CCXXIX. | Ch. 229: 'O, guardians from afar...' (Patreon)

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Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Nine: 'O, guardians from afar...'

Raul Blackburn was looking through his binoculars again. That was pretty much all he'd been doing, lately. It was hard not to be discouraged or distracted after hours of seeing literally no changes whatsoever, but he didn't intend to slack off now. This mission had already gone wrong in too many different ways. He wasn't about to add to their problems due to his own inattention or laziness.

Their raid on the little town of Miro had turned into a veritable siege. Which was a particularly strange situation, considering there were only seven of them here, not including the reapers.

Their initial hopes of going in there hard and fast and freeing all the hostages, including Raul's two brothers, had not panned out. Their first battle with the Abolishers in Miro had developed into a true battle of attrition. Even with Cousin Melchor, Leo, Diego Redwater, and the Lady Evangelina Stroud working together, the Abolishers currently residing in Miro had proven to be quite the pain in the neck to deal with, and after nearly an entire twenty-four hours of fighting with not a single servant being taken down on either side, the Rainlords decided to withdraw and rethink their strategy.

Now they were playing the waiting game, watching for any sign of movement or change in that little town over yonder.

If any of the Abolishers tried to flee Miro, the Rainlords would pounce on them. Even if one of their reapers tried to escape underground, they wouldn't be able to get away.

The Rainlords hadn't set up a soul net to catch them, but with Raul's power, digging was exceptionally easy, and now Diego, the Lady Stroud, and the two younger Blackburns, Dino and Rafael, were all down there in a huge cavern below the Miro, just waiting for a reaper foolish enough to try to slip past them.

That left Raul up here with Cousin Melchor and Leo. If needed, they could join the others underground very quickly, but Raul had a feeling that Abolish wasn't going to make a move any time soon.

If he were in their position, right now, he would probably just try to stall long enough for reinforcements to arrive. No doubt, there were plenty more members of Abolish here in Vantalay who could show up any day now.

Which meant that the Rainlords were at a disadvantage now. If they didn't launch another attack soon, then the next battle would only get harder.

The real problem, though, was the hostages. The entire point of storming the town in the first place was to rescue them, and Abolish seemed to know that. In fact, the battle had at first been going in the Rainlords' favor--slowly, perhaps, but surely--until the Abolishers started bringing out hostages and using them as distractions and meat shields.

After that, it gradually turned into a stalemate.

Now, Raul honestly wasn't sure what their next move was. Logic dictated that they had to be the ones to instigate, but what was the best approach?

If they could just pick one of them off... or isolate them, maybe. That might free up some new angles of attack. There were only eight total Abolishers in the town, but they were all quite powerful, it seemed. And worse, they weren't stupid.

As for their own little trio here, they were taking turns observing the town, two at a time with one person allowed to take rest. For the past few hours, it had been Raul and Leo together with Cousin Melchor sleeping.

Orric was assisting as well, though his job was mainly to keep an eye on their immediate surroundings with his soul sense. If someone was approaching, the reaper would likely be their first warning.

It was a bit strange having only one reaper here between the three of them. Raul had heard that Leo was having certain difficulties with his reaper at the moment, which was unfortunate, and Raul's own reaper, Arumoro, was still all the way back in Warrenhold.

He might've appreciated his input and observational support right about now, but the others had decided that bringing him all the way to Vantalay was simply not worth the risk. And Raul couldn't really argue with that. Without the ability to enter a hyper-state with him, it truly would've been exposing him to danger needlessly.

Additionally, it was hypothetically helpful for Arumoro to remain at Warrenhold so that the reaper could relay any new information from his brothers' reapers.

The reason that was hypothetical was because their reapers had not received any updates from them in several days, which suggested that their brains were most likely frozen somewhere.

Leo, for his part, wasn't much for conversation--which shouldn't have been surprising, Raul supposed. He'd heard through the grapevine that Leo was actually a bit of an oddball, but Raul hadn't seen it. Thus far, the man had been all business.

