After a light questioning of a few of the victims, they realized that there were probably numerous layers to this plan of the enemy’s. Several of the women had gotten drunk at different bars, and then woke up just now.

One of them claimed to have been threatened before too, and it seemed it was common knowledge in Firewake that the mercenaries were requesting bribes to clear the nearby Rifts. It appeared that, for whatever reason, these were the strange goods the lizards were carrying.

Jake wasn’t sure if this was just to have something to hide their real goal with, or if there was some reason they needed to keep the items out of their Storage Bracelets. Much of the goods were destroyed by the fighting, so Clan Hart only retrieved some of the goods. They catalogued them in case they found new information, but everything appeared to be rather random.

They were unsure of who might have done the deed, so Nessa took a trip to the bars in question, but didn’t find a potential culprit even with her special sight. Perhaps, it was one of the men they already defeated who was drugging and capturing them. Thankfully, it didn’t take more than twenty minutes for her to fly to each one in the small city and check.

And Ira continued to tail the dark elves as they traveled on their lizard mounts. They were heading into the wilderness, and at one point, actually weaved between two Rifts, avoiding all enemies as they continued on. Checking the map, it seemed like they were traveling toward a fallen city or nearby village.

They decided to leave Ira to its tailing, and continue their task of killing more PvP targets first, with a plan of returning and clearing all the Rifts near Firewake. They had awakened those kidnapped, and after making sure they would be fine and informing the Town Guard what happened and convincing them to watch over the bars, left the former captives to return to their homes.

After Jake had messaged Timone, they had turned around and flown back to HQ, knowing that Jake’s party would have cleared out all of the targets. And so they began their own hunt, which Jake and his party quickly joined after a quick portal to their Refuge.

The PvP hunt went on for a few hours, clearing each HQ and then heading through the HQ portal to the next. The world had five HQ’s due to its immense size and population, and they were spread out relatively evenly, four of them near the grand temples of the world.

They only started seeing a more intelligent response from the enemy at the fourth HQ city they hit. Eventually, the enemy had gathered outside of the city in large numbers, and began circling around it on their mounts, leaving a few scouts to monitor things within. It seemed they hoped to take out Jake and his family after gathering enough members from the wilderness.

That was when the family decided to lure them in. A single one of their party would show themselves and get in battle with the scouts, and then the enemy would swoop in to try to kill them. They would find that the odds were much worse than they originally thought, yet unable to escape.

It worked twice and they cleared nearly another hundred enemies in total, but the fifth HQ had nobody there at all when they arrived–and probably for good reason. Their allies’ Battlegroups were scheduled to land in a few days, just a day after their first PvP Battleground. This meant any of the enemy that died would be unable to be involved in both the Battleground and the landing event Battlegrounds for their Alliance. And this was why Clan Hart and the Ravenwolves had put in the extra effort in the first place, to reduce the enemy’s numbers.

In total, they had nearly a thousand Ravenwolf and miscellaneous Hearthtribe, and around a thousand from their alliance members in different Battlegroups to arrive within 24 hours of that time.

It was up to their enemy if they wanted to intercept with another event using one of their other Guilds or not. Either way, no PvP would be allowed in the area for a period before and after the landing for those guilds, with the exception of the PvP areas within the Headquarters for CP turn in.

Jake’s party ultimately doubled back and set up their Guild in the busiest Rift location near Firewake, with intentions of clearing the Rifts there and then allowing their guild to handle the rest. They cleared enough of them to prevent Firewake from being attacked for several days and saved a few smaller villages from danger and helped them have a clear path to evacuate, but then they left. In truth, a world with a second Conquest should understand how important it was to flee to a more defensible city if they could when war began.

The family then headed out to clear Rifts in another area altogether, hoping to throw their enemy off as to their intentions, and also to make it harder for them to get caught out by a big group. Jake’s party had to spend time in various places with Nexus Nodes in their investigations for information on the mercenaries and their wrongdoings, so it was risky for their enemy to be apprised of all their actions. They uncovered new information about how far their extortion went, but nothing new on the trafficking.

Dahlia had wanted to head to even more cities and villages with Nexus Nodes, to hunt even more Obsidian Blades and their ilk. The world was large after all, and there were thousands of their enemy’s subguild members out and about across the globe in dozens of large villages and cities. However, Aisling had worked out that this wouldn’t work too well after taking a few catnaps to get more accurate prophesies.

The images she received were a bit concerning, as it appeared in many instances the world would actually fall to Tartarus somehow. Unfortunately, the images were rather vague and useless for the time being, but she would keep trying while they continued to investigate.

As far as what else she saw, it seemed the enemy was already staying together almost exclusively in their large numbers, and would only return to the villages and cities in force, or during the weekly events. Hunting them would be a waste of time, or end poorly. A thousand-plus enemies versus twenty was not a battle Jake believed that they could win without losing much of their team to PvP deaths.

Their opponent’s need to roam was humorous to Jake, though–it meant they were forcing their enemies to probably camp out in the wilderness, which the undisciplined mercenaries wouldn’t enjoy. They always wanted to spend their free-time in the brothels and bars.

