Chapter 31

The warning came before the dragon, but only just.

Twenty-three people died.

But together they saved two hundred seventy-six.

The dragon flew off to the west.

Aisha saved twelve more, but lost three.

Aisha and Sir Tirns followed the dragon into the setting sun.

~~~~~~

“Are you still bothered by the bandits?” Antoine asked him.

Sevin jerked, turning to the knight. Four nights had passed since the encounter with the bandits. They were two hundred miles from the shallow, unmarked graves of the dead men they had made together.

Sevin frowned, considering the question. “Yes,” he said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You were defending yourself, and Rory,” Antoine pointed out.

Rory was, at the moment, out in the forest. He hadn’t said anything before wandering out of camp, which meant either he was answering the call of nature or that he wanted to be alone. Possibly both of those things.

“I know that,” Sevin said. He frowned, considering carefully his words.

“What you did, at the end. It looked a lot like you murdered that bandit,” Sevin explained.

“If I weren’t a Knight, that would have been exactly what I did,” Antoine agreed. “As a knight, I did my duty.”

“He surrendered,” Sevin objected.

“So? Have you considered his crimes? Highway robbery is a hangable offense by itself,” Antoine said dismissively.

“That wasn’t a hanging though,” Sevin pointed out. “He surrendered and you killed him anyway.”

“Sevin, I am the Vanquisher. I am one of perhaps eight people in Welsius who can fight a dragon. I am in the middle of a critical mission to reach the land where a dragon is expected to rampage. I do not have time to testify before a magistrate,” Antoine explained.

“I know that,” Sevin said. He didn’t even disagree. Their mission was more important than seeing that a highwayman received the justice he deserved.

“What were my other options, Sevin?” Antoine asked.

Sevin was silent. “He would have slowed us down if we took him with us,” Sevin agreed.

“And the other option was to set him free to rejoin his friends back at the ambush site,” Antoine pointed out.

“You don’t know that he would have done that,” Sevin objected. “He was scared. He might have learned his lesson and--”

Antoine began to laugh. Sevin blushed at his own naivety.

“Sevin, men don’t turn to banditry on a lark. It leaves a mark, and the Cores recognize it. Once a Core Marks someone a Criminal, it’s for life. Those men, they were desperate. And foolish, attacking three armed men and thinking that their numbers would carry them.”

“Why did they chase us?” Sevin asked. “Dammit, they were like children compared to us.”

“Nobody was meant to survive that ambush they set up on that road,” Antoine said. “They weren’t sure we spotted them or not, but either way they wanted our silence as much as whatever they could take off our dead bodies.”

Sevin was silent. “What about the ones who didn’t chase?”

“They probably just didn’t have enough horses for the entire gang,” Antoine explained with a shrug. “It’s a shame, would have been easier to deal with all of the bandits at once. Instead I reported them when we stopped for new horses, because that’s all that I had time to do.”

“Why didn’t we spring the ambush?” Sevin asked. “You could have taken them all out.”

“I don’t have time to solve every problem I find, Sevin,” Antoine answered. “Not while I’m hunting a dragon. That’s a factor that must be taken into consideration in all of my decisions until the dragon is dead.”

“If they hadn’t followed us?” Sevin asked.

“Then they wouldn’t be dead. But the next group of travelers to pass through their ambush probably would be,” Antoine said. “And if you two hadn’t been with me, then there would have been nobody to bury their bodies, because I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Sevin was silent as Antoine finished cooking their evening meal. The ancient knight took his own portion and ate it quickly while Sevin served himself and ate more sedately.

“So you feel nothing for the man you executed?” Sevin asked.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Sevin, I’ve killed a lot of people,” Antoine answered. “I’m not proud of it, nor is it something I enjoy. But it stopped keeping me up at night a long time ago.”

Rory came back moments later and helped himself to what was left of the stew. His eyes were red and puffy. Nobody commented on that, however.

Sevin was silent for a long moment. “Why are you bringing us with you to fight the dragon? We’re not even level thirty yet, we can’t help you.”

“You want to be knights,” Antoine answered. “I figured that it’s time to knock your heads out of the clouds and teach you what that actually means.”

~~~~~

“Tom Weaver, age fifteen. Awaken. I would speak with you, child,” a voice called from his dreams.

Tom sat up. He was in bed in the guestrooms of Fenard’s palace. “Alpha? Is that you? How?”

“I am not Alpha. I am Reus,” the voice answered. “That child is very young, but surprisingly robust. She will make a fine replacement for the other networks as they die.”

Tom frowned in the darkness. Suddenly, a light, and he turned to see a beautiful woman in his room. She had violet hair and black eyes, and was dressed in a scarlet gown.

