The door to Sir Thomas’s innermost chambers shuddered with each Concussive Blow. Elzio, Echo, and Syrene waited behind Elzio’s Tanks as they slammed their fists against the fortified door. It was taking time, but time was one thing they definitely had. Behind them, amidst the ruins of Sir Thomas’s study, lay the bodies of the final eight guardians. Elzio had only recognized one of them—Lady Dwelmesh. She had been bonded to Loreth and worked very closely with Sir Thomas, overseeing much of the hero-to-nexus communications. Elzio hadn’t ever much attachment to her, so it was almost relieving that she was the only other person he knew who stood on the side of the traitors. All his other teachers, all the other higher members of the board that he personally interacted with, had all been innocent. Or at least, not willing to stand and fight on behalf of Sir Thomas.

Finally the Tanks smashed through the door. Elzio’s third doppel, a mid leveled Void Whisperer, released a plume of monodirectional Shade Screen into the room. Sir Thomas would not be able to see beyond his own nose, but Elzio’s party would be able to enter and see quite easily through the smoky haze.

Their target was not ready to go without a fight. As soon as the door opened, Sir Thomas released a flurry of Scattershots. At a high enough level, the little ricocheting rockets could have dealt some real damage upon collision with a living target. However, Sir Thomas, for all his political clout and power, was not a fighter. He had a few tricks up his sleeve that were just that. Tricks.

Syrene’s level 1 Rock Plate was enough to absorb most of the damage, and her hit points barely flickered as she planted her feet and charged up her Electroshock. A crackle of energy that Elzio could taste filled the air as tendrils of lightning snaked off his mentor. Sir Thomas made an attempt to run, but he was still blinded by the Shade Screen and ran face first into one of Elzio’s doppelgangers.

Now lying on his back, he was an easy target for Syrene.

With a sharp flick of her wrist, Syrene launched the spell, and immediately a dozen strands of electricity wrapped around Sir Thomas, forming a cocoon of pure energy.

Sir Thomas howled in pain. He writhed, squirming in his chains, trying to escape, and it was clear from the look of panic on his face that he knew… the game was over.

“You know there’s no way out of that,” Elzio said, taking a few steps forward, before crouching down next to the man. “But I think you also know, deep down, that there was never going to be a way out of any of this. What were you thinking?”

“I didn’t—I couldn’t! I had to, you don’t understand—” Sir Thomas let out another cry. “The powers wielded by Deluuth—”

They are meaningless to a city as small as yours. Echo’s voice lacked the venom contained in Elzio’s. Were they to march troops against you, you would simply fortify your well defended home. They could not have gotten in.

“More than that,” Elzio said, more to Echo than to anyone else, “there’s a reason we have guards and not soldiers. No one wants to risk their life in open combat when they could simply wait for a nexus battle to resolve conflict.”

Echo shifted her attention back to Sir Thomas, radiating skeptism. But the older man’s struggles had grown weak as his health and stamina fled his body. “I c-can explain.”

“Good,” Syrene said. “It seems as though you might be the only one left who can do so.”

His eyes found her, realizing for the first time that she was not a doppelganger, but rather a flesh and blood living person.

“S-Syrene? You betr-trayed us.”

Her eyes shifted to a dark blue as she fixed him with a withering look. “No, Thomas. You betrayed us. The city. My students. Me. There will be plenty to discuss… when you wake.”

As she spoke, the time on her spell expired, and the electric chains dissolved. Sir Thomas, drained to less than 30% stamina, tried to prop his body up on shaking arms, but he wouldn’t have the time to act.

“P-please—” was all he managed before one of Elzio’s tanks landed a Concussive Blow, draining the remainder of his scant stamina, and rendering him Unconscious.

Finally, after a grueling hour of combat, Elzio dropped all his spells. He sat down heavily on the floor, and felt the hum of his stats returning to him. His usual base hit points, mana, and stamina were so much lower than his new, modified pool.

Elzio Shilon: Level 9 (+1!) Summoner

Strength: 12+108

Intelligence: 20+180

Agility: 15+135

Fortitude: 11+109

Hit Points Pool: 200+1800 (FOR)

Hit Points Current: 1655 (FOR)

Endurance Pool: 225+2025 (STR+AGI)

Endurance Current: 1400

Mana Pool: 450+4050 (INT)

Mana Current: 350

Modifiers: Nexus Victory Buff. Pain levels from activities are reduced 50%. All stats are buffed 1000%

Well that explained it. Yes, his pools were higher, but he’d spent far more than he’d ever spent before. His body knew it was still alive, still had more to give, but he’d never given so much. He’d never been so tired.

Elzio, if you need to rest, we can continue the interrogation afterwards. Echo hovered to his side. I can read the signs of exhaustion plainly on your face, even if you should be adequately buffed to not feel them.

