Eric replayed that fight over in his mind. He knew that he had been absolutely demolished by the twin-sword wielding woman, and in a moment had found a horrific weakness of his entire being. Space itself: distances. People with similar powers existed on Elyndor, able to compress space or extend it.
And worse? He didn’t know of a way to counter it. Every Skill or Rote carried a range limitation. But then, an idea flickered into his mind.
I have Embers…I can evolve to counter a new threat. That’s the point of evolution, isn’t it? To improve once new parameters of existence are made apparent.
[True. But, you have none so far.]
Eric dragged himself upright, still sitting, but looked at where the woman had once been. A ball of ashes sat there, waiting for him to claim it. The blades had vanished, too. He looked down at his bracer and saw check-in messages from his allies. Shannon was at the top, waiting, dungeon core in hand. Peter and Naomi were, too.
Eric took in a breath and raised his bracer to his mouth. “Can you all move elsewhere in the mega dungeon?”
Naomi replied, “You need our help?”
“Maybe. I don’t know how much farther I have to go.” Eric got to his feet and sucked in a deep breath. “I might be done: any idea on how to fight an enemy who compresses space around them?”
Shannon quipped, “Oh, like a shield that contains a bunch of it squished down to an inch?”
“Exactly,” Eric replied.
“Not easy,” Naomi said. “I don’t know the mechanics behind it, so I can’t even begin to speculate how you’d beat it. Did you? Or are you still facing that thing and just have a moment?”
“I killed it,” Eric replied as he walked over to the Ashes and scooped them up. “Well, her, the dungeon monster dark elf.”
“How?” Shannon asked.
“I grabbed her sword when it popped out of the barrier to hit me, and went in with it.”
Naomi instantly replied, “Is your arm still attached?”
“It was mangled but I healed up from my Trait.”
Peter finally spoke, saying, “Bro, this is just like infinity from Jujutsu Kaisen. Just big fucking area of effect that would encompass the whole compressed space.”
“I don’t have an AOE that big,” Eric replied as he headed to the stairs and began up them. “But, would that work, Naomi?”
“Oh yeah,” she replied. “It would be doable: but the area would have to be massive depending on how much compressed space surrounded them. Another option might be something reactive? You mentioned her blades had to come out to attack you—perhaps you can augment a Skill or Rote to stick to whatever strikes you, and then travel from there along the weapon to the user?”
That is a good idea, Eric thought.
“Thanks,” Eric replied as he reached the top of the steps and saw a final building before him. “I think I’ve got one more chamber before I get to the top.”
Peter said, “I can’t get down—there’s some type of force blocking me.”
Eric looked up, past the building, and could see the four up top, at the highest spire of the city. Peter was leaning over a railing, but looked smushed against an invisible wall as he tried to leap off and join the Blackflame Arcanist down below. “All good. I figured this was a solo act.”
Shannon’s head poked over the railing. “Oh, I can see you!”
Eric gave her a wave. “You all going to wait for me up there?”
“Of course,” Naomi replied.
Eric nodded and looked down at his bracer. “Milestones, then this last challenge—whatever it is—”
Eric’s nervous system forced him to move, and he dodged as something fast and sharp whistled through the space he had been standing a second later. Not a lethal blow, but close to it. He look to the left, where the blow had come from, and saw another one of the dual-sword wielding women there, with shields covering her that warped and warbled just like the other one he had fought down below.
“Is that the thing you were talking about?” Naomi asked.
Eric shouted, “Yeah!” between dodging strikes. This foe didn’t seem to be as fast as the other one, but her swings with her longer, heavier blades were sure to carry more of an impact and deal far more severe injuries. He had to use his grimoire as a shield to parry a few strikes, which it could hold up to thanks to the Leysteel covering. He didn’t bother trying to use any Blackflame Evocation, instead opting to try and squeeze a Blackflame Breath through the tiny gap that had to appear when her blades flicked out of the barrier.
