A number of hours after Dalric stomached his final plate of rice and fish, when the festivities had ended and most people had gone to bed for the night, Ryku met up with him in a small library hidden away behind a bedroom. He had found a few texts on the different kinds of Devil Glass they had and how they were supposed to be used. It wasn’t quite detailed information on how they functioned, but it still provided useful insight.

He put down one of the six Devil Glass pieces he had examined and flipped through some notes, “You’re done?”

Ryku took a seat to the side of the desk he’d appropriated, “With the groundwork. We have enough information to implicate Duke Leos and the Taiyos, but nothing cut and dry. Without clearer evidence or some kind of testimony they’ll both be able wiggle their way free of any meaningful sanction. I’ll need to go over the details again.”

Reading over so much Salian, and maybe the frequent conversation as well, slowly boosted Dalric’s understanding of the language. He still had to mentally decipher what Ryku said, but more and more bits of it came naturally.

“‘Hero Hangaku’ didn’t talk?”

Ryku sighed, “Not a word.”

“A shame, but not an unexpected one. And getting all those people home?”

“They had pretty detailed logs of the slaves that came in and went out. I had to get some help, but we’ve traced most of their origins. The countries at least. Actually getting them back there will take some time though. I’ll have to report back to my superior first and they’ll handle sending ships over to ferry them. I don’t have the authority to.”

And your superiors’ attention will be focused elsewhere so it’ll take awhile for them to get around to it.

Dalric mentally finished the part that was left unsaid. Though he did cut them a bit of slack, the crowd came from all over the place. From the few brief glimpses he recalled, some were transported more than three thousand kilometers to find themselves here. Organizing their return would cost a lot for very little payoff. The fact they’d be willing to do it at all should be commended.

He picked up a separate Devil Glass piece, “Do you know how they were taken or sold?”

“Unfortunately, no. At least not in detail. By their records everyone here was sold rather than taken, but I’m skeptical. We didn’t manage to decode a single buyer or seller. The only name we got was Baron Mori’s and that was only because he featured in almost every document regarding a sale or purchase.”

Dalric tilted his head a little, “‘Almost every’? That’s quite conspicuous. And he’s the only one that was easy to decode? Seems oddly convenient.”

Ryku sighed even more as he slumped in his chair, “It does.”

Well.

“Don’t worry about it too much. You can’t be expected to understand every nuance and detail on your first day. Wasn’t your job to just report back? You’ve done a tremendous job considerding.”

Dalric attempted to comfort Ryku as he was fully aware that the stress the man felt came solely as a result of him. Without Dalric’s presence there would be no need to try and do any more than he’d already done, but his desperate desire to impress Dalric had him reaching for the stars. It was praiseworthy, but also futile.

Dalric did want to make use of the resources he had access to. Especially since it seemed that delving into Devil Glass would require some level of clearance or clout. That did not mean he’d gone back on his desire to have a student, though.

They hadn’t spoken on the matter since Ryku originally asked so Dalric hadn’t reconfirmed his stance. He could communicate it to him now, but he felt there was no need to ruin the productive high he was on. Even if he wouldn’t become Dalric’s student, the work he did here would definitely improve his standing as a Paragon. He was achieving both their public and private goals at once.

Dalric would find a different way to repay him for his efforts.

~Come, Blood Hunter~

He stood up as the halberd formed in his hand, “You should get some rest, you can review the information tomorrow when you have a clearer mind.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Ryku stood up as well, curiosity lightly shining through his expressions, “It’s still only 11. I can work a few more hours before I go to sleep. First light isn’t until around eight anyway.”

Getting to grips with the new time system was something Dalric had neglected to do so far. He learned some new terms that he liked, seconds, minutes, and hours, but he hadn’t cared much to figure it all out yet. Apparently, the day was split into twelve, like bells, but they had doubled it. Instead of one eleventh bell, there was an eleven in the morning and at night. Foolishness as far he was concerned.

With time he’d grow accustomed to the ebb and flow of ahjer across the days and weeks and that would let him know exactly what time it was. An internal clock that maintained itself was far superior to an external one anyway . He’d learn the ins and outs of the foolish system eventually anyway, but he’d do so when he had the free time to spare.