While many likely had a Refuge, only those with a noble rank could actually make a portal to it from nearly anywhere in Alliance territory and continue from where they left off. The rest would have to return to a Nexus Node or HQ to reach it.

Their enemy had thousands of warriors present on the world already, and pooling together their efforts was dangerous for their small party to attempt an attack. While Jake was confident in being able to handle and kite just about any number of weaklings, there were a few more tools that were at a PvPer’s disposal. Useless against most monsters or only usable within the city, but effective against Adventurers.

A few that they hadn’t seen in that last battle was one that actually disabled most constructs like what Jake used within an area, and more personal-level barriers they could activate. Then, another item that dispelled most negative effects or positive effects cast by others, stripping buffs and debuffs alike, which would make it much more difficult to kite them.

Finally, a wand that made it difficult to kite a significant number of them. They launched long-range magical seeking missiles that were weak damage-wise, but also slowed struck targets. Completely useless unless they outnumbered the enemy significantly, but Jake’s party would eventually get whittled away by such a tool when hundreds used it.

Of course, Jake had more tricks up his sleeve, and the girls now carried some interesting tools in their Storage Rings. He had gotten some ideas from all the strange tools Fhesiah had taken from the cultivators in the Celestial Nexus Battleground, which weren’t amazing for fighting monsters, but might trip up an Adventurer.

Unfortunately, Ira’s chase through the wilderness ended up being a dead-end. After the first day of travel, the dark elves had checked the trunk and found it empty. They hadn’t found the tracker, but they merely suicided on a Rift spawn for some reason, ending the trail. Ira felt something that was suspiciously like a communication before it happened.

Ira continued to search the area and even followed their general direction for a few hundred miles, but was unable to turn up anything interesting, even at the fallen city they appeared to be heading towards. This might have been the enemy’s foresight or divinations at play, like they had experienced on Highlands with how their enemy only showed themselves when they knew they had their best chance of winning.

Zorina and Mysticus had confirmed the enemy had used them, as their movements were simply too perfectly timed when checked after the fact with the recording at the Conquest table.

If the dark elves were scheduled to meet someone or deliver the captives to someone, they were gone or did not arrive to meet with them.

The family decided to just focus on staying out and closing as many Rifts as they could, both to make up for all the Obsidian Blades that they killed, and also to earn as much contribution as they could until their allies arrived. They needed a lot to catch up to their enemy to win over the Prime Instance, and so closing dozens of Rifts was the best way.

For now, their report of their findings had been made to the Sector Council, and they were already reviewing the information provided. After only a few hours, it was made known that at the very minimum, the riders with the trunks would not be respawning on The Burning Steps. It was certainly sketchy how the Battlegroup had moved to protect the trunk’s escape, and then their attempt to destroy the trunks. In addition, the extortion of the natives was a rather minor betrayal, and often would only get a slap on the wrist at worst. This was all included in Nessa’s report.

Their full punishment would be determined at a later date, likely after Conquest was complete and The Framework’s full recordings could be analyzed. It seemed culpability couldn’t be completely determined with their recording alone.

It was at this point that Jake realized the true purpose of the goods–they were a cover for their participation in the human trafficking. The leaders and others involved could deny their knowledge of the captives, making it only those that were involved with loading the people in the trunks or moving them were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, complicit. It was even possible for the riders to argue they didn’t know what was in the trunk based on their recording.

Since the penalties weren’t good enough, they requested an additional penalty be levied, requesting Nessa be given the ability to interrogate the members of the entire Battlegroup they faced. As a Noble of the Framework and daughter of Tyr with his Essence of Truth, they were able to make this request, and it would just be a few days before they would receive an answer. This would determine full culpability and get to the bottom of their plans, allowing their punishment to be meted immediately rather than waiting.

Jake’s family didn’t get a lot of sight into this proceeding, but it appeared the decision to allow these interrogations would require an actual meeting by the Sector Council. At this point, it was out of their hands, so they decided to keep their heads down and focus on what they always do–rescuing people and closing Rifts.

If their interrogation got them new information or they caught any more instances of this happening within the enemy’s guild or determined this was an act of betrayal, then sanctions would be brought upon the entire guild.

***

Marcus Aurelius’ mental projection strode through the marbled temple, arriving moments after receiving the message. It was a warning that an emergency vote of the Sector Council on a recent law violation would soon be taking place. While this was merely busy-work, it felt like there was more to it than normal, so he took the time and sent his consciousness with haste.

The many decorated pillars were filled with symbolism from the numerous pantheons involved in creating the Framework, the stone temple floating in the void meant for meetings of usually greater import. Deciding on both which worlds would be Contested, but also the nature of Contests–how the war was to be fought on an individual world, whether it be a new world being integrated or a second or third time around. Deciding on new Nobles, evacuation approvals for worlds too far gone, creating reinforcement requests, solving disputes between high-Tier guilds or natives and more were among the many things they would decide upon.

