Arterius sat atop his bed, legs crossed and palms resting on his knees. Thick wisps of Flux swirled around him like white clouds. The potent power flowed in and out of him at a steady pace, like he was a net placed in the current of a river.
Suddenly, his eyes opened as he was forced to leave the trance-like state he’d been in since the fight with the Insect Monarch. The massive range of his senses had picked up on three foreign ships at the edges of his perception, and a strange sense of warning rose in his gut. So, despite the fact that his healing wasn’t complete yet, and the fact that Aya would certainly scold him for doing so, he ended the healing Arte that glowed beneath him and got up. He understood how important healing quickly was, but he had lived far too long to make a mistake as foolish as ignoring a gut feeling. Especially when they were escorting one of the Grand Order’s most wanted criminals.
Arterius made his way over to his desk, pressing on the small gray disk at the center of it. Instantly, a holographic blue screen appeared above it, painting the image of a grizzled man with a trim, salt and pepper beard and buzzed hair. Worry creased the edges of his eyes, and a vicious scar ran down the length of his cheek.
“Is something the matter, Archbishop?” the man asked. “The Mother Saintess informed us that you would be busy till we made it to Adonis.”
Arterius smiled at that. “Never mind that, what’s the matter with you?” he responded. “I’ve known you long enough to know what that look means. What’s wrong?”
The face on the screen sighed. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. About three hours ago, we received a message from one of the passenger ships that they had been ambushed by some pirates. It wasn’t very alarming at the time, since we were passing through some turbulent territory, and they were the furthest from our ship. But since then, we’ve received word from every other ship in the fleet about a pirate ambush. And, according to them, the pirates are far more organized and powerful than expected. In some cases, there are even known rivalling pirate ships working together in the attack.”
Arterius was silent for a moment as he heard the information, that ominous feeling in his gut getting stronger. “And what are your thoughts on the situation, General?” he asked finally.
The man sighed again. “I don’t want to say it, because I certainly don’t want it to be true, but the whole thing reeks of some greater play in motion. And considering the circumstances, there can really only be one reason for it. The only question that remains, then – if this all really is part of a plan and not just a coincidence – is who could be attempting this, and what do they want with the Insect Monarch?”
This time, it was Arterius’ turn to sigh. “I’m afraid the next development in this will only serve to prove you right.”
“Next development?” the general asked, confused.
“I can sense three ships, about thirty degrees starboard. And, judging by their trajectory, they'll be intercepting us within the next few hours.”
“I see,” the general said, mulling over the new information. He didn’t doubt the Archbishop's words for a second, despite the fact that their own ship’s highly advanced, state-of-the-art radar system had yet to alert them of any such ships. After all, the senses of a mage at the Monarch level were far above the limits of technology – or at least, any technology that the Grand Order could afford.
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“Assuming that this is all part of a plan, there are two things that we know about the people who are doing this,” Arterius continued on. “For one, they do not fear the Grand Order, and two, they must need the Insect Monarch for some reason, which means that they must have some way of controlling him. Those two things are enough for us to reasonably assume that whatever organization is behind this attack likely has a power above the level of a Monarch.”
The general’s face paled a little at the Archbishop’s words. “If what you say is true, Archbishop, then that spells doom for everyone in this fleet. There is no way we can contend with a force like an Emperor, certainly not when you aren’t in your top shape.”
Arterius chuckled, waving away the general’s worries. “Against an Emperor, my state would not matter. Even if I were at my peak, I would hardly be able to hold off an Emperor for longer than a few minutes. But worry not, I can assure you that there is no Emperor on the way to our ship. I would certainly have been able to sense a power of that level. And besides, around these parts, an Emperor personally moving would be big news, and something that I would have been alerted of immediately.”
The general breathed out a sigh of relief at that.
“However,” Arterius continued, “the fact that there is an organization with an Emperor-level mage that is making a move against the Grand Order of this magnitude is undoubtedly a worrying thing. The consequences of an attack like this should not be underestimated. This is no small skirmish; should they succeed in taking the Insect Monarch from our grasp, it very well could be the spark to an all-out war.”
The general nodded gravely. “Indeed. Not only would they be rescuing a long-standing enemy of Grand Order, but a move like this would be a blatant slap in the face for the Council of Astros.”
Arterius chuckled sardonically. “And we both know that the insult to their ego will be far more of a motivation for the old bats of the Council to retaliate than the fact that an immensely dangerous criminal would be free once again.”
The general remained silent at that comment, not daring to speak ill of the highest power of the Grand Order.
Arterius sighed, banishing his dissatisfaction with the Council to a corner of his mind. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment, anyway. So long as he remained stuck in the realm of a Monarch, he would have to keep his mouth shut and deal with it.
Once he ascended, however, things would be different.
Shaking his head to clear it, Arterius brought his attention back to the matter at hand. He stood at the maw of an important moment – he could feel it.
“Regardless, Archbishop,” the general finally spoke up, “what do you think we should do right now? Even if there isn’t an Emperor on the way here, the enemy knows that we have you, Aya, and the Cloud Saint on board, not to mention the army. They must have come prepared.”
Arterius nodded, one hand absentmindedly stroking his beard. “We should attempt to speak with them first. They may have attacked all of our passenger ships without warning, but I doubt they will pull the same move with ours. Let me speak with them first,” he said. “But in the meanwhile, prep the soldiers and all of our defence systems.”
The general nodded. “Very well. That makes sense.”
Arterius sighed again, rubbing his face. “I will leave you to it then. Hopefully, I can make a little more progress on my wounds before I have to deal with whatever mess is headed my way.”
"Of course, Archbishop," the general said. "Get all the rest you can. You'll be needed very soon." And with those words, the blue screen vanished, allowing Aterius to return to his bed and begin his healing once again.