And of course, that fight with Leo in Capaporo was still on Raul's mind. Having witnessed that horror show firsthand, seeing all of his brethren cut down and taken captive by this man--that was the sort of thing that left a lasting impression.

But then again, Leo did look like a different person, now. What a difference a clean haircut and suit could make.

Honestly, it still boggled Raul's mind how a person like this--who'd been such a terrifying enemy not so long ago--could have been recruited to their side.

Lord Goffe really was incredible.

All the more reason not to let him down, Raul thought.

Leo's turn to rest soon arrived, and Raul moved to wake Cousin Melchor. As they were transitioning, however, Orric spoke up.

'I sense someone is approaching from the southwest,' the reaper said. 'Six souls. Three are reapers, I think. I don't recognize any of them.'

Miro was to the north, and if Orric didn't recognize them, then they couldn't have been any of the enemies that they'd already fought.

It could've been a group of Abolish reinforcements, though. In fact, that seemed the most likely.

"Are they on foot?" said Cousin Melchor.

'No, they're flying. And at a very low altitude, so I don't think they're in a plane, either.'

"They're headed straight for us?" said Leo. "Like they can sense our location?"

'Hmm, no,' said Orric. 'Look like they're closing in on the westernmost fortress you built first.'

Leo had materialized ten different boron structures around the outskirts of Miro.

Nine of them were decoys, all empowered with his soul to throw off the enemy, and whenever the soul infusion began to wear off, he would simply destroy his work and recreate it from afar. The man's range was absurd.

The one they were currently using was probably a bit more spacious than the three of them needed it to be, but it was fairly comfortable as far as impromptu encampments went. And most importantly, it was wedged between two higher-rising hilltops, offering cover on either side while still providing a clear view of the whole town to the north.

'They're going from fortress to fortress,' said Orric. 'They're definitely looking for us.'

Raul couldn't help growing tense as he waited. If it really was Abolish reinforcements, then this was probably going to get very ugly very quickly.

'...But they're not destroying any of the buildings,' the reaper went on. 'And they have a fairly clear path to the town now, but they're not going for it. These people might not actually be Abolish.'

That would be fantastic news, but Raul had his doubts, to say the least. They could've just considered the buildings too time-consuming to take down, and if they were in remote contact with the other hostiles, then there was no reason they would need to go into Miro in order to link up with them.

'Oh? They've stopped. I think they're doing something. Hmm. Can't tell what, though.'

Agh, this waiting was nerve-racking.

A new sound arrived before the reaper said anything more, and the three servants looked around. It was a kind of mechanical hum.

Raul bolted up a boron staircase to the rooftop in order observe the early morning sky over their heads. The sound was growing louder, becoming gradually easier to locate with his binoculars.

He spotted a drone.

It didn't look like a military model, though. And it was coming closer but not in a straight line. It looked more like it was surveying the area.

With their little fortress wedged between two hills, they were probably a bit difficult to see. The drone would have to turn its camera at just the right angle. Even if it was one of those models with a 360 degree view, then whoever was looking at the footage would still have a hard time finding them.

If it had infrared, though, then that might be a problem.

Raul reached out with his right hand and touched the rocky face of the hillside there. He concentrated, and a baseball-sized stone came free as he pulled his hand away.

As a teenager, most school sports had been off limits to the Triplets, because their power made it so easy to cheat. The House didn't want him or his brothers making a scene and drawing too much public attention to the Blackburns--or worse, killing someone.

But they'd still played as a form of training with other servants. Their best games, though, had been the ones they played in secret among the three of them. And yeah. They'd accidentally killed each other a few times. Damn, if it hadn't been fun, though.

Raul could easily throw a pitch that would break the sound barrier, but that might be a bit overkill here. The resultant sonic boom would draw more attention to their position, not less.

Cousin Melchor's hand arrived on Raul's shoulder. "Hold on."

Raul just looked over at him, uncertain.

