Chapter 273: New Paths Opened (1/2)

I got everyone's attention before announcing,

”Lehesion was reincarnated from an alternate timeline, and Eonoth, a really loud Old One, was what actually killed the Spatial Fortress, not Lehesion.”

Our factions burst into a fervent discussion, everyone reacting at my immediate announcement with shock, awe, and dread.

Obolis winced, ”I didn't want to discover the Old One's identity like this.”

Helios facepalmed, ”Of course. Reincarnated. That's great. Just great.”

Torix cupped his chin, ”By Schema, I don't know whether to be deterred or emboldened. Knowing Lehesion's limits aren't as endless as I imagined is one thing, but knowing we are armed against an Old One is another thing altogether.”

I nodded at them all, agreeing with pretty much everybody,

”Yeah, it's a lot to take in. I say we separate this discussion into three topics. The most important is the fallout from Schema's loss. After that, we'll talk about what to do going forward before I listen to ideas. So, uh, starting off the whole Schema losing thing, I, for one, think a lot more planets are going to join the rebels now that people know Elysium can win.”

Althea frowned, ”Yeah, I think so too. They have a system and everything, and they can stop Spatial Fortresses. Those were the aces up Schema's sleeve, and the rebels just stole those cards away.”

Torix raised a finger, ”Dutifully put. I believe this indicates a societal insurrection, a kind of paradigm shift if you will. It was as if Schema's reputation kept him immune from criticism or doubt. Now that a rival faction has formed, one that is competitive at that, we shall see many more voices join in the discussions against him.”

Obolis raised his eyebrows, ”It is easy to criticize something that you don't understand. None of us can comprehend what enables the system to operate, and we could hardly comprehend its scale.”

Torix gestured to me, ”Not so. Daniel, why don't you share your theory?”

I pointed at myself, ”What, me?”

”Indeed.”

I coughed into a hand, ”Ahem, well...I have been working with runes for a long time. I know that I can change my own self by simply putting runes on me and channeling mana through them. By that line of logic, Schema might have a stockpile of runes for every individual. As they gain experience, he channels mana into those runes and alters them to make the person stronger.”

I raised a hand, ”If that's how it's done, then anyone with that level of runic knowledge and mana could technically do it themselves. Hell, I could have a little system in place for myself eventually. This is all just an educated guess, though. Don't quote me on any of this.”

The imperials present stayed silent for a moment. Obolis narrowed his eyes at me, ”You...you're far more intelligent than you let on.”

I shook my head, ”Trust me, I'm not. I've been working with a guy on making golems, and I am terrible at it. Like, absolutely awful.”

Helios oozed skepticism, ”We'll see if Ophelia will vouch for your claims when she's finished working with you. Personal assessments aside, does anyone here know what we can do now that Giess will remain?”

Torix raised a hand, getting everyone's attention, ”I hypothesized both outcomes and created lists of likely scenarios. Due to this exercise, I believe I know a few of the implications that shall incur because of this event. The first is, as Daniel mentioned, a rise in the rebellion's scope. This is by no means a small event. It is an enormous, historical undertaking.”

Torix pulled out his grimoire, flipping the pages. Channeling a blot of mana into the booklet, he cast a complicated spell for generating visual holograms. He pointed at a planetary model of Giess,

”This is Giess, as you all know. Silvers and their territory smother its surface, and the eldritchian rifts are spreading as we speak. Due to this planet being secure now, they shall no doubt use this place as a staging platform for further production of Hybrids, radioactive eldritch, and feeding grounds.”

Florence scratched the back of his head, ”Feeding grounds?”

”Precisely. The silvers are the second half of a Hybrid. They are nigh exclusive to Giess, though innumerable in number. Because of this, they are a primary resource for the rebellion's success. By securing Giess, they've secured their production of silvers and, therefore, Hybrids as well. This was why they fought tooth and nail to retain their ownership of this world.”

