The Simulacrum

The fright of what promised to be yet another battle was over before you knew it, and soon there was something like an unofficial meeting afoot inside one of the passenger cabins. The salon car would've been more comfortable, but they didn't want to discuss official matters in front of the rest of the Ninhursag refugees, so the major players picked the biggest cabin of the train and crammed themselves in it.

The group naturally included Josh, since he was our protagonist and whatnot, and it would've been weird to leave him out. Oddly enough, that did not apply to Angie, as she decided to sit this one out. Penny and Elly also excused themselves, leaving only the class rep, Snowy, and Judy present from our group. On the other side, we had the Shamash matriarch, naturally, as well as the head of House Ninhursag and his wife. So far, it was all very sensible, but the last spot was filled out by someone rather unexpected.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Josh asked, more out of politeness than actual care, and Hareng Ninurta flashed a toothy grin.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm used to it."

He was apparently nearly choked out by the pink-haired Ninhursag girl from before. He called her 'cousin', so was she the daughter of the couple here, or was she otherwise related? In any case, once everyone had settled down, Fidèle opened the discussion by lightly clearing her throat.

"I believe I owe you an apology, children. You must've gone through a lot due to our miscalculation."

Snowy cut in with a near panicked, "Ah, please don't lower your head, Lady Shamash!" and repeatedly shook her head. "What happened wasn't your fault. No one could've predicted the tunnel would collapse so suddenly."

Before she could respond, the Ninhursag patriarch let out a soft huff and said, "I've heard the gist of what happened, but to think your presence in our lands was due to sheer coincidence…"

"We all got lucky, didn't we?" Hareng chimed in on the side, but nobody paid him much attention, as usual.

"In any case, it was my oversight that led you to a dangerous situation," Fidèle insisted, but then she glanced at the portly man, now looking a bit more presentable after cleaning up a bit, and a soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "But as Lord Ninhursag just said, if not for our miscalculation, the situation at Digirmah could've developed into a considerably more dire one, both for House Ninhursag and the Noble Alliance as a whole."

"Veeery lucky," Hareng echoed himself, still to nobody's care.

"With all due respect, Lady Shamash, things are dire back home," the Ninhursag wife noted with a mixture of outward politeness and restrained annoyance, but Josh of all people came to the rescue.

"I mean, yes, but you're all alive and well. Isn't that better than being captured, or worse?"

"The young man makes a wise point," Fidèle backed him up, followed by a shallow sigh. "I only wish that I could've come to your aid sooner, but my abilities are greatly restricted by daylight, even here in the Abyss."

"Ah, because of the vamp thing, right?" Josh noted absently, and suddenly the air in the cabin froze over. He quickly realised he had committed a faux pas, and he hurriedly asked, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Josh!" Snowy hissed while unsubtly prodding him with her elbow, which was pretty out of character. In other words, she was clearly freaking out a bit. "That word is considered very, very impolite here!"

"Is it?" the guy muttered, and while it was clear that he didn't quite understand, he looked at the Shamash matriarch and backpedalled all the same. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to offend."

She responded with a dignified, "Don't worry, child. No offence was taken." She paused, on purpose, then changed her tone to be slightly more casual, and she admitted, "But yes, you are essentially right. Due to my nature as an Abyssal vampire, my powers wax and wane with sunlight. During the daytime, I couldn't even sense the tracking spell on my token. I set out as soon as I did, but by then, you had already accomplished much."

Josh was taken aback by the sudden praise and scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish, "We did, didn't we?"

"Quite," she asserted, and gestured towards the Ninhursag couple. "You have not only rescued the Lord of a House from a rebellion, but you also extracted the core of the Faun Ninhursag, as well as the heart of the administrative apparatus. Without them, it will take precious time for the traitors to solidify their rule over the territory, meaning their options to mobilize and strike the Noble Alliance in the back are limited."

"I also made sure to destroy the hard drives in my office before we were forced to retreat," the patriarch noted with a pained tinge in his voice. "It was a sacrifice, but it's better than letting my secrets… I mean, our secrets, exposed to those cursed traitors!"

Seemingly not even hearing the second sentence, the class rep blurted out a shocked, "Hard drives?" and drew everyone's attention to her. "Sorry, I was just… I didn't know you had computers here. In the Abyss."

"You must jest, my fair maiden!" Hareng chimed in with his usual chipper tone and flashed a toothy grin. "Of course we do! Our family made its fortune by importing goods from the great outside. If you need something specific delivered, be it luxury goods, hardware, or entertainment, the Ninurtas will get it for you, for the right price! It's a lucrative business, and it was only natural that the main House would be the first in line when acquiring such things."

"And then your father used all that wealth and influence to bleed us dry and turned on us," the Ninhursag woman hissed at him, and Hareng hurriedly showed his palms.