Yet, the fires didn’t go through. Eric surmised it was because only things attached to her could go through the barrier. He would have to suffer massive injury once more to deal with it. Taking a deep breath, he feigned a dodge that would leave him exposed, and just like the prior one, this swordswoman took the bait. Eric clutched the blade and his arm was yanked into the extradimensional space. Then, he unleashed Blackflame Evocation, immediately following it up with his second-to-last Sigil spent on a Combustion Trigger.
Eric was flung backward, and felt that intense pain in his arm as it, once more, was mangled by the force of imploding space. He was sure that, if not for his Mana Muscles and Steelbone Infusion, he would lose the arm. But, instead it was just mushed meat, and his Trait quickly transferred the siphoned health and mana, restoring him fully.
The woman collapsed down and incinerated to ashes. Eric’s bracer sounded out with Peter’s voice.
“Fuck yeah!” Peter said. “Good job.”
Shannon added, “Yeesh. Space bubble.”
“I got the data,” Naomi said. “Saw the whole thing. It looks like the barrier is a bubble of compressed space some two-hundred miles in total. Only the person manifesting the bubble, and anyone who is touching them or something the wielder is touching, can enter the space without passing the intervening area. Peter was right: massive AOE is how you get around it…normally.”
Eric got up and flexed his renewed arm. “Yeah, well, my way works for now. I’m down to one Sigil, though.” He looked at the building he needed to enter, and went to it. “Here we go.”
Once he got inside, everything stilled. The world seemed to slow down, his breath came easier, sounds of his allies from the bracer faded away, and all sense of smell vanished.
The chamber had an unblocked set of stairs leading up, but there was also a weird pod: a silver pill-shaped tube without a door or means to close it, lined with cushions, with words scrawled above it.
[Give and be rewarded.]
What’s that mean? Eric thought to Indedroma.
But, she was silent.
That sent a jolt of panic down his spine. Eric looked at his bracer, and saw that it was dead. Pushing mana into it, he felt nothing.
I could go up the stairs, Eric thought as he looked at them. But this machine has to be something related to the mega dungeon or some challenge.
He walked over to it and put a hand on it, and then words appeared in his vision, and he heard Indedroma’s voice.
[Wow, okay, weird chamber.]
You’re here, Eric thought with relief flooding through him. Thought I lost you somehow.
[No, I just had to bypass some ancient defense mechanism. See, this whole floor has customized paths for primal force users—first time I’ve had to deal with this.]
What does the pod do? Eric thought.
[It is…a means to sacrifice. You can sacrifice a Skill, Trait, Rote, or Body Enhancement, and receive Embers.]
Well, that’s easy, Eric thought. He looked at the stairs. I could just leave though, right?
[Correct. It seems that the mega-dungeon has acclimated to your primal force, and the primal force which is under your control sensed your desire to have certain Skills that you do not use, vanish.]
What’s the ratio for each?
[Can’t tell until we try.]
Eric nodded and got into the pod. He saw a film appear above him, but pushing his fingers against it, knew he could get out at any time.
[What do you want to get rid of?]
Locking Singularity, for sure. I don’t get as much mileage out of Fiery Chains as I do other AOE, so let’s remove that, too.
[Okay. Here we go!]
Eric felt a buzzing feeling all along his body: as if his whole form was falling asleep. An incredible heat rose up in his torso, and he started sweating as condensation formed on the magical film. He could feel his mana drain precipitously as it fueled the device, and then there was a weird, hollow feeling that surged into his chest. That was followed by a cool sensation on his left palm: just like when he had first entered the mega-dungeon and received his first-ever Ember.
Then, the film vanished, and Eric was able to sit up. All of the voices of his allies suddenly surged to life in the bracer.
“—the guy has a broken build,” Peter said.
Shannon replied. “He’ll get through it.”
Eric spoke into his bracer. “I’m okay. Are you all good up there?”
Naomi said, “Yes. What happened? We saw you go into the tower, and have been talking at you—”
Eric cut her off, “I’m alive. Indedroma can explain.” He took in a deep breath and let it out, then headed to the stairs. Ascending them, he came across a mundane trap—tripwires—which he was easily able to evade. Beyond that, at the top landing, he saw a locked door, covered with sparkling shimmers denoting a magical trap.
