Percy was experienced enough to deduce a lot of information about his new host before even talking to him. He was a male Violet and a relatively young one at that. He definitely wasn’t a child, but Percy didn’t think that the man was more than a century old.
‘Do you think he might be from a greater spring after all?’ Micky asked as Percy tried to reach out to their host. ‘It would explain why they can afford to send so many gods on a single mission.’
‘I’m not sure,’ Percy admitted. ‘I’m leaning more towards a somewhat-developed lesser spring. The three gods they’ve sent are too weak to represent a greater spring, and I think that the mortals are more likely to be Green-borns meant to accumulate experience by accompanying their mentors.’
Micky was about to reply, but he was interrupted by the injured man who appeared to have finally realized that someone had infiltrated his body. ‘Who or what are you? And what do you want?’ the Violet asked coldly.
Percy ignored the man’s apprehension, used to it by now. It made sense that his hosts were often wary of a strange presence trying to worm its way into their souls, and that was doubly true given what Percy had learned about demonic infestations and Cardinal Devils.
‘I’ll give you the short version since we don’t have much time: I’m a traveller who can possess hosts on the verge of death. I’m hoping to stitch up your injuries and grant you a shot at survival, while searching your immediate surroundings for anything valuable and asking a few questions about your situation to sate my curiosity. If these terms sound acceptable to you, I’m also going to need a guarantee that you won’t try to kick me out, snitch on me to your people, spill my secrets, or otherwise act against me,’ Percy explained.
Their host didn’t reply immediately, taking a moment to consider the offer.
‘How do I know that you won’t do anything weird to my body?’ the Violet eventually asked.
‘We wouldn’t be having this conversation in that case. There was a time when I couldn’t possess unwilling hosts, but that time is long gone. I’m only asking for permission because I’m not a complete asshole, and I’m willing to magically bind myself to my words using the same Decree that will bind you to yours. Besides, I don’t think you have much left to lose, considering that you’ll be little more than scattered space dust in a few minutes.’
The man sighed through their connection, before wordlessly communicating his agreement. Percy activated Kerfyl’s Decree to enshrine the terms they had discussed within a magical contract.
‘I’m Tiberius,’ his host said as Micky started piecing together his soul.
‘Percy. Mind briefing me in on the situation so that I know what to expect when we open our eyes?’
‘I’m not sure I understand it more than you. Lord Julius’ internal world cracked with no warning, leaking all the air out. The three of us tried to plug the holes with our domains, but the damage was too extensive, so we switched to using bubbles of willpower to hold some air around us. It worked until the internal world received a second major blow that caused us to lose control. Unfortunately, none of us had the air affinity and Lord Julius didn’t respond to our pleas to fix the place. I was able to hold my breath longer than my companions, but even a Violet can’t last forever.’
‘Do you have any idea of what may have happened to him?’ Percy asked, the information so far being pretty much in line with his guess.
‘We must have been attacked by hostile deities, as I can’t think of anything else that would have blindsided my mentor like that,’ Tiberius said grimly.
Percy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’d already deduced that much after seeing the gods locked in combat. If his host wasn’t even sure of the basics, then figuring out the identities of the assailants was out of the question. Still, Percy tried. ‘Do your people have many enemies?’
‘None with the power to pull off such an ambush. Our gods are generally cautious when dealing with outsiders that aren’t significantly weaker than us. But we knew that this was going to be a dangerous mission, since there are plenty of space bandits frequenting these parts.’
Percy’s non-existent eyes narrowed. Now they were getting somewhere. ‘I’m going to need you to elaborate on this “dangerous mission” of yours, and what you mean by “space bandits”.’
Tiberius mentally shrugged. ‘I suppose that it’s not a huge secret, given our location. We were heading toward the local branch of the Sapphire Pavilion for the auction.’
Percy raised a figurative eyebrow. He’d heard of the Sapphire Pavilion before, as they were one of the richest and most famous factions in the universe. They weren’t quite at the level of the Moirai or the Void Hand in pure military strength, but they sat comfortably in the top ten. The fact that their planets were spread out across the universe made it easier for a peak faction to invade, but nobody dared to lift a finger against the Pavilion, due to their usefulness. They represented the greatest trading hub for resources and information in the cosmos.
