"That went... Let's just say it went and leave it at that," Jolene said as we made our way back to the Embassy.
"Not trying to offend, Mr. Terrigan," Teion started. "And I understand that there is a lot of context I am missing for this situation even with your thorough explanation and exposition of facts, not to mention--"
"Teion," I said, raising my hand to cut the satyr off. "You can say what you want. I am not going to get offended."
"It's true. He's got the thickest skin out of all of us here," Jolene said, poking my exposed arm. The skin barely dented under her sharp nails.
I groaned, palming my face at the mermaid's attempt at levity. When I glanced her way, I could see a self satisfied smile on her face and it was hard to keep one from my own. After shaking my thoughts back from the moment, I turned back to the Nash heir. "Anyways. Yes, say what you will."
"Was it... strictly necessary to browbeat the leaders of our city? I think even grandmother was caught off guard by some of the things you said and did," Teion said, scrunching in on himself slightly.
"Necessary? I wouldn't say so. However, if I'd done it any other way, it would have been disingenuous to the way I am. The problem is no longer below the surface. We have fought and we have freed captives. Any attempt to let it fester would only result in more potential damage. Perhaps there might have been a better way, but in that case I wasn't the one to deliver it; I didn't see anyone in the know stepping forward to handle the pokey end of this sword. So, that left me with the option of bonking everyone on the head as hard as possible."
"Ronan, if you did that I don't think even Horace would have come out the other side," Ponzio replied. The elf had been shaking his head for quite a while, but had finally chosen to interject. "Grandfather is pretty mad at you. If he hadn't given the command to assist you in your mission within reason, I think he would have considered taking it back. I understand politics aren't your thing but your approach burned a lot of good will."
Hearing the elf's assessment made me wince slightly. "That's unfortunate. I wasn't exactly expecting Hec to do what they did. At most I expected it to reshape itself. Most of the Entities avoid speaking aloud as often as possible. Hec, however, hasn't developed like the other Entities we've worked with."
"A positive and a negative," Jolene affirmed. "The situation we are facing requires some flexibility our other high up Entity refuses to exercise."
Ponzio glanced around himself, eyeing the escorting Cloth Muscles and Mage Circle, before asking his question quietly. "Are we sure of how stable they are?"
Teion looked quite interested in my answer, and so did the Tendril siblings. After giving their part of the testimony, they'd been totally silent. However, I could see that they hung on every one of our words trying to build up their knowledge of the situation.
"I won't call them stable," I said, frowning as the visual of higher dimensions that threatened to fragment my mind flashed before my eyes. "However, they aren't any more stable than the people trying to corrupt your city. I don't fear the strong, but thoughtless; I fear the weak and cunning. The fact that even now there is likely Dreg poisoned alcohol being consumed without people being aware is unfathomable to me."
"A harsh policy would do more harm than good," Teion countered quickly. However, he paused before continuing. "As for the cunning... I can't disagree. At least I can see the Crystal Wards."
"Just something to think about," Ponzio said, pausing as the Embassy came into view. We were still a few blocks from reaching it, but he instructed the Cloth Muscles to return to their duties and prepare to report for the following day's session. Seeing the dismissal, Teion copied the same with the Mage Circle he'd been leading.
"Is there anything we should prepare for tomorrow?" Jolene asked, leaning closer to me as our groups clearly separated.
"Honestly?" Ponzio said. "I have no clue. I would expect some rebuttals, but with the extent of the information you provided, testimony and Hec's presence... I don't know how the Factions will respond. Grandfather will probably remain positively neutral, aiding where he can but not seeking to rock the boat so to speak. The Shaman is as likely to abolish your presence as she is to upturn the apple cart and throw the city into a tizzy. Again. You likely don't know the effects of what she just announced, but they are going to be heavy."
"Should you be talking about your family's plans so casually?" I asked, welcoming the candor but confused by its source. I didn't hold any illusions; Ponzio was dedicated to the general goal of the Dreg Warriors, but his loyalties were with his family.
"Nothing radical someone else wouldn't tell you," the elf shrugged. Teion nodded along with him.
"Horace will respond with isolationism and Sargon will too. The exact flavor of those things will differ, but it's going to be an uphill battle for them to cooperate. I don't doubt they will crack down individually, but it is through the cracks that problems form," the satyr clarified.
I groaned loudly, trying to run the best, worst, and everything in between case scenarios through my head. It was enough to make it spin. Even if I hadn't fought anyone, I felt almost as drained as when I'd fought Eurus' entourage. If the second day is going to be just like this, then it will feel like I'd just fought Eurus themselves.
