Agent of the Realm?

by Andur

  They arrived no less than five minutes after Mom and Dad had their grand entrance. They made their introductions and started the negotiations right away. Charles wanted to invite them to his palace, but my father insisted on staying at my shop… where he is close to the chocolate cake.

  The rest of us are waiting at a respectful distance while the grown ups talk politics. In other words, we took the table next to them.

  Dad starts speaking with a full mouth. “Why. Aren't we the ones who are saving their sorry asses? They should be less suspicious, it's not like they have any other allies available. All I wanted to have are some troops and specimens.

  The troops bolster up our attack on the enemy base. Newerth has to fight their enemies sooner or later, so why not do so when they have our assistance.

  And when I demanded the specimen, I was just thinking of Elona’s agricultural projects. Don't be mad at me, but having a farm for cacao beans would be great.”

  Clarity places both hands flat on the table, leaning forward. “And we never said that we wouldn't give those things to you, but we have to organize everything. We can't simply wave a hand and have all of your 'requests' appear on your doorstep.”

  Shade studies the other pair with a blank expression on his face. “Why not?”

  Charles closes his eyes. “Because we had to endure three organized spirit attacks on our capital. The people are frightened and your arrival caused a panic. My generals were already planning to strike at your city when I arrived at headquarters and stopped them. By the way, it would be a great help if your citizens would at least try to stay in human appearance while they visit our city.”

  Elona gestures with a hand. “We already heard that your people are uncomfortable with their spirit forms. Don't worry, we gave orders to stay in human form while they go sightseeing. Of course there will be some small incidents; not everyone of us is that comfortable with a strictly human appearance.”

  I look around. Some lonely stragglers had returned to the street since my parents showed up, but it's far from what it was before. At least I managed to persuade them to take on their human forms. Though it didn’t help to save the day’s business. Seems like the word spread that two spirits decided to invade my shop.

  Then Clarity leans back. “Please do. I think additional explanations aren't necessary. You witnessed the situation first hand.”

  Dad finishes the cake and lets his attention wander to me. Of course I notice the expectant look in his eyes, but Elona kicks him. Of course she was trying to keep the attack hidden under the table, but there is only so much a woman can do without drawing attention. “That's enough. Concentrate. You can eat cakes until you have to barf for all I care, but not until we are done here.”

  Shade sighs and returns his attention to Charles. “So, I heard that you have quite a few artefacts which could show us where to find our opponents. It would be cool if you have them delivered to my palace. I'll start my research right away as soon as I have them.”

  Charles raises his eyebrows in surprise. Obviously he isn't accustomed to being talked to in such a casual manner. “I'll give the orders right away. There is only one thing I still want to talk about before we let our respective aides handle the details.” His gaze focuses on Marcus and me. “What do you intend to do about them? Marcus is currently first in line as my successor, should something happen to me.”

  I feel myself tense. Aren't there more important issues than settling the question of inheritance? I understand where Charles is coming from, but he is essentially immortal as long as someone doesn't off him in a particularly gruesome manner.

  My father shrugs. “Seria is her own person. She can do what she wants and live where she wants. And if she decides to live with Marcus in this realm, that's her choice. It's not like she can't pay us a visit in the blink of an eye, once the pathways are re-established.”

  Clarity gasps. “The pathways are returning!? When, how!?”

  Oh, right. I guess we forgot to mention that little detail when we brought Charles and Clarity up to date. Telling them about our little adventure down the rabbit hole was much easier without dropping yet another bomb on their heads.

  Elona decides to give them the shortened version. The one in which she and Dad simply decided to create a living spell by using Yggdrasil's seed. A spell which is supposed to grow and recreate the pathways.

  She conveniently forgets to mention the reason behind the creation of the spell, apart from recreating the pathways. I wonder how Charles and Clarity would react to the knowledge that everything might come down to a big family feud.

  Though we still don't know for sure how Moonray fits into the picture. Back in Dedessia we discussed the appearance of one of Moonray's minions in length. Shade pointed out that Moonray was cut off from his home-realm for an extensive amount of time. It's entirely possible that our nemesis managed to avoid being caught by the spirits, just to return to a dimension which was already taken over.

  The other possibility was that he is fine, but managed to use the spirits for his own power hungry intentions. Moonray was manipulating the fate of Dedessia for centuries after all. It's hard to believe that a person like him would stop scheming once he achieves his goal. He would simply pick a new target and continue playing his games.

  When Elona is done, Charles and Clarity are left speechless. I kind of understand them. The pathways were always a defining aspect of being a god. Having to exist without them in this multiverse feels like a permanent loss of ability. Like playing Diablo at level ninety-nine for ages, and then there is suddenly a patch with the message 'Sorry, we found that the town portals are too OP! So we took them out. Have fun!'.

  Yeah, I always had the suspicion that the multiverse has no decent admin. Otherwise something like the current failure of existence would’ve never happened.