Entering the main chamber, Marcus found he had entered at the top of the room. It looked not all that different from a Roman Senate or auditorium. Fabric covered benches were arranged in rows in front of a raised dais for speakers. Behind the speaking area was a raised seat for the Administrator, much like a judge’s platform. And off to the left and right of his seat, lining behind the raised speaking area, was for the Divine.

There were several entrances to the stadium-like seating at the sides, where projections of Nobles or Divine alike could arrive. Because this meeting wouldn’t require a quorum and was for the second Tier, Marcus expected few would show. He marched toward the front, knowing only a small number would ultimately be seated.

The seat for the Sector Administrator was currently empty. The being would likely appear as soon as the hearing began.

A group of Divine were already present–a surprise, to Marcus. Conquest Law Violations in the first and second Tier were common and not vital enough that most of the time, the acting Sector Administrator would give a ruling on their own.

If enough Adventurers were involved, such as a whole guild, the Administrator might request a ruling from the Council, perhaps. Still, it was mainly the Sector’s Nobles who bothered–the numerous Divine caring very little for these matters. After all, many did not actually have votes in a Frontier Sector, only having a voice unless their contributions to the Sector had been significant enough. Often, this meant conquering a third or fourth Tier world with their Champion. Many of those existed in this Sector, but even they were not here for such a small matter.

His good friends Ramesses and Cyrus were both present, and Cyrus had begun a conversation with Divine Loki near the raised speaking area. Marcus walked down the steps, and went to go find a seat on the bench in the front next to Ramesses, to await more arrivals and the council to begin.

He said, “Ramesses, didn’t expect to see you here.”

The dark-skinned Egyptian King from Earth grinned. “Hearthtribe is involved in this, so I felt I had to at the very least bear witness. The young spirit and his family intrigued me at Hestia’s dinner, but even more after he became a world owner, and I saw how he wouldn’t buckle to these… miscreants.” He sneered.

Marcus nodded at that. He watched Cyrus’ conversation start to get a little heated now that the respectful greetings had been given, and Loki had revealed more about why they were here today.

Cyrus the Great had narrowed eyes at Loki. “You

called this sudden meeting of the council, and one that doesn’t require quorum? This sounds sketchy at best, Divine Loki. Let me guess, one of your children is up to no good again? This happens far too often to just be a mere coincidence.”

Another figure was next to Cyrus, a Dharmapolas Noble Marcus knew was named Jantaka–a Baron owner of a single Tier 3 world. A blue devil-looking man, he had many muscular arms that fanned out behind him, and a wheel of flames attached to his back–a Dharma wheel that almost looked like that of a ship’s helm.

The Dharmapalas were people of Buddhist Origin, a people who had a strict adherence to the law and sought justice. They upheld the cosmic law as they sought enlightenment, and were powerful beings that fought Tartarus with great fervor.

Jantaka’s voice was booming, filled with anger and his eyes were narrowed as well. “And look at that, both Ares and Hermes are also here, when none of them actually have votes? It’s as if they were ready to arrive here, in support of some ulterior motive. This reeks of malfeasance.”

Loki grabbed his own chest, giving a hurt expression. “You wound me with your accusations, Baron Jantaka. We are in fact here because of my request to the Administrator. This meeting is for nothing but a trifle, but it does involve our sons, after all. You know how younglings are, and while they may make mistakes, it’s a father’s duty to protect them.”

The Dharmapalas wasn’t having it, Jantaka’s voice nearly a growl. “It is. But when the son’s sins are so great, the father’s duty is not to protect, but to accept judgment and make amends, instead. I shall be watching, Divine Loki.” He floated away from the speaking area, and stopped a few rows behind Marcus to his side to ‘sit,’ floating alone.

Two new figures entered the room from behind Marcus and to his right. The familiar man’s wise voice entered Marcus’ ears. “Ah, looks like we’ve just made it in time, Brother Zhang.”

Hermes was shocked, turning to the new entrants as they walked in, and found seats near the back of those sitting. They were larger than most, so that was certainly ideal.

“You’re here? I’m surprised you’re not busy with your other efforts, the war in the fourth Tier is critical for you.”

Brother Zhuge chuckled, using his crane-feathered fan to fan his smiling face as he sat down, the other nobles all watching him. “Worried about me, Divine Hermes? I thank you for your concerns, but it was just a stroke of luck that one of my projections just became free.”

Hermes frowned. “Yes, your presence in so many places at once is a big surprise. I wonder how you manage it?”

Brother Zhang laughed, and slapped Brother Zhuge’s shoulder with probably a little too much force. “Brother has been well known for his wits for thousands of years. Of course, he’s better at it than I! Brother Guan is busy, as you say, and won’t be able to arrive. The war is just heating up.”

A new voice joined the commotion, a powerful woman’s booming voice. “Would you look at that! So many Divine here already, how exciting. I wonder who else is going to show up?”

Ares’ jaw dropped as he turned to his side–at least for a Divine. His mouth only opened marginally as Echidna slithered into the room, and found her place on the outskirts of the room.

