Cultist of Cerebon - Chapter 27

“I really don’t see why High Command couldn’t give us a few horses,” Zareth grumbled as he glared at the hateful creature pulling their caravan’s supply wagon through the desert sands. “I understand that they’re not native and are bred purely for the cavalry divisions, but surely they could have spared us one or two!”

The hateful creature in question was a ghorak, which could be best described as a camel-like creature with two large horns. They were relatively handy beasts of burden and were commonly used all throughout the Qahtani Desert. Zareth was quite fond of most animals and didn’t even have any real problems with ghoraks in general, but he was extremely tempted to turn this one in particular into rations.

“I did tell you that they hold a grudge,” Rizok said with an amused smirk. “If you didn’t want the thing to occasionally spit at you, then you shouldn’t have tried to jump on top of it.”

“I thought we were supposed to use them as mounts! How was I supposed to know that the Desharin train them to only accept specific handlers?” Zareth protested as he warily eyed the ghorak, determined to avoid another wad of spit hitting him in the back of the head. “How can the damned thing even spit so far anyways? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Hmph. In Dehkshetra, any beast who betrayed its master in such a way would have already been culled,” said Vidhatri, eyes vigilantly scanning the surrounding sand dunes despite the contingent of soldiers escorting them through the desert. “I do enjoy trying new foods, and we do not have ghoraks on Zumair.”

Zareth nearly let out a sigh of relief when the ghorak ceased staring at him and turned its attention back to the path ahead. He doubted the creature actually understood what Vidhatri had said, but it likely understood the threat in her words.

Animals in this world could be surprisingly insightful at times.

“How much longer until we reach Tal’Hadin?” Zareth asked, trying not to sound like a complaining child as he positioned himself so that Rizok was in between him and the ghorak. “I’m happy to get out of the city, but I was hoping to see something more interesting than endless sand.”

Unlike his adventure to the temple of Meldorath, this trip didn’t even have the benefit of being interrupted by the occasional outburst of violence. The path from Tal’Qamar to Tal’Hadin was very well-traveled by [Merchants] and relatively peaceful, especially now that High Command was using it to transport supplies to the western front.

“We should be able to spot the city’s outer walls in another hour or two,” Rizok said after a moment of consideration. “Though I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you, given that Tal’Hadin isn’t our final destination.”

“So long as I can take an actual bath, I’ll be satisfied,” said Zareth, already imagining himself soaking in a tub of warm water.

He’d been smart enough to purchase a magical rag from the Enchanter’s Guild that could clean him without ever getting dirty itself, but it was no substitute for the luxury of a full bath.

Zareth had made sure that he was the first to leave Tal’Qamar among the Hierophant Council, because he wanted his pick of the settlement he’d be pacifying. High Command didn’t care who went where so long as the Conclave’s influence was successfully stymied throughout its newly conquered territory, and Zareth’s colleagues weren’t all that cooperative on the best of days.

Therefore, it was effectively first come first serve. He’d set out with Vidhatri and Rizok as protection, along with a dozen soldiers nominally placed under his command. He’d been worried at first about leaving his cult in the hands of someone as young as Tamir, but the risk was relatively low given that he could still keep an eye on things via his flesh golem.

It’d only taken Zareth a few days after his meeting with High Command to get all of his affairs in order. He was now on his way to Tal’Hadin, where he intended to stay for a few days before moving on to his next destination.

Zareth had already decided during the briefing by High Command that he wanted to focus his attention on Jabal-Alma, a small settlement near the territory the Tessik wished him to claim. Traveling there would allow him to become acquainted with the people who lived in the lands that’d eventually become his responsibility.

But before that, he’d like to gather more knowledge about them than the scarce details provided to him by High Command. Tal’Hadin should have more accurate information simply based on its proximity, and it just so happened that the Tessik had a Lore Guardian in the city.

Zareth expected the Lore Guardian to be a big help, especially in choosing a decent location for him to set up a new branch of his cult. Tal’Hadin had an almost entirely lizardkin population, so the Tessik had no trouble spreading their influence to the city.

The next hour of monotonous trudging through unending sands was entirely uneventful. Just as Zareth was about to risk sounding like a broken record to once again ask Rizok how much farther they had to go, he began to hear something incredibly strange.

“What is that… buzzing sound, and where is it coming from?” asked Zareth, glancing at the rest of the caravan and seeing that Vidhatri was the only one who seemed to share his concern.

“Did you not read about Tal’Hadin before we left?” asked Rizok, surprise flashing through his eyes before he broke into a smile. “I forget sometimes that so few people ever leave the city. Don’t worry. We’re not in any danger. You’ll see what I mean in a moment.”

Trusting Rizok’s judgment, Zareth tried to remain calm while the strange buzzing grew louder the closer they got to the city. Finally, the caravan crested over a dune, and Zareth was greeted to a sight that left him dumbstruck.

