Pyrthet’s closest neighbor, Ythrel, lay three hundred and fifty three miles east of the city. It was the smallest of the four nations on Altethia. Once there had been dozens of cities, but as nexi began to develop, Deluuth, Genyl, Argeny, and Ythrel emerged victorious, with the surrounding cities falling to them. They swelled to nations, and the number of major cities dwindled on Altethia dwindled. Some developed their own nexi, with the hopes to stand against the nations, but Pyrthet had been the last of these.

Now only the nations survived.

Deluuth had come out on top as the primary power on Altethia, everyone knew that. But what no one in Pyrthet had realized was the extent of the tensions among the four countries. It was a proverbial powder keg, and Sir Thomas’s confession revealed how many sparks had already been lit.

“Deluuth seeks to seize control of the continent,” Sir Thomas started, head bowed. “Nexus Deluuth is the strongest on the island. Genyl sits at Level 14. The power gap between the two is just small enough that neither would risk fighting. Because they border each other, neither was willing to seek out other targets or risk leaving their towns vulnerable, leaving Argeny and Ythrel relatively safe, even though their nexi were low enough leveled to be at risk. Argeny had a Level 9 nexus, and Ythrel has a level 7.”

“Had.” Elzio caught the word immediately. “What happened to Argeny’s nexus?”

“Destroyed,” Sir Thomas said. “By Nexus Deluuth. The entire kingdom has been consumed into Deluuth.”

A pattering of gasps and whispers broke out among the council. Elzio’s eyes connected with the cloudy eyes of his mentor. Both were as unsettled by the news as the rest. A battle on that scale hadn’t happened during his life. The major nations occasionally siphoned off low leveled nexi that sparked up in unimportant, unaffiliated cities, but to learn of an entire kingdom falling…

“When did this happen?” asked Kes.

“Approximately a year ago,” Sir Thomas said. “News stayed on the other side of the continent. I didn’t even learn of it until…”

“Go on.”

He gave a heavy sigh and a small sob slipped out. “A small cohort of refugees arrived a month after Argeny fell. They were seeking sanctuary. I took the case on personally. We hadn’t seen refugees in years, so getting such a group meant there must be unrest on the island. That’s when I learned. What Deluuth was capable of. I realized there truly was no hope for Pyrthet. With the battle complete, Deluuth leveled to 17. None could challenge them. There was no hope. There is no hope.”

Elzio could see where this was going. By selling out Pyrthet to Deluuth, Sir Thomas would cement himself a comfortable lifestyle in Deluuth, free from the oppressions inflicted upon by the bloodthirsty nation. Deluuth would earn another level, setting it at 18 to Genyl’s 14.

“So Genyl will turn to Ythrel,” Elzio said, thinking out loud. “Consume them. Earn their nexus a leve, maybe twol. A level 18 and a level 15 or 16. That’s a stalemate again, with no other nexi except echos and no surviving kingdoms to provide new rulers.”

Sir Thomas looked up, his bloodshot eyes meeting Elzio’s. “Not quite. Genyl and Deluuth have a peace treaty, and Genyl is not particularly war-mongering. They wouldn’t just seek out Ythrel to fight, not unless they knew how destabilized the continent had gotten. Queen Iverna has agents in Genyl intent on suffocating information, and with no one actively trying to warn them, the nation has no reason to learn.”

“How easily can Deluuth force Ythrel into combat?” Thyper asked. “Deluuth needed Sir Thomas to issue the challenge. Does Iverna have agents in Ytrhel to do the same?”

Sir Thomas swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter. Argeny was power-hungry and always kept Ythrel in check. They’d been responsible for clearing out all the echo nexi in the surrounding area. They were the second to last nation to develop a nexus, only being blessed with one ten years prior to us. Ythrel lived in fear of them, rarely seeking out echos of their own. With Argeny gone, Ythrel has, once again, turned to find echos to consume. Recently, they have leveled to 9. They’re half Deluuth’s level.”

A nexus would struggle to create an arena tight enough to trap any nexus less than half its level. Usually the only way was to expend a massive amount of points. When the difference between the two nexi was reduced to half, however, it became far easier. Elzio had read that at higher levels, these absolutes became cloudier, but for their purposes, it was very precise.

“So Deluuth could still challenge Ythrel,” Syrene said. “A level 17 and a level 9.”

“Once they defeat Ythrel, it’ll just be Genyl left.” Elzio massaged his temples, realizing just how dire the situation was. “And Echo, I suppose. Between Echo and Ythrel, Nexus Deluuth would probably be able to reach 19. And I think, at 19, they’d be willing to take on Genyl’s 14. Then the continent falls entirely to their rule. Unquestionably so.”