Melchor wasn't taller than him, and yet it sometimes felt as though he was. Something about the man's presence was always mildly oppressive. As a child, Raul had been terrified of him. It wasn't until he grew older and understood the side effects of very powerful souls that he began to reconsider how he felt about the fabled Darktide.

Also, it didn't help that Melchor was quiet as a mouse when he wanted to be. Someone with that kind of oppressive field density to his soul shouldn't have been able to sneak up on him so easily, and yet it had happened more than a few times.

The drone was still up there, seemingly looking around still.

"Orric," said Melchor.

The little ethereal blackbird just nodded and seemed to understand. Reaper and servant moved toward each other, but they were interrupted by the additional arrival of Leo.

"Allow me to check it out," the man said.

Melchor's gaze lingered on him. "It's fine. You should continue keeping watch."

"No," said Leo. "You shouldn't waste your hyper-state, pal. A materializer can check out that drone more easily than you can."

Hmm? Was that what Cousin Melchor had been about to do? Use a hyper-state to go investigate that drone up close? That seemed a bit risky to Raul, but then again, knocking it out of the sky with a stone would've probably drawn a certain amount of suspicion, too.

Melchor still had a counterargument, though. "You're more recognizable than I am."

"Dunno about that," said Leo with a shrug. "But they've already sensed my soul in the buildings, anyway. It should be me."

Melchor made no response and merely frowned.

Leo returned a smile. "Alright, how about this?" In an instant, black sheets of boron materialized around him, covering his whole body in armor.

Armor that looked... noticeably familiar.

It did seem slightly off, though. Leo pulled up the faceguard on his helmet, but it got stuck halfway and only revealed his mouth. "Huh. This is a little trickier than I expected. It's my first time making this, though, so. It's pretty close, right?"

Raul, Melchor, and Orric just stared at him.

He took their silent judgment in the wrong direction. "Okay, look, I'll do a better job next time. I'll have to pay closer attention to how Hector does it."

He called Lord Goffe by his first name? That was awfully familiar of him. Raul wasn't sure if that was as a good or bad thing.

"We're supposed to be undercover," said Melchor. "You shouldn't be imitating Lord Goffe here in Vantalay."

"Why not? Oh, you think he'd get mad?"

"I'm more concerned about someone mistaking you for him and then thinking Atreya is involved in this war."

"Hmm, but he's not that famous yet, right? He's one o' them quiet ones who've been playin' it cool for ages, ain't he?"

"Even so--"

"C'mon, Melk-o, you worry too much. It'll be fine!"

"Don't call me Melk-o."

"I said it before, didn't I? Whoever's out there has already sensed my soul. Hiding my face at this point is just, like, spitting on a house fire 'r something, so who cares if I have a bit of fun with it? The world could use a bit more fun, don'tcha think?"

Okay, Raul could see now where those rumors about Leo had come from.

"This is serious, Leo," said Melchor. "The mission--"

"I know how serious things are, Melkeesey. That town over there means more to me than anyone else here. Just relax. I got this."

And without waiting for another word from Melchor, Leo carried himself away on a serpentine column of materialized boron, cutting a path through the air toward the drone.

Raul, Melchor, and Orric could only watch.

As soon as Leo got close to it, the drone whirled around to look at him. Raul expected it to immediately attack or sound an alarm or to hear Orric tell them that the new arrivals were now headed this way.

But none of that happened.

Instead, Leo merely sat there cross-legged on a hovering platform of boron in front of the drone, seemingly inspecting it. He had already dematerialized the column that he'd used, apparently not wanting it anymore.

The drone wasn't moving, either. It just let the black-armored man observe it, like that wasn't a strange thing to do.

Trying to look closer with his binoculars, Raul noticed something on the underside of the drone. Something pointed toward Leo. A faint blue light? Words?

It was a small display. Some kind of computer screen. Leo must have been reading it.