Rizok was right that he hadn’t spent much time researching Tal’Hadin, mostly because any captured city was destined to be claimed by one of the Great Houses after the war. His cult would naturally maintain a presence within the city to recruit followers, but Zareth didn’t see the sense in investing his attention on a place that would soon be under the control of another power.

He’d imagined Tal’Hadin would simply be a smaller and poorer version of Tal’Qamar, which was why he was so surprised to see what seemed to be a large cloud of insects surrounding the city.

[Eye of Cerebon] allowed him to realize that the insects were extremely varied and moved with purpose, as if they were being controlled. Colorful sand termites burrowed through small cacti farms south of the city, and swarms of iridescent beetles carried stone to a group of workers repairing a destroyed portion of the walls. Clusters of insects flew packages in and out of the gates, while fierce looking dragonflies followed [Guards] as they patrolled the walls.

Zareth could tell when Rizok and a few of the soldiers began chuckling that his expression must have been quite the sight.

“Uh, I’m going to need an explanation for this,” Zareth said once he managed to pull himself together.

“Indeed. I will not step into a city of [Insect Tamers] without reassurance that they will not devour the flesh off my bones,” said Vidhatri, staring at the city with a cautious expression. “I’ve seen ravenous swarms reduce capable warriors to mere skeletons in less than a minute, and I would like to avoid joining them.”

“That’s not something you’ll need to worry about,” Rizok assured them as the caravan continued its journey toward the city. “Swarm Lord Kressha surrendered to High Command on the condition that the majority of their city’s combat oriented insects be killed. It’s only their [Guards] who have a few small swarms assigned to them for defense purposes.”

Rizok continued to teach him about Tal’Hadin’s culture and history as their caravan approached the gates. Apparently, the city had been led by [Swarm Lords] for most of its history and used specially bred insects for a variety of different tasks. The most important of these was a massive swarm of ants that tunneled far and deep to find underground water sources inaccessible by most means. They would then store that water in little pouches and bring it back to Tal’Hadin.

The majority of the city’s water still came from their oasis and a high water-bearing species of cactus popular throughout the region, but the ants allowed their population to be much more comfortable than they would be otherwise.

As a result, [Insect Tamers] was one of the most popular Classes in Tal’Hadin and influenced nearly every part of day to day life of its residents.

Zareth found himself briefly taken aback by such a creative use of a Class that he would have never associated with resource gathering. He was even more impressed once he drew close enough to Tal’Hadin that he could capture one of their ants and examine its biological structure.

High level [Beast Tamers] and similar such Classes could acquire Skills that granted them to modify creatures under their control, though in a much more limited capacity than himself. The modifications made to the ant in his hand showed an impressive understanding of insects that could have only been a result of generational research.

He’d known that the nations and cities were heavily influenced by the Classes of those who ruled them, but Tal’Hadin epitomized that in a way that surprised him.

Zareth briefly imagined what Ruler Class he might gain in the future and wondered if his own lands would one day similarly embody his decisions…

Their caravan was allowed into Tal’Hadin very quickly after they showed their credentials, animosity briefly flashing through the eyes of the lizardkin [Guard] once she realized that they were members of the military force occupying her city. Nevertheless, she did her duty without complaint before making arrangements for their ghorak to be brought to a stable and for the rest of the caravan to be led toward the city’s former place.

As a moderately important member of the government, Zareth was expected to meet with the [Swarm Lord] so that he could give his proper greetings. Tal’Hadin had surrendered fairly quickly after their walls fell, which meant that its leadership had largely been left in place and still held significant power. So long as the Swarm Lord didn’t make themselves a problem, High Command wouldn’t want to deal with the domestic strife that would come with replacing them.

Now that Zareth had seen just how intrinsic the insects were to Tal’Hadin’s way of life, he couldn’t help but wonder if the Swarm Lord even could be replaced in the first place.

The moment they stepped into Tal’Hadin proper, Zareth immediately began to take in his surroundings with open curiosity. This was the first city he’d seen in this world outside of Tal’Qamar, and his first impression was that it appeared far more interesting than he’d expected. While the buildings were notably smaller than he was used to and the city seemed less affluent when compared to Tal’Qamar, it held a certain… alien appeal.

Nearly every single structure was covered with insects moving in and out of specially made crevices while carrying out their designated tasks. The buildings themselves seemed to be constructed from a combination of sandstone and a strange waxy material that reminded him of the same secretions that certain insects used to build their nests. The streets were alive with the sounds of buzzing and fluttering as the city’s native lizardkin went about their business alongside their insect helpers.

All in all, Tal’Hadin gave him an impression of being a city in constant movement and being uniquely organic in both its construction and function.

Zareth quite liked it… though there were also several signs that Tal’Hadin was being significantly affected by the war. Most of the pedestrians were either elderly individuals or young children dressed in ragged clothes, hinting that the able bodied population was otherwise occupied. Several buildings had been reduced to rubble and many more were damaged by recent fighting.

