Conrad went next, his mood sour, to say the least. Neither he nor Boundary had been inclined to speak on what had happened in their fight with his sister and nephew, but obviously something had occurred. The man hadn’t seemed particularly attached to his family, yet he’d never spoken of how his mysterious, ethical brother would view him killing family members, even if it was temporary.
A few reasons for the man’s mood flittered through her head as she watched the Clarity members tear the world apart once more, cringing as the innards of the universe were displayed once more.
⸂That’s pretty terrible,⸃ Key said, tucking himself closer to her.
“It is…” Emilia mumbled, and at the very least, she knew that she wasn’t the only one seeing the gory insides of the universe—she knew that at the very least, everyone else wasn’t seeing something less horrific.
The hole snapped shut, and across her vision, Conrad’s name shifted from a light purple to a more vibrant shade.
[Conrad: Hi]
Emilia couldn’t help but smile as Conrad’s awkward message slid through the group chat, although Emilia was pretty sure that he would have been able to message on it with only Risen Guard system access, had he actually wanted to. They had yet to figure out how—or even if—they could get Key onto the system, to say nothing of V and the kids, but both Boundary and Rin were able to message through it as well.
The two Risen Guard—was Rin even still technically a part of the Risen Guard?—had remained outside, while Key and Emilia had accompanied Conrad for his ritual. Emilia wasn’t sure what the pair had talked about, but by the time they stepped back outside themselves, the tension that had existed between them since Boundary and Conrad had joined them had dissipated some.
Given she had mentioned the various states of corruption—largely existing under corrupt overseers—that the Risen Guard was and was not aware of and fighting against, she figured that was probably one of the things they’d spoken about, allowing some of the tension and misunderstandings between them to settle. Conrad’s ritual had taken over thirty minutes, and as much the corruption was fascinating stuff, Emilia doubted that was all they’d managed to talk about.
“So… what now?”
Everyone looked between themselves. No one spoke.
Well, okay then.
“So… options,” Emilia's sighed, accepting that she was probably going to have to take the lead, at least a bit. It had, most unfortunately, not escaped her notice that since her little show of authority in the meeting with the rebel Clarity members that Key and Rin had been deferring to her more. While she was pretty sure Conrad was older than her—just a vibe, really—she was also sure he wouldn’t choose to take a leadership role, not unless someone physically forced him to.
As for Boundary…
Boundary seemed to be messaging someone, his eyes staring vacantly into space.
If he had an opinion on things, he’d volunteer it. Until then, he seemed content to let them figure out options.
Raising her fist and counting off the options on her fingers, Emilia listed their possible actions. “We can go find Ajarni and try to force information out of him. We can blow up the city system—although I don’t think we currently have either a weapon for that or the desperation to do so. We can try and evacuate as many people as possible—although I’m not even sure how that would work in this world.” She looked between the locals, who wore different versions of the same concerned frowns.
⸂It would be difficult without the Risen Guard,⸃ Phlostra finally said. ⸂Clarity members can evacuate themselves and other members back to our own landing pads, but it would be extremely dangerous, as only a few people have personal landing pads outside the city.⸃
“Wouldn’t do to kill yourself landing inside another person while trying to save lives,” Emilia agreed.
Fortunately, in the case of sparking, the skill purposefully chose points that hadn’t recently been touched by another spark. You couldn’t kill yourself or another person, your bodies sliding into each other to create a salad of human flesh, but you could physically land on top of someone.
Emilia had done that a few times. The most notable time, she’d landed flat on top of General Fulbrun… who had then grabbed her and toppled both of them onto General Tyrees. Luckily, as powerful as General Fulbrun was, that man was also a softy and had simply laughed. General Tyrees had been less impressed, especially as she’d been attempting to give an impassioned speech about something or other—that woman was always trying to talk people into one thing or another, and Emilia had never bothered to keep track of what she talked about from one day to the next.
⸂Will the Risen Guard help?⸃ Key asked, looking between Rin and Boundary.
Rin shifted, clearly uncomfortable with being asked something she couldn’t possibly know.
⸂It is… unlikely,⸃ Boundary said.
“Seriously?” Emilia asked, levelling an unimpressed look at the man. “Isn’t it your guy’s job to help people?”
Boundary blinked at her, his expression somewhere between confused and wary. Slowly he nodded, telling her it was. ⸂However,⸃ he interjected, before she could tell him off, ⸂as much as Clarity is not an organization whose existence is common knowledge, it is common knowledge that there are several groups acting against the Risen Guard for one reason or another. It is understood that if you join such a group, you forfeit your right to our assistance. I cannot expect other guards to risk their lives for people who may very well go off and join another vigilante group.⸃
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
That was, unfortunately, a pretty good argument. “What about the kids? A bunch of the homeless kids from Livery ended up here. Carne may have been looking for them, but who knows if he actually found them? They didn’t choose to be here, and I bet there are a lot of people who just sort of ended up here, or were born into the group and would really like to leave.”
The look Boundary gave her was sympathetic, but resolute. ⸂If we find children, or adults who clearly do not want to be here and who”—his eyes slid hesitantly towards Rin—“your friend can determine haven’t been severally affected by the heartcores yet, I may be able to convince several members to come and get them.”