After a short while, Leo held up a single index finger, as if to ask the drone for one moment, and then he stood up on his platform and launched himself off of it back toward the three of them.

He fell with enough speed that Raul thought he would either break all the bones in his body or smash this little boron fortress like a meteor--or both. But Raul's expectations were again mistaken, because Leo softened his landing at the last moment with another column of boron, though this one had a softer, sandier texture in order to catch him.

And, Raul supposed, the man's passive soul defenses would've been astronomically strong. His body wouldn't be bothered by that kind of violent change in speed at all.

"Okay, so good news," said Leo from inside his helmet. "The folks lookin' for us are from Ridgemark, and they just want to talk. Supposedly."

'Ridgemark?' said Orric. 'Was that all they told you regarding their identities?'

"Yup," said Leo. He still wasn't removing his armor. Whenever he moved, it had more of a shifting and scraping noise to it than Lord Goffe's did. "But I figure it's gotta be the RPMP, right? Other than Abolish, they're the only ones who might have any kind of clue that we're here, yeah?"

'You're probably right,' the reaper said, 'but it's common courtesy to identify yourself clearly before requesting a meeting with anyone, especially a group who may think you are hostile.'

"True," said Leo. "Maybe they've got a little mission of their own, then. One that requires 'em to be a bit sneaky, eh?"

'Hmm.'

There was quiet as the four of them mulled the situation over. The drone had flown away, Raul noticed.

He certainly understood Orric's apparent reluctance in this situation, but at the same time, he felt like they almost had no choice but to go and meet with these people. The battle was currently not going their way. They had to start doing something different if they intended to turn things around.

"So what do you guys think?" said Leo. "Should we hear 'em out? I mean, we could just attack 'em, but it seems like that'd be kind of a dick move at this point."

'Maybe it would, but this is a battlefield, and this could be a trap to lure us out into the open,' said Orric.

Leo bobbed his head to the side but made no response.

"Did they provide a particular location in which to meet?" said Melchor.

"They just said they would wait for us," said Leo. "Guess that means they've already figured that our reaper here knows where they are."

'Two of you should go,' said Orric. 'The third should remain here in order to keep an eye on Miro and also to serve as backup in case this meeting turns into another fight.'

"Good thinking," said Leo. "'n we should probably inform the other Rainbros, eh?"

'That would be ideal, yes.'

"I can do that for ya."

'Are you sure? You wouldn't rather go to the meeting?'

"I mean, kinda, sure. But let's be real here, dudes. I ain't exactly the greatest negotiator in the world, y'know? 'n I figure you guys'd probably be more comfortable without me there, too."

'Hmm, why do you say that?'

"C'mon. You're afraid I'ma do somethin' crazy. Or say the wrong thing 'n botch the meeting. It's okay. I ain't offended. Really."

Melchor chortled. "Leo, we're Rainlords. We don't exactly have a reputation for calm agreeableness."

Leo scratched his lip and shrugged. "If you say so. Either way, meetings're pretty dull, so just go ahead 'n take the youngin' here." He eyed Raul. "You can handle it, right, chief?"

Raul hadn't expected to be prompted on his opinion at all. "Ah--yes, sir, I believe I can."

"See that? What a go-getter. Attitude like that, you'll go far, kiddo."

For some reason, Raul didn't think he really meant that.

Leo didn't give Melchor or his reaper another opportunity to argue with him. The boron beneath his feet disappeared, and he dropped straight down. "See yaz!"

Raul soon heard drilling noises from below as Leo presumably began tunneling his way toward the others. He exchanged looks with Cousin Melchor.

'Guess that settles that.' Orric latched onto Melchor's shoulder.

They left together.

Orric guided them toward the southwestern most fortress. The terrain was quite rough, and they didn't want Melchor to waste pan-rozum time just to move faster, so Raul cleared a smoother path with his power. A thick layer of top soil slid out of their way, creating a gently arching dirt road for them to jog across.

When they arrived, they found three men and three reapers waiting for them just as Orric had said.