Indedroma spoke in his mind.
[I have informed them of your entire journey thus far.]
Thanks, Eric thought.
He raised his bracer to his mouth and said, “I have a weird magic trap door to figure out. Then, I should be home free.”
“Any clues as to how to solve it?” Naomi asked.
Eric took in the door, and tried to figure out if there was any type of puzzle, pattern, or hint within the swirls of wood grain. But, he saw nothing. “Nope. Just looks like a regular door. Make sure you’re not anywhere near a door—no clue what’ll happen when I burn this down.” Eric moved down the stairs, so that he could barely see the door, and fired off a Blackflame Evocation.
It almost-instantly ate away the door, and Eric ducked down as a mighty bang of some magical explosion echoed out. He felt the shockwave, but didn’t suffer injury. However, he knew if he was closer, and not hidden by hard parts of a building, he would’ve had major concussive wounds.
Getting up, he moved up the stairs and out the door. His allies were on a raised platform that looked out over the city, and Peter waved at him. “Welcome to the club!” Peter said with a grin. “What took you so long?”
Eric ascended the stairs that spiraled along the outside of the platform. “Over two-hundred dark elves and eighty spiders.”
Shannon said, “Damn. You killed a lot.” She patted her hip pouch. “I got to steal and just had to assassinate a person. Super easy for me.”
Eric looked at Naomi. “How’d you and Peter fare?”
“Good,” Naomi replied, rapping a knuckle on Peter’s pauldron. “This guy was a powerhouse. Peter fucked shit up.”
That elicited a grin from the Truesteel Sentinel. “Yeah, it was pretty easy.”
Eric held up his left hand, palm facing inward. “I was down to a single Sigil.”
Peter whistled. “Damn, bro. You got fucked up, didn’t you?”
Eric lowered his hand and nodded. He walked over to the Dungeon Core pedestal, grabbed his, and held it in his hand. “Well, another floor done with. Back to town?”
Shannon grinned. “Oh yeah. How many days before our next floor, though?
Naomi looked between Eric and her, then to Peter. “How long do we want to wait? It’s only been four hours. We could just go down to the next floor—” she stopped, then looked at Eric. “Ah, sorry. You need six to get Sigils back, yeah?”
Eric nodded. “Yup.” He checked his bracer, saw all the milestones, and then flicked the display over to the date and time. “It’s late morning. We can head home, eat, rest for a bit, and then head back in tonight—that’s assuming we don’t have anything pressing.”
“Sounds good,” Shannon said. “I can get in a quickie.” She walked through the portal and vanished from sight.
Peter sighed, said, “TMI,” and then walked through after Shannon.
Eric gestured for Naomi to go next, and he followed her. The empty, white space gave way to the diving organization lounge, and instantly Eric’s earrings both vibrated.
Shit, he thought, must be urgent if both the Queen and Spymaster want me.
Eric activated both with some mana pushed to them. “I was in the Twilight Depths. What is it you need?”
Queen Amber’s voice came through first. “Finally. We need you at the citadel, now.” She sounded exasperated, and like she wanted whatever she was dealing with to just be done and over with.
The Spymaster added, “It’s a small council matter. We’ll speak more once you arrive.”
Eric looked at his allies, who had paused in their departure to look at him. “There’s an issue. Let’s just take the day, and I’ll keep in touch.”
Shannon shrugged. “Fine by me.”
Naomi walked next to Eric and whispered, “Is it bad?”
“No idea,” Eric replied. “Just need to get to the citadel. Talk to you later.” He activated his earring once more and said, “Spymaster, can you set a fire?”
“What?” she replied in confusion.
“I can teleport to fire. Just set one. A candle works.”
“Shit, okay, give me a moment.”
Eric activated Reaper’s Flamesight and looked up toward the citadel. He could see a few fires flickering, like little specks against the wall, just differing sizes depending on the distance. He saw a new light flicker, up where he knew the citadel was. “Is it lit?” he asked. He began taking off his gloves.
“It is,” Persim replied.
“Extinguish, and relight it three times.” Eric pocketed the gloves.
