Chương 151: Culture Shock

Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Emma and Thacea's Room. Local Time: 2020 Hours Ilphius In my nineteen years of existence, I had taken advantage of everything my birthright had secured me. Travel being chief amongst them. And in my years of travel across the seas, beneath the earth, and even deep into the Nexian midlands… never had I encountered such… perversions of intelligent design. Designs that dared to tempt, endeavored to seduce, yet never once courted with the hallmarks of civility.

Frustration took hold as I observed each and every… structure, their purpose as enigmatic as their form, as none betrayed their function in this state of eternal scaffolding. For what were, at first, simple geometric forms alluding to a people without art, heritage, and culture proved to be something else entirely. Because within these unassuming constructs was evidence of masterful craftsmanship.

Purposeful and, dare I say it, impossibly pristine metalworking that could only have been the work of the greatest of master blacksmiths. These were not the hallmarks of a new realm. And yet, what was most frustrating was how little they did with these technical abilities. It was as if they'd taken the life out of living or the color out of a painting. As if they'd mastered the practical, if only to lose sight of exactly what those practical skills were meant to serve. Never before had I felt so sickened.

So much potential, so much technical capacity, completely wasted on a dead-end culture. Kamil … … … I'd never felt more awake. The Academy was a chore. My whole life was a chore. There was no novelty, no spice, no color. Only the same song and dance drifting off into a nascent echo ad infinitum. Such was the status quo. Such was the past, present, and future. Such was it all… but not here. Not in this room.

For within these four walls that had hosted and molded noble after noble into the same biscuit-cutter molds, repeating the same lines and rehashing the same roles… was a spiteful rebuke that spit vinegar into a crusty old canvas. It was a stain, an ink blot, one that thrummmmed and nipped at the local manastreams, ejecting and pouring so haphazardly excess currents with no rhyme nor reason.

These structures were garish and plain, holding no thought and paying neither lip service nor deference to standard conventions of beauty nor civility. Instead… what they bore was a utilitarian fervor. The likes of which should have been born from poverty and lacking, but not here. These constructs were too perfect to have been born of poverty-stricken peoples, too refined and purposeful in their simplicity to have been the result of necessity. Which could only mean one thing…

The designs were intentional, made by a people who purposefully and willingly chose to embrace them. The earthrealmer had already been a highlight of my days, the color in a monotone canvas that I woefully craved. Her… nest only added fuel to that flame, satiating and further inspiring the passion for life I hadn't lost but simply never had. I almost instinctively regained my colors because of it.

But alas, my purpose here denied me this dignity, for the entire pretense behind my visit here was the result of some misguided fanaticism. And so I slunk back into the colorless shame of my people, meant neither to be seen nor heard. But perhaps that was for the best. Perhaps one day I could be here on… different terms. Ilphius Three structures stood out amidst the rest. A tent and two greyish matte-blue towers that stood tall and wide above the rest of the structures present.

Indeed, it seemed as if the three were intertwined in some way — pipes and thick rubbery tubes connecting them together as an umbilical would a mother and child. And while I could not see any noticeable pulsing or throbbing from these tubes, I did notice what could've easily been overlooked at first glance: lights. Rows upon rows of fireless light that rippled and danced across the surface of these towers.

Each row and every column was segmented into miniature bricks, each the size of a lozenge, and each encased in a similar sort of clear, shiny coating. Though that was about where the similarities ended, as atop each cube-like protrusion were engravings — patchwork shapes of unintelligible symbolism, each more confusing than the next. From more familiar shapes such as arrows and flames to wildly abstract designs resembling forked teeth, squiggly lines, and what looked to be a spinning disc…

the entire theme here resembled something out of the occult, imbuing this Earthrealm tumor with an aura more malignant than benign. This unnerving ambiance was made even worse by a startling revelation, one that halted my advance and caused me to peer deeper into the chaos that was the local manastreams. … There were no enchantments here. No spells nor artificing that could explain away these inexplicable fireless lights. I felt my blood turning cold, my eyes growing wide at the… aberrations all around me.

