Nero Walker, Book 3 Ch.101 (216) (Patreon)

If it weren’t for her years of practice hiding her emotions, Mage-adept Newbanks would have been wringing her hands in anxiousness. All her available moves have been played. Now, all she could do was wait and see if it would be enough.

Glancing around the Hall of Leadership, she took stock of the councilors' dispositions.

Lord’s York and Peyton were the easiest to figure out, they merely wanted to maintain their prospective positions through the city’s upcoming troubles. They’d voted to stay in Dorchester, gambling on the successful defense of the city’s walls. Both of them knew that after the ether stabilized, their houses would reap a substantial benefit in the kingdom's power ladder.

Lord Voltan was a little more difficult to anticipate as he was too clever for his own good. He was the kind of man who would mistakenly seek an advantage when there was none to be found. It wouldn’t be out of character for him to cause a disruption just for the sake of chaos.

Then there was Lord Bennings. As the head of the local Tower of Law, she would likely keep her opinion in line with the facts. While she no doubt had some personal political motivations, she wouldn’t dare risk her position by letting them influence today’s proceedings. Or, at least Mage-adept Newbanks hoped she wouldn’t.

Lord Newling was already taken care of, she had made sure of that. House Newling was currently the weakest of the ruling houses, and all it took to bring them in line was some subtle threats concerning their actions in placing spies within the military. As close friends of General Branson, they had no choice but to publicly oppose him.

But for the remaining two, there was nothing she could do. General Branson and City lord Cosgrave each had their own agendas, and therefore both were beyond her control.

General Branson was already guaranteed to lose his position in the coming days. Therefore, his entire focus was set on persuading the council into declaring Lord Walker a threat to the city. If he couldn’t succeed today, then his most likely defense of his actions would fail miserably during his upcoming tribunal. He needed his actions to be explained away as justifiable foresight.

Turning her attention to the final member, and current head of Dorchester’s Council of Leadership, Mage-adept Newbanks could barely keep her glare under control when she looked at the infuriating woman. ‘Like a poisonous viper, she’s been just waiting for the opportunity to strike,’ she thought miserably.

Lord Walker’s presence had been destabilizing the city for months. His actions might have aided the city lord in some small manner, but he is also responsible for her having to execute both her heirs and arguably her favorite consort. Also, if rumors were to be believed, she’d be soon invalidating her current consort agreements and freeing her house from any and all entanglements.

With her current stranglehold on the power structure of the city, City lord Cosgrave has no reason to keep an unstable element like Lord Walker around.

Sighing in defeat at how powerless she was, Mage-adept Newbanks turned her head to watch Grandmaster Lancel approach the council.

Taking a good look at him, she had to admit he was an impressive specimen of man. Although he wasn’t nearly as high a level as his presence suggested, in this backwater little city it was more than enough to suppress these petty nobles. Striding across the room, the city seal under his feet, he projected an air of indifference and mockery of the council’s power.

Adding to the grandmaster’s intimidation factor, Mage-adept Newbanks noted several evaluators from the Royal Academy calmly following behind him like aides. Their presence was a silent but potent factor supporting his position.

While she hadn’t been able to personally speak with the man, she had made use of several intermediaries to pass on information to bolster his defense of Lord Walker. It hadn’t been easy, but she’d provided several citations referring to cases of historical law, testimonies from citizen groups, and even some research papers concerning soul magic and its few but varied lawful applications.

Mage-adept Newbanks knew the evaluators and the grandmaster were intent on defending Lord Walker’s actions and maintaining his presence in the city. As she hadn’t heard from the king, all she could do was support them silently, hoping that they would ensure the king’s plans continued unabated.

Lord Walker must remain in the city. He must stand against the kobalds and ensure the city isn’t evacuated. If that didn’t happen, all the careful and stressful planning she’d done over the past month would end up being pointless.

Unable to stop herself, she let out a final sigh of frustration. There was nothing more she could do. She could only hope that her sleepless night would provide an outcome that didn’t result in her being sent back to Hennings, stained with the indignity of failure.

—--

Both Academian Quincy and Nick took turns lecturing at Nero about the factual realities of the afterlife. Flanked by the old mages in the middle of the bench, Nero had no choice but to continually turn his head as if he were stuck watching a tennis match.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see soldiers training. While they were using other training circles, keeping a respectful distance from them, Nero could sense through their essence fields their dedication and enjoyment of what they were doing. Yet, here he sat, stuck listening to these old men talk and talk.