Our view of the planetary hologram became closer, showing a few common silvers like the saysha beetles. Torix waved a hand,

”Giess is also an enormous reservoir of mana waste, the primary fuel that silvers feast upon. It acts as the base of their food chain, and outside of pumping it into space, it is nearly impossible to get rid of. They shall create breeding grounds in mass near rifts on Giess, and this shall promote the rapid resupply of their army.”

Obolis frowned, ”Wouldn't they be overwhelmed by the sheer number of created Hybrids? They need psionics to control them, after all.”

Torix pressed two fingers together, accentuating his point,

”They will simply keep as many soldiers as they currently have and use the others as a backup source. Every remotely close battle shall be a victory for them. After all, their production of those monsters is far easier than Schema's production of trained warriors.”

I grimaced, ”Yeah, it isn't like Schema's ultra-efficient at creating people who get past level 5,000. If anything, he's very stingy with his resources, even when people showcase some serious talent. Elysium isn't losing any psionics in their battles for the most part either. They're using cannon fodder to get rid of elites. Smart.”

Torix shook his head, ”Sadly, I could not agree more. The rebel's plans likely involve dispersing Schema's forces across many planets, whittling down his resources with an endless Hybrid army, then taking galactic dominance from the A.I. one planet at a time.”

Torix's hologram disappeared, ”Though this is quite simply conjectured, I do fear this is the most likely possibility.”

Helios raised an eyebrow, ”And how do you understand their plans so thoroughly?”

Torix shrugged, ”It is simply how I would go about doing it given their resources. Tohtella has displayed a high relative competence, her ruthlessness exceeding even my own. She implements tactics similar to my own necromantic practices as well. Because of these factors, I say we should move forward with the assumption this is their plan.”

I pointed at our resident lich, ”Damn fine work. This gives us a foundation to move off of.”

Torix cackled at the compliment before saying, ”It was my pleasure.”

The group took a second to think about what Torix said, and I joined them. Torix really broke everything down in a way that made a lot of sense, and that made everything much easier to understand for me. I mean, I was getting kind of overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the situation. Torix brushed aside all the white noise and useless chatter, diving straight to the heart of the issue. It really helped us out.

Even knowing all that, it didn't spell out what we needed to do. We could try raiding Elysium's encampments on Giess, but it wasn't like they were easy to find or hard to make. All they needed was a rift in silver territory. Boom. Now they could make a ton of Hybrids with ease.

We needed to make a better plan going forward.

Interrupting my thoughts, Obolis made a fist as he read his status. I raised my eyebrows, ”You seem pretty excited about that breakdown of the rebellion, which was pretty dire. What gives?”

Obolis smiled, showing sharp teeth, ”I received excellent news. The ahcorus are still going forward with the deal we made earlier.”

I blinked, ”They still want to do that? I thought they'd bail after seeing the extent of the rebel's powers.”

Obolis leaned back, ”According to Wrath, their reasoning is simple - the rebels allied with sentient eldritch. Plazia-Ruhl is one of the worst examples of a sentient eldritch let free. Centuries of terror have made the ahcorus hellbent on killing the creature.”

Obolis chuckled before grinning, ”Seeing the rebels ally with eldritch similar in stature to Plazia made the ahcorus despise the rebels even more.”

Obolis frowned, ”They also mentioned that Plazia neglected to join the rebels, though he was no doubt offered a deal to do so. I find it strange as well, considering his precarious position in Schema's universe. Elysium seems like a far less hostile environment.”

I leaned down, ”Hmm, maybe Plazia has a good reason why? We might be able to get some useful intel off of him about the rebels while we're taking him out. I mean, Plazia's bound to be a smart guy, and if he's anything like Baldag-Ruhl, he'll know a lot about runes.”

Helios furrowed his brow, ”You're telling me you've seen a different Ruhl already?”

I spread out my hands, ”Uh, yeah. It was the first rift keeper I ever killed. They tried to turn my soul into the armor I'm wearing-” I tapped one of my shoulder plates, ”As you can tell, I kind of turned that against him.”

Helios massaged his temples while Obolis tried to speak without insinuating I was an idiot,

”Daniel. Don't you think that tidbit of information might've served you well when negotiating with Wrath?”

