Chapter 349: Cerulean Surprise 2 |
“King Xor’Drel,” said Her Cerulean Majesty, the liquid woman’s body shimmering. The greeting was acceptable as one given between peers, but her curt tone was hardly polite. “I will skip the pleasantries and playacting. My pretense for being here is that you have an open invitation for each of the rulers to visit. My purpose for being here is to enter the Labyrinth you’ve stumbled into.”
Nokomi got the impression this woman didn’t think much of King Xor’Drel or his title. For his part, Arlo gave no reaction to his counterpart’s aggressive approach, instead tapping his lips in thought for a moment.
“Why do you want to enter the Labyrinth?” he asked.
“I have been told that a monolith can be found within,” she replied. Nokomi’s head spun with how much information both parties were simply handing to the other with their blunt questions and answers. “Given the presence of Davahns within the Labyrinth, I believe they are attempting to seize control of it for use in raising Unity. I will stop them from doing so.”
King Xor’Drel took a deep breath, eyebrows rising. “I’m not usually one to stand on formality,” he said, “so I won’t read too deeply into your abandonment of it. That being said, very few people are aware of exactly what’s happening in the forest, especially since communications have broken down.”
“You needn’t be concerned,” said Cerulean, cutting him off. “None of your peons are spies. I knew of your operations in the forest and the existence of a Labyrinth therein. I monitor all major mana flows throughout this half-dead planet, and the forest is one of them. I felt the ripples of it as it changed. An infant could infer what happened.”
“And the monolith?”
“Anyone in a position of power is aware that the Littans projected a monolith location within the forest. Beyond that, I have received independent intelligence from other sources, including Matriarch Cora Heronwyte.”
“Hmm,” Arlo hummed as he thought. “The Heronwytes and I have had our differences in the past. They tend to accuse me of colluding with avatars and undermining Hiward’s global influence.”
“Right,” he said, looking like he’d just sucked on a lemon. “Well, they’ve taken it quite personally. Have you considered that they’re maneuvering you into a collision course with me?”
“Cora Heronwyte is a heinous bitch,” said Cerulean, “but she is competent at gathering information and is well-known for providing accurate reports. I have no doubt that she has been truthful, although she certainly plays games, like all petty mortals. If her motivations serve to inconvenience me, she will be dealt with.”
“I suppose that if anyone could swat a Hiwardian matriarch down,” said King Xor’Drel, “then it would be you, Ruler Cerulean.”
“I’ve lived through the deaths of a thousand nations,” she replied. “I’ll leave you to guess how many died to me.”
Nokomi still had her hand on Ulia’s arm and felt the young Lady Starion tense. She couldn’t blame her, since the ruler’s response could easily be read as a threat to all of Closetland. The lieutenant suddenly felt that her charge would be safer somewhere else, but she was reluctant to move them, lest she call down the dragon’s attention.
Arlo sat and watched Cerulean for a time. “You said you would stop the Davahns from claiming the monolith. How do you intend to do that?”
“I will destroy them.”
“The Davahns, or the monolith?”
“All of it,” said Cerulean. “Capturing the monolith is essential for the United, and they must battle a Labyrinth to acquire it. They will have committed significant forces, the annihilation of which will cripple Brae’ach. Further, the destruction of the monolith itself will present an existential threat to their culture. The combination of the two will end this war before it has truly begun, and we will be free to clean up the avatars after.”
“If you need to use me to get inside, I’m assuming the System won’t let you enter the Labyrinth. How does it keep you out?”
“That is irrelevant.”
“I disagree,” said King Xor’Drel. “That Labyrinth is in serious need of help currently, and if the System is still willing to keep you out then it doesn’t seem to want the kind of help you’re offering.”
“I am not interested in helping the System,” said Cerulean. “Everything that self-serving machine does is steeped in deception, especially when it feigns vulnerability. Do you think it needs you to address its problems? Is your ego that inflated? Do you actually believe your contributions are so unique that a superintelligence as old as some planets couldn’t get by without your paltry interference?”
“I seem to have touched a nerve. If–”
Cerulean swiped a hand as if to bat away the king’s next question. “Do you intend to open a portal for me?”
