Next page on the 26th

Sorry, guys. Need some time. Thanks for reading, though, as always.

Page 4099

Hmm. Hector allowed a beat to pass before asking his next question. "If you really don't remember Roman, then why is it you, of all people, who is showing up here now?"

The little captain paused. "Okay, I do remember him. I was just curious to see how he'd react."

"I hate this kid," said Roman.

"But also," Erickson went on with a light laugh, "Atreya has been a very quiet little country until recently. We don't have any personnel around here who've had dealings with you folks. Except me, apparently, even though I barely qualify."

Roman gave an audible sniff. "And perhaps you guys are also a bit leery about the fact that you kinda-sorta refused to help us?"

Bartholomew made no response.

Roman kept going. "Sure, Harper came to our aid, being the great guy that he is, but that was only after Kohzek turned us down. If Harper didn't have his own special status within the Vanguard, then I get the feeling that he wouldn't have been allowed to help us, either."

Hector knew a bit about that. Apparently, Harper Norez's rank of lieutenant general was somewhat symbolic in nature. While the man didn't have to take orders from anyone below the rank of general, he also didn't carry any actual authority of his own.

And so Bartholomew's rank of regional captain didn't necessarily mean he was less "powerful" than Harper. In fact, if the kid's influence within the Vanguard was taken into account, he might well be more powerful.

This was certainly no low-ranking officer who'd been sent to talk to them.

With all of that in mind, however, Hector did not want to add to the negative tone that Roman was setting up for them. "Whatever the case may be," he chose to say, "we're still thankful to the Vanguard for Mr. Norez's help. How is he, by the way? Do you know?"

"Making waves in Melmoore, last I heard. But he tends to travel quite a bit. That intel is outdated by now, I'm sure."

"As long as he's safe," said Hector. "The war has had me worried about him."

A brief silence arrived as Bartholmew seemed to be eyeing Hector up.

And Hector used the opportunity to do the same. The kid's aura was something else. Difficult to read. It was frankly unlike anything Hector had encountered before, which made him wonder in a background thought process if the childish body might be playing a role there, too.

Page 4098

It was a child, Hector saw--or at least, it was someone with the appearance of one. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen such a young-looking servant, but it was obvious from that question and from the way he carried himself that this was someone of considerable experience.

Or just a lot of confidence.

Hector knew a thing or two about keeping up appearances like that.

Before Hector could respond, however, Roman stepped up first. "Is that the young Captain Erickson I spy?"

The boy looked at Roman, but there was no light of recognition in his eyes, doubtless because of the iron plate armor in the way.

Roman threw a look toward Hector, who felt a bit reluctant but still obliged the unspoken request and dematerialized it for him.

For a few beats, the kid just stood there, staring at Roman. "...Sorry, I still don't know who you are."

"Oh, come on. I was with the Queen of Atreya when you met with her. Harper Norez was there. We were asking you for assistance. Or, rather, we were asking your reaper, I suppose."

The young captain put a hand to his chin and squinted. "...Are you sure that was you?"

Roman's hands flailed a bit with exasperation. "The nerve of this kid. Yes, it was me! Your reaper's name is Kohzek, isn't it?"

That skeptical expression didn't change, but after a moment, he did say, "Alright, I guess you must be telling the truth."

Roman looked back toward Hector for support. "Even after saying that, he obviously still doesn't remember me, does he?"

Hector took the cue to step forward, too. "I mean, you do make a hobby out of being as forgettable as possible, don't you?"

"Hey, man, that's different. Whose side are you on here?"

"A prescient question," said the Vanguardian boy.

Now that Roman had identified the kid for him, Hector knew a bit about who he was dealing with here. He'd heard the tales from Roman and Lynn about their adventures in trying to secure assistance in retaking Atreya from the Abolish saboteurs.

This was Bartholomew Erickson, a regional captain of the Vanguard.

Which, given the incredible size of Intar, seemed like quite the coincidental encounter. Too coincidental, in fact, making it highly suspect that Bartholomew would truly not remember Roman. Was the kid just messing with him, Hector wondered?

"You know who I am?" asked Hector.

"The Lord Darksteel of Atreya," said Bartholomew.

Next page tomorrow

Thanks for reading, everybody.

Page 4097

Clearly, this guy had been able to respond to stimuli, even if it was only for a moment. So he wasn't completely unreachable, at least.

Or he was still just faking, and Selena's move had caught him off guard.

Hector was particularly wary of that.

As he kept mulling it over, Voreese apparently arrived at her own conclusion and turned to Selena again. 'Alright, kiss him on the lips.'

He stepped in and eased Selena back toward the others.

'Oh, come on. You guys are seriously underestimating the power of a little female attention. I mean, look at her! She's cute as a button, isn't she? I'm just helping her harness her latent abilities. You understand, don't you, Selena?'

"Would you shut up already?" said Roman.

'Fuck you. I'm trying to use a scalpel here, so you fellas better not whip out a sledgehammer and call that the superior solution. There are a lot of innocent bystanders around, you know.'

That part, at least, Hector could agree with. "Relax," he told Voreese. "We don't need intel that bad. There are other places we can try."

'Hmph.'

Before resorting to that, though, Hector had to wonder if he could wake this guy up somehow. Assuming the dude wasn't simply faking, then shouldn't it have been theoretically possible to extend his own aura around this fellow and protect him from manipulation like the others in his party.

Unless... his aura wasn't actually what was protecting them? Hector was fairly sure it was, but didn't actually know that for certain, of course. Moreover, he wasn't sure how to manipulate his own aura in such a way, either. He'd kinda done stuff like that before, but... hmm. It wasn't like he was consciously protecting Roman and everyone else, at the moment.

So maybe it was a subconscious thing? They were all part of the 'group,' so his aura was just shielding them automatically.

Did he just have to start thinking of this stranger as part of the group, too, then? Somehow, that felt wrong. And maybe kinda dumb. Especially when he didn't know the first thing about this person.

A new aura arrived at the periphery of Hector's senses, pulling his attention away from his internal debate. Someone was right outside the building. Someone that hadn't been there a few seconds ago.

He reached out with the Scarf for more information, but the door swung open before it could tell him anything, throwing the air currents into disarray.

"Would you mind leaving that man alone, please?" came a very youthful voice.

Next page on the 20th

Thanks for your patience, guys.

Page 4096

That look on her face was even more confusing, Hector thought. And what was that aura saying? He'd never seen the like before.

Which wasn't saying much, he supposed in the back of his mind. He was still very new to this whole aura reading business, after all.

Selena still elected not to say anything, though, and simply turned back to the stranger seated in front of her. But she didn't do exactly as Voreese had asked, either. She got close to the man, but she didn't actually touch him.

Instead, she gave a quick wave of her hand, right next to the guy's face. Close enough, in fact, that from Hector's perspective behind her, he might've thought she touched him, if not for the Scarf of Amordiin informing him of the precise distance between her and the stranger.

As well as the disturbance in the air currents around her. She'd used her materialization power over oxygen, Hector realized.

A gentle wind swirled around the stranger, tousling his hair and clothes a bit but otherwise doing nothing else.

And it had certainly given the man a start. Hector easily sensed it, both in the fellow's aura and in the subtle flinch of his body. There was a flash of surprise and fear there, but then it was gone, replaced again by the previous sense of blankness that the guy's aura had.

Hmm.

'That's not what I told you to do, girlie.'

"My name is Selena, thank you very much."

'Oho. While I can respect the sudden spine you're demonstrating, you shouldn't go revealing your name so carelessly like that. Never know who might be listening.'

"It's my name. I'll reveal it whenever I please."

Voreese snickered. 'Alright, now that might be a little TOO much spine.'

Selena pointed at Roman. "Also, he already revealed your name aloud, so where's his lecture?"

'Y'know, you make an excellent point,' said Voreese as she rounded her own servant. 'Why you gotta be such a dumbass, huh? What happened to operational security? You're supposed to be better than this.'

"I can only apologize," said Roman. "I must've been unconsciously hoping that it would help someone track you down and free me from this living hell."

Voreese ignored him and moved on to Hector. 'So? Any of that prove helpful?'

Weirdly enough, it had. But Hector wasn't sure he should say so and reinforce the reaper's behavior.

Page 4095

From everything he'd seen so far, the mass manipulation didn't seem like it would be all that strong, since it was obviously spread so thin. Plus, Hector didn't feel any pressure on his own thought processes, nor did he notice any odd behavior from the others in his party here.

So... maybe this guy here... was just pretending to be manipulated like everyone else? Trying to fly under the radar?

Which would be very suspicious, if so.

Like something that an undercover agent of Abolish might be trying to do, for example.

But that was only one possibility, of course. The guy could just be unrelated to this whole mess and wanting to avoid getting involved. Not to mention, it was unlikely that someone from Abolish would've infiltrated Andeyal so deeply like this. This was supposed to be the heart of Vanguardian territory, wasn't it?

Then again, Hector hadn't technically encountered any Vanguardians yet, himself. They were probably watching him, but he didn't actually know that for sure.

"...Sir, I promise you that I mean no harm," he tried. "I'd just like some answers, and then I'll be on my way."

Silence.

'...Are you sure this guy can hear you?' asked Voreese.

"No," said Hector. "It's just... a hunch."

For some reason, that made her snicker. 'I gotcha.' Then she turned to Selena Cortes who was standing toward the back of their troupe. 'Hey, girlie, c'mere a sec.'

