form that Banda took during the fight? I could tell you quite a bit about that, too, if you are interested. Though, admittedly, it is still rather mysterious to me in many ways, as well. Perhaps I should not overpromise. Ah--'

Grigozo sounded strangely calm and articulate, despite how much he seemed to be floundering. The reaper's fear was still apparent, but Hector found it curious, nonetheless. He wondered what this reaper was like when he wasn't scared shitless.

'Lozaro, yes? You were asking about Lozaro. Indeed, I can tell you about him. But is there anything in particular that you would like to know? I, ah, seem to be having trouble summoning any specific piece of information to mind on my own, at the moment. If you would be so kind as to point me toward a point of interest, then I am sure I could--'

He was just going to keep going until someone butted in, wasn't he?

Page 3261

There was, however, someone else already present. Hector only just now noticed the figure descending slowly from the sky over yonder. And even though he couldn't yet make out who it was with his eyes--which admittedly weren't working so well, at the moment--he could still tell who it was. Kind of.

He supposed it was aura again, but he'd never actually sensed Roman's aura before. Not like this, at least.

It felt more like an educated guess than actual knowledge. That warmth. That concern. That curiosity. Not to mention, the ability to fly? Yeah, that seemed like Roman. Hector waved him closer, since he seemed hesitant.

And indeed, Roman's approach sped up, and the man landed softly at his side. "H-Hector? You... ah..." His gaze went toward the reaper, and he said nothing more, perhaps not wanting to let something slip.

Hector appreciated that, but at this point, he wasn't sure it would've even mattered all that much. "I'm okay," he said tiredly. It was a statement to himself as much as it was to Roman. He just had to hold it together for a little while longer. "This guy says he wants to surrender."

"I, uh... I see."

'Yes. My name is Grigozo, and I am throwing myself upon your mercy. Please, I beg you. Spare my life. I will do you no harm.'

Roman scratched his temple, looking arguably even more uncertain than Hector felt. "Just like that, eh? If the roles were reversed, would you have been merciful to us?"

'If it had been up to me, then yes, I would have. Perhaps you will not believe that, but it is the truth. But I will admit that you would likely not have been spared, regardless of my feelings. My relationship with my servant was... not like the relationships that you enjoy, I suspect.'

Roman gave Hector a sidelong glance. The expression on his face looked at first doubtful, then perhaps just worried about Hector again.

Hmm. Did he really look that bad, right now? Well, he sure felt like it, so it wouldn't be that surprising. Was his neck broken? And maybe his spine, too? Agh, he didn't want to think about it. Better to focus on the conversation.

"Are you telling us that you were just a hapless victim this whole time?" said Hector. "That Banda Toro was the only one who meant us harm?"

Page 3260 -- CCLXXVI.

It wouldn't stop moving, though. Meal was tough. Needed to be softened up more.

Vomit would do it. Flaming acid.

Mrgh. Something wrong. Stomach hurt. More than normal. Where claw go? One missing.

He bit down harder. Wanted crunch. Rrgh. No crunch. Why no crunch? Mouth hurt. Why hurt? Why not numb? No sense making.

Rrgh! Frustrating! Bite and thrash! Meal not stop moving!

Agh! Rrgh... Ooh...?

Spinning. Not right. World stretching. No sky. No ground.

NO! ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS!

Grigozo?

Darkness.


Chapter Two Hundred Seventy-Six: 'The victor's dilemma...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Hector couldn't stop panting. Or sweating. Or questioning how he was still able to move, considering how absolutely awful he felt, right now.

But the fight seemed to be over. Finally.

Fucking finally.

Even now, staring at the gray, smoldering husk of Banda's twisted, dinosaur-like form as he lay there on the ground, Hector was hesitant to believe that this dude was actually, truly dead.

It had happened rather suddenly, after all.

It was nice to be on the ground again, at least. For a brief period of time, Hector had started to feel like he was getting the hang of aerial combat, but he sure hadn't been feeling very good about himself toward the end there.

What an insane mess that had turned into. He was already reliving it and still not really understanding what the fuck went on back there.

Banda Toro just went nuts.

Quite literally, apparently.

'So?' said the amorphous blob of a reaper in front of him. 'Do you... accept my surrender? I've released his soul, as you can see.'

At least one of Hector's thought processes was in a total daze.

The enemy reaper had given up. Just like that. He'd melted out of Banda's body and started shouting at Hector, begging for his life. For mercy.

After all that craziness. Some of the most demented shit Hector had ever witnessed--which was saying a lot, at this point.

And this was how it was ending.

Hector had to think about this one. He didn't want to throw out a dumb answer and then have to go back on his word later after realizing just how dumb it had been.

But at the very least, he could tell that the reaper wasn't lying.

He could sense it. Banda's aura. Or the lack thereof, rather.

Banda Toro was no more. The giant corpse in front of him was empty.

And yet, that wasn't enough. Hector wanted to be more than sure. This aura thing was still new to him. He didn't want to have too much confidence in it. So he'd already called Garovel over.

But it was probably going to take the reaper a while to get here.

Page 3259

He needed distance. Darksteel was following--and not letting up with that attack, either. Banda could feel pieces of his solid self being chipped away, as well as his gaseous self being dispersed under the flurry of iron bullets.

Agh. Distance wasn't going to work, either. Darksteel could keep up with him too easily.

His options were becoming very limited now. He was being pushed harder than he had in a very long time. If he'd had the presence of mind for it, he might've even been pleased. This was the very reason why he'd been so curious to test Darksteel in the first place. He'd wanted to see just how threatening this mystery man really was.

In this moment, however, Banda Toro was not pleased at all. Perhaps that was because of Grigozo's emotions spoiling things. The reaper wanted to flee. To panic, even. Banda could sense it.

The full Chaos form was the answer here. Banda hadn't used it much yet. In this fight, he'd only faintly touched it just before devouring Darksteel. The immediate agony thereafter had pulled him back out of it.

Should he really use it again, though? There wasn't time to debate.

He went for it.

No, he didn't. It was too dangerous now. They could lose control. It wasn't worth--

Yes, he did. Banda forced Grigozo down and assumed full control. He had to. The reaper didn't understand.

And immediately, his body came alight with new fury. Burning. Angry. Screaming.

The damned souls were there again, more violent than ever. And Banda's mind--it slowed, as did the whole world around him. He could hardly think. Hardly form complete ideas.