They were all casually dressed, but Raul still detected wealth in their clothing. He might not have normally noticed such things, but having spent so much time in Ridgemark over the past few weeks, he'd gained a bit of an eye for expensive brands.

Well, okay, in truth, it wasn't just his time in Ridgemark. It was his time with a particularly nice fashionista named Karina Labeau. They'd made a game out of trying to determine personality types of passersby based on their choice of attire.

Raul didn't know if he believed in it quite as thoroughly as she did, but it had still been quite the informative exercise. Karina had taught him a lot about fashion in Ridgemark and how people used it to distinguish themselves from the crowd in all sorts of ways.

And these three here definitely had money. They may have each been wearing simple black slacks and gray t-shirts, but Raul recognized the silvery collars and subtle, patterned texture in the fabrics. Those were clothes were of the Domingo brand, named after a famous Steccati designer. Karina would've been able to name the line they belonged to as well, no doubt, but Raul wasn't quite that advanced.

"Thank you for coming," said the foremost gentleman with a slight Valgan accent. "We understand that this may not be the most convenient timing for you."

"Who are you?" said Cousin Melchor.

"I'm afraid that I may not be able to answer that question in such a way as to fully satisfy your curiosity," the man said. "But you may call me Renart. We represent someone from Ridgemark who is interested in your operation here."

'Why the need for secrecy?' said Orric.

"Ridgemark has its own power structure," said Renart. "And the competition can, at times, cause difficulty that might otherwise have been avoided with a pinch of forethought or discretion."

"Competition?" said Melchor. "I was under the impression that oligarchs of Ridgemark were of unified beliefs."

At that remark, Renart was silent for a time, merely observing them blankly.

Perhaps he hadn't appreciated Melchor's use of the term oligarch, Raul thought. It did seem like a needlessly provocative choice of word, even if Raul didn't necessarily think it was inaccurate.

"...Some in Ridgemark view Abolish's presence in this country as a necessary evil," said Renart. "Our employer feels differently. As do you, we suspect."

'We aren't here to run them out of Vantalay for you,' said Orric, 'but yes, we do feel similarly.'

Raul tensed further. He could understand Orric and Melchor's frigid approach to this conversation, but he also couldn't help feeling that being a tad friendlier in tone might be better. They most certainly had seniority over him, though, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Good," said Renart. "In that case, perhaps we can offer some assistance." He motioned to the man on his right, who was carrying something, but Orric interrupted first.

'You'll have to forgive us,' the reaper said. 'We're a rather untrusting lot. Why exactly does your employer feel so differently about Abolish?'

"Does that question truly need answering?" said Renart. "This is Abolish we are talking about."

'Okay, then why do certain 'others' in Ridgemark not share your employer's feelings?'

Renart fell briefly quiet again, and he glanced at the reaper attached to his shoulder. "...I am not sure what relevance that information has to you. Do you think that their views might somehow convince you to change your own minds with regard to Abolish?"

'Hah, not likely,' said Orric. 'But like I said. We're an untrusting lot. We'd like to have a better understanding of things, especially when they pertain to who we're working with and why. Too often, simple misunderstandings cause avoidable problems, wouldn't you agree?'

Renart's reaper detached from his shoulder and regained the form of a blackbird to Raul's eyes. 'Perhaps our two groups are kindred spirits, because we, too, are rather untrusting. Information regarding the current political state of Ridgemark is highly sensitive and not to be shared carelessly. There are many enemies, both domestic and abroad, who would seek to use such knowledge against us.'

'Your concerns are understandable,' said Orric, 'but I'm afraid we really must insist that you share something more with us. Especially because I suspect that we are already on an uneven playing field, no? You have not sought out our help while having no idea of who we are.'

'Yes,' said the other reaper, and his glowing eyes turned to Cousin Melchor. 'However, we have not asked what your business is in this country. I'm sure a great many people would be interested to know why you are so far from home.'