Now Hector was curious. He watched Selena walk forward, still clad in the armor that he'd made for her, of course.

'Take off your helmet,' said Voreese. 'The gauntlets, too.' Then she turned to Hector. 'In fact, just remove the whole thing for her.'

Hector did no such thing. "...Why?"

'Oh, c'mon, just trust me.'

That was not good enough, but when Hector looked at Selena, he found her already doing as she'd been asked. "You don't have to listen to her," he said.

'Yes, she does.'

"It's okay," said Selena, smiling. "Whatever it is, I wanna help."

Hector frowned inside his helmet, still not dematerializing the armor for her.

'Good girl,' said Voreese. 'Now, go touch the stinky bum.'

Roman stepped in now. "Oh my goddess, Voreese. Stop."

'Don't be such a white-knighting pussy. Relax.'

Selena hadn't even hesitated and was already about to do it.

Hector felt compelled to intervene and put a hand on her shoulder. "Y-you really don't have to do that..."

Rather than answering him, however, Selena just eyed his hand, which made him retract it.

Next page on the 16th

Thanks for reading, everybody.

Page 4094

The task proved more difficult than anticipated, however. Even with all this noise they were making, Hector didn't see any onlookers turning their way. And the aura was casting a wide enough net that it felt like it could belong to almost anyone in here.

But maybe if he concentrated a bit more...

Focused on what the Scarf was telling him, too...

Maybe...

Ah.

He sensed head movement while his back was turned.

A man by the far door. Sitting on a bench with people on either side of him.

That would've been much more difficult to notice if everyone else wasn't being so freakishly motionless.

Hell, even their breathing all seemed to be in sync, he realized. Wow, that was creepy.

But yeah, that guy was different. Not only had his head moved, but his breathing was off pace with the others, too.

Hector decided to approach.

The expression in the man's eyes was similar to everyone else's. And his clothes seemed about the same, as well. Layered. Full of holes. Could probably do with a good washing. And there was a pair of bags at his feet, seemingly belonging to him.

Long, frayed brown hair covered his head like an old mop, and a bushy beard hid his mouth completely.

All things considered, he reminded Hector of Leo before the guy had cleaned himself up. Minus the dreadlocks. And the stench.

"Pardon me, sir," said Hector. "We've just arrived in town, and we're... uh, quite confused about all the strange things going on around here. Would you be able to tell us about what's been happening in Andeyal, lately?"

The man made no response and just kept gazing blankly off to the side.

After a while longer of silence, Hector began to wonder if he was mistaken. Maybe this guy was just as influenced as everyone else. He decided to try another time, though. "Please. Anything you could tell us would be helpful."

Still, there was nothing.

Hmm.

Hector supposed that a powerful aura didn't necessarily mean that the guy would be completely immune to psychic manipulation. In fact, that might've been the main reason why psychics in general were so scary: because even very strong servants could be like putty in their hands. And it was possible that he was only slightly resistant to it, compared to the others.

But still. Hector's eyes narrowed inside his helmet as he decided that he wasn't ready to leave this dude alone just yet.

Page 4093

While the Basilica was both the most enticing place to go, Hector felt like it was also the most dangerous--or if not that, then at least the most predictable.

It was a strange feeling. Like he needed to rebel against the attempts at manipulation from unseen observers. Psychics who were silently watching him, trying to influence him in countless subtle ways.

Probably paranoia, he figured. But a little extra caution never hurt, either.

The chosen destination turned out to be a building called the Charities of the Warm Night.

Hector stopped in front of its apparent front entrance for a moment, unsure of what that name actually meant. It seemed to be open to the public, considering its welcome sign that denoted 24-hour service.

When they entered, Hector's uncertainty was soon dispelled.

There were plenty of people around, and they were all being very quiet and orderly, often looking quite similar to the vacant-eyed crowds that he'd witnessed earlier. But their attire and belongings made their circumstances apparent. Ragged and rough, worn in many layers. Plastic bags filled with seemingly random paraphernalia.

All-in-all, it didn't look too different from the shelters in Gray Rock. Hector had made a habit of visiting them on occasion, though it had of course gotten increasingly difficult as his notoriety continued to grow. Disguises had become a necessity, but even that tactic didn't always work.

That was why he'd been resorting to sending other people in his stead, recently. Thankfully, there were still plenty of Rainlords in Warrenhold who were willing to help.

The intention had been to not just provide aid to the shelters but to also foster a network of streetwise informants who could keep him in the loop about things going on all over Gray Rock. It hadn't proved especially helpful as of yet, but that was fine, of course. Garovel had meant for it to be a long-term project from the beginning.

Here and now, these clanking suits of armor were obviously not helping them blend in at all, and yet the people here still weren't paying them any attention.

In fact, if anything, the added spectacle was helpful, because Hector was more interested in finding someone who actually could notice them. Someone without that listless expression on their face.

Judging from the powerful aura that he was sensing within this place, there was bound to be someone like that here. Probably.

Page 4092

Garovel gave an echoing snort. 'Y'know, maybe you could share some of these freaky new powers with yours truly, hmm?'

'Wha?'

'I mean, I share my powers with you all the time, don't I? It'd only be fair, right?'

'And how exactly would I do that for you?'

'I dunno. But I also don't know how you do half the other shit you do, so. Is it really such a crazy thing to ask? Maybe it's just a matter of applying yourself.'

'Uh-huh...'

'Hector, what I'm saying is, it's actually YOUR fault that I'm not a godlike powerhouse, wreathed in pure majesty and wonder. So I'd appreciate it if you would stop being so lazy and get on that, please. Thanks in advance.'

'Man, they really weren't kidding when they said that reapers are power hungry, huh?'

'Yeah, well, what's the use in hiding it, anymore? Might as well just let it fly and see how the chips fall, eh?'

He could still tell from the reaper's aura that he was mostly kidding.

'Mostly' being the keyword.

Hector didn't mind, though. In fact, that kernel of truth in there might've been making it even funnier to him, somehow, and he couldn't help snickering under his breath.

'Oh, good, you could tell I was joking, still. I was a little worried that bit went too far, and you'd start to think I'm a genuine lunatic.'

'I mean, you ARE a genuine lunatic, though.'

'Okay, yeah. But. Like. In a good way, right?'

'Of course.' Hector allowed a beat to pass. 'But I know a small part of you wasn't joking.'

'Alright, relax, pal. My ego can only handle so many beatings in a single conversation.'

That pulled another laugh out of him, this time loud enough to draw attention from the others in their group.

Naturally, Voreese was not too shy to address it. 'Somethin' funny?'

"Just Garovel being Garovel."

'Ah. Well, I hate to be the party pooper, but now's not exactly a good time to be getting distracted, y'know?'

She wasn't wrong to be concerned, Hector knew, but he also wasn't about to try and explain how he still had two entire thought processes that were fully on task.

Instead, he just pointed and started walking. "This way," he said.

Of all the auras he could sense, there were several that stuck out to him. The Basilica was clearly housing multiple of them, but he wanted to investigate the others first, if only a little bit.

Page 4091

And worse still, if Abbas couldn't even tell how incredible the Amir-22 already was, then what did that mean? Was he just that out of touch? Too deep into his work? Or did he simply have much crazier plans already in mind that would make this pale in comparison?

Hector was fairly confident that it was the latter. He didn't want to imagine that their trip down memory lane together might have been for naught. Abbas knew the importance of not getting too detached. He had to.

All of these thoughts were stewing around in background thought processes.

His foremost concern remained on the mission at hand. Finding one of these senators. From the way "Prince David" had described it, Hector had a suspicion that aura would be his best bet in tracking them. Presumably, these important leaders would be in some way more noticeable than the rest.

He tried to reach out with his senses as he steered the group down toward the center of the district, aiming for a spot near the entrance of the big castle that he was honestly still drooling over in the back of his mind, even now.

He could just take them onto the castle grounds directly, but somehow, that felt like a bad idea. Better to approach more carefully.

Already, he could sense a noticeable difference in this district. No one was on the street, but he could sense auras everywhere, inside the buildings.

And as he laid eyes on the big castle walls from this fresh perspective on the ground, he felt compelled to consult his reaper.

'Garovel, do you know what this place is called?' asked Hector.

'Oh, this? Yeah, it's the Basilica of the Heavenly Ending. It's the third largest church in the world. Quite a big deal.'

'Wow.' He was tempted to ask what the other two were, but Garovel kept talking before he could make up his mind.

'I'm surprised you needed me to tell you, now that you're such a know-it-all.'

'I'm sensing a bit of resentment, Garovel.'

'Oh, is your fancy aura-reading telling you that?'

'Actually, it's your tone of voice. Your aura is telling me you're just joking and not upset at all.'

'Okay, well, now THAT is kind of upsetting. How am I supposed to mess with your head when you can just cheat and see right through me like that?'

'I'm sure you'll find a way.'

Next page on the 10th

Sorry, guys. Thanks for reading, though.

Page 4090

Those flying buttresses, though. Wow. The way they flanked the third story, supporting its vaulted formation... God, that looked so cool. Maybe he should try adding some flying buttresses to Warrenhold...

Or perhaps to the castle that was to be built around Cocora's Candle.