Combined with the damaged walls, it was clear that Tal’Hadin hadn’t allowed themselves to be conquered without a fight.

It explained why the pedestrians were glaring at him with thinly veiled hostility and why the distaste he’d seen from the [Guard] wasn’t an outlier.

“I’m starting to get the feeling that we’re not welcome,” Zareth quietly said to his companions.

“Conquerors rarely are. So long as they know their place, there’s no need to pay them any heed,” said Vidhatri, her tone casual as she began assessing their surroundings. “It does seem as if the city’s order has been relatively well maintained.”

“This isn’t High Command’s first experience with occupying a city,” Rizok said as their group’s guards formed a protective formation around them and began leading them down the street. “Although such occupations were always temporary before we handed the conquered territory over to whoever hired our services. I suppose we’ll see how things develop here in the long term.”

As they began making their way to the Swarm Lord’s palace, Zareth quickly realized that High Command hadn’t overstated the degree to which the Conclave still held influence outside of Tal’Qamar. [Eye of Cerebon] allowed him to spot several people carrying discreet symbols of the Conclave’s gods and see many more alight with devotion.

There were a decent number of soldiers vigilantly patrolling the main avenues prepared to crack down on any unrest, but not as many as he had remembered seeing in Tal’Qamar after the coup. It was likely that this was all High Command could spare to maintain the occupation given the ongoing war. Most of Tal’Qamar’s soldiers were either besieging Fal’Ashar or fighting on the frontlines near Anket.

While Zareth understood the reasons, he found himself wishing that there were a few more soldiers the farther they traveled into Tal’Hadin. He began to feel as if he’d underestimated the level of discontent in the city, especially when their group passed through the bazaar and saw that there were hardly any [Merchants] selling their goods. The few [Merchants] that had set up stalls were focused on selling a variety of equipment and provisions for the soldiers that passed through the city.

He was intimately familiar with how people reacted to having their standard of living suddenly drop, and there was no greater sign of economic struggles than a trading city with a mostly empty bazaar.

Feeling curious, Zareth decided to approach the local [Guard] guiding them for more information. “What happened here? It’s nearly noon. Shouldn’t this place be bustling with activity around this time?”

The [Guard], a grizzled female lizardkin who’d introduced herself as Tazska, made an admirable attempt at hiding her animosity as she gave him a sidelong glance. It was far better than the pedestrians in the bazaar, who looked as if the only thing keeping them from attacking him was the heavily armed soldiers between him and them.

It was slightly annoying to be looked at in such a way, but Zareth wasn’t overly concerned. This was to be expected given the circumstances.

“I don’t know how things are up in Tal’Qamar, but we’ve only got two trade routes keepin’ this city from fallin’ apart,” Tazska gruffly replied. “The way to Anket has been cut off thanks to the war you folks started, and the route to Shihr has been closed down on account of some sort of magical disturbance. Doesn’t help that a lot of our able bodied were volunteered to help with the war effort.”

Zareth winced as he absorbed the guard’s words. It was common sense that war came with severe costs to those who lived in its shadow, but actually seeing the impact with his own eyes made it so much more real and poignant. A part of him felt guilty about contributing even slightly to this state of affairs, even if he had no doubt High Command would have still pursued this course with or without him.

Even if the locals were unfriendly, he couldn’t help but somewhat pity their circumstances.

I’ll need to ensure that my cult does everything it can to help these people, Zareth thought to himself, attempting to assuage his conscience as he spotted a young lizardkin girl fearfully staring at him while squeezing an idol of Rayya. I suppose I understand now why these people dislike us so much. I would be angry too if some foreign power started a conflict that destroyed my livelihood and forced my loved ones to fight in their war.

Despite his sincere desire to help, Zareth wasn’t ignorant of the fact that being seen as someone here to alleviate their plight would be the best way for his cult to gain a foothold in Tal’Hadin.

Let it never be said that Zareth couldn’t pursue multiple objectives at the same time.

Zareth attempted to ignore the stares of the locals, but began to have a bad feeling once their group stepped onto a street occupied primarily by workshops and craftsmen. The situation there seemed just as bad as the bazaar, but there were far more people and his escorts struggled to maintain a proper formation amidst the bustling crowd.

When he turned his attention toward Rizok, he noticed that his friend was also tense and subtly trading hand signals with one of the soldiers.

“Is something wrong?” Zareth quietly asked after making way to Rizok’s side.

“Possibly. Our [Scout] is reporting that something is activating his [Detect Threat],” Rizok said, his hands discreetly moving to his sword. “The threat level to us is relatively low, but that doesn’t mean much given the presence of myself and Vidhatri. It could be anything from a kid about to throw a rock to an [Assassin] vastly out of their depth.”

