As Daniel sat in the tense office, he reflected that the change in perspective Beast Mode gave him had other downsides he hadn’t yet considered. He was certainly more forceful, and the rage could make him overly aggressive if he didn’t stay on top of it, but it also seemed that he disregarded certain unconventional threats. Like political influence.
A curious cascade of instances had occurred upon his return. Daniel had already reverted to human form and had intended to go straight to Torch’s church as he’d initially threatened, only to find that Kahvin had one-upped him. When the Hero had threatened to tell his father on Daniel in turn, he wasn’t making a future threat but actively doing it. Sending stones. Of course that damned coward had his dad on speed dial.
A couple of air platforms had congregated towards him, intercepting Daniel before he could make it to the Divine Quarter. Before they finished the announcement that he was under arrest, they’d been called off before another group had approached, then broken off again. Several people were fighting a war in the background over what was happening, with the most dramatic move involving the equivalent of a bomb threat being called in the Divine Quarter to make the churches lock down.
It had culminated in Tounaki herself flying over and escorting him to the Hunter’s Guild while Khare was sent to their house. Given the influence Kahvin’s father had he might not have trusted anyone else native to this region, but he doubted Murdon’s girlfriend would backstab him. Now he sat in the office of the Commander, whose name was Zolyra Rosescale judging by the nameplate and a level 6 Arcanist according to the firebird.
The room was far more spacious and decorated than Murdon’s had been back in the village. A flag bearing the symbol of Threst was hung on one wall, and by its age it appeared the oldest of everything here. There was another section of inscribed scrolls that hurt to look at closely, and another wall with drawings of various islands from different angles. There was no clear indication, but Daniel had the impression that the Commander had personally made all but the flag.
She entered the room only a few moments after he’d sat down. There was a presence to her he’d felt last time. It wasn’t how much stronger she was, it was her charisma. The attribute didn’t just connect to attractiveness but force of personality, and Zolyra’s was like a mountain.
“I’ll give you this,” she said as she took her seat, the only other one in the room. “You didn’t get any Torch Clerics involved.” Her voice was hard, but not hostile as it might have been if she was in Kahvin’s pocket. Neither did he feel relieved to be there.
“I’m going to. It’s obvious someone’s been lying.”
Zolyra sighed with that and tapped her desk with a claw. Pink runes in the kingdom’s script flowed from the spot to cover the walls and form a barrier over the window. They overlapped onto the script of the scrolls whenever they intersected with them. “It’s a privacy effect,” she explained to Daniel’s wide-eyed expression.
“Ok?” Daniel held his Focus in his hand protectively. Most of his possessions had been confiscated but they’d left him with that and his necklace. He doubted this would lead to violence, but if it did, the level 10 material would be his only hope. “I get the sense this isn’t the first time you’ve had this conversation with someone.”
“No, it is not.” She pulled out a piece of parchment and began idly scribing on it with a claw, the color of the ink black this time instead of matching her scales. It seemed to be another scroll, rather than a record of the conversation. “These circumstances are worse than normal.”
“You’re talking like you already have all the facts. I just got back to Aurus, there’s no way you can take Kahvin’s word seriously.”
“We were observing the hunt.” Daniel gave her a confused look before getting what she meant a moment after she started to explain. “I had that Fate that arrived in Aurus with you watching. Officially to note the new variants, unofficially because of, well, you can guess. She was making a live report. Kahvin wasn’t aware of this either, by the way.”
“So you know exactly what happened. Why am I the one they’re trying to-“ He cut himself off as Zolyra gave him a meaningful look. “You know about Thomas.”
“Any information that Fate provides could be biased. Both because of him, and her connection to you.” The Commander continued scribing as she talked, though she didn’t look at the glyphs once. “I wasn’t anticipating there being an incident this contentious, or concerning.” Daniel wanted to ask her what he was doing here, but the Commander held up a hand. “Do you understand the situation?”
“Not really. Kahvin’s the son of someone important and he got pissed off that I saved his friend so he’s taking it out on me.”
“You’re too new to Threst, then. That’s part of why we’re having this conversation.” She tapped her claw forcefully on one of the corners of the parchment and the glyphs briefly shone.
Scroll, Daniel realized. He’d gone to a shop selling these but hadn’t been too interested, given their limits and costs. Whatever money he had was going toward potions anyway after what’d happened to Khiat. “I didn’t know you could make those that fast.”
