The OP Lich is a Returnee, Book 1 Epilogue (Patreon)

Epilogue – Elsewhere

Four individuals met in a darkened room. No names were shared. Those who knew about this meeting already knew who the other attendees were. There was no need for introductions.

Each individual represented a faction of power. While they were not the nominal heads of their factions, what was decided in this chamber would be carried out. One way or another.

On an unseen signal, the political representative took a breath. “It is now the appointed time. What of the Anomaly? What is being done to contain the potential threat it poses?”

The science representative shook their head. “There is nothing we can do. The Anomaly does not use traditional CADs, and has not undergone any of the routine screening, so we can’t identify any weaknesses. The Anomaly’s abilities appear to function off different rules than the codified, scientific abilities we are familiar with. Until we are certain about the limits of its capabilities, we cannot say for certain that we can contain the Anomaly with our current technology.”

The military representative grunted. “Containment by force is not an option at this time, unless we are willing to commit massive forces against the Anomaly. Such a movement would be very public. Even then, with our current understanding of the Anomaly’s abilities, we could not guarantee success.”

The political representative frowned. “Is this about the attack on the TV show?”

The military representative nodded. “Yes, that, and the demonstration that happened recently at an American university campus.” He looked to the science representative.

A nod. “Yes. We reviewed the footage, including the raw footage of the TV studio attack. There is no evidence of forgery or data manipulation. They can be accepted as real, with 95% certainty.”

The intelligence representative leaned forward. “Regarding the demonstration at the American university. One of our assets was on campus that day, and can attest to the destruction caused by the demonstration, having witnessed it firsthand.”

After a rumble of discontent from the table, the representative continued. “In addition, they witnessed the cleanup of the demonstration. The Anomaly used an unknown type of magic to restore the ground’s condition, and create new stone where the damaged wall was. That demonstration can be considered verified beyond reasonable doubt.”

The military representative shook their head. “Then there is no way to try and contain the Anomaly militarily without putting enough resources into the effort that the public will find out. Even with that kind of outlay, it is doubtful that what we’ve seen is the extent of the Anomaly’s capabilities.”

The intelligence representative cleared their throat. “Just before coming to this meeting, I received some of the latest intelligence. As you know, the Anomaly purchased a piece of land, and had a castle built on the land replicating a Sengoku period design. One of our satellites in geosynchronous orbit over Japan was watching when the Anomaly conducted some kind of ritual, with unknown results, beyond cosmetic changes to the structure itself.

“Following the ritual, satellite observation revealed the presence of several figures moving about the castle, but the resolution and angle were insufficient to get any detail on them. When we sent local assets to investigate, they found surveilling the castle to be impossible without relying on technology, such as cameras. Indeed, our asset was unable to approach the border of the Anomaly’s property without supreme focus, to the expense of all else.

“Drones could view the castle from afar, but whenever they attempted to cross the property line, they were swiftly destroyed, with no warning. We were finally able to have multiple drones in the air simultaneously, and discovered that archers on the walls were, quite literally, shooting down our drones. Given the distances involved, and the fact that on at least one occasion the drone was situated so that an attacker from the castle would be looking directly into the sun, this is an impressive feat for any mortal being.”

Several images were displayed on nearby screens. “As you can see, however, these are not mortal beings of flesh and blood guarding the Anomaly’s castle. These shots were taken with a telephoto lens at long range, but you can clearly see that these undead are standing guard, like soldiers, upon the wall. It was one of these things that disabled our drones.”

The political representative clicked his tongue in annoyance. “These undead are all dressed the same. Some kind of uniform? And what is that image on their chest?”

The intelligence representative sighed. “The livery appears to be the same as the image appearing on the main gate of the compound. A skull with a crown, a rose in its teeth, and a European-style sword and scepter crossed beneath it.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know its heritage for certain. The closest historical match would be various ‘skull and cross-bones’ flags flown by pirates in the Atlantic Ocean during the age of sail. However, that appears to be coincidental.

“It is our working belief that this is the image or flag that the Anomaly used in the ‘other world’. Unfortunately, there is no way to verify this, save by getting confirmation from the Anomaly itself. If that is the case, however, that would suggest that the skeleton soldiers on the wall of the castle would be part of the Anomaly’s army from this ‘other world’.”

The military representative frowned, looking at one of the images. “The weapons and armor they are using appear to be medieval-style. However, with the Anomaly’s magic involved, there is no guarantee that they would not be effective against modern armor, and skeletal undead typically are quite resilient against small arms fire.”

The political representative leaned forward. “Could your forces take the castle?”

“With enough force? Perhaps. The walls appear to be wooden, though the ritual probably strengthened them. The natural terrain precludes the use of heavy vehicles like APCs or tanks unless they come up on the single road which has been carved out of the forest, which is worrisome due to what appears to be a pair of cannons. Normally, I would say that iron or steel cannons would be no match for a main battle tank’s armor, but with magic on this scale involved, I would be a fool to say so with certainty.”

The science representative shook their head. “The shield the Anomaly created during the TV studio attack formed quickly enough to stop bullets, and held up to three semi-automatic rifles firing rounds designed to be more damaging against undead and necrotic energies. And it did this with just a wave of their hand. The chances of a surprise assault with conventional weapons succeeding are statistically nil.”

“And without surprise, the casualties would spike to unacceptable levels.” The military representative shook his head. “And in this picture, it appears that they have some kind of ballista as an anti-aircraft emplacement. Jets at altitude would probably be safe, but helicopters would be vulnerable. And using jets or cruise missiles would raise the visibility substantially, even past the open use of military force.”

The intelligence representative looked at the political representative. “Could we use legal means to remove some of those weapons?”

“Unfortunately, the law firm that the Anomaly hired was particularly thorough. All the weapons shown are, frankly, too old to be covered by the current laws. The cannons are the closest to actionable items, but even they are allowed under the current laws. If they damaged or destroyed anything off the property, however, then there might be some room to argue. But until then…”

The military representative nodded. “Until then, a military response to the Anomaly is not feasible. And given the Anomaly’s situation, it is unlikely that financial or political pressures will make them more pliable to control.”

The political representative sighed. “In that case, have all appropriate divisions keep watch on the Anomaly and their movements, so we can update our projections accordingly. Special focus to be given to any weaknesses that can be found, and exploited.”