Meanwhile, in a dyson sphere half a galaxy away, a lion man let out a wall roar. He had received two annoying notifications. He had roared at that time much to the dismay of his arbiters. He had stomped around his hall. Then his justicar who he had pushed and dragged into his service, did his job by calming him down.
After a drink and two more tirades the large narsimha finally asked “Who are these stupid creatures?”
“Humans, my Kel.” The justicar looked at his narsimha lord and replied in disgust.
Ruud Rak, the hammer of the Ascari Nebula and the Kel of the fifth frontier gave his old friend and a constant pain in the teeth, a look. A deep rumble of anger escaped his throat and he clenched his large teeth.
A look that the man with light green skin and eyes ignored. The arbiter wasn’t wrong and Ruudrak new it. Humans were like little kittens. Tell them not to touch this or hit that and they would do exactly the opposite. It was their ancestry. They all evolved from apes after all. Yet still the comment was speciest and there had to be boundaries.
“Maarut.” The narsimha muttered warningly.
Maarut Randurus, the Justicar of the 5th frontier didn’t look repentant.
“My Kel, I might look like one of the humans but I am not one of them. In fact, most times I can’t even understand how such a strange species has survived much less thrives.
Ruud Rak looked at his justicar’s sharp features and snorted. Sure he was a furless bipedal creature but if he thought he wasn’t a human, he was mistaken. The man was an Aranyaani. Aranyaan the planet of forest and fires coloured their skin green but they were still humans.
Ruud Rak looked at Maarut’s annoyed expression. His arbiter was perceptive and knew exactly what he was thinking.
Ruudrak sighed and tried to advocate for patience “Humans in all their forms are like every other sentient creature in Aditi’s worlds. They learn from each other.”
“Barely. They are barbaric creatures who kill each other abruptly and violently.”
“And your people share an ancestry with them.” Ruudrak said in a deep voice and asserted his point “If your ancestars hadn’t got lucky and found the divine woods you would be the same. You all would be poking each other with knives and not slowly methodically strangling each other with vines.”
Maarut gave his Kel a look “Your point my kel?”
Ruudrak sighed “My point, my Arbiter Justicar, is that my people like to claw at each other’s necks. Humans like to find new innovative ways to kill each other and you like to use plants to fight. We are all sentients and we all have our quirks.”
Maarut scoffed “Not these ones. They are barely sentient. They haven’t even reached class one.”
That raised the Kel’s fur. He whirled to face his justicar “Explain!”
Maarut took in a deep breath “I can’t. I don’t know much more than you. But I have someone on Rier who could explain the situation in more detail.”
The narsimha nodded and an hour later the wall in front of him disappeared to show snowy mountains and pine trees. Maarut closed his eyes as a cold breeze from the other side brought the smells of freshly cut glass and sweet smelling flowers.
Ruudrak sneezed. And then again.
“Gaah! I hate the wild.” The Kel said in a disgruntled voice.
Maarut sighed. Turned his left hand upwards to display a series of holographic controls. He adjusted a nob and the air rushing towards them stalled. Slowly the smells disappeared leaving just the view. A moment later a man in a Stetson hat walked into the picture and saluted the powerhouses by touching an open palm to the middle of his chest.
Maarut nodded and introduced the man to Ruddrak “My Kel, this is Harry Milton. He is also known as Bad Harry. He is one of our enforcers on Rier.”
Ruudrak looked at the man in front of him and nodded “Harry.”
Bad Harry touched his hat “My Kel. My Justicar. How can I help?”
Maarut smiled “Harry, please start by telling us what is going on in the trials?”
Harry sighed “Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin Arbiter Justicar.”
The narsimha looked at the gunslinger impatiently and growled “Then start at the start.”
Harry scratched his bearded jaw and began “Well, I don’t know how it started but here is what I have come to know. Close to a month ago, over a hundred people showed up out of nowhere at the remnants of the fire city. They were all converted into their mindless enthralled by the Rakshasa Empire. Then around fourteen days later another three hundred showed up right after that. They, for a while held the Empire back but then failed to keep the Raks at bay. But by the end, they all fell, got eaten or just ended up being converted into enthralled too.”
Kel Ruudrak turned to look at his justicar for answers. When none came, Harry continued.