Her great form then towered over everyone, unable to fit in the upper seating area marked for the Divine. Ares said, “Echidna. What a pleasant surprise.”

Echidna laughed. “My, my, what a gift I received, seeing that funny, surprised look on your faces was worth coming here all on its own.”

Hermes recovered quickly. “Of course, we were a bit shocked about your arrival. You never take interest in these types of proceedings, and your assets in this Sector show your interest should not be very high.”

Echidna frowned, looking confused. “Whatever do you mean? I have three direct descendants in Sector 87, and a Champion besides. There is none here who stands among us more invested than I. Surely, I should have a say in this hearing, just as you? Why, I dare say I should have a vote, shouldn’t you agree? Well, maybe next time. Once my daughters have earned a little more merit.” She grinned.

Hermes frowned, his expression becoming calculating. “I was not aware you were that invested. I do hope your plans don’t interfere with the rest of those in this Sector.”

Echidna smiled. “It’s a recent happening. Could it be that you are complaining, little Hermes? As if it were beyond you of all people to sneak in an extra piece or two of yours under other’s noses. But the proper Price has been paid, and the rules have been followed. Two of my daughters entered with Tier 2 Beast Avatars, properly restricted, and they are already working hard to bring merit to the Alliance. I do believe you shall see some results of that soon enough.”

This was more than a little surprising, to Marcus. While not a true avatar or projection, a Beast Avatar was unique in that it allowed a more bestial Divine or Divine Beast to achieve a high enough resonance that, they could both guide the…usually not very smart beast, but also Descend on some level and control it for a period with their superior intelligence and skills, and even at a lower Tier. This could be done with a Champion, but certainly not at the second Tier.

Marcus himself had only seen it happening in an event he entered, which involved several Sectors. While not the exact strength of a Champion, it was a piece that was undeniably powerful. He had witnessed the Fenghuang, a Phoenix Divine, control a special type of large, third Tier fire bird within the Battleground, and it was simply devastating.

The bird was a bit stupid when she wasn’t Descending, however. It had many handlers to keep it from simply leaving the battlefield, or getting killed when it wanted to hunt because it was hungry, or just bored.

Hermes asked, “What about the other daughter?”

Echidna smiled. “Well, her circumstances were a bit special. She sacrificed much of her remaining essence, and was properly reborn with a Tier 2 Vessel with all the required restrictions here in Sector 87. I’m so proud of her, I cannot wait to see her strength and growth as she starts over.”

Ares looked disgusted, likely at willingly giving up strength and power, and Loki was contemplative, instead. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt

The fiendish rogue said, “Interesting. I do hope you’re confident in their ability to continue protecting their Territory. It would be terrible if something happened to it as a result of these efforts in this Frontier Sector.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Echidna looked like she was over the moon with her beaming smile, and the not very subtle threat did not worry her at all. She was completely confident. “Worry not. I have every confidence that their actions will cause their Territory to grow instead, and their aid will be monumental to this Sector War’s success.”

Several other Sector Nobles arrived, but another Divine was a surprise: Gaia. While Marcus recalled her origin on Earth was said to be a motherly, matronly woman that represented fertility and the earth, that was not the truth any longer. She presented herself as a High Elf who was linked to her worlds through her world trees, and her pride and superiority seemed to be her defining personality traits.

Echidna was nice to her, but she had a scowl on her face as she ignored her and sat down in the upper seating behind the administrator.

None of the Tier 4 sector nobles showed up, aside from Brother Zhuge and Zhang. There were only a few handfuls of them, one of which was the leader of a powerful native guild of Nordic Origin, and another of Egyptian Origin. The Framework treated any Tier 4 being as extremely valuable, and there were many more Tier 4 Nobles than there were Tier 4 worlds to go around.

Marcus was most interested to meet and speak with the third Tier sector native nobles like himself, but only a few had shown up. A total of forty-six out of the several hundred plus Barons and Counts were present.

The time remaining before the hearing dwindled, and Marcus frowned. Why was Hestia, and the other Divine related to Hearthtribe’s party not present? It seemed strange that they would be too busy to send a Projection of their consciousness here.

Difficult for Tier 3 or Tier 4 entities to split their minds up into many functions when they were busy in battle or otherwise, the Divine could usually achieve far more. And that was in addition to their normal functions of being called upon by their Champions or powerful Clergy.

Usually, they only fought when they were rarely called upon by their Champion for a few brief moments, or Descended using their powerful clergy or Chosen–a supremely rare occurrence.

Marcus asked from his seat, “It’s almost time for the vote, isn’t it? Could you tell us why we are even here, Divine Loki? Surely, Administrator Kintrel’s ruling on this should have been sufficient. This was at your request?”

“It was. I heard that he was going to make a ruling, but I wanted to make sure the Alliance’s interests were best represented and that we weren’t too hasty to jump to conclusions. The Baroness’ request is a waste of valuable resources, no matter the outcome of it.”

Ramesses the Great chuckled. “So, what? You’d prefer for the rule violation to go unpunished for longer?”

