Chapter 1528 (2/2)
Raymund luckily didn’t finish that thought. Unluckily, the reason he paused in that line of thinking was that a rather sneering voice from Raymund’s subconscious began whispering to him. You act so self-righteously, refusing to compromise on your image despite the fact you have no idea how to improve it, yet at the slightest chance to chase Techetadore you cast that honor aside…? How much is your integrity truly worth?
Raymund’s lips curled up to bare his fangs. That’s different. You expect me to blindly pursue power with the same dedication that I show toward my family? The culture that raised me?
His emotions churned and sizzled as the two sides of himself continued to clash. So you are saying that it is the ends that justify the means? You sell your honor for your family and it is excusable?
I am not betraying the Ghosthound, Raymund countered. But even as he said it, it was difficult to fully believe it. His emotions slowly stabilized and swirled together. He released a long sigh and looked down to the sharpened nails at the ends of his powerful hands. These hands, despite his relatively slow improvements speed now, had grown so much in only three weeks. He was that much closer to having the capability to find and assist Techetadore. For that, Raymund owed the Head Drill Sergeant a great debt.
And yet… Raymund pressed his eyes shut. He still was tempted. Around him, the wind intensified, rushing through the air like a child dashing back for shelter, lest he find the solemn doors of his home closed to him.
*****
“Shit,” Lady Iellaya said with a sigh as she looked down at the mark on the heavy Aether Diffuser before her. They were stuck in the dimly-lit and low ceiling’d undercity where all the critical infrastructure was located in this Outer Realm, but the damage was obvious enough that the lighting didn’t matter. Someone had burned away a very specific portion of the Engraving. “This… the Engraving is warped by the attack. I don’t think this can be repaired; it will need to be replaced.”
Disciplinary Magistrate Qiolo, a humanoid covered entirely in long grey hair, nodded in agreement as he drew his furry fingers around the edge of the wound. Then he brought his fingertips to his mouth and licked. “Sharp. People with images strong enough to damage this don’t usually hang around in Outer Realms. Especially in my jurisdiction. So either someone here had a breakthrough, or someone was brought in to send a message.”
A spider skittered out from behind the Aether Diffuser, drawing glances from both Lady Iellaya and Disciplinary Magistrate Qiolo. The mundane creature twitched and died from the combined weight of their gazes. Then they turned back to the ruined machinery.
“Shit,” Lady Iellaya said again. Once more, Disciplinary Magistrate Qiolo nodded.
Lady Iellaya had been appointed head of security for the funeral ceremony of Commandant Lyrim simply because she was the lowest ranking individual hanging around Military High Command at the moment. So she had been both preparing the venue for the funeral and scrutinizing the recent teleportation logs for Outer Realm Umt, the larger location where the funeral would be held. Which was when she had noticed an urgent report from a Disciplinary Magistrate from a neighboring Outer Realm and come to investigate.
In terms of Outer Realms, Umt was as posh as they came, possessing superior facilities and a generous Aether allotment. It was the perfect location for a tasteful funeral.
Meanwhile, this Outer Realm, Outer Realm Schizzorix, was near-abandoned. The population was small and most of them were injured cast-offs from earlier wars against the Nether. Their Aether allotment was proportionately smaller. This also meant that discontent was extremely high amongst the residents.
The Aether Diffuser itself was the means by which the Outer Realms received their Aether allotment. It was a hulking mound of metal that looked like a generator but functioned closer to a release valve. Qiolo pointed to the slightly melted material around the base of the Diffuser. “Whoever did this was smart, too. The attack didn’t damage the connection to the Nexus Ways, only the release sensor. So before the interference was discovered, Aether ceaselessly pumped out. The machine could no longer detect it had reached its daily allotment. And someone was here gathering it, which was why it wasn’t discovered earlier.”
“How much Aether do you think they got away with?” Lady Iellaya asked.
Disciplinary Magistrate Qiolo grinned. “The equivalent of its yearly allotment in the span of five days. Which also means that Outer Realm Schizzorix will not be receiving any further Aether for a while. Heh, this place is so fucked.”
“You seem remarkably cheery about the fact you’ve most likely lost your job. And that you failed so spectacularly to prevent this.” Lady Iellaya observed slowly. “You are the Disciplinary head here; you won’t be able to avoid punishment.”
“When I was twenty, I offended someone I shouldn’t have and had my image destroyed,” Qiolo said quietly. The room was dark enough that Lady Iellaya couldn’t quite make out his expression. The hairs on his face were sleek and shimmered as his lips moved. “Still, I didn’t give up. I started from scratch. I managed to obtain a job in the Disciplinary Board and contributed significantly to the prosecution of the Overseer of the Sixth Cohort. You might not have been active at the time, but my investigation eventually revealed how corrupt that Overseer was. I was given a commendation and my own entire Outer Realm… out here. It wasn’t until I got here that I realized how little my efforts mattered.”
When the Disciplinary Magistrate smiled, Lady Iellaya could see his teeth were very sharp. “So I won’t deny that I am… sympathetic to the people who hold the Nexus in contempt. And after living on a pittance here for a hundred years… what else can they do to me? I reported the leak. I did my duty; let them punish me for that and sow more negative karma for themselves. What do I care?”
Lady Iellaya considered the man in front of her for several seconds. Then she said, “Would you like a job?”