Zareth was simultaneously relieved to hear that they weren’t actually in any significant danger and concerned that someone was actually willing to attack them moments after they entered Tal’Hadin. Wary of a potentially escalating situation, Zareth decided to order the group to hasten their journey to the place so they could avoid any further complications.

Just as he was about to give the command, he was interrupted when Rizok unsheathed his sword in a blur of speed and slashed it through the air. Vidhatri immediately morphed her arms into a protective flesh shield around the group while Rizok’s sword unleashed an arc of white energy, targeting a seemingly innocuous cluster of insects stealthily advancing towards them.

It was only due to [Eye of Cerebon] that Zareth was able to spot the alchemical flask that had been concealed within the swarm before Rizok’s attack shattered it and triggered a fiery explosion. The sudden burst of violence caused chaos to break out in the street as the crowd began screaming and fleeing. His protective guard, meanwhile, closed formation and ushered them into a defensive location while the others went searching for whoever had attacked them.

However, Zareth’s attention was completely consumed by Vidhatri grabbing the local [Guard] by the throat and dragging her toward them.

“What is this treason? Mere minutes after we’ve entered this city, and we are attacked under your watch?” said Vidhatri, her four eyes hard with murderous intent. “You are either utterly incompetent or treacherous. Tell me which so that I know how you are to be dealt with.”

“These kinds of attacks have been happenin’ ever since you folk took over,” Tazska croaked as she struggled in Vidhatri’s grasp. “We’ve been tryin’ to stop ‘em, but it’s almost impossible to track the swarms back to whoever sent ‘em. Not much we can do about it.”

Zareth absolutely didn’t want his subordinate killing someone in the street within full view of everyone, so he placed a hand on her shoulder and ordered her to release the [Guard]. Given the nature of the attack, he believed her when Tazska said that it was nearly impossible to investigate or prevent this kind of thing from happening.

He’d also seen enough of Tal’Hadin to know that there was sufficient discontent for there to be violent resistance against the people occupying their city.

“It’s alright, Vidhatri. This isn’t the first time that I’ve had someone attempt to kill me,” Zareth said, [Leadership] assisting him in portraying confidence and calm in a tense situation. “Let her down and help me heal anyone who was injured in the attack so that we can go meet the Swarm Lord as quickly as possible. We shouldn’t stay here for any longer than necessary.”

Vidhatri glared at the lizardkin for several more moments, but eventually obeyed his orders.

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He knew that he’d made the right decision when he saw a flash of surprise in Tazska’s eyes and the tension in the air eased significantly. Zareth spent the next few minutes healing the handful of pedestrians who had been burned by the alchemical bomb. He even used his new pyrokinetic organ to help put out a stall which had caught on fire and offered a few gold pieces to pay for the damages.

By the time he was finished, Zareth could tell that he’d made a decent impression on everyone involved in the attack. When one of them asked him who he was and why he was being so helpful, Zareth took the opportunity to describe his cult and to give them an edited version of the Grimoire of Cerebon. Unlike the original version, which contained a lot of… questionable content, this one was sanitized to better reflect his cult’s more peaceful perspective of Cerebon.

He’d paid one of the [Scribes] in his cult to make a good number of the books so that Zareth could spread them far and wide.

After his impromptu preachings, their group swiftly and vigilantly continued their journey to the Swarm Lord’s palace. Tal’Hadin’s [Guards] had been stirred up in response to the attack and were now patrolling the streets and evacuating the streets on anyone who didn’t need to be there. It was far from how Zareth had hoped his first time visiting a city other than Tal’Qamar would go…

Zareth was relieved when he caught sight of a large, ornate building that was completely covered with countless insects and allowed inside after a short security check. All of the soldiers within the actual palace were from Tal’Qamar and didn’t look at Zareth as if he were the source of all their problems.

However, he once again began to grow tense as he was led toward the Swarm Lord’s throne room. The insects within the palace all looked far more dangerous, with swarms of mutated wasps and cat-sized scorpions patrolling the halls in agitation.

That tension reached its peak when Zareth stepped into the throne room and got his first look at Swarm Lord Kressha, who appeared to have been arguing with a group of naga before his arrival.

The leader of Tal’Hadin was a sharp-eyed female lizardkin with dark scales who appeared to be a few years older than Zareth’s biological age. She sat atop an intimidating throne that melded into an artistically shaped scorpion carved from dark wood with metallic accents. The throne was held aloft by its eight legs while a wicked looking stinger arched over the backrest and loomed directly above the Swarm Lord. The largest insects that Zareth had ever seen were arrayed along the edges of the throne room, ready to defend their master at the slightest hint of threat.

Around her were two naga and an ogre, the latter of which wore armor identifying themselves as a military officer of Tal’Qamar while the former two were richly dressed and held themselves like aristocrats. Zareth wasn’t surprised when he spotted the symbols of House Vhelan and House Khysar on their attire, as he’d already known that the Great Houses were attempting to spread their influence to Tal’Hadin.