I rolled my eyes, ”That eldritch wasn't even level 200.”

Obolis sighed before gesturing a palm to me, his patience growing thin,

”I forget at times that you aren't aware of the system's customs. Despite your position, you've not even been a part of this new world for a decade. This is a time when that ignorance showcases itself.”

Torix simmered, ”I'm centuries old, and I know nothing of what you speak of. Perhaps your expectations are what is lacking, not our experience?”

Torix glared at me, his fire eyes turning purple, ”And neither have I heard of this sudden shift in plans. Perhaps you could find the time to explain?”

I pulled out my new elemental furnace, ”I got this and other treasure to take out Plazia instead of clearing out Blegara.”

Torix's eyes shifted back to blue, ”Oh...perhaps you could discuss with us before shifting the direction of our guild next time?”

I frowned, ”I respect you all and your opinions. Sometimes, I'll need to be able to make decisions for the guild on the spot. Otherwise, I'll get caught up in constant meetings like this one. Not to say this isn't productive, but I'm getting tired of constantly having to host them.”

Torix stared down, ”Perhaps you're right.” Torix pointed at Obolis, ”That hasn't cleared up your accusation of ignorance at us. Your information is obviously less available than you might imagine.”

Torix wasn't one to take accusations of ignorance lightly. He was our chief educator so that responsibility fell to him. If anything, the guy might be making a new program about everyday kinds of eldritch as we spoke.

Obolis smiled with a knowing grin,

”Yes, maybe. Allow me to enlighten you all then. The Ruhl's are a specific variant of eldritch hivemind. They are highly volatile and dangerous, often requiring far more resources to slay than you'd first estimate. Because of this inherent danger and their vast intelligence, they are recognized as critical threats to Schema.”

Obolis pointed up at the sky, ”A Ruhl calculates his odds given the situation, and this leads to their long lifespans. Their manifestation in a dungeon often leads to the eldritchification of a planet thereafter. Combine that with their insatiable desire to learn, and they are fierce, whether level one or level one hundred thousand. Some even believe that the most ancient of Ruhls become Old Ones.”

I frowned, ”So are there a bunch of different kinds and categories of eldritch? I thought they were all just random.”

Helios rolled a hand, ”They have their own kinds and species, obviously. Obolis's point, however, is that any experience against them is a potent tool to leverage in a negotiation. You should've abused the tools at your disposal to the fullest to maximize your advantage.”

I looked back and forth, ”You guys of all people should know that I'm not about gouging other people.”

Obolis raised an eyebrow, ”What about when Wrath and I were discussing our deal earlier? You set the conversation up in such a way that you received an elemental furnace before accomplishing anything for either of us. That seemed rather methodical and planned if you were to ask me.”

Torix scoffed, ”I know little of this deal, but I understand the contribution our guild has given you already. We've assisted in clearing Blegara, and we have every intention of continuing to do so. Daniel is simply asking for a specific advance on our reward before we finish the job. That isn't gouging in any understanding of the word. It's ensuring we, as a guild, aren't taken advantage of.”

Obolis nodded, ”Hmm, I suppose that could be that case.”

Torix turned to those here, ”And that is precisely why I'm wondering what you've agreed to exactly, Daniel.”

I leaned back onto my hands, ”It's about what I said earlier. I agreed to get a bunch of treasure from Obolis in exchange for helping Wrath out with her Plazia problem.”

Torix's blue eyes turned green, ”Why would Obolis do that?”

”He wanted the ahcorus to clear out his planets. They're faster than us at cleaning up Hybrids, so we all won out in the deal-” I spun the black jade in a finger,

”Especially us. I can use this for a lot of different things to help the guild.”

Helios let out a cynical laugh before shaking his head, ”Do you believe that using one is so simple?”

I shook my head, ”It doesn't matter if I can use it or not. The runes are the most valuable part of this since I can understand them.”

Torix raised a hand, jumping to my defense, ”Another aspect my disciple neglected to mention is his mastery of mana. He can wield huge volumes of mana already, even without the furnace. I'd imagine the furnace is usually impeded by one's ability to control mana on a mass scale. Otherwise, everyone would be using one of the devices.”