But he could see.

He could smell.

He could sense it all.

And he was hungry.

Beautifully hungry.

This state of being was its own brand of wonderful. Distinct and glorious. Pure.

Everything was simple.

Hunt. Eat.

This meal was fighting back, though. A series of blades flew at him. Banda avoided most, ignored the rest. The only thing that mattered was reaching his prey. Hunting. Eating.

His huge maw bit down. Found its prey. Crunch.

Rrgh. Not the right crunch. Crunch was supposed to be more satisfying. Supposed to feel bones snapping. Supposed to taste blood gushing out.

Something burned. In his mouth.

He ignored it. Clawed at the meal, instead. It needed to stop wriggling. It needed to give him the satisfying crunch. He thrashed his head, too. That was the best trick. Whip his neck around. Disorient. Break bones.

Page 3258

Finally, he could swing things back in his favor. With the lasers alone, the amount of pressure he could place upon Darksteel would be more than enough to--

Hold on.

Darksteel dodged two, but the last one hit cleanly. And yet it didn't cut a hole through him like a bullet through gelatin. It bounced off him. Splashed off, really, reducing the heat laser to more of a molten ooze that geysered away from him.

Banda needed a second to process what had just happened; and so, too, apparently, did Darksteel. For a moment, they both hovered there in midair, confused and trying to reassess.

Darksteel was the first to start moving again, so even though Banda would've liked more time to think through the logical ramifications of what this meant for the rest of this fight, he didn't get it. He had to react.

Because Darksteel was torpedoing straight toward him again. Unafraid.

There would be no chase this time, it seemed.

Acid and claws were his instinctual answer. If the lasers weren't going to work, then he needed to eat away at that armor until it was weakened enough to break through, which his claws would be able to do.

In theory. He didn't have the luxury of thinking about it more than that.

Darksteel cannonballed straight into him, but Banda was ready with a gaseous evasion. Darksteel passed through harmlessly enough and took a gob of searing acid to the back.

It didn't slow him down. He did a pinpoint turn and rocketed back, this time too close and too fast to react to.

Banda got his bell rung. An armored knee collided with his temple. It was certainly enough to leave him disoriented. He tried in vain to swing with a flurry of transfigured arms and claws. They all whiffed as he lost track of Darksteel for a second or two.

That was too long.

By the time he sensed his opponent again, his wings were being shredded to pieces by that damn cluster-fire technique of Darksteel's. If Banda had noticed a moment later, it would've been his head that got shredded, not his wings.

He surged downward, embracing the sudden freefall and resorting to more of his gaseous form in order to press for even more speed. He didn't technically need his wings in order to fly, after all. Pan-rozum could accomplish it, too, albeit with more difficulty.

Page 3257

Controlling more than one whiff of smoke at a time was a difficult trick, but Banda had plenty of experience doing it, thanks especially to the cloning technique. Learning how to pull that off made this feel much easier by comparison.

Darksteel was still all over him, though. No doubt, the bastard knew that he'd gained the advantage and didn't want to give it up. Banda had four separate clouds of smoke that all wanted to regather, but Darksteel wasn't making that easy. The first and second ones were being shredded and dispersed by iron bullets while the third was being chased down by Darksteel himself.

But the fourth was largely free. With it, Banda could navigate the battle and soak up stray puffs that were otherwise on the verge of vanishing.

It was mayhem. Furious and constant over multiple minutes. Darksteel was trying to box the clouds, while Banda was trying to melt or puncture his way through each interfering bit of iron.

And it quickly became clear that Darksteel himself was a much bigger problem. These clusters of iron being materialized and flung around--Banda could deal with those. But that armored body was different. It shrugged off materialized osmium spikes and acid. It resisted coatings to slow its movement down.

And worst of all, it always seemed to know where to find Banda's core. His mind. That had to be the reason Darksteel was pursuing the third whiff so persistently. The son of a bitch just knew.

Banda managed to outlast the onslaught, though. The fourth whiff finally regathered enough mass to mount a proper counterattack, something that would at least get Darksteel to stop hounding him for a moment.

A mouth formed in the fourth cloud, and from it, a heat laser surged forth. Banda made sure to shoot from Darksteel's blindside, too, aiming for center mass.

As expected, Darksteel was still able to dodge in time, though not without leaving a scorch mark across his breastplate. That was fine. It gave Banda the time he needed.

The third merged with the fourth, and now he had more than enough mass again. His gangly wings sprouted back out as the gaseous form gave way almost fully to the Chaos form again.

He immediately went for more heat lasers. Three at once, shot from three different mouths grown out of his face, shoulder, and chest.

And now, it would be Banda's turn to chase.

Page 3256

He could feel Grigozo's cowardice creeping to the fore, seeping into his reasoning.

Was he actually considering abandoning the fight, right now? Disbanding pan-rozum and letting the reaper flee underground?

No. Absurd.

Darksteel had surprised him, sure, but this fight was far from lost. And besides, splitting up now was not traditionally considered a wise strategic move. There were too many ways for high threat warriors to chase an escaping reaper down and kill or capture them.

In fact, according to Bloodeye, that was precisely how Darksteel had managed to kill the Man of Crows.

Banda wasn't going to let Grigozo make the same mistake.

None of these thoughts were fully articulated in Banda's mind. They were flashing sensations, at best. Instinctual feelings. He didn't have the luxury of time to mull things over as much as he wanted. Confused as he was, he still knew that he had to be decisive and quick in his thinking here.

Especially when he felt the ground and rubble all around him begin to tremble.

Darksteel wasn't going to just let him sit down here and regenerate, it seemed.

The gaseous form was the only solution to Banda's mind. It allowed him to squeeze through the gaps in the rock and escape out into multiple directions at once.

He had to be careful here, though. In this depleted state, he didn't have much smoke to pull from, and he ran the risk of spreading himself too thin--quite literally.

That was the biggest danger when it came to learning and maintaining gas forms with pan-rozum. The gas had to be rigidly controlled with one's mind. It was already trying to spread itself apart and disperse by its own physical properties. If you let the gas thin out too much, then the pan-rozum merge would collapse and exhaust both the reaper and servant simultaneously.

Thankfully, he could add more smoke to himself through the materialization component of pan-rozum, but that also put more strain on the form--and was only a bandage on the problem, besides. The materialized smoke wasn't truly part of him, after all. Regeneration was still preferable.