Eric saw the flame go out and re-light, so he knew for sure which one he was locking onto, and then activated Through the Flames at the cost of his last Sigil. The world compressed around him, and he felt incredibly warm: like he had jumped into the hot spring back at the estate and was sinking to the bottom. Then, he felt motion, as he moved through the wall, the sky, and an infinite whiteness.
Then, the feeling faded, and he was standing on top of the table in the small council chamber. Everyone around him reacted in different ways: the Queen jumped in her chair a little bit, the Spymaster raised her eyebrows, The Magistra almost leaped out of her chair, the Castellan let out a little scream of shock, the Chancellor went wide-eyed, the General smiled, and the Steward sucked in a sharp breath.
“Sorry about that,” Eric said as he got off the table and bowed at Amber’s side before taking his seat. “I didn’t know you set the candle on the table.”
The General, Kristoff, slapped the table and laughed. “That was unexpected.”
The Queen looked aside at Eric and softly said, “I did not know you could teleport.”
“Only to fires,” Eric replied. “And within a set range.” Quieter, he leaned up and whispered, “I’m out of Sigils.”
“You shouldn’t need them now,” Amber whispered back, then pulled away. “Well then,” she said to the table at large as they composed themselves. “We can make the decision.”
Eric looked at the Spymaster to Amber’s left with a quizzical eyebrow raised, and the woman quickly informed, “New Admiral.”
“I thought it was decided?” Eric asked. “What changed?”
“Opinions,” the Queen replied.
“I still think that we should go outside of the normal command structure,” Magistra Seraphine said. She looked at Eric with an expectant side-eye of ire. “We should have an outsider perspective. Hiring a skilled shipman or woman seems smarter. Not to mention the political aspect.”
“And this is the impasse,” the Queen muttered. “Half the council supports the idea,” she said aloud. “I have elected to not split this council with my decision: as it stands, who votes for us to consider an outside perspective?”
At that, Magistra Seraphine, Castellan Marcella, and Chancellor Bortis’ hands went up.
Amber added, “And from within our own ranks?”
General Kristoff, Steward Marley, and Spymaster Persim’s hands went up.
“An Admiral would break the tie,” Eric commented. “I assume that is why the small council is seven?”
“Correct,” Persim said as she lowered her hand. “Your highness,” she said, turning to face Amber. “You are the ruler, and should make the final decision.”
She looked at Eric and said, “I want my knight-errant’s input.”
Eric stood up, and put a hand on hers—transferring the antiplague contagion, which would instantly cleanse her of foreign influence. “Well, I think that it is important to consider multiple perspectives.” He walked around the table, and first put his hand on his father-in-law’s shoulder, making sure to let his finger touch the man’s skin and pass on the antiplague. “Father?”
Marley said, “Hiring from outside of the kingdom is a waste of monetary resources. In addition to that, what message would we be sending those within the command structure? That their hard work isn’t rewarded?”
Eric went next to Seraphine, and gently put a hand on her shoulder. Thankfully, she was wearing a dress with small cut-outs along it, and thus making skin contact was easy. “What is your reason?”
Seraphine looked at him with suspicion, and her voice was measured as she replied, “We want the most experience possible, and hiring a renowned captain from the Allied Cities of Chisholm can help to smooth over tensions with the ruling council: it will suppress the desire for war from the senate, since they would be facing one of their own in conflict.”
Eric made his way around the room, person to person, and each of them shared their reason. But, for Eric, it was just a means to an end—he needed to spread the antiplague as much as he could, and in this way he ensured all of the small council were uninfected.
Now, he thought as he returned to his seat, I just need to navigate the non-invader-deity parts of politics and selfish desires of those present. He sat down.
“My Queen,” Eric began, “Back on Earth, when a company or organization overlooked someone within their own ranks and hired someone from the outside, every person who was inclined to go above and beyond in their work realized that their efforts would not be rewarded. Then, their work would drop to the bare minimum of what they were being paid to do.”
He rapped the table with his knuckles. “They would also look for business opportunities elsewhere. Now, the parallels aren’t exactly the same, but I imagine that business opportunities elsewhere would translate to doing things for themselves, rather than the good of the kingdom. To that end, I agree with internal promotion over external hiring.”