"The Cloth Muscles are committed, don't worry. April has already audited our entire peacekeeping force and is working her way through our entire Cloth Muscle roster. Since she's caught a whiff of corruption, I don't see her stopping until its stench has been fed to the grind wheel of justice. Or something like that. You know how she talks," Ponzio said.
"Yes, yes I do," I said, shivering. Jolene swatted me on the arm. "What! She unnerves me."
"And your very presence instigates visceral reactions from everyone with a chip on their shoulder, but you don't see me judging you for that," Jolene shot back.
Coughing to try to play off how true that was, I turned to the two Faction heirs who were watching our exchange with amused expressions. "So, tomorrow same time?"
"Yes. The pantomime will probably continue even if the stage is changed, so I would expect an audience for tomorrow at the audience hall. Influential leaders in the Factions, distribution leaders, the administrators of the Condensers that we and the Clansmen own, etcetera. If they can use those outside pressures to make any proposal made lean in their favor they will do so. Unfortunately, it's a power play that I doubt you can avoid," Ponzio said, shaking hands with our group before Teion followed his example. I saw some hesitation in the satyr's expression at interacting with the Tendrils, but the willingness to do so spoke well of him. Considering Ponzio's role as the Zebelos speedy liaison, he'd likely interacted with the Breakers and their particular population a number of times.
Blobby, of course, got some pitch perfect high-fives from the two younger Fallen.
-- + --
I pushed my food around my plate, the events of the day twisting and turning in my mind. Considering our group hadn't eaten lunch thanks to the chaotic nature of the first session of the conference, I was starving. Yet, the perfectly seared cut of pork and potatoes didn't look as appealing as I knew it should.
"Man, success across the board and here you are moping at my food?" Daniela said, sliding into the seat beside me. "Everyone else is done, rock brain. Jolene wanted to talk to you about her Trait advancement. Billy has a buddy he can actually show off to, and Sammy 'the goodie two shoes' is shacking up with the hottest babes this side of the Ock. Cheer up, Ron. Not everything has to be the doom and gloom that comes with our harsh reality. Some things are just meant to be enjoyed!"
The brunette nudged the plate of lukewarm food closer before poking me in the side. She stood when I didn't reply right away, but she wasn't annoyed. She gave me a gentle pat on the back before heading towards the kitchen to work on god knew what. When I did finally eat, it confirmed just how much better Daniela had been getting with the nonstop practice that the Taste of Old had been giving her. That she'd managed to prep a meal for all the residents of the Embassy while also finishing her mission with the Crystal Wards spoke volumes about her strength of commitment. Herculian focus when it was something she wanted, that's for sure.
"Hey Danny do you think you could heat--" My request was cut off as Dai's message pinged me through the comm-plant. Based on how all the Implanted in the Embassy had gone stiff for a second, the lizardman had been broadcasting wide.
"Have info. Fire Aberrant. Meet?" Dai's voice repeated over and over until Daniela pinged him into a full length discussion. The lizardman sighed in relief before immediately jumping into his message. The lizardman had been trying to enter the range of one of us but failed without actually making it into the city.
The whole while he made his way under the cover of darkness to the Embassy I was double checking every reinforcement I'd made to the building. With a glare, I decided to channel my nervous energy into the doors that led into the building. With casual disdain, I ripped the front doors off their hinges. This of course left everyone in the room staring in my direction in various states of surprise and confusion. "Sorry, I'd been meaning to do this."
Mana flowed into my Amulet, and
The mole didn't even complain about getting put to work, since I'd been feeding him and Amelia non-stop throughout the day except during the beginning of the conference. I hadn't known how things were going to shake out, especially right after Hec announced themselves, but it had worked out. Now, it meant that both Mana Shards were dripping with mana beyond even all I'd stored before fighting Eurus. I hadn't run into a limit on capacity, but it had to be close. There was a slowly building... resistance to the effort that hadn't been there at the start.
Pushing the true limits of Totems out of mind, I used my own mana to shape holes with
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Just as the central point of the water cloud moved to knock on the newly made stone door, I waved and peeled the wall back to reveal a startled Dai just two feet away from me. To the lizardman's credit, he didn't jump back in alarm. Instead, two blades of water were hovering within his dragging mist cloud and a hand full of talons was poised to claw my face off. On seeing who it was, the mist started to vacuum itself into the large water jug the man carried on his back.
"I see your humor is as dry as the summers here," Dai replied, taking my removal of the wall for the invitation that it was.
"Things are tense. I'll only get to surprise people like this once before the word gets around. Gotta get it where you can," I said, chuckling. My eyes scanned the lizardman thoroughly, noting the still confident stride and new armor concealed under a cloak that I was sure was miserable in the Florida heat despite the man's Attunement. Things had been hectic since we'd negotiated his return from the Breakers. So hectic, in fact, that we were a true threat to the Faction and its leader as we stood. "How have you been?"