They blinked at each other for a long moment, Emilia warring with the part of herself that hated leaving anyone who may be innocent behind—the part of herself who had risked sparking into off-limit Free Colonies, trying to rescue people who hated her for her silverstrain or who had been brainwashed by their governments—and the part that both knew this wasn’t her world or her decision to make—the part that knew that some of those people they had rescued had been killed by their home government anyways, simply for daring to speak with an outsider, even if it was against their will.
“Okay,” she finally said, grimacing as she added, “What aren’t you telling us?”
The Risen Guard tensed, although that could have been because he wasn’t used to being called out or due to what he had to say. ⸂The person we sent to speak with the Haym family went dark.⸃
Every local in the group tensed, and Emilia could guess at the meaning behind the man’s words: the man was dead.
“Before or after Conrad’s family started showing up?”
⸂Shortly before.⸃
“In other words, they may very well have already known that we were poking around, looking for one of their weapons of mass destruction.”
⸂It’s possibly.⸃
“So, one of them could be carrying it around with them, and that’s part of why you won’t ask the Risen Guard to send in more people: this place could blow any minute.”
Everyone shifted uncomfortably—well, Conrad didn’t, but neither he nor Emilia could really die.
⸂I can take you to the kids—both the ones who came with V and ones who belong to Clarity. We moved most of them to a more secure location, before the mission to the Ingogia estate,⸃ Phlostra volunteered, the unspoken people will be watching them in her words ringing between them. ⸂I won’t ask for coordinates to one of your landing pads—I know you don’t trust me enough for that—but if you decide to give me one, I will help you get the kids out. I can also lead you to the city levels with the most residents who are… more simple resident than Clarity member. Ajarni has been… gathering people for a long time.⸃
The woman looked away, uncomfortable as she admitted that many of them would never have been the type of people Ajarni could manipulate, the word a bare whisper through the aether. ⸂Each generation, his family has turned more and more of the children to their cause. I believe that was more their intention: to gather parents and then turn their children.⸃
So, there were a lot more innocent people in the Clarity City System than they’d realized—a lot of people who would die if they didn’t… what? Figure out a way to purge every person who had been touched by the hive mind?
Actually… was that something that could be possible?
“If we can get rid of the last two members of Conrad’s family, will the Risen Guard come then?” Emilia asked, her mind twisting around a potential plan.
Slowly, Boundary nodded. ⸂If you can find the weapon that was created in Salsetrun, I believe I can convince some to risk their lives.⸃
“Some of the people who can use that ability Rin was using? The one that can track people by their heartcore corruption?”
⸂Perhaps… why?⸃
“I don’t think anyone wants to kill all the people down here, or risk whatever blood weapon is used being too powerful.” As much as Boundary had told her most of the mass destruction grade blood weapons were capable of destroying a building or two at most, he had admitted a few had taken out far more, his expression grim as he refused to say more. “If we can instead track down the Clarity members who are affected by the hive mind and kill them—”
⸂We can leave the rest of the residents alive, and not risk whatever the weapon is blowing up the entire planet,⸃ Key said, lighting up. He had slowly grown sadder since realizing they’d likely be killing the majority of the people in the Clarity City System. It was rather cute, watching him perk up at the mere possibility things wouldn’t end quite so bloody.
⸂The remaining people will still have to be questioned,⸃ Rin pointed out, something in her demeanour changing from quiet listener to someone who actually knew what they were talking about.
What had Boundary said? That she’d been tapped for investigation? That certainly took a certain type of mentality, even if Rin was clearly only at the beginning of her training.
Boundary nodded in agreement, arms crossing over his chest as he stared her down. ⸂Yes, and it will also involve killing countless people who may only have the smallest hints of the hive mind within them.⸃ He stared at her, likely trying to gauge her reaction. It wasn’t everyday someone asked if you were capable of killing people who were, to a large extent, innocent. ⸂There may even be some children.⸃
At that, Rin faltered slightly, but she still remained resolute. ⸂A few unnecessary deaths is better than everyone dying,⸃ she said, her aethervoice still managing to crack.
The two of them, Risen Guard and former trainee, stared at each other a long time before Boundary finally nodded and turned to Phlostra. ⸂You can lead the girl and I to the children.⸃
⸂What about us?⸃ Key asked, looking nervously between everyone, and it occurred to Emilia that he probably hadn’t been expecting to split up with Rin.
Turning to Conrad, Emilia asked, “Do you want to go deal with your family or get V and the kids?”
The man frowned at her. ⸂You make it sound like we’re splitting up.⸃
“Well…”
⸂No.⸃
“What do you mean no?”
⸂I mean, no. We won’t be splitting up. End of story.⸃
Emilia gaped at him, mentally preparing to cuss him out, when he sighed and admitted that he didn’t think either of them could handle his remaining niece and nephew alone. ⸂If you’re planning to go after them, we have to go together.⸃
⸂You should go after them first. If they really have that weapon, we’ll want to get it before they decide to use it,⸃ Boundary pointed out, like the sensible man he was.
Scuffing her foot against the ground, Emilia begrudgingly agreed. She wanted to get to V and the kids before anything terrible happened to them, but if they could remove the risk of the entire city system being blown off the map any minute, that would make them all safer.
⸂I’ll go. To V and… and those kids, I mean.⸃