But that was also an issue. In the gaseous form, regeneration was halted. He needed to get out of it as soon as possible in order to let the healing continue. Which was a risk, too, of course.

He made it aboveground with multiple different whiffs of red smoke. He rushed to reconvene them but sensed another attack coming and had to disperse again.

Page 3255

Darksteel slipped away. Banda could tell that much. He needed to focus on mementori in order to locate him again. Where was he?

Agh, what was this? It was like a fog. He could certainly sense Darksteel's aura, but it was unclear. Messy.

Concealed? Hiding itself? Those were the only things he could discern of its nature, right now. It didn't want him to know it. It wanted him uncertain.

And again, Banda barely sensed the next attack coming before it was too late. A full body tackle, it still clipped him in the shoulder and sent him spinning lower. He struggled to regain his bearings. Mementori wasn't as helpful as it was supposed to be. He turned to Grigozo's ability to sense souls, instead, but that was just as bad, if not even worse.

Frustrating. Fine. He'd have to rely on smell. His snout elongated as he demanded it of his Chaos form. With this, at least--

Darksteel slammed into his back with full force. Banda rocketed forward against his will, and he tried to look back, only to notice a shadow above him, instead.

An iron meteor was there. Too enormous for Banda to even process in the split second that he had to stare at it blotting out his view of the sky.

It fell upon him.

On impact, he lost all awareness. All ability to think or reason. It didn't hurt. There was no pain. Instead, it was like he blinked out of existence for a few moments and touched oblivion.

The meteor crashed to earth with all the power of a bomb. From his vantage point, Banda had no concept of how big it might have been, but he could certainly feel his body being shredded to pieces. And by the time he regained full awareness again, he could only see pitch blackness around him.

He'd been drilled so deep into the ground that he could hardly tell which direction was up, anymore. A mountain of rubble lay on top of him, pinning him down, all but telling him to give up. To simply stay down here. To admit defeat, even.

His body, however, was still regenerating. It may have been torn to pieces, but apparently, enough of it was still intact for him to remain conscious.

He decided to take his time.

After that last attack, Banda felt like he needed to reevaluate some things. Maybe everything, actually.

What in the fuck was happening here?

Page 3254

A cluster of molten iron flew toward him, but Banda was ready for it. He flipped out of the way, swirling up into the air as his wings expanded out and gained strength again. A surge of heat built up in his gut, preparing to spew a white hot laser at Darksteel in retaliation while perhaps devouring more iron chunks with an open mouth, too. He fully expected the iron to keep swarming him as he moved, following him up into the sky like machine gun fire.

Instead, he saw too late that Darksteel had chosen to close the gap and was now right in his face. The armored man crashed into him, elbow deep into Banda's scaly stomach, sending him shooting back down to the ground, bouncing and skidding across the dirt again.

The heat laser choked and died in his throat, burning and dribbling out of the sides of his mouth as Banda struggled to find his breath again.

What had just happened? Darksteel had changed tactics on him. He wanted to get up close and personal now? What, he wasn't afraid of being eaten again? Agh, why would he be? Damn him.

Banda didn't need long to rebound. He flung himself back up into the air and activated mementori again. That was a risk, as always, but he was in control again. He could suppress the damned souls. And he needed the extra sensory advantage, right now.

His body burned, but he didn't lose focus. Where was Darksteel? Where had he gone? He had to be--

Above. Banda sensed him at the last moment and narrowly avoided another pummeling. He lashed out with hand-sized claws, and the blow landed cleanly.

But it stopped. Bits of armor seemed to fly off, but the claws didn't pierce, didn't cut. What the--?

Darksteel went for the gut again, this time with a materialized blade. It didn't break through his scales, strangely enough, but the spot was still a bit sore, so it didn't exactly feel like acupuncture, either.

Banda resorted to his gaseous form. Darksteel wanted to fight up close? That was fine. He'd smother him with acidic red mist and burn him out of that little armored shell until the metal was all that remained.

Rage fueled him. Made his attacks hit harder. His acid more potent. His smoke more oppressive.

Until an explosion burst through his concentration, as if hitting him directly in his mind. The smoke faltered and lagged while he battled his own disorientation.

Page 3253

What came forth first was a dark hand. A gauntlet. Then the arm. It bent down and gripped Banda's shoulder, as if needing the leverage to pull the rest of Darksteel free.

Banda could only watch as this armored figure emerged. He felt paralyzed in this moment, unable to make his own body listen to him.

It was a slow, horrible process. It was less like vomiting and more like Darksteel was peeling Banda's bloated, distorted form off of him. Removing a skin-tight suit in mid-air.

Halfway through it, Banda could no longer keep up his flight. His pterosaur wings bent out of shape and locked up, making him start to fall gradually, then sink like a stone.

By the time they neared the ground, Darksteel was free again. But Banda was also more in control, more aware of what was happening.

Banda Toro hit the dirt hard enough to leave an explosive crater.

But he wasn't altogether bothered by that.

Flat on his back as he looked up at the armored figure floating above, Banda Toro had regained enough of his senses that he was now primarily just... annoyed.

Extremely annoyed, as a matter of fact.

This Darksteel was proving to be a real son of a bitch. Sure, Banda had not possessed this Chaos form for very long, but never before had someone he'd devoured been able to climb their way back out of his brew.

What kind of power did a man have to possess in order to be capable of resisting digestion? Was this guy just that much of a stubborn bastard?

For a time, Banda just lay there, looking up at Darksteel. That armor had looked a little different at first--darker and shinier--but now it looked the same as before, if a bit bulkier.

Curious.

Either way, the fight was about to be back on. That much was obvious. Banda was prepared from the moment he hit the dirt, but he decided to wait. If Darksteel had anything to say to him, Banda intended to hear him out. And if Darksteel just attacked instead, that was fine, too.

At length, though, Banda's curiosity began to get the better of him. "How was it inside my stomach?!" he shouted up at him.

Darksteel didn't answer, the rude bastard.

Banda growled, which turned into a snarl as he transformed again. He hoped that pursuer showed up soon so that he could kill both of them at the same time.

Need more time again

Yeah, I'll have the next page up at noon PST. Not happy with it yet. LOOK, IT'S NOT MY FAULT. EVEN THOUGH I'M THE ONLY ONE WHOSE FAULT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE, IT'S STILL SOMEHOW NOT MY FAULT, OKAY? Anyway, thanks for your patience.