"Hold on, my dear madam! I'm not denying any of that, I'm just explaining the facts to the fair maiden." He paused meaningfully, but seeing that she was still glaring at him, the young Ninurta noble also added, "Also, need I remind you that the reason why our family rose to such wealth and prominence was because the great-grandfather of Lord Ninhursag himself declared that bartering with the commoners of the outside world was a demeaning task the Main House should not undertake? My family was delegated to the task by decree, while the main house continued to reap its benefits to this day. Certainly, the recent events were a true tragedy, but you have to admit that they were all avoidable if you only—"

"Enough," the patriarch cut in, sounding more tired than anything. "The decisions of my forebears were theirs to make, and the consequences are ours to bear. I will not deny that, and neither should you excuse the actions of your own blood."

"Oh, I wasn't. I was just stating the facts, for the benefit of the people not in the know."

After saying that, Hareng flashed another smile in Ammy's direction, followed by a playful wink, but she was naturally non-receptive.

"Let us try to avoid such tangents," the Shamash matriarch interjected again and lightly tapped her feet against the floor to show her impatience.

"I agree," Judy concurred while taking notes, but then turned to the patriarch and asked, "Once the meeting is over, may I further inquire about the imports and economics of the Abyss?"

He was taken aback, but after some hesitation, he firmly nodded.

"Certainly. I would also like to hear more about you and the… Peacemaker in return." Oddly enough, he wasn't looking at Judy, but Fidèle when he said that, and when she didn't show any reaction, he relaxed a bit. "For now, we should discuss what to do next."

"The train is currently heading towards Samsatu, and we should arrive before the break of dawn," the Shamash matriarch noted, as if waiting for just this question. "While the railway is connected to my capital, there is not a single soul managing the switches at the moment. I recommend that we settle down there for the time being. The people of Ninhursag require rest and rations, so I'll call my people and set up a base of operations in the town."

"Um… excuse me? Lady Shamash?" Snowy interjected, and once she gave her the go, she continued with, "It's important that we reach New Larsa as soon as possible. Are you sure we need to stop there?"

Based on what I remembered from my sister's notes, New Larsa was the capital of the Shamash territory, meaning it housed their castle, as well as their Mana Well.

"There's no need to rush," Fidèle insisted. "With two Lords of the Abyss by your side, never mind your own considerable abilities, the Lord of Inanna and his lackeys would not dare to strike carelessly."

"Certainly, but to achieve our goal, we need access to the Mana Well of House Shamash. The sooner, the better," my sister insisted in a polite yet unyielding tone, yet Fidèle didn't relent.

"If it is imperative, we'll make haste, but securely transporting this many people will require time and organization. I can promise you I'll personally let you witness the majesty of our Mana Well, but in time."

"Yes, but…"

Before Snowy could further insist, Josh raised a hand to stall her and glanced at the class rep.

"Ammy? Please show it to her."

"Ah… just a moment…" After fidgeting for a bit, she opened the hiking backpack she had sitting by her side all this time and gingerly pulled out a familiar item. "H-Here…"

The silence in the room was palpable, though not literal, as the rhythmic clattering of the train wheels under them was quite loud. At last, Fidèle gingerly reached out towards the inert blue cube, only to pull her hand back well before she made contact, looking as if she had just touched a hot stove with her finger.

"Is that…?"

"Our Mana Well, yes," the Ninhursag Patriarch declared, much to her further shock. "I know not how they did it, but I saw the moment with my own eyes, so I can guarantee its authenticity." He paused and then glanced at Judy. "Remember our deal."

"I don't need to. We made a contract."

My dear assistant's reply was a bit sassier than usual, and it drew the attention of the Shamash matriarch to her.

"Contract?"

"We made an agreement," Josh answered her at once and gestured at the cube in Ammy's hands. "We need this thing right now, so we made a deal. In return for saving the family, we got… what was the term Elly used?"

Judy supplied, "Temporary custody," to him, and Josh clicked his tongue.

"Yes, that. We promised to keep it safe and return it before we go back home, but until then, we can use it for our plans."

"And that plan is?" Hareng tried to prompt them, but Josh shook his head.

"Can't tell yet. Apparently, the less people know about it, the more likely it is to succeed."

"Is that true?"

Ammy responded to the young Ninurta's question with a world-weary, "Destiny works in mysterious and thoroughly confusing ways," and then she put away the inert Mana Well again.

Meanwhile, the Shamash matriarch looked reasonably troubled by this development, and she eventually stated, "We will limit our stay in Samsatu to a single day. We'll gather rations and necessities, and set out in the evening." She turned to the other high noble in the cabin next. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask Lord Ninhursag and his retinue to stay there until my people can arrange for long-term hospitality."

"We understand, Lady Shamash. We also have much to do. We have to send correspondence and try to warn our loyal subjects." He let out a troubled sigh and stroked his beard. "If only Blaireau were with us. He could've taken care of all of it overnight."

"Who?"