That hadn't slipped his mind, of course, even if it was still seeming quite impractical. The problem with it wasn't just funding, he'd come to realize. There was also the need for secrecy--and potentially, the need for a truly exceptional architect. As much as he enjoyed daydreaming about robust fortifications and fanciful heraldry, Hector was not under the impression that he alone could design such a place.

Fusion Forges all but invited sieges. Historically speaking, it was almost a foregone conclusion. A proper designer would be much needed in order to help defend against that inevitibility.

If Abbas started pumping out incredible work after incredible work, that was inevitably going to draw attention. And as Hector had been sifting through the Candle's vast historical knowledge, he was now very aware of how much danger the Forge might one day attract.

And this shield on his back could make that day arrive sooner rather than later, if he wasn't careful. The Amir-22, Abbas had called it. Just another work-in-progress, as far as the Sunsmith was concerned. He'd told Hector that the improvements were "trifles."

But Hector had tested it out during his training. He knew that it was no meager step forward, compared to the Amir-10. And that there was yet more to discover with it, too.

Moreover, he knew something was changing with Abbas himself. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn't even known each other that long, but the guy was clearly different from how he'd been before he'd started using the Candle.

Which shouldn't have been a surprise, Hector supposed. The Candle had obviously had a big impact on himself, so it only made sense that it would be having an effect on Abbas, too, even if it wasn't the same.

Nonetheless, it made Hector concerned. He still remembered Haqq Najir and Sazandara mentioning how difficult and time-consuming the creation of the Amir-9 had been. From the way they'd talked, it had sounded like that prototype shield had taken them months or even years of painstaking effort.

And yet now, Abbas had knocked out twelve new iterations in, what? A couple weeks? Perhaps a bit longer, if he'd been working on it and just not telling Hector about it, but still.

That was genuinely insane. And honestly quite terrifying, the more Hector thought about it.

Next page tomorrow

Sorry, guys. Need a day. Thanks for reading, as always.

Page 4089

It wasn't just the aura that was telling him that, though. Hector certainly noticed the way that Loren's eyes had been locking onto him periodically, like they were trying to look into his very soul.

There was something familiar in that look, Hector felt. Similar to Banda Toro, somehow. And Hector didn't think he would ever be able to forget the way Banda had observed him, even in the middle of their fight.

But it was only similar, of course. Not the same. Loren's aura was totally different. Hector didn't get the impression that Loren was reading his own aura the way that Banda had been doing.

But maybe he was trying to. Maybe he was close to pulling it off, even.

An interesting detail, Hector thought. Something to watch out for. Especially if he intended to have this Loren fellow stick around.

The Cathedral District was even more magnificent than Hector anticipated. Truth be told, when he'd first heard about it, he'd figured that it would be where some of the most ancient and well-preserved architecture in the entire city was to be found, and it had therefore taken a bit of extra willpower to put off going there.

But now that they were here, he was not disappointed in the slightest. And this aerial view made it even better to observe. From up here, it was easier to appreciate not just the buildings themselves but also the layout of the whole district overall. The way the streets were woven together. The way the structures followed a clear concentric pattern.

The entire district was one big circle, with the largest and most grandiose cathedral in the center.

And that thing was a fortress unto itself. Laying eyes on it now, a sense of shame began coming over him as he realized that he did not know the name of it already. How the hell had he missed this place? Sure, this trip had been conducted on rather short notice, but still. He'd looked up so many famous Intarian castles.

Must've been because this wasn't a "proper" castle in the traditional sense. Yeah, it was massive and could obviously serve as one in a pinch, but it did lack a lot of the more obvious defensive design choices that a place like Livingston had. No crenelated turrets, for one thing. No murder holes, for another. Admittedly, that one might've felt a bit inappropriate for a place of supposed peace and worship.

Next page tomorrow

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 4088

'Well, now what?' said Voreese after they'd all regathered.

A part of Hector was still unsatisfied. He wanted to find a second hospital to check, because there was a strong chance that this one had received preferential treatment by the manipulators due to its close proximity to Livingston. Everyone might've just been sent right on over to the castle, assuming there was enough room.

But he supposed he'd already gotten his answer, regardless. An evacuation had clearly been conducted here. That was all he needed to know at the moment; and moreover, there was still the more pressing question of why.

Hector had a responsibility here. Sure, their little group here might've been composed entirely of reapers and undead, but that didn't make them invincible. If some powerful Intarian was going to such lengths in order to evacuate civilians like this, then it was a fair bet that something dangerous was on the way.

Sticking around, therefore, would be playing with fire.

"Let's head over to the Cathedral District," said Hector.

And rather than exiting through the front entrance, they decided to head to the roof so that Hector could carry everyone but Roman up into the sky again. He wanted to get another good view of the city as they moved along, in part because Hector was now curious about what might be going on in the direction opposite of the Cathedral District.

If the manipulators hadn't been lying, then that particular district was probably pretty safe, which meant that the danger was expected to arrive from the other direction. Northwest of Livingston.

Hector asked for Loren's help along the way. He had the guy staring off into the distance like a hawk as they flew. But Loren was being very quiet, so Hector felt the further need to push a bit.

"Anything?" he asked after a while of hovering flight.

"No, sir," said Loren, sounding as calm and collected as could be.

Hmm. Hector had also been trying to pay special attention to this Lighteyes fellow the whole time they'd been here. The guy's aura seemed like it had quite a bit to say, though none of it was terribly clear. Hector was getting the impression that this dude was actually quite conflicted inside, despite how silent and professional he acted.

But one thing about him was obvious. He wasn't secretly hostile. Unless Hector was reading something wrong--which was always a possibility, of course--this man actually seemed to be quite curious about Hector.

Page 4087

The group soon departed for the hospital in question. Indeed, it wasn't very far at all, just as Nadim had said. He wondered if that was because of Livingston. The hospital looked similarly archaic in design compared to most of the buildings around it, so Hector wondered if it had been built to help support Livingston Grand Castle during medieval times.

Or even earlier, perhaps. Hector knew a bit of Livingston's history already. The core of the castle had been built nearly two thousand years ago, during the Golden Era of the Mohssian Empire, so there was a chance that this hospital was similarly ancient.

Hector was mindful of everything the Scarf could tell him as they approached the structure. He was mindful of the rather large cube floating around him, too. The Laughing Ceese that he'd captured inside of it was still there, of course, being quiet as could be, perhaps in the hope that Hector would forget about it, but the closer the group got to meeting normal, regularly-minded people, the more Hector was reminded of the weird creature that he had in his personal orbit.

As Voreese had said, if anyone saw it, they would probably freak out. But then again, given the strange state of the city, perhaps they wouldn't. Hector was beginning to wonder if he would ever meet any 'normal' people in Andeyal at all.

Because the hospital was indeed empty. Even without entering, he could sense from the air currents through the doors and windows that there were no human figures around. Maybe it wasn't even worth going inside to make sure, but they did, anyway. There could've always been people deeper in. There were plenty of rooms with no windows, after all.

It did ultimately end up being fruitless, though. After nearly twenty minutes of splitting up and checking almost every floor, they found not a single soul around. Unfortunately, even the reapers hadn't seemed entirely confident in their senses here, because many of the walls were apparently infused with soul power.

And while it certainly felt like a waste of time, it did at least provide Hector with the evidence that he'd been looking for. There was no sign of a struggle or any damage to the building, so it probably hadn't come under attack, which meant that it had probably been evacuated in a quite orderly manner.

He also noticed that many of the rooms seemed to be even emptier than expected. It wasn't just that the people were gone. There was a lot of equipment missing, too.

Next page on the 2nd

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 4086

All these people on foot. Walking miles, presumably. If this was the work of some "benevolent" psychic who was trying to safely evacuate them or something... then what about the exception cases? What about all the people who couldn't walk? The disabled or incapacitated. Hospitals must've been full of people like that, right? So where were they?

Hmm. If he could locate a hospital, then it might either prove or disprove his theory about who was responsible for all this. If some truly malevolent force was manipulating everyone, then the hospitals would probably be ignored.

Or already attacked, perhaps. Hector didn't want to dwell on that possibility too much.

But on the other hand, if it really was someone who meant well, then they would have been trying to take care of all the vulnerable people, too. So the hospitals would be empty or evacuating.

Either way, it felt like a safe assumption that such places would be more difficult for psychics to manipulate like this, regardless of whether the psychics were good guys or evil pricks. For one thing, the assumption already had supporting evidence in the way that the manipulators were having everyone abandon all these vehicles in the middle of the road. That seemed pretty inefficient, didn't it? Why not just have them drive to the desired location, instead?

Because it was too hard, probably. Hector could practically hear Hanton complaining about it in his imagination. Making everyone walk was bound to be much easier by comparison. The manipulators weren't even making the people turn off the engines before leaving, either. That was a sign of either carelessness or inability, Hector thought.

So that should be their next stop then, he decided. Sure, it wouldn't necessarily prove everything definitively, but it would at least be helpful information moving forward.

Valuable intel about the kind of people he was soon to deal with.

"...Does anyone know where the nearest hospital is?" said Hector, having mostly finished his internal debating. He was already looking for the answer on his phone as well, in the likely event that no one could answer him.

Nadim had him covered, though he did sound a bit uncertain. "I believe there is one only a few streets over," he said, pointing. "But why do you...?"

'I'm down with helping the helpless, too,' said Voreese, 'but we've kinda got a whole thing to deal with here first, don't we?'

