Little Celah, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fifthmonth, 1634 PTS
Deuvar pursed his lips as he analyzed the situation. The Redwater sect had fought with some of the hired mercenaries and then left, easing most of the strain the defenders had been under. It was ironic that he had the Hadal Clan itself to thank for that occurrence.
Meanwhile, the Hadal forces had annihilated the troops he had placed to guard that entrance. The situation seemed good on the surface, but the success or failure of his primary goal would depend on how the clan ultimately decided to handle the matter. If they explored too deeply, they would find the titan, and that was what he most wished to avoid. The machines were horrendously expensive, and due to the advanced technologies involved, each one was irreplaceable now that they had split from the Epon. If the Seiyal were to find out about its presence here, the war would scale up greatly in intensity, and Deuvar did not wish for that to happen.
As his own office was no longer available to him, Deuvar and the other administrative personnel had set up in an office building much deeper in the stacks of Little Celah. While it was not quite so defensible as the previous headquarters had been, it would do. In taking the first headquarters, the clan had already lost a spirit refiner. They did not have so many high level combatants that their lives could be expended freely.
Ironically, Deuvar’s current location was much larger, and far more finely furnished than the previous one. While he did not care for extravagance, he felt no need to spurn it, and this office, too, had a convenient location to the building’s entrance. It had not taken him long to settle in, and the wide metal desk was already covered in scattered glyph slates, each providing interest on fields ranging from the current factory output to the status of the ongoing battles. While the fight at the headquarters was his largest priority, he had also been keeping track of the border skirmishing and the fight at the Redwater Sect that was just ending. He would be surprised if the Riverfiend did nothing, after such an experience, and he knew that the man’s every action would have an influence on the war, just as surely as his own did.
Deuvar steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on the desk, waiting for further updates on the different matters, but instead of a buzzing tablet, he was interrupted by a digital knocking sound which emerged from the room’s entry hatch. Not having expected any arrivals, Deuvar frowned.
Casually, he scrawled a symbol into one of the slates, and its surface shimmered before revealing the few from a camera attached to the door. The image quickly resolved from symbols into the form of an injured, ragged-looking man who certainly looked as if someone had dropped a building onto him. Surprised, Deuvar failed to react for a moment, before quickly drawing the glyph to open the hatch.
“It seems you survived,” he said, his voice not betraying his true emotions. “What happened to you?”
Triezal truly looked awful, he thought. Aside from the horribly torn and tattered condition of his clothes and armor, Deuvar could see the slight squirming under Triezal’s clothes as wounds slowly healed. His lengthy blue hair was unkempt, and Deuvar could see black starting to appear at the roots below the dyed portion.
Triezal chuckled at his response.
“I spent the past few days ‘recuperating’ under the care of the Redwater Sect,” he explained.
“I couldn’t have guessed,” said Deuvar drily, motioning at the sect’s robes that Triezal still wore on his body. “A notice of your survival would have been appreciated. however. I was under the impression that you were dead.”
“Not quite.”
Spotting an empty chair facing Deuvar’s desk from the other side, he quickly sat down with a groan.
“Given your condition, I would have expected you to simply inform me of your status and then spend the night recuperating before you came to meet me.” Deuvar waited for the other man to respond, and glanced up when no response came. He frowned. “Is something wrong?”
Triezal gave a soft smile, but the look in his eyes was that of a man without much hope.
“Have you heard of Janottka?”
Deuvar’s brow wrinkled as he pondered the question. He had not anticipated this response, especially not so soon after the other man’s arrival. It was a rare name. Quite an old one, too. In fact, the only figure he knew of with the name was- Deuvar froze, his blood running cold and his hands slightly shivering. He was worried he might know what Triezal was about to say.
“The Sorceress? I’m not sure why you ask,” he said.
Triezal’s smile widened, and an unsettling look filled his eyes.
“She’s here.”
Though he had been expecting the words, they still struck deeply into Deuvar.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“...Please explain,” he finally said, after a momentary pause.
“I’d like to first note that this is solely based on the actions of the two Redwater leaders. I’ve not personally seen the evidence. What I do know is that rather than attempt to learn our future plans, when I first woke they immediately started asking questions about her. They claimed she was present on the station. Normally I would have been more suspicious, but they seemed extremely intent on the matter. And also…” Triezal paused, as if lost in thought before finishing his sentence. “And also, this sort of thing would be exactly in line with how she thinks. We did already suspect that someone had engineered our present circumstances.”
“You must understand how implausible this sounds,” said Deuvar, his gruff tone stating the words as if they were fact. Triezal nodded in confirmation.