"Better, but I know what you are actually asking about. Don't worry about me Ron. It wasn't the first time I've been bullied and it won't be the last. At least this time, I had friends to back me up." The lizardman clapped me on the shoulder, raising an eyebrow as he felt first hand how much more solid I was than before. Discreetly, I used Diffracting tissue to dissipate his clap as a light buzz from my toes instead of wrecking the floor. Man, my Traits really are synergizing now. "Man, what's Daniela been feeding you?"
"Ha! My companions and I eat only the finest elementals the city of Ocala can muster up. They really took it to the next level," I said, smirking as Dai's scaly eyebrows shot up on his face. It was hard to read the words his reptilian muzzle mouthed, but I had a good idea what it was. "Just me, but I made some strides that I think the Wild Guard will want to know about for the future."
"You'll have to bring me up to speed. Daniela has been chatting my ear off as I got closer about the pot you've been stirring all day today. I just got back from scouting not too long ago and it was Sarah's priority number one that we get everyone on the same page," Dai said seriously.
"Let's get everyone together," I said, nodding.
It was only a minute, considering the open plan design I'd created the Embassy with, before everyone was back at the table under Hec. I'd taken the time to form proper chairs for everyone instead of the stone benches all around, but Blobby had insisted that I leave a spot without one for me to use. So, when I arrived at the table, my loyal slime was already shaped and munching on what had been left of my dinner. Fair trade. "Thanks, Blobster."
Dai got a round of introductions to everyone, pausing a bit longer on the three new additions and April's unexpected presence. Devon was the only one still missing, which I hoped Dai would explain as the man was our usual link with the Ock Outpost.
As Dai curled his tail around his lap to sit, I watched him collect himself to deliver his information. He procured five leaflets from his satchel, passing them to all of the original Bunker Busters. "Sorry, I was only expecting to give this report to your group."
"The more the merrier," I said. " Don't worry, we can share. Go ahead."
Jolene leaned close to glance at the leaflet in front of me after she'd passed hers to the Tendril siblings. Sam and April shared, as did Billy and Joe. Daniela was lounging between Anthony's antenna, scratching at the chitinous head while reading through what Dai had passed out.
"This is a small book," Joe complained, frowning at the document. "Are these citations?"
"Every report should be properly cited," Dai stated as if it was a totally normal process for a field status report to be four pages long, perfectly spaced and with immaculate handwriting. I was tempted to ask if Wildwood had built a printing press in the Outpost, but decided it wasn't worth it. For all I know Dai is the perfect scribe. He does have his own personal pre-Fall library.
"So we are going to be mighty crispy? Well, I should say you all are going to be," Daniela said, tapping one of the paragraphs on the document. She turned to hang upside down while Anthony adjusted his position to prevent her from falling. It left her eye to eye with everyone, except in the opposite direction. She gestured vaguely to her and her ant companion. "We are more heat resistant than any of you lot."
"Yes," Dai agreed. "Thanks to Ron's support during the hurricane's approach, our scout team was successful. The news... isn't great. We found the source of the Breaker's prodigious bacon industry."
"They are farming a Fire Boar Dungeon," Jolene said, tapping the line in front of me even as I kept my eyes on Dai. The report would be there when he was done, but I gave him my undivided attention. Well, mostly undivided. Jolene doesn't have to lean quite this close to read. I know her eyes are the best of our group after our elven companions.
"That's correct. From what we were able to observe it appears to be more... ambulatory than we are used to for Dungeons. The Boss has their Metier Crystal embedded on their head like the world’s ugliest tusked unicorn," the lizardman shivered at recalling the sight. "It is likely on par with many of the others we've seen around the Allied Towns."
"Okay, that's not optimal but I'm assuming the Breakers have it culled properly otherwise it would be wrecking the whole city's southern crops. What's the catch?" I asked.
"It's not the only Metier Crystal in the area," Dai said, flipping his copy of the report to the final page. Jolene copied the motion, a frown taking over her face as well as everyone else's in the room except for Dai.
"Well, go on. I'm not gonna read the paper just for the shock effect."
"We found the Aberrant," Dai said, nodding his head with his acquiescence. "It's only a few miles to the southwest of the city. It's also the size of Tec."
My brows scrunched, and I immediately broke my word to scan through the contents of the report. Sure enough, the scout squad hadn't made a full approach but by the visible area and the iceberg extrapolation that seems common with the Entities we knew, it was a bit smaller if not the same size as Tec. Additionally, the range of its influence was clearly visible as the trees and bushes were significantly different from those in the rest of the forests. Acres of black-needled pines would be noticeable even if they were interspersed with the normal flora.