“Most can’t, and this is only a level 1 scroll.” She rolled it up but left it on the table before retrieving another, smaller piece from a drawer on the desk. This had the look of a form she began filling out, angling it away from Daniel so he couldn’t read it. “Kahvin’s father is Lagori Talongleam, the level 5 Hero in command of Apex Flight. That is the order responsible for the protection of our highest officials and the courts.”
“Yikes.” Daniel spoke his earlier internal assessment of Kahvin, both for his sake and the region’s. The Commander gave him a commiserating nod. “So this is a ‘we can’t do anything about it, you’re screwed’ kind of conversation?”
“Not exactly, but yes. In private,” she said, gesturing to the wards around the room, “Kahvin Talongleam is a disgrace and a menace to both my guild and this region as a whole. In public, all I would say on the matter is that he reminds us that it takes more than just power to be a lauded servant of society.”
Daniel bitterly laughed, getting the backhanded compliment. This wasn’t the worst way this could have gone, and yet there was still an air of defeatism. “How did someone like him get to level 3?” he asked, echoing the question that had come to him earlier.
“You’re aware of how Heroes advance outside of hunting?” She asked, making Daniel sigh in exasperation.
“He grinded quests? How much has he actually hunted?”
“Far less than I would have liked. I couldn’t do anything about it until he hit level 3, which comes with more expectations. Granted it hasn’t been smooth for him. I have it on good authority he once, drunkenly, took a quest to bed five women in one day. His family had to make arrangements to make sure he didn’t fail.” She paused in her writing to roll her eyes. “Part of me wonders if he was meant to be a Bard, but Lagori bribed the Octyrrum itself to give him the Hero class. The only good thing to come out of this is I’m pretty sure I can use the initial inciting incident to force through the revision of our charm power policy. Maybe the one covering Rogues too, we can handle their side advancement in better ways.”
“I’m amazed no one changed that earlier,” Daniel complained, still infuriated about how casually Kahvin had used his power on Willow.
“There is the crux of the issue. Rikendia,” the Commander clarified, as if she hadn’t just changed the topic. “It was an official kingdom policy, prioritizing Blessed training over anything else. So long as the power usage wasn’t ‘predatory’. With them gone, changes can be made.” She tapped another claw on the table and appeared to refresh the privacy power. “Including to our leadership. Soraso maintained power for so long because he appreciated how the old Threst factions played the game. He acts the fool so that they can believe he is one and that they are influencing him. Lagori and others want the power for themselves, but they don’t want someone ‘competent’ in control that would use the regency against them. That, as well as the novelty from having him in command, and him convincing a powerful Sojourn to stay within the region and help control the monster population.” She shook her head. “I’m digressing.”
Zolyra removed a small case from her desk and opened it, the container flashing with magic as she took out a seal. She stamped it into the form she’d been working on and handed it to Daniel. “With all of this said, there’s little the Regent can do himself in your favor given Lagori’s vested interests. It’s important that he continues to hold the Sword of Threst with both the Collapse and the ruins in play, and it’s too much trouble to darken the skies over this incident. That being said, I can at least do this.”
Daniel looked at the form, which turned out to be a Hunter’s Guild application she’d filled out for him. Two things drew his attention: the listed team name, and the Commander’s attestation above her stamp. She’d given his team exactly what they’d wanted from the hunt. “They can’t do anything to change this?”
“Not unless they want to remove me. Which isn’t off the table. Stubborn, prideful birds. You know, I had to break the wings of the former Commander before he gave up and that was with a clear advantage over him.” She brought yet another, larger parchment onto the table. This one was oiled and well-preserved. It was a two-dimensional map of the region, but when Zolyra tapped it it projected upwards like the war room table. There were notes written in spaces in recognizable handwriting, and when she zoomed in on one island, Daniel saw it marked as one of the few the region was trying to hold against the increased monster aggression. “I’m sorry. We’re getting to the hard part of the conversation.”
“If anyone needs to be sorry it’s not either of us,” Daniel said, equal parts aggrieved and commiserating.
“And neither of us have a choice. First off, you should know whenever a hunter is critically injured or killed, Threst automatically reviews available evidence to determine if there was any foul play involved. If Kahvin was anyone else he’d have been severely punished for not intervening before your dusker friend was hurt.” Zolyra grimaced. “For the record, I assessed both your team and what was known about the targets. The armor you make is nothing to sneeze at, neither is your weapon. If Talonwing had fought alongside you Khiat never would have been put in that position. As far as the Berserker, well, it was the enemy that defied my expectations there.”
