Chương 406: Chapter 395: To Kickstart a War

"Bordel de putain de merde!" Hearing Jasmine explode, Priam winced. He considered replying, but his meager experience with women suggested he keep quiet. The young woman had things to say, and he had things to hear.

"I get that you grew up on some aether-forsaken backwater planet, but a higher Tier isn't your buddy! I knew Barons on Arkana who'd sell your organs for looking at them funny. What, did you want the High Marshal to rip your tongue out? Was that training for [Tongueless]?" That Title didn't even exist. A shame in the Juggernaut's opinion.

"I was respectful," Priam muttered before he could stop himself.

"Bullshit! You didn't last five minutes before insulting him!"

"I was worried about our friends, plus he basically slapped me with his aura." Jasmine's eyes narrowed to slits, and Priam understood that trying to justify himself was the wrong move.

"You think I'm an idiot? I was in your shadow, remember? I saw everything. Did you hear me say you were wrong? No. The bastard treated you like shit, and that sucks." She stepped in close and jabbed a finger at his chest.

"But this isn't about right or wrong. We're talking about a millennia-old elf who could kill us just by letting the weight of his soul slip."

"Good training in my opinion. You know he acts like a prick because he's old and powerful. Ironic, considering his Concept is Justice."

"Well guess what: life's not just! Hell, you're proof death isn't either!" Priam opened his mouth, then thought better of it. No sense fueling a fire that only burned because she had been scared by his behavior.

"I… I'm sorry," he breathed.

"I put you in danger."

"I've been in danger my whole damn life," she snapped.

"I can handle it." Priam frowned.

"Then why are you so angry?"

"Because [He Who Eludes Death] wasn't primed!" Priam flushed with shame. She hadn't feared for herself. She had feared for him. Damn, I'm such an idiot.

"What's the source of this commotion?" They both turned as the door creaked open. Kazuki stepped in, closing it behind him.

"How did you find us?" After returning from Oasis, Priam had holed up in an abandoned Snahert home to wait for Jasmine. Despite the success of her poisoning mission, the young woman had returned in a foul mood.

"You're not exactly quiet." Footsteps echoed downstairs. Their friends were moving in for the night.

"Lovers' quarrel?" teased the hoplite to lighten the mood.

"Jasmine's upset—""Furious."

"—because I raised my voice at the Demiurge."

"You insulted him with no resurrection available."

"Mmh." Kazuki dragged a chair over and sat, the wood creaking under his weight.

"Priam can't—and shouldn't—only be brave when he's got a get-out-of-death-free card. That'll catch up to him."

"A seatbelt's important," added the Juggernaut.

"But racecar drivers don't win by riding the brakes." Both Jasmine and Kazuki frowned at the analogy before adapting it to their respective cultures.

"On Arkana, the only pilots who died of old age were the ones who never won. I don't see the point in running three races if you die in the fourth. Especially not for something pointless. Dying under a High Tribulation? Sure. Getting crucified for mouthing off to a Demiurge? That's just stupid."

"You think Hekthorn would've really killed me over a tantrum?"

"If his ego was even a quarter the size of yours, probably," Jasmine snapped. Priam had been pushing his luck, and knew it. The contract between the Empire of Knaya and the System protected Champions from direct interference, but if the Demiurge had truly lost his temper, he could have breached the pact. A stupid move, but Priam knew logic didn't govern the living. He'd have paid the price, and I'd be dead.

"Elves believe might makes right," Kazuki reminded them.

"Frankly, so does most of this universe. Possibly a side effect of the System. Most mid-Tiers feel entitled to kill you for disrespect." Priam growled.

"I'll never be okay with that."

"I would expect nothing less from someone who prizes freedom like you do." Kazuki sighed, pulling a cigar from his coat.

"Paradoxically, you'll sometimes have to impose your will just to stay free. Maybe might does make right in this reality."

"I'm not a slave to freedom. Or to the Concept of it. I can show my fangs when needed without betraying my principles. But we're not here to wax philosophical, are we?" Priam squinted.

"Didn't know you smoked."

"I don't. It's bad for lung capacity. Though with my constitution…"

"Healthy or not, it stinks."

"According to a Gaesert admirer, it's an acquired taste." Kazuki inspected the cigar.

"Some tribesman gave me this for training my Concept. Feeling the smoke in my lungs, seeing if Wind can push it out. If I master that, maybe I can mess with enemy breathing."

"If it's for training…" Priam made a finger gun, sparking a flame from his index to lit the cigar.