He took the piece in his other hand and raised it toward his head, “Remember—”

Submit!

Blood Hunter fell from his grip as his knees and palms hit the floor.

Submit now!

The Gods were back.

Dalric’s heart sank. He briefly glanced at where Ryku had stood. Fortunately, he’d just spent his ahjer a moment ago so he only had a meager amount left. When that pitiful amount went haywire, instead of vaporizing Ryku it merely shocked him. He laid paralyzed on the ground, but he was alive.

Dalric would sigh in relief if he could. Unfortunately, even the glance was a luxury he couldn’t afford. It cost him his sense of smell.

The Gods were far more targeted now. Instead of wasting time trying to take his limbs, they immediately sought his head. Dalric couldn’t understand how they’d returned so soon nor how they could instantly begin taking control. He hadn’t refused any orders, it was too soon for them to even give out any more. He’d never been able to deny them before though, so who knew if the consequences of that changed what he knew. Too taken by the thrill of victory, he hadn’t contemplated it.

He’d have to do that later. First, he had to scramble to keep them out.

Maybe.

He may have had just the right thing to help him at this moment. With his hands free, he quickly grabbed the Devil Glass from the floor and stuck it in his head. The immediate trade off for his lack of focus was the loss of his vision. The immediate benefit was a noticeable drop in pressure.

The Devil Glass worked.

A drop of jubilation leaked out before he hastily shut the tap. It hadn’t rid him of their presence entirely, it couldn’t even do that to Blood Hunter, but it had an effect. The Gods struggled that ever bit more in their attempt. It was a gamble to take a bit of his attention away from contesting their control, but the return was incalculable. A massive step forward.

That said, even with the reduced pressure he’d still lose himself well before the two hours elapsed.

Submit!

Even just thinking about what he should do lost him ground. He couldn’t afford not to though. How the winds blew, he had maybe twenty more minutes before he lost himself. He only had two options to recourse before that reality came to pass and only one of them was a guarantee to work. He could drain himself again. That came with extreme risk however. The time and focus it would take for him to do so could very well open the door for him to lose sovereignty over his mind. He had no way to gauge the likelihood of that. The other option would be to reach for more Devil Glass pieces. He had five more, but would that be enough? Was it even possible to completely nullify the Gods with them? He didn’t know.

He weighed his options, but every second he delayed cost him. He couldn’t take too much time debating, he had to pick a path.

In the midst of his strained indecision, Ryku surprisingly bounced back up to his feet, “What happens?!”

His path was decided for him.

“Ryku! Put all Devil Glass in my head! Now! All! Now! All! Now—”

Submit!

He lost his voice, but he just thanked the Elders he even had it at that point. He couldn’t imagine what kind of soul wrenching feeling would be wafting over him right now if he had lost it in place of his sight.

A bit less panicked, he also realized that even if the Devil Glass didn’t stop the Gods, they would send him to sleep. He had enough strength to override one of them, but six should be beyond him. All he had to do now was keep them from taking anything that would hinder Ryku.

For his part, Ryku frantically grabbed the pieces and began inserting them one by one.

Wait a second…

When the first one went in he felt the drop in pressure again, but it was nothing that would alter the dynamics of the engagement. The second was much the same. The third was when things changed.

Suddenly, Dalric could feel a distance between his soul and the contract. It no longer felt indistinguishable from himself. That feeling did not allude to any kind of freedom, his window of time had extended to maybe past an hour, but he’d still inevitably lose. What it did do was give Dalric hope. Freedom may not have arrived just yet, but it could be close.

The Gods noticed that too.

Before Ryku could put in the fourth, his fifth in total, they switched strategies. They completely abandoned his mind and went for his arms. Their surprise shift caught Dalric unaware, allowing them to take his right arm past his elbow. With it, they swatted Ryku away.

Or attempted to. Ryku comfortably dodged.

They didn’t seem to care. Before he’d even completed his backward movement, they reached up to the top of Dalric’s head. Dalric’s left hand caught his right in its ascent. He lost balance and fell face first into the floor, but he didn't pay it the least bit of his mind. His dignity didn’t matter right now.

His will was at stake.