Brother Zhuge stroked his beard in thought. “The purpose of the Sector Council is to ensure our choices for how the war is fought is in our best interests, and to protect the Alliance from foul play and betrayal. Are you not desiring justice, Divine Loki? A betrayal of our people could cost us millions of lives, and the Daughter of Tyr’s request would prevent this.”

Loki smiled. “That’s exactly right. I do want justice, but not at the expense of our chances of victory. This is why I wish for the investigation to wait until the war on The Burning Steps is over, preferably.”

Brother Zhang snorted. “That’s poppycock and you know it! There’s nearly eight thousand outside Adventurers slated to be on that world in total, not including the natives, and we’re already ahead in the contest. A hundred trash is meaningless.”

Loki sneered. “You’d be surprised at how fast things can change. How little it takes to cause the scales to tip. I hope that the council sees this and agrees.”

A new voice joined, the Divine Nordic warrior walking into the room. “Yes, you would be most aware of that, wouldn’t you, Loki? It’s often your fingers on that scale.”

Loki scowled, and turned to the newcomer. “Tyr, I will not accept that kind of slander, even from you.”

Tyr smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes as he chuckled darkly. “That’s funny. I did not say which side your fingers tipped the scales, yet you’ve assumed negatively. Perhaps you’d like to say which it is? I’m listening.”

It was at this moment that Administrator Kintrel appeared in his place above the dais. The golem resided over numerous sectors, trusted to provide an impartial ruling and guidance. Not overly powerful in combat himself, he provided numerous valuable services to the Alliance, including handling situations like Earth’s integration.

The golem’s voice was booming. “Please be seated and cease discussion, the hearing shall begin shortly.”

The numerous nobles found their seats, Cyrus taking his next to Marcus, among others. One he noticed was clearly involved with Gaia, and a few others were likely in Hermes, Loki, or Ares’ back pocket.

However, it was largely Sector Natives, and this matched the true makeup of the Sector.

It was how Frontier Sectors were designed, to give natives a chance to grow and establish themselves rather than just a Territory grab for the Divine. This was done for numerous reasons, but natives were that much more likely to join as Adventurers and fight for worlds that they actually had a chance of winning ownership of.

Not only that, the outsiders like the Divine who sent their sons and daughters and Champions to fight merely tipped the scales, and not always in the Alliance’s favor. Infighting, competitions, the focus of the war would often be lost when the Divine were favored.

Marcus had found it interesting that most of the worlds in any sector had some kind of Origin related to the current Divine, but not every world was seeded with their essence intentionally or by design. They merely received it through the world tree–the Yggdrasil. These natives would often lean towards the Divine that shared or birthed their Origin–but not always. Some shifted thanks to those involved in their Integration, thanks to different Divine invested in their well-being, and others simply found resonance with other Divine as they found their shrines throughout the Multiverse.

Ares gave a bitter look toward a Spartoi Noble–a Paladin of Odin. The Spartoi were a race much like living statues, who were fierce combatants that carried the Grecian Origin. However, the Einherjar Guild was instrumental in rescuing the man’s home world, and most of the world had sided with the Norse god of War and Death, among others involved in his Pantheon.

The Divine teleported their presences above, ready to watch over the proceedings, with the exception of Divine Echidna. Given that she did not fit in the upper seating area and would likely refuse to shrink her projection, that was the best the Administrator was going to get–that she stood in the corner of the auditorium and in front of their seats anyway, out of the way of anyone’s view.

Administrator Kintrel looked at her for a moment impassively, before looking over those seated. “Given that this meeting did not require a quorum, we might as well continue. The emergency council is now in session, and we will begin our deliberation.”

He slammed the gavel down, and paused for a moment. “A reasonable request has been made, by the Daughter of Divine Tyr, Baroness Nessa. She wishes to interrogate those involved in the recent War Law Violation, by the Obsidian Blades Subguild. Given that the Baroness has the Essence of Truth from her father, she can determine wrongdoing and protect the Alliance’s interests. I see no reason not to allow this, as she is present on the world, and she only asks for a few hours to question the members to examine their involvement, and determine the nature of their betrayal of the Alliance. Those found guilty, as per the rules of the Alliance and the Framework, will need to be punished. The sentence for antagonizing natives with slavery and human trafficking during wartime is twenty years of hard labor.”

The administrator paused, allowing that to sink in. “However, Divine Loki has requested this vote to delay the interrogation. That we wait until the conquest on The Burning Steps is completed, and then we can dig further, and can determine true culpability, and punish them with no detriment. The recording does display warriors carrying captives, but culpability and compliance has not been proven. It was out of our respect of Divine Loki that I allowed the Sector Council to make a ruling. Now, we can hear your arguments. Use the placards to request your voice to be heard.”

The Dharmapalas requested to speak first, raising his placard as if raising a hand. It lit up, and Jantaka floated to the center of the speaking area. He turned to face the sector nobles. “A betrayal of the Alliance could be catastrophic. Catastrophic! Currently, these warriors wait in the void for a few days from a PvP death. A few hours of questioning to get to the bottom of their betrayal costs us nothing. Nothing!”