“I’m aware. She would have needed to leave Janaste years ago, so her reason for being here cannot be related to our betrayal of the organization. If what they say is true, she should be here for Rachel, rather than us. Though I’m not sure that would stop her from performing her ‘duties’ along the way. The real question,” he continued, “is what she’s up to. We haven’t seen any of her traces, which means she’s actively hiding from us.”
Deuvar felt his brow wrinkle once again as he considered the matter. This was a matter involving the Epon, which was certainly the former magister’s domain. His own speculations would be far less substantiated. Still, he was wary of Rachel's tricks. Who knew just how capable the alien Shade was of manipulation.
“This would imply that the Epon placed far more importance on Rachel than we anticipated.”
Triezal nodded in agreement.
“I suspect her design is from an entirely different system of engineering than Janottka and the other’s. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rachel’s design is even more advanced. That could be what’s attracting their attention. Perhaps it’s what drew the organization’s interest in the first place.”
Considering the idea, Deuvar found that it was a plausible explanation.
“If they weren’t lying to you, that would make sense...”
Deuvar still wasn’t quite ready to fully believe this information, due to the nature of its source, but he would not disregard it altogether. Being careful was certainly the better decision in this circumstance.
He sighed.
“It’s a good thing that you’re back, though. The Leader has been erratic. He’s actually taken the initiative in several cases without using me as an intermediary. It’s very unusual, and makes me think something is going on. My sister is up to something as well, though that’s to be expected of her.”
Triezal nodded. He had known Astna for years, and was well aware of how she enjoyed frustrating her brother. He was also aware of how intelligent the woman was. She had to know that this was not the time to keep secrets between the organization’s most vital figures. Thus, her actions intrigued him.
Suddenly, a notification covered the surface of one of the slates on Deuvar’s desk, and both men curiously glanced over feeling somewhat tense.
Deuvar glanced down at that slate, and his demeanor relaxed as he saw the good news.
“It seems they decided to simply blow the entry hallways and lock our forces inside the headquarters,” he said, a trace of mirth on his face.
Triezal chuckled, though he didn’t have a complete understanding of the situation. All he knew was that the headquarters had been attacked, as well as what dwelled within its depths. He could guess at Deuvar’s intentions.
“This was quite the successful operation,” explained Deuvar, noticing the blank expression on the Merris man’s face. “We killed a spirit refiner and tens of high-level combatants at only the cost of six enforcers and some real estate. Even managed to protect the titan.”
“Though the future may be grim, I believe there will be a way out of this, somewhere,” said Triezal, determination filling his gaze. “We simply need to find it.”
Deuvar nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. He had never been the type to give in and surrender when the situation became bad. His career would never have reached this level if he was.
“I’ll put you in charge of the Shade situation. Both of them, that is. Talk with Kalthen and make sure that there are no signs of infiltration into the titan force. If you can find sufficient evidence to prove that Janottka really is here, send it to me and I’ll make sure the Staiven are aware of the situation.”
“By your will, Vice-Leader. I’ll get on it.”
As Triezal replied, that look was still in his eyes. Deuvar smiled, admiring the younger man’s will. To a certain extent, he could be considered to have been dragged into this downward spiral of a situation by Triezal, but at the very least, the former magister was a worthy ally, and a person whose capabilities he could respect.
Before he crossed the threshold, Triezal chuckled, and turned back for a moment.
“If the circumstances were different, I would have invited you out for drinks. Shades know that both of us could use some.”
Deuvar smiled lightly at his words. He wasn’t normally the type to partake in such activities, but at the moment, he wished he could do so.
“I’m afraid we both have far too much on our plates as is,” he replied.
Triezal smiled sadly in response, and Deuvar knew that the other man felt the pressure just as much as he did.
As Triezal left, Deuvar pinched the skin at the bridge of his nose, and then dove back into his work. There was always something that needed doing, he thought. Deuvar suspected the list would only continue to grow, much faster than he could clear it out.
One of these days, he really would need to find himself a competent assistant, he thought.
Role of Shades in Traditional Celan Culture: [The Celan Shades are beings that had existed since prior to the foundation of the current Celan civilization. Due to the uniquely isolated location of their homeworld, no ascendants were present to claim the world, which led to a situation where the powerful Shades became dominant forces, equivalent to gods to certain groups. For some Celans, this treatment has yet to end. Many Merris still treat the Shade Anteky as their guardian deity, while Arvajott was said to be last seen in command of a flotilla which has yet to be seen in galactic society after leaving Celah. Jinulde was seen as a sage who could answer any question if one traveled to its mountain, while Janottka was the Sorceress, a trickster used in stories to scare children. Many have been lost to history, such as those who were destroyed in the fall of Opportunity, and the majority of the Celans simply see them as powerful and dangerous beings better lost to time.]