Chapter Sixty Six: Puppeteering

  I should check the general populace first. That’d be the biggest group to find any discrepancies in.

  I swooped low, and cast my awareness down through the nearby houses. They were all neat and clean, well supplied, and of a build quality that exceeded even those in the domain of Count Linus before Gretkarn’s rampage. They were all eerily identical too. From the floor plan to the placement of furniture, everything was the same.

  The families were pretty standardized nuclear units as well, nothing different or anyone solitary, though I did notice that the population was predominantly human. In fact, it didn’t look like there were any other races at all.

  Okay, I know that the empire is humanocentric from what Calden said, but this is odd. From their reactions to the revelation that Palaeshek is behind it all, you’d think that he was at least pretending to be an ally of the County and Calden’s dad, but can he believably do that without any diversity?

  With no other choice, I broke my typical rule and started peeking at the statuses of everyone around my current perch. I skimmed through them, but they appeared as per normal, detailing their stats and abilities, with no one really standing out as their only status conditions were sleeping.

  But then Uriel buzzed quite a bit more forcefully than I’d grown accustomed to.

  I gulped… or did as best of an approximation as my eagle body could. That… that can’t be good. Is this area being affected by the Ascendant’s plan? If that’s the case then Benedict’s memories imply that there’s a corrupted terrestrial deity around here subverting the system. But from where?

  My eyes fell to the natural conclusion, that the deity was in or under Palaeshek’s manor, but at the same time that would be awfully convenient too.

  Uriel? Can you track the source of the interference?

  I waited.

  And kept waiting.

  It was only around a minute but it felt so long when compared to the usually instant responses that my stomach nearly turned.

  Then Uriel buzzed.

  I blinked. What? How? Their statuses all looked pretty normal to me.

  Uriel buzzed a bit later.

  Ohhhh. See? It makes so much more sense now that you actually explain! Uriel continued to pull up super consistent statuses from the people around me. How did I not notice that everyone around here has a variation of the same name, and the exact same job and abilities?

  Flustered, I took off and lapped the city again silently apologizing for invading everyone’s privacy as I scanned all their statuses.

  Hnnn. Unless everyone in this city is a blinkin’ carpenter I get what Uriel was talking about. The names are at least a bit more diverse now, but overall, wholly unoriginal.

  Just to be sure, I also flew outside the city and analyzed things and creatures as I went. The further I went out over the battlefield the more unique the information became as even when I scanned rocks, Uriel would break down what exactly it’s made out of and roughly how old it is, but even that became near identical as I flew back toward the city.

  In the opposite direction, much the same happened, however it took longer for the change to take place.

  So it’s coming from this side.

  On a hunch I honestly dreaded to confirm, I flew to the West, toward the Dresdeth domain and Matweirden’s main haunt. Sure enough, I was soon getting data that was completely identical from one object or creature to the next. It got so bad that eventually everything broke down and was labeled with the same thing: Error.

  I halted my advance. Do I really want to go and confront Matty right now? Uriel? Is there any way to weaken the interference? Will stirring up the mana help? How about my domain?

  Again I waited on tenterhooks as my ability took considerably longer than usual to reply. But reply Uriel did.

  I opened my beak and pretended to sigh. Nothing for it then. I need to know what’s up with those people before I go out looking for a fight. I can’t in good conscience leave them as is if they are in danger.

  I flew back to the city, touched down at the honestly beautiful and frankly huge marble fountain at what was the approximate center of the city, and called up the Edge of Eternity.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Unlike when I used it against Benedict, the changes to the area weren’t as pronounced. Maybe the effect was lessened because it was a much larger area, but the space didn’t really warp to look like the depressing past. Instead, for the most part, all that really happened was the city looked a bit more… dirty.

  The usual dust, ash, soot, and grime I expected appeared and lightly coated the walls and floors, and streets, and structures in such a way that this pristine place now looked believably lived in. Smudges you’d expect on glass appeared where hands would have been placed, and should have made contact. Scuffs and dinks in daily tools and passageways appeared where they naturally would be. The streets wore away where wheels and feet would have crossed countless times, and I– I almost cried when Uriel buzzed to reveal a nearby status.

  This… I finally understand what was so unsettling. This place was so idyllic. Too idyllic to be real. I was uncomfortable because it felt like a doll house. And with the errors hiding the truth, the people were made into the dolls. But how did this happen?

  I reigned in my raging emotions, and finally felt the weight on my shoulders. Like an invisible board being balanced across my, well, wings, the pressure of staving off the interference with the system now settled into place.

  Again I circled the city in my search for answers, but all I really learned was that everyone, and I do mean everyone was a race other than human, and was being forced into a puppet body that made everything and everyone uniform.

  Over a hundred thousand people locked away into identical vessels, trapped in body, mind, and soul, and presumably forced to live in whatever way Palaeshek dictated.

  This… this is going too far. Gretkarn was bad enough with his hypno-crap, but this is an egregious breach of free will and personal rights. And yeah, I know, I’m one to talk with how I placed conditions on Soaria, but I did it as a last resort! This… this is…

  A fire raged within me, storming through my veins as I set my sights on the manor of the man responsible.