"We met a pure-blood dragon." Kazuki hadn't even taken a proper puff before he choked. After a coughing fit, the hoplite managed to calm down and stared at Priam.

"Can you elaborate?"

"Sumstreh has a talent for pissing off powerful people… He's not dead, by the way. The dragon's saving the kill for me—once I've taken down four more Terrors." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"You don't sound worried. Without this kill, your Story with the Fallen won't be as impactful, weakening your tempering." Priam shrugged.

"I give myself a fifty-fifty shot at beating the fourth Terror. A coin flip. After the tournament, once I've worked more on the Colosseum? Easy. The third'll be the tricky one. Worst case, I'll suicide against it once a day until it sticks."

"When you put it that way…" Kazuki exhaled a ring of smoke. Either the hoplite was a natural, or Micro helped.

"I figured the Demiurge would want the Fallen's head mounted on a pike."

"The dragon disagreed."

"And the High Marshal just went along with it? Is he that strong?"

"It," Priam corrected.

"Or they? Either way, I'd say monstrous. Just Tier 1, but it freaked me out more than the Demiurge did. For once, I was very well-behaved," he added, glancing at Jasmine. The Shadow shivered.

"My instincts were screaming that I had zero chance. No hope of winning, no hope of escape. Zero. Nada. And in terms of attributes… I don't know if it uses the System or not, but Vertex played in the same league as the Demiurge. Then again, being from a Tier 10 race helps." Kazuki stroked his beard. He shaved daily, but it grew like weeds.

"Why would it give you the kill?" Priam leaned against the window frame. Outside, the black night was pierced only by the round eye of the Necromoon.

"At first, I thought it was about karma. Sumstreh's core from another timeline was the trophy for my second Gate, after all."

"Vertex has no reason to be that generous with you," Jasmine pointed out.

"I mean, according to the tales, dragons don't give gifts for free."

"Yet, I think that's precisely what this is." Priam tapped his chest, just over his draconic heart.

"One of the three most tyrannical bloodlines in the multiverse. Every time I purify it, it warps my behavior. Or maybe it just amplifies some of my traits. Still, I get angry faster. I hoard my rewards. I'm growing more possessive."

"Esmée," Kazuki offered.

"Mmh. Thanks for backing me up." The hoplite shrugged and puffed again.

"One for all, all for one. Just don't do that again. We could have waited for a better time to strike."

"Promise. Charging in like that isn't me. At least, it wasn't." Without [Free Will] and [Chimera] to shield him from the worst of his bloodline's urges, Priam wondered if he would still be himself.

"Anyway, Vertex is different. They're clearly trying to master their bloodline. I think… I think they want to give me Sumstreh to prove they can give without expecting anything in return."

"To conquer their greed," Jasmine murmured.

"Just as their androgynous body proves they've conquered lust." Priam grimaced.

"I don't think dragons are bound by the cardinal sins. It's not lust, but rather the drive to reproduce. Probably a trait designed by their Progenitor—or maybe nature itself—to spread their kind. Same with greed. They don't hoard for the sake of it; they crave what strengthens them. Dragons aren't demons."

"Demons?" Jasmine whispered to Kazuki.

"Not a term I'm familiar with," the hoplite admitted.

"Beings consumed by the seven deadly sins," Priam explained.

"Ah. I call those people," Jasmine smirked. * Eyes open, Priam stared at the ceiling. In the stillness of the night—punctuated by Blueberry's snores—he played the day back in his mind. First, horror, with the wave of necrocorruption. Then, glory, with his triumph in the arena. Next, rage, with the announcement of Esmée's engagement. And finally, fear with Vertex. Terror would be more accurate. At first, he had dressed it up, disguising the emotion as caution. But Priam hated lying, especially to himself.

The dragon had frozen him to the marrow, and it wasn't just about bloodline resonance. Vertex embodied the terminus, an ideal of power and control that Priam had thought he was inching toward. A mistake. If that was the level one had to reach to even hope for the Zenith, then he was walking the wrong path. Fighting a few Tier 2s, surviving the Necromoon, and using [He Who Eludes Death] to scrape a handful of resistance levels wouldn't cut it. Time to get my act together…

Like back in Back in Time, or during the first Reunion. Gotta stop reacting and start being proactive. He rolled over and looked at Jasmine's sleeping face. She had insisted on sharing his bed to protect him better. A stupid excuse, and they both knew it. Maybe I should try going after Léo again. Given the amount of polonium the bastard had swallowed, I might have a shot. But what's in it for me? Not much in the short term. The tournament's already in the bag, and the Demiurge is shielding us for now.