"So, a Fire Aberrant?" I said, turning back to Dai.
"As far as we can tell. On a brief look, it passes for another Metier Crystal. However, since it was what we'd been looking for we observed it for several hours. Not only did they spot a dozen different Tendril beasts approach it, the inner light was a muddy orange with red flashes. Not the norm for the Entities," Dai answered.
"There's no way Ocala doesn't know about this, right?" Samuel asked. "I mean, no offense to you guys scout work but this sounds fairly apparent."
"No offense taken. As for Ocala, I don't know. From what you all have reported, the Factions seem to generally respect the boundaries of each other. Since the Breakers are the only ones that operate to the west, it might be possible that they are the only ones aware." Dai tapped his chin before adding another point. "There's also the Boar Boss. If that's not a huge deterrent from searching that area when everyone tries to stay around Q4, then it is possible.
"From what I've gathered, it's one of the main reasons Ocala was actually separated from Wildwood. The effort and danger of leveling too much because they contested the river made them develop northward. Why try to keep hold of an environment that is constantly changing for something with dubious prospects," Dai finished.
"So, the Breakers probably know. Just like anything, probably not every Breaker is part of that conspiracy but it does complicate things," I said, rubbing my temples. "I just dropped the metaphorical bomb of the Entities and the Aberrants right in their lap this morning. If Sargon is mixed up in this, I don't think things are going to go well at the conference tomorrow."
"Um..."
Everyone in the room turned to follow the voice that had tried to speak up. Amaya wilted, but after a second straightened. Her face, nonetheless, looked pained. "T-the whispers have been back this afternoon."
When I stood in alarm, the Death Tendril flinched and Tucker stepped forward. Mana coiled around his hands, but when I didn't move closer he released it. "We haven't answered them. They started as soon as we left Hec's room at the conference. We weren't sure what the actual message was, but I think I can take a guess."
"Well go on," I said, forcing myself to sit back down and be understanding. Fievil and Amelia were like having something whispering in my head, but I could just as easily tune them out or ask them for silence. Not to mention they were companions and contributors to our mission. If some random voice started haunting me after a few days of silence to try to subvert my sense of self I would be on edge too. Jolene placed her hand on my arm as we both turned to the Tendrils.
"'Return'," Tucker said, shaking his head. "It was more like a tugging on my mind than the usual disorientating whispers, which is why I say that. We returned here not long after, and that feeling is gone, but if the Aberrant you mentioned is the one whispering..."
"It's gathering anyone it can," I growled as the realization truly hit home. Knowing what I knew about Tendrils, they were going to be meatshields for the Aberrant. With the news that the Entities disrupted the pressure on the Tendrils, the whole situation... "This is horse shit."
"Ronan?"
"Doomed if you do, doomed if you don't," I said, shaking my head as I pushed past all the dark endings my mind conjured. I took a deep breath to compose myself before focusing back on Dai. "Did Sarah get Alan to start working on a Purger?"
"First stop of my trip here," Dai confirmed.
"Where did Devon go?" Daniela asked. She didn't sound worried about the elf, but it was a clear deviation from the plans they'd had. Considering how quickly things were escalating now that the cat was out of the bag, I didn't fault her. My eyes flitted to Jolene, before I snapped them back to Dai.
"Sarah sent him back to Wildwood. She doesn't know what the response is going to be, but more than likely the Outpost is going to need some reinforcements."
"It's going to be too slow," I sighed, shaking my head. "I can't imagine the Aberrant will sit on its giant crystal rear for long."
"Where does that leave us?" Sam asked. "Do we abandon the conference and hunker down at the outpost?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "The problem is rooted in Ocala. If we don't deal with it now, it will hunker down and poison the tenuous relationships of the Factions."
"We can't just do nothing," Daniela argued. "Let me be specific. I can't just do nothing. Walking through hostile territory was enough of a risk, but if you want me to just wait this mess out while you work your jaw I think you don't know me very well, Ron."
"Give me a second, Danny!" I snapped. I released my grip on the table, dust coming away from where I'd dug my magically resistant fingers into the stone. I hadn’t even realized when I’d been holding on to the table during the discussion. After a deep breath, I continued. "I'm sorry. There are a few things that we need to do in addition to keeping the conference moving forward. We are going to need the city to deal with its own problems while we tackle the problem at the source. If we don't have buy-in, then we are going to fight this on two fronts and I don't think we have the manpower for this even if our levels are higher."
Daniela did not look pleased by my outburst in the least, but she held her tongue even if her body language screamed future repercussions. As long as there is a future for those, she can have them. "Let's work through this..."