Torix eyed the Emperor, ”At the absolute least, you'd utilize more of them if that were the case. Given those factors, they must be dangerous as well.”

Obolis nodded, ”Indeed, they are. Using one requires the management of meager drops and unwieldy flows of mana all at once. By funneling a slither of mana into the device, you may generate an enormous amount of energy from even the air around you. It's volatile given it relies on nuclear fission, however. One misstep-”

Obolis snapped his fingers, ”And a city's worth of land is ruined, along with the furnace and the user.”

I smiled, ”Eh, I should be fine with a bit of practice.”

Helios leaned towards me, ”Do you believe you still have the subtlety required? Many mages that expand their mana pools lose the ability to work with smaller volumes of mana. Given your enormous reserves, perhaps you're suffering from this and don't even know it?”

I shook my head, ”I'm very precise with my mana. I'm more worried about the fallout from the furnace, but even that won't be the end of the world. I can just eat the radiation.”

My guild gave me a few nods and pats on the back for that idea. The imperials present gawked at me as if I was losing my mind. Kessiah leaned back, holding her head up with her arms,

”Don't worry, guys. You'll get used to Daniel doing crazy stuff once you're around him long enough.”

Obolis shook his head, ”Perhaps your approach will serve you better than those before you. You understand yourself and your limits better than we do, as shown before. We must move on, however. There are other details left for us to discuss.”

He turned to me, ”Are you still willing to follow through with our deal with Wrath?”

I looked down, thinking about it. The first factor was the reward. I'd have to return my furnace if I didn't follow through with the plan. Abusing this little gemstone would result in some severe gains I could use against Lehesion next time we met. I also needed personal, applicable power, and this would help me do that.

On the other hand, priorities at home were reaching their boiling points. Earth didn't even have six months left before other guilds could rush in and grab up territories. My new golem projects would be resulting in a massive expansion with Ophelia and Diesel's help, letting me expand guild operations rapidly. I could focus less on helping other guilds and more on improving my own.

I wrestled with all these ideas, some of my guildsmen noticing. Althea placed a hand on mine, and she peered up at me. I met her eye as she said,

”Hey, stop worrying so much. You're the only one that's stopped Lehesion so far. If you can beat him down, then everything else kind of falls in place, right?”

I dwelled on what she said. If I could stop Lehesion, then the Adair family would struggle to invade Earth. That much was certain. I could tear their fleets to pieces with an elemental furnace fueling my singularities. Hell, I could even weave the elemental furnace formula into my golems, making them walking death machines.

The more I thought about it, the more Althea was right. Even if I took a large section of Earth over, it wasn't like I could defend it. Lehesion could show up and burn it to the ground in a few minutes. Until I could guarantee my guild's safety from him and Elysium, there was no point in expanding further outside of a few nearby territories.

For now, prioritizing my own personal strength was an absolute necessity, whether I liked it or not.

I met Obolis's eye, ”I'm still in.”

Obolis let out a nervous breath, ”Here I believed you'd changed your mind, given the circumstances.”

I tilted my head to Althea, ”Thank her. She's the one that convinced me.”

Obolis gave her a grin, ”Thank you for your wisdom.”

Althea sat straighter while Helios leaned onto one of his hands and bit his tongue. Poor guy would never live what he did down. It wasn't my problem as I rolled my shoulders,

”Alright then. Over the next week or two, my guild will continue helping on Blegara while getting ready to travel to the ahcorus's homeworld. Obolis, I'll need to meet with you regularly to have lessons on this elemental furnace. I must learn it soon.”

Obolis raised a palm, ”I simply don't have the time to help you. Helios, on the other hand, is under your wing and understands elemental furnaces well. He should be a fine tutor for the skills required.”

Helios looked for any kind of redemption to his past mistakes as he bowed to Obolis, ”Of course. I shall assist the Harbinger in whatever way I am able.”

