What exactly happened with that newly discovered authority? To answer that question, one must first understand how the authority was discovered in the first place, because it wasn’t just randomly found.
It all began about twenty years ago, during Dungeon Master 07's last visit to the Voidborne Catacomb. With his latest incarnation, he had been striving to inform me and Dungeon Master 00 about the evolution of events in Fiendfell, as well as to learn about my various experiments. These visits took place every ten years, much like the old days when we gathered at Miriandelle's Plaza of Convergence to exchange intel.
It was during one of these visits that a particular topic came up—our use of the authorities. During my stay in the Voidborne Catacomb, I had been studying these authorities in depth. We all acknowledged that we had been using the available authorities incorrectly or, at the very least, underutilizing them. We possessed a total of four authorities, with Greed and Resurgence being the last ones we acquired. All four were in Dungeon Master 00’s possession, kept in the safest possible place in Fiendfell. However, having them there meant that, with the exception of Greed and Resurgence and Ethereal Echo—the authority that allowed us to reincarnate repeatedly and the authority that enabled many of us to be born from a singular mind—the others were underutilized.
The Authority Gathering authority was particularly wasted in Dungeon Master 00’s possession. It was an authority that allowed the wielder to sense the presence of other authorities. It didn’t work like a GPS; it was more like a dowsing rod that provided a general direction to locate available authorities. That is why when Dungeon Master 00 wielded it, there wasn't much practical use—it simply confirmed the existence of authority wielders out there without providing anything actionable.
The idea that this authority would be more useful to any Dungeon Master other than Dungeon Master 00 wasn't new. Dungeon Master 07, Dungeon Master 09, and I had all agreed on this for a long time. However, there were reasons why we never acted on the idea. First, reaching the Voidborne Catacomb to get the authority wasn’t easy. To acquire it, we had to get it directly from Dungeon Master 00, which wasn’t a simple task—not in terms of timing or strength considering the Voidborne Catacomb location. Additionally, there was a fear that the Dungeon Master wielding the authority would meet an untimely end at the hands of another authority wielder they were tracking. A Dungeon Master's death would result in their soul being summoned back to Dungeon Master 00, but we could infer that the authority itself wouldn’t be so easily recovered and could end up in the hands of an enemy. The idea of someone else wielding that particular authority was unsettling, especially for Dungeon Master 07, who always considered the worst-case scenario.
For years, decades, and even centuries, the thought pf having the authority being wielded by any Dungeon Master than Dungeon Master 00 remained unacted upon. But in recent years, Dungeon Master 07’s visits to the Voidborne Catacomb led him to reconsider. He eventually agreed to put the Authority Gathering to use. Though he didn’t make the suggestion himself, no doubt he would have preferred to be the one to wield it. However, he understood that he was the worst candidate for the mission due to his proximity to those we absolutely wanted to keep the authorities away from—the Seraphims, allies to our late and treacherous reincarnate, Jason.
As a second choice, I was considered, but my persona also posed a problem. I had enemies everywhere, and there was a significant chance the authority could end up in the hands of a certain someone as problematic as the Seraphims. Therefore, neither Dungeon Master 07 nor I were options, which is why I put forth a suggestion for whom to entrust with the mission—Dungeon Master 06. I could easily vouch for him; after all, I had raised him. Even if I hadn't, I had seen the kind of person he was—eccentric, yes, but steadfast and dedicated. He knew how to take care of things. To me, he was perfect for the task. Six years ago, we entrusted him with [Authority Gathering], and he took it into Fiendfell, leaving the Voidborne Catacombs for the first time in centuries.
From this point onward, everything I know is from Dungeon Master 10 and Dungeon Master 13, who narrated what happened in the elven lands, where the authority led Dungeon Master 06. It was fitting, as that was the continent he was raised on. One thing he did upon taking on the task was surround himself well—Dungeon Master 10, who had been living in Quel'thalas for years, accompanied him, and Dungeon Master 13, along with Sharonne, was summoned from the land of the beastfolk. Together, the four of them—five, if you count Frank, Goblin's loyal bonded creature—actively searched for the mysterious authority wielder in Quel'thalas. Unsurprisingly, they found him, and what they found was nothing short of surprising.
Perhaps it was confidence in their numbers or just the unexpectedness of what they found, but they chose to confront the authority wielder. They fought him. Contrary to my worst fears as Dungeon Master 10 narrated this to me, the battle went well for them. Despite the problematic nature of the power wielded by the authority wielder's , they won easily and were able to secure the authority without slaying its wielder. They were able to "tame" him, as Dungeon Master 10 put it.
So in much simpler term, that part of the story went well. What didn’t go well was what happened afterward, when they were extraditing the authority wielder back to the Voidborne Catacomb. That’s when everything went wrong. Out of nowhere, a Patriarch—an elven monarch, the elven equivalent of an emperor for humans or a Seraphim for angels—appeared, throwing everything into chaos. The encounter required the loss and sacrifice of Frank, Dungeon Master 10, and the authority wielder, along with the authority [Rule and Overrule], which allowed its wielder to infuse their will into living beings. All of this was a necessary sacrifice for Goblin, Blondie, and Bortz to barely escape alive.
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The night passed in a flash, and morning came. After breakfast, as promised, I began to elaborate on my plan of action. We were gathered in the living room, where I sat in an armchair, with Dungeon Master 05 to my left, facing Goblin and Blondie on the sofa across from me.
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"You're staring too much again," I softly warned Licht.
