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Chapter 753 - Clan Chief
🕑 Added 2023-06-03 22:17:55 +0000 UTCEnjoy!
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“Dungeon Clan?” Raz knew what his mother was talking about, but it didn’t immediately make sense. “Doesn’t that just mean that we managed a dungeon? What else is there?”
“A few things.” Raz’s mother looked at him with her head level. That could have meant anything, but the kink in the end of her tail and the way it flipped back and forth anxiously said she was nervous. “For this, all that’s important is the torc you’re wearing. It’s the Sunrise Clan torc, the symbol of the Clan Chief, and it’s a symbol of wisdom. Supposedly, at least. It’s linked to the Clan Dungeon and allows the Clan Chief and anyone in his presence to speak to the Ancestors. It also means that the Clan Chief becomes an Ancestor after death.”
Raz put a hand on the torc he wore. He wasn’t wearing it as a symbol of authority but as a symbol of memory; that seemed oddly appropriate to what his mother described. “Does that mean you’re inside the torc somehow? That you could have talked to me any time this year?”
The ghost of his mother shook her head. “No, That’s not how it works. I’m here, in the crystal the torc made or maybe became, before it went to you. I wasn’t exactly aware when it happened, so I didn’t see it. It’s dungeon magic. It probably won’t work for you, now that Aki is dead; it used to-”
“Aki isn’t dead,” Raz interrupted.
Raz’s mother seemed to sink into herself a little, like someone who had to deliver bad news and didn’t want to. “I know you wanted to save her, but I know a dying dungeon from a dead one. Aki’s not there anymore, there’s nothing to save.”
Raz shook his head. His mother wasn’t listening. No one ever had when he talked about how he was going to save Aki. “No, listen. She’s not here, that doesn’t mean she’s dead. I took her with me and found her a new home. She’s happy and growing.”
Raz’s mother looked at him. She didn’t say anything for long enough that Serenity decided to speak up. “I helped him find a place for Aki. She’s doing well. She has three … no, four levels as of the last time she sent a message. Nothing over Tier Two yet but she’s happy with what she has. She says she really likes people-watching.”
That got a response. Raz’s mother sounded absolutely shocked. “People-watching? What do you mean people-watching?”
Serenity shrugged. “Her dungeon’s an open dungeon, on the grounds of a public park. People go through there all the time. I don’t see the appeal but she says people are fascinating.”
Raz’s mother returned to staring.
Raz chuckled. It was fun to see the impact Serenity being Serenity had on people sometimes; it was even more fun to see him baffle Raz’s Clan Chief. He was about to ask another question when he realized this was the perfect time; if he could find the crystal his mother was in, maybe he could take her with him.
Maybe Aki could even help rebuild her body. That was probably hoping for too much, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Whether or not she could, he wasn’t going to let his mother die again from “fading away”. Not if he could help it.
Raz walked up to his mother, then kicked the ashes below her insubstantial feet. There was nothing there; there should be - aha! That glint of light caught in a crack in the stone was probably what he was looking for.
“Raz, no, I told you. Leave me here; you don’t need me getting in your way. I’ll fade and then you won’t have-”
“Won’t have the only family I have left,” Raz interrupted his mother. “Do you actually want to die?”
Raz scooped up a thumb-sized reddish stone off the floor. It was half-covered in soot but had to be the “crystal” his mother mentioned. He looked up at his mother, who didn’t seem to have found an answer. Her mouth opened then closed several times while she didn’t make any noise.
“Can Aki keep you from fading? Is that a power thing?” It seemed the most likely reason, since the torc apparently needed Aki to work. The crystals it made were probably the same.
“Aki is alive?” The words escaped Raz’s mother’s mouth in a whisper. “I never thought you’d succeed.”
Raz was about to say something when he saw Serenity stiffen.
“I hate to ask, but can we hurry this up? Tirmanak says there’s someone sniffing around the library and he’d like us to return.” Serenity frowned. He didn’t seem to be frantic yet but Raz knew that just meant he didn’t think there was a real threat that Tirmanak couldn’t handle. “That’s weird. He says Zanzital was at the library but left almost immediately when these people showed up.”
Raz froze. He knew Zanzital was hiding something. He didn’t know what it was, but the man was so secretive it made his teeth ache. He was also Tier Nine or Ten; Raz wasn’t sure which. “That means he’s worried about them. We should hurry. There are a few things I should grab quickly, but we can toss them in your rift and run. Mother…” Raz paused and glanced at the stone in his hand then at his mother’s projection. “You’re coming with us. We can talk on the way, but you’re coming. There’s no reason at all to leave you here.”
“You are the clan chief,” Raz’s mother said before her image disappeared, apparently sucked into the stone. Was that approval he heard in her voice? It sounded like it.
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They didn’t exactly rush, but clearing out the Clanhouse wasn’t the leisurely process Serenity had expected. He wasn’t panicking yet; Tirmanak’s message wasn’t that concerning. It was concerning enough that he just pitched everything through his Rift and figured they’d sort it out later, when they were back on Earth. Raz seemed happy enough with that decision; he didn’t seem to want to spend time on the matter.
