Converging Roots

The tension in her father’s office was palpable. Moira stood, clad in the school uniform she had prepared the night before, next to her father, who sat at his desk. He had a concerned look on his face and his posture reflected his serious mentality.

Captain Harlow stood on the other side of the Lord Protector, a foot further away from the Order’s leader than Moira was, ruining some of the symmetry they had going.

Opposite them, standing with her hands clasped in front of her waist, was the Order’s most prominent seer, Lorelei Varnik. Her clouded gray eyes bore a weariness Moira had never seen the pale blonde wear, like whatever she had seen was close to being beyond her skill.

“Seer Varnik,” Lord Brighton said, his tone serious, “you have an urgent vision to share with us?”

“Yes, Lord Protector,” Lorelei responded in a somber tone. “It came to me in a dream. A most unusual manner for my Sight, but not unheard of in my ancestry. I saw a golden seed, falling through darkness, falling for an eternity in a tarnished state. Then the Lady’s light fell upon it, the dulling of ages washing away in Her presence. The seed then passed into the hands of six individuals. Four remained clouded, though I could tell they were women. The fifth was hidden from view by cloying shadow, yet I could see the light touch of the Lady upon her.”

Lorelei paused and Moira thought she looked to be gathering her strength to recall the next portion of her dream.

“The sixth was the most clear to see. He shone with sparks of green, red, orange, violet, gold and blue. And the Lady’s grace was upon him, stronger than any beyond the Warden’s that I’ve ever seen. All of them tended the seed, interning it with the earth. They faded, leaving the seed to bask in the Lady’s light, nurtured by their mana. Then, a new light, dimmer than the Lady’s, joined, and fed into the seed as it began to sprout.

“Fields and forests, mountains, rivers and seas came into view as the sapling grew, its bark gold and leaves crimson. And within it rested a growing power. A new sliver of the infinite, cut from a dying mother as a step towards the salvation of those she shepherds from blood and decay. It slumbers, waiting for the six to return. Waiting for the dawn.”

Lorelei took a shuddering breath before continuing, “And the dawn happened, life-giving light falling over the unspoiled land as nine figures appeared under the boughs. And then I was jolted from my dream.”

“Are you alright?” Moira quickly asked, unable to restrain her worry any longer.

“I will be fine after resting, honored Warden,” the seer replied, a small reassuring smile briefly gracing her lips. “Recalling the dream is akin to slipping into a new vision and doing so right after is a bit taxing.”

Lord Brighton leaned forward slightly, idly stroking his beard with one hand, his expression drawn in thought. “And what is your interpretation of this, Seer Varnik?”

“I believe it to be a recounting of events, not a prediction of what may come,” Lorelei softly answered. “But I feel those events have happened recently and something has transpired that my gifts picked up on.”

“Do you think it ties into those phantoms we’ve been chasing?” Harlow asked, cutting right to the chase. Lorelei, along with the rest of the seers the Order had on call, had been unable to glean any information on those attacks. The blonde came the closest to getting anything useful, but her divination had been obscured, defining features of anything worth noting coated in a darkness not easily pierced.

Lorelei frowned in thought, her clouded eyes shifting back and forth as if she was pulling pieces of a puzzle together. Her body sagged a bit, as if she had just moved a large weight.

“I believe there is,” she solemnly answered. “The darkness we face is in some way connected to the **** of ‘blood and decay’ my dream impressed upon me. How, I cannot say, however.”

Moira was about to speak, but her father beat her to it with a wave of his hand.

“That will be enough, Seer Varnik,” he said in a calm but definitive voice. “You have given more than we could expect, even if it was only by the Lady’s Will that we are privy to it. Go and rest.”

“Thank you, Lord Protector,” she said before curtsying. “I will take my leave.”

As she was about to exit, a knock shook the office door.

“Urgent report, sir!” a loud voice rang from the hall. “From Recon Team Beta!”

Moira frowned as her father ordered the man in.

‘Recon Team Beta was assigned to monitor for Natural Barriers after we found that twisted one. Did another form in the same state?’ the redhead thought. ‘Was that the catalyst for Lorelei’s dream?’

A squire swiftly entered the room and saluted.

“Sir, Recon Team Beta is reporting an unusual barrier formation to the northeast. Initially they believed it to be a Natural Barrier due to the distortions to the local mana flow, but then it disappeared. Or at least, they thought it did. Commander Davis thinks it’s become a Pathway. He’s still conducting the examination but relayed his initial findings, flagged urgent.”