Although, it was a bit concerning that House Khysar was among those who seem to have gained the ear of the Swarm Lord.

“Greetings, Swarm Lord Kressha. It’s my honor to be welcomed into your city,” said Zareth, bowing politely as he approached the throne. “I’ve found it quite fascinating and look forward to seeing more of it in the near future.”

It was clear from her commanding presence and the deadly insects around the room that the Swarm Lord must have reached an amicable agreement with High Command. He needed to get on her good side if he wanted his cult to have any chance of succeeding in Tal’Hadin.

Swarm Lord Kressha studied him silently for several tense moments before she responded. “I’m relieved to hear that your first impressions of my city were not ruined by its… malcontents. There are many who would be far less sanguine about being violently attacked.”

“I understand that these are dangerous times, Swarm Lord. Tal’Qamar has faced its own share violence due to the ongoing conflict,” Zareth said, attempting to be conciliatory and show that he didn’t intend to make a fuss.

For some reason, his response caused the representative from House Khysar to begin scowling while the one from House Vhelan nodded at him in approval.

“If only all of my guests were so understanding,” said the Swarm Lord, her tone faintly sardonic as she turned toward the gray haired naga from House Khysar. “Do you still insist on your proposal, Diplomat Nithar?”

“Apostle Zareth’s valor is certainly to be commended, but this audacious attack is just another sign that Tal’Hadin’s security desperately needs to be tightened,” said Nithar, his voice calm as he smoothed his expression. “As we are now members of the same nation, House Khysar is both capable and willing to provide this assistance in the pursuit of fostering a safer, more secure Tal’Hadin. All we require is your permission to do so.”

“You may be right, but I find Lady Vritra’s arguments that these matters be left to High Command quite compelling,” Swarm Lord Kressha stated, nodding toward the female naga on the other side of her throne. “An excessive response would only inflame tensions at the worst possible moment.”

“Indeed, we’ve worked hard to establish a working system to peacefully transition Tal’Hadin to its new reality,” said Lady Vritra, a relatively young naga with features frighteningly similar to Lady Marilith. “We cannot afford to take unnecessary risks while the war is still ongoing simply due to this unfortunate and convenient attack.”

“Are you implying something, Lady Vritra?” said Nithar, a trace of danger entering his voice as he glared at the other naga.

“Of course not, Diplomat. It’s not suspicious in the slightest that an arriving official was immediately attacked in such a haphazard manner,” Lady Vritra said evenly.

Zareth glanced at his companions and saw that he wasn’t the only one who suddenly felt out of place. The Swarm Lord and the two naga diplomats seemed to all but forget about him as they began arguing over the city’s security arrangements.

It was obvious to him that both Great Houses had alternative motivations in their proposals. House Khysar wanted to use this as an opportunity to increase their power in Tal’Hadin, while House Vhelan had more influence in the military and thus benefitted from High Command maintaining sole control over security matters.

Zareth continued to awkwardly listen for a while longer, unsure whether he was expected to participate in the impromptu argument or be a silent observer. He only decided this was something he should be involved in when he realized that there was a real chance the Swarm Lord would be convinced by House Khysar’s arguments, which was not in his interests.

However, the rapid-fire nature of the debate made it difficult for Zareth to interject.

“While I am sympathetic to your position, Lady Vritra, we both know that I cannot afford to ignore the growing threat of dissidents,” Swarm Lord Kressha said, her tone clearly reluctant as she turned her gaze to the officer from High Command, a stone-faced male ogre wearing heavy armor. “Not unless Commander Dak believes the terms of my surrender are up for renegotiation. General Nasrith was quite explicit when detailing the consequences if any threat to the war effort were to develop from Tal’Hadin.”

“Unfortunately, that will not be possible,” said Commander Dak, his deep voice carrying a tone of finality. “Tal’Hadin is expected to serve as an important logistical hub for the southwestern front of the remainder of the war. Any instability which threatens this is unacceptable.”

“There is no need to act hastily, Swarm Lord. It is for this exact reason why we’ve sent for our new religious leaders to assist us,” said Lady Vritra, her expression composed as she gestured toward Zareth. “The Hierophant Council has been hugely successful in appealing to the people of Tal’Qamar and ensuring that our city remains stable. I’ve no doubt that they will be able to achieve similar results here as well.”

“Not only does Tal’Hadin lack any domestic faiths outside of those belonging to the Conclave, but I sincerely doubt its citizens will be as receptive to conversion as our own,” Diplomat Nithar immediately responded before Zareth could get a word in. “Besides, the primary source of unrest is due to the closed trade routes and the resulting economic downturn. Unless these issues are resolved, a tightening of security is the only viable solution to maintain order.”

“Let us not make assumptions about the Hierophant Council’s effectiveness before they have had a chance to prove themselves or even voice their opinion on the matter,” Lady Vritra said before casting a meaningful glance toward Zareth.