“So we agree all of this is Kahvin’s fault?” Daniel pressed
Zolyra nodded, but there was a catch in it. “Unfortunately, Lagori had a head start and already verified an account of what happened. It lays the blame on your inexperience and attempts to override Kahvin’s command.”
“Bullshit.” Daniel stood up angrily. “How the fuck can they twist it that way? There are people who can tell when people are lying!”
“Unfortunately, they are still people,” the Commander said sympathetically, not taking offense at his tone. “Like I said, I’ve had this conversation before. Lagori has a few ‘old friends’ in the church of Torch. This isn’t the first time he’s gone to them to clean up his son’s mess. Without the outside pressure from Rikendia supporting the current regime they can be more brazen. With that said, they can’t change your registration or what you’re owed from Aughal. They can make your life more difficult, and I’d expect any ongoing deals you had with the guild to be canceled, including your lodging. The city was also screening people from knowing where you were, otherwise you would’ve been hounded by requests for enchantment. I’d recommend accepting a long-term assignment before they put pressure on one of my subordinates to give you something worse in the hopes that you refuse, giving grounds I couldn’t legally contest to remove you from the guild.” She then indicated the island marked as ‘Pinion’s Point’.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“We’re getting kicked out,” Daniel sighed. “I’m sure Kahvin would see me getting sent to some distant village as a victory.”
“That’s the point, although I’m trying to make this as soft a landing as I can for you. Pinion’s Point is on its way to becoming a full city in its own right. It’s the second largest settlement in the region, well-defended, and the lead hunter there follows protocol over anything else. Someone the Talongleams would have trouble bribing if they were feeling particularly vindictive. You would be expected to patrol and hunt monsters near the town, but I’m assuming you would have done that anyway. Not every team would face five monsters above their level charging them, and that’s not considering the others in that pack.”
Daniel nodded, though thinking about this in a political frame gave him pause. “No offense, but why are you doing this? You’ve laid it out pretty clear that Kahvin’s family has their feathers everywhere. I know the Regent has plans for me, but why are you helping?”
“For one, I respect what I’ve seen from you so far. There’s no way Kahvin flies alone into a pack of monsters that suddenly appear in our streets. It’s also my fault Kahvin hasn’t been kicked out already,” she said simply. “I was trying to push him, either make him give a damn or admit he just wants to spend half his time in brothels, and then the idiot takes out a ripair hawk solo and saves his team in the process.”
She waved away his questions and continued. “Not important. Once I’d seen your disagreement I’d hoped to use this as a way to get him out of my scales for good. There was no way he would’ve taken that snub lying down. I was waiting for him to do something that would let me at least suspend him pending dismissal from the guild. Leaving your team unaided, leading to significant injury of one of your members would’ve been enough. What happened after that went too far and forced Lagori to fully intervene in order to salvage his own reputation. Trust Kahvin to screw up so poorly that he still lands on solid ground.” Zolyra sighed wearily. “There’s another reason too. As the Regent said, you were responsible for defeating the Spiritualists in Aughal. You warned the crowds about the monster spawning incident and was then the first to defend them from it. Then there is your caution against what the level 1 monsters turned into.”
“It’s another Collapse. I figured a bunch of monsters fusing was a bad sign,” Daniel replied, being careful not to lie. He hadn’t yet, but they also hadn’t discussed any overly sensitive topics before now. Someone with attributes far above his could likely sense his deceit even if they didn’t have a power for that.
Zolyra tapped her claw a third time and the wards around them refreshed. Despite this protection, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “I have also heard rumors of a Cleric of Cloak roaming the city that only the most alert can detect. I’ve asked the church and, as far as I can make out, someone claiming to be a Proxy of their god arrived around when you did.” There was an unsure frown on her face when she mentioned the church, though otherwise she’d become more respectful if still leaving out the formal speech of Threst. “I don’t need to know where you’re getting your information from. All I’m asking is if there is anything you can tell me that would help keep this ship from sinking.”
Ooooh, Daniel thought, realizing why Zolyra was being this accommodating. There was her guilt, sure, but in a way she’d made similar assumptions as Ashier had. In this case, she was partially right. “I don’t know everything,” Daniel qualified. “I also don’t know if you’ve heard of the Origin Beast in the Thormundz. Well, there is one. I’ve seen it. It’s like a god of monsters and it’s starting to wake up. With us so close, it’s affecting how monsters behave. All I know is that they’ll develop ways to become more powerful, maybe gain their own classes. I think the monsters fusing like that could have been a bond, or their equivalent.”