"I haven't forgotten," said Hector. "This'll help with that, too."

Voreese looked like she wanted to inquire further, but surprisingly, she elected not to and simply said, 'Alright, lead the way.'

Page 4085

Hector's attention lingered on Roman for a moment. The man had just been joking, of course, as had Voreese, but there was something else there, too. Something in the aura. Hector could sense it.

Now wasn't the time to delve into it, though. Now was the time to focus on the task at hand.

He considered asking Roman if he'd seen anything during his scouting just now, but he decided against it, figuring the man would bring it up on his own, if so.

Instead, Hector concentrated on what the Scarf was telling him about the southwesterly direction, where this Cathedral District was supposed to be. It hadn't escaped his notice that the crowd of walking people were all headed that way, as well.

And now his mind was working through the scenario again. If the Cathedral District was where all these senators were, then that probably also meant that it was one of the safer places to be in the city, right now. So if all these manipulated or 'hypnotized' people were being made to head there, too, then...

Yeah.

This was looking more and more like the work of some Vanguardian psychic. Or an entire team of psychics, probably. This seemed like a bit much for just one person to be managing.

Or if not the Vanguard, then perhaps someone working for the Intarian government directly. Someone that--at least theoretically--was trying to keep all these hapless people safe.

It did seem a little strange that this psychic influence wasn't affecting anyone in his own group, though. Like, not even a little bit? Hector might've expected to at least be able to feel some sort of pressure on one of his thought processes, like he'd felt during that first encounter with Hanton.

Was his aura just protecting them all too well, now? Hmm. But if that were the case, then why weren't any of the Intarian civilians snapping out of it when Hector got close to them?

Maybe it was because he'd never actually tried? He was still learning about how auras worked, after all. Perhaps he had to consciously extend his protective instincts toward someone in order for them to gain that kind of benefit from it.

In which case... this might be a good opportunity to test that out.

Agh. He felt a little bad, though. All these people weren't supposed to be test subjects. But they also weren't supposed to be abandoning their vehicles and walking down the middle of the road, either.

Which brought up other questions to Hector's mind, actually.

Page 4084

"Alright," said Hector. "I'll go see if I can find one of them. Thank you for your help, Your Highness."

<"You are very welcome.">

"In the meantime, um... I'd just like you to know, in case you're feeling worried or scared and just hiding it from me... I want you to know that everything's going to be okay, sir."

<"Heh. I appreciate that.">

"Because if someone is listening in on our conversation right now, then I'm sure they realize that if anything happens to you or Vito... there will be hell to pay."

<"Ah...">

"I'll call you again soon, Your Highness."

<"Very well. I will be anticipating it.">

He hung up.

A brief silence fell over the group as everyone seemed to still be processing everything they'd just heard.

Unsurprisingly, Voreese was the first to speak up. 'So we're just swingin' our dicks around like it's nobody's business, eh?'

Hector wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Roman helped him out. "Uniquely put, as always, Voreese."

'You do realize that you basically just threatened the same mysterious freaks who are probably responsible for this whole fucked up situation out here, don't you?'

Ah. Hector allowed the moment to linger as he eyed everyone again. "...Yeah."

After another beat, Voreese bobbed her skull. 'Cool, just checking.'

Nadim Saqqaf, who'd remained mostly quiet during their whole trip thus far, decided to speak up. "Senators Jacobson, Leoric and Morris," he said. "All prominent members of the Grand National Republic Party. If you are to meet with one of them so soon, then I would advise additional caution, Lord Goffe. Even if the meeting itself goes well and they are entirely amicable towards us, it could still cause problems for you later."

"Oh yeah," said Roman with an air of realization. "The Moons and the Grands. The Moons'll be pissed if you show too much favorability to the Grands--and vice versa. If we end up needing to deal with the Moons at some point, then that could become quite the nuisance."

Shit.

Nadim's armored gaze turned to Roman now. "Astutely put. Do you consider yourself well-versed in Intarian politics, Mr. Fullister?"

"Oh, I don't know about that. I just try to pay attention, is all. I'm more than happy to defer to your counsel, sir. Hector actually selected you for this mission, after all. I'm only here because he's too nice to refuse me."

'Yeah, he's like a rash that Hector can't get rid of.'

"What does that make you, then? The bacteria that causes the rash?"

'The soothing balm that makes the rash tolerable.'

That pulled a laugh out of Roman and left him shaking his head.

Today's page at 6 pm

Want a few more hours with it. Sorry to wait. Thanks, everybody.

Next page on the 26th

Thanks for reading, everybody.

Page 4083

"And what if they're all too busy?" said Hector.

<"I doubt they will be, but if they are, then you can just give me another call, yes? And we can discuss matters from there. That will give me time to look into more leads for you, as well.">

Hector had to admit, whoever was influencing him was playing it off pretty well. Rationalizing every decision nicely. He genuinely couldn't be sure how strong their influence over him was. If any. Perhaps Hector really was just being paranoid here.

But it was hard not to be, now that he knew more about what Sparrows were capable of. Perhaps he should've asked Hanton to let Pauline come along, after all. Her input might've proven helpful, right about now.

"Alright, where can I find these people? I assume they're not all holed up inside Livingston with you, are they?"

<"No. They should all be somewhere in the Cathedral District, I believe. To your southwest.">

Oh? A slip up? Hector exchanged looks with Roman, who was tilting his head.

There was an opening to call it out now. Hector had not yet provided his current location, so there was no way that the prince should have known which direction to specify.

Hector elected not to, though. There was a chance they were being so subtle for their own security reasons and not just because they were trying to trick him, specifically. There was no need to be openly confrontational.

<"...That is, assuming you are already close to Livingston yourself, yes?">

Ah. Nice save.

Hector still elected not to comment, though. "What do these senators look like?"

Another long pause arrived. <"Do you really need me to specify that for you?">

It was Hector's turn to pause. There was definitely some kind of subtext there, but he wasn't sure what it was. Should he ask? They were being purposely vague, so he probably wouldn't get much of an answer, but maybe...

Hmm.

And perhaps he was taking too long to respond, because the prince's voice arrived again. <"I'm sure a man of your ability already has everything he needs to find them.">

Ah...

A test, of sorts? To see if what he'd said earlier about having extra information was actually true. And perhaps to see how much of a potential threat he was, too.

Wow. That was a more blatant acknowledgment of the situation than anything else they'd said so far, Hector felt.

Page 4082

<"Someone else?"> said Prince David. <"And who might that be?">

"The Magician of Light, maybe," said Hector. "But there are plenty of other people, too, I'm sure."

The prince made no response.

Which was itself quite telling, Hector thought. The prince was not one to be often lost for words, he knew. So he decided to push a bit more. "If they are listening, I just want them to know that these games aren't necessary. I'm open to have a direct conversation with them--and maybe even helping them with everything going on around here."

<"...That's quite understanding of you, Lord Goffe. I may not grasp the fullness of the circumstances to which you are alluding, but I can at least say that it sounds rather complicated--and even perilous.">

Hector exchanged glances with Voreese, who was hovering right next to him. Her skeletal face didn't reveal much, and yet he still felt like he knew what she must have been thinking. "Well, a prince of my kingdom is here, right now. If helping them out means keeping him safe, too, then I'm just being reasonable, don't you think?"

<"I'm flattered you value my safety so, but how are you certain that these hypothetical eavesdroppers are well-meaning? You are making a very bold assumption, are you not?">

"Or maybe I have more information than you think I do."

There came another long pause.

This time, though, Hector decided to just wait. He noticed Roman flying over, still in his own iron armor that Hector had made for him like everyone else. Perhaps Voreese had privately asked him to return and listen in with them.

<"I have no doubt that you know many things, Lord Goffe.">

"Thanks. But I'm always open to learning more."

Another pause. <"...It seems you are in need of assistance beyond what I can provide, but perhaps I can recommend someone. I've made many new friends during my time here as an ambassador, you know.">

"Thank you," said Hector. "That sounds like it would be very helpful."

<"There are a number of people who come to mind, but I believe one Senator Jacobson would be your best bet, if you can find him. If not, then perhaps Senators Leoric or Morris would be able to help you.">

Hector couldn't help cocking an eyebrow inside his helmet. "Senators, huh? Are you sure they won't be too busy to see me?"

<"No. That is why I named multiple of them.">

Page 4081

Hector's eyes narrowed inside his helmet. He'd opened up the faceguard so that his voice wouldn't have a metallic echo to it through the phone. "What CAN you tell me about the current situation in the city?"

<"Oh, not much, I'm afraid. Information has been a scarce commodity in here, much to my displeasure.">

Hmm. "I'd like to talk to Vito. Could you put him on?"

<"Ah, he is unavailable, at the moment.">

Hector's brow lowered. "Why?"

<"He was called away by one of the higher-ups around here.">

"...Called away? He's your bodyguard, Your Highness. No one has the authority to call him away except you."

<"...Hmm. Well, when you put it like that, it does seem a bit odd, doesn't it? But I believe they wanted his help in the defense of the fortress. He proved himself quite the asset in saving multiple lives, you know. It would not have felt right to hold him back just for my sake.">

"Even so, he shouldn't have left your side. Especially without telling me."

<"Oh, no, no. Please, Lord Goffe. Don't tell me I've gotten the poor lad into trouble by telling you that. He left at my insistence.">

Garovel chimed in for a private word. 'Wow, this is even worse than I thought.'

