Jackal Among Snakes

The moment that they exited Erlebnis’ vault, the Alchemist seized all of them with his many arms, and used [Worldstrider] to take them elsewhere. Though wounded, battered, and mentally scarred, the fact remained that they had escaped the clutches of Erlebnis and Mozzahr both. It almost felt wrong to win in this manner… but win they did. They stood once again in a section of Erlebnis’ near-endless Annals of the Universe, about to fulfill their last task.

“You’re back,” Elenore’s relieved voice flooded into his mind through her divine blessing of connection. “I thought… I didn’t know what to think.”

Argrave smiled. “We’ll be coming home, soon. All of us.”

There was silence that told of unspeakable relief. Then, Elenore said simply, “I’ll be waiting.”

Argrave stared at the Alchemist. The man seemed to be gathering himself to prepare to do something. His body cracked inward, and Hause’s court stepped back in alarm. He exploded into a mass of arms and eyes, then spread throughout the vast city of brown books. He tore them apart book by book, consuming the knowledge inside.

As the Alchemist—or Raven, as he had once been known—pillaged Erlebnis’ knowledge ruthlessly, Argrave looked back at his party and reflected. They had come here seeking to gain every bit of knowledge they could to study Gerechtigkeit, searching for a way to defeat him. Along the way, they’d gained far more than just that. Even barring the myriad artifacts that they’d stolen from Erlebnis’ vault, of which they’d yet to fully sort through… there were many benefits to this journey.

Argrave had learned the truth of what, and who, the Alchemist was. It was a terrifying revelation. The Alchemist had the potential to destroy an entire continent on his lonesome… and indeed, he had once before. And in the end, they’d rescued his patron god, Hause. Argrave spotted her, speaking to her divine servants. He gestured toward Anneliese, and they walked side by side to speak to them while the Alchemist labored.

“Hello,” Argrave greeted. “I’m sorry for your losses, Hause. Not the most pleasant way to wake up, I imagine.”

Hause stared at him, and Argrave stared back. He questioned if she was seeing his potential, sizing him up. He couldn’t deny the idea enticed his curiosity. She had long wavy blonde hair with auburn roots, and looked like a young girl despite her status as divinity. She seemed not fully grown, yet just on the cusp—in a word, potential.

“We were never asleep,” Hause said in response. “We were fighting the Smiling Raven, and then we were here.”

“I see. I… honestly don’t know how long you were in there. At the very least, it’s been two cycles of judgment—meaning two millennia,” Argrave told her calmly.

Her court stirred with the news, some appearing utterly distraught. Argrave wouldn’t know how to react to that information, either—perhaps he’d need to see it to believe it.

might begin at introductions, given we never got the chance earlier. I am Anneliese, Queen of Vasquer. This

“If your council permits that, it cannot be a large

have to be the

she dipped her head neatly, completing their exchange. “I appreciate your aid. I hope we might speak more in-depth later. You are

does,” Anneliese

is, after this. But you are welcome in Vasquer, and I

Argrave narrowed his eyes in confusion. Then, he heard a voice

be looking forward to seeing

there, on a bench in this ugly city of brown books. All of time seemed

“Give it up. Even in your own realm, you can’t catch

were satisfied to have you as a champion… but when that avenue died, we still hoped we might salvage things. As it so happened, you wandered right into the heart of

me,” Argrave

malevolence, the man stopped. “…you’ve used it well. Too well. But at the end of the day, it’s still an inextricable link between you… and him. And he’s made it his blessing once again. On the mortal realm, Erlebnis could do nothing about that. He just had

fine,” he

You see… Erlebnis got what he wanted, Argrave. He got

“I don’t feel

weak mental warfare he subjected you to… nothing but a prelude to the true attack. You might consider it a curse, but we consider it our greatest blessing. Everything that you see, everything that you hear, everything that you sense… well, Erlebnis will know about it, Argrave. Rather than kill you… Erlebnis elected to prepare this condition. He believes it is just about of equal value to all

for a moment, and his vision danced. He denied, “That’s not true. If it was, you would never have

There was no point in hiding it from you, as it will be found shortly. But even now that you know… what can you do? You have to communicate with your allies. In so doing, you will communicate with Erlebnis.

but he dared not overplay his hand—his thoughts seemed spared this scrutiny, but would Erlebnis know about his communication with Elenore? Was removing it truly hopeless? Ingo had already

sure he’ll pay well to know your plans to combat him. And the Qircassian Coalition? Any strategy you might have against them will

it’s your senses. But later, perhaps it will be your mind. This is Erlebnis’ counterattack, Argrave. Does it soil your victory, somewhat? If you should wish to negotiate… the door remains open. You need only say the words aloud, and Erlebnis