“Two days ago, a party of soldiers and scientists appeared in the fire temple. Some of them were killed in action against the empire’s frontline forces. Others might have fallen too, but one of them was transformed into a priest. A priest of a class nine formless and he was able to keep most of them alive.”
Ruudrak turned a sharp look at Bad Harry and asked “Class nine? Which one?”
Harry licked his lips “The lord of the first fire. The Yaksha Agni.”
Ruudrak’s eyes widened and yelled “What in the lights name is going on over there? Where did these buffoons come from? Why is the yaksha involved and why do they keep coming in?”
By the end, Ruudrak wasn’t asking Harry the question he had turned his attention to his Justicar.
Maarut gave the kel a baffled look while formulating a response.
Harry cleared his throat “Excuse, my kel, that is not all.”
“There is more?” The narsimha roared.
The sound was so loud that both Maarut and Harry winced.
Harry knew that the Kel was close to losing it so he quickly continued “Yes, my kel. There are also two warders that have appeared. They are from this same world these people are coming from and the same place the soldiers and the priest have come from.”
“What place?” Ruudrak’s yelled in anger and then stopped as notifications popped open in front of him.
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Congratulations Kel
Two new warders have emerged in your claimed territory.
Find them. Protect them. And help them grow.
Rewards
Warder Vasals
A portion of potentiality from the Trial Grounds
Embassy in lands claimed by the warders.
1/100000 portion of lands owned by new warders.
Do you agree to mentor the new warders?
Yes / No?
Ruudrack looked at the notifications and read through them quickly while Bad harry continued.
“Earth, my kel.”
Ruudrak gave the cowboy a befuddled look “Where?”
“Earth. It’s the planet I am from kel.”
Ruudrak gave Harry a flat look “Earth? You people called your planet Earth? What are you, brain dead?”
Harry winced “I don’t know who named the planet that my kel, but these warders belong to a religion that venerates the yaksha. And he favours them.”
Ruudrak, stopped and looked at Maarut. He had just finished reading the notifications he had received when he had received his.
Maarut frowned “This is bad. There are two infant warders who are stumbling around in a hostile trial which is being invaded by the Rakshasa Empire. Best case scenario, they get enslaved or brainwashed to fight against the light. Worst case scenario, they get killed and their warders shards taken.”
Ruudrak lips parted in a cunning smile and deep rumbling voice he asked “Maarut, didn’t you hear our enforcer. These two new warders are being favoured upon by a yaksha.”
Maarut nodded “And that is a problem too my lord. I know of the Yaksha Agni. His myths and legends are spotted all across my planet. When I was young my mother took me to his temple to pray for his guidance. He will not like you putting a claim on what he thinks are his tools.”
Ruudrak chuckled and looked at Harry “You, Bad Harry. How sure are you about the yaksha favouring the two warders?”
Harry looked from one of his superiors to the other “My lords, I was there when the Yaksha created two shards from a fire in the trials.”
Maarut raised his eyebrows “From his own fire?”
“Yes. Arbiter Justicar.”
“What shards were they?”
“Weapon shards.”
Maarut exhaled “As long as they weren’t tied to Lord Agni, its okay.”
Ruudrak laughed and shook his head at his justicar “Maarut, the Yaksha Agni would do that.”
The Justicar looked at his kel “My Kle?”
The kel chuckled “Now tell me Maarut, how much of all this do you think the silver city simpletons know?”
Maarut cocked his head sideways “They know something. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked for a meeting with you. I am not sure that they know about the warders.”
Ruudrak tapped his large canine with a claw and shook his head “No, they know about the warders. I am sure they will try to poach them from us. And whatever lands and missions these two have gotten their hands on.”
Maarut contemplated his kel’s words for a moment and asked “How can you be so sure?”
Ruudrak snorted “I am not. But let’s find out shall we?” and opened his earlier notification. He scrolled to the bottom and with a clawed fingertip and hovered it over the question.
Do you agree to mentor the new warders?
Yes / No?
Ruudrak pressed yes and waited. He didn’t have to wait too long. A series of new notifications popped in his vision.
Mentorship contested.
The silver city has contested your mentorship of the new warders.
You or your representatives may find the new warders and convince them to become your mentees.
Rewards.
Two new vasal warders.
Embassy in lands claimed by the warders.
1/100000 portion of lands owned by new warders.