To put their prestige and influence in context, if knowledge of Percy’s unique existence and Remior’s location were to reach the wrong pair of ears one day, the faction in question would probably rush to the nearest auction to sell the information to the highest bidder – unless of course their own planet was close and powerful enough to act against Percy’s people directly.
‘Isn’t the location of these auctions public knowledge?’ Percy asked. ‘There should be plenty of powerful factions attending, including greater springs. How are gods from weaker worlds even meant to get there in one piece?’
‘There is an unspoken understanding between the attendees to not attack each other en route to the auctions. It can be tempting to steal from a weakling carrying something valuable, but few things are worth getting banned from the Sapphire Pavilion forever. It’s also in the best interest of the peak factions to maintain safe passage to the branches, since they don’t want us to stop selling them information about newly discovered Elemental Sources, or interesting Decrees and bloodlines that some random world might have recently produced.’
‘And yet, somebody did attack you,’ Percy pointed out.
‘That’s why I said that it’s probably space bandits – rogue gods that have either abandoned, lost, or been kicked out of their planets. They band together, roaming the stars for opportunities. They’re typically considered the dregs of the Concept realm, though anyone capable of forging an internal world is worthy of at least a modicum of respect in my opinion, regardless of their personality. Either way, they’re willing to take risks that others won’t.’
Percy was about to inquire about Tiberius’ own world when Micky reached out to him privately. ‘I’m almost done stitching up his soul, but I’m not sure I like where this is going. You’re already thinking of staying here longer than our original plan and trying to get to that auction, aren’t you?’
Percy made no attempt to hide his intentions from his fellow aspect. ‘It’ll be dangerous, but this is an even more promising opportunity than expected.’
Stumbling upon a greater spring by accident was difficult, and they couldn’t risk returning to the Vault or the Void Hand in the near future. If they wanted to extend their lifespans again and activate their third cores, a gathering of dozens of developed worlds might just be the perfect place for them. That was without even mentioning what other priceless resources they might be able to buy.
It was obvious that Micky wasn’t thrilled about it, but he kept his silence. Percy knew that his friend was just as impatient to build up his strength as he was. Leaving aside the fact that the Huehuan also cared about defeating Machaon and helping Marnok, his ultimate goal was to grow powerful enough to take down Rhaziel and free his enslaved people. Preferably, he wanted to do that sooner rather than later, since he still hoped to rescue his father – in case the man was still alive somewhere.
‘I don’t disagree with the why. Just the how,’ Micky finally said. ‘Assuming that the gods on our host’s side win the conflict, we’ll still have to explain his survival and keep our existence hidden throughout the trip. If that’s not problematic enough, we’ll have to figure out how to participate in the auction. Tiberius is probably only meant to watch, since the gods won’t pay much attention to a mortal. And I don’t even want to imagine what will become of us if the bandits win.’
Percy pondered over the issue for a moment. ‘How much are you willing to sacrifice for this opportunity?’
Micky appeared taken aback by the strange question, yet he humoured Percy in the end. ‘While I don’t want us to die, I’m fine with it if it helps the originals return to Felmara an hour sooner. But if we get trapped, your body may permanently lose a cord, and we might be tortured into revealing sensitive things about ourselves or Remior.’
‘Do you swear not to say anything that we don’t agree to share during this trip? And that no matter what happens, you will not remain trapped for longer than a month against your will?’ Percy asked.
‘What do my intentions have to do with any of th–’ Micky cut his question short upon realizing what Percy was trying to do. ‘I swear.’
‘So do I,’ Percy said, activating Kerfyl’s Decree once more.
A second magical contract settled into place, this one burying itself solely within the Lone Wanderer’s soul. Percy had intentionally left himself some leeway, so that he could at least try to escape by himself if he got captured. However, if he remained stuck for weeks without a way out or muttered even a single word that would place his home at risk, the Decree would instantly ensure the clone’s complete annihilation.
[Congratulations! You have mastered a new spell: Oath of Self-Destruction – Crude!]