“No,” he said. His proclamation was so forceful that Nokomi took an instinctive step away from the balustrade. “Do not be misled by the deference I showed to your position when I visited Club Dragon, Ruler Cerulean. That isn’t where we are. You’ve come to my kingdom and made demands. If you are unwilling to explain yourself to my satisfaction, then you are welcome to return to your own lands where the people have no choice but to tolerate your derision.”
“Brave words from an absentee king,” said Cerulean. “Regardless, I am too old to be bothered by your tantrum. I’ve come to expect them from children and fools alike, and you are both, Arlo Xor’Drel.”
“Cutting,” he said dryly.
“The System keeps me from the Labyrinth because it knows I will break it. I have no patience for its convoluted puzzles, so I will simply raze it to the ground alongside all the United within its borders. I will tear it asunder until the monolith is exposed and I will break the cursed thing between my teeth.”
“And what of everyone else inside the Labyrinth?”
“Remove those who are with you when you open the portal,” she replied.
“Most of my people have been separated from me. Most of the Littans as well.”
“Then they will need to rely on themselves to survive.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Do you plan to give them a chance to do that?”
“Breaking into the core of a Labyrinth is not a gentle process. The spells I have chosen are engineered for annihilation, not discretion.”
“To be clear,” said King Xor’Drel, “you are asking me to give you access to a Labyrinth where many of my closest allies are, so that you can nuke the entire place with no regard for friend or foe.”
“A handful of lives is an easy price to pay for this world’s salvation,” said Cerulean. “Although I can tell from your tone that you will allow emotion to dictate your actions.”
“You can’t possibly think this will convince me to let you in,” said King Xor’Drel as he rubbed his forehead. “Your plan is terrible.”
“No, my plan is simple,” said Cerulean. “You will eventually learn that complexity is not the same as competency.”
“Fine. Let’s assume I’m too young to appreciate your ancient wisdom. Why don’t we get a second opinion from someone who’s older than either of us?” Cerulean narrowed her eyes at the king, who held his arms out to either side and looked up to the ceiling.
The word the king then spoke rattled all the emptiness within Nokomi, which, to her confusion, turned out to be most of her.
“JuRoQi,” he said, “what do you think of Ruler Cerulean’s plan?”
The dragon’s eyes went from narrowed to opening wide as she realized what King Xor’Drel was doing. She held out a hand towards the man, like she was planning to cross the gap between them and grab him by the collar. However, before she could do anything, she disappeared.
Arlo looked around the chamber and placed his hands back onto his podium. He tapped the sides nonchalantly, then glanced up at Nokomi and Ulia.
“This is kind of weird,” he said. “I usually end up going with them.”
Before he could explain what he meant by that, the building rattled. A voice rumbled through the walls, shaking them like a planet-sized titan was whispering in the next room over.
Though your thousand nations
Span a hundred ages
You dozen survive the generation
It’s a paltry imitation of
This one, designed to last
When it comes for scales of glass
Your fangs will shatter fast
You’ve bit upon eternity
The old iconoclast
Nokomi suddenly felt more solid than she ever had as the voice faded to nothing. Another moment passed, and Cerulean appeared back on the petitioner’s stage. The dragon’s liquid form shuddered, vibrations rippling across her humanoid form’s surface, which momentarily transitioned into glinting blue scales.
Her body stabilized and she looked up at Arlo, face filled with fury. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re convinced,” she said, then snapped her fingers. Nokomi flinched back as threads of mana flashed into existence all around her. No, not just around her, everywhere–thin as spider’s silk and so numerous that Nokomi had to reign in her mana sight lest she be overwhelmed.
Ulia watched her in confusion, having been spared the presence of whatever Arlo had called down on Cerulean and lacking the senses to see what was making the Chovali squint and struggle. Fortunately, sight was one of Nokomi’s least vital senses. The mana hadn’t done anything to the sound in the space, so the lieutenant recovered quickly enough.
King Xor’Drel looked around curiously at the threads, although he didn’t seem very bothered by them.
“Okay,” he said. “You’re choosing to double down. I guess you don’t respect age so much as… Well, you probably don’t respect anyone or anything outside of yourself, now that I think about it.” He waggled a hand at the lines of mana. “Is this supposed to be a threat? You don’t need a visual aid to prove you can destroy everything and everyone in here.”
