Chapter 66 – The Watchers
“Alright we have a joint meeting with the big bosses, then individual meetings with our representatives and I have one with the queen of the veiled.” Matt said to the group as they gathered in front of the portal.
At the end of the event, a notification was pushed to everyone in the city. It wasn’t much of shock or even new information. What it boiled down to was that there would be a portal opened to the exchange and they would each be given an appointment time to enter the portal.
Matt had gotten not one but 3 such notifications and suspected there was going to be some shenanigans going on since Tori and her pantheon had apparently claimed the city and would likely have pulled some strings for how these meetings would be handled.
“Indeed. I am looking forward to meeting with my patron and finding out what he advises for the refugees.” Franklin said as he walked towards where the portal had opened with Matt, Tobias, and Venri. “Also, I will find out how we did for the event and how much of a budget we have.”
Tobias leaned forward and looked down the line to ask a question. “Did you even get a timeline for the refugees?”
“Yeah, System says they will be held in stasis for 5 days or until we call for them. Pretty much if we don’t accept them by then, they get sent off to…” he waved his hand toward the sky. “Somewhere.”
Tobias seemed to accept that answer and moved on to his next topic. “Matt, we are meeting with Theil at the same time. Did you want us to come to the meetings with her royal majesty?”
“Ummm, no. I don’t think that would be a great idea.” Matt replied, glancing down to Venri.
The dwarf didn’t miss a beat. “While I am flattered you considered me in your plans. I have no need of more patrons. My oaths are… not limited but narrow in scope.” She said with a smile. She had been rather open about the nature of her class and cult in recent days, no longer trying to beat around the bush or skulk in the background.
“Yeeeaaahh. That’s, um that’s great.” Matt said while he tried to ignore the snort of laughter from Tobias. He decided to change subjects entirely and tried to foist the attention back to the governor.
“So, Frank. That was a pretty solid speech you delivered. Honestly it was probably for the best to get it out now in case it suddenly comes up on the other side.”
“Heh, thanks. I don’t think there is a reason to hide out patrons or the nature of our relationship. While I don’t think we will become one of the blessed cities, I think it will be common to see blessed people around.” Just as Tobias was about to ask about the term blessed city, they arrived at the portal and were able to walk right on up.
The portal was a large golden ring bisected by the ground just outside the hub. Looking in didn’t do anything since all you could see was a golden glow that didn’t actually cast any light. It honestly gave Matt the creeps when he first saw it at night. A few had tried to go before their ‘appointment window’ and just walked through the glowing ring, strolling right onto the grass on the other side of the floating disk. After one look at each other, they just shrugged and stepped in.
*****
Tori was sitting on the rather comfortable couch in the Exchange meeting room they had arranged for their prime’s wo meet with them. She was sitting right across from a demon that was starting to get on her nerves.
“I thought your ‘friend’ would be joining us?” She asked.
Weltgan twirled a small set of dividers, fidgeting while Tori bored a hole through his head with her stare. “Well, in fairness. She said she would consider it, but you must understand she is shy. Well, shy isn’t the right word but reclusive. No… that’s not it.” He muttered to himself. He waved his hand, still holding the dividers. “Well, you met her, you get it. Besides, she will show herself when she thinks the time is right.”
“Well, be that as it may, let her know that she can connect her realm to the palace at any time. She is of course free to use any facilities that befit a full partner.” Tori glanced over at the portal that was beginning to open on the wall of the lounge.
“Thank you.” A voice whispered in her ear. A presence was there for only a fraction of a second before also dissipating.
With a shudder, Tori looked back to the now fully open portal. “Yeah, going to take a while for me to get used to that.” She stood along with the other gods to greet the new arrivals, standing a little way back to not smother the mortals as they entered.
*****
Matt stepped through the portal and entered a… well he wasn’t sure what kind of room it was supposed to be. The general style looked like an upscale board room or meeting room while the furniture looked like something out of a lounge. To one side was a window wall of frosted glass, backlit by the hall beyond. Across from that was a wall of windows that looked over, well a lot of things.
Each of the 2 dozen full length windows showed a scene of some sort. One overlooked a mountainous valley while the very next one was staring off into space, galaxies floating in the inky blackness. The scenes varied so much that Matt was sure it was an illusion of some sort. Maybe not. Maybe these are real windows looking at real places? Nobody said the System had to make sense.
Further into the room, Tori stood flanked by 3 other gods, only one of which Matt was familiar with. As he stepped forward, there was a slight dimming of light in one corner of the room and Matt thought someone was watching him. When he looked over to that spot, it was gone and only the drinks cart remained.
“Welcome, its nice to finally meet you all in person.” Tori said as she stepped forward and took Matt by the hand, giving a firm shake and a knowing smile. “Been a while, hasn’t it?”