As the two knowledgable mages systematically destroyed his worldview, Nero found himself Involuntarily shifting in his seat, lamenting the fact Nick and Academian Quincy had chosen to have this conversation in the middle of the training fields. Had it not been for the continual metaphysical bombshells he was hearing, he would most likely have already objected to their casual disregard for his comfort.

Nero had read about the afterlife and the different planes, but he hadn’t had it explained to him by people with such scientific accuracy. The way they were talking about it was so matter-of-fact that it seemed increasingly impossible to argue with them about it.

They continuously cited studies, referencing famous scientists and researchers, all the while treating their religious beliefs as indisputable truths. Nero had no choice but to accept what they were saying.

“Fine!” he shouted, successfully ending their assault.

Hopping to his feet so he could address both of them without turning his head back and forth like an idiot, Nero rounded on them like an angry girlfriend unwilling to suffer the loss of an argument.

With his voice barely containing his hostility, he growled, “I’ll grant you that most of what you are saying is probably true. You’ve both probably studied the different planes well enough to know what god has staked claim where. I also won’t argue that you couldn’t possibly know what happens when a person dies. Considering that the scientists you’ve mentioned tracked and documented how it happens, I’d be a fool to disagree with you. I’ll even grant you that your understanding of the differences between the mind and soul is probably right on the money as well.”

Holding up his finger accusingly, Nero continued on despite their obvious happiness, “BUT! I will not change my mind on what it was I was using to fuel my spells. They were NOT souls! I don’t know how I can explain it any simpler than that.”

Before the two old mages could respond, Nero began pacing back and forth, ranting and raving for all he was worth. “You obviously can’t see what I see. I’m telling you for a fact that the soul stuff floating around after someone dies has nothing to do with their soul. I’ll give you that it is made up of the same kind of stuff… that particular type of essence or whatever… but there is no identity there. When I’ve dived into someone to bring them back from the dead, I’ve seen their souls returning from wherever it was they went. I’ve watched the connection between their mind body and soul reestablish itself.”

Stuttering to a stop, Nero’s tone changed completely as he just thought of something. Ignoring the two mages, he rubbed his chin harshly with one hand while his other waved around crazily. “That tether… I bet that’s what gets released when a person finally dies. It’s probably the manifestation of their current potential waiting for them to incorporate it into their identity. The soul on the other side is made of the same stuff… so it resonates or something… like it’s the same frequency.”

Academian Quincy leaned forward on the bench, intending to interrupt. “Soul tethers are merely a conceptual exp-”

Completely ignoring the man, Nero barreled on with what he’d been saying. “So, buy using that soul stuff, I’m actually doing a service! I’m cleaning up the ether of all the leftover crap that hasn’t had time to dissipate. The memories and experiences still get absorbed by the world, it’s just the wasted potential that I’m repurposing. Exactly like I said!”

Academian Quincy and Nick shared a look, not knowing how to respond to Nero’s rapid theory crafting.

Throwing his hands up in excitement, Nero turned to them and said, “Do you see what this means?!? Someone could bottle that stuff without feeling bad about it. They could create their own essence crystals. I mean, think about it, it’s basically the same stuff, just not crystalized yet.”

Nodding to himself, Nero added, “That also explains where essence crystals come from. The world doesn’t want those memories yet. Killing an animal that has already been adopted into the local ecosystem doesn’t give you one, it’s only beasts and monsters that are foreign to the area that result in their creation. I wonder if that’s the method that the monsters use to take over an area?”

Happy with his conclusions, Nero stood there proudly, mentally going over the argument he’d just come up with in his head, finding it both plausible and unable to be easily refuted.

Quickly coming out of his thoughts, Nero looked over to see both old men staring at him in shock and horror.

Assuming they were probably still worried about him accidentally destroying the local ethereal balance or something, Nero waved his hand dismissively and added, “Don’t worry about the essence flows. As long as I don’t overdraw on them too much, there shouldn’t be any future problems. My mistake was not regulating the spell form I was using. I just shoved too much potential in it and let it go ham… probably not my best idea to be honest, but what are you gonna do? Shit happens.”