Even without saying anything, it was immediately obvious that she wanted him to offer the Swarm Lord whatever reassurance necessary to convince her not to side with House Khysar. Before he could really regain his bearings after being suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Swarm Lord Kressha turned to him and addressed him directly.

“Well, Apostle Zareth. Do you believe that you could indeed help stabilize Tal’Hadin?”

Zareth suddenly felt utterly exasperated, not having expected himself to experience an assassination attempt or be drawn into political intrigue on the very first day that he entered Tal’Hadin. He’d hoped that he could just enjoy some new sights and experiences before eventually heading to the settlement within his future territory, but it seemed like things were a bit more complicated than that.

The land he’d set his sights on was an unsettled area east of Anket along the western edge of a mountain range known as the Emperor Range. This would place him along the trading route leading to Tal’Hadin and thus made it impossible for him to remain agnostic about this city’s future. Having an antagonistic faction like House Khysar in control of it would almost certainly come back to bite him in the future.

Not to mention Lady Vritra’s thinly veiled accusation that the attack on him had been orchestrated by House Khysar. He hadn’t been in actual danger, but he’d learned a long time ago that this sort of thing demanded a response.

The only problem was that the naga from House Khysar was right that he didn’t have an easy means to alleviate Tal’Hadin’s security issues. In the short time that he’d spent walking through its streets, he’d seen far more people emanating devotion to the Conclave and economic hardship than had ever existed in Tal’Qamar.

He could give as many public sermons as he wanted and offer people free food or healing, but Zareth didn’t have the same understanding of Tal’Hadin as he did Tal’Qamar. He doubted that he could easily replicate his cult’s success here in the short term and doing so wasn’t even his priority in the first place!

Zareth was still far more interested in focusing on his future territory. Although, that thought did give him a vague idea about how he could accomplish both aims at the same time…

“Swarm Lord, may I ask for more information about the closure of the trade route to Shahir?” Zareth asked politely, a plan slowly forming in his mind. “If it were to reopen, then would it help solve some of Tal’Hadin’s problems?”

“It would, though I would have sent my own soldiers to handle the matter if it was so easily solved,” Swarm Lord Kressha’s said after a moment of consideration. “It was a few weeks before the Conclave killed Merchant Lord Raqasor when a dense, magical mirage suddenly appeared around Shabail’s Pass. There are no other routes to bypass the Emperor’s Range and anyone who attempts to enter is never heard from again. We have only been able to reassign a few [Mages] from the war effort to investigate, none of whom have been able to resolve the issue.”

Zareth took a moment to weigh the costs and benefits of offering to handle this so-called magical mirage. On one hand, it was located relatively close to his final destination and thus would be a convenient way to handle several issues at once. On the other hand, he didn’t really know anything about what was causing the mirage and how difficult it would be to fix.

He doubted that the source would be as simple as a nest of System Spawn, or someone would have handled it already. Chances were high that he would have to hire Adventurers, invest in specialists, or request outside assistance if he wanted to have any chance of success.

Zareth glanced toward Lady Vritra in the hopes that he could rely on House Vhelan’s support and was relieved to see her giving her a subtle nod of encouragement. The naga from House Khysar meanwhile was looking at him with a glare that could cut stone, which honestly made it much easier for him to make his decision.

Anything that won over his allies and pissed off his enemies was probably a good idea as far as Zareth was concerned.

“In that case, I would like to offer my assistance in solving this issue, Swarm Lord,” Zareth said decisively, hoping he was making the right decision. “Tal’Hadin isn’t the only city which needs to be freed of the Conclave’s influence. I’d intended to travel further south to Jabal-Alma and believe that I can investigate Shabail’s Pass while I’m in the area. I have several high level individuals willing to join me and know something about researching and solving obscure issues.”

Zareth’s proposal immediately sparked another round of arguments. Diplomat Nithar argued that there was no reason to believe Zareth’s intervention would be successful, while Vritra tried to convince the Swarm Lord that there was no harm in allowing him to try. The debate went back and forth for a while, but it was clear that Swarm Lord Kressha didn’t actually want to allow House Khysar any more influence in Tal’Hadin than necessary. Commander Dak seemed content to maintain a neutral stance, observing the exchange with an unreadable expression.

“Apostle Zareth will be given the opportunity to reopen Shabail’s Pass,” the Swarm Lord declared with a sense of finality. “Should he fail, then I will give greater consideration to House Khysar’s offer to assist in tightening the security of Tal’Hadin.”

Nithar’s expression tightened, but he bowed in head in reluctant acceptance of the Swarm Lord’s decision. Lady Vritra, meanwhile, gave Zareth a subtle, approving smile.

“Now, we’ve argued over this matter for long enough,” said the Swarm Lord as she rose from her throne. “Apostle Zareth and his personnel have yet to be shown to their quarters and allowed to recover from their long journey before being engulfed by our politics. I suggest we end the discussion here so that I can offer my guests the hospitality that they are due. We may reconvene later.”