She sounded almost offended that he would dare to be tired amid her powerful aura, and Elzio laughed quietly. “You’ve done more than adequate. And I appreciate the offer of rest, but I’d like to get this over with before losing the victory buff.”

“You have nearly a full day left,” Syrene said. She knelt to his side, placing an arm on his shoulder. “I get why you want to jump into interrogation, but do consider the impact your mental fatigue may have on your judgment.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Elzio said, shoving her arm off his. “This man is responsible for the entire fall of the city. He backed me into a corner, he forced me away from the city, he put me in an impossible situation, forcing me to choose between my life and my loyalty.” The anger that coursed through his veins wasn’t as controlled or righteous as before. It poured from him like fire as he pulled himself to his feet. “Pyrthet will not recover from this! Do Echo and I stay? Rule it? We killed their nexus. They’re an enslaved people. Even if they understand that the fault lies with Sir Thomas, we still killed the reincarnation of Loreth. Many of the people of this city knew him when he was alive, and we killed him! They won’t follow us peacefully, so what will become of them? Do we leave the city under the rule of the Council? How will they stand up to outside forces upon learning they lack a nexus?” It had only been in the last decade, under Nexus Pyrthet, that the city had bloomed from a bustling town to a mighty city state. Having a nexus put them on the map. Without one they were vulnerable. “Syrene, this man ruined the lives of thousands of people. Everyone I’ve known from birth, everything they’ve known, it’s all… I can’t just… Can’t just…”

He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, trying to think.

Rest, Elzio. Echo’s suggestion was less patient and less kind than Syrene’s. Syrene will speak to the people, address them and let them know that the city is under protection while the situation inside is handled. I, meanwhile, will watch her. These last lines were uttered with a needlessly threatening tone.

Elzio opened his eyes to see Syrene eye the nexus. She shifted her weight, before looking back to Elzio.

He waved Echo down. “Syrene won’t betray us. But if you’d like to watch her, monitor her, you are welcome to. Wake me if she pulls anything funny.”

Echo nodded solemnly, still exuding a menacing aura towards Syrene. Of course she wouldn’t trust Elzio’s old teacher. As far as she was concerned, Syrene was one minor betrayal away from being another Sir Thomas.

To her credit, Elzio wouldn’t have seen Sir Thomas’s betrayal coming, though not necessarily because he thought the man was above it. Until finding that letter, Elzio would never have considered that anyone was ready to betray them. Had he sat down and rated those in the Citadel on a scale of who was most likely to betray him, Sir Thomas wouldn’t be highest but Syrene would definitely be lowest. Maybe Kia would be lower than her, but only because Kia didn’t have a cruel bone in her body.

“All right,” Elzio said. “I’m going to rest… Somewhere.” He looked around the room. Did he go to his old chambers? Did he sleep in Sir Thomas’s bed? Would that be strange? Probably, but there was no normal place to sleep here. May as well enjoy the bed here. It could possibly be one of the more comfortable beds in the Monolith.

Syrene nodded. “I’ll keep and eye on Sir Thomas. Me and your echo, that is,” she added quickly. “Sleep well, young master. You performed well today.”

—

Elzio and Syrene, his teacher, stood on opposite sides of the small room. In the center, shackled to a chain, sat Sir Thomas Kiernan, the traitor of Pyrthet. On the wall opposite from Echo, was an open window, in which crowded the four other members of the Council—Sir Blinton, Sir Elter, Lady Thyper, and Sir Kes.

“Sir Thomas Kiernan.” Elzio’s voice was as cold as night as he stood before the disgraced councilor. “You have been brought before us here, accused of conspiring with the city of Deluuth and their nexus. We have evidence that you planned to bring the Pyrthet nexus to level 5, only to trick the nexus and his heroes into battling Nexus Deluuth.”

“The esteemed members of the council have, at their disposal, the accumulated nature of all evidence I have gathered over the past three months.” Syrene looked to the council, ignoring Sir Thomas’s frantic expression. “Among them, correspondances between Thomas and a number of the combatants responsible for barricading the upper levels of the Citadel. There are, as well, letters between Thomas and Dwelmesh regarding the status of the heroes of Pyrthet. Other letters exist too, but I won’t bother reading them all aloud. You know of which I speak, don’t you?”

This last sentence was directed at Sir Thomas, and Echo knew it was a bluff. An implied bluff, but a bluff none the less. Echo knew of the letter Elzio had found in Sir Thomas’s study, but the letter itself had not been retrieved. It would have presented near infallible evidence of Sir Thomas’s treachery. Without it, they needed to bait out a confession. Syrene needed Sir Thomas to fall to pressure, admit to writing these letters, so that they could then proceed with whatever following accusations were at hand.