Page 3252

Banda could only care so much about that, though. He had to get back to the encampment. To Bloodeye and their reinforcements. It was the only hope for a reprieve, right now, and even that was questionable.

Problem was, they were quite far. In Callum. He would have to fly all the way across Lorent in order to get there. They did have a couple of smaller encampments in Lorent, too, but those were only harboring one or two servants each. Not enough to provide him a proper place to rest, especially when being pursued.

Worse still, he feared deeply that a visit to Lozaro would be required, which would be a much longer trek all the way over to another continent. But if this pain didn't alleviate once he and Grigozo separated, then that would be the only course of action left. The more time passed, the more tempted he was to simply separate right away and let the chips fall where they may.

He just. Had to. Hold on.

His face was caked with sweat, even as the wind howled past him and tried to dry it out, even as he shifted between his solid and gaseous forms in order to reset the moisture. It simply wouldn't go away, goddammit. He wanted so badly to resolve it with mind over matter. Years upon years of meditative training and experience--it all felt so worthless, right now.

And then it hit him.

A shooting pain in his gut that made him stop flying and double over in the air, clutching his abdomen as he writhed in agony.

This was too much. Far worse than before. He could feel it in his head now. In his mind. His soul, even.

He used his anger again. Tried to force it back down. Suppress it violently.

But it didn't help. It wouldn't listen to him. It wouldn't be ignored.

The Chaos form activated against his will.

The most dreaded scenario to his mind. The loss of control over his own body. He could feel the damned souls clawing against his flesh now, tearing at him from the inside, demanding to be let free.

Then it was his stomach again. No longer painful. Suddenly, there was relief from that. But not from something else.

Something there.

It didn't hurt, anymore, but he could feel the physicality of it now. Forcing open his stomach, his throat, and then his mouth.

Page 3251 -- CCLXXV.

"Well, in any case, I don't know if there's much you can do help me just yet," said Hector. "I'm gonna try to force myself back through Banda's stomach, first. If that doesn't work, then maybe I'll take you up on your offer."

'How do you intend to "force" yourself back?'

Hector took a deep breath as he began to regather his focus on his materialization. Being able to breathe again might improve his concentration now, he hoped. "I guess I'll figure that out, right now."

'There is more I would tell you. Specifically, regarding how to get into contact with me again after you return.'

"Keep talking while I work, then."

And the world of iron began to tremble once more.


Chapter Two Hundred Seventy-Five: 'O, boiling Brew...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Banda Toro felt like absolute shit. His stomach had never ached so badly before.

And it made no kind of sense. None whatsoever.

In the middle of pan-rozum like this, he should have been unable to feel pain. The numbing factor provided by his reaper should have been built into his very being.

Yet this pain was undeniable. It was struggle enough just to maintain pan-rozum through it, to maintain his presence of mind. If not for Grigozo's help, they would have separated by now. The Chaos form was certainly unsustainable in this state. The threat posed by the damned souls within him would prove too great.

Hell, even now, he could still feel them. Perhaps that was the true source of this pain. In fact, perhaps that was the only explanation. The pain could not be physical in nature, surely. It had to be metaphysical. Imaginary.

But how, then, to escape it?

That was what Grigozo was thinking. Somehow, the reaper's mind was able to remain largely clear, even while Banda's own mind burned with agony.

This had to be Darksteel's doing. It defied explanation, but it had to be. The pain erupted almost instantly upon devouring that bastard. That was obviously no coincidence, but then did that mean Darksteel was struggling to get out? Still fighting from within the brew?

Impossible. Utterly impossible.

He wanted to use mementori again in order to perhaps discern something new, but he didn't dare risk it in this state. The Chaos form was too volatile now. And there was a pursuer. That much, Grigozo could still sense. Someone was giving chase.

Next page will go up at noon PST

Just a little heads up. Thanks for your patience, guys.

Page 3250

'I understand. In that case, let us discuss how you might return more quickly. Tell me more of your encounter with Banda Toro. What were his abilities like? And please be specific.'

"Alright, uh. So he could transform into one of those flying dinosaurs. Like a pteradactyl or pteranodon, maybe. Oh, and his body could shift and stretch into a more T-rex-like head, too. And he could swallow attacks whole, just gulp down huge chunks of molten metal without much difficulty. In fact, uh... with the benefit of hindsight, I'd say that a lot of his power revolved around his ability to eat things."

'Yes, that makes sense. What else?'

"Ah... well, I also fought Bloodeye not too long ago, and I saw him pull a live cruise missile out of his mouth. And it was definitely soul-strengthened."

'A live missile...'

"He used it in the fight. It was stupidly powerful. I don't recall Banda doing anything quite that crazy, but I've got a feeling that he could have, if he'd wanted to. Their abilities seemed identical, though I assume Bloodeye is stronger overall."

'Perhaps that ability requires significant preparation. You said that you thought Banda was on a scouting mission, no? That a fight was not supposed to break out?'

"Yeah."

'It could have been the case, then, that he did not fully prepare himself for said fight. Meaning he would be even more dangerous if he did.'

Not the most comforting thought in the world, to be sure. "Do you think if he swallowed something else, I'd be able to see it arrive here?" Ignoring the fact that he was currently blind, of course.

'Not likely. And if you did somehow see something, it would have been reduced to its base elements, unlike you.'

Hector didn't want get off topic again, but he just had to ask something else now. "Is this, uh, realm or whatever--is it shared between everyone? Or is this like my own personal realm where only my element resides?"

'That is something I have been trying to discover for quite a while now. Testing the material in these realms for some unique, identifiable feature has proven incredibly difficult. I still have a few ideas left for experimentation, but I've not been able to find the time, as of late. It seems there is always a more pressing matter or idea that steals my attention.'

Dang.

Page 3249

Hector had to think. What a fucking conundrum he was facing, all of sudden.

On the one hand, the Vanguard getting involved could prove quite problematic where the Rainlords were concerned. Warrenhold was supposed to be a safe place, away from the Vanguard's influence.

But on the other hand, if Bloodeye and his men stormed into Atreya, it wouldn't just be Hector and Warrenhold at risk. The entire populace could very easily become subject to the same horrific reality that was already happening to Sair.

Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of helpless civilians being slaughtered at Abolish's whim. Hunted down in the street. Homes invaded, looted, and burned.

Ugh. When he thought about it like that, it seemed like no choice at all. Hector couldn't gamble with the lives of so many, just because he was afraid of a complicated situation once the dust settled. There was too much at stake here. Maybe if he hadn't already gotten his ass handed to him by Banda Toro, he would be thinking differently right now, but there was no way he could simply ignore this.

"If you're offering help, then I won't refuse it," said Hector. "But from the sound of it, I shouldn't hold my breath."

'Sadly, yes, that is the case,' said Xander. 'We are already being stretched beyond our limit. I do not know if anyone will be able to help you, but I will ask.' And there was a pause. 'Actually, if you would like to plead your case yourself, then I could bring you to me so that you may do so.'

Hector might've blinked if his eyes weren't already shut. "Didn't you say that you didn't want to bring me to you? That it would be too big of a risk?"

'Yes. But if you wish it, I am willing to take that gamble for the sake of saving your country. Either way, an enormous risk is being taken. If given a choice, I would rather choose the one that banks on you being the honorable friend that you currently appear to be.'

Wow. Hector had to admit that he was flattered. Xander didn't seem like the kind of the guy to say a thing like that without genuinely meaning it. But he still couldn't say yes here. "Thank you, but I can't spend that kind of time away from home, right now. I need to get back as soon as possible. I feel like I've already wasted too much time in this place, as it is."

Page 3248

"Maybe I'm just pessimistic by nature. I hope you're right, though." And before he missed the conversational opening, Hector wanted to make sure he pounced on the next subject. "You mentioned Vantalay, too. You really think Steccat will step in over there?"

'I think it's quite possible, yes. But then again, Vantalay is dealing with a lot, right now. I believe that corner of the war is the most volatile, at the moment. Anything could happen.'

Hmm. Hector wished he could ask something more specific, but this was also extremely sensitive territory for him. There was absolutely no way that he could allow his ties to the Rainlords to be revealed. No matter how much the Magician was growing on him, that would be a bridge too far.

So he left it at that.

And Xander was the one to pose the next question. 'How is it that you ended up fighting Banda Toro, by the way?'

Ah. Hector had been wondering if that was going to come up. While his connection to the Rainlords couldn't be revealed, perhaps it would be okay to reveal his one to the Sandlords. Even Atreyan royalty had ties to them, so it wasn't like there was no precedent for it, either.

But Hector was still hesitant. This wasn't just his secret to share, he felt. If only he could've consulted Abbas, right now.

"At this point, it's hard to know exactly what they were thinking," said Hector. "They are Abolish, after all. But as far as I was able to tell, they were on some sort of scouting mission, and a fight probably wasn't supposed to break out. But it did, anyway."

'I see. Why would they be scouting Atreya, of all places?'

Hector had a pretty strong guess, obviously, so he didn't want to lie and say that he had no idea. He decided to just keep his mouth shut.

'Strange. Do you think you can handle Bloodeye's men once you get back there?'

That was the million troa question, now wasn't it? Hector honestly didn't know. A part of him wanted to feign confidence, but he just couldn't bring that out of himself at the moment, especially after everything he'd already admitted earlier. "I'm not sure..."

'Do you want the Vanguard's assistance?'

Oh shit. Uhhh. "Er... can you even spare the men?"

'No, quite frankly. Nor can I make any promises. But if your need is dire, then I can at least attempt to send someone to your aid.'

Page 3247

"You think that extremism is a necessary evil in the world?" said Hector.

'Necessary? Maybe not. But I think on the grand scale, its influence isn't always a bad thing.'

Hmm. Hector hadn't thought about it like that before. But it at least made sense that a leading member of the Vanguard would view it that way, he thought. Xander probably had lots of comrades-in-arms who were much more extreme in their views than he. If he couldn't tolerate their opinions, then he likely would've left the Vanguard a long time ago.

He wondered what Harper Norez might say on this particular subject.

They'd gotten quite sidetracked, though. "Alright, well... why do you want me to tell Abolish that the war is going terribly for you?"

'Because by all appearances, it is. If that can make them overconfident, then we would be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity.'

"So you've got a plan, then."

'Everyone has plans, don't they?'

He supposed that was true. But this guy was being evasive again. In the end, Hector didn't really expect Xander to share anything of real substance with him regarding the war. He decided to keep trying a little more, though. "Do you think Intar will join the fighting?"

'As a matter of fact, I do.'

Whoa. That was surprisingly candid--and also a totally contrary opinion to what he'd heard previously. "Really? Why?"

'Unless the war ends abruptly and soon, then Intar's entry is inevitable, I think. In all likelihood, the pressure in Sair will grow too great to ignore.'

"But Intar is politically deadlocked and very anti-war culturally, at the moment."

'Every modern country is anti-war culturally,' said Xander. 'Aside, perhaps, from those led by Abolish, but even in those places, a strong argument could be made that they--the civilians, at least--are more anti-war than anywhere else in the world. They just can't say so publicly. Living under military dictatorships can have that effect on you.

'No, Intar's hand will be forced, sooner or later. Steccat, too, if the Vantalayan warfront doesn't improve. I am not saying that things will be smooth sailing or that they won't get significantly worse before they begin to get better, but in the long run, this is a losing war for Abolish. It is plain to see even from the most uninformed perspective that the actions taken by the aggressing nations are unjust.'

Wow. That was definitely one way of looking at things. "...You're very optimistic."

Xander laughed mildly again. 'That is what polite people say when they do not wish to call me naive.'

Next page will go up six hours later than usual

Just want a little more time with it. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 3246

"Are you saying that you'd like the practice of ransoming to make a comeback?" said Hector.

'I do not know. Maybe. The problem is that so many of our enemies desire genocide. On a moral level, I feel it is difficult to justify a ransom when the captive in question might very well go on to kill thousands more civilians in the future. But that type of thinking, too, leads down a dangerous path of escalation and extremism.'

"You seem surprisingly moderate," said Hector. "For such a high-ranking member of the Vanguard, I would've expected you to be... firmer in your convictions."

'Is that disappointment I hear in your tone?'

"Not in the least. If anything, it's a relief to know that you're thinking deeply about these things instead of just assuming you're always justified in everything that you do."

'I feel as though you may be alluding to one or more of my peers.'