Plus, if Aydan forces Esmée to attack us, things could get messy. The princess was less beautiful than she was talented—and she was gorgeous.

"Mmh…" Jasmine frowned in her sleep, caught in a nightmare. Without thinking, Priam brushed her cheek. The touch instantly calmed his Shadow. Aydan and Esmée. If he could win them over, that would be ideal. Especially Esmée. A beat passed. Only Esmée. Her brother is dead weight, and an alliance with him might make Myuri nervous. Esmée, though… she'd be a priceless asset for Oasis. And one less threat. Despite Léo's power, Priam wasn't afraid of the Transcendent.

Oasis was well-fortified, with millions of Sun points invested in its defenses. Worst-case, the inhabitants could evacuate to Valaryth. Even if the Transcendent followed, the local laws would hamper him. With some upgrades to the outpost, Priam was confident he would survive long enough to hit Tier 2. Then, predator and prey would switch places. But the stakes changed if Esmée had to obey the Aelbes. Priam had a strong hand, but what good was it if the Author was playing at a different table?

To annihilate Oasis, the princess could exploit his rivalry with Seth and Arnold, target the crafters with misfortune, or sabotage one of the hoplite nukes. A single detonation could level the sanctuary. Fuck me sideways… Sumstreh had already proven that Oasis's physical and energy defenses aren't enough and she's ten times more talented than him. First thing to do when we get back: buy a shield for every major Concept. He groaned. That might already be too late.

Priam knew he wouldn't leave the tournament without declawing the Aelbes. Even without today's showdown, Kazuki wouldn't let the tribe's elite just walk. Not after the invasion of Proxima had been announced. And the Aelbes knew that too. The masks will slip soon. When the moment comes, if Aydan claims our families are being held hostage using our own nukes… We'll be royally screwed. Priam sat up on the edge of the bed. Jasmine stirred. Hearing her mumble, he calmed her with a gentle touch as he weighed his options.

I could go home and bankrupt myself buying protections against misfortune, chaos, and half a dozen other nasty tricks. A bad move. I need to be proactive. To cut the problem at the root. To preempt the invasion… What do they really need? A Hearthstone. Without it, no migration to Proxima, and time goes back to working for us. As we got the late game, it's an easy win. Damn, I get the vision! Priam cracked a smile. In addition to patching up his wounded pride, his idea would put him back in the race. Time to hunt.

* Aydan couldn't be carrying the Hearthstone on him as Léo could have snatched it at any moment. That would have rendered the alliance meaningless and the prince's life forfeit. Esmée might have been capable of safeguarding it, but Aydan's misogyny would have kept him from entrusting her with such a treasure. Hence, the artifact had to be hidden in their base. Jasmine had scouted for weeks without finding the Empyreans' hideout. Before resorting to torture, Priam thought of Dishnu.

The drya was tending the garden abandoned by Sna, Ophis' mother. Dawn was still far off when Priam found his rival kneeling in the dark. He was grafting a shrieking plant on a quiet one.

"Dishnu."

"Priam," replied the Guardian, without glancing up.

"If you know where it is, I want to trade for the location of the Empyrean hideout. Name your price and—""From Log, follow the river upstream to the white menhir. Climb the bear's path to its den, then scale the cliff. A rockfall leads to a hidden valley. Exit through the highest pass and look upon three clearings. The largest is artificial. Follow the lumber trail to find the entrance to their underground lair."

"... Thanks." A few seconds of silence.

"Why?" Priam had no illusions about his relationship with Dishnu. The Guardian's loyalty lay only with the forest. The help wasn't some fluke of sentiment.

"Some fires nourish the forest. Others consume it."

"The Sun Wyrm," Priam realized, before smiling.

"I got you." With that, the Juggernaut vanished into the mist, on his way to kickstart a war. * Status: PHYSICAL: Strength 1 253 Constitution 2 146 Agility 1 652 Vitality 2 105 Perception 991 MENTAL: Vivacity (D) 666 Dexterity 983 Memory 1 208 Willpower 1 298 Charisma 998 META: Meta-affinity (O) 1 443 Meta-focus 886 Meta-endurance 1 616 Meta-perception 861 Meta-chance 1 089 Meta-authority 927 Potential: 33 746 Tier 0 [Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 1 200 / 3 attributes > 1 800 / 1 attribute > 2 400