Zareth let out a breath of relief as a group of servants arrived to lead them to their accommodations. He’d barely spent more than an hour in Tal’Hadin, and he was already feeling exhausted.

The soldiers under Zareth’s command were escorted outside of the palace where they would rest in one of the nearby barracks. Vidhatri was brought to the female side of the guest quarters while Zareth and Rizok were both brought to one of the more spacious rooms designed to house visiting dignitaries. It was beautifully furnished, with comfortable looking beds and a balcony overlooking the bustling city.

Most importantly, there was a large bathing area attached to the room, complete with a sizable tub and all the soaps he could want!

Zareth barely stopped himself from immediately plunging into the bath, but knew that he needed to first discuss the day’s event and their next steps with Rizok. After his friend activated his [Aura of Silence] and confirmed that they were not under any kind of surveillance, Zareth finally allowed himself to relax.

“Well, that wasn’t how I was hoping my first day in Tal’Hadin would go,” Zareth said with a wry smile as he sank into a luxurious armchair placed near the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze that wafted in. “What do you think the chances are that House Khysar actually arranged that fun little welcome for us?”

“Nearly guaranteed. There’s little chance that a group of unorganized malcontents would be informed enough to know we would be arriving precisely at this time,” Rizok replied, his expression grim. “I would be wary if I were you. There’s a good chance that they’ll arrange for us to be attacked once we leave the city. There are many ways to do such things without anyone being able to prove their involvement.”

Zareth had seen many times by now just how creative the people of this world could be in utilizing their abilities, and knew that Rizok was right to be cautious.

“This sort of action seems like an escalation of what the Circle of Ghisara was doing before. There’s a chance that they may not go that far,” Zareth said hopefully, though even he didn’t sound convinced with his own words.

“House Khysar and the Circle of Ghisara may be allies, but it would be foolish to assume that their objectives are exactly aligned,” Rizok said firmly, his tail whipping back and forth with agitation. “Respectfully, the Great Houses are all vastly more influential and more ruthless than you or your colleagues. This matter surrounds the control of an important trade city, and House Khysar will not hesitate to be rid of you if they consider you to be a threat. I’d advise you to take this matter seriously.”

Zareth could tell that his friend was sincerely worried about his safety and wanted him to do everything he could to protect himself.

“Shit,” Zareth cursed before rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I suppose this means that we’re going to make a lot of preparations so that I don’t end up dead, huh? It’s a good thing that I was smart enough to visit the Enchanter’s Guild and buy so much equipment before I left Tal’Qamar.”

“Indeed. Your foresight is nearly as honed as your ability to accumulate enemies with so little effort,” Rizok said dryly, though a small smirk betrayed his amusement.

Zareth and Rizok spent the next few minutes discussing the day’s events and slowly relaxing. It was nice to finally be somewhere relatively safe with temperature modulating wards, and their conversation eventually moved on to much less serious matters. Just as Zareth was about to excuse himself to go finally take that bath he’d been dreaming about for the past week, his plans were put on hold when Rizok informed him that a servant was approaching their door with food.

Zareth wasn’t all that excited about trying out the cuisine of a city run by [Insect Tamers], but figured that he could just change his palate by shifting into a lizardkin if it became necessary. He had no problem eating bugs so long as they actually tasted good.

“Greetings, honored guests,” said a young lizardkin girl dressed in servants attire as she carted in several dishes. Lifting the cover over one, Zareth was greeted with an array of colorful insects just as he expected. “The Swarm Lord herself directed her personal [Chef] to make these, and has expressed her hope that you’ll enjoy them.”

Before Zareth expressed his gratitude, he was momentarily struck dumb when he lifted the cover from another dish and spotted something unexpected. It was a sealed scroll carrying the emblem of the Tessik.

“Thank you. Inform your superiors that we’re thankful for their consideration,” said Rizok, nodding toward the lizardkin girl and gesturing to the door. “You should leave. It’ll be dangerous if you stay here any longer than is expected.”

The servant nodded and immediately followed his orders, closing the door behind her.

“I thought we were supposed to meet with the local Lore Guardian for more information about Jabal-Alma,” said Zareth, feeling mildly confused as he made his way over to the nearby table and unsealed the scroll. “Is there a reason that they decided to send a scroll instead?”

“They’d only do something like this if the risk of being caught meeting in person was too high,” said Rizok after a moment of consideration. “Given the state of the city and House Khysar’s attention on us, that seems like the most likely explanation.”

That made sense to Zareth, and he resigned himself to finish reading through the scroll before he was finally able to enjoy his bath. He was far too curious about his future territory and the only settlement within it for him to do anything else.

Zareth had already known the relative location of the territory that the Tessik wanted him to claim, but they’d been somewhat tight-lipped about the exact specifics regarding why they wanted it. It was a bit annoying, but to be expected given that secrecy was what kept their organization alive for its entire existence.