Moira blinked. ‘A Pathway? To a Kingdom? Those just don’t form out of thin air. Unless…’

Moira’s eyes shifted to Lorelei, recalling parts of her vision.

‘She implied there was a god in play. Even if they pale in comparison to the Lady, they could forge a connection from their Kingdoms to Earth. But if that path leads to ‘blood and decay’ then we’d need a full battle ready squad to deal with what might emerge.’

“Lord Protector,” Lorelei spoke up. “If I may interject.”

He nodded slightly, giving her permission to speak.

“I believe this Path leads to the untouched place I Saw,” the seer said with conviction. “And its formation was the trigger for the dream.”

“If that’s the case,” Lord Brighton said before looking at the squire, “relay to Commander Davis to follow first contact procedure and establish a perimeter if he hasn’t already. We will be dispatching a squad as support. Dismissed.”

The squire saluted and turned to leave. Lorelei followed a moment later, the door closing behind the seer.

“Moira, Harlow, I trust you are aware of what my next order will be,” her father said as he rose from his seat.

“That we are to lead this expedition. Correct, sir?” Harlow asked.

“Indeed,” the elder Brighton intoned. “We were blessed that Seer Varnik was given that dream but I fear things are moving too fast. Several blasphemous acts hidden from us until it is too late to gather any useful evidence. Students from your school vanishing right after one. Now a way to what could be a new Kingdom, along with some new god waiting within.”

The current leader of the Order of the Golden Rose sighed. “We need to know what we are up against. This may be our chance to do so, especially if the vision holds true and what lies on the other side is a **** opposed to these bloodletters.”

“So we are trusting in the dream, sir?” Harlow asked.

“Seer Varnik’s Sight has never led the Order astray,” Lord Brighton said. “Nor have any of her family before her. The Lady has blessed them with Sight so that we may not be led astray. Without it, I wouldn’t be so willing to walk this path. Even so, you will not do so flippantly. Be ready for anything.”

The Knight Captain saluted and left the office to make the necessary preparations, leaving the two Brightons alone.

“Never let yourself believe things are too peaceful,” the elder Brighton suddenly said once the door to his office was closed. “There will always be some challenge to overcome.”

“Of course, Father,” Moira responded, wondering if he had some important advice to impart on her or was just noting how things had become in the last week.

“Moira, you recall your lessons on meeting with dignitaries, correct?” her father asked.

“Yes, Father,” she answered. “I presumed you want me to act more as an ambassador than a fighter.”

“I am taking no option off the table,” he replied. “It isn’t everyday we have the chance to sway a god towards the Lady’s will. And given the storm we seem to be caught up in, that could make the difference between justice being served and our adversary getting away. Or worse.”

Moira nodded, feeling the weight of this task settling upon her shoulders. “I won’t let you down, Father.”

“Of the many concerns I have, that was never one of them,” he said, a warm smile erasing some of the years from his face.

A surge of pride swept through Moira and she found herself standing a little straighter. Barely holding on to decorum, Moira saluted and took her leave. As impeccable as her uniform was, it was hardly fitting for what could, sadly, turn into a battlefield.

Wave 4 Completed. Wave 5 begins in 5 minutes

John let the alert fade, leaving only the countdown in the corner of his vision as he plopped down on the grass. He saw Lynn’s defensive screen of what he still believed was some deadly acid slither back into the vials she contained it in and the alchemist began to draw out various recovery potions.

“How’s everyone holding up?” John asked as he turned to get as good of a look as he could around the area. The girls all looked alright, though tired. Each round after the first had seen them fight for the entire ten plus minutes. And the boost Harker’s magic gave them dropped off in effectiveness near the end of each wave, making the final dash even more draining.

John caught the sanguinmancer sagging under his own weight, hands on his knees to remain upright. He watched as Lynn approached him first, but not before she handed a number of vials to Kiera for the bluenette to dole out.

‘Harker’s not looking too good,’ John thought. ‘His buff ran out sooner last round than the others. And I don’t think Lynn’s going to give him anything to push him back to full power.’

‘We knew that it would be a risk given his condition,’ Senka supplied. ‘Between his magic increasing our fighting ability and Lynn’s potions patching us up, we likely have had an easier time with this quest than we would have without them.’

