Chapter 65: The Ancient Ones

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Protoflora: Envisioned Ecosystems (Gate District)

Many times in his life, Caim found himself in the possession of resources that were wasted on him. This came in the form of tools he didn't know how to use, information he didn't know was relevant, and friends he took for granted.

He was always lacking something, be it wisdom, education, or courage. This was the familiar pattern.

To no fault of his own, though there was plenty blame to share, Caim had failed. He sank into a self-loathing depression, and then lost everything at the whim of an enigmatic god-like figure.

"Novette," he called out.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the old gods we talked about when I first met you? The Orchestrators."

The botanist looked lost, but she nodded slowly.

"Has one of them ever died? Has a mortal ever killed one?"

"What a question... The whole point of a god is that they don't die," Gwen cut in. "I suppose Apex was a special case, but she made the choice for herself and lives on through the Hexaline. Wow... that answer came straight from the books."

"While the deities of Shroud abide by those general rules, these Orchestrators were different. Their power was tied to their followings, though not all sided higher sentients or even the living. There were those that represented calamity or discord. Their power was always fluid, and they didn't seem interested in killing each other. I do know of one story-"

Novette stopped talking and held a hand over her mouth.

"Are you alright?" Caim asked, but Gwen just shook her head, frowning.

"She's fine, but if anyone heard her, we'd be be killed for even hearing the things she seems to know."

"I didn't mean to-"

"I don't care. No one is here and we're already plotting something... My only thoughts are about how you came by this information."

For the first time since Caim had met this woman, he saw terror and profound sadness slide across Novette's gentle features. She didn't want to talk, but she forced the words out.

"I'm a little older than I lead others to believe, though Shroud has the records if they decided to track me from my old home. For now, I'm safe. I've dabbled in different fields over the years, but confessing this always makes people treat me differently..."

"She's one of the ancient ones!"

"Novette? A god?"

"Haha, no, no. That's just what people call them, but they are just like you or I, only they knew what this place was like before the war."

"I don't actually know what it was like before the war, but I do know what it was like before Shroud started changing. Wasting more time than I care to admit, I didn't pay the changes much mind because they didn't appear to concern me, but..."

It was easier to control the young ones, those who could be educated in specialized schools. The elders were another matter. Their systems of morality are more stabilised, whereas control over moral development has proven to be most effective at young ages.

I don't dare ask yet, but how can a person live so long? Is it something about how their physiology differs from mine?

"Is that why you agreed to my proposal?" Caim asked.

"Yes. I don't know what I can do, or what is worth doing, but I think maybe it would help me feel a little differently about some things. I want that."

"I might understand why people would treat you differently, but I don't intend to do the same.I might even know someone like you, though, her circumstances are a little different..."

His offhand comment made Novette's eyes gleam with wanting.

"What's her name?"

He paused. This was what Vera wanted, so he was disinclined to give up the name so easily. He'd been on the fence, but the mellow botanist was hard to let down.

"Telling you this name puts me at risk."

"Oh, I live with the burden. I know so many things the right people might want to kill me for. There are people who no longer exist but in my mind, and places that met the same fate. If there's a chance I could talk to someone who-"

"This person is far away."

"Oh... Even so."

"Her name is Vera, and we have a short, complicated relationship.

Spellweaving Event Triggered Branch Unlocked [ Observation ] Observation Power Unlocked

[ Pulse ]

Stolen novel; please report.

Description

[ Passively reveals relics of an ancient presence. Spread Her name to unlock greater functionality.]

Hibernating

Great, more powers more trouble than their worth.

"Maybe I'll get to meet this Vera someday..." Novette said wistfully.

"Your chances aren't zero, I suppose."

"I know from your tone you don't want to give me false hope, but let me be responsible for my own dreams. The burden should be mine. And that's enough of that moping. You've brought me a miracle already. I can't get greedy."

Caim couldn't help thinking he was the greediest one of them all, all things considered. His ambitions had essentially travelled from his homeworld to... wherever this planet was.

This time, he knew who he had to thank, or blame, depending on how this all turned out in the end. This time, the curtain of mystery was lifted just high enough to deprive him of reservations. He wouldn’t stay idle.

Caim could be courageous because he had more to lose by being too risk-averse. It seemed that he wasn’t all the uneducated in terms of this more primitive society. He could apply knowledge from his old world to this one, and get a leg up on others. Even past failures became wisdom.

“Novette, would you be willing to let me rent space in your nursery for my own use? In your new nursery, if you still decide to expand.”

“Of course! Rather than pay me in coin, could you agree to help me with my research from time to time? Much like what we just did, only more involved.”

It was an exceptionally good bargain, but not unexpected.

“It’s a deal. The reason I’m asking isn’t something I’m sure of, but I would like to explore these blightsources a little more, and I’d like to set up a workbench somewhere Gwen can access it. She is working for you and you provide safe harbor already, so it's just the most convenient option.”

The keen merchant perked up.

“Me? Yes, me. That would be nice, but I forbid you from spending any more on unnecessary things!”

“I still don’t really know the value of my earnings relative to the price of things I need, but I am making a steady income now. My debts-”

“Debts?!” Gwen yelped.

She went from happy to terrified in mere seconds.

“Oh, no! Not that kind of debt. My friends paid for this armor I’m wearing. One didn’t even know I knew she paid and intended to pay her back, but that's the long and short of it..”

Gwen calmed down somewhat.

“That kind of debt? I see… that is… ok. I understand.”

“You didn’t let me finish what I was saying before. That Hexknight I fought gave me three alde to stay out of trouble. I used some of it to pay off the debt. We will be earning a lot of coin soon with all of these projects in the works,” Caim reminded her, trying to cheer her up. “Would you hold on to the remaining alde for me?”

This coin in hand strategy worked. It was irrefutable proof that Caim wasn't destitute, and the story was backed by the hundreds of witnesses to the Hexknights' presence in the city.

“Yes we will! I will, but I know what you’re doing.”

Trying not to startle her further, Caim patted Gwen’s head slightly. He had already touched down on her red hair before he became aware of what he was doing, but she didn’t shy away.

He swallowed hard, realizing that she reminded him of someone from his homeworld.

Neither commented on the awkwardness of the gesture. Instead, the corners of her lips curled up a little bit.

The old acquaintance hadn't been an official member of ARC, but she assisted with simple projects here and there. She never knew that her work was being used to disrupt dangerous whitewashing going on elsewhere in the world. They collectively agreed to keep her in the dark because she was something of a younger sister to more than a few of the founding members.

Maybe the real reason he'd been so quick to rescue Gwen from her situation was this memory, hidden from conscious awareness, yet an active presence in his subconscious.

The similarities were there, but Gwen was a very different person. It would much more time before he would be able to predict more than surface reactions.

Caim remembered something he still needed to do.

“I have another matter I want to discuss with you, Gwen. Novette, I apologize, but could we talk in the other room for a short while? It isn’t something I want to hide from you, I just-”

“I’m not worried, Flourisher Caim, you have my blessing and all the privacy I can provide on my humble property.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Hm?”

Novette was staring longingly at her flourishflora sample, no longer paying attention to anything else. It was one of the ones they'd used today in their small experiment. The passion in her eyes was mild, and her serene expression exuded contentment.