The Outlands - Chapter 76

Maven looked nervously up at the door to her parents’ chambers. Her grandmother had teleported their group into Maven’s chambers, then left to inform Maven’s parents of their arrival. A few minutes later she had returned, and they had entered the hallway and moved down to the entrance of her parents’ chambers, where she was now.

She took one more moment to work up her courage before knocking on the door. “Mother, father, I need to speak with you.” She said. After a moment, the door opened, revealing her parents beyond.

“Maven, dear, it’s good to see you back!” Abarrane said. Surprise flashed through her eyes for just a moment as she saw Tess and Ellie, but she quickly recovered. “And you must be the Guildmaster’s grandchildren, thank you for taking care of her for all this time. She wasn’t too much trouble, was she?”

“Of course not.” Tess said. “She’s been a pleasure to be around.”

“We’re glad to hear that.” Saburo replied. “Thank you for coming to see her off, you are more than welcome to come visit her in the future if you so desire. Just send a letter first, we will need to schedule a time, as Maven is going to be very busy in the coming months.”

“No.” Maven said quietly.

“What was that, dear?” Abarrane said, giving Maven a stern look.

“I said no.” Maven said, louder this time. “I will not be busy in the coming months, and they are not here to see me off.”

“Do not speak to your mother that way, young lady.” Saburo said, a hint of anger audible in his tone. “It is not your place to say what you will or will not be doing. You may have gotten used to dictating your schedule in the time you were away, but now that you are home again, you will have to return to your old routine.”

“No, I will not.” Maven said. “But this is not the place for this conversation. We’re coming in.”

Saburo’s face grew red, and he looked up at Amara angrily. “What have you been teaching her?!” He accused. “You know full well the responsibilities she will be facing in the future, she cannot afford this sort of sloppy behavior as queen!”

“Nothing.” Amara said. “I’ve had little more contact with her than you. But I do suggest moving into your chambers, this isn’t the type of thing you’d want outsiders to hear.”

“We will choose if this enters our quarters or not.” Saburo snarled. “That is not for you to decide.”

Amara tensed, and suddenly the air around her was…different. One moment she had been the relaxed, almost casual woman she always was, and the next she was intense, overwhelming, striking a figure that was larger than life. Yet, as much as the atmosphere seemed to have changed for Maven, her parents seemed even more affected.

Abarrane had flinched, and Saburo actually shied back as Amara stepped forward. “I didn’t make that decision, Maven did. However, it is a decision that I fully back. This discussion is too important to have in the open.”

“Very well.” Abarrane said, voice trembling slightly. “But the Los children must wait outside if this is truly such a private discussion.”

“No.” Maven said firmly. “They come too. They’re just as much a part of this as we are.”

“But –” Saburo began, but was quickly silenced by a withering glare from Amara.

“Fine.” Abarrane said. “If you insist.”

“I do.” Maven said, stepping into her parents’ chambers. She pushed past her parents, then turned to her companions. “Tess, Ellie, follow me.”

The two shared a glance, then followed her through. Maven led them to a sitting area, where they waited for her parents and her grandmother to join them. When they arrived, Amara no longer was exuded that overwhelming aura, and casually made her way over to where Maven was, taking a seat next to her.

“What is this about, dear?” Abarrane asked, sitting down across from them. “I thought you were going to be coming back?”

“You assumed I was going to be coming back.” Maven said. “I have come to inform you that, in reality, I will not be returning, not now, and perhaps not ever. I am formally abdicating my position as crown princess and handing the title to Taru.”

Abarrane frowned. “We’ve been over this, dear. You cannot simply abdicate because you do not wish to be queen. That is not how this works.”

Maven shook her head. “That was true before. But, as of today, things have changed. Not one hour ago, I was officially made Dungeons’ Appointed, and my duties as her Appointed leave me with little time to be queen. And, as they concern the entirety of sapient existence, they are more important, as well.”

There was a prolonged silence as her parents digested this. “This…better not be another scheme to attempt to get out of your duties.” Her father said weakly. “That is taking things a little too far.”