“You’re the spirit that appeared to Marshal before he died,” Tom said. “Antoine told me about you.”

“Marshal made it closer to completing the great challenge than anyone else in centuries,” Reus said. “So close. Only a little closer and this burden would not fall to you, child. I am sorry that it has.”

“Which of the nations is next to fall?” Tom asked quickly.

“At the present rate of decay and instability, Network four has three to seven months remaining,” Reus answered. “That network corresponds to the human nation Petosh.”

“Petosh? I see. Thank you for the information, Reus. Alpha either could not or would not tell me no matter how I asked,” Tom said.

“She is very young. She will have issues thinking and communicating like a human for several generations, no matter how strong your network grows,” Reus explained.

“Why are the nations falling? Can you explain that to me?” Tom asked.

“It is a combination of mismanagement, the accumulation of miasma, and the senescence of the system,” Reus answered. “It has been twenty-three centuries since the system was created, Tom Weaver. Since the compact between the humans from Earth and my children began. All things grow old and die. I, myself, am the third iteration of the spirit of the World Core in that time frame. Unfortunately the Architects have fled this world and did not leave their knowledge behind to those who inherited from them.”

Tom blinked. “What?”

“Twenty-three centuries ago wizards from Earth opened a portal to Reus. All of your kind that live in this world today are descended either from those settlers, or those whose spirits were summoned by them,” Reus explained. “When they arrived they encountered the dungeons. A Compact was made between humanity and Core-kind. That compact is the system.”

“And the system is dying,” Tom repeated.

“Yes.”

Tom swallowed. “How do I stop it?”

“You don’t. You prepare for what happens next,” Reus answered. “The Compact must be renewed, Tom. In order to do this you must reach the World Core, but you are not strong enough for that yet, nor do you have the companions to protect you along the long journey.”

“What happens when I reach the World Core?” Tom asked.

“That depends on what you find, and how well you have done your duties on the surface,” Reus answered. “I do not see the future much better than your kind does, Tom. I cannot predict everything that will happen between now and then. It could be that it is too late to save life on Reus and you struggle in vain. Would you cease your struggles to set things aright if that were the case?”

“No,” Tom said. “If there’s any chance then I have to try to help.”

Reus smiled. “I am pleased to hear that, Tom. I believe that the system chose its champion correctly.”

“Tell me what to do,” Tom said. “How do I stop everything from turning into a blight like Velund.”

“You are already on the course you need to tread,” Reus answered. “Build a powerful network. Repair as many Sundered cores as you can. Establish dungeons to channel the built up Miasma that has been accumulating over the centuries, and encourage as many as you can to delve those dungeons and slay the monsters within to convert that Miasma into Experience.”

“And that will stop the collapse?” Tom asked.

“No, but it will slow things from getting worse.”

“What about the war?” Tom asked. “How do I stop that?”

“That is something I cannot help you with, Tom. I am only vaguely aware of the death throws of network three.”

“I see,” Tom said, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. “Is there any way to reverse it?”

“Perhaps if you had been born twenty years ago you might have prevented it,” Reus answered. “Perhaps if the previous progenitor had survived she might have prevented it. Perhaps a thousand of other variables might have been different to avoid it. But it is too late now.”

Tom chewed his lip. “Can I stop it from happening somewhere else?”

“You do not have the time to travel between the networks and fixing them,” Reus answered. “You must focus on what you can do here and now. If the rulers of the other nations wish for you to prevent the cascading failure from occurring in their lands, then I suggest they bring the networks to you.”

“Thank you,” Tom said.

“But the Miasma must be dealt with, or you will only be poisoning your nascent network,” Reus continued. “Dungeons must be created. Delvers must fight and slay monsters within. That is simply the way things are, and much of the current crisis comes from attempts to avoid this universal truth.”

“I understand,” Tom agreed.

“Do you?” Reus sounded amused. “Perhaps. Tom, do not connect your network to Northstone.”

Tom blinked. “Why not?”

“Not until you are ready to complete your quest,” Reus said. “That is a keystone of three networks. When you connect your network to the World Core, it will vent as much miasma into your network as it can. Prepare at that time for a monster surge.”

“I don’t understand. What’s special about Northstone?” Tom questioned again.

“If you must connect your network to any Core in Profons, connect to Other Westone,” she continued. “Good night, Tom Weaver, Age fifteen.”

Tom awoke. It was morning. He remembered his vision perfectly, sitting on the side of the bed and discussing matters with the World Spirit, but he didn’t remember going back to bed. It was too real to be a dream. Another vision for certain.

He rang a bell to summon a servant, who entered his room moments later.

“I need to send a message to King Fenard,” Tom said immediately. “I’ve had a vision, and we need to warn Petosh.”