“Ah, June!” Trey said, used to the drama that the Sabletown mayor inspired whenever he appeared. Those who hadn’t felt the aura before were fighting the urge to fall to their knees in reverence. They stared at June as if he were a divine being. June broke their reverie by restraining his aura.
“My apologies, everyone,” June said. “I’m still integrating my recent breakthrough. As a result, my control over my aura is still a work in progress. Please continue as you were.”
Around June, there were a dozen other figures. Hunter recognized Aruon and Galan.
June approached Trey. This time, he did so without teleporting the short distance. He held out his hand, which Trey shook with enthusiasm.
“It is a pleasure to meet with you again, Senior Oberon,” June said, smiling at Trey, and then Hunter. “You as well, Young Master Hunter.”
Aruon gave Hunter a small head bow, and Galan appeared as distant and uninterested as usual. The rest of the gathered delegates from Sabletown stood silently, inspecting the Oberon personnel around them. Some were curious, while others were unimpressed.
June’s gaze shifted to both Lieutenant Pellar and the Guard Captain. Richard was gaping like a fish, and the Guard Captain was doing his best to appear respectful, but he was tense.
“Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting today?” June asked, then he startled, as if remembering something. He turned back to his party.
“Please, everyone, disperse and make connections. We are here as allies and friends. There are many introductions to be made before we begin.”
The Sabletown delegation all saluted with one arm bent before their chest and dispersed. The introductions started soon after.
Aruon and Galan followed June, who now considered Hunter and his friends with a smile. Trey seemed content to let Hunter make the introductions.
He was about to introduce the Sabletown mayor, but decided it would be more appropriate to let his friends introduce themselves. He gestured toward Syler to start.
“Guard Captain Syler Hastham. It’s a pleasure to meet you, mayor.”
“The pleasure is all mine. I know the gaze of a seasoned warrior. You are quite young for your station, Captain. At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from my quick study of your military ranking system?” June said, raising an eyebrow at Hunter, who nodded.
“Our culture places great value on talent, martial talent especially. If you weren’t loyal to Oberon Enterprises, I would invite you to join one of the Sabletown’s sects.”
Hunter’s eyebrows rose.
“I’d invite you as well, if I thought you’d accept it,” June said to Hunter.
“Maybe we can come to a compromise?” Hunter asked. Syler was frowning as he considered June’s words.
“Doubtful,” June said. “Sects are quite strict with the rules they place on their disciples. In time, as Sabletown expands and the sects allow themselves to divide into tiers, perhaps we could have such a discussion. But for now, we are all rebuilding our foundations. This requires a stringent oath of loyalty and secrecy regarding our methods.”
Syler nodded, the frown disappearing.
“You’re right, I’m not interested.”
“And I respect you all the more for it,” June said with a slight bow, and then he considered the Lieutenant, “And who might you be?”
“Lieutenant-Guardsman Richard Pellar, at your service, mayor.”
“And I am at yours, in a manner of speaking,” June said. “You both must be of exceptional character to have such a casual acquaintance with Senior Oberon and Young Master Hunter.”
“They’ve both saved my life,” Hunter said. “Back when I was much weaker, before we came to Skyhold, the Guard Captain defended me and dozens of others while wounded. And during the chaos of our landing, Lieutenant Pellar and his squad found me in the wilderness and guided me to safety. I owe them a lot.”
“Then you are our benefactors. Hunter is a future pillar, and you are as well. Here, a token of my appreciation,” June said, and two rings materialized in his hands. “The young master knows the nature of these artifacts. You may consult him regarding their usage. Now, I believe it’s time for your leader and I to negotiate.”
He and Trey walked away with Aera, Idra, General Marko, and Admiral Bellinger in tow. A few individuals from the Sabletown delegation also followed.
Hunter could have joined them if he wished, but he knew someone would brief him later.
The rings remained floating in the air, rotating slowly. Hunter gestured for his friends to take them, and they both seemed to snap out of a trance.
“How generous?” Lieutenant Pellar asked, considering the ring. Syler considered his ring with a frown, holding it up towards the light and squinting his eyes.
“These are kind of mind-blowing. Watch,” Hunter said, flipping his hand over to show that it was empty. Then a drawstone materialized in his palm.
“That’s quite the trick, sir,” Syler said. “The ring did that? Just created a drawstone out of thin air?”