Yes. Clearly, something was wrong, but it seemed not much was going to be accomplished in conversation with the prince until Hector was able to meet him face to face. Then, at least, he might be able to learn something from the man's aura.

But before giving up entirely here, Hector had a suspicion that he wanted to pursue. It would require taking quite the direct approach, though. Would that be worth the risk?

After mulling it over across multiple thought processes for a few more seconds and reviewing his own rough guesses about what might really be going on here, he decided to give it a shot.

"Prince David... you wouldn't happen to be under someone's psychic influence, right now, would you?"

There came a very long pause.

<"Excuse me? Psychic influence? What do you mean?">

Unfortunately, there was a very real possibility that the man wasn't even playing dumb--that he was simply unaware of what was happening to him.

Or Hector could be mistaken, of course. Certainly wouldn't have been the first time. It could always be some other insanely weird thing that he'd never encountered before.

Before relenting, though, he wanted to make sure. "I know that probably sounded like a strange question, but I was just asking in case someone else out there happened to be listening."

Next page on the 21st

Thanks for your patience, guys. And for reading. And for definitely not being upset or disappointed in me. Phew. I was a little worried there for a second. You're so nice.

Page 4080

Hmm. Unfortunately, Hector couldn't sense the other man's aura through the phone. "There a problem, sir?"

<"No, I just wasn't expecting you so soon. I wish you had informed me when you departed. It may be difficult for me to obtain entry for you into Livingston on such short notice.">

"Why is that? The place is open to the public. I checked."

<"Normally, yes, but at the moment, the building is in lockdown. Only exempted personnel are allowed to come or go, and I fear I do not qualify. Not without a bit more time to make my case, at least.">

"...This lockdown wouldn't have anything to do with the massive amounts of people roaming the streets in a trance, would it?"

<"Ah, so you've seen them, then. Yes, I've been hearing about them and assumed there was some connection, but I cannot say for sure.">

"What has the local news been saying about them?" said Hector. "I've been checking online, but I haven't seen any mention of this yet."

<"Indeed, news agencies are noticeably quiet about it. From what I've heard, it is being treating as something of a contagion. So perhaps anyone who gets close enough to try to report on it simply ends up in a trance themselves.">

"Hmm. But that wouldn't stop people from catching video footage from afar."

<"I suppose it would depend on how far away the contagion is able to reach. ">

"It also wouldn't stop other people from noticing something off remotely. Lots of suspiciously unanswered calls and texts, for example."

<"Mm. Well, it also just started. So perhaps it may take a while for people elsewhere to learn what is going on. Even we still do not know, after all."

"When exactly did it start? Do you know?"

<"I, um. Good question. Less than a day ago, I suppose.">

Technically, that tracked. It wasn't very long ago that Hector had last spoken to the prince, so if this had been going on the whole time, it would've been extremely strange for the man to have not mentioned it.

Vito Sebolt's report had mentioned something, though.

"Wasn't there a case of mass hysteria going on here?" said Hector. "This whole thing seems different to that. One might even argue... that it's the exact opposite to that, actually."

<"Mass hysteria? Ah, did Vito tell you about that? Yes, I believe that was indeed happening until a short while ago, but the situation has apparently changed.">

Page 4079

There was also the reapers' senses to worry about. They'd picked up on something to the northwest, suspecting that it might be an aberration at work, so Hector didn't know whether to be relieved or worried that these crowds were heading southwest, instead. On the one hand, it meant that these poor people probably weren't at the mercy of some weird new aberration power, but on the other hand, that could also mean that there could be TWO major problems going on in this city instead of just one.

Either way, Hector was making sure not to forget his objective. The entire reason he'd decided to come here was to check up on Prince David, not to get involved in whatever craziness might be going on here. And according to Garovel, the place where the prince was staying was located west of here. So at least they weren't going terribly far out of their way.

Yet.

With the benefit of hovering platforms, it did not take much longer for their ultimate destination to come into view.

Hector had, of course, heard of Livingston Grand Castle before. It was one of the most famous fortresses in the world, after all. And Garovel had certainly teased him about it being the true purpose of Hector wanting to make this trip, but even still, catching that first glimpse of it in the distance, beyond the wall of skyscrapers that kept getting in the way: it was still enough to give him pause.

And when the view became clearer, when he could finally see it in full, he could not help gawking. The pictures truly did not do it justice.

Unfortunately, the current plan did not involve flying right up to it and landing within its walls. It was a controlled airspace, and the city was obviously in a strange state, right now, so they didn't want to risk spooking any worried defenders or residents with their unannounced arrival.

Better to call the prince again, first.

Hector found a nice spot to land on an elevated walkway. The road that it was attached to would have surely been too noisy to hear Prince David over, but it was entirely empty. Not even any abandoned vehicles or silent crowd to speak of.

Selena, Nadim, and Loren all took up positions around Hector as they waited for the prince to pick up. Roman was still flying around in the distance, Hector noticed.

<"Hello there, Lord Goffe,"> came the man's calm and familiar voice.

"Hello, Your Highness."

<"Still planning on dropping by?">

"I'm already here, actually."

<"Wha--? Oh... I see.">

Next page on the 17th

Sorry, guys. Thanks for reading, as always.

Page 4078

Even the normal ground level seemed neglected in comparison to the elevated areas above. While garbage and debris weren't necessarily everywhere, they were still quite noticeable--along with entire city blocks full of tented encampments, which Hector could only assume belonged to the destitute.

Though, at the moment, those places were also abandoned.

As his small party moved through the city, at times on the ground and at times hovering through the air on iron platforms, the unnatural state of the city only became clearer. Hector had wanted to find the source of the screaming that Roman heard with his enhanced hearing, but apparently, it wasn't that easy. Roman couldn't discern a direction that it was coming from.

So after a bit of uncertain wandering, they decided to check on the "hypnotized" crowd that Loren had seen.

It was the strangest thing.

Massive throngs of people covered the streets, none of them uttering so much as a peep. They were just walking with utterly blank expressions on their faces. Where to? No idea, but there was at least a clear flow to follow. They were all heading southwest, as calm and orderly as could be.

No one was in their cars, either. All vehicles appeared to be abandoned in the middle or road, doors left hanging open, keys in the ignitions, engines left running.

In the end, the group decided to simply fly overhead and follow the giant trail of people. They didn't rush, though. Hector had to carry Selena, Nadim, and Loren on iron platforms, but Roman was free to scout around, though Hector asked him not to stray too far.

''Course we're not going too far,' said Voreese. 'I'm not trying to get mindfucked by some spooky bullshit, right now. In fact, maybe I should stay with you and let Roman go by himself.'

"Why do you have to put it like that?" said Roman. "Just say it's the smart the thing to do so that we can relay information back and forth. No need to hurt my feelings."

'Well, think of it this way. As long as I'm still insulting you, you'll know I'm not mentally compromised.'

"Mm. But 'mentally compromised' already describes your normal self. Quite well, actually."

'Shut up and go already. And by the way, I hope you DO get mindfucked, you stupid prick.'

"Love you, too."

'Ugh. Ew.'

Page 4077 -- CCCXXV.

Too much to remember at once, even for him. Countless crimes and crises. Tragedies and faces. Smiling, then agonizing.

Eadric. Cynebald. Aelred. Eadmund. Wynnstan.

Cut in two. Burning alive. Strangled. Skull caved in. Decapitated.

Cenhelm. Leofcild. Hilda. Tata. Cuthberht. Wulfric.

Drowning. Starving. Bleeding out. Buried alive. Stabbed through the neck. Dead in his arms.

Bada. Cenric. Jonathan. Richard. Nina. Martha.

Endless.

Endless.

Endless.

The thought processes were spiraling away from him. He felt them. Going off in different directions. Trying to recall. Trying to see. Memories and the world at once. Trying to address as much as possible. To assess everything. Melancholy be damned.

He contained himself. Pulled everything back. Too dangerous. Too much.

Tenebrach was saying something. Of course he was. Warning him again. And he was replying, too. Reassuring. Everything was fine.

Tenebrach would know it was a lie, but that didn't matter.

Few things did, anymore.

Focus on them. Concentrate. For a bit longer.

Ugh.

Horrible though they could be, the higher realms did offer a strange kind of solace. Since there was so much to worry about in them, so many potential threats, it was somehow easier to not get lost like this.

Here, things were too calm. Too safe. Too quiet.

But that was just a trick of perception, wasn't it? A bias. There was plenty of madness to subdue here, too. He was just too comfortable in his home realm. The familiarity was the problem.

Meditation would help.

There wasn't time. There never was.

No. There always was. Assign the thought processes to them. Stand them by. Calm them down. Calm everything down.

Relax.

Just relax.

Sermung breathed.

He concentrated, and he breathed.


Chapter Three Hundred Twenty-Five: 'The city of the Heart...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Andeyal was something else. Hector had always known about it. Seen pictures and video. It was one of the most famous cities in the world, after all.

But man.

Just being here made Atreya feel smaller, somehow. The buildings were absolutely gargantuan. The term "skyscraper" barely seemed like enough to describe them. There were entire roadways up there, too, weaving in between them, apparently connecting to many of those buildings directly. How bad must traffic have gotten in this place for roads like those to be deemed necessary?

More and more, he was starting to understand how that huge area underground could have been left abandoned for so long. With so much going on out here--and up there--did these people ever bother to look down, anymore?