Then, in the midst of this panic, did I notice something else — an unnatural silence that was far too kempt to be anything but magical. A quick scry of the area revealed precisely the cause of this admittedly secondary aberration — a spell of silence cast over the entire alien mass. I let out a hiss, eager to walk past its meager area of effect as I got closer and closer towards what drew the most of my attention — the newrealmer's tent. Surely there had to be something hidden within.

Surely there had to be an explanation for the inexplicable phenomenon present everywhere in this den of sin. Some revealing diary or perhaps a tome of secrets. Surely there was— BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! A series of soul-piercing noises erupted from seemingly everywhere. Shrieks, warbles, and whistles that could only be likened to the souls of the eternally damned screaming through a thousand brazen bulls.

I fell to the floor, clasping the sides of my head before I felt the vibrations of several spindly steps approaching me from every direction.

"WARNING! DANGER! DO NOT APPROACH FURTHER."

"COMPLIANCE WILL BE IMPOSED WITH THE USE OF FORCE!" Kamil It took everything, every ounce and fiber of my being, to not immediately panic. As in the span of a scant few seconds did the dead and lifeless world of iron, scaffolding, and steel ROAR to life. Indeed, I had to step out of the bubble of silence to reorient myself, escaping the infernal cries and hellish shrieks, only to bear witness to the impossible plays on light atop each of these Earthrealm constructs.

Flashes of red intertwining with orange, blipping, swirling, and spinning in their capsules… all without a single tug, nudge, or pull of the local manastreams. But that was only the start of things. My eyes widened as I bore witness to the emergence of beings designed as fiendishly as the rest of this unassuming hell.

What amounted to small cylinders, tubes, and pillars of metal positioned benignly around the perimeter of the compound — akin to bollards of sorts — had begun expanding, morphing, and unfurling into something else entirely. It was a perversion of the arts, utilizing the age-old techniques of paper-folding artistry, to birth what could only be described as arachnid-like monstrosities… or perhaps crustaceans if Teleos was to be believed.

Three thick and armored legs raised each bollard a foot or so above the ground, and atop each of these… things … was a long mosquito-like proboscis that wobbled and bobbed, spinning side to side and trailing up and down, as if mocking the incapacitated Ilphius, who lay there shivering on the ground. Yet that wasn't the most ominous feature about these… creatures. No.

For that was a title which could only be taken by— Ilphius I'd tried, struggled, and desperately scoured within the local manastreams for the cause of that infernal noise. … But there was none to be found. At least, not in a magical sense. It was as if the noises were entirely natural in origin, drawing not from a curse or spell nor even an enchantment. In fact, it felt as if it had come from nothing at all… emerging out of a manaless void not too dissimilar to the earthrealmer herself.

To save myself from this auditory assault, I silenced the world around me, deafening these noises as I struggled to my feet. However, in the midst of this, I caught wind of a deathly glare. A single cycloptic iris that glowed darkly into my soul, carrying with it neither malice nor mercy, but a cold and unfeeling presence that shook aura from tether. I froze as the proboscis beneath this eye brought itself to bear, as if positioning itself to suck the life force and energy from my very being.

Then I saw another, and another, and another… four, five, seven— ten of these… things surrounded me on all sides. I saw neither the blinking of an organic eye nor the warbly effects on the local manastreams as they approached me. Which meant that… whatever these things were, they were neither living… nor magically animated.

"W-what… what in the infernium are you?" I managed out under a strained and fear-ridden hiss, struggling to my feet as I loosened the deafening spell I'd cast on myself. Yet no response came. Nothing, other than the two ear-shattering warnings that sent my head into a spiral.

"WARNING! DANGER! DO NOT APPROACH FURTHER."

"COMPLIANCE WILL BE IMPOSED WITH THE USE OF FORCE!" I deafened the world around me almost on instinct this time. Then, I took a step forward, poised to continue despite the annoyances of these bizarre crustaceans. For what could a manaless golem hope to truly do? However, no sooner had I taken that slithering step than I felt two very bizarre sensations. BZZZZZZZZRRRT!!! A physical barrier… some sort of spell so well-hidden that I hadn't even noticed it in the turbulent local manastreams.