“You’re a fool but not an idiot,” said Cerulean. “Figure it out for yourself.”
Arlo took another moment to watch the threads, then shrugged and abandoned his magister to appear in the one next to Nokomi and Ulia. Cerulean glanced their way, then hovered into the air where she crossed her legs and appeared to begin meditating.
“What’s happened?” asked Ulia. Arlo held up a hand to forestall any more questions, then opened a portal to some empty part of Closetland. The threads were there as well.
He gestured for them to follow and they walked from the King’s Chamber, down a corridor and out into the streets of Pending. The kingdom’s capital city was built from the ruins of Krimsim, and the original Littan settlement had been radically transformed during the reconstruction. Half of the ruined buildings were removed and replaced with parks, gardens, and other plant-rich public works. The focus on natural beauty combined with the fact that the city was technically indoors had made Nokomi feel quite at home, if not a little homesick. Now, every inch of the place was covered in Cerulean’s threads.
“Shit,” said Arlo. He opened another portal, revealing the armory that Nokomi assumed she and Ulia had been meant to tour. “Come on.”
The pair followed the disgruntled king, leaving a street full of confused Closetlanders in their wake. Arlo closed the portal behind them and crossed his arms, looking consternated.
“What is she doing?” Nokomi asked. “Her mana is everywhere.”
“I open portals from my real body to Closetland all the time,” he said. “This eyesore of a spell is either some kind of alert system that’ll tell her when I’m opening a portal, or will let her hitchhike through any that I open while in the Labyrinth.”
“So if you try to come home,” said Nokomi, “Ruler Cerulean will use the portal to enter the Labyrinth?”
“Or if I try to send an ally to safety, or open multiple portals to move shit around like my shield.”
“Isn’t your inventory in here?” asked Ulia.
“Yeah, but using inventory isn’t a portal.” He furrowed his brow, looking even more concerned. “I don’t think it’s a portal.”
“If it isn’t a portal, what is it?” asked Nokomi.
“Planar teleportation,” he replied.
“Isn’t teleportation just skin tight portals?”
“Living things can’t travel through my inventory slots.”
“I see that we are skipping past that last question.”
“Seems like a risk,” said Ulia, looking between Arlo and Nokomi.
“I’m not giving up my damn inventory. Watch!” Arlo held out a hand, but nothing happened.
“Should I be seeing something?” asked Ulia.
“I’m making a banana go in and out of my inventory with my main body but you can’t see it.” He dropped his arm. “Because you aren’t there. Anyway, Cerulean didn’t ride my inventory to come into the labyrinth, so inventory use is safe.”
“Wasn’t that a big risk?” asked Ulia.
“Nah,” said Arlo, waving a hand. “Anyway, Nokomi, are you familiar with the PSA evolution?”
She hesitated over the odd inflection he put on his words. “I am. It lets you speak to anyone you have met before, most commonly through psychic means, but it can manifest in other ways.”
“You have the Gate spell,” Arlo added.
“I do.”
“And you’ve been inside the Forest?”
“I was escorted in to gain the Colossal Weapons intrinsic.” She flapped her wings nervously. “But the forest will make my Gate spell explode if I try to go that deep into it.”
Arlo nodded to himself for a few seconds, then put a hand on Nokomi’s shoulder. “I’m gonna portal you two back to New Krimsim.”
The man looked at her meaningfully, and Nokomi picked up on the message before long. “Right,” she said. “Lady Starion, we will be leaving.”
“What about my things?”
“We will pick them up another time,” said Nokomi. Ulia pouted, but agreed. The lieutenant was her security advisor and bodyguard, after all, and she’d been trained on when to stay quiet and play along.
Once Nokomi stepped out of the Closet and into New Krimsim, the portal to Closetland immediately shut behind them. Ulia turned to Nokomi, frustration clear in her posture.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“King Xor’Drel was concerned that Ruler Cerulean could still hear our conversation, but he is not exactly a subtle hand with deception.”
“Okay,” said Ulia. Then she gestured at the maze of stout wooden buildings that surrounded them. “But what are we doing here? I was supposed to go to Taras once I was done in Closetland.”
“First, we find the base commander,” said Nokomi. “Then we will be going to see a man named Earworm.”