Echo found the whole affair to be dull. Mortals cared so much about their proper channels and processes. Without them, small affairs among the kingdoms would go unchecked. One person might simply claim something terrible about another, and all would believe them. So they spent hours and days and months gathering information to prove one way or another, sway their judges and juries.

It made logical sense, which Echo could appreciate, but she also just did not understand why they worked so hard to lie in the first place. Maybe it was not fair to assume lying for power was a purely mortal endeavor. After all, Irona, the nexus of Deluuth, was involving herself in such trickery. Likely many of the nexi did.

Then again, those nexi were all once mortal themselves. Those instincts must run deep.

Echo’s attention drifted back to the trial. The members of the council were discussing among themselves, while Sir Thomas began to cry. This must be going well for Elzio.

“Those in Deluuth, they have power you wouldn’t imagine!” the traitor cried. “They’ve been bearing down on us for years. My deal was not to betray Pyrthet but to protect the citizens! Their queen promised mercy on our people if only I offered them our nexus. She said if I refused, she would slay the Pyrthet nexus all the same, and then do so to every last man, woman, and child!”

His speech was well made, and Echo turned to Elzio, interested in how he would refute this. Was it a lie?

“That’s a lie,” Elzio said, voice cool. He was pacing behind Sir Thomas’s chair, just out of view enough that the man was forced to twist in his chair to see him. “You wouldn’t have sent an assassin after me were that true. You would have spoken to other members of the council. Surely were such a dire threat being leveled at us, the wise and just thing to do would be to reach out to your fellow leaders.”

Two council members—Elter and Blinton—muttered amongst each other at this, and an unfamiliar anxiety flared within Echo. Had Elzio been wrong? Had Sir Thomas indeed spoken to his fellows about this threat? Perhaps one of them had sent the assassin. Perhaps Sir Thomas was innocent!

Echo did not enjoy the feelings of anxiety that flared through her. They should have just killed Sir Thomas and left. Why did Elzio care so much about clearing his name here anyway?

“Young Master Shilon brings up a valid point,” said Sir Elter. “In fact, Sir Blinton has just reminded me that you spoke not too long ago of extending a friendship to Deluuth. You invited over three agents of theirs, two merchants and a diplomat, to tour our city six months ago. I remember you and they seemed on quite good terms, as you did not request any squadron of heroes, guards, or soldiers for protection. Tell me, Blinton, what became of that?”

The other man stroked his dark goatee. “I can’t say I remember, Elter. In fact, I don’t think we ever heard from that again. And as the Minister of Commerce, I feel as though it would have crossed my path had any trade been arranged.” His eyes narrowed as he looked down on Sir Thomas.

Lady Thyper sat up, her heavy face contorted in thought. “You brought these agents into Citadel, did you not? I had heard foreign emissaries were being entertained—I remember this well as overseer of Citadel operations—but I was told they were from Genyl.” She turned to Sir Elter. “Did we host multiple parties of emissaries that month?”

Elter leaned back in his seat, eyes dark. “We did not. I think, Thyper, you were lied to.”

“So.” Elzio turned on the traitor. “You lied to other members of the Council, brought foreign agents into Pyrthet, and allowed them free reign of the Citadel. Foreign agents from a city that we all agree is openly hostile towards us.”

Sir Thomas’s eyes widened, and the man began to sputter as he fumbled for an explanation, a way out of this. “I—that was—you misunderstand! Or, no, you misremember!” His face turned a shade of violet that Echo did not know human faces could reach. “This is preposterous! I never sent an assassin! Those men and I were not friends! They were—I didn’t—I wasn’t allowed to—”

Sir Kes rose then, slicing a hand through the air, and the room fell silent.

“Sir Thomas Kiernan,” he said, his voice grave. “You have before you two options. You may confess to us all your sins, every wicked plot you have enacted, every evil scheme you have conspired. Mercy shall be shown on your soul, and you will be rewarded with a swift death and the promise of an afterlife.” His eyes drifted upward for a moment, before dropping down to him. “Should you continue to offer us that which we know are lies, the truth will be… extracted from you, and your soul shall be damned to oblivion. The Council has made their ruling. You are guilty. Do not continue to fill our ears with your lies.”

Echo shifted, waiting impatiently for Sir Thomas to answer. She was not partial to the lengthy segments of the trial, but she had to admit, this part was rather exciting. Both options tantalized her. Hearing Sir Thomas’s full confession would certainly reveal much, but she also did want to know what was implied by ‘extraction.’ If he did not choose that path, she would have to ask Elzio afterwards.

Sir Thomas’s bulging eyes flicked between Elzio, Syrene, and the councilwoman who had issued forth his options.

“K-Kes.” He addressed the man with utmost pathetic groveling. “Please.”

No one else in the room spoke for several long minutes, before, fully weeping, Sir Thomas bowed his head.

“I’ll do it,” he whispered. “I’ll confess.”