Was he? Well, maybe he was. That hadn't been his intention, but now that he was thinking about it, he'd heard quite a bit about the extremist side of the Vanguard from Garovel and many of the reapers within the Rainlords. Hell, some of those reapers probably could've been considered fairly extremist themselves, still.

He didn't dare bring up the Rainlords, though. "I worry about extremism within the Vanguard. You're supposed to be paragons of virtue that the whole world can look to and admire. I understand that's a big responsibility for you--and a tough balance to maintain--but when you stop trying to live up to that ideal, we all suffer for it. Everyone."

Okay, this didn't feel quite right. And yet, it also did. It felt exactly right, somehow. Half of these words seemed like they shouldn't have even been coming out of his mouth, but in his heart, they didn't feel wrong at all.

It was confusing--but also not.

'I agree with you in principle,' said Xander, 'but if I may take the counter position for the sake of argument, then I feel that even extremism has its place. At times, extremism is the only thing that can move the cultural needle in any direction. The passion that it summons out of people, the calls to action--these are things that moderates like us struggle to achieve. For better or for worse, it is not moderates who enact change in the world. But we are the ones who end up trying to find a new equilibrium once the extremists have finally settled down or been dealt with.'

Page 3245

Damn. Hector had been hoping for more than that. But then again, perhaps this was informative in itself. If Ravi really was a decent guy, then his deeds probably wouldn't be recorded, would they? Especially by the Vanguard, who weren't looking to write down praise for good behavior on Abolish's side.

'Ah, here's something,' said Xander. 'It would appear that Zaman has a history of collecting ransoms.'

Or maybe not. "Say what?"

'After a battle at Demarkis, he ransomed five Vanguardian reapers that had been captured. After another at Ninoway, he ransomed three. At Carmino, he ransomed six. At Larudo, he ransomed ten. And a few more, elsewhere.'

Huh. Ransoms, eh? Of enemy reapers? Hector couldn't really see that as such a terrible thing to do when it came to war, especially when the alternative was to just kill them. Obviously, it would be different if he'd been kidnapping and ransoming random civilians.

It did make him curious, though. He needed to be careful how he phrased his next question, lest it come across as something that only someone very young and inexperienced would ask. "How often has Abolish been ransoming your reapers in recent years?"

'Not often at all, as it so happens.'

"The practice goes through periods of flux, doesn't it?" That was more of an educated guess than a knowledgeable comment, but Hector tried to sound like he knew what he was talking about.

'Indeed. It is generally a good metric by which to measure the overall ruthlessness of the current regime.'

Which was to say that Morgunov and Dozer--or at least their subordinates--were currently quite ruthless, by historical standards. Not that Hector was terribly surprised by that, but it did put things into a slightly different perspective.

"I suppose that speaks well of Ravi's character, then. If only a little."

'Yes. Only a little, as you say. Because perhaps his greed simply outweighs his bloodlust.'

"In the old days, that wouldn't be considered greedy at all," said Hector. "That was just how warriors made their wealth." Where had that come from?

'Hmph. I'm not sure if that change in sentiment has been for the better or worse. On the one hand, it can prolong conflicts by letting the enemy rebuild their strength, but on the other, a good ransom will help you rebuild your own depleted forces more quickly. And despite how rare the practice has become, the conflict between the Vanguard and Abolish doesn't seem to be having any trouble prolonging itself.'

Page 3244

'Care to comment on that?' said Xander. 'Or rebuke these claims?'

Hector didn't see much point in lying, especially because a different strategy came to mind. "Actually, I'd like to ask you about Ravi Zaman. Do you have a file on him, too?"

'Mm, perhaps.'

"As far as I've been able to tell, Ravi seems like a pretty decent guy, but because of his ties to Abolish, I've been reluctant to place much trust in him. If you could tell me about his past or... anything, really, then that would be a huge help."

'I am at least aware that this Freeman Fellowship is supposedly more peaceful than the rest of Abolish,' said Xander.

"So I've heard," said Hector. "I'm not sure whether I buy that or not, though. It could just be a tactic to gain favor and then ultimately backstab people."

'Indeed. Abolish has been known to do precisely that on many occasions throughout history. I would be exceptionally cautious around such a man, were I you.'

"I mean, he's also an important diplomatic figure in Lorent. Being mean to him for no reason would only cause problems, in my opinion. Which is something that Carl Rondel, your Vanguardian liaison in Lorent, doesn't seem to agree on. That guy's a real piece of work, by the way."

Xander was quiet again, perhaps looking for the requested file.

Hmm. Maybe this was the real reason the Magician had been so intermittently quiet during this conversation. Instead of thinking super carefully about his responses, maybe he'd just been hunting down reports or whatever.

Hector had to wonder where the hell this guy actually was. If he had access to physical reports, then did that mean Xander was still in the real world? But what sense would that make? Didn't he say that there was some kind of massive time differential?

Hector wanted to ask about that, but he wanted answers about Ravi more, if he could get them. That man had been an enigma for long enough in Hector's mind.

At length, Xander spoke up again. 'Ravi Zaman of Palei. Let's see here... It seems he has been active within Abolish for at least twenty years. He participated in the Korgum-Dozer war, the Vaelish Civil War, and minor skirmishes in Ardora and Qenghis.'

"A bit vague," said Hector. "Has he done any specifically terrible things? Any crimes against humanity?"

'If he has, they are not listed here.'

Page 3243

As Hector mulled over his next words, he realized that he didn't actually want to hold this information back from Xander. In the off chance that the Vanguard didn't already know it, then they would certainly need to. It would've been a real dick move on his part to keep this to himself.

"Morgunov is using nanoscopic machines that can sabotage a servant's ability to regenerate," said Hector. "And probably more."

Still, Xander persisted in silence.

Hector decided to just keep waiting, though. He'd said what was needed. There was no point in psyching himself out now.

Eventually, the Magician did speak up again. '...Where did you come by this information?'

"I can't tell you that."

'You sure? I already have a pretty solid guess, I think.'

Hector didn't want to read too much into that. "Guessing is fine. But just as you said before, I can make no comment on that."

'I see,' was all Xander said.

Hector still didn't know if Xander had known about the nanobots already, and Xander probably intended to keep it that way. But considering how privileged the information might be, there was a chance that Xander was still impressed that Hector even had access to it in the first place. Which could bode well for this conversation going forward.