“This is responsible for the new variants?”
“This is in addition to the variants,” Daniel replied to Zolyra’s consternation. He decided not to tell her about spirits after a moment’s consideration, both because that wasn’t technically new information, and it might complicate matters when it came to Willow. “It sounds like you know what happened on the hunt. How strong would you consider that fused monster to be? Also, why didn’t it pass through the ground limit?”
“You would have a better idea of it,” Zolyra answered ambivalently before pondering on the matter. “I place it as a strong level 2 to mid level 3 monster, which is concerning given it originally consisted of six level 1 monsters. Roughly speaking, that is more power than those six should have combined. That its gravitic power could stop a Berserker midflight suggests far more adept control than I’d expect from a fresh monster as well. I agree that something in the realm of a bond could be responsible. As for the ground limit, I have no idea. There is nothing known to me that doesn’t pass through. Perhaps the Octyrrum intervened.”
“Yeah,” Daniel shakily agreed. And he did agree, though his suspicion was based on knowledge he shouldn’t share. He eyes the scroll again, which had gone untouched since Zolyra finished it. “What’s that for, by the way?”
“Ever used a scroll?”
“No.” The prospect had been enticing, although they’d been too expensive for what they could do back in Aughal.
“Not too hard. That one contacts me. You can only send a limited message, but you can use it three times.” She pushed the scroll towards him.
“Three charges? I thought each was single use.”
Zolyra smiled. “You’re level 2 now. I’m certain you are already learning ways around the supposed limits of your craft, whether by power or skill. I’ve been at this a lot longer than you have.”
No kidding. “Ok wait, what exactly am I agreeing to here?” Daniel asked, turning his attention back to the holographic map. “I’m not going to permanently tie my team to something. What if we want to visit Aurus or leave the region? What about the Regent’s plans?”
“You’d have to ask Soraso about that last part, but it shouldn’t be an issue. There are several teams I’ve been instructed to pay attention to, including yours. When the time’s right, you’ll get your notice.” She took longer to answer his first concern, using the time to fold the map and replace it. “The short answer is you’ll need to stay there until this all blows over. Probably best you didn’t return to Aurus for at least two weeks, maybe more. Beyond that, it’ll depend on how big of a deal the Talongleams make of this. It’s not going to escape most that Kahvin was in over his head no matter what his family says. It was too public for them to sweep into the breeze, especially with the show they made trying to expedite your arrest.”
“Great, I get to suffer even more because they doubled down on being terrible people,” Daniel sighed, though he was already resigned to it. He doubted he could do much more than the Commander already had if Kahvin’s family did have that much influence. If this was a trap somehow, then worst case he’d try to weasel out through his connections with Soraso or Cloak. Have to make sure he gets transferred with us, he thought. No matter the problems he had with the god, having him nearby was important if for no other reason than to discuss the monster fusion. “When do we leave?”
…
Four hours later, Daniel’s team was gathered by a Bekali Hauler. Khiat had been seen to by Quala and was ready to travel, though she had to be reassured all of this wasn’t her fault. Her being injured had been one of the steps leading toward this outcome, true, but the fault for her injury ultimately lay with Kahvin. If anything, Daniel should have told her to keep retreating upwards while firing, but he’d wanted to make sure she hit her shots so she’d grow in power.
“You’re all leaving just like that, Guy?” Thomas asked, discouraged. “Damn gawpers. I heard what Silora was saying during her reading. He left all of you out to dry!”
“At least the Commander here isn’t compromised.” Daniel held up a folded letter to the Cleric, shifting to another topic. “Thanks. I still can’t believe Padri won’t tell me where he lives. I didn’t even see him the last two times.”
“Least I could do.” Thomas left the letter in the air for a few seconds longer and then took it. “Less than ten months now. I wish I could come with you but with Silora and the church…”
“We’re still in the same region. Besides, I’m sure they’re making good use out of Vitality Bubble.” Daniel once again thought to ask the Cleric to join them on hunts, but he’d made his choice clear on many occasions. If circumstances had been different when he’d arrived in this world, Daniel might have never ended up on the road himself. “Try not to let Murdon know we’re onto him before we get back though.”
“Guy, I’m trying, I really am,” he answered in a strained voice. “It’s just, they’re being so obvious. Murdon visits Sigron now and then and Tounaki’s there at least half the time.”