Josh's idle question was answered by another sigh and a curt, "My spymaster. He was travelling under cover during the coup and hasn't returned to the castle yet. I just hope he hears the news in time and manages to escape our territory before the accursed Ninurtas find him."

It was at this point that his wife, clearly incensed by the mere mention of said spymaster, spoke up with a suspicious, "Now that you mention him, are you sure he isn't one of the traitors?"

"What? Wife! What sort of madness makes you say that?"

She squinted at him, but when he met her scrutiny head-on, she explained, "Blaireau has been traveling a lot without telling anyone about it, and when I asked him, he told me he was conducting a census in our territory. When I pointed out that it's not his job, he deflected the issue and has avoided me ever since. I didn't think much of it at the time, and I imagined he was just involved with yet another ploy concerning the Elder Council, but seeing how he disappeared just before the Ninurtas staged their rebellion, I'm now certain he had to be involved in some way."

"No, wife, he was just…" He glanced around with a guilty glint in his eyes, but he quickly reined in his panic and put on a poker face. "Blaireau was simply… working on a secret assignment I personally entrusted to him."

"One that even I didn't know about?"

"Yes. It was… very clandestine."

While their argument was going on, Josh decided to take the reins of the conversation and said, "So the short-term plan is that we spend the day in this town, gather what we need, and then set out towards the other town at dusk on…" He paused and glanced at the Shamash woman. "… train?"

"No. It makes our path naturally predictable. I'll secure a different means of transportation while we're in Samsatu, while the train…"

She paused and glanced at the bickering Ninhursag couple, but didn't interrupt them. Seeing that, Hareng used the opportunity to interject.

"Why don't we have the railway staff fix up our ride and prepare new carriages? It might throw the spies of the Emperor off the scent, and even if it doesn't, at least everyone here could use it to get to New Larsa in comfort. Two birds with one stone!"

"There is merit in what you say," Fidèle agreed, if tentatively, but her eyes remained glued to the patriarch, and especially his odd reaction to the mere mention of Bel of the Abyss. "We'll consider this further once we reach the train station, but before that, there's one more thing we must discuss."

Seeing that her attention was focused on him, the Ninhursag Lord lightly cleared his throat and turned to face her.

"Yes, Lady Shamash?"

"Can I presume that, in light of the recent events, House Ninhursag is no longer neutral in the civil war?"

"You… are unfortunately not wrong in your assessment."

"Are you ready to negotiate joining the Noble Alliance now?"

The portly man looked conflicted, but then his wife leaned over to whisper something into his ear, and after a few seconds of intense eyebrow-wriggling, he visibly deflated.

"I'm not sure how much value your Alliance will find in a Lord without a land or Mana Well, but if you're willing to take us, we'll provide whatever support we can."

"Don't put yourself down too much. You still control the Faun Ninhursag, and as for the Mana Well, the Ninurtas don't have it either, now do they?" Fidèle glanced at Ammy's bag, with a borderline amused smirk on the edge of her lips, but she reined it in and gestured at them. "You did well, children. Rest up, and let us adults do the tedious political negotiations on our own."

"Do you need contract paper?" Judy chimed in, dead serious. "We have some more if you need it. We can also help with the writing and the signing."

Snowy added, "Eleonore says it's good practice," in lieu of an explanation, though I wasn't sure Fidèle even remembered the princess, considering they only met once.

"Maybe tomorrow." She flashed a smile and gestured towards the door of the cabin. "Make sure you get at least a few hours of sleep. We'll all be busy tomorrow."

Nobody argued, and as soon as they were out, they met the rest of the group eagerly waiting nearby.

"So? How did it go?" Penny asked before anyone else could get a word in, looking expectantly at Josh.

He responded with a flat, "We're still on track, no pun intended," and then a quick summary of the discussion.

"So we're supposed to sleep?" Elly mused with a finger on her chin. "How exactly? And where? Everything's so crowded, we can't even put down our sleeping bags!"

Just when they were starting to grumble over that, Ammy proposed, "There's a padded bunk in the back of the crew compartments." When the others looked at her expectantly, she clarified, "It's for the conductors, so it's small, but I think two people can fit on it. I don't think it's going to be very comfortable, though."

Josh dismissed her concern with a flippant, "No big deal," and then he hummed a short tune. His whole body lit up with colourless magic, though only the class rep could see that. "We have recovery arias. So long as we can get an hour of sleep, it'll make up the difference."

"We sure do!" Angie declared with a grin and then grabbed Josh with one hand and raised the other over her head. "Since we're going to refresh everyone else, I'm calling dibs on the first round!"

Nobody objected, and so the class rep led the group to the train cab and everyone called it a day. It was certainly a long and eventful one, and they deserved some rest without any interruptions. Well, except for that one time when Hareng argued that, as the odd ones out, he should sleep with Ammy, so he got thrown back into the passenger car. Other than that, no interruptions whatsoever.