He pointedly looked at Seraphine, and added, “Even if it might bring us closer to conflict with the Allied Cities of Chisholm. Disloyalty among our ranks is what led to this state of affairs in the first place, I am sure. The former Admiral was, doubtless, someone who was not properly recognized and rewarded, and thus chose to go down a route of selfishness rather than working for the good of the kingdom.”
“My knight-errant has spoken and given his input,” Queen Amber said. “I will continue with the two candidates: our leaders of the northern and southern fleet contingents.” She waved her hand dismissively. “If you must, depart to your duties. Anyone who wishes to remain for the interviews, stay here.” She then looked at the Castellan Marcella, and said, “Bring both here from their quarters. And, lunch, please.”
The Steward, Magistra, General, and Spymaster remained at the table, while the others departed.
Eric leaned back in his chair and looked at his bracer, wanting to use the interim to process his level ups.
[You have leveled up!]
[You have 6 level-ups to process.]
[Blackflame Arcanist 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245.]
[Choose a Skill and Trait to increase. Then repeat this five times.]
I would’ve thought that the fights would have rewarded more milestones, Eric thought.
[Well, you do have ten Embers from the whole ordeal.]
Oh…well…alright, then. First off, let’s put all six Ranks into Bristling Bastion, and then we’ll hold off on Traits for a moment.
[Confirmed.]
[[Armored] Bristling Bastion is at Rank Mythic 10. Maximum Rank achieved. Sovereignizing and resetting.]
-----
Skills:
[Armored] Bristling Bastion S6 - Enemies in the cloud have a [26%] miss chance when using anything hostile to the user.
-----
Right then, Eric thought. Time to Polymerize. Combine From the Ashes with Fires of Death, and then I also want to combine Reservoir Savant with Mana Burn. That’s two Embers down, eight left. Then, we’ll put three Ranks into each new, resulting Trait. Since all four Traits are Rank ten, that should mean we go up to Enhanced.
[Confirmed. Polymerization of Traits initiated.]
[Parameter check: both Traits are of the same Rank? Yes.]
[Parameter check: both Traits are of the same Enhancement? Yes.]
[Applying . . .]
[Repeating for the second Ember.]
[Multiple Traits are at Rank 10. Maximum Rank achieved. Enhancing and resetting.]
-----
Trait:
Fire and Ash E3 - The user inflicts more harm to the target the closer they are to them, uncollected Ashes, or nearby targets afflicted by Blackflame Blaze. A target within five feet of the named sources suffers 33% increased damage, with the amplification falling off the more distant the target becomes.
Burning Reservoir E3 - The user’s mana reservoir adds to their efficiency in combat, amplifying all damage dealt by an amount equal to 10% of the user’s maximum capacity. Reduce all incoming damage by the same amount. This includes external mana storage, such as Body Enhancements and Gear. Increase mana regeneration rate by 20%. Excess mana that is more than the reservoir stockpiles into spheres that orbit the user at values of 10% of the user’s maximum mana, which cannot be interacted with, and fade after ten seconds when usual mana decay would occur. These spheres may be added to any Rote or Skill, amplifying the damage dealt by 10% per each sphere used.
-----
Very cool, Eric thought as he read over the changes. I won’t be blowing all of my excess mana anymore: I can game out how many of these ten-percent overflow spheres I add to things. More control. Plus, that damage amplification is going to be another incredible stacking source of outgoing harm. More and more, my build refines down to a Path I envision.
[Indeed. Now, you have eight Embers remaining.]
Time to start Polymerizing Skills that complement one another. First off, Ash Clone with Blackmana Shield.
[Confirmed. Polymerization of Skills initiated.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Rank? Yes.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Enhancement? Yes.]
[Applying . . .]