"Careful, stranger," said Melchor with physical weight behind his voice. "That almost sounded like a threat."

"I assure you, it was no such thing," said Renart. "My colleague here was merely pointing out the fact that there is much we do not know about you, as well. It may be in both our best interests if we limited the scope of this conversation to the task that is immediately ahead of us."

More silence arrived as Raul looked between everyone. The air in here was more uncomfortable than ever, even as a golden-orange sunrise was beginning to fill the dark room with warm light.

Orric was speaking up again--and not with words that Raul wanted to hear.

'No. Not good enough. If that is your criteria for working together, then this is not going to happen. And if there is nothing further, then we will be taking our leave now.'

They waited a moment longer, but when Renart and his reaper said nothing, Melchor turned around and began walking away.

Raul knew it wasn't his place. And he started to follow. But then he stopped.

Melchor and Orric stopped as well and looked back at him.

Raul could see the uncertainty on Cousin Melchor's stern face, already mixed with a hint of disapproval.

But he had to do something. He had to.

"This is a rescue mission," said Raul as he turned around to face Renart again. "We are trying to save innocent lives. Not the entire country, maybe, but that is the context of our presence here in Vantalay."

And again, no one said anything for a time.

Come on, Raul thought. He'd given a little ground, but not enough to be dangerous. These Ridgemarkers could return the favor, at least.

"...And we are trying to do the same," said Renart.

Raul took a single step forward. "We have ample reason to distrust both Abolish and the Vanguard, at the moment. Reasons that... you may have heard about?"

"...Yes," said Renart. "Rumors. Here and there. Of betrayal. On both sides."

"On one side." Raul's voice was firm as he stared at the other man.

Renart made no response.

Raul felt Cousin Melchor's hand on his shoulder, felt it silently telling him that he'd said enough.

Fine.

He'd hoped for more, but if these people weren't going to budge, then he didn't see what else could be done about it.

And so, finally, they left the boron fortress behind and returned down the smooth path that Raul had made for them earlier.

It was disappointing. And demoralizing. Raul wondered if there was any way in which that negotiation could have gone differently. Perhaps both sides were simply too stubborn.

Then he heard footsteps behind him.

Renart's group were following them.

Everyone stopped again.

Renart had a box in his hand, no larger than a basketball, and he tossed it to Raul. "Before you go, take those with you. Do with them as you like."

Rings.

There were only four of them, all fastened in tight little wedges while the rest of the box was filled with a pillow-like cushion. Clearly, they were special in some way, but Raul wasn't quite sure how until Orric spoke up.

'These are the remains of an aberration,' the reaper said.

Raul's eyes widened. Now that he was looking at them more closely, they did look like bone. He hadn't realized it at first because of the polished sheen they had, as well as how small and thin they were.

Renart again said nothing.

'Where did you get these?' said Orric.

Raul doubted that question would be answered, but he was wrong this time.

"Abolish," said Renart. "Where else?"

Raul could see the disgruntled expression on Cousin Melchor's face, and indeed, he could even feel a bit of that emotion himself. These Ridgemarkers obviously weren't aware of House Blackburn's experience with aberrations.

Renart seemed mildly confused, perhaps he could sense their displeasure but didn't understand why. The man posed another question. "Are you familiar with the kind of power that can be harvested from aberrations?"

"...We have heard of such things, yes," said Melchor.

"Try them on and see for yourself," said Renart. "They will not come off easily, but the ability they grant should prove very helpful in your mission."

Raul's jaw clenched as he eyed the rings in the box another time. It was hard not to feel sickened.

All he could think about right now was Ibai.

What if someone out there tried to do this to him? Lord Goffe had told them that he was safe, but... Ibai's power would no doubt tempt many people if they ever discovered that they could "harvest" it from him in this way.

'Is something wrong?' said Renart's reaper.

'...No,' said Orric.

Those? Multiple? Raul felt a gap in the box's metallic frame, as well as a broken lock on one side. He pulled the top of the box open and examined its contents.

