Chương 38: Ch. 35 - Membership Has Its Perks

Ilonar was back in the manor, arguing with her daughter. It didn't feel right to interrupt, so instead I hid around the corner but it felt weirder to listen to the argument.

"Daughter, I am a Commander. In this moment, I am not your mother and I have to think… I had to think what was best for the many," said Ilonar.

"Do you have any idea. Any idea what its like to be your spawn? It's a nightmare. You make these claims of times long past. That you're alone with your memories of something that doesn't affect us now. Right now. I don't care that you remember our time in the stars. We can't leave. We're stuck here and my daughter needed you. Forget what I needed, you failed her," said Yula.

"Mother," said Palina.

"Its fine. I'm alive. Peace, please."

"Palina," said Yula.

"Do you understand you could've died. The Nexus is a nice idea, but if my choice is the afterlife or this life, I choose this one. I'm not losing you or your sister."

"Mother," said Palina.

"I appreciate the concern. But war came to us. Grandmother is doing what she can. Please, don't let what could be our final moments be spent in squabble."

"Yula," said Ilonar.

"Please, daughter. If I didn't say it, I'll say it now. I'm sorry. In all the cycles we have endured, this is the first that has brought us such grief. Perhaps the Lord of this place has tired of our presence."

"What Lord?!" yelled Yula.

"I grow tired today of your tales that will not bring aid. I need a moment. A long moment." Yula stormed off, meeting my gaze as she walked away, her face red with fury. With the conversation done, I turned the corner and into the office. Ilonar was sitting on the chair with Palina and Lixana on the far couch.

"I hope you bring good tidings," said Ilonar.

"There's a couple things I need you to do," I said.

"I'm sorry about Yula."

"I would rather you not comment on what is not your business." She took a breath and leaned back in the chair, furling her fingers together on her lap.

"I apologize. Its been a categorically bad day. Five of us have died and I have 24 wounded. That leaves a grand total of 36 uninjured. I am not confident about our chances for the next wave."

"That's why I'm here. I heard that you can, or someone can make a town invite only. I think now might a good time to pull that trigger."

"It doesn't stop the invasion. It only stops people like you… Participants from entering. It would wreck our economy. Once that decision is made, it cannot be undone until the next cycle."

"You mean, reset? Is a cycle a reset?"

"Whatever it is you call it. Yes, when you are forced to leave." She leaned in, planting her elbows on the wood.

"Well, yeah, but its the only way your people get to see tomorrow. And its not like I don't have a plan for that either." At the table, I reached into the inventory and pulled the gem.

"I want to make a portal that is for my squad only. And the only way to do that is if your town is invite only."

"We could make a portal if the town was open too. Assuming you have the incredibly rare items."

"Yeah, but what I'm bringing you in exchange for making it private would make you all a target." Her brow furrowed.

"We are already a target." She cupped her face into her hands. Her words muffled through her palms.

"Speak then."

"So you remember when I brought the magic water?"

"Not magic," said Caddie.

"Not the time," I said.

"Yes," said Ilonar, ignoring Caddie.

"It was pure. The purest I had ever seen."

"The Mur. The people that gave it to me, they are willing to offer it as trade with you all." Her eyes were wide as she looked up at the page I slid to her.

"This is a trade contract." She read it hastily.

"A hidden settlement. And if we trade their wares, it would make other settlements that sell mana more likely to be aggressive. But at the same time, we would be the sellers of the purest mana…"

"But, invites can be handed down. Can be given. We can give out the invites to your town so long as we can use the portal to skip floors. It reduces the probability of you guys being invaded again and makes your stuff all the more sought after. A membership, so to speak. That way, the participants we want can get their hands on the gear they would need that only you can supply." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ilonar didn't answer immediately. She reread the page multiple times, making sure she didn't miss a word.

"This feels too good to be true," she said, not lifting her head.

"You would act as our ambassador?"

"I guess you could call it that. If I'm being honest, I just don't want too many others getting their hands on you and your stuff. My squad needs it, we have plans to get to the last floor. And being able to skip directly here, to you all, that would be a massive help."

"And what would stop others from performing another invasion?"

"True, we can't control what others do. That's why it would only be people we trust. People that need to be here for whatever reason. If you see an invite, you'll know its someone you can trust. At least until the next reset. It all goes away then, right?"

"The portal does not. But the town would be open and would require me to manually change it to invite only."

"Why wasn't that used more. By other towns I mean. I have to assume others don't want visitors." She frowned.

"Because they don't remember. Every reset, memories are wiped. I alone remember everything." Tears formed on her face.

"It is exhausting."

"I'm sorry," I said, letting her compose herself.

"Do we have a deal?" She got to her feet, walked around the desk and brought her arms around me.