-----
Substitution Shield 1 - The user manifests a shroud of Blackflame empowered mana around themself. This mana shield suffers all injury the user would, applying it to the user's mana reservoir. If the user's mana reservoir would empty, then overflow damage impacts them. While the shield persists, an Ash Clone appears nearby. This clone cannot be harmed, and can travel anywhere within 50-feet of the user. Skills and Rotes that the user activates may be cast from the position of the clone. At any time, once, while the Skill is active, the user may swap places with their clone as an instantaneous, teleportation effect.
-----
Perfect. Now, Blackflame Eruption with Cinderstorm.
[Confirmed. Polymerization of Skills initiated.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Rank? Yes.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Enhancement? Yes.]
[Applying . . .]
-----
Erupting Cinderstorm 1 - The user launches a ball of Blackflame that detonates, dealing moderate damage to all struck. The area is then covered in a rain of Blackflame that deals minor damage every second until the storm fades. 200 foot range, 50 foot radius from impact or chosen point, 5 second storm duration. If the rain contacts a solid surface, it leaves behind a pool that erupts skyward, dealing additional damage with the same duration as the remaining storms’.
-----
Once I’ve capped out my main defensive Skill, Eric thought, I’ll get my Blackmana Tempest Minefield up to the same Rank as Blackflame Meteor, and merge those two. But, for now, I think I’m good.
He flicked his eyes up from the bracer as the doors opened, and lowered his wrist. Two people entered the chamber, guided by the Castellan, who pointed them to seats opposite the Queen and Eric.
The one on the left was a person Eric was somewhat familiar with from his prior timeline’s existence in the navy. A man with no aspirations except for rising in station and serving the kingdom. A good fit for the job.
The one on the right was a woman with almost white-blonde hair, with a missing eye covered by an eyepatch, a slim build, and a face which looked like it was etched into a permanent frown from the scarring across it. Eric did not know her.
“Welcome,” Queen Amber said. “You both have been deemed worthy of consideration for the position of Admiral above the whole navy. Know that whomever receives the position, the other will still be rewarded with Gear for their time. If you are selected, you will have two weeks to evaluate and promote someone to replace you, before your new duties begin.” She waved some servants who were waiting in the wings over. “First, though, refreshments. Then we’ll get started.”
Eric patiently waited through the short repast, and ate little himself. His whole effort was focused on dissecting the woman he had never met before.
What could you contribute? Eric thought. I know Tibalt already, and while he’s a good man, he is not going to innovate or be particularly wily during the coming war. He’ll stick to procedure, which is good and all, but might lead our forces to being predictable, and thus we might lose fights on the ocean.
The meal concluded, and the Queen said, “Now, we’ll start with you.” She pointed at Tibalt.
The man stood and bowed. His voice was raspy, from years of using smokeables—which wasn’t uncommon, given that cancer could be healed easily enough. “My liege. I am Tibalt Forsey. I have faithfully led your navies under the command of the prior Admiral, though I had no idea of her going-ons and operations. I have been in the navy since I was eleven years old and allowed to join as a cabin boy. I have only ever aspired to rise the ranks and serve my kingdom.” He bowed once more, and sat.
The Queen gestured to the woman, and she stood. Bowing, she said, “My liege, I am Ylaire Pribs.” She stood upright and went to parade rest. “My qualifications speak for themself: I was not born to Trok, but accepted into it after being rescued from slavery. Through blood, sweat, and tears, I re-Classed, and climbed my way up the ranks. I want to give back to the kingdom who saved me, and save others.” There was some zeal to her words, and Eric knew that she felt very passionately about her anti-slavery ideals.
Zeal could be dangerous, though.
The Queen gave a polite head nod as the woman took her seat. “Very well. We have some questions, and then will have you engage in a simulated naval battle using a realistic, possible future scenario.” She looked at each remaining council member. “If you will…”
Eric focused intently on each person’s answer and gauged what it meant, consulting the navy’s manual which a servant had provided shortly before the questioning truly started.
Tibalt was a man of action, who followed orders, and he was a bit more innovative than Eric first thought. When presented with a difficult scenario of sexism aboard a vessel of the fleet, he laid out the manual of conduct with perfect recollection, but also came up with an innovative solution to ensure that the crew members learned to work together, despite their differences. When given a proposed wartime scenario, his answer was textbook, and would have resulted in the most optimal outcome given the situation.