  “Is there any chance that we might get access to those new pathways?” Charles asks after a very long silence.

  My mother purses her lips, then she gestures at Marcus and me. “I am sorry, but the pathways are currently restricted to our immediate family only. We thought that we should keep a tight lid on inter-dimensional transportation until we are sure that it's safe. The spirits are still posing a threat after all. So Marcus will be able to use the pathways once his bond with Seria is strong enough. That will have to be enough for the moment.”

  Clarity squints her eyes at me. “So... that means that their children will also have access to the pathways?”

  Oh, one moment. That's so not gonna happen! “Stop! Don't even dare to start thinking about establishing something like a feudal bloodline with exclusive access to the pathways. That's just wrong and I certainly won't have a part in it! My children are not going to be some kind of breeding horses which can be traded to the ruling houses of other realms!”

  Charles looks away from us and clears his throat. “It's not like you two will be childless for long at the rate you two are going.”

  I gasp while Marcus squints his eyes at his father. “What's that supposed to mean!”

  The king of Newerth shrugs. “I have the sight. Do you really expect me not to check for my chances of becoming a grandpa?”

  Shade leans forward. “Regarding that ability of yours. I've been given a description and it sounded less like an inherited ability, and more like a spell. Is there any possibility that we could share some information regarding spying techniques? I am a worshipper of information gathering and that ability of yours sounds really useful.”

  Clarity raises a hand and shakes her head. “I think you misunderstood my meaning. I am not that kind of person. I was just thinking of possible future consequences.”

  “Oh, there will be consequences,” Elona comments from the sideline and shifts in her seat. A few moments later she realizes that she has the full attention of everyone. “What? Do you really expect me to give out presents without strings attached?” She looks at me with glee. “Those rings aren't just a wedding bond, they are also a ver
y reliable ward against contraceptive magic.”

  It takes a few moments until my mind makes the necessary connections. Then I frantically try to pull off the ring. We didn't do it that much since we got the rings, there might be time left. And I think I am having my safe days, but I am half succubus, so I shouldn't rely on that!

  When I don't manage to pull off the ring I hold out my hand. “Marcus, cut it off!”

  “What! I could never hurt you!” He looks at me, horrified.

  “Do you want me to have our honeymoon with a round belly!?” I ask with cold determination in my voice. Then I turn to glare at my father. “I would have never thought that you would be in on a scheme like this!” He made the rings after all. He must have known their functions.

  Dad looks away. “I just thought that having a child of your own might make you less of a rascal and force you to settle down a bit. But don't worry, the ward against prevention magic only activates after you've done it two hundred times. I figured you might want a little time before it's really final.”

  “What!? That's boring!” Elona complains.

  I blink and try to remember my escapades with Marcus, counting on my fingers. Normally two hundred times would be more than enough, but we had the amulet and it has been days! We must have already burned through a sizeable amount of freebies. “Marcus, you didn't keep track either, did you? How many times do we have left?”

  Marcus turns expressionless and after a long moment he answers with a question. “Does oral count?”

  “Not helping!” I hiss.

  He doesn’t look at me. “No, seriously. Because if oral counts, then we are screwed...”

  Clarity leans forward and covers her face with both hands. “I never wanted to know that.”

  I answer her with poison in my voice. “Well, sorry for getting involved with my family. Just wait until they find a reason to mess with you! Oh, sorry, I forgot. They already have one! You need their help.”

  49. ~Citadel.~

  “The home to everyone is to him his castle and fortress, as well for his defence against injury and violence, as for his repose.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Kingdom Newerth, Capital City

  Marcus

  I was really surprised at how fast Shade managed to make sense of the magical artefacts. Two days after my father had them delivered, Shade already presented us with the inter-dimensional coordinates of our enemies. According to his research, all of the artefacts are supposed to open a portal to the same spot.

  That isn't a small feat if we take into account that Zhon's small stone was burned out and the cornerstones were damaged because too much raw power was channelled through them. I honestly didn't expect that Shade could gain any knowledge from the rubbish which our troops managed to secure out of the ruins.

  Despite everything, it still left us with the question of how to attack another dimension? Should we copy the spirit’s tactics and create a portal, just to rush through it with all our forces? I wasn't a fan of that idea and I made it known during our strategy meeting.

  The spirits had been using this method for centuries and I wouldn't call it exceptionally effective. More like mindless sacrificing of troops in hopes of hitting a poorly defended place. Which actually isn't a bad bet when you are aiming at taking over a whole multiverse. Unfortunately I can imagine too many ways to die by simply charging into enemy territory. We don't have limitless cannon-fodder as the spirits apparently do. Not surprisingly, Elona, Seria and my parents also took my side on that matter, pointing out that they know more creative ways to commit suicide.

  In the end Shade informed us that his city could be split into different segments. He could leave the agricultural and civilian parts behind, while taking only the citadel through the portal.