Tori was of course referring to them actually being in the same room and not doing a communion ritual. Or at least one of her avatars in the room with him. “It really has. But I thought I remembered you having a different… presence, in the past.”
“Ah, yes, you have the System to thank for that.” A tall and fuzzy man said to Matt. “Magistrate Ralzin, at your service.” He smiled, showing a mouth full of pointed teeth before giving a shallow bow. “I am Franklin’s patron and act as a sort of legal advisor to Tori.” He then continued with his explanation. “The system mutes auras and limits power in the Exchange. This is done so rules aren’t accidentally broken, again.”
Franklin stepped forward and knelt. “I greet the, my patron.”
“Ah, rise, rise. Please, we have business to conduct and plans to make.” Razlin said.
Venri also bowed to her patron who Matt was told was Herman the wasteless concoctor. Matt and Tobias both looked to their gods with smirks and a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t you dare.” Tori said.
Weltgan was also less inclined to the formalities. “Yeah, that’s all a waste of time and just… creepy.” He said with a little shiver.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The group all moved to the couches and Razlin wheeled the drinks trays around. It was a self-serve affair for everyone except for Tori whom he insisted he pour her tea. Matt eyed the various decanters and glass ware, looking through the sea of containers, until he spotted one he recognized. A tall metal cylinder with a handle on one side and spout on the other.
Picking up the carafe, he removed the lid. Inside he saw a dark brown liquid with steam rising off of it. Taking a sniff, he sighed. He quickly retrieved the cups and poured one for both himself and Tobias who gratefully accepted the rich dark roasted brew of coffee.
Matt took a sip of the coffee and found it to be the perfect temperature as well as a nice, robust flavor. “Ha, I am really glad the System put that in there.”
“It didn’t.” Herman said. “It only appeared because you were looking for it specifically.” He chuckled slightly at the look on Matt and Tobias’ faces. “Such is the way of the System.”
Matt was still looking at the carafe like it was a robot in disguise when Tori cleared her throat and started the meeting off. “Ahem. Thank you everyone for being here. Primes, I want to lay some ground rules. First, we know what the rest of the integration looks like, nobody will fill you in on specifics so don’t ask. Second, there are laws set by the System that we will not violate, lest we get censored. Third is that we will provide advice and generalizations only when it comes to your path.”
“We are setting these rules because we all believe that it will give you the best chance for growth and being able to fight your way to at least S grade.” Herman said, adding in some reasoning to the rules.
Tori nodded at him. “Right, now down to actual business.” She looked at Franklin. “I assume Matt informed you about the refugees?” Seeing him nod she moved on. “Next is that this is our city, by that I mean its under the umbrella of our little pantheon. This means that you all will be defending it from all other pantheons in some form.”
Matt raised his hand. “So, are we to become an isolationist state or extremely xenophobic?”
“Not at all.” Weltgan said. “What it means is that you must be very careful about who you give power to, actual or otherwise. If some random caravan comes in and tries some bullshit its easier to deal with than if one of your more notable public figures attempts something.”
“We recommend trade and friendly relations with others and the System will force that in the end. Just be aware that not every threat to your people comes arms bared and trying to break down your gate.” Tori picked back up. “Now, on to your citizens.” She turned to face Franklin.
“Your people will be met by some of our people as they come into the Exchange and meet with their reps. Our people will be generally speaking around B grade, but you might have some outliers in C and A grade. They will be acting as sponsors to some groups, helping ease them into their new life and giving some pointers along the way to help their progression.
“While the same rules apply, they will be a more hands on approach to their method. There are a few exceptions to this. The commandos, some of the Forge staff and Rohm will all be paired with the appropriate S grades to guide them.” Tori finished her segment and, after making sure there were no questions, they all broke off to spend time as primes and patrons.
Tori led Matt to a small table near one of the windows showing a lush temperate forest. “How are you feeling about all of this?” She asked after they had sat.
“Um, good I think?” Seeing the expression on her face, Matt clarified. “I don’t have any issues about the events, my path or whatever. I am anxious about meeting the queen.” He finally admitted.
“What do you know about Thea?”
“Who?”
“Ah, Lyrenthea, the veiled queen, monarch inferior, blah, blah. Her.” Tori said, her voice getting more obnoxious by the word.
“Honestly nothing other than she is the highest ranking veiled to have ever lived and while not a god, ascended to S grade several millennia ago.”
Tori clicked her tongue. “A rather textbook answer but what else would you have access to.” She sighed. “Little Thea, don’t you dare call her that, has had a very rough life. It stems from the cultural issues the veiled faced after their divergent evolution in the plains. While Thea rules the upper, she has a counterpart that tends to handle the lower plane. He is in S grade as well, last I heard.”