“I can’t believe he’s still injured. It’s been over three months.”
“He’s almost there, Guy. Not getting his arm back, but it sounds like they’re working on a replacement. There’s an Artificer here that does that kind of stuff for avianoids who don’t have powers that attach weapons to their wings.”
“I am on board,” a voice whispered to him, shielded from other ears. “It would be preferable to stay here, but I suppose the guard were beginning to search for me.”
And it’d be too much to ask you to mind wipe the event from everyone’s memories, Daniel thought to himself. “I hope he gets better. He lost that arm saving my life. Mine and Hunter’s.”
“’course he’ll get better, don’t worry.”
“Why, because you’re looking after him?”
“Well yeah,” Thomas moved some dirt with his feet, “And Quala is too. It’s mostly her.”
“We should get moving, sir,” a new but familiar voice called as the last-minute addition to their trip walked toward Daniel. He’d been the only one staying behind on the dock after he’d heard Thomas running toward them. Janice had stuck around in Aurus, mainly keeping to Murdon’s side until a certain Arcanist had made a better case to be his companion. Without any way to fly herself, her choices had mainly been grunt work in the guild patrolling the roads, which was made a more dangerous prospect with the Collapse.
Daniel honestly hadn’t thought about the woman bordering both her second level and middle ages and wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if the question about her joining had been raised when they’d first gotten here. He’d fought with everyone in the team before, whereas Janice was an unknown. Thankfully, the assignment to Pinion’s Point provided an easy excuse for the marooned Martialist to abscond from Aurus, as well as a task she could fulfill herself while Daniel’s team operated independently.
All that was left was Padri, whose refusal to leave him with a more direct method of communication meant he had to trust Thomas to leave his message where the Craftsmen worked. Losing access to the Hunter’s Guild’s processing capabilities, the material trade with Temir, and Padri hurt, even if it was temporary. At least I finished all my big projects.
Daniel took one last look at the mountain city before nodding and climbing onto this world’s equivalent of a flying 18 wheeler. He waved at Thomas as most of them flew off on the construct, Tlara and Willow flying in formation beside them.
…
The church of time in Threst was mostly empty, as all were. Each god of the Octyrrum was renowned, of course, but there was something distant about the one isolated in the center of the world. Few swore to Hourglass. Aughal only had one Cleric belonging to him. This had caused… problems when a certain Artificer had not ventured to Threst when he should have.
It was almost a joke that Daniel Brant would have poor timing, for when he did arrive it was unfavorable for them to make an approach. He had allies within Aurus’ leadership, capable friends, and most importantly, a god shadowing him. That it was through a Proxy didn’t matter, one needed absolutely overwhelming force to banish a god.
Rikoor, Hourglass’ champion in Threst, was level 4. That wouldn’t be enough, not when they couldn’t confirm the strength of the Proxy. Still, the world itself was at stake. Failing to capture Daniel before the meeting of the gods was an almost unforgivable sin, but there would be another chance. They would just have to manipulate factors into their own favor.
“Champion, should we not strike now before he leaves our influence?” one of the subordinates asked the avianoid Cleric in their hidden sanctum. “Pinion’s Point has a church, but moving our people there will alert the Proxy.”
“We will act when the time is right,” Rikoor answered. “To our knowledge neither he nor the world at large are aware of our master’s true aims. Until we are certain the plan He has given us can be enacted perfectly, we will wait. To that end, are the preparations complete?”
“Yes, champion.” Rikoor watched as several boxes the size of briefcases were brought in. He opened and meticulously inspected each cylinder contained within. Only churches could have the supply lines to move this product from where it had been made by a particularly talented Alchemist from outside the kingdom. Still, it had taken weeks and much coin for the forty vials of uncommon design to be brought here.
Rikoor took one and pushed the sharpened end into one of his legs, feeling his mana flow surge as his body absorbed the contents. Aside from healing potions, which only required some way of getting past the skin, most didn’t work this way. Particularly talented, that Alchemist, but that wasn’t the only thing they’d done. Each syringe held highly concentrated potion.
What he’d gained from just one made his veins feel as though they were on fire. The mana overcharge was potent, though with only this he could control it. To take in enough to do what needed to be done… Rikoor would trust in Hourglass for the will required to activate his ability.
“Preserve the rest and speak not one word of this to anyone,” Rikoor instructed, closing the last case. “We will watch and wait for an opportunity. No matter what, Daniel Brant must reach our Lord, or all is lost.”