Need a day

Sorry, guys. Next page tomorrow. Thanks for reading, as always.

Page 4076

He sighed as the Abolish random wriggled in his grasp. When had the guy even ended up there? He supposed it hardly mattered. There was no threat here. He was operating on autopilot, and as usual, it would make no difference in the situation's outcome. Everything would be taken care of, easy as could be.

He was even asking the relevant questions without trying. Pressing for names. Connections. Plans. Time frames. General news of the world. Might as well use the opportunity to start getting caught up on things. No doubt, it would take a while.

It always did.

So much downtime for something so simple. Perhaps this was why some of the Primordials had honed their ability to read very deeply into minds and auras. To prevent exactly this kind of sluggishness.

Hmph. But that wasn't really the issue for him, was it? The slowness wouldn't be a problem if he was simply better at being alone with his thoughts. At maintaining a sense of the present. Not dwelling on the past so much.

He'd been hoping to meet Osgar more than anyone else, but thus far, no luck. And thinking about it always got to him. Brought back old weariness.

The melancholy.

One of many possible reminders. He had to pause and rub his eyes, knowing that this wasn't the time.

But it never was, was it? That was the whole problem. Constantly pushing it away. Pretending it wasn't there. Keeping busy. There was always some convenient crisis to distract himself with, wasn't there?

Sermung. Stop. You're drifting again. Listen to my voice.

I know, he told Tenebrach. I don't need another reminder.

Yes, apparently, you do. Concentrate on the situation at hand.

I am. That's the problem. It's not enough. Don't you get it? We could be doing so much more than this, right now. Let's hurry this along already.

Someone was talking to him. One of the civilians he'd just saved. Thanking him for his help.

And he was talking back. Giving her assurances and a smile. Ensuring she could feel safe and warm in his aura. That was so important in situations like this. Everyone in the building needed it.

He recalled many other times in which that had not been possible. When his aura had been too weak. Or when he hadn't even known about such things in the first place.

What horrors he'd witnessed.

Page 4075

And, of course, there were the Primordials to contend with. Thankfully, fighting them was not always necessary, and some were clearly more powerful than others, but regardless, they never made it easy. They were like wrinkles incarnate. Complicating everything they touched.

More difficult still had to be the Elemental High Kings, their Chosen Champions, and their infinite armies. Those realms seemed to have the highest concentration of Chaotic power. The places where the infinite most coalesced. And the Primordials each owed tribute to them, at least in part.

It had taken a very long time to learn that--and even now, he and Tenebrach were not entirely certain of all the details. What were called Primordials in this realm were oftentimes more like special magisters in their home realms. High-ranking counselors to their kings. Given incredible leeway compared to everyone else. Valued for the depth of their knowledge regarding foreign realms and powers.

But not always, naturally. Some were on quite bad terms with their kings, it seemed.

And the Elemental High King of Darkness was on bad terms with them all, no matter their origin. That was why he'd sent his Champion to this realm, long ago, in order to conduct the Prime Hunt.

Or at least, that was as much as Sermung had been able to discern of their inner turmoil over the course of his quest. The problem with the higher realms was that there was always more to learn and never enough time to learn it.

Without a doubt, that had to be why his mentor decided to leave this middle realm the way that he did. Because he'd already given up on ever returning. Once he realized that the Terror could serve as a gateway into those impossible spaces, he allowed himself to be eaten and spirited away.

"I'm sorry, Caedda. The world is in your hands, now."

And by letting his successor slay the Great Terror, the same beast that had 'taken' his life, the legacy of the Vanguard would be maintained despite his sudden absence.

So departed Osgar, the Unbreakable Knight of Andeyal.

Unfortunately, that well-earned moniker suffered quite a bit of ridicule after his 'death,' and now it seemed as though barely anyone remembered it.

But Sermung would never forget. Osgar the Unbreakable may have been a shrewd and half-mad bastard with more spirit than sense, but even with all he'd learned since, Sermung couldn't imagine having anyone else as his teacher.

Next page on the 9th

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 4074

It was over as quickly as it began. All aggressors sealed in stone. Very few on this planet could break themselves out of soul-strengthened diamond. This was why defensive auras were so important. Such an aura was typically an outgrowth of the field density of one's soul, but for most servants, that alone would not be enough to shield them from Sermung. Only those who had achieved near perfect soul synchronization with their reaper would have the requisite density. Anyone younger needed something more assisting their aura. Much more.

Which, ultimately, was why Sermung had not had a real fight in this realm in many years. It sometimes made him worry that he was out of practice. Getting rusty.

But the fights in the higher realms were making up for it, no doubt. The only sticking point was how strange they were. Those soul-eaters feasting on Unso had been no pushovers. Not only could they weave together pocket dimensions and distort perception, trapping the mind in a nightmarish psychic prison, but they were also surprisingly strong physically, creating whistling blades that could shrink or grow in size, shredding any material like a swarm of razor-sharp wasps or cleaving entire mountains in two.

Admittedly, though, it had been quite satisfying to make the mountains fight back.

And giving them a taste of their own medicine certainly felt karmic. With Tenebrach being able to assist him in making psychically-reflective crystal prisons, those twisted monstrosities would be feeding on each other's souls until the end of time. Or dimensional collapse, perhaps.

The Idkin could be quite problematic, too, depending on which race he encountered. The hulking ones were especially difficult to deal with, but there were probably even more that he'd never encountered.

And then there were the greatworms, of course. There were plenty of those infesting the higher realms--devouring them entirely, in some cases. Sermung very much did not wish to meet another dimension eater. Battling his way out of that madness had been one of the most unpleasant experiences of his entire life.

But it had also been quite cathartic when he finally learned how to bend that particular reality to his will and slay the beast properly. A useful encounter, in case one of those bastards ever tried to visit this middle realm again. Sermung knew that certain reapers were worried about that, since the last visit had been rebuffed by the Kingsparrows, who were now on the verge of extinction.

Page 4073

That was always a concern, of course, and many precautions had been taken in the event of such a development. But only so much could be done, of course.

Ultimately, it was not the Vanguard's place to take preemptive action against non-servant forces. Nor would it be, for as long as Sermung remained alive--and hopefully longer, if he'd raised his successors correctly. He'd certainly lectured them enough, at least. It was anyone's guess as to whether or not they would listen to him.

Or who it would be.

That particular subject had long been a point of speculation, even to himself and Tenebrach. There had been many times when a clear successor had appeared, only for everything to change. A tragic death. Or a sudden competitor, rendering it not so clear at all, anymore. Or even a retirement.

The latter was quite rare, though. There'd only been one.

Oh. Sermung sensed activity. Some lagging Abolish forces along the trail of misery.

He focused. Harnessed multiple thought processes for faster decision making. Made use of Tenebrach's help, too. Flying at this speed, he needed all the sensory assistance that he could get, lest the whole world zoom by before he could even finish evaluating anything.

It was a small town. A platoon of vile dots was stalking through the halls of a large building. A hospital?

Who were the aggressors? Their auras were thick with malice. Blatant and sloppy. Ruthless and delighted. Anyone he recognized?

No, but what was that? A line. A link. Stretching far and beyond the horizon. All the way into Intar?

A psychic connection? Or something akin to that, at least.

A minion marked by his boss, most likely. Meaning that if something happened to him, the boss would know about it immediately.

Was it worth giving up the element of surprise in order to stop these random bastards from doing whatever it was they were doing?

Of course it was.

He changed course and pressed his senses for greater detail still. Terrified auras. Crying and screaming. Corpses and blood. Fear and merriment.

He had to slow his descent only so that he didn't flatten the whole building. But then he was quick. Working simultaneously on every threatening source at once. There were precisely seventeen on ten different floors. Neutralizing them with crystal coffins was simple enough, but he wanted one to interrogate. Information was king, right now.

Page 4072

The longer he was able to keep his movements a secret, the better. That was something that he had been refining for many years now: suppressing his own aura. His time in the higher realms had been a reminder that, even now, there was yet more to learn. Some of the ancient masters whom he'd encountered had been almost unrecognizable to Tenebrach, who'd met most of them personally.

That was another grave threat to older servants, he knew. Hubris. The sense of having achieved mastery over all.

There was no such thing, Sermung had decided. Hence why Tenebrach's confidence was routinely unfounded.

Alright, you're hurting my feelings, now.

The land of forever rain was a sorry sight, indeed. Pain covered everything. Lingering and crying out. What could have become of the Rainlords? Nothing good, certainly. They would never have allowed this to happen, otherwise.

But they also had a long history of enduring beyond all odds to the contrary. Their subjects, too.

And it seemed he was too late. The trail of misery, while obvious to his senses, was not immediately active. It did not have the kind of radioactive heat that always permeated the collective auras of warzones.

Abolish had indeed already moved on. All the way into Intar?

So bold.

Intar was no pushover, even without the Vanguard's help. A slumbering giant, perhaps, but a giant, nonetheless. The ancestral heart of the Mohssian Empire.

While it was probably true that the country could not field any warriors who were effectively one-man armies, they had the benefit of technological advancement the likes of which could only be achieved by one of the richest and most populous nations in the world. Even Morgunov, for all his boasting, was unlikely to compete with such a massive engine of scientific progress.

In fact, that had been quite the point of contention in the past, earning considerable ire from the Mad Demon, who was of course kept at arm's length by any respectable community.

