CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 96: RENEWED AND RECOVERED

Alysse, Blanc and Sophie had left the others and gone to Alysse’s "home", though it was less a home and more a workshop that was equipped with a mat for sleeping.

"You know, every faction possessing systems would love those floor tiles, especially the committee." Sophie said, still trying not to cry, beg and grovel to the others for causing them trouble.

"What do you mean? They already have them, I just made it better and they could do it themselves."

"Actually, they’ve beeen trying for decades to make initialisation days more efficient. It’s a good idea Sophie, but the problem is that we don’t know how much they hate us right now." Blanc added, remembering that Carl just rendered their best chance for reclaiming immortality a husk.

"If I know Carl, he’s about to go kick a hornet’s nest and draw a line in the sand with them." Alysse surmised.

"What do you mean?" Sophie, was curious, she still didn’t know Carl that well and he didn’t seem the sort to finish one battle then look for another.

"Carl just glassed a good chunk of Lugaria and made it so only we can portal there. I know him well enough to know that when he is that specific, he is making a point." Alysse explained.

"Well, his mum just got an arm ripped off, do you think he’s forgotten they didn’t warn him Dracula portaled in?" Blanc’s tone was calm, but he was clearly joining dots in his head. "They let us keep Lugaria HQ because they can monitor comings and goings. They definitely knew, they didn’t step in, that means they were likely using us as a way to get on his good side."

"Wait, do you think that’s why Gillian took him?"

"Definitely, Gillian is doing damage control. He’s a jerk when he wants to be, but I’ve noticed he doesn’t like things crossing a line on a larger scale, he is probably giving Carl a script to follow."

"Shit, well I better get to work. Carl asked me to get to work on these Tia-nites, guess I know why he seemed so focused on them all of a sudden."

"Yeah and I’m going to start programming some portal detection algorithms, I’ll need you to make some satellites when you’re done with weapons."

"Sophie, I’ve never done work on objects that will be exposed to space alone, can you explain the necessary shielding to me when I start?"

"Of course, but Blanc, do you think it’s worth suggesting to Carl that we go recruit some vampires? He just stripped the tyrant king of his power, I’m sure he earned more than a few supporters."

"Not yet... Carl’s a nice guy, but I think he only left Dracula alive so that the ones who really suffered under him could get their revenge. If we mention it to him now, it might make him feel bad for putting his vengeance before them."

"Why do you speak about Carl like he’s the best and the worst of us? It’s pretty confusing you know." Alysse threw the question into the conversation as she started analysing the newly dubbed "Tia-nite".

"Haven’t you noticed that the immortals do the same thing? If Carl is really supposed to be the new god of humanity, then It’s safe to assume he is the prime example of their potential to be as evil as they can be good. We’re just lucky things have been going well and we’ve only seen the good, but everything he done in that fight was about making him suffer."

"Point noted." Alysse’s nonchalant declaration was unbearably omissive and brought an end to the speaking segment rather quickly.

After a brief pause in the conversation, the awkward tension that began to build got too much for Sophie, who out of desperation broached a subject the others had been avoiding.

"Do you two have any stars?"

They both groaned, then stopped, then looked at each other then sighed with exasperation.

"Figured it was all of us, Carl our lord and master saw fit to bless us yet again..." Blanc chuckled to himself.

"Damn it, I may love him to pieces, but I really hate how he robs us of a sense of achievement." Alysse grumbled.

"Yeah, dude needs to let us grow at our own pace..." Blanc sighed.

"Sorry, were you all just not talking about it so you could feel like your work was paying off?"

"Something like that, don’t get me wrong, I love the work I do here. I just wish that we could grow the way we used to."

"The way you used to?"

"Train hard with Lillim, then study hard ourselves, but now Carl jumps up a step and we get dragged along regardless. It kind of kills our motivation sometimes."

"Why not ask Sis to exclude you from those sudden leaps? I’m sure she will if she can."

"Hell no!..." The two of them answered together.

"Just means we have to improve quicker, until we improve fast enough to outpace him." Blanc expressed their apparently shared thinking.

"Dam straight, I’ll earn a star myself if it kills me." Alysse declared her intent with the same self-assuredness she approached everything.

Sophie was left feeling a brief flutter of inadequacy for a split second before speaking again.

"What kind of weird cult have I joined?"

"One where we get cool kids, eye candy leadership, far more freedom than we should probably be trusted with and whatever weird and wonderful assignments we’re given." The fact Alysse didn’t stop working made it seem far more serious a response than likely intended.

---Back on Lunelia---

Lydia and Alisha were keeping silent watch over Leanna, Bahamut beside them bathing the still unconscious woman in healing fire.

"Thank you Mr. Bahamut." Alisha said awkwardly after the silence grew to heavy for her liking.

"I admit if you told me I’d be healing one of that witch’s daughters just earlier this year, I’d have likely killed you for it... I am far from content with the situation."

"So why help?" Alisha wasn’t angry, no one was deluded enough to think the dragon of order was happy to be working with the likes of Lillim and Tiamat.

"Would you leave someone with your son’s potential in the care and tutelage of those you didn’t trust?" Bahamut asked the question with a level of bitterness that left him with a twinge of guilt. "I am not happy with my own mind at present. Your son dances a dangerous line, Leanna herself is a child of both Order and Chaos and Balance demands as much evil as good, how vast is the chaos owed for the good she has done raising Carl?"

"I see, so that’s why you’re nervous... Well don’t worry about that, she done plenty to keep the balance working for the committee."

Bahamut growled, the desire to tell her mortals should refrain from speaking about laws so certainly dying before expression. The knowledge that both Carl and Klaire had both achieved mastery of several laws before achieving immortality, not to mention the fact that they both had unknown laws compounding into a sense of ignorance he didn’t appreciate.

"What of you succubus? You’re relationship with the boy seems both detached and familial, why are you by his side?"

"I love Carl, I met him the day when his system awakened, I sent him to live with Leanna and he was like a nephew to me for a long time." Her tone was bitter, clearly sensing the conversation going in a direction she’d rather avoid.

"But not anymore?"

"No. I don’t have the luxury of emotional freedom. Carl has become immune to my powers, if I was to stay close to him, I might one day find myself in the same position as Kyubi because I know any feelings would be genuine and I’d never be able to forgive myself."

"A succubus that values modesty? How refreshingly novel..."

"Keep speaking lizard, I’ll have no trouble charming the likes of you."

"Have I offended you? It was meant as a compliment I assure you. Those who shackle themselves in acknowledgement of their own potential to do harm are few and far between."

"Well I hope your curiosity is sated, because I have no intention of answering any more questions."

Bahamut sighed. "Apologies, I’m trying to figure out my position here, my goals, my new neighbours. I need to know how things align, goals and the means to reach them. I have no doubt, that those in Carl’s orbit will come to understand the fundamental laws in a way none have before. Know this, we do not have the power of laws, we are slaves to them."

"Don’t make excuses, just admit that for the first time ever, you find yourself subordinate to another and that terrifies you because you’re not in control. You have more in common with the witch’s daughter than you probably care to admit."

"Indeed. Should we perhaps let Carl know his mother shall awaken soon?"

"No, if we do that, Carl will insist on delaying what he’s doing and if he does that he will lose all momentum." Alisha grinned, the conflict in the expression almost painful to witness.

"Speaking of which... I wonder how bad things are going to get now? Carl toyed with Dracula, it undoubtedly drew attention and I’m certain not everyone is jumping to become allies."