Footsteps closing in on him drew John’s attention to the approaching Kiera, who offered him a shy smile, a vial of purple potion in her hands.

“Need a pick me up?” she softly said, offering the vial.

“Yeah,” John answered, extending his hand. “Took a few swipes from those wolves.”

“I saw that,” Kiera remarked in a small voice, her eyes drifting to the small cuts torn from his shoulder before she handed the vial to him. “L-looked like it hurt.”

“Just for a second,” John said, a reassuring smile on his face. “Small benefit from my powers means I get to avoid most of the blood. And I can repair my shirts if I want to.”

That his body returned to a default state after getting injured was the reason he was the last to get a visit from Kiera, as he didn’t have to deal with normal healing like everybody else. Fatigue from fighting and his slightly diminished health bar were the reason he still downed the healing liquid. Better safe than sorry.

“Do- do you think there’ll be more dangerous monsters next?” Kiera asked.

“Most likely,” John answered in a somewhat tired tone. “We’re in a good spot to deal with them, thanks to Harker’s magic giving us an edge we wouldn’t have otherwise, but, I think he’s reaching his limit.”

“I noticed that too,” Kiera said. “L-lynn seemed really bothered by how hard he was pushing himself.”

“If her protectiveness of Beth is any indication, I don’t think she’s going to let him get out of bed for a week,” John joked. He handed Kiera back the empty vial and glanced down at the timer.

“Two minutes!” he shouted, which drew a long groan from Beth.

“If you can complain, you can still fight,” Aeolia somewhat too cheerfully teased, drawing out another whine from Beth.

“Guess I can last another ten,” the dark haired girl complained.

“Once we finish and deal with whatever comes next, we can go out and get some food,” John suggested, pushing himself to his feet.

“Cammie’s?” Vivian asked.

“Don’t know any other place that can accommodate all of us,” John said with a shrug.

“We’re going to single handedly keep them rolling in the green,” Aeolia laughed as she flew over to John’s shoulder.

John grinned at her. “No problem with that from me. Need to show Mason the new spirit and the Overlay stuff anyway. Be rude to just pop over, pick his brain and bolt.”

John was about to call out the minute alert when a sharp pain lanced through his head, causing him to nearly topple over. Worse was that whatever was happening affected Senka too, her pain resonating with his.

Aeolia’s talon bit harshly into his shoulder and he caught the same look of pain on her face as he likely wore as he **** himself to look in her direction. A loud expletive from Beth showed she was being hurt too and Vivian likewise was letting out cries of pain.

John was dimly aware of the rest of their group’s panicked reactions to their sudden predicament but something else dominated his attention. A faint voice whispered in his ear, too quiet to understand but loud enough to know someone was trying to speak.

“Did you hear that too?” Aeolia asked through a clenched jaw.

“Yeah,” John groaned out. ‘Of course something would screw things up.!’

The indistinct whispering grew more frantic; whatever was being said clearly sounded panicked. The countdown continued, but as it reached the thirty second mark, the numbers began to distort, as if the display was affected by old tv static. Then it vanished, a crushing dread dropped into John’s gut.

Warning: Interference in ongoing Quest. Trying to stop… Manifestation of creatures destabilizing Have to keep them… Recalibrating parameters. No!

The pain suddenly vanished and a new popup replaced the one that seemed to be written by two people.

Quest Update: A New Land
Looks like some unexpected guests have shown up. And they didn’t even bring over a casserole or a ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ cake. Need to have some words with them at some point. Anyway, they’ve made a bit of a mess coming in, so what’s about to show up isn’t the sort of things you want as a regular part of this Kingdom. I’d give it your all.

Defeat the Aberrations. EXP penalties are disabled for the remainder of this Quest.

The display vanished right as seven people popped into view around twenty meters in front of John. All of them were decked out in knightly armor, resplendent plate and glittering chainmail. Simple designs depticing vines and roses were etched into armor and upon the small shields they wore on their arms and undrawn swords rested upon most of their hips.

The most impressive of the group was a striking redhead. Her armor bore only a few more embellishments yet she somehow radiated a presence that made it all the more impressive. Or perhaps it was the large kite shield that she wore attached to her left arm, a golden rose painted upon it.

Moira Brighton looked right at them, right at John, a look of confusion flashing across her face. Then a blood curdling scream echoed from the far treeline. Followed by two more in response.

“I don’t think we’re going to make it to Cammie’s for lunch,” John muttered under his breath.

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