“The ring accesses its own pocket of spacetime. Don’t ask me how it works. I don’t have a clue.”
“Interesting. How do I use it?”
Hunter hesitated, but figured that there was no way of making it sound less weird than it was.
“You need to bind it with your blood.”
They were both professionals. They didn’t blurt out their immediate thoughts, but they both considered their rings as if they’d grown legs and started dancing on their palms.
“Young Master Hunter!” Aruon called, approaching them at a high speed. “Your colony is incredible!”
“Hey, Aruon, I was just explaining how to bind the rings that June gifted to my friend’s.”
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“Ah yes. A mere drop of blood should suffice,” Aruon nodded, and frowned as he considered their reactions. “Is blood considered taboo in your culture?”
“Not really? Sort of?”
“Ah, I see,” Aruon said, and Hunter got the impression that he didn’t get it at all. “It’s a common method of binding objects. What is more personal than one’s blood? There are, of course, means of creating a more intimate spirit bond, but that is a lifelong commitment. And given the potential lifetimes of advanced cultivators, that is an investment that is not taken on without caution.”
“How long of a lifetime are we talking about here?” Lieutenant Pellar asked.
“A peak foundation establishment cultivator can expect to live well into their 150s, on average. Give or take a decade. Elemental Initiates have lived almost double that. And Elemental Adepts can live for many thousands of years.”
“Thousands?” Lieutenant Pellar exclaimed. He seemed offended by the idea.
Aruon rose an eyebrow.
“That’s a lot to process,” Hunter explained, quickly adding, “While we’ve seen people live to 100, a thousand-year lifespan would have seemed fictional just a year ago.”
“Right,” Aruon said, his eyes widening, “I’m still adjusting to the fact that you and your people are not from a society like ours. This is exciting, isn’t it? The bridge of two disparate cultures being built one step at a time.”
To Hunter’s surprise, Syler nodded. He pocketed his ring.
“Oh! How could I have been so rude?” Aruon said, slapping himself on the forehead. “I am Aruon of the Stellar Sword Sect. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
After introducing themselves, Aruon seemed to get along well with the Guard Captain and the Lieutenant. Especially when the topic turned towards martial arts. Hunter was glad that he could follow the conversation. He didn’t consider himself an expert, but his training with Aera had made him familiar enough to find the discussion enlightening. Aruon hinted at how they could integrate etherium into their martial training, and it echoed some things he read about in the Foundation Establishment manual.
The pieces of the puzzle were coming together, and Hunter felt inspired to leave the meeting and go practice.
But his presence here was a symbol of Oberon Enterprises’ full commitment to peaceful relations with their neighbours.
“Attention everyone! The meeting will soon come to a close! All delegates are welcome to stay after the meeting has concluded.” Idra’s voice sounded from hidden speakers along the banquet hall’s ceiling. The Sabletown delegation all seemed surprised. Hunter felt that he was staring into an inverted mirror.
To the people of Skyhold, the casual use of advanced etheric skills seemed magical. Similarly, Sabletown cultivators viewed basic technology with the same wonder. Using speakers to amplify sound was practically ancient, at this point.
“They didn’t use Vita for that!” Aruon exclaimed. “How have you amplified such a soft-sounding voice to be heard throughout an entire room? The ambient Vita didn’t so much as ripple!”
Before Hunter could respond, Aruon snapped his fingers.
“Oh! While I’m here, I want to give you this,” Aruon said, handing Hunter a small, smooth, egg-shaped crystal. He recognized it as a communication stone.
“Master June has allowed me to hand these out as I see fit. I believe that you and I will grow to become great friends! Since that is the case, I believe you should be able to reach me when the need arises.”
“This is awesome, Aruon. Thanks. Is there anyone else I can reach with this stone?” Hunter asked. He attempted to probe it with his sixth sense, but only felt some vague fluctuations being emitted from the device.
“Ah, no. They calibrated this one to reach me, alone. Contact me at any time!”
“I’ll give you a ring, then.”
“Ring? I have plenty,” Aruon said. Hunter thought that he was joking, but then he realized that Aruon was being serious.
“Sorry, it’s a phrase from our culture. One way we communicate is—”
The doors to the hall opened, and Trey emerged in lockstep with June. Trey seemed in high spirits, so Hunter assumed that their private meeting went well. Trey eyed Hunter with something akin to schadenfreude.