Hopefully. Hector was trying to be optimistic, for a change.

Eh, maybe it didn't suit him.

"So?" said Hector. "What's your opinion on the war?"

The Magician again took his time before answering. '...It is a disaster on nearly all fronts,' he said. 'And if you happen to speak with any members of Abolish on the matter, I would have you tell them precisely that, as well.'

Hector's head reared back a little as he processed that. "Excuse me?"

'Hector Goffe of Atreya,' said Xander. 'I have found your file. It's a bit light, considering the means by which I've come to meet you.'

Aw, shit. This was all about to bite him on the ass, wasn't it?

'You've encountered hostile Abolish forces multiple times, it would seem. I believe you are not lying when you say that you are fighting them now.'

Well, that was good, at least.

'But you are also on friendly terms with the Abolisher known as Ravi Zaman of the Freeman Fellowship.'

Uh-oh. Hector could hazard a guess as to how that intel had ended up in his file. Goddammit, Carl.

Page 3242

Xander gave him a mild laugh at that. 'The war is a difficult subject, as I'm sure you know. To speak details of it with you would be... an entirely different level of risk, I think.'

"Operational security," said Hector. "I get it. But I also think we're on the same side here. And... well. There might be a thing or two that I could tell you about, if you're willing to do the same for me."

'An exchange of intel, hmm? What is it that you think I do not already know about?'

A number of things, probably. Considering all the information that he'd been gathering from the deployed teams of Rainlords around the world, there was a decent chance that Hector had a fair few bargaining chips at his disposal, right now. The trick was figuring out which ones they were.

"Well, I can't just reveal my cards straight away. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to know about?"

'No, no. That is not how this works. I'm afraid I must insist that you go first. I will provide no hints.'

Dang.

There were certain things that Hector was determined not to talk about, no matter what. Sparrows, the Rainlords, the Candle, the Shards, Rasalased, and probably also the Sandlords.

The only reason he was at all considering that last one was because they were still technically allied with the Vanguard. But he very much doubted that Abbas would want him revealing anything of his kin to Xander here, considering everything Hector had heard Abbas say about them.

He supposed he'd already given the barest hint that he knew about the existence of Sparrows, but he also hadn't actually confirmed anything yet, either. And they didn't seem relevant to the war, anyway. And hell, Xander almost certainly knew more about them than he did, so there was no bargaining power there to begin with.

He could, however, think of one thing that might be worthy. There was a good chance that Xander already knew about it, though. "I assume you've heard about Morgunov's robotic nightmares by now, yeah?"

'Indeed. That is far from a secret.'

"I've heard that Jackson was severely wounded at Uego."

'I can make no comment on that.'

"Didn't think you would," said Hector. "But has the cause of his wounds been determined yet?"

'That is a leading question, and I still cannot comment.'

Oh shit. "Ah, sorry. What I mean to say is, if he is wounded and having trouble regenerating, then I know the cause."

Xander made no response. Perhaps he was waiting for more.

Page 3241

'Still, you stay silent,' said Xander. 'Perhaps that is wise. I ask to be told a secret that may not be yours to tell, after all. I ask because I have a feeling that it may be a point of commonality and building trust between us.'

"...You say they need secrecy, and yet you're the one bringing them up."

'Yes. I am taking a bit of a risk on you, Hector. Know that I would not do this if we were meeting elsewhere and if I did not have very strong reason to believe you when you claim to be anti-Abolish. Those two factors together create a compelling case for allyship between us, in my opinion.'

Hmm. Maybe this guy knew more about him than he'd thus far let on. Again, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he'd heard about that mess in Lorent, already.

The Magician of Light did seem like an incredibly good friend to have, at least in theory. Plus, there was the fact that the guy had knowledge of and experience with Fusion Forges.

But Hector didn't want to be too eager here, either. "Didn't you ask me if I was a member of Abolish? And then say that it would be okay if I was? Now you're saying my anti-Abolish stance is super important."

'I did say that. And it would indeed have been okay. I would not have attacked you, just as I promised. But I would also not have considered you a potential ally, either. Any bridge made between the Vanguard and Abolish can only be so wide, if you take my meaning.'

Hector supposed he could understand that. "Alright, then let me ask you something else."

'Go ahead.'

If the two of them were to be taking risks now, then this next question would certainly qualify. "How is the war going, from your perspective?"

And again, Xander fell silent.

Hector didn't balk, though. He just let it linger, wanting to give the man ample time to think about his answer.

'...You ask much of me with that question.'

"Maybe so," said Hector. "But you seem like an honest guy with a good view of things. I want your opinion."

'A "good view," you say. How am I to interpret that, I wonder? A morally agreeable view? Or merely a view from an elevated position?'

"Mm, maybe a little bit of both?"

Page 3240

Xander ignored him. 'There are also your own abilities to take into consideration. When you were initially eaten, for example, your body should have been broken down into its base elements, but that clearly did not happen, as you are still a whole, sentient being. Could you explain to me why that is the case?'

He almost just shrugged and said no. But he actually had a guess. And he supposed he couldn't put off asking about this, anymore. "...Do you know anything about aura?"

Xander took his time responding. '...I do, indeed. And that would explain some things.'

It would? Hector would've liked to hear that, but he felt like he was already treading on sensitive ground with this subject. If he made it obvious that he was still quite ignorant about aura, then maybe Xander would be less inclined to speak about it. For operational security or whatever. The Vanguard was like that, wasn't it? Especially because Sparrows and auras were closely related topics.

Maybe he should just come right out and say that he knows about Sparrows, too. Hector was virtually certain that the Magician of Light would know about them. Whether the man would actually share anything was another matter.

He decided against bringing them up. He didn't want to start fielding questions about why he knew about them. That would begin to feel like a betrayal of Pauline and Hanton's expectations.

'Are you familiar with wrobels?'

Welp.

Hector had to take a moment to process that question. It threw a rather large wrench into the turning gears of his mind.

It seemed like Xander didn't even need him to admit it, however. 'The fact that you are not immediately asking me what I am talking about is answer enough, I think.'

Fuck. Hector thought about trying to just outright lie his way through this, but considering how straightforward Xander had been with him thus far, that seemed wrong. And there was the fact that he couldn't think of a lie that sounded in any way believable.

So he elected to say nothing.