An odd feeling washed over Maven, one that she could instinctually tell meant that Dungeons wished to Descend and was asking for her permission. Wordlessly, she accepted, and she suddenly found herself filled with what felt like pure, raw, power. And, suddenly, the world looked…different.

It was like another world had been overlaid on the “real” world, a world that Maven felt she could reach out and touch. And, through her connection with Dungeons, Maven was made aware of what exactly was happening; Dungeons’ Descent effectively turned the world around her into a dungeon, activating Maven’s Blessings that required her to be within a dungeon, and allowing her to manipulate the world in the area around her as if it were a dungeon.

But that was something she would have to explore more later, she and Dungeons had a job to do. So, Dungeons opened their mouth, and the two spoke. “It is true.” They said. “I saw Maven as a kindred spirit, and given her positioning she was far and away the best candidate for the position.”

They rose from their seat, looking down on Maven’s seated parents. “Her duties to this country matter little in the face of her newfound duty to society at large.”

“But…succession.” Saburo said weakly. “We won’t have an heir.”

Dungeons thought about that for a moment. Do you mind if I give my opinion? She asked Maven. That they should consider doing away with the “queens only” thing? It’s your kingdom, I don’t want to unnecessarily force my opinion on them.

Go ahead. Maven confirmed. I don’t mind, it’s long overdue.

Got it. Dungeons replied, then, opened their mouth to speak. “It may not be my place to say, but it is my opinion that your system of only allowing female rulers has long since passed its expiration date. I see no reason that your son cannot inherit instead of Maven. Tradition has its place, but not when it comes to equality and basic rights.”

“Can we at least delay the announcement of Maven’s abdication and the new law allowing men to rule until a more opportune time?” Abarrane asked. “Things are a bit…rocky now.”

“I will leave that decision up to you and Maven.” Dungeons said. “But I must now take my leave, my time here runs short. Farewell.” Dungeons left, and then, suddenly, the world was normal again. Now that Dungeons had left, she felt weaker. Not just because she was no longer in Descent, but she was strangely tired, and her whole body was sore.

She sat down into her seat, managing to keep her gaze steady as she looked at her parents. “You have five years.” She said. “That should give you more than enough time to stabilize things and give Taru any training he needs.”

“Five years isn’t a lot of time, honey.” Abarrane said. “You know how tenuous our position is at times.”

“It’s always like this.” Maven snapped. “Every single time I brought the subject up, for the past ten years, it’s always that things are too unstable. Have you considered that, maybe, things are unstable because of your unwillingness to change how the regime works? Maybe showing that the royal family doesn’t consider half the population “less fit to rule” will help!”

Saburo frowned. “You are out of line, young lady. Do not speak to your mother like that, especially in front of outsiders.”

“They’re not outsiders.” Maven protested. “They’re my closest friends!”

“You’ve known them for a couple of months.” Saburo said. “I don’t believe you can call them your closest friends. Surely Ishtal would be closer?”

Maven rolled her eyes. “As if. This might be news to you, but perhaps people who aren’t always jockeying for your favor make for better friends than those who do. Ishtal is nice, but, at the end of the day, she wants something from me. These two don’t. That makes a world of difference.”

Saburo cast an almost pleading look towards Tess and Ellie. “Do you two really have no reservations about this?” He asked. “Surely having Maven as an Appointed will put pressure on your party. It might alleviate some tension if she had to spend time at home from time to time.”

Fortune: Is he seriously still trying to convince Maven to not abdicate

Death: He’s got guts, I’ll give him that

Fortune: Go ahead and tell them. They’re not stupid, they’re going to figure things out when they realize Maven’s working together with two relatively new Appointed.

Ellie took a deep breath. “Are you serious? Are you trying to guilt trip Maven through her friends? That’s low.”

Saburo’s eyes grew sharp. “Granddaughter of the Guildmaster or not, that is no way to speak to royalty, in their own home no less. Care to rephrase that?”

“Is that all you know how to say? That that’s ‘no way to speak to someone’? That’s twice now that you’ve said that.” Ellie taunted. “But, no, I don’t care to rephrase that. As far as I’m concerned, I’m talking to a friend’s parent, your status means nothing to me.”