Then a searing pain sent my body into an uncontrollable spasm. I could not move. I couldn't even react. As I felt myself tense and collapse, my whole world pulsing as these metal insects gathered around me like a swarm of ants to incapacitated prey. Kamil! I attempted to mouth out but failed to do more than some slurred and saliva-ridden garbles." H-haelpp…" Kamil … I watched helplessly as those beasts struck. … Though I knew not what they'd even struck with.

It all happened too fast, so cleanly, that I was barely able to even blink in the time between Ilphius' recovery and her sudden fall at the hands of these creatures. Yet that garbled plea communicated all I needed to hear. I had to get out. So with neither loyalty nor kinship tethering me to that slithering serpent, I darted for the door.

The stomps of my footfalls echoed loudly against my ears as I craned my head back towards Ilphius and her crustacean assailants. None of them were following me. In fact, I could only imagine that they were too preoccupied with divvying up the spoils of their catch. I wished all the best to them. At which point, I was immediately faced with the ramifications of my own participation in all of this.

Something had gotten in front of me, a round circular construct barely a foot in height that had snuck right underneath my sightline, causing me to trip and fumble at the very last steps to the exit of this dungeon. I fell into a crumpled heap. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I tried to get up, my hand reaching towards the exit just inches from my face. But in a black flash, my light of hope was engulfed in dark miasma.

My eyes wavered as my whole body quivered in place, staring up warily at the wispy, shadowy tendrils that nibbled and danced against the brightness of the manastreams. I felt the whole room darken, the manastreams wavering, as cold entered my bloodstream. I dared not face her. I dared not even glance into her piercing gaze as I now found myself at the feet of the princess of darkness herself.

Her tainted manafields and her miasmic aura completely overwhelmed what was already a room filled with turbulent and chaotic manastreams. I kept my head low as no one broke the silence… a stillness punctuated only by the muffled and pathetic garbles of a choking and salivating Ilphius.

"Is this what passes for nobility in your realms?" The princess finally spoke, her voice drenched with a dismissive disdain reserved only for the most wretched of commoners.

"A quivering coward and a senseless thief?" She seethed, her tone clear, crisp, and clipped." Pathetic." It was with those urgings that I attempted to speak, my voice stuttering all the while.

"P-please, p-princess, this isn't what—""What was that? Speak up! I can't hear you over her senseless garbles." The princess continued as she took a step forward, the small circular beast moving to stand loyally by her side.

"P-princess Dilani. I can explain. This was just, just…" I paused, as if waiting for the princess to interject, to shout, lambast, and scream at us as any scorned royal would. But she didn't. In fact, she remained eerily silent, leaving only my stutters to fill the otherwise vacant air. This lack of interruptions, this rehearsed withholding of fire and vitriol… was somehow even worse than Ilphius' outbursts.

For in this silence, my own words were given more time to stew in their inadequacies, the guilt within brought to bear with nothing but shame to dress their laurels.

"I… I apologize for my own part, for participating in Lady Ilphius' harebrained schemes of subterfuge and espionage. Acts which are below that which a noble should stoop to." I finally managed out, bowing my head down as I felt each individual tendril of dark testing the manastreams around me. My whole body shivered, as waves of purple and black felt as if they were ready to swallow me whole.

Then— CLAP CLAP CLAP A series of short, snappy, and practically dismissive claps pierced the air, emerging from just beyond the doorframe.

"End scene!" A distinctive shrill voice echoed from behind the princess, as a familiar — now deeper blue — Vunerian came into frame.

"I think we have all that on memory shard." He announced gleefully, an admission that sent my heart falling into the deepest, darkest recesses of my stomach. A second later, and after retrieving a memory shard hidden within a compartment atop of the round and benign creature next to the princess, the Vunerian grinned.

"Now then… what shall we do with you?" One Day Prior. Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Living Room. Local Time: 2200 Hours Thacea"We are being stalked." I announced plainly, putting down my book as I eagerly anticipated the Vunerian's response.

"Indeed we are." He acknowledged with a blunt and diatribe sigh. Though expectantly, this was followed up with a sly grin of mischievous intent.

"Which makes for an excellent opportunity." My only response was a perk of my brow as the Vunerian simply gestured to his bag of holding, rummaging within it for a familiar crystal.