Aera too.
What had he missed?
“Another time, Young Master Hunter. Guard Captain, Lieutenant-Guardsman, it’s been an honour and I hope we get some time to talk again soon.”
“Likewise,” Richard said.
“I’ll get the Young Master to set up a sparring session,” Sly said. Hunter almost laughed at the title.
Hunter said his friends farewell and went to meet up with Trey and Aera.
“You’re gonna regret not being there,” Aera said, a gleam in her eye.
“What did I miss?” Hunter asked.
Trey held a solid metal rectangle in his hands. Hunter estimated it was around 6 inches long and 4 wide.
He grabbed it and felt his consciousness plunge into another universe.
The room went dark, and a glowing spectral library appeared around him.
“What is this?” Hunter asked.
In response to his question, the library shifted. A tome towered before him. A bold title glowed across its surface.
Introduction to Formation Theory
No way, Hunter thought. But this wasn’t the only book present. He shifted his attention to the next book he could see.
Maintaining Shield Matrices
And there was more.
Peacekeeper Tactics, a Treatise
Formation Weaponry
Ship-bound Formation Attachment Protocols
Safety guidelines for Conjuring Vital Plasmas
…
The list went on. Hunter’s mouth gaped. He tried to suppress the surge of excitement raging through his body.
This was the mother load. This was exactly what they needed. What had Trey promised them in order to gain such a treasure trove?
The mere thought of exiting the strange space was all he needed for the banquet hall to shift back into view. It was as easy as that.
“Incredible!” he said.
June seemed pleased with Hunter’s reaction.
“Your people have expressed their gratitude to me, and have gifted me one of your coveted laptop computers and a portable sun creator,” June said. Hunter frowned.
“Solar generator,” Aera said.
“That’s what I said,” June said.
“It must be the translation matrix,” Trey said.
“Really? What did it say that I said?” June asked.
“You said, portable sun creator,” Hunter said.
June nodded, appearing confused.
“That’s exactly right. I’m not seeing the problem.”
Hunter scratched his head. Trey tapped June on the shoulder.
“The way we are using the words is different, I suppose. We do not yet have ways of generating suns, but we have a way of using the sun to generate power.”
“Ah! I understand. The translation matrix still has some work to do before we can understand each other fluently. Cultural differences between our people pose a novel challenge that the translation matrix wasn’t designed to handle.”
“I’m sure this will resolve itself in time,” Trey said.
“That is my hope,” June said, turning back to Hunter. “As I was saying, my people decided you deserved a token of our gratitude as well. And a show of both our good will, and our desire to invest in our mutual wellbeing. We recognize your people sacrificed much to secure our common home.”
“Hence, this gift,” Hunter said.
“Included in the slate is much of our introductory and intermediate knowledge regarding Vital Formations. The technology described within kept us safe against the Peacekeepers for decades, while we searched the for a new home. Those scum are bound to have made some advancements of their own, but we believe that this should allow your people to protect themselves should you encounter the Peacekeepers in the wider worlds beyond ours.”
Hunter exhaled a heavy breath. This was huge.
He needed to dive into this right away, especially if he was going to play a part in helping to upgrade the navy.
“Don’t worry, Hunter.” Trey said. “Our plans remain flexible. There’s no reason that we can’t adjust to this. We’ll also be reading June and his people in on some of our proprietary tech. That’s what I want you focused on in the coming months.”
“You can count on me,” Hunter said. He was used to the mental whiplash of having their plans change on a dime these days.
“But before that, we have a project we’d like you to co-lead with one of our senior experts,” June said. “To secure our planet, there is one more threat we must either secure ourselves against, or eradicate.”
“The parasite,” Hunter said.
“Although we believe that the death of its guardian avatar has weakened it, it is only a matter of time before it regains its strength. Maybe not in a year, or 10. But a century from now, will we have another guardian avatar to contend with?”
Hunter nodded. His earlier conversation with Aruon was still fresh in his mind. A cultivator like June would plan for a century the same way Trey Oberon would plan for the next decade. It was a practical, actionable timeframe.
“So we root it out now,” Hunter said. “I agree. I think this could be a good first step for both of our people.”
“I’m glad you think so! Although he didn’t attend the meeting today, I’m sure you will meet your new colleague soon. I’ll leave you to sort out the details with him once he arrives.”
Hunter nodded and bid June farewell.