As he went to return to his seat, Brother Zhang laughed. “Those scrubs were really trash, besides. They got crushed in that battle, a hundred versus ten! Did you see the recording? Look at my mentee go!” He produced a managram of the scene, and it showed the large lamia’s tail crashing into a grouping of shields, followed by her axe swing devastating another target–killing these warriors in a singular swing. Marcus didn’t think he’d ever seen such a gap in capability.

Echidna clapped at that, laughing. “Yes! That’s my beautiful Champion descendant as well!”

Administrator Kintrel slammed his gavel, a power washing over the area that silenced all those speaking. “Silence, we will have order during the hearing. We must remain on topic, regarding the ruling for the law violation. Go ahead, Divine Hermes.”

Hermes had properly requested to speak, and now teleported to stand in the center. “You say it costs nothing, but punishing these warriors does cost us something. It means anyone involved will no longer fight in the war on The Burning Steps, when the loss was a mere fourteen natives. Tier 2 Adventurers are few, outnumbered by natives on any world we defend by over ten thousand to one. We often recruit toward a much larger percentage during wartime, but the number of those who remain when the war is done and their required service is complete, is few and far between. Those willing to fight for worlds not their own are worth their weight in gold, and these warriors in the void can count themselves among them. It’s a waste of their potential as well, these men are also nearing the peak of the second Tier.”

He let that sink in for a moment, then added, “And if they want to take a few benefits, so what? We all know what happens when the Conquest is over. Boys will be boys, and all that. Still, they broke the law during wartime. They should get their punishment as a group, their slap on the wrist if you will, and get back to fighting the good fight. That’s in the Alliance’s interests, is it not?”

Another sector noble requested speaking, and then stood in the center–this man, seemingly holding Gaia’s Origin, an elven male with long green hair and regal looking robes. “I believe that Hermes speaks truth. To me, the fourteen captives have been rescued, and those involved with their capture have been put to justice. Punishment has been meted and future law violations discouraged. To dig deeper and punish more might serve the enemy more than the Alliance. And most of all, this is a waste of our time here in this Council. This matter has gotten far more attention than it is worth.”

Several of the sector nobles nodded at that, looking annoyed.

Divine Tyr requested to speak, and then teleported to the center. “Let it be known that the council was only called because of Divine Loki’s request, and the waste of time is thanks to him. Now, I think it’s important that these men be questioned. Because this could be a part of a larger plot, a commonality displayed by the entire guild. Is it only fourteen people captured? Or is it hundreds? Thousands? Just how much damage has The Obsidian Blades already done on The Burning Steps? There’s only one way to find out. If we wait for the recording, then it might be far too late.”

Loki requested to speak, and then when confirmed he said, “That’s nothing but speculation performed by someone with a motive. The Divine Tyr providing his input in this hearing is a conflict of interest. His own daughter is in a War Games with my son’s Guild, and is merely wanting to reduce their battle strength. Hearthtribe’s guild is far weaker than The Obsidian Blades, and he seeks an edge.”

Tyr smiled at the congregation with a knowing smile. “I am known to be an impartial judge across the multiverse because I am, my Eternal Essence contains both the Truth and Law. Even if I must rule against my daughter, should the situation be reversed, I would be ruling the same. I would slay her with my own hands if she were the one collecting natives for slavery, and all that hear me speak know it to be true. I care only about the law in this instance, and believe whether it’s just these fourteen or all one-hundred involved, they must be brought to justice.”

Many of the Sector Natives nodded at that, including Marcus. Loki and Ares looked a bit angry at the response, but they kept their emotions largely in check.

Marcus realized that this must be the reason Hestia and the rest were not present. Loki and Hermes would twist it around as them trying to find advantages for their ongoing Guild War, which they were not favored to win.

Showing too much interest in this particular proceeding could backfire, giving their enemy additional ammunition to be used against them. As it were, the Divine attention here was too much. Echidna was easily explained away by her just being eccentric, and she too had a Champion involved.

Adminsitrator Kintrel asked, “Any other objections or reasoning you would like to bring before the council before our vote?”

A few more nobles presented their arguments, but they were mostly rehashing much of what was already said. The lackeys of Ares, Loki and Hermes focused on the loss of a hundred Adventurers, and the waste of time this hearing actually was. Brother Zhuge reiterated what Tyr had said about larger plots, but had nothing major to add beyond destroying each point the nobles clearly against the interrogation presented.

Administrator Kintrel finished, “I had viewed the recordings, and made the preliminary ruling to place those involved with moving the captives in stasis for the time being. We cannot view the full Framework recordings until the Conquest is over, but one more option is that we could send a proper investigator.”

He slammed his gavel down, the weight washing over the congregation. “So we’ll begin. Who’s in favor of accepting the request?

The many Sector Natives made their selections. None of the present Divine voted, but Marcus knew that they could expend some important resource of theirs called Writs in order to properly weigh in, or to steer the council in a certain way by changing the point of contention.