"It is Elvian custom that all deals are sealed in an embrace." I patted her twice on the back. After Ilonar was done with the hug, Caddie would not shut up. Even as Ilonar pulled the control orb, he rambled about the idea of someone being able to remember their past while inside the dungeon.

"It is a statistical anomaly," said Caddie.

"It would be the equivalent of inputing a number into an event horizon, finding the other side, and the output being fish. It defies logic."

"Caddie," I said, doing my best to not sound annoyed.

"You have been rambling for the past ten minutes about it."

"You fail to grasp how this makes no sense, Stefano…" He trailed off. Like he wanted to say more, but had to stop himself.

"It just doesn't make sense."

"Why?" I threw my hands up.

"Please tell me why it doesn't make sense."

"I can't."

"Then let it go."

"I also can't. One is being physically unable to speak it. The other is the inability to make sense of it. Tell me, Stefano. If you found a microorganism that lived a different life every time, and then remembered it, would you not want to study it? Understand it?"

"Sure, but Ilonar is not a speck in a microscope." Caddie didn't answer. Ilonar was swiping at the control orb, pushing her authority into the system. Her screen was gibberish to me. I wasn't meant to be able to read it. She inhaled as the orb changed color, from blue to red.

"There," she said.

"We are a closed settlement. Your squad is the only one allowed entry as of this moment. We will work out the details on this membership idea."

"Thank you, Ilonar," I said.

"This isn't ideal, but it is mutually beneficial. If it makes you feel better, we had planned for this place to be our base of operations. We're not ready for the fourth floor yet, but we still have to cross this floor, so we would be stopping here first, every time. I'd talk the details now, but first we have to take care of the goblinoid settlement."

"So how do you intend to do that?"

"They are bound to be heavily fortified, no?"

"Probably, which is why we'll have to wait for one last push from them." She frowned.

"Even after all of that, we still have to defend ourselves against another onslaught?"

"Yes, but I did bring one last thing." I reached into the inventory space and struggeled to pull the barrel of pure water.

"Here."

"That is a lot of mana."

"I'm glad you think so. Because we have 29 more barrels that have your name on them. The Mur King said to consider this a gift and the remainder to be supply for your settlement." Caddie was spitting them out on its own, stacking them atop each other into a neat pile. Ilonar was on the verge of tears as she popped open the lid. Palina and Lixana both walked to the barrel and peered inside. You could see the bottom of the barrel in dim light. Only when you shook it did you see the ripples of water.

"Then we have a better chance than before," said Ilonar.

"Stefano," said Caddie.

"Luna just sent a message. She is detecting incoming. Scouts she believes. We should begin preparations to depart."

"Thank you Caddie," I said.

"I may not be able to help you here. But I promise, they won't bother you again." Ilonar planted a hand on my chest and gave a curt nod.

"You have my people's gratitude," siad Ilonar. She immediately got to work, barking orders to any that could hear her.

"Palina, you are still injured. I need you to start prepping the distribution of it all. Lixana, you will have your own barrel for the wounded. I will fetch your mother. All others, get to your positions." I swiped open the messages as I walked back to the hangar. Stefano: We're on Luna: We're ready to go Caddie: Can you believe the impropriety against reason and logic happening here Luna: What did you do Stefano? Stefano: I didn't do anything! Jeromy: Mate.

I believe that as much as how some people from Earth believed it was flat. Stefano: What? Luna: I'm lost too Caddie: I believe he is linking his incredulity to Stefano being untrustworthy to a very common misconception by a small sect of Earthers that believed that despite evidence and it being disproven early in their history, that Earth was indeed not flat. In other words, Stefano is as believable as someone who thinks Earth is flat. Jeromy: Thank you Caddie Stefano: But I didn't do anything!

Luna: Why did people think the Earth was flat? Caddie: Distrust in established literature and models from what I could gather. A common trope was to call those that adhered to the scientific method "Sheeple." Jeromy: Oh! People that are sheep? I like sheep, they look fluffy in the pictures. Is it true that they would take the fur off? Caddie: It was referred to as wool. And yes, they would. Jeromy: Poor sheeple Luna: From the very little I read though, it didn't hurt them. I read it was good for them.

Stefano: Can we get back on topic? Jeromy: What were we talking about? I swiped the chat away once I crossed into the hangar. Caddie was still in the messages as the three chat amongst themselves. The Aegis booted up and I clicked to launch. The rush of flying pushed me into the seat. For a brief moment, all my worries were gone and I remembered why I liked piloting so much. The freedom. The air. I corrected the heading and slowed as Jeromy and Luna launched close behind. A glimmer from the ocean caught my eye.

It was far. A speck of rice on a beach. White in a blue ocean. Hernando floating, swimming, before he was pulled below the waves.