Overall, Eric knew he would be a good fit.
Ylaire was more cautious than Tibalt, and while she did give some interesting answers to the questions posed, Eric could sense some level of caution that undercut everything she said. It was particularly prevalent when she was given a scenario of sexism, similar to the one Tibalt was provided, but different enough that she couldn’t copy an answer.
He interrupted one of the General’s questions, and said, “Pardon me, General Kristoff…Ylaire, what are you holding back? Why are you frightened?”
She looked from the General to Eric. “If I gave the answer I wanted to, then the navy would lose men.”
“Give it,” the General said as he crossed his arms. “We don’t want an Admiral who is afraid of showing their teeth.”
Ylaire nodded curtly. “I have dealt with men and women in the fleet who look down on one another due purely to their identity as a person. If I had my way? The people who looked down on one another would be subjected to harsh punishment. Bigotry has no place in the navy.”
Eric stood up and walked around the table, and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I understand. Let me ask you a question…” he walked over to Tibalt, and put a hand on his shoulder, too. “Both of you, the same question.” He walked over to the Queen and gestured with a sweep of his hand. “Persim, if you would please use that golden Skill you used with me.”
Persim snapped her fingers, and the aura of compelled speaking manifested in the room, showering the space in golden flecks.
Eric continued, “Would you be willing to be subservient to a woman?”
“Absolutely,” Ylaire said.
“I’d be uncomfortable with it,” Tibalt said.
Both looked at each other with confusion, then looked at Eric.
Persim said, “I think we know which of you is our next Admiral.”
Queen Amber nodded and stood up. “Tibalt, thank you for your application, and service. But, given what we have heard here today, I believe I am ready to decide. Ylaire, do you accept the position of Admiral?”
She stood up and bowed. “I do, your highness.”
Eric saw the tense grimace on Tibalt’s face, and knew that the man would be a problem. A woman was in a position of authority over him now. He leaned over to the Queen, and whispered, “Tibalt seems like he needs to be given a nice, comfortable, early retirement. And, possibly, some amount of oversight so he doesn’t do something foolish, like give the Allied Cities any information on our navy.”
The Queen nodded, “I agree. I shall put our new Admiral in charge of replacing him.” She then stood up. “You are both dismissed. Admiral, I will be visiting you in your chambers this evening. Castellan, please show her to her new permanent residence in the capital.”
Eric stood up and turned to the Queen. “Is there anything else you require of me?”
She made eye contact and shook her head. “Enjoy your day.”
Eric made to depart, but his father-in-law stood up and intercepted him, joining him on the way out. “Well now,” the Steward said, “I did not know the Spymaster had some means to compel the truth out of others.”
“Something she acquired from that Judge,” Eric said as the duo headed down a long hall towards the main entrance. “How goes managing the realm?”
Marley let out a labored sigh and scratched his head. “I tell you, the sooner we get Naomi’s distribution network up and running, the better. Mana beasts are causing all sorts of issues to the south, and we’ve lost two supply caravans.”
Eric frowned. “Any report as to what these mana beasts looked like?”
Marley shook his head. “No. We lost all hands. Thankfully, it was just a total of four wagon drivers and their mounts, and a small squadron of twenty with each. Still…any loss is horrific.”
Eric nodded. “And Naomi’s new system will prevent wantless deaths.”
“True.” Marley patted Eric on the back. “If you and your friends aren’t too busy, perhaps you can go investigate?”
“Anything for the kingdom,” Eric replied. “I think Naomi’s still a ways off from setting down tracks, or having people do it under a guided program. So in the interim? Whatever mana beasts needs investigating and putting down, I’ll answer the call.”
“Good lad. How’s my sweet daughter?”
Eric cracked a broad smile at that. “She is doing well. We worked together in the lower-city, healing people. It felt good, doing that.”
“Ah. Excellent. Well, I will be hosting a big family dinner soon, here, so look for the invitation. All of my children, including Misty’s half-siblings, will be there. You won’t want to miss it.”
“I won’t, unless the kingdom’s needs force my hand.”