But the vote wasn’t even close. The reasonable request was exactly that, with nearly no downsides. The Daughter of Tyr was able to protect the Alliance from a larger plot and betrayal, and at nearly zero cost, as Brother Zhuge had iterated.

Kintrel slammed his gavel. “The vote passes. The questioning will continue at the Daughter of Tyr’s availability. With that, this temporary council–”

Ares cleared his throat, standing, and teleporting to the center of the speaking area. “If I may. I’m sure everyone in this room is familiar with my

contributions to this war, especially in this Sector. I have a reasonable request of my own. I’d like to move the questioning to three days from now, and I use my Writ to make the council properly consider it.”

He withdrew a scroll, and it emanated power like the many Divine all by itself as many of the Sector Nobles gasped, and let out shocked sounds that such a resource of theirs would be expended on something so simple. If he remembered right, Loki had expended something quite similar to protect Avaron from being slain outright.

It floated up to the Administrator, who took it in his stone grip.

“Very well. We shall begin deliberation immediately. You cannot request for Quorum for a reasonable request, so you must want to have a vote among those that are present?”

Ares smiled, and nodded. “I’m confident those present will hear reason.”

“You would use your Writ for this, of all things?” Brother Zhuge laughed, fanning himself. “You three are quite focused on this questioning not occurring, I wonder just why that is? The mere request is an admission of guilt. I’m afraid, unless you give us a good reason or something of value toward the pursuit of the truth, there’s only merit in questioning them as soon as possible.”

Brother Zhang laughed. “Brother is right, as always. You won’t find enough support for your vote.”

The Dharmapalas was filled with rage, his fire burning brightly, and to the point where his body was nearly covered in flames–his once blue body becoming red, his fists clenched as well. As a mental projection, this was quite the feat, and one hand pointed at the Divine Ares. “Guilty! They’re all guilty! Regardless of the outcome of today, I will send my truth-seekers to The Burning Steps, mark my words! I don’t care if it is only the second Tier, I will even go myself.”

Hermes frowned at that, but Ares looked unbothered by the Dharmapalas’ threat. “That’s fair enough, Brother Zhuge, and I’m well aware of how this might sound, but I am once again wanting to protect my son and his interests. How about this? I’m confident that there will be no wrongdoing found beyond some minor human trafficking in these men’s questioning, bad actors with no ties to the larger activities of the guild itself. Since it was my son’s guild, he will also submit to the daughter of Tyr’s interrogation. Of course, he has a busy schedule, leading tens of thousands of guild members across multiple worlds. In one month, he’ll be happy to submit to all of her questions for a couple of hours, and if betrayal of the Alliance is discovered by her, we all know how that will end for him and his guild. Surely, that will absolve all of your concerns and potential concerns about his guild, and the depths of their potential betrayals of the Alliance and their interests?”

Loki smirked at Tyr. “I know Tyr has been itching to question our Divine Descendants, he fought desperately for it at the last hearings and failed. Now’s your chance.”

Tyr chuckled, and gripped his chin in thought. “Really, all her questions? You never did want to submit to my questioning, my viewing of your essence. As a Divine myself, I can understand that sentiment, but I wonder how your son will fare. This almost seems valuable enough to me, but it’s still a little lacking. There are other known bad actors on The Burning Steps. Wasn’t Loki’s son just given a slap on the wrist for using a contraband item, and attempting to slay my daughter in a Greater Rift?”

Loki sighed. “My son will submit to questioning as well. Should this not lay to rest any concerns this council might have?”

Marcus frowned, and Cyrus had a conflicted look next to him. “Unbelievable,” he muttered.

This all seemed rather sketchy, though what they said was true. If this was a plot of a few errant men, it was unimportant, and, the Daughter of Tyr would get to the bottom of it in three days. Odds were, what Hermes said was true–he was confident that no wrongdoing would be found beyond some human trafficking. Otherwise, Tyr would have made note of the lie.

If it was a larger plot, submitting the potential ringleaders to questioning would catch it, and this was a rare opportunity. Everyone knew their children were up to no good, but they covered their tracks far too well.

And the timing. Why three days, and one month? It seemed there was a Battleground to take place scheduled, and this might actually interfere with her ability to question them–should the Daughter of Tyr lose the battle.

At the same time, did it matter? The leaders of the guild were the true prize to question, and getting unfettered access to them would uncover not only the plots on The Burning Steps, but perhaps many others, including whatever means the three Divine might be using to get around the rules in the first place.

Tyr smiled at them. “I see. Your plans are so brazen and obvious, one would have to be foolish to accept your motion of the council. But you’ve certainly dangled a treasure of interest. But I would only accept this alteration under a few additional conditions. If my daughter is unable to complete the questioning of the Divine Descendants for any reason, they will submit to mine instead. And if they are unable to on the deadline, then they will be at the next availability. Not only that, but if tampering is discovered with their memories, the sanctions to their guilds will be tremendous. Lastly, if other law violations stronger than human trafficking are reported on The Burning Steps sooner, they will submit to questioning immediately.”