Even Xander was frequently frustrated by them. They demanded much, promised plenty, and ultimately delivered very little. Some within the Vanguard believed that to be the Intarians' incompetence, but Sermung knew better. He'd snuck into their facilities over the years and observed some of their projects with his own eyes.

They were biding their time. Perhaps those machines would even be turned against the Vanguard, one day.

Page 4071

It had been a while since he'd felt the sky all around him. Wind on his face and in his hair. The world sprawling out around him. Nothing but clouds below and the faintest glint of stars above as evening approached. He'd been stuck in one rock form or another for too long, as of late.

It was important to appreciate these moments while they lasted, he told himself. Live presently. Not just obsess over the future--or the past, occasionally.

The clouds below were rearing up quickly--but not quickly enough. Much as he wanted to enjoy the open air a bit more, time was wasting.

A suit of armor crackled into existence around him. Crystalline and clear but for the way it shimmered, it covered his whole body and increased his descending velocity in an instant, leaving a snapping boom in its wake.

It certainly wasn't necessary. Not in pan-rozum. He could just turn his body completely to crystal and be a literal flying brick. He'd done it plenty of times before.

But this was an older technique. One he'd developed early on, then later refined thanks to his old mentors. Many of them had grown up in some manner of knightly tradition--just as he himself had done--and so they always had a preference for it, even when other techniques began gaining more popularity among newer generations of warriors.

And it still had its uses, of course. In some ways, it even felt superior. Plus, an overreliance on pan-rozum was a genuine threat to older servants, Sermung had found. Over the centuries, he'd seen so many great warriors come and go, and he couldn't help noticing how they often seemed to suddenly "forget" much of what had made them great in the first place once they were finally able to use pan-rozum regularly.

It was like watching a lifelong swordsman give up the blade completely, just because he'd gotten his hands on a gun. There was something tragic in that, even if it was in some ways understandable.

He rocketed down through the clouds, letting his senses guide him toward his destination on the horizon.

Teleporting would have been faster, of course, but he wanted to address this trail of misery before his eyes.

And there were always wrinkles with that power, too. Invitations to onlooking threats. He didn't want to alert them to his presence just yet.

Next page on April 3rd

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 4070

He could feel so much of the continent up here. So many souls in distress. Crying out in silence.

He hadn't seen it like this in a very long time.

Indeed. Before visiting the wolf and possibly making things even worse for these beleaguered people, he should at least do something to help them.

Where were the hotbeds of misery?

Lingering traces remained in the lands directly below. A terrible aftermath. Abolish's work, indeed. He was certain of it, now. They'd invaded Sair, eh? And now were making a move into Intar.

Ah. He sensed quite a bit over there. Intar was a gigantic nation--and certainly no stranger to turmoil. But it had been peaceful when he left. And now...

Now it was as bad as he'd ever sensed it. The land itself was crying out to him. To everyone. Tearing itself apart even while invaders were arriving. Taking advantage of the mayhem.

Malicious bastards. Their auras were so obvious. Clouds of wicked intent, moving with delight.

Hmm.

If he moved against them, they would scatter. Then he would be stuck hunting down their frightened remnants for quite a while. Was that the best use of his limited time?

Probably not, Tenebrach told him.

But it sure would feel nice, Sermung countered. And hadn't the two of them learned by now? Obsessing over optimal efficiency was never good. It only led to frustration. The more important thing was to remain flexible, no?

Hmph. Do what you like. A bit of indulgence was well-earned, thought Tenebrach.

Sermung smiled to himself. Thanks, pal.

Just make sure they regret ever being born while you're at it.

Aright, well, that might be a little excessive.

Render them to dust. Show them no mercy. Their fear of you will be key, in the future when you must depart again. So you must make that fear as crippling as possible.

Hmm. Fair point. But in that same vein, they can't spread fear of me if they're all dust, now can they? Plus, it's Abolish. A dramatic show of force is just as likely to excite them as it is to strike fear.

Stop making sense and just do as I say. The wrobels will buff out any psychological errors we make.

Maybe we've been merged too long, Tenebrach. You're power tripping again.

Only because you're undervaluing yourself again. You're the most powerful being in the world. Act like it, for a change.

I'd rather act like myself, if you don't mind. And he leapt from the cliff.

I do mind, as it so happens.

Well, I'm sure you'll get over it.

Page 4069

Well.

This changed things.

Sermung knew something of the Prime Hunter. The Great Wolf. He knew that Koh's victims oftentimes did not die when he devoured them. Instead, they were imprisoned for centuries--or even longer. So there was a chance, at least, that Jonah yet lived.

But freeing him... now that was a whole other matter.

Any prison worth its salt would have to reside within a higher realm. Nothing less would be able to contain the Primordials. Which meant that time would be moving more slowly there, relatively speaking. So if Sermung went to go retrieve Jonah, he would be losing more time again. Much more time, potentially.

Plus, he'd have to find the place, first. Perhaps Koh could help with that, but he doubted it.

And even if he did manage to pull off such a feat, it would not be what Jonah wanted. In fact, it was entirely possible that Jonah had himself orchestrated the events that led to this outcome. Unlikely, perhaps, but possible.

Such a cruel fate for the boy.

Yet another example. Too many to count.

His thought processes faltered. Struggled. Hesitated. Did they even want to learn more? Of the endless misery permeating the world?

That was the problem with knowledge, wasn't it? As much as it empowered, so too did it open one's mind to the abyss.

Sermung didn't need that, right now. That was a foe that he was not prepared to face again. One he might never be.

It seemed to him that the older one got, the more vulnerable to it one became.

Madness. Despair. Two sides of the same coin, he'd come to believe. He wondered, at times, if it hadn't already been tossed. Flipping in the air. Perhaps it was just a matter of which way it landed now.

Foolishness, of course. Deadly, foolish, and an oversimplification.

Ah. He'd made Tenebrach mad again.

Stay on task. Keep looking. Pay attention.

The Hunter was close. Sermung could visit him. It might not resolve anything, but it would at least be informative. And he'd always been curious to see the ancient beast at full strength. He'd never had the privilege before.

Yes. Best not let this opportunity pass by. Theoretically, they were allies.

If it somehow turned into a fight, though... the resulting fallout could be...

Sermung weighed the option in his mind. Consulted Tenebrach's memories.

Perhaps they should attend to other matters first.

Page 4068

And for him, there was yet another aspect to it. Over the course of his long life, traveling all over this realm, he'd seeded the lands of Eleg with crystals--and on top of that, learned to sense naturally occurring ones.

With a deep breath and strong concentration, he had access to a tidal wave of information. This was where the extra thought processes proved helpful. And Tenebrach, too, of course. Parsing through it all would have been significantly more difficult, otherwise.

Let's see now. What could the realm tell him from up here?

The flooded lands below were indeed troubled. Fear and anger running rampant. Agony. Pain. Bloodthirst, too.

But it was funneling into the northwest. Was that Abolish? The trail felt familiar enough. He'd sensed the like so many times before.

Hmm. Any major players in there?

Possibly. He sensed Chaos in there, masking specific presences. An unlikely coincidence. Had they developed a direct link to it? Irritating, if so. Fools playing with forces they could not possibly comprehend.

But that was nothing new, now was it? Standard behavior for Abolish.

Where was everyone? Who could he sense? Dozer? Morgunov? Sai-hee? Bah. Concealing themselves, no doubt. As per usual. They'd all learned long ago to despise his habit of dropping on them unannounced. Would've been nice to catch one of them off guard, though. He did love to surprise them.

Anyone else? Hmm. No Gohvis, Jercash, Gunther, Ivan, or Dunhouser, either. The Kubi, too, were all either hiding or too far away to sense.

And his own men?

Same story, apparently. Well, at least they were being diligent. Someone should have left signs for him, though. Something they knew that only he would be able to sense, in case he wanted to find them.

Yes. He sensed them now. Markers. Invitations. Ready to receive him at any mome--

What was that?

A presence of immense power. Not attempting to conceal itself in the slightest. All but daring anyone and everyone to approach it. And there was a whiff of familiarity to it, too. Something he'd sensed before, though perhaps not in quite the same way.

...Was that the Prime Hunter?

Oh no.

If he was loose, then Jonah...

Sermung searched. His senses stretched across the land. Farther, farther, farther. Where was he? Not on the continent?

He frowned, not wanting to acknowledge what was almost certain to be the truth. He shut his eyes and took a breath, still searching but not with much hope.

Next page on the 28th

Thanks for reading, everyone. In the meantime, here's another joke for you.

I once told my son I loved him. And he believed me. Haha.

Page 4067

Doubtless, there was much to catch up on. And to his surprise, he noticed that neither Xander nor anyone else was already here waiting for him.

Had Xander not been the one to send the signal? It was a very short list of people who could have done that--unless some kind of great shift had taken place, of course.

That was always the fear, wasn't it? That he would return to an annihilated Vanguard. A successful Abolish.

A destroyed planet.

Historically, that had always been their outward objective. But over time, Sermung had come to know that Morgunov and Dozer were a bit different in that regard. Not like most of their predecessors. Sure, they still paid lip service to the idea, especially in front of their men; and sure, they still gave refuge to plenty of truly omnicidal monsters within their ranks. But they did not actively pursue that agenda like in days long past.

Unless, again, something had changed.