He gave me a look that seemed to ask, "What else am I supposed to do?" Understanding his point, I decided to side with him for the moment. I turned my attention to Goblin and added, "Goblin, we’re talking about something serious here. What you two are doing is a bit distracting for our friend."
Goblin threw a glare at Licht, then sighed. "I'm almost done, give me a moment." After a few more careful adjustments, he finished arranging Blondie's golden hair into an elegant low bun.
The sight brought a wave of nostalgia over me. Back in the early days, before Sharonne had earned the nickname "Blondie," she had been a clumsy little child. Doing her hair had been my job at first, but both Bortz and Goblin had taken over quickly, enjoying the task so much that it seemed as if they were little girls playing with a doll’s hair. I didn't mind the sight—it felt natural. However, I could understand how it might be hard for an outsider like Licht to ignore.
"You're good now," Goblin said to Licht as he finished.
I didn’t give Licht a chance to respond. "Well then, gentlemen, let’s get back to the matter at hand." The three of them nodded.
"As I said, we will proceed with the plan as you all know."
After evaluating the strength of the enemy we were up against to recover the lost authority, I had come to a conclusion—one that I am not happy about. Despite my desire to say otherwise, I couldn’t confidently claim that I could defeat that elven monarch, even if I made use of every resource available—my own strength, Dungeon Master 05's, Dungeon Master 06's, Dungeon Master 09's, Blondie's. We simply didn't have the firepower, after all, the elven monarch was the equivalent of a Seraphim for the angels or an emperor for humans. Since we lacked the strength to take them down, we had to do something most Dungeon Masters weren't fond of—borrow firepower from others.
"While White will..." I glanced at Licht. "Dungeon Master 10 will keep a close watch on our 'big fish.' It’s up to us to secure the help we need to take him down." I paused, letting my words sink in. "I’ve already sent Bortz to seek help from our old friend from the Ferron Elven Family. Our rusty-haired friend will most likely be down for our plan, so long as Bortz voices my offer as well as I hope he will."
"Knowing him," Goblin commented, "I have no doubt he’ll be able to convince him."
"I feel the same way," I said with a smile. "That’s why I sent him first. I’m confident he and White will carry out their mission flawlessly. It’s us that will have more complications with our respective missions." I then announced what each of their tasks would be. "Goblin and Blondie, you two will go to the Aurian family and request the assistance of their Matriarch. Convince her to help us take down our 'big fish.' She will fret about it, no doubt, since there is literally nothing for her to gain by joining our fight. However, it should be possible to change her mind by showing her what she stands to lose if she doesn’t."
The two of them nodded, indicating that they knew exactly what to do, much to Licht’s confusion. He seemed a bit lost, but I pretended not to notice as I issued a warning. "One thing I’d like you to remember—when I say to remind her of what she stands to lose if she doesn’t help us, do not make it sound like a threat. Be as reverent as needed, because you will be in the territory of a monarch. Monarchs often believe themselves to be gods, and condescension directed at them is rarely taken well." While making my point, I cast an obvious glare at Goblin.
"Ma'am, what are you looking at me like that for?" he asked.
"You know exactly why," I replied.
Goblin frowned for a moment, clearly annoyed, but then sighed and let it go. "Ma'am, you don’t have to worry. I won’t do anything that will put your plan or any of us in danger," he said with conviction.
"Good," I smiled, satisfied. "That’s all I wanted to hear. Now, the only thing I have to worry about is my mission—mine and Licht’s. He and I will go request help from the Umbryan Family’s Patriarch."
Goblin grimaced. "That somehow makes me feel blessed to be sent where I’m sent."
I chuckled, understanding where he was coming from. That Patriarch, along with the one we were planning to fight, was equally tyrannical—likely because both of them had the power to boast about being the strongest around which got into their head.
"We’re up for a challenge, that’s for sure," I said.
"You sure are," Goblin responded.
"You think he's going to welcome us with open arms?"
"Well, with him, I don't even know anymore. To be frank, you should be able to make him agree to help us take down that bastard, but I'm not sure if he'll even listen to you at first. I heard that bastard is one arrogant son of a bitch. He's the kind to allow you an audience, have you bow to him, then completely ignore your words," Goblin said, speaking from obvious experience. "But well, you're the one handling this after all. Perhaps it will go well for you."
I contemplated for a moment. Bortz was directly involved in the incident and had seen firsthand the danger that our problematic patriarch represented to other elves. He had all the arguments to convince the Ferrum elves' patriarch to join us. The same went for Goblin and Blondie. They were directly involved in the matter, and Goblin, being an elf, had a clear reason for the Matriarch to want to see that problematic patriarch defeated. It all made sense. But in our case, not so much. I was a Highbreed, and Dungeon Master 05 was a Verdenkind. We are obviously not going to mention the authority, so from an elven perspective we--human as we were---really have no business with this matter—it was an elven affair, through and through.
I did have a good excuse, but it wasn't the kind of excuse that would work well as an opening move. It was more of a coup de grace rather than an opening move.
"What do you think?" Goblin asked, noticing my musing. "Want to wait until Blondie and I are done convincing the Matriarch before you join in? Or..."
"Do you freally want to deal with him?" I asked with a smirk.
"Hell no."
"Then we'll do as I said. You handle your part, and I'll handle my part. Though I suppose you make a point—I've thought about it, we need something that will be an excuse for our interest in seeing that bastard taken down. Well, I'm saying 'something,' but it's more like someone."
"Someone?" Goblin repeated. It took him a moment, but then realization struck. "Don't tell me you're thinking about her."