"I know not what their aims are specifically, just broadly. But should matters escalate, I wish to make use of their follies."

"Dare I ask, how so?" I snapped back. To which the Vunerian could only respond with a toothy smile.

"Two-fold. One to appease my curiosities, and another to facilitate our place in the greater games." He began, raising two fingers as he did so.

"It is very clear that this pair of would-be spies desires something from us. That, or they covet something within our dorms. The fact that they are quite literally waiting in the corridor makes that evident enough… so, why don't we take them on a journey? String them along and wear them down? Eventually, they will see that we have neither anything to show nor hide, at which point their desperations will lead them to the source of their frustrations — the earthrealmer."

I narrowed my eyes, leaning closer to meet his gaze.

"And by that you mean our room."

"Correct. Now, I would like to propose—""This is completely out of the question." I interjected.

"I will not have our sanctuary turned into bait for what is ostensibly a banal and lukewarm threat."

"But think about the boons, princess!" Ilunor shot back, his excitement growing further by the second.

"I'll start with the practical and most beneficial—""Blackmail." I interrupted, bringing what would have been a theatrical proposal down to a single discrete point.

"Yes." Ilunor nodded.

"Through memory shards placed strategically around the room, we shall have what could be the most damning leverage on two otherwise hostile actors."

"A card worth playing… pacifying enemies into outright pawns." I pondered aloud.

"Given how severe trespassing is as a transgression… we could very well leverage these two souls in any way we see fit… rendering them into but fiddles within a composition of our creation. A unique and invaluable set of pieces to play, in a game where we so clearly are in need of more pawns for the slaughter." Ilunor stared unblinkingly at that latter sentiment, his expression turning into something more wary in the wake of my own ponderings.

"I find the first proposition to be… acceptable then." I clarified.

"Though I will need some form of assurance for the security of Emma's compound."

"I guarantee it will be of incredibly low risk, princess. I'll even put myself out there and aid in the casting of shrouded barrier spells around the earthrealmer's equipment. Ilphius and Kamil won't be able to tell a thing, especially considering how weak their magical proclivities seem to be." The Vunerian responded excitedly.

"Right then, and your next point?" I urged.

"Do you recall those living bollard guardians, princess?"

"The same ones that warned you from recklessly approaching Emma's property?" I shot back." Accosted, more like." Ilunor corrected but nodded all the same.

"But yes, those ones. Emma has stated that she has… measures against potential incursions to her compound, has she not? I am… highly curious as to exactly what these measures would entail and precisely how they would react to two would-be assailants."

"So in lieu of you testing these countermeasures for yourself, you wish to use our two latest adversaries as test subjects to satiate your morbid curiosities?" I surmised sharply.

"That is precisely the idea, princess." The Vunerian's grins attempted to pry a reaction out of me, but I refused to entertain any more of his points.

"I've read through Emma's house-sitting pamphlet." I announced sternly.

"I am afraid you will see nothing too impressive, but only the efficiency of a people whose doctrine is, it seems, to be unassuming until threatened."

"Hmmph. Undersell it, will you?" Ilunor tsked.

"So be it. I still wish to see it. If only to satiate — as you so deftly described — my morbid curiosities." Present Day Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Emma and Thacea's Room. Local Time: 2045 Hours Ilphius My whole world stood sideways as I watched through my peripheral vision… the betrayal of the coward Kamil.

"Trrraaiiier…" I mumbled out, trying but failing to move my still-twitching muscles. This seemed to garner the attention of everyone present, as I felt power and control returning to my throat before anything else. Yet no one seemed to care.

"Traaiiiieeteer!" I attempted to shout out, though this only seemed to momentarily gain the attention of the tainted and height-challenged pair, who just as quickly turned back to address the wayward noble. Their attention was firmly sequestered, as if I wasn't even here.

"TRAIIIEETOERRRRR!" I finally managed to scream, as this ultimately garnered the full and undivided attention of all present. But instead of meeting me with eyes of anger or disdain, they each leveled a gaze that only frustrated me further… the tainted one with her aloof and dismissive glance, and the Vunerian with a haughty air of superiority. It was as if they were staring down at a lesser, casting judgement as one would to a commoner. It was as if I didn't even register as a concern or a threat…

let alone a rival. I felt my blood boiling hotter than it ever did. My rage growing so raw that it almost threatened to overpower the uncontrollable flinching of my muscles. … But it didn't. Which prompted me to shift my eyes towards Kamil.