He’d assumed that there were some important cultural artifacts or something similar in that area and learned that his assumption was correct after reading the scroll. More specifically, he learned that the Tessik has discovered several mentions in their records of a Nephalan Empire settlement somewhere near the coastline.

Such ruins existed all across the Qahtani Desert and had already been thoroughly looted over the centuries. The world’s understanding regarding magic and the System had generally increased since the times of the Nephalan Empire, so discovering their ruins was generally not as groundbreaking as one might expect.

That being said, there were still many things that could be learned from studying them, and there would be plenty of [Scholars] from all across the world willing to pay their weight in gold for the chance to do so. These particular ruins had yet to be found, so there may still be some interesting new artifact or scroll in these ruins when compared to the rest.

Once Zareth finished reading the section of the scroll about his future territory, he turned his attention to the portion detailing Jabal-Alma. These details were much more scarce, only informing him that the settlement was centered around a cenote close to the mountains that had been artificially enlarged by the Nephalan Empire. They were fairly isolationist and only occasionally left Jabal-Alma to send their goods up north.

There were rumors that the people there used unusual magic and artifacts, which immediately had Zareth wondering if they’d come into contact with the missing Nephalan ruins. However, the Tessik had also considered this and launched an investigation, which concluded that Jabal-Alma had merely discovered its own Classes as sometimes happened with isolated communities.

“If they’re using unknown Classes, then they might know something about the strange mirage blocking Shabail’s Pass,” Rizok said as he read over Zareth’s shoulder. “It seems unlikely that the ancient ruins, unusual magical phenomenon, and the reclusive community which all happen to be in the same area are completely unrelated.”

Zareth had honestly been thinking the same thing. It didn’t take a genius to connect all of these things together, and he only became more certain when he caught sight of the Tessik’s replication of a symbol commonly worn by the people of Jabal-Alma.

It was a simple pair of wings folded over each other. Such a small settlement even having such an insignia was strange enough on its own, but there was something else about it which bothered him.

“Is there something wrong?” Rizok asked once he noticed Zareth staring at the symbol intently.

“I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve seen this before, but I don’t know where,” Zareth murmured, his brows furrowing as he tried to recall. “I doubt I’ve seen it from any of the research into records provided by the Tessik, or someone else would have already pointed it out, but I’ve done a lot of reading about history recently so that doesn’t narrow it down too much.”

“I see. Well that’s not something that I can help you with,” Rizok said with a shrug after studying the symbol for a few moments. “The only insignia I know that contains two wings is House Kavasa’s, and theirs is a bit different from this one.”

Rizok’s words caused Zareth to suddenly recall a detail he’d noticed during his first time reading the tome of Meldorath and its accounts of the System War. When he first saw the symbol of the God of Freedom, who had fought against a coalition of deities that included the Conclave, he had noticed that it was unusually similar to the insignia of House Kavasa.

Both depicted a pair of unfurled wings, with the only difference being the colors of their backdrops.

The only records of the God of Freedom that he’d come across was in the tome of Meldorath, so it seemed too obscure for two unrelated groups to use as their insignia. He was only even considering a connection between the two because the actual design of the wings was relatively distinct and near identical in all three instances.

House Kavasa specialized in magic and was hugely wealthy, so it would make sense for them to have learned some obscure history. However, it made little sense for a tiny little settlement in the middle of nowhere to have done the same.

But… are these things really connected? Zareth wondered as his mind raced with everything he’d learned about the System War. My instincts tell me that they are, but I have little to support that kind of leap of log—

Atavistic Apostle has reached Level 26! Skill Point Gained!

…What?

Zareth was momentarily stunned as he received the most unexpected System notification of his life. It made complete sense that [Atavistic Apostle], a Class that focused on learning ancient mysteries, would level while he was doing research on that exact topic. He’d also been fairly close to a level up for a while… but he’d only been speculating and hadn’t reached an actual conclusion.

Such… uncanny timing all but confirmed that his personal theory was on the right track, even if he didn’t have enough information to connect the dots.

Zareth suddenly felt Cerebon’s amused attention briefly on him, before his god seemed to turn his attention elsewhere.

Why did I think it was a good idea to live a life that constantly draws the attention of higher powers? Zareth thought to himself as he felt a sudden burst of exasperation.

“Zareth, is there something wrong?” Rizok asked, his eyes filled with concern. “You suddenly look as if one of your teenage [Cultists] used their flesh shaping abilities to do something ridiculous again.”

“Nothing that can’t wait until later,” Zareth said as he rose from his seat, deciding that he’d dealt with enough nonsense for one day. “If anyone tries to bother us, tell them that I’m conducting an experiment on how long a person can stay submerged in a bath before turning into a prune, and that I can’t be interrupted.”

Rizok’s baffled expression as Zareth calmly closed the door behind him almost made up for his lackluster first day in Tal’Hadin.

Almost.