Ares frowned in thought, hesitating. “Very well. I accept these terms.”

The discussion went on for a time, but eventually, Tyr had convinced the Council that this delay, even if it was some kind of plot, was worth the potential prize. Hermes, Ares, and Loki all looked quite pleased when the ruling had gone through and the vote completed, and Ares and Hermes left immediately, disappearing in motes of light.

It almost felt like Loki stuck around to look smug and say something, but Echidna sighed theatrically, shaking her head at him. “Loki, Loki, Loki. I feel sorry for you. You just signed away your precious son’s fate. I know how sad and painful it can be to lose one of your Divine Descendants, but not when it was my own fault. That’s really going to sting.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. “You dare? For someone with such a tiny, crumbling Territory full of useless Beast Worlds and other trash, you sure talk big. You should be careful who you anger.”

“I am not afraid of you, little trickster–my challenge has always been open, and yet you have never taken it. I wonder why that is? As for your son, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Haven’t you watched the recording? And yet, you would still bet your son can win against my Champion?” She shook her head, laughing. “I thought you were known to be smart!”

“As if I want to bed one such as you. I see discussion with you is pointless, so I will take my leave as I have other business.” He disappeared from the room.

Echidna chuckled. “So he ran away. Coward, that one.” She turned to Gaia, “What about you, Gaia? Why have you stuck around? And why are you even here in the first place?”

Gaia scowled. “It is of no concern of yours, I appear where I wish.” She disappeared, causing Echidna to shrug.

Brother Zhang laughed. “It’s rare to see a Divine so upset. You must have a talent for it, Divine Echidna.”

Echidna pretended to examine her claws. “Well, you know how it goes. They seem to think their two sons will crush some mere backwater natives, but their egos merely extend into their children, and they are blinded by their own hubris. All the facts in the world will just wash over them, like water off a duck’s back.”

Brother Zhuge chuckled, fanning himself. “That’s amusing coming from you, Divine Echidna. But I do think you have the right of it. Let us hope that in the end, it is justice that prevails. Often, they are only confident because they are already several steps ahead in their devious plots. But I have trust in Hearthtribe, to flip the table on them and crush them, making this a larger win for the Alliance.”

Marcus said, “I hope you know what you are doing, Divine Tyr. They probably have some means to get around this questioning, or they will simply use another Writ to postpone or eliminate the questioning altogether later. What if The Burning Steps falls before then? That would delay things for quite some time. The ransoms on their third Tier spirits will be quite high.”

Tyr chuckled. “It’s true. But I have faith in Hearthtribe just like Brother Zhuge. Perhaps it’s also misplaced trust in my daughter, but I think it’ll work out in the end, one way or another.”

Echidna smiled. “I understand that sentiment. Well, I guess the show is over, younglings. One thing is for sure, interesting things are about to happen in this Sector. It’s rather rare for an unmasking, but we just might get to see one. Hearthtribe has many strong among them, and they will show no weakness to be exploited. Farewell.”

She disappeared like all the other Divine, followed by Tyr.

Now that the Divine were all gone, Ramesses asked Cyrus and Marcus, “What’s her open challenge, anyway?”

Marcus chuckled. “I heard any that defeat either one of her peak Beast Avatars or her in a challenge are welcome to breed with her. Supposedly, something that was not that difficult to do in the past, but is quite the challenge now. She’s much more selective as a Divine, I guess.”

Cyrus wasn’t paying much attention to them, holding a crystal. “This recording is really something. I can see why Tyr has faith in Hearthtribe’s victory. Not only are they strong like in their Dungeon Raid, but there are even more of them now at that level.”

Marcus hadn’t had a chance to watch the recording of the battle, so he decided to take the time, and so did several others. He was shocked by the contents, the fight completely one-sided.

Ramesses said after a moment, “I must say. I’m not so sure even Brother Guan Yu had shown that level of dominance in the second Tier, even after becoming Skanda’s Champion. We might be seeing the birth of several heroes within this Sector.”

Marcus frowned, unsure of what he was looking at. “The whole team looks quite strong, and what are those monsters? The banishing spells didn’t work on them at all, so they must be Adventurers, right? How rare for the second Tier.”

Cyrus said, “Cassius and Avaron are known to be strong, winning duels against most of the elites in the sector. But that strong? I have doubts.”

Marcus said, “Betrayers are always devious, having horrible tricks available to them as they work for the enemy. These warriors they defeated are just second Tier trash, and not comparable to their elite teams. They also weren’t prepared for Hearthtribe’s arrival, whereas these Divine Descendants may prepare tools to handle them, the Battlegrounds an arena where they will be ready for battle.”

The few nobles left behind nodded at that, and then they said their goodbyes. Several Conquests were nearing their conclusions in the third Tier, and when they were all done, the War Trial would soon begin.

Hearthtribe would have their work cut out for them, managing the threats of Tartarus and these conniving guilds in their PvP battles. As Echidna had said, one way or another, whatever happened would be interesting.