"Kaarrmmirlll... Karrmmmmillll!!!!" I yelled, urging him to save me from the approaching duo. But as the fates would have it, the coward remained stationary, still kneeling near the door.

"KAARRMIILLLL! HEELRP ME!" I shouted before finally being met by the princess, who seemed to be capable of parting the swarm of creatures as they each gave way to her entrance. This inexplicable command of what I now assumed to be her tainted spawn was promptly proven true, as she turned to them before raising a tome from her pocket.

"Command: Temporary Access Authorization request. Subject: Lord Ilunor Rularia. Time: Five Minutes. Please confirm Visitor Access credentials." I knew not what or who she was speaking to, but the sudden shift from red to green irises from these beasts proved that something had occurred. However, before I could observe any further, the Vunerian promptly spoke.

"Ah! I see, I see. An attack mimicking the efficacy of lightning-based paralysis spells… quite intriguing…" Instead of immediately addressing me, the Vunerian instead addressed his taller counterpart.

"I did say that it would be rather underwhelming." The tainted one spoke with a sigh, regarding the Vunerian as the latter shrugged in response." Informative, I would say. Though this does beg the question as to just how long of an effect this will have on our subject." He continued as he began poking and prodding at my shoulder with his feet. I felt the fires within me growing to their zenith at this insult. At which point, I screamed.

"HOORWWW DARREEE YOUUUUUUU! GEEET YOUR DIRTY FEET OFF OF ME, YOU TAINT-LOVING TRAITOR!"

"Ah. There we go! It seems as if you've got your vocal cords back!" The Vunerian beamed, whilst the avinor continued what I could only describe as a glare as unflinching and cold in its resolve as the cycloptic gaze of these crustacean golems.

"I DON'T DESERVE THIS TREATMENT, NOT FROM THE LIKES OF—""Let me make something abundantly clear to you, Lady Ilphius. Everything you are, and the place you currently find yourself, is the ultimate and resultant end of actions and decisions made with free and uninhibited will. You chose, willingly at that, to challenge the conventions you pay lip service to. You acted, with full understanding, in a fashion which would under any other circumstance… garner ire and vocal disdain from your own lips.

As such, what you deserve is what you have sewn, a logical conclusion based upon the conventions we all observe, no?" The princess spoke in a derisively calm, frustratingly composed, and annoyingly authoritative manner. Her gaze leveled in a way only a mother could… to an unruly child. I hissed, feeling control returning muscle by aching muscle, until finally…

"GGRRR AHHHHH!!!" I leaped— Kamil I watched as Ilphius leaped… only to find herself trapped in midair. Her eyes widened as she attempted to twist and turn, writhing and slashing… but to the futility of movement which bore no fruit. In front of her stood a princess who'd only just barely raised her arm — her hand dexterously and, with seemingly little effort, manipulating the feral serpent in a telekinetic trap.

Minutes passed as Ilphius tossed, twisted, and turned to no avail, with the Vunerian scoring each and every motion to memory on the shards he held in both hands. The princess, all the while, said absolutely nothing. Her expressions… betraying nothing other than an aloof politeness. Indeed, she looked as one would following an unruly episode with a child or pet, but in a manner more composed than most. More minutes passed… until finally, Ilphius stopped.

Her breaths were now ragged, as her manafields fluctuated in exhaustion.

"Are we quite ready to talk now?" Was the only thing the princess had to say at the end of this whole… episode. Rather expectantly, Ilphius refused to respond, simply sulking in her defeat. Ilphius We were both brought to heel in front of the pair. In which I was met with the reason behind the princess' sudden surge in confidence.

"I needn't say much more than this, do I?" The Vunerian spoke in a singsong voice, holding between his fingers several memory shards that he dexterously moved about.

"Though if it must be spelled out… I now have—""We have evidence of your princess using taint magic." I attempted to counter.