  The citadel houses the military and consists of a long, square piece of mana crystal. On top of it stands the citadel, a long fort-like structure. It's basically a single building which has more similarities to a spaceship than anything else. Of course using the term 'spaceship' sounds a little misplaced. We've yet to find a realm which actually has space and after living for so long in this dimension I find the thought of empty space actually a little disturbing.

  That solution met much more acceptance. It gave us a little more safety regarding enemy countermeasures. But to understand why, it's important to know how most portals work. Portals are, in essence, wormholes. That means that you have to know the exact coordinates for the entrance point and the exit, which results in the fact that a basic portal is always a one way ticket. There are possibilities to set up a portal in both directions, but they require exorbitantly more power than a simple, one-way route.

  If we open a portal, there is always a risk that our opponents may be able to hijack it. They could switch the entrance and exit points, or use them to aim their own portal. We already know that the spirits have high capabilities in those sectors. Of course I asked why we aren't using the pathways, but Shade pointed out that they are probably too weak to get us wherever the spirits have their base.

  When Shade brought his city over to our realm, he used the pathways to open a portal from his own realm to ours. He compared his method to using a direct cable connection, as opposed to sending the signal openly through the aether. This method should be very safe as long as we connect two places which are both under our control. But opening a portal to a spirit realm may allow them to hijack the pathway system. At least it should make them aware of the pathways. Elona and Shade don't believe that the spirits will be able to hack into their system, but they don't want to ignore the possibility either.

  So we decided to send the citadel and pack it with as many combatants as possible. According to the citadel's specifications, it should be able to take quite a punch. The shields and wards should be able to hold off the average spirit beast and according to Shade there are offensive capabilities as well. Unless we encounter a heavy-weight divine class spirit beast, we should have enough time to take a lazy look at our opponents to decide on our next move.

  Shade decided to lead the attack on the enemy realm. Seria and I are also joining the attack while Elona and my parents will stay behind. Currently Shade is giving us a tour through the citadel. Okay, the tour is mainly for me, since I am the only one who doesn't know his way around. I'll also have to coordinate my realm's fighting forces. We added an entire platoon of our best fighters to the operation, which means that we are lifting our own weight in this adventure. All together, the citadel is now manned with about a thousand divine class warriors.

  I am still listening to Shade's arcane explanations when I get a sudden inspiration. “I am not sure if the idea is actually feasible, but Seria already showed us that the new pathways can be weaponized. Aren't you able to program the pathways with some kind of auto attack against spirits?”

  Shade stops his explanations and studies me with a raised eyebrow. Then he scratches his chin as if he is considering the possibility. “Normally I am all in for weapons which are capable of mass destruction and genocide. But you have probably noticed that the pathways are still growing throughout the multiverse. And gravely slow on top of that. Of course, the overall process is speeding up as the pathways tap into new sources of power. The mana storms are currently their main power supply.

  “We think that the mana storms are areas in which we collide with another multiverse. If that's true, then the pathways grow in those areas the fastest. That may actually reinforce our own multiverse. Elona and I commanded the network not to spread into realms which aren't on our 'wavelength', for the lack of a better word. Our current hope is that the other multiverse may be crushed during the collision. In other words, using the pathways for something else is a little outside their capabilities at the moment. Though your idea has merit and once the network has grown sufficiently, we would do well to set up a function like that.”

  I furrow my forehead. “But if that's true, then all we have to do, is to outlast the spirits!”


  He raises a finger. “I said that we 'hope'. I didn't say that it would actually work. This whole issue is admittedly outside my knowledge, but not because it's above my paygrade. It's because I lack the necessary data to analyse the situation.”

  50. ~Charge.~

  “Invincibility lies in the defence, the possibility of victory in the attack.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Kingdom Newerth, Capital City

  Seria

  It took us more preparation than we expected, but we are finally about to get on our way. Planned departure from Newerth, ten o'clock. Planned arrival in another dimension, ten o'clock. It's not like travelling through a portal takes any measurable amount of time. Though the strange thing about the procedure is that an object first has to enter a portal completely before it starts exiting at the other end.

  I sigh, inter-dimensional travel without the pathways is so confusing.

  If it wasn't for the unexplained personal experience which people have during their transportation, then nobody would even doubt the theory. Which is saying that departure and arrival should be occurring at the same point in time. When someone steps through a portal, it seems like there actually is something between the entrance and the exit points. I once managed to use that moment to divert our exit point when Marcus and I accidentally fell through Zhon’s portal.

  “You sound as if you are dreading what we are about to do,” Marcus comments from next to me, eyeing the big screen in front of us.

  We are currently at the citadel's bridge, or should I call it a command room? The large, circular room certainly gives off the vibe... and it feels so familiar. Strange. I turn to face Dad, who is idling in his command chair in the centre of the room. “Did you copy the room's design from Star Trek?”