Seeing the two mages exchange another uncomfortable look, Nero decided to change the subject back to something he was interested in. “So, now that I’ve agreed that you all know everything there is to know about the afterlife, and that I won’t be causing any more ecological essence disasters… can we talk about magic now? I have questions that need answering.”

Both Academian Quincy and Nick stood up slowly, seemingly cautious of upsetting Nero or possibly not getting their point across.

Nick stepped forward first, his voice both serious and concerned. “Nero, you must never crystalize souls. That practice is both abhorrent and massively illegal. Even as a unique, that kind of research will get you executed by anyone who learns of it. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

Nero blinked up at Nick in confusion. “Um… alright. It was just an idea. But, to be clear, I’m not suggesting we ‘crystalize souls’, I’m just saying that the leftover potential from someone dying could be put to use. You’re a researcher for god’s sake, can’t you come up with a legal and scientific way to study the idea before jumping to conclusions?”

Nick turned to look at Academian Quincy in fear, his horror at not having succeeded in getting Nero to drop the subject obvious.

Stepping forward to place himself next to Nick, Academian Quincy looked down on Nero with a pronounced frown on his face. “It’s not that simple Lord Walker. The subject has been deemed closed by the Royal Academy, and any research into that subject has been declared illegal. Nothing short of intervention by the royal family could affect that ruling.”

Nero shrugged, not particularly bothered by that. To him, it sounded like nothing more than rich assholes being set in their ways. He was all too familiar with the concept.

Suddenly having an idea, he smirked and said, “Well then, I’ll just have to ask the king about it when I meet him.”

Nick visibly shook in fear at the idea of Nero bringing his idea to the king. “Are you insane?!?”

Nero, understanding Nick’s position held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t worry so much! I’m not going to do anything stupid. Have a little faith in me, would you? If I do end up talking to him about it, I’ll be discreet. I’m not going to advocate killing people to farm essence crystals or anything… I’m not a monster.”

Academian Quincy’s face contorted into a confused but thoughtful expression. “No… you’re not. But you aren’t exactly fully human either.”

Nero looked over at the man in shock. ‘Well, that’s kind of a dick thing to say,’ he thought to himself in annoyance.

Before he could formulate a response, Nick took the opportunity to defend him, “He is human. That isn’t a fact that’s up for debate. Both his identity and his soul confirm it! If you have any intention of questioning that, I’ll file an appeal with whoever I need to. You will NOT have him classified as a threat, not while I’m still breathing!”

Nero was a little surprised at the venom in Nick’s tone. He knew the man was intimidated by Academian Quincy’s level and power, so seeing Nick take such a hard stance made him feel all warm and fuzzy about his friend.

Academian Quincy shook his head in denial at the accusation. “I’m not saying Nero isn’t a human. Or at least that’s not what I was implying. The thought just occurred to me that Nero lacks a lot of the empathy that is ingrained into people by virtue of being exposed to other people’s essence fields. It’s not a bad thing, or at least I don’t mean it that way. He is simply only interested in his own pursuits, I’m starting to think he may not see other people as relevant.”

Nick’s mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to form a counterpoint.

Nero, standing there in confusion, asked, “You’re saying that I’m a sociopath?”

Academian Quincy met Nero’s eyes unflinchingly. “Not exactly. Sociopathy is a documented phenomenon where a person’s identity is resistant to exterior emotional stimuli. In practice, you share many of the same traits, but your scans don’t show the same markers that are commonly associated with that sickness. To be clear, all I’m saying is that you may be the perfect example of a person dedicated to their path without any other considerations… considerations like the people around him or their opinions.”

Nick’s voice changed into one of scientific analysis. “He does have a tendency to ignore other people’s opinions with alarming regularity. He also tends not to emotionally register the severity of the situations he finds himself in. What do you propose is the cause of his emotional detachment?”

Nero frowned at Nick’s obvious mischaracterization of his personality.

Academian Quincy placed his hands on his hips, taking a moment to choose his words carefully. “I believe it is due to his soul being so unique. He hasn’t yet completely adopted this plane of existence as his own. On some level, I think his soul believes he’s just visiting. So, in a way, he is more like a planar invader than a human being.”

Nero felt the academian’s conclusions hit him like a hammer. ‘Have I really been that much of an asshole? I thought I got along with everybody. I have friends, followers… hell, if that former assassin guy is any indication, I’ve probably got a cult springing up in my honor,’ he thought to himself.