"You can consider those rings a gift," said Renart. "Or payment for your mission, if you prefer. Whatever the outcome, they are yours."

'These must be quite valuable,' said Orric.

'Indeed,' said Renart's reaper. 'If you have some issue with holding onto them, then they would undoubtedly net you a sizable sum from the right buyer.'

Raul doubted that would happen, but there was historical precedent for it, at least. The Rainlords of Sair had often been in the business of selling military equipment to their allies, and Raul was sure that these rings would qualify as such.

With new or rare technology, though, they generally preferred to deconstruct the items for the purpose of reverse engineering and hopefully mass production. If successful, it was much more profitable in the long-term that way.

To his knowledge, they had never really tried to hoard such technology en masse for their own usage before, but that seemed to be changing with these new missions being dispatched out of Warrenhold.

"What ability do these rings possess?" said Melchor.

"Invisibility," said Renart. "Even from reapers."

Melchor did not react, though he must have wanted to. Aberrations with invisibility had been involved in the attack on Dunehall. The attack that had been responsible for numerous casualties among the different houses.

The attack that had been responsible for Lord Ismael's death and Ibai's disappearance.

Now Raul really wasn't sure how to feel. Sickened and confused didn't quite seem to cover it. The prospect of striking at Abolish with their very own weapon was certainly... appealing, in its own way. Perhaps too much so.

"I would explain how to use them," Renart went on, "but there is not much to it. Unlike other aberration-harvested items, these are very intuitive."

"I see," was all Melchor said.

And the thick silence returned, though it was accompanied by a heavy westerly wind now that they were outside.

'You seem to be rather knowledgeable about aberrations,' said Orric.

'Yes,' said Renart's reaper. 'Such information has become crucial, as of late.'

'How do you mean?' said Orric.

'Hmm. You truly have no idea what I am referring to?'

'I'm afraid not. Should I?'

'If you intend to keep participating in this war, then yes. For your own good, you should know much more.'

'Ah,' said Orric, and Raul recognized that ever-so-slightly irritated tone. 'Perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me, then, O wise one.'

Renart intervened again. "My companion here meant no offense."

'Nor did I,' said Orric. 'I was just wondering if he was good for anything other than running his mouth.'

Yikes, Raul thought.

Then again, he was already holding the rings, so he supposed there probably wasn't much point in holding their tongues any longer.

The other reaper elected not to respond, instead letting Renart handle things.

"...Tell me. What do you know of how this Second Continental War came to pass?"

Orric let Melchor take over, too, and the man angled his emerald gaze at Renart. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"I only know what I have heard," said Melchor. "Five nations invaded their neighbors, seemingly without provocation."

"Calthos, Kavia, Orsta, Corrico, and Vantalay, yes," said Renart. "All countries with significant Abolish influence, as I am sure you have noticed."

"Of course."

"And in each of the initial assaults, there were reports of strange or otherwise mysterious circumstances."

"Reports from whom?"

"From those who were present, of course."

"Yes, but how did you come by such intel?"

"It pays to have friends. And to keep your friends paid."

"Cute. Is that a company motto?"

"More like a Ridgemark motto. One that more foreigners should take to heart, in my humble opinion."

'Are you saying that Abolish has been deploying aberrations in large numbers during this war?' said Orric.

"Yes," said Renart. "The invisible ones in particular. That seems to have become a favorite tactic of theirs, especially before an assault. Having their soldiers or saboteurs sneak into a territory and sow discord before striking hard--that has been happening all over the continent."

Whoa.

The Blackburns of course knew exactly what the man was talking about. They'd experienced it firsthand. Suddenly, it was looking like Dunehall had been some kind of trial run for Abolish.

Did they really have that many invisibility-wielding aberrations? Raul would've expected them to be fairly difficult to come by, but from the sound of it, that wasn't the case. Or Abolish had just devoted a ton of resources to that endeavor.

Either way, it was unsettling.

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