It was hours before they could get back to Stallet Center for a portal to Takinat; Serenity decided to save time and hang onto the flyer until they reached the Library. A quick message to Esme Tillon was probably enough.
Serenity got Esme’s response before they actually reached Stallet. She said keeping the flyer was fine and that she’d meet them at the Library as soon as she could. Serenity half-expected her to beat them there, but she didn’t.
From the outside, the Great Library of Takinat was undamaged. Even the areas that had once suffered the attacks from the Viper’s aircraft were unblemished and gleamed in the light from the setting sun. The sight reassured Serenity a little; whatever had happened so far, there hadn’t been any open fighting. Tirmanak was definitely strong enough to visibly mar the outside of the building if he fought inside; more than that, he was a mage and mages tended to create more collateral damage.
Serenity hurried inside and left Raz to deal with the flyer outside. He wanted to get to Rissa as quickly as possible. The fact that there wasn’t a message from Rissa probably meant that she wasn’t worried and thought Tirmanak’s message was enough, but he was still concerned about both her and Jenna.
There were more people in the Library than Serenity remembered, but it was hard to tell if that was the people Tirmanak warned of or simply because people had more reason to visit the Library now that it wasn’t under regular assault. He’d noticed more people there when he came back after the attack on the Viper’s base, but he hadn’t really paid attention; he’d played with Jenna instead.
As it turned out, Rissa and Jenna were up on the fourth floor. Rissa was reading while Jenna slept. Serenity wasn’t certain why Rissa had Jenna out in the public area instead of their tent, but it was probably either the extra room or simply wanting a change of scenery. Serenity wasn’t bothered by the sameness of the tent, but he knew Rissa liked to get out.
Serenity walked up to Rissa and set a hand on her shoulder.
She tilted her head to “trap” his hand, then smiled up at him. “Everything went well, then?” Her voice was quiet, clearly trying to not wake the baby.
“Yeah.” Serenity kept his response soft as well. “I’ll tell you about it this evening, but … we found the ghost of Raz’s mom. Spirit, really, she’s not technically a ghost.” He’d give her the whole story later, but that was the really important part. He’d already told her that the issue at Stallet Academy was well on its way to being solved. “Is everything good here?”
A chuckle escaped Rissa and she smiled momentarily as she reached up to grab his wrist. “Never one to stop worrying, are you? We’re fine. Tirmanak’s concerned, but he can’t explain why.”
“I got his message.” Serenity frowned. He wanted to spend time up here, but Jenna was asleep and he didn’t want to wake her. She was sleeping better these days, but waking her still led to a fussy baby.
“Tirmanak’s been spending time down in the Broken Mirror. You should check there for him.” Rissa smiled up at Serenity, then let go of his arm. “We can talk this evening. For now, I’ll read and watch Jenna while you reassure Tirmanak. Or solve his problem, whatever it takes.”
Serenity ran a hand through Rissa’s hair and nodded. “I can do that. Have a good time.”
“I will.”
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Bethyr looked up from the book he was pretending to read as he heard someone come down the stairs. He’d expected it to be someone else, but it was the same crossbreed that had gone up only a few minutes earlier. He must have found the book he was looking for quickly, even if Bethyr didn’t see it on him.
This time, Bethyr was ready. He hadn’t quite managed to get a good enough reading on the man the first time, but a second exposure should do even if it was equally short. It was helpful that no one else had come by in between.
Bethyr made certain he was reading as the man went by. You never knew what someone could pick up if you weren’t doing what you seemed to be doing. It helped that the book was interesting; who could have expected a well-written analysis of the events that led up to the Merchants’ Rebellion here of all places? Yes, it was a long time ago, but still! This wasn’t anywhere near the Empire, yet it was by far a more likely analysis than he’d seen in any of the Imperial libraries.
Well, he knew why it wasn’t in the Imperial libraries. It was extremely critical of the Empire of the time, and many Emperors wouldn’t allow that. The current one wasn’t nearly as strict as many, but this book would have been on the line even with his lenient policies. It still didn’t make any sense for it to be this far out. Did the library just buy everything they didn’t have that made it this far?
Given the size of the collection, that seemed surprisingly plausible. It wasn’t just a backwater library, even if it was in a backwater. Bethyr had been in the Imperial Library once and he wasn’t certain which was bigger. He’d say the Imperial Library if anyone asked; that was the safe answer. He simply wasn’t sure it was the true answer.
It was another ten minutes before he allowed himself to check the mana tracer, just in case the man came back up again. The results were completely unexpected.
The crossbreed’s mana trace matched the one they were looking for.
Bethyr marked his place, closed the book, and set it on the table next to the chair he’d been in. He might never have the chance to read the rest of it, but if he had the opportunity he’d come back for it. He couldn’t justify staying just to read, not now. The faster he got this trace to his superiors, the better.
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Author's Note: Yes, Raz’s mother has a name. The thing is … he thinks of her as “Mother” or “Clan Chief”, not by her name. So I never found a good place to put it in the text.