Unable to come up with a reasonable response to what they were saying, Nero stood in silence, thinking over his past actions from an objective perspective. ‘Continually forgetting everyone’s name is probably not a good sign though,’ he admitted to himself sadly.

Nick didn’t give Nero time to think, continuing the conversation as if he weren’t even there. “It could be a question of his soul’s instinctual identity overpowering the one he manifested on this plane. We’ve already seen evidence that his personality is being shaped by it, so it would stand to reason that his emotional state is being influenced as well.”

While the two old mages continued debating his faults, Nero took the opportunity to walk under their eyeline back toward the bench they’d been using.

Plopping himself down, Nero numbly thought about what they’d said about him. He hadn’t felt this bad about himself since he’d learned that everyone in his middle school was under the impression that he had a learning disorder.

Looking at it rationally, Nero couldn’t deny that he was a bit distant from people here. Aside from Nick and Vera… and maybe Cathleen… he usually kept people at arm's length. But that was just because he couldn’t trust anybody, right? Rose was always around, but she was a former spy and basically eye candy. The wackos barely knew anything about him, and the soldiers he’d trained with were nothing more than work acquaintances. Honestly, who else did he really know?

Even Nick and Vera were only friends with him due to convenience. They got just as much out of the relationship as he did, didn’t they? He made them a ton of money and improved their social status by association. It may be a bit of a dick thing to admit, but it was true.

Vera was like a big sister… an adopted big sister… but still a sister.

Nick on the other hand was a bro. They looked out for each other and gave each other shit. That’s friendship, true friendship.

Looking up into the sky, Nero ignored the calm, analytical voices of the old mages. While he could hear them still debating the pros and cons of his personality, Nero was focused on completing his internal audit.

Perhaps he needed to branch out and embrace the world a little more. It was weird, and the people were stupid, but it had its charms. Treating it like a game wasn’t a good long-term strategy. It may work temporarily, allowing him to not go crazy in the face of everything constantly not making sense, but eventually, he’d have to come to terms with the fact that he was here and now part of this world.

Luckily, his goals didn’t really need to change, just the way he went about them. He could still have the life of adventure and excitement that he wanted. But now, he have to allow for the idea that he wasn’t alone anymore.

Glancing over at Nick ardently defending his failings, Nero felt his signature smirk return. He hadn’t known the man all that long, but he truly did like him. With Nick, there wasn’t any subtext or games. The man was a dork, a wonderful and amusing dork. How he ended up with a woman like Vera was anybody’s guess.

Thinking of Vera and everything she’d done for him, he felt his center swelling in appreciation for her care and support. Yes, she probably had her ulterior motives, but she’d still looked out for him. When it came down to it, she deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Even Cathleen wasn’t all that bad. While it was true she was entirely too focused on some imagined future where he ended up being a war legend or something, she did care for him in her own way.

Whether he liked it or not, he was now the leader of the wackos. In fact, he was the head wacko in the W.A.C. and it was time he started acting like it.

Academian Quincy’s voice was calm and collected as he responded to Nick’s most recent point. “I agree. The personality matrix his soul has infused into his identity is probably not being affected by anything he learns or experiences here. But, we can’t know that for sure. You’ve seen yourself that his unity status is abnormal. Rather than developing in tandem, it's entirely possible that his soul is appropriating his experiences on this plane into his soul’s core identity. His physical and material mind may only be a reflection of that identity. It’s been proven conclusively that the mind is a physical representation of a person’s identity on the material plane. However, Lord Walker may be the exception to that rule.”

Nero barely followed what they were saying, but he had to admit it sounded impressive.

Closing his eyes, he reached out to his link. After making the connection, he brought up the ‘thank you’ messages from the wackos he’d put off dealing with.

‘If I’m going to be the leader they seem to think I am, I’m going to have to stop pushing everyone away. No one got anywhere by ignoring their responsibilities, and one pointless life should have been enough for me to learn from my mistakes. It’s time to nut up or shut up. They want me to be a leader, so that’s what I’ll be,’ he said to himself, feeling his determination settle into his center like concrete.

Not wasting any more time, he opened up the first message at the top of the list. Seeing it was from Natalie Keening, he read it one more time before he began writing his reply.