Chương 74: Anominous Situation

She'd followed it here, its brightness increasing the closer she'd approached the far edge of town. Now, Scarlet stood outside the property line of the library, observing the building. She'd already sensed the Level 7 that had made its way into town and had decided not to interfere. The people there seemed to be suppressing it adequately, and she could head over in an instant if things became dire. It wasn't like they were facing a Tier 1, after all.

People needed to learn how to fight; how to survive during the easy days, and these were the easy days. So, she held the orb and watched the library. The scattered corpses of beasts made an almost perfect circle around the perimeter of the building. They were all unexceptional. Nothing beyond Level 5, and likely all affinity-less. A discreet wind barrier kept the overwhelming stench away. Something had attracted those beasts, and Scarlet was pretty sure she knew what it was.

The familiar hum and ripple of vast amounts of spatial mana indicated there was a Portal World nearby. While some portals repelled beasts, some drew them in. A small weight landed on her shoulder.

"Hey, buddy," she said aloud.

'I did good,' Maus sent over a play-by-play of his time guarding Myka.

'You did well,' she corrected.

'I did that too,' he sent over with warmth and a hint of pride. Scarlet's face twitched into a small smile before relaxing back to neutral.

'I suppose you did,' she sent, then gestured to the macabre scene in front of them.

'What do you think?' Just as a bird flew overhead, Maus sent out a pulse of resonance, mixing his mana with spiritual energy the same way Scarlet did with psionics. The bird struck the barrier and dropped into the growing pile of dead creatures. However, it didn't simply die. Through Maus, Scarlet watched the creature's soul rip free of its body. She followed its trajectory into the library, towards the front desk, and into the weapon placed conspicuously at its edge. Investigate told her it was a Spirus Blade.

The same terrifying weapon she'd seen suck the soul out of Tareth during their spar, only this one was a System reward. Behind the desk with the ominous knife was the librarian. He was the same one she'd met all those days ago, still sitting listlessly behind the front desk, still leisurely flipping through a book, still haunting the library. Only, he had changed. He'd filled out a bit, and the dullness in his eyes now hinted at an intelligent gleam.

While he was still laconic, at least he didn't look moments from kicking the bucket. When she focused her senses, Scarlet could see that the glowing orb in her hand seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat. As though sensing something, the librarian lifted his eyes, and their gazes met. Then his gaze flicked toward the glowing orb in her hand before landing on Maus, her cane, then back to Scarlet. The assassin had said the orb would help her identify the closest viable target, and hopefully an ally.

An ally with access to a Portal World. The Historian had told her about the increased abundance of portals. More portals meant more potential Nexus Worlds popping up nearby. Nexus Worlds meant Factions, and the last thing she needed were Factions complicating her own burgeoning efforts. She allowed herself exactly ten seconds to catastrophise. She made it four before she was interrupted.

'Boss, I'm getting an anonymous feeling.'

'Did you mean ominous?'

'No, that doesn't have a mouse in it.'

'Neither does anonymous, buddy.'

'Oh. Can I have both?'

'Technically, yes.'

'Well then, I'm getting an anominous feeling.'

'That–' She thought about her potential enemies from unidentified Nexus Worlds. People with more access to information, infrastructure, and personnel. Yeah, anominous was about right, she thought as she made her way towards the barrier of death. <-…-> Historian P. O. V.

"Tell us, Historian." A loud, authoritative voice resonated from the front of the Matron's Chamber, the Vixian leader's version of a throne room. The giant hall was filled to the brim with Vulpians of all shapes, sizes, and affiliations, many of whom dated back to the Vixian homeworld. All were watching the proceedings with rapt attention. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. All except the Matriarch. Technically, she wasn't present in the room at all.

A projection of her sat in her place, though even just her echo held more conceptual weight than most of the beings within the hall.

"You have been away from us for quite some time. Over a decade in that Nexus World."

"Though considerably fewer years for you, Matron. Have I mentioned you're looking quite spry?" The Historian smiled. The Matron ignored the compliment.

"Why has the Life-Flame of your disciple, Tareth Magmas, died out?" She asked, mentioning an artifact often used to monitor the status of a group's more talented or influential members.

"Well, that's because he died," the Historian said.

"Lorekeeper," she intoned.

"Your disciple died under your care. How could you have allowed this to happen, and why did you not announce it?"

"I told the boy I wouldn't interfere. He ignored my warnings. I presumed his passing was already known and saw no virtue in announcing his foolishness to the world." At that, two Flame Clan Vulpians bearing the same coloration as Tareth were finally unable to contain themselves.

"You traitor! You let him die!" shouted one.

"You promised you'd take care of him, and you let him die!" the other sobbed. Rage and pain could be seen in their eyes alongside confusion.

"I'll have you watch your words, because I can absolutely guarantee the verisimilitude of mine. I was quite specific when I took him on that I would not protect the boy from the consequences of his own actions, nor would I act as a bulwark against his hubris and ineptitude. I take my duty seriously, and I'll not have you slander me because your son was hollow gold with ideas beyond his station and aspirations beyond his talent or willingness to put in the hard work," the Historian said.

Behind the couple, their clan members radiated a myriad of emotions, from sorrow to avarice to glee and more. Taking in the atmosphere of the hall, the Matriarch changed the subject.