The council hung in silence at his words. Perhaps they were contemplating what would become of them under Deluuth rule. Deluuth was cruel to their subjugated people. They saw those they conquered as heretics, heathens who worshiped a different nexus, a different ruler. To secure their rule, they stamped out any kind of revolution, any chance for an uprising. Even a half-successful coup could lead to a martyr reincarnating as a nexus, after all. After so many years of stability, Deluuth was making their power play. Within a few decades, none would ever be able to contest them again.

“Damned if we do, damned if we don’t,” swore Elter. “We have no recorse here. An echo nexus can’t protect us. We’ve learned all of this too late!”

Elzio closed his eyes, chasing down hypotheticals behind his eyelids. Did he and Echo go fight and consume other echos, try to level enough? But that would take years of grinding to get anything past level 5, time they didnt have. Even after the unprecedented victory over Pyrthet, a level 1 beating a level 4, Echo only leveled to 3. She’d been close, so close, to 4, but even that didn’t matter. Even with the ideal circumstances, there was no way they beat a level 17.

“Do we just surrender?” Blinton asked. “I suppose that’s up to you, now, Elzio. You hold our city in your grasp.” He sounded defeated, his voice a heavy sigh.

“First of all,” Elzio said, opening his eyes, “you’re wrong. I work with Echo, but she’s the nexus. Second, I…” He turned to Echo. She had never seemed particularly interested in ruling humans. Never being human herself, she was interested in learning about them, but did she have the knowledge yet to rule over them? Did she have the inclination?

I care little about ruling the day to day minutiae of mortals. Echo’s voice was a level of coldness Elzio knew to be dispassionate, but not unkind. That nuance, however, was likely lost on the others in the room. It seems you have neglected too many potential opportunities in your rush to admit surrender, and that is a level of servility I have no interest in entertaining.

This was unkind, however. She was annoyed at something, something they’d missed. It wasn’t the smug ‘I know something you don’t’ annoyance either. It was closer to the frustration she’d expressed when Elzio had dismissed the value of the lives of the echo nexi. So was she again annoyed that they’d overlooked the nexi in question as anything other than batteries to power their cities and heroes?

“Could we…” Elzio paused. He didn’t have the full thought baked out. There was a lot he still didn’t know about nexi, so to be so bold as to ask in front of the council, who may prove him wrong, wasn’t appealing. But Echo would prefer the question now, so he asked. “Ythrel doesn’t want to fall to Deluuth rule. And I’m sure their nexus and heroes don’t want to die. Could we somehow work out an alliance with them? A treaty?” He closed his eyes again, thinking in Echo’s general direction, Can we team up with them?

It was a shot in the dark, whether or not she could actually telepathcially communicate with him. He didn’t know the full extent of her methods of communication after all.

We could work alongside them, she said. Whether that had been an answer to his direct question or his indirect suggestion, he didn’t know, but it was an answer none the less. It is possible for multiple nexi to battle alongside in a battle.

Three nexi in an arena? That was an idea for sure. He looked to her, to Syrene, to Sir Thomas, to the council. Would they go for it? Did they have a choice? Echo could force them to comply, as their new nexus.

“That’s impossible,” said Thyper. “Joining forces with another nexus? Preposterous. Such a thing has never occurred. It would be suicide to even enter their territory. Besides, what hope still does a level 3 and level 9 have against a level 17?”

Or against a 14? Were we to take down Genyl’s nexus, the two of us could stand up to Deluuth. But Echo’s voice had drifted back to cold indifference. Nevertheless, I have no interest in forcing you to fight against your will. I do not need a city behind me. I have the necessary tools to accomplish this without your support.

She was talking about Elzio, which was flattering, but perhaps more than he deserved. Yes he’d helped her take down Loreth, but only with decades of inside information. This fight, teaming up with Ythrel against either city would be a far cry from that.

“I concur with Echo.”

Elzio looked sharply to where Syrene stood by the nexus’s side. “With the combined power Elzio Shilon and I have, his arena crafting skills, and my research into the inner workings of this grand conspiracy, it is not necessary for Pyrthet to cast their vote behind us. We have sufficient power and resources.”

Echo didn’t seem at all surprised by Syrene’s vote of confidence, and Elzio cursed having wasted time resting when there had clearly been important discussion he’d missed. So Syrene had pledged to join him and Echo? To what gain? A quick mental calculation confirmed that, with him and Syrene volunteering, Echo would still have over a thousand points to create and customize her arena, so it wasn’t numerically impossible. But what did Syrene have to gain?

The chance to shed ties with a cowardly council that prioritized all the wrong things? The opportunity to flee the sinking ship that was Pyrthet? She’d seemed rather disillusioned with how Pyrthet was run, from how it raised its heroes to how it now proposed to sit still and do nothing about Deluuth instead of rise up.

“You’re leaving, Master Wispwater?” Councilman Blinton rose to his feet. “You’re joining this madness?”