New world of sentients.
Potentiality from the Trail Grounds.
Ruudrak raised his eyebrows at the addition to the reward section. Then he waved the notifications away and looked at Maarut.
Maarut frowned after reading the notification and stated “So they know.”
“Yes, they know about the warders but not their ties to yaksha. I am going to use that. By the gods, I am going to burn them with that.” Ruudrak growled menacingly.
Maarut turned to look at his Kel “How, my lord?”
Ruudrak grinned and looked at Harry “Enforcer, keep an eye out for our two wayward warders. Make sure nothing truly awful happens to them. Otherwise, leave them alone.”
The kel then turned to his arbiter “Maarut, invite Kel Murduch and his sycophants to join us for dinner. We have a lot to talk about.”
Ruudrak’s two subordinates looked at each and then walked away with their orders.
Five hours later Ruud Rak and Maarut found themselves sitting opposite guests that had arrived from the Silver City. They were at the preliminary stages of their conversation and business hadn’t been brought up yet. Ruud Rak was going to answer another meaningless question when something strange happened.
Warning.
Two warders have started combat operations against the Rakshasa Empire in your territory.
Do you wish to limit the use of War Mode?
Yes ? No?
Ruudrak hit No and nonchalantly looked up.
Maarut must have got similar notification because he approached Ruudrak and whispered in his ear “My lord, if they are already fighting the rakshasa we need to get to them quickly. If not, these idiots will deliver themselves to the Rakshasas Empire. And with a new world at stake, the empire will be able to reinforce itself endlessly.”
What Maarut did not say was that conversely, if they could repel the empire, they and by association he would be able to bring a new world into the system. That would elevate his rank and push him closer to the rank of Merg. And then he wouldn’t have to cater to idiots from the Silver City.
Ruudrak liked that thought and if he was younger he would have been swayed by the rewards. But Ruudrak knew better and he was about to tell his arbiter about the pitfalls when a sudden clanking of dishes interrupted his conversation. Ruudrak looked up and glanced at his guest. A dignified man in his early fifties had stopped mid motion while serving himself the meat and curry dish. A woman, probably his new arbiter, started whispering in his ear.
An action that was quickly picked up by Maarut.
“My Kel, our guest of honour from Silver City, seemed to have gotten a notification.”
The narsimha looked at his arbiter and stated “That took longer than I thought it would.”
“Bureaucracy.” Maarut Aranyaani, The Arbiter of Kel Ruudrak and the Justicar of Solace stated in disgust. After a moment he continued “I bet the notifications passed through six sets of eyes before it reached him.”
Murduch the Kel from Silver City was looking at them and Ruudrak nodded at his counterpart.
“War mode? You would give such a powerful ability to warders who haven’t proven loyal to you?” Murduch asked Ruudrack.
“They were fighting against a common foe to us, Kel Murduch” Ruudrak replied while watching the older man put his plate on the table in front of him.
Three of the silver city kel’s party scrambled, found a chair and dragged it to the older gentleman. The man took a seat and exhaled, to calm himself. The angry expression on his pale face, visibly calmed himself.
“Ruudrak, I heard you all in the frontier operated fast and loose and didn’t adhere to Silver City laws but I didn’t expect to see it so soon.”
Ruudrak picked a piece of meat from the platter in front of him and threw it in his mouth while everyone looked at him. He smiled “I am sorry, did you ask a question?”
Murduch frowned “Giving unproven entities war mode can not be condoned Kel Ruudrak.”
“Then don’t condone it, Kel Murduch. We are not in your territory. We are not in the Silver City. By the light, we are not even close to it. We are on the frontier. We do things differently here.”
The Silver City untied a knot from the collar of his uniform jacket “Well, Kel of the fifth frontier, I didn’t expect such excitement when I came to your little dyson sphere.”
Ruud Rak smiled at his old rival and let the barb go. He kept an eye on his notifications. From the side of his vision he could see Maarut stiffen and begin to work on something.
“You know what they say, Murduch. A little conflict can liven up a boring dinner.”
Murduch sighed “I will never understand you narasimhas. You fight to protect and bring piece but don’t seem to appreciate it.”
“Are we really going to discuss politics now Kel?” Ruud Rak asked.