"The accusations have been acknowledged. The records shall be consulted, and an appropriate response will be delivered for any clear breach of the agreement or violation of the terms given.

"Now, to the true subject of your summons."

"Matriarch–" one of the clan members interrupted. Before the next word left their mouth, they were on the ground. Dead. Nobody had seen anything. Nobody, save for the Historian, had even felt the barest brush of power.

"Perhaps I have been gone so long my authority has become a suggestion?" The question was rhetorical. However, the entire audience hall collectively shook their heads or made gestures of refusal, disabusing the notion silently and vehemently.

"Little Historian," she continued as though she hadn't been interrupted.

"The powers are stirring, the Network is abuzz. I've been made aware you have pertinent information the Faction could use."

"Some." The Historian nodded.

"I bring news of a newly Integrated world." The reactions around the chamber confirmed that, for most, this was the first they were hearing of it. Both Historian and Matriarch made note of the few who didn't react.

"Tell us what you know," the Matriarch prompted.

"It is a new world." He smiled.

"I'll need more than that, Lorekeeper."

"And what will I get in return?" He was a Lorekeeper, not a lore giver.

"Consider it penance for dereliction of duty." The Historian snorted but responded.

"The world is populated by humans." A different kind of uproar spread through the hall. Humans were difficult to categorise. They could be exceptionally weak, painfully mediocre, or terrifyingly formidable. The Matriarch just nodded. It seemed she'd been using the Historian to confirm what she'd already heard.

"That makes a certain amount of sense based on the whispers moving through the upper echelons of the Network." The Historian raised his eyebrows. From what he knew, the girl and her mouse had entered her Portal World not even a full twenty-four hours after Integration. At that point, it was unlikely a significant portion of her world had even awakened from their Integration comas. Yet already word was spreading. Truly, the humans on that world are formidable, he thought. And the Factions as avaricious as ever.

That was clear enough just from the muttering coming from some of the Vulpians in the room.

"If it's humans..."

"... missed out in the last campaign."

"... the opportunity could be..." Voices bloomed and overlapped throughout the hall. The Matriarch ignored it all. Instead, she watched the being known as the Historian to some, Master of Records to others, Lorekeeper to her people, but most crucially for her, one of the first generation of free Vixians. Her own grandchild.

'What say you?' she sent telepathically.

'How should we handle this… Earth?'

'I wouldn't recommend conquest.'

'Explain.' The question was sincere, so he responded in kind.

'This newly Integrated Earth is… formidable. Formidable enough that even the strongest within the Faction might find their losses substantial should they underestimate the world they intend to conquer.'

'A death world?' For the first time, the Matriarch's expression changed.

'I believe so. If not in environment, then certainly in spirit. Some sapients will be easily subjugated, some will likely even subordinate themselves. Those are not the people to be worried about, and that is not a world that will take readily to domination.'

'You met one.' The Historian sent back a complicated mix of amusement, fascination, exasperation, and the barest hint of avarice he couldn't quite hide.

'I met one. Spoke to her about our world's history, so she shared from her own. She spoke of a concept called "mutually assured destruction".'

'Do we not have the same concept? When parties fight, one or more will burn themselves out to ensure the annihilation of the opposition.'

'Correct. Only their version of the 'opposition' might include children and non-combatants, their own land and resources, the land and resources of the enemy, the rest of their species for generations, and even the habitability of their world.'

'I'm not sure I follow. That seems like an irrationally disproportionate response,' the Matriarch replied.

'That would match the way my contact described it. Yes.'

'So, they what? Burn down the orchard because a superior force threatened them for their fruit?'

'No, they'll wait for an attempt to be made, or the fruit to be stolen… Then they scorch the earth, poison the ground, pollute the water, and introduce a tree-killing parasite just in case you try to start your own anywhere close, and in hopes you'll bring it back with you.' The Matriarch stared at him.

'Well, we've never been a conquering people, at least of others.' She looked around at the divided sub-Factions even within their own people.

'However, we are not cowards either.'

'No, we aren't. And we needn't position ourselves as antagonists in order to benefit from the opportunities brought by the new world,' the Historian continued.

'Is that what you truly believe?'

'Let us consider how we lost our homeworld, and how we regained it.'

'You believe this conflict will draw in the strongest?'

'Not all of them, perhaps, but even those who don't go will be suitably distracted. Distracted enough to present a unique opportunity for some... organizational restructuring. Especially considering our friendly relations with the Simbans and the Vargars.' The Matriarch understood immediately. There were many worlds and resources hoarded by Factions they'd normally never be able to contend with.

'A unique opportunity indeed.' The two grinned at one another within their minds as the volume in the rest of the hall increased around them.

'I'm sure some material support and access to communication with an already established Faction wouldn't go unappreciated by the newly integrated.' The Matriarch looked at the Historian. There was amusement in her voice when she said,'And I'm sure if you just happened to bump into an interesting subject, and that subject just happened to provide excellent material for your development, well, that would just be a coincidental bonus, wouldn't it?'

'Now, Grandmother. Pure baseless slander.' His grin got wider.

'Call me Matriarch,' she said, turning back to face the increasingly rowdy chamber.

'And keep me updated.' The Historian threw his head back and laughed.