He stepped to the edge of the cliff and took in the view of the Waress Mountains.

The center of the Eloan continent. The high winds were frigid and punishing, but they didn't bother him in the slightest. From this high up, he could see so far into the distance that the curvature of the planet was made obvious on the horizon. And near the edge of the surrounding mountain range, a sea of clouds was visible, rarely broken by holes that allowed him to see the flooded land beneath.

This peak that he was so close to belonged to the second tallest mountain in the world, Mt. Ninora. The tallest, Mt. Vinayoaka, was also in this same mountain range, though it was several hundred miles to the north.

That location would have served just as well as this one, but there were not many others. For the purpose of these rocky cocoons, geography was key. Both resonance and altitude were important, along with other minutiae. Xander had explained it all to him in excruciating detail, of course, but in the end, Sermung had only been able to wrap his head around eighty percent of it or so.

Close enough, he'd figured.

He did know that these peaks were quite good for one other thing, though.

Observation of souls and aura. They flowed, too, all around the planet. And from places like this, if one knew how, one could see a lot more than just the physical aspects of this middle realm.

Page 4066

But now, at least, they could take the fight to the enemy much more easily than at any point in history.

Ground could actually be taken.

He sometimes wondered what his predecessors might think of this development. If they would be proud.

Through great fortune, however, he'd already gotten some direct answers to that. And thus far, at least, they had made for quite the heartening meetings. Reminders of the grand quest. The unity of the human spirit. Even across entire Ages.

But it wasn't enough. He was still hoping to encounter more of them and hear their thoughts. He just didn't know how much to get his hopes up. At this point, it was clear that, yes, many of the ancient masters had survived their supposed "death" in the middle realm, but that didn't mean they'd survived their ventures into the higher realms.

He'd found their traces.

Unso, for example. That man, for all his flaws, was still perhaps not deserving of the grisly fate that had befallen him within the Impassable Canyon.

Being turned into a paralyzed husk and feasted upon by nightmare-inducing soul eaters for decades. Maybe even centuries.

Sermung was not sure that anyone deserved that. But at least he'd been able to end the man's suffering.

Moreover, he could not help wondering if such a thing might happen to himself, one day. And how long it might be before someone else came along and did him the same favor.

Tenebrach, of course, assured him that he would never allow such a thing to happen--that he would simply release his soul before it ever came to that. Which, of course, was the reaper's own, classic way of trying to be comforting. Sermung appreciated that much, at least.

But surely, Unso's reaper would have tried to do the same. And there was no trace remaining of whoever that had been. Not even the weakest of aura tethers.

He'd been trying to stop dwelling on that, though. A bad habit.

Keep focused, he reminded himself. Multiple thought processes were a curse, if he didn't keep them in check. At this point, he'd found it much more efficient to stick with just the one and resort to those only when necessary.

Efficient. And peaceful.

He certainly needed as much of that as he could possibly get, these days.

Unfortunately, he very much doubted that this return home would be peaceful at all.

Page 4065 -- CCCXXIV.

Jercash paused, as well. That was an interesting reaction. He decided to wait and see how Bill elaborated.

'You have been bringing our brethren to this realm en masse for quite some time now,' said Bill. 'Fulfilling the long-held desire of all Idkin. You are a hero of the most beloved sort.'

Aha! Jercash couldn't help nodding and laughing. So from their perspective, they just saw a guy that was giving them free passage to their desired destination.

And even if they'd been secretly spying on him this whole time through stealthy psychic channels, they probably still wouldn't have seen much that was of concern to their alien--or partially alien--sensibilities. He doubted they would care much about how he treated his fellow humans, and his studies of the Yigorosks had also not yet progressed to the point of dissection, mostly because he wanted to let as many of them loose on the hapless fools of Intar as he possibly could. Taking them apart, even for the purpose of keeping Lozaro happy, could wait until this current incursion had run its course.

Hmm. But now, it was sounding like starting the dissections might be kicking a real hornet's nest. Perhaps that should be delayed indefinitely. Or at least until he could learn more about these so-called Idkin.

He looked at Lozaro, who seemed to have finally returned to himself. His aura was steady again, and the color and expression on his face had returned to normal. Those yellow eyes had their usual sharpness to them again, too.

Good. Jercash intended to make full use of that twisted brain again today.


Chapter Three Hundred Twenty-Four: 'O, marrow of stone...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Finally, the mountain was shifting again. Cracking and moving apart at its spot near the peak.

Unraveling the little rocky cocoon that he'd made for himself so long ago.

Of course, it hadn't actually been that long for him personally, but here in the middle realm, years must have already passed by. It was just a question of how many.

A terrible sacrifice, unfortunately. Giving up so much precious time here.

But it would have been much worse without these cocoons that Xander had helped him develop. The mitigation of the time dilation was what made these ventures increasingly feasible. Frankly, a part of him was still in awe that they'd managed to pull it off as well as they did. For so long, watching his own mentor struggle with this problem, the issue had seemed utterly insurmountable.

Page 4064

Heh. If the guy wasn't such a bastard, Jercash might've felt bad for him. Messing with him was always fun.

But there was no time to take it further. He gave him another moment to compose himself before blinking them both back to the Yigorosks.

That didn't seem to be quite enough time for Lozaro, though, who remained uncharacteristically silent as Jercash picked the conversation with his new squid friend up again.

"So do you have a name?" he asked. "Mine's Jercash, though you probably knew that already, right?"

'Yes, of course. I am called Bill.'

Jercash's mouth opened, then closed again as he processed that. He was beginning to wonder if these squids were fucking with him. "Bill. Huh. That short for something?"

'No,' said Bill, sipping from his hissing pod again. 'Just Bill.'

Or, wait a minute. Did these guys used to be human? Hmm. Now how could he ask that question while minimizing the risk of it coming off as incredibly offensive to their alien sensibilities?

Tough one. Maybe he'd just have to roll the dice and see.

Thankfully, Bill resolved things before Jercash had to make a decision. 'I have the honor of being named by the Originator himself. A fact which sometimes summons jealousy from my brethren, I think. I would advise not broaching the subject in front of them, were I you.'

"Ohhh. The Originator. Right. Hmm. Y'know, I'd like to learn more about him, if you don't mind sharing. You mentioned he would 'return' to this realm, right? So he's been here before?"

'Not just him,' said Bill. 'We were all once children of this realm, just as you are. But we were banished. Or rather, our ancestors were. Long ago.' Another sip.

"How long ago, exactly?"

'Impossible to say for sure. But the Originator found us much later and renewed our dream of the Unity. He became a magnificent pillar. The Hope of All Idkin. We are forever in his debt.'

Jercash stroked his mustache. "Does he already know about me, too?"

'Of course. And I'm sure he is looking forward to meeting you.'

"Oh, really? Wow." Whoever this guy was, he sounded pretty damn powerful. Perhaps quite the imminent threat, too, if he was going be showing up soon. "I'm happy to hear that. Though, to be quite blunt with you, I feel a bit undeserving of such recognition. I'm not sure what I've done to be honored so much."

At that, Bill paused mid-sip and seemed to turn to look at Jercash. Was that his face? There were too many eyeballs to be sure. 'Are you joking?'

Page 4063

Judging by the man's reaction--the words, the microexpressions, and even the aura--Jercash was already quite satisfied. Lozaro wasn't planning anything against him, at the moment. He could just let the matter drop and move on.

In a minute.

First, Jercash had to take his own aura in hand, lean in close to Lozaro with wide-eyes and a smile, place a hand on his shoulder, and ask him one more question. "Is there anything else you've forgotten to tell me?"

And he allowed his domain to surge outward, just enough to envelop the two of them in their own private little world. In his private little world. Giving Lozaro a glimpse into the depths of power which Jercash maintained access to.

The depths of Chaos.

Lozaro, if he was being attentive, would be able to see that the Yigorosks were now there, too. Newly sprinkled among the hordes. Not these intelligent ones, of course. Not yet.

But in time, who knew what was possible? Lozaro would be catching a glimpse of that, too. The possibilities. Shadows of the future. Including his own mutilated husk of a corpse, if need be. His own smeared psyche. His own mind, fractured into a cascade of barely recognizable madness. All very possible. Even probable, one might say.

Jercash could see him sweating, keeping his eyes down, trying not to look around at it all. It didn't matter, of course. In this place, he would see everything that Jercash wanted him to see, even if he plucked out his own eyes to avoid it.

He seemed a bit frozen now, though. Trembling and pale. That was no good.

Jercash gave his shoulder a light jostle. "Answer me, Loz."

"N-no, sir, I-I haven't forgotten to tell you anything."

Hmm. Jercash let the domain linger as he observed the man's aura a moment longer.

Then he let go, and the domain popped like a harmless bubble. "Okay. That's all I wanted to know. By the way, great work, pal! You've really been killing it, lately! I'm proud of you!"

Lozaro, shaking, manged to return a stilted nod.

"In fact, I'd say that I gotta reward you for all your efforts. And before you say anything--I know that's not why you do it. You're just a curious fella by nature. A pure academic. I get it. But I can't let good work go unrecognized, either. So what do you want, huh? Just name it, and I'll see about makin' it happen! I've got a lot of great connections these days, you know!"

The other man merely remained silent, still trying to steady himself, apparently.

"You're too humble by a half, you know that?! Well, that's okay! I'll think of somethin' for ya!"