"I saw it, when she threatened Kamil. I can have you sent to the depths for that stunt."

"At the risk of being expelled, you mean?" The Vunerian countered dismissively, completely calling both bluff and bluster with practically no effort.

"You'd also have to have your memories looked into if you wish to pursue that, in which case… you'd be divulging the context behind this alleged use of taint magic."

"They'd see that we were trespassing before they even get to that piece of memory, Lady Il—""Shut your mouth, Kamil." I seethed, garnering a shrug from the man.

"With that out of the way, I think we should move onto—""What do you want?" I interjected, attempting to regain some traction in this conversation.

"Nothing. At least not at the time of discussion." The Vunerian spoke curtly.

"We do not plan on frivolously releasing this information either. Ergo, you have no reason to fear unnecessary reprisals on our part." He smiled politely.

"However, should we ever see reason to retaliate, know that we will not hesitate to do so." The princess added darkly.

"Any transgressions, and any future incursions into our interests, will be met with the possibility of a reprisal of due cause."

"Though of course, such retaliations aren't reserved for such trivial things as academic competitions and whatnot." The Vunerian chimed in with a polite chuckle.

"It is only the matter of unjust vexations and provocative actions committed in bad faith which we will respond to." He added, this time with as severe a tone as the princess.

"I have faith that your upbringing and experiences will allow you to fill in precisely what we mean, because we have neither the time nor the inclination to draft nor orate to you a full list of clauses and conditions." The princess chimed in, garnering a nod from the Vunerian.

"Quite, quite." He acknowledged.

"With all that being said… I do hope that some common ground can be found between us." The Vunerian concluded politely.

"Your peer group leader has made his intentions clear on that front, so follow his leadership, if you'd please?"

"W-we'll do so, Lord Rularia." Kamil responded with a bow of his head.

"My sincerest and utmost apologies to you both."

"It's not just me you have to apologize to." The princess shot back.

"It's to Cadet Booker as well."

"Ah, of course! Please pass on my sincerest apologies to Cadet Booker. I… do hope we can mend bridges, as there's much I wish to learn from you, and you, and indeed, Cadet Booker as well." Kamil spoke with a surprising degree of… earnestness. The likes of which made me sick to my core. Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Living Room. Local Time: 2115 Hours Thacea"Well then! Wasn't that grand?"

Ilunor spoke triumphantly, taking pleasure in feeding himself bunches upon bunches of grapes atop his chaise lounge.

"Indeed." I acknowledged plainly.

"Oh, come on, princess! I know you felt something close to satisfaction there! Tell me, wasn't it a huge weight off of your chest to finally be able to express your authority with little pushback?" I cocked my head at this line of questioning, to which the Vunerian could only sigh fitfully in response.

"I know that the authority you carry is in constant question due to your… affliction. And while I have learned to see past that, it doesn't detract from my earlier statements. This was perhaps one of the few times you've been able to exert your authority without any pushback, and I am assuming that it must have felt grand, did it not?" I took a moment to regard that question, to really ponder it, before finally….

"Yes, but only so far that it was done with just cause." Ilunor shrugged at this.

"Whatever you say, princess." Silence dawned again, though only temporarily, as the Vunerian regarded me curiously, as if unsure of his next few words.

"Your performance tonight was commendable, princess. Indeed, if you ask me, you came off as a natural royal. Which, you are, but… such is the saying, I suppose." He spoke with a nervous lilt in his voice. This concession of flattery came as a surprise, as did the rest of Ilunor's actions over the week. However, instead of simply dismissing it this time around… I instead took it in stride, and perhaps even somewhat to heart.

"It was through your… stubbornness and flighty ambitions that we even considered this plan, so I must likewise give credit where credit is due, Ilunor." I responded frankly, causing the Vunerian to dip his head slowly in acknowledgement.

"A toast then." Ilunor reached forward, grabbing a bottle of glittering wine before filling two flute glasses beside it.

"To our dear comrades in the North." I accepted the glass warily, learned instincts over countless galas causing me to inspect it even though I knew I didn't need to do so.

"To their success, and to their safe return." I raised the glass, clinking it with Ilunor's.

"Hear, hear!"