  <“Blasphemy!”>

  #

  Marquis Palaeshek quietly sipped from a gilded goblet of blood red wine celebrating his most recent victory in inciting yet another border dispute with the neighboring kingdom. Seated in his lavish personal office, he chortled. Soon. Soon they’ll launch an all out war, and my ‘poor’ ‘pitiful’ self will ‘beg’ the mighty emperor to send support to deal with their ‘unprecedented’ aggression. Dresdeth will naturally be caught up in it too, and with their current rate of decline accelerated I’ll be able to seamlessly absorb their territory in the name of defending the empire. Then, with a little work at extending the conflict, the emperor’s forces will be depleted, and he’ll have no choice but to enter the fray directly. Then, it’ll be all too easy to take the crown off his corpse.

  “I’m so close now.” He combed his fingers through his bushy white beard. “So close.”

  However. His expression darkened. It’s been too long since I’ve heard from Soaria. There’s no way she could have failed, not with those Ascendant church freaks dealing with the deity, so why hasn’t she reported the death of that blasted brat?

  He yanked open his desk drawer, glowered at the small sphere that rolled into and lightly clinked against the side, and clicked his tongue at the still flickering flame within. “If you’re still alive then do your bloody job, woman!”

  Palaeshek slammed the drawer closed, furious that the bauble would only alert him of her death and not allow for contact to be made or even a location to be discerned.

  It might not be strictly necessary to eliminate Dresdeth’s heir, but I don’t care to risk future insurrection or him potentially freeing Matweirden–if such a thing is even possible.

  Sick of all the holes still left in his otherwise perfect plan he thundered to his feet, his heft and strength toppling the thick throne he sat on. He snorted, for if it hadn’t fallen he would have liked to throw it at the servant cowering in the corner, but he let the opportunity pass as he had no desire to speak to that fool or disgrace himself by bending over to get it.

  He pivoted, strode to the wide panel window that separated him from his ‘loyal’ subjects, and cocked an eyebrow. Storm Clouds? From where? The magus said there wouldn’t be any storms for another week.

  He narrowed his keen eyes, all too good at seeing in the dark from his time spent overseeing the operations in his dungeons.

  Then his goblet hit the floor, and red spilled all around his feet.

  “My city! Who dares tarnish my utopia!”

  #

  Josephine Barla continued her usual administrative tasks late into the night to keep her growing obsession over Anon’s whereabouts from dominating her every thought. There had been plenty of complications with subduing apostles in the past, but none had ever eluded an Ascendant for so long.

  This is utterly humiliating! How long are you going to keep me waiting Anon? How long will you be content to hide! Your power is mine by right! You exist for my sake! So quit resisting your natural compunction to cleanse corruption and face me!

  She snapped yet another quill, clutched her veiled forehead and let out a deep sigh. “When I get my hands on you… .”

  “Oh? Someone you wish to see?”

  An all too familiar voice twisted her face into a snarl. “Gregorious. Arrogant as ever.” She turned her head to scan the room, but it took a moment for even her eyes to spot the ability concealed humanoid figure also covered from head to toe in white. “I’ve been in a foul mood of late, so this better be important.”

  “Ha!” He uncrossed his arms and shooed her words away with a hand. “Then it’s all the better that I’m here. I’ve discovered quite the interesting toy, and thought you might like to join me in observing its downfall?”

  I don't need this distraction! If I’m away when Anon leaves the barrier, or Creator forbid, with Gregorious, then I might miss my chance or lose the opportunity entirely! I can’t fend him off and subdue Anon at the same time. She snorted. He’s only here to make use of my space essence magic anyway.

  Gregorious placed a hand over his heart. “Your silence wounds me, my dear. I promise that this will be more than worth the trip. The target this time is someone truly special, a newfound terrestrial deity that has recently defeated Gretkarn at his hour of triumph and eluded corruption by my twelfth sector.”

  Josephine stopped sulking. What? His sectors are obnoxiously effective, especially the twelfth one. And what’s this of Gretkarn? Has that parasite grown enough to overtake the city already? But if this new deity stopped him, then… .

  She turned her head in his direction, and he chuckled. “I knew that would get your attention. Now come! Come! I insist. The final act in the life of Anon Amos is at hand!”

  She couldn’t contain the tremble that shot down her spine, though she did manage to reduce it to a near imperceptible twitch. What did he just say?

  #

  I stared at Palaeshek’s pompous palace as if I could tear it to pieces with my eyes alone. Dark clouds had gathered overhead and gradually blotted out the moonlight as they put the stars to bed to the melody of steadily growing rumbles. I didn’t know why or how they’d appeared, as it almost felt like all the weather I’d dispersed during my journey had caught up to me with a vengeance, but I didn’t care.

  If anything, I welcomed it.

  So how do I wanna do this? Do I try to sneak in and blitz the big man in charge? Do I storm the gates head on? Or do I tear the whole thing down around him? I’m certainly mad enough for it, though it might be a huge waste of mana.

  Finally my expanded awareness locked onto my target. Plump and with a white beard he roared his fury from the upper floors of his manor, his face nearly as red as his coat.

  My beak dropped open. Wait. Am I… Am I fighting an evil Santa?