'Your silence is both understandable and admirable. They are magnificent creatures in need of protection and secrecy. I have been entirely truthful with you, so I hope you will believe me when I say that I am a friend to all wrobels. Even the surly, unlikable ones.'

Hmm. The guy said earlier that he wasn't good at being persuasive, but here and now, Hector was quite tempted to take him at his word.

Page 3239

'Another method, though more tedious and difficult, would be for you to locate a point of geographic resonance within your current realm and open a portal yourself. Do you know how to do that?'

Say what? "Uh... no, I don't. But I have heard that term before. A point of geographic resonance?"

'That's right.' But Xander did not elaborate. Perhaps he was trying not to share too much sensitive information again.

Whatever the case, it was not very helpful.

Hector thought of an important question, though. "Would that allow me to get back to my home quickly? Or would it just poop me out at some other random point of geographic resonance in the normal world?"

'It would not be random. Well. Maybe a little. Or a lot, depending on how good your control is, I suppose.'

His control of what, exactly? Aura? It kinda felt like Xander was dancing around that word now, and Hector didn't know if he should say it first. "I'd rather not risk that, if possible. I need to get back home and protect it from Bloodeye's men."

'Are you sure that rushing back into the fight is wise?'

"Maybe not, but I can't just back down now. There are a lot of civilians there."

'You said that Banda Toro was the one who ate you, yes? What's to stop him from simply doing it again?'

Hector had to bob his head a little. "Good question. Hopefully, I nail down an answer before it comes to that." He had a rather strong feeling that this new armor would help, but he didn't see much point in bringing that up now.

'I admire your resolve, at least.'

"I was thinking that, y'know, since Banda was my ticket here, then he might also be my ticket back?" It wasn't exactly a question, but he asked it like one.

'Ticket back, you say? In what manner?'

"I mean, er... you might think this sounds stupid, but I was wondering if I could, like... make Banda puke me back out. Since he ate me, right?"

Xander fell silent.

Hector got the hint. "...You do think that sounds stupid, don't you?"

'Stupidity and unconventional thinking are often mistaken for one another. Without knowing more about how the abilities of these so-called "dinosaur men" function, I can only speculate about the possibilities.'

Hector smacked his lips. "You're not actually saying no, I'm noticing..."

Page 3238

Wow. Hector scratched his head absently, having forgotten about the armor in the way. "Uh... I'd tell you more if I could. All I heard was a name, and it was in reference to something that took place, I think, a century ago. So... not exactly current."

'I see. That is unfortunate but not terribly surprising. And this was in Lorent, you said?'

"...That's right." Egh. Had he just made a huge mistake in sharing that detail?

'Could you direct me toward where you heard it, exactly? Or show me, perhaps?'

Oh shit. "Well, it was... um..." Agh, how to word this? "Okay, I said it was a long story, right? But I guess if we skip to the end, then, uh... I heard the name from the mouth of a... weird, inhuman, monster-thing."

Xander took a pause at that. 'Ah... the same aforementioned monstrosity?'

"Yeah..."

'It could speak, huh?'

"Yeah. Though, half or more of the things it said didn't make much sense."

'I can imagine. Was there anything else that it said regarding Lozaro, specifically?'

He had to think back. "I don't think so. Just that Lozaro summoned it into the world." There were also the horrific experiments that he'd borne personal witness to in that vision he'd seen with Pauline, but Hector wasn't sure if that whole mess was worth going into, right now. Plus, he didn't even know how to begin explaining that shit.

'Unfortunate. And this creature is now dead, I assume?' said Xander.

"Yeah."

'You slew it yourself?'

"I... did, yeah."

'That sounds like quite the heroic effort.'

Hector didn't know what to say to that.

'In any case, thank you for the information,' said Xander. 'If you ever happen upon more regarding Lozaro, I would be most keen to learn it from you as soon as possible.'

Whoa. "Uh. How would I get in contact with you again?"

There arrived another pause. 'There are various ways. Before we get into that, however, perhaps we should discuss getting you back into the real world, hmm? Or do you already know your way back?'

"I wouldn't say no to your help."

'An interestingly vague answer.'

"Heh, you would know."

'Aha, yes, I would. I suppose you have options, then. The easiest method, as far as I am able to tell, is to bring you straight to me. But frankly, I hardly know you, and that would be an enormous extension of trust on my part, which I'm not altogether comfortable with.'

"Uh, okay..."

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'Oh, come now. You don't know that for sure. Maybe I'm a different Xander. It's a common enough name, I should think.'

"That was one of the least convincing things I've ever heard," said Hector.

Xander gave a mild laugh. 'Yes, well, I suppose I have never been known for my ability to persuade or deceive. Hence why I prefer to either be quite direct or simply say nothing at all.'

Hector could certainly respect that mentality.

'You are not a Vanguardian yourself, are you?' said Xander.

"No."

'And yet you recently fought one of Abolish's deadliest warriors.'

"Banda Toro." Hector felt like he could be a bit more forthcoming, now. "You know of him? He's one of Bloodeye's men."

'Ah, indeed. Then this is confirmation of the rumors I have been hearing. Lozaro has made a significant breakthrough in his research. That is most unwelcome news.'

Hector had to pause at that bit of intel. "Lozaro? I've heard that name before, too."

'Oh? That is surprising. He's typically quite the stealthy operator. I presume you did not hear that name in the most pleasant of contexts, no?'

"Definitely not. I mean, uh... I guess I could be mistaken, but... I'm pretty sure he brought a... monstrosity into the world that terrorized Lorent and devoured dozens of innocent people."

'Yes, that sounds like him, alright. Never one to let the risk of enormous collateral damage or devastation to the general populace get in the way of his sick curiosity.'

A part of Hector expected Xander to glean more from what he'd just referenced. The Beast of Lorent had been an infamous enough problem that it wouldn't be surprising if some of the top Vanguardians had heard of it.

If he knew anything, however, he was deciding to keep it to himself, for now. 'How, exactly, did you hear the name Lozaro? That man has been a menace upon the world for more years than I care to remember, but very few have ever managed to learn of him.'

"Ah... that's a long story. And I'm not sure how to explain it, quite frankly."

'That is fine, but please, I would be grateful for any clues you could share with me regarding Lozaro's current whereabouts.'

The apparent earnestness of the man's request caught Hector a little off guard. "Are you hunting him down yourself?"

'I would leave this very moment, if I knew where to go.'