Murduch scratched his face with his manicured nails and exhaled “I would but I know that look. You want the new world. And so does the Silver City. That means I will have to oppose you, again.”
Ruudrak leaned back with a contemplative look “You know what will happen if we fight over this?”
“We’ll blow up the trial grounds and get sanctioned from the system?”
Ruudrak chuckled “Yes.”
A thought seemed to occur to Murduch and he snapped his fingers “How about this? Let’s both send a Shiang to the trial grounds to procure the new talent?”
Warders had seven ranks. Starting with a simple warder. If anything could be simple about a warder. Then increasing into a Shiang, a Kel, a Merg, and further.
And this would be a shit detail for any Shiang. The arata governing the trial zone would limit their combat capabilities and wouldn’t provide them any potentiality for completing any trial.
Ruud Rak grinned “Still trying to turn my Shiangs against me? I thought you would have given up on that?”
Murduch smiled back “It was worth a try and no. Whether you agree or not Kel Rak, I will be sending a Shiang to the trials.”
“Hmm… Looks like someone crawled in your fur. But okay. Do as you wish. In the interest of our continued cooperation I’ll be transparent too. I am not going to send any warders into the trials. My warders and Shiangs have better things to do. But I think my Arbiter Justicar has two arbiters that need new assignments.”
“Oh?” Murduch asked.
“Yes, Kel Murduch.” Maarut stopped ahead and answered “One is an old arbiter coming out of retirement and one is a recent graduate of college.”
“Their names?” Murduch asked.
Maarut responded quickly “Aya Aranyaani and Olimani Aranyaani.”
“Aya.” Murduch repeated with distaste and looked at Ruudrak “Aya, might have the qualifications to represent a warder but she is ally to warders Ruudrak. She is a zealot of the light. In its old form. I advise you to think about your choice Kel. it might come back to haunt you.”
Ruudrak tapped his claw on his tooth and shrugged “I stand by my arbiters choice.”
Murduch shook his head “You are new to the rank of Kel so I will tell you this, Solace is not our friend, young narsimha. Now if two arbiters are all that you are going to send then you are already conceding the warders. I will be sending a Shiang and his ship to fight the Rakshasa down there. He can demonstrate the power that silver city can come to bear upon its enemies to these young warders.”
Ruudrack smiled “I will let the first light decide who the warders will choose. And I will stand by there decision.”
“What about the arbiters when they are cast aside.”
“They will observe and keep me apprised of the situation. It is still my territory Murduch.”
Muruduch smiled sharply “For now.”
“You seem confident old foe.”
Murduch snorted “With what we can offer them? They would be fools not to choose the silver city.”
Ruud Rak wasn’t worried because he could see a message on his screen.
To Kel Ruud Rak.
The Kel of Ascari Nebula and the protector of the fifth frontier.
Greetings from the Continuum. Lord Kel. We the continuum wish to inform you that we have found two warders in the combat zone between the Yaksha Agni’s forces and the Rakshasa Empire. We are presently transporting them to safety and will keep them safe to the best of our ability. I am enclosing a live marker to the location of the warders with this message. Please feel free to reach out to them whenever you want. And please feel free to provide us with any instructions you may feel necessary.
Athena 8
General of the Continuum.
And Commander of Yaksha Agni’s Forces.
Ruud Rak read through the message once again and asked “Want to place a wager on who gets the new warders?”
Murduch who was reading something on his hud tapped his chin with his forefinger “How about a million Crerks?”
“That’s pocket change. I was sure that you would wager something more.” Rudd Rak had claws too and decided to remind his old rival about them.
Murduch smiled and didn’t rise to the insult “It’s just two warders. We don’t even know if they will bring a tiered world with them.”
Ruud Rak nodded “Okay, fine. A million crecks it is.”
Murduch waved his hand dismissively “Anyway, this is just a distraction. Now tell me, how do you want to handle the blood suckers?”
Ruud Rak sighed and all playfulness faded from his posture as they began to discuss serious business.
As they began to discuss the looming problem everyone else on the table gave each other furtive glances. The kels of the system might be playing nice right now but no one was fooled. Behind the smile and the calm tone of the Kels. they could see the undercurrent of war. And they had just seen the opening Salvo in the war of Kels had just been shot. And everyone knew that the war between the Silver City and the Kel’s of the frontier had finally begun.