“Can you tell me about the ‘cultural issues’” Matt said, cutting Tori off.
Tori didn’t seem to mind as she pivoted to explain. “Well, they are a new species, mutated and evolved completely within the system. That of course means that they cant ascend but it does give them a certain homefield advantage. They evolved in a region of the universe known as the veiled galaxy due to it being in a sort of bubble that both contained an odd sort of primal energy and prevented anyone from observing from the outside.”
“While they were sent to explore it by a joint venture from a larger faction, they didn’t return immediately. Everyone on the outside didn’t think it was a big deal, since exploring a galaxy like that takes a little time, but then there was enough time passing for several generations to have come and gone. The old faction had long forgotten about them after being disbanded and reabsorbed by others.
“So, several eons later, when their people reemerge from the edge of the galaxy, they are completely changed, no longer the normal humans that originally entered. They wont say what happened to any outsiders, but everyone is aware of a powerful change. While they have the same general human shape, the race are all wielders of auras and domains to a degree that rival geniuses a grade their senior. Lyrenthea herself has an aura that dwarfs mine unless I am in my territory.”
Matt sat quietly while Tori talked, sipping on his coffee and thinking about what she was telling him. “What can you tell me about her? The veiled queen.” He asked. “Other than a brief message and some context in the notebook, I don’t know much.”
Tori smiled in an impish way. “She is the epitome of a fangirl or at least was once upon a time. When they emerged, many factions tried to… ah, study them. My faction was one of the few that offered some protection to them. A few of us were able to provide some small foothold in the universe and give them a way to safely trade and reach out. I originally met her when she was still a D grade farmer.”
Seeing the look on Matts face, she laughed before elaborating. “Yes, her class had little to do with fighting or even ruling. She has since adapted it to fit her needs. Oh, don’t make that face, she singles handedly erased several universe spanning guilds when they tried to enslave some of her people. Remember what I said about auras and domains. She views anything in her domain as her crop and tends to her bounty as she sees fit. Or some such nonsense, honestly, I have no idea how that works.”
“Its still kin d of strange how a race or species can just develop like that, in such a rapid manner.” Matt said, looking at his own hands with a little skepticism.
“Is it? Where did you think those deep dwellers came from?” Tori asked, smirking over the edge of her teacup. “They evolved on that planet, likely from one of the seed monsters that the System planted when it started making that planet.”
“But they are intelligent.” Matt protested, trying to come to grips with that bomb of a fact drop.
Tori was not amused and gave him a look showing as much. “Matt, just because a creature doesn’t speak common, doesn’t mean that they are less intelligent.”
Holding up his hands, Matt quickly explained. “Oh, I know but it was still surprising. Actually, that explains why Tengi didn’t speak common. If he wasn’t inducted like the rest of us…”
“And now you get it. The System often aids in the rapid development and evolution of species. That is one constant, it likes new things. That frankly explains why it gives you so much attention.
Matt was silent for a moment. He had so many questions but also knew that he could research it on his own at some point. “What does the System want? What is its goal or purpose?”
Her face going from amused to somber clued Matt in that he just stumbled on a heavy topic. “You are not ready for that information yet.” She quickly amended her statement. “At least not from any of us. If the System wants to tell you then far be it from me to get in the way.” She then rocked her head from side to side, pursing her lips slightly. “While we are on the topic, you do know that you likely are the source for a future origins story and at the very least will be seen as a pivotal historical figure to the dwellers, right?”
“Say what?” Matt said after nearly choking on his coffee. Tori just smiled and pulled up a screen showing his first encounter with Tengi and explaining his blunder in exacting detail.
*****
Mekristi, The Bearer of Absolution or ‘Spirit’ as she was known in some circle watched the hybrid known as Matt from the dim spot between a decorative tree and a side table, halfway down one wall. She didn’t actually watch him but rather watched the area around him. Veiled are dangerous and extremely perceptive. But this one… Yes, that still applies but there is more.
She stood in silence, completely still and unmoving. If she were being honest, that was noting new for her since some of her kills had taken literal weeks of waiting for the target to be within range. While she waited, she watched and listened, finding out everything she could about these gods and their primes.
In all her long existence, she had never given a blessing, let alone taken a prime under her wing. She had seen blessed and primes before, even seen them interacting with their peers and patrons. IT was different than what she saw now. She wasn’t sure if it was good different.
The two Earthlings were naturally fascinating to her. Like all extra-System beings, they were anathema to influence, and suppression created by grade and emitted none of their own unless they flexed their intent. Well, Matt was a little different in that regard, but he really was an oddity.
Mekristi decided then and there to observe Matt in a little more detail, perhaps she would find the answers to the questions she didn’t know to ask. She smiled, just a quirk of her lips and a twitch of her ear, but the first time she smiled in thousands of years.