Syrene fixed him with red eyes that radiated a cold energy. “I would rather face madness than wait for it to consume me.” Then she turned to Sir Thomas. “Thomas, I’m going to need a few things from you. I will, of course, be doing a full search of your quarters and study for any information that slipped your mind, but I’ll also need you to provide a full list of all your accomplices and contacts before your execution. See that they are brought to us.”

The pitiful man whimpered at the reminder of his impending death, but Syrene’s face didn’t falter. She instead walked to Elzio.

“Interrogate him as much as you will. I’m going to his study to find what I can.” With her face now hidden from the council and Sir Thomas, Elzio could see lines he hadn’t before. Exhaustion around her mouth, worry knit in her brow, guilt in her eyes. Emotions Elzio hadn’t even thought to contemplate beyond sheer calculation.

He nodded. “I’ve heard most of what I think I can learn from here,” he said. “Echo doesn’t want to take over the city, so I think after we’re rested and researched, it may be prudent to make haste.”

Irona will send her agents to the city presently. I do not know her well, but I know she is not a patient entity. Echo’s voice was almost reverent as she spoke of Nexus Deluuth. When Sir Thomas fails to respond, she will want to know what happened.

“We’ll need to have acted before then,” Elzio said. “You’re right, Syrene. I think we spend at most one or two more days here. Then we ride to Ythrel.”

Syrene nodded, a distant look to her heavy eyes. Then she smiled. “You and Echo have one more task to complete before then, I think.”

He frowned, ticking through the mental list he’d put together. Yes, he and Echo needed to strategize, but that would likely happen after all their information was gathered. Perhaps Syrene meant debriefing? Or was there a form of consolation they were supposed to offer the defeated heroes? Maybe—

“Leveling,” she said, lips in a now rather amused smile after watching him puzzle over her words for several seconds. “You don’t want to let that go too long. Better to level with your past victory in mind rather than potential future battles.”

She was right, even if it was about something Elzio hated. He liked to think he memory was adept enough that he could recall a battle multiple days or even weeks ago, and instead strategize his leveling for the next battle. But even in his own experience he found that his most impactful level ups happened after combat, when the memory of the fight was fresh in his brain and he was more cognisant of his shortcomings. It forced him to prioritize necessity over desire, fix his shortcomings rather than spec into his preferred areas of study.

“Of course,” he said. “Before the battle becomes a memory.” Moving forward, with a new hero by his side, it would be even more important to continue leveling his doppelgangers, increasing their utility, and increase his own ability to move without being seen, heard, or felt.

With that in mind, he pulled up his stats.

~~~

You have gained a level!

Elzio Shilon: Level 9+1 Summoner

Strength: 12

Intelligence: 20+1

Agility: 15+1

Fortitude: 11+1

Hit Points Pool: 200+25 (FOR)

Endurance Pool: 225+25 (STR+AGI)

Mana Pool: 450+25 (INT)

Spells:

Summon Doppelganger

Level 1: Physical copy, cannot move, 10 hit points, no stats, vanishes upon death — 80 mana, 20 second cooldown, concentration (20 mana)

Level 2: Physical copy, can be puppeted, has 10% stats, remains upon death as long as the spell is refreshed — 125 mana, 25 second cooldown, concentration (30 mana)

Level 3: Copy, can be ordered, has 30% stats, remains upon death as long as the spell is refreshed — 160 mana, 30 second cooldown, concentration (40 mana)

Level 4: Battle copy, can be ordered, has 50% stats, can cast abilities at half doppel level, retains visual traits of the original (assuming known), remains upon death as long as the spell is refreshed — 200 mana, 35 second cooldown, concentration (50 mana)

Level 5: Battle copy, can be ordered, has 60% stats, retains 25% of buffs, can cast abilities below doppel level, retains visual traits, remains upon death as long as the spell is refreshed — 300 mana, 40 second cooldown, concentration (75 mana)

Level 6: Battle copy, can be ordered, has 65% stats, can equip items, retains 30% of buffs, can cast abilities at half doppel level, retains visual traits, remains upon death as long as the spell is cast — 380 mana, 45 second cooldown, concentration (95 mana)

Teleport Doppelganger

Level 1: Move dopple 30 feet in any direction. Will sustain fall damage — 75 mana, 15 second cooldown

Level 2: Move dopple 50 feet in any direction. Will sustain fall damage — 100 mana, 20 second cooldown

Level 3: Move dopple 60 feet in any direction. Will sustain 50% fall damage — 125 mana, 23 second cooldown.

New Spell!

Level 4: Move dopple 75 feet in any direction. Will sustain 40% fall damage — 150 mana, 25 second cooldown.

Invisibility

Level 1: Hides user while staying still. Ends if abilities are used — 40 mana, 15 second cooldown, concentration (5 mana)

New Spell!

Ghost Form

Level 1: Allows units to pass through caster at 25% density while staying still. Ends if abilities are used. Does not allow immunity to attacks or abilities. — 50 mana, 20 second cooldown, concentration (10 mana)