“Tone it down.” Abarrane said. “Both of you. This is no place to be fighting in. Saburo, they are, technically our guests, and though this might be our chambers, we still need to show the courtesy they deserve. Ellie, I understand you feel strongly on these matters, but surely you can understand how awkward of a position we have been put in? As Saburo said, you’ll be affected by this as well.”

Ellie raised an eyebrow. “On Mael we had many countries in this sort of situation, though they were usually patriarchal. They’ve allowed women to rule for centuries now, I don’t see why you can’t follow suit.”

Tess laid a hand on Ellie’s arm. “We shouldn’t get too confrontational.” She said. “We’re here as moral support, not to cause a fight.”

“The guards would put a stop to that anyway.” Saburo muttered. “Don’t even think about it.”

Tess looked him directly in the eyes. “That would end very poorly for you.” She said. “We don’t really care whether or not Maven’s an Appointed, it doesn’t change our party dynamic much. If anything, it’ll only make us closer. We’re not going to insult your intelligence here; you’ll figure it out as soon as Maven does much in the public eyes. I’m Fortune’s Appointed, and Ellie is the Appointed of Life and Death.”

Tess shrugged, as if what she was saying wasn’t a big deal. “As you might imagine, we support Maven’s decision wholeheartedly, and we’re not going to let you intimidate us with your position.”

Abarrane frowned deeply, turning to Amara. “What are your thoughts on this, Grandmother?” She asked. “You’ve been quiet, but you of all people must understand how dangerous this could be.”

“I’ve been quiet because this is Maven’s decision, and she deserves to be the one making her arguments.” Amara said. “And, like Tess and Ellie, I support Maven completely. Tradition has served us well, but this is a tradition that needed to end a long time ago. The country will survive having a king, and in the end will be better for it. Five years is a generous enough timeframe to get your affairs in order.”

Abarrane wilted. “Fine, I understand.” She said. “We’ll be ready before five years are up.”

“Good.” Amara said. “I will hold you to that.”

“D-dear?” Saburo said. “After millennia of tradition, are you sure we should give up this easily?”

“What else?” Abarrane asked. “We’ve been told to do this by both Grandmother and a god. Grandmother knows this country better than anyone, and a god is a god. Any more resistance would be foolish.”

Maven nodded. “I’m glad you’re seeing sense.” She said. “Now, we need to speak with Taru. Send him to my rooms, we’ll wait for him there.” She stood up, trying to prevent her legs from wobbling. “Farewell, Mother, Father.”

“Y-you’re leaving, just like that?” Saburo said. “Don’t you want to take some time and catch up with us?”

Maven shook her head. “As much as I would love to, I have my duties to attend to, and I am still supposed to be away at the expedition. Every moment I stay here is another moment I risk my cover being blown. We can catch up after the expedition has concluded.”

“Very well.” Abarrane said, standing up. “I will fetch him myself, so the servants do not ask any unpleasant questions.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Maven said. “We will be waiting, then.” She motioned for Tess and Ellie to follow as she moved towards the door out of her parents’ chambers.

“Hold up for a second.” Amara said, catching up with her. “Let me make sure no one’s in the hall first.” She peeked out the door, then motioned for Maven to follow as she walked towards Maven’s chambers.

They quickly walked through the halls and back into Maven’s chambers, and, once inside, Maven heaved a sigh of relief and nearly collapsed into a chair. “Is a Descent always that…tiring?” She asked.

“At first, yes.” Amara said. “Once you get stronger, and the bond between you and Dungeons deepens, though, it won’t be nearly as bad. Nowadays I can be in Descent for nearly an hour without side-effects, and I can go for almost two if I’m willing to exhaust myself. I think the record for any Appointed is somewhere in the realm of five hours, but that left Valin unable to do much of anything for a week afterwards.”

Maven grimaced. “What could possibly need five hours of Descent to deal with?” She asked.

“An army.” Amara said simply. “Back when the war for the Outlands was happening, he singlehandedly took on an entire army, and he used his Descent to stop any of them from escaping.”

Maven’s eyes widened. “The deserter army.” She breathed. “That’s what happened to it?”