Obolis put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, ”Thank you. Ophelia's assisting Daniel with his golem project as well from what I've heard. She can teach him much about primordial mana if he listens to her.”

I gave him a thumbs-up, ”I will.”

The Emperor scoffed, ”She's spoiled but talented. As long as you callous your mind before speaking with her, then she won't be a matter of contention.”

I tapped the side of my head, ”It won't be a problem.”

Obolis opened a portal, leading to a treasure vault of some sort,

”I will leave you all with this discussion's implications. I'm needed at my war council soon, so I must leave you all to your devices. Goodbye.”

I waved, ”Cya.”

Obolis left, leaving a few others remaining here. I stared at Kessiah, Torix, Hod, Althea, Florence, and Helios,

”Let's go back to Mt. Verner. We need as many perspectives as we can get, including Krog, Chrona, and Amara's. They might be able to tell us something new.”

The others gave me a few nods of approval before Helios wobbled up. He gulped down vomit before generating another portal to Mt. Verner. I walked up to the guy, grabbing his shoulder to hold him upright. Using a bit of mana, I saturated an antigravity panel over him,

”This enchantment will last another hour or so. Get to your room and rest. You've earned it.”

With his steps less wobbly, Helios worked his way to his bed without a word. Everyone else walked through his portal before Helios let it disintegrate. With Torix's help, I got everyone together later that day after Helios had his nap, and we had time to think. Everyone from our guild was there from earlier with the inclusion of Chrona, Krog, and Amara.

We rested in a cleared out courtyard, right below where Chrona called home. She carved her resting place into a cliffside, creating an overhang of stone that she slept under. To the left of that shaded space, a flat area was there for sunbathing. Below it, another flat area spread out, large enough for several gialgathens to mingle. We all sat in a circle there with the forest cleared nearby, letting us view the mountains and rolling hills around Mt. Verner.

Torix already broke down our discussion from earlier, along with a summary of what occurred during the glassing of Giess. Armed with that knowledge and a new perspective, Amara, Krog, and Chrona sat in front of me. I got everyone's attention,

”Everyone, this will be the last meeting we're doing about this. I'm tired of talking, and I want to get started doing. We all agree there, right?”

I got their acclaim before turning to Chrona and Krog,

”You guys know Lehesion better than any of us. What do you both think about his reincarnation? Any insights?”

They stared at me, both seeming whiplashed and angry at the same time. Chrona spoke up first,

”Having been reincarnated would explain much of his past. He was the most gifted of all of us, granted an absurd base of knowledge and experience we all lacked. Lehesion would often be considered precognizant during his earlier years, though that reputation faded.”

Krog grit his fangs, ”He merely recited what he'd already known to be true. As he aged, he shaped history in his image, and knowing less of the world's events thereafter, he could no longer speak of the future with precision. He conned us all.”

Chrona gazed down, ”He is unkillable as we imagined if the Old Ones are as strong as you say, however. I don't know what we can do to stop him, either. His master seems to rule time, and I of all people know how absurd that ability can be.”

Chrona's temporal dilation was a nasty ability. I turned a hand to her, ”That's why I wanted you here to talk with us. Lehesion mentioned collapsing timelines. Any ideas about what that means?”

Chrona stared up, letting her mind wander,

”Time is a fluid thing, much like a stream. It can be slowed and sped up if one knows how to manipulate it. Unlike a stream, it cannot be stopped, however. That is the part of Eonoth's attack that I cannot understand.”

Torix leaned forward, ”What about that is so confusing? We've mentioned that Old Ones break all the rules we know of. They exist without limits.”

Krog shook his head, ”This is simply not true. Otherwise, they would dictate our reality without limit. They seem to act within an enigmatic set of rules, though those rules are undefined as of yet.”

That was a good point. Chrona turned towards us, making eye contact, ”That is precisely what I've noticed as well. Lehesion exchanged his new body for some kind of goal. Learning that goal may help us untangle Eonoth's grip on him.”

I tapped my chin with my thumb knuckle, ”What about the time-freezing thing? You mentioned that it is impossible. Why?”