“Are we missing context on something here?” Ellie asked.

“Back when the war was raging, a bunch of opportunistic soldiers deserted and began looting and pillaging whatever they could get their hands on. They started picking up steam, with more soldiers from many different nations joining them, until eventually they were large enough that no other army could handle them, and they were about to start pillaging completely uninvolved countries when we stepped in.”

Maven nodded. “If his Descent let him do anything close to what I felt I could do, then…I think I might be surprised that it even took five hours.”

Fortune: What does your Descent do, by the way?

Dungeons: It turns the world around us into a dungeon, which we can mold at will.

Death: Sick

Maven paused. “If you don’t mind my asking, what do your Descents do?”

“I’m granted near complete control of the minds of those around me, and they’ll never even be able to tell that anything’s changed.” Amara said. “For obvious ethical reasons, I don’t change people’s personalities or thoughts unless we have no other choice, but it does come in handy for wiping memories, and occasionally controlling monsters.”

“Mine makes my Luck stat apply to everything.” Tess said. “And, since I have infinite Luck…” She trailed off, letting the implications speak for themselves.

“How does that work?” Maven asked curiously. “Does everything just go your way or…?”

“It basically warps reality around her.” Ellie volunteered. “I saw it in a fight once, it was ridiculous; lightning from the day’s storm struck wherever she wanted without even using any magic, to the point where it once hit a sword mid-flight and each fragment of exploding metal hit her enemy and perfectly pinned her to the floor. Then, any time she tried to get up, something equally ridiculous would happen and she’d make no progress.

“As for me, it depends on who’s Descending, obviously. Life grants me the ability to completely heal someone, including Mana, Stamina, and anything else that might be incurable even with magic, for almost no cost, while Death prevents me from dying and –” She was cut off by a knock on the door to the chambers. “Well, it basically just super-buffs the Blades of Death.” She said quickly. “But I’m guessing that’s your brother?”

Amara was already at the door, looking through the peephole. After a moment, she opened the door and ushered in Maven’s brother, who was looking very confused.

“Grandmother? Maven?” He asked, frowning. “What’s going on here? And who are these other girls?”

“These are Tess and Ellie, my party members and dear friends.” Maven said. “Please, come take a seat, we have much to discuss.

“Couldn’t this have waited until my lessons were finished?” Taru complained, walking over and sitting down on one of Maven’s couches. “We were just getting to the good part.”

“This could not have waited.” Maven said. “I will be leaving the moment we’re finished talking. You see, Taru, I have just formally abdicated the throne, and that leaves you as crown prince.”

Taru narrowed his eyes. “And Mother and Father let you? We’ve been over this, Maven. I would like nothing more than to take the throne, but Mother and Father just won’t budge.”

“That was before.” Maven said. “Not even an hour ago I was named the Appointed of Dungeons, and with my new title and Grandmother’s help, we were able to force them to change their ways. They have been given five years to make the public announcement, and during that time period you will be given the proper schooling needed to make you a king. I just wished to inform you of this myself before I left.”

Taru’s eyes lit up. “I see. Congratulations, then.”

“Same to you.” Maven said. “Do you have any questions before we take our leave?”

Taru looked at Tess and Ellie with a calculated expression. “They are your party members, the Guildmaster’s grandchildren, yes?” He asked. “Would, by any chance, either of them be available for –”

“They’re lesbians.” Maven said flatly. “And they’re dating each other. No, they’re not single.”

“It can be in name only.” Taru said. “We could all benefit greatly from –”

“Not interested.” Tess said. “And, sorry to say it, but I doubt your kingdom has anything we’re interested in that we couldn’t get ourselves.”

“They don’t come from the same environment we do.” Amara said gently. “An arranged marriage holds little attraction for them. I would advise not bringing the topic up again.”

Taru shrugged. “It was worth a shot.” He said. “No further questions, then.”

“Then we’ll be off.” Maven said. “Grandmother, could you please take us back to where we came from?”

“Way ahead of you.” Amara said. She snapped her fingers, and then they were gone, returned to the divine realm.

Fighterman481

And, as always, thanks for reading!