The Apprentice of Ouroboros [Monster Evo LitRPG Adventure]

No one moved. Everyone froze at the Seeker's sudden action, blood still dripping onto the table.

As far as Neska was concerned, it was more dramatic than it was practical. The Seeker, like her, knew that Mimicoids would ooze when injured, and he bore no scent that would be a dead giveaway. Nor did the blood turn blue or cyan, as a doppelganger would. The latter would be harder tells but were physically more limited than Mimicoids.

Without another word, Ortholo folded the cloth in half, then wrapped the length around his cut hand. He didn't show any sign of discomfort from what Neska assumed must be considerable pain.

Resalio spoke first, incensed by the mess. “There was absolutely no need for that drama.”

“It wasn't for you. It was for her to witness.” Ortholo dabbed at the cut, ignoring Juni’s shocked, wide-eyed expression and Kalloway's more subtle apprehension and the way he leaned away from the man.

Neska gave him an emotionless stare. “That may be the first time I've seen a Seeker do something right.” She clapped her hands slowly, sounding overly loud in the dead silent room. “I am glad they taught you how to spot changeling and ooze variant monsters. They are problematic.”

“You're insane.” Juni’s voice trembled at watching the man cut himself to make a point. “You’re out of your mind.”

“Yes, considering all I would need is a small blood sample, or a basic alchemical kit to test for a few chemicals prevalent in a Mimicoid's skin, it was quite theatrical,” Kalloway growled, fingers clenched tight around his teacup, his knuckles turned white. “Headmistress? Tell me you're not seriously considering this proposal.”

“Seconded. The reason Seekers and Awakened are trained separately is because of recurring issues with personnel acting against students the same way they would against our enemy, the Varadur. Brutally, and without restraint.” Juni’s paws practically shook as she spoke.

“Oh, and that reminds me: the search in the Undercommons, huh?” Kalloway accused. “I was there long enough to see there was little subtlety from your armed squads questioning people.”

“I’m simply turning over stones you refused to look under.” Ortholo admittedly had a point: Markus had ample hiding spots in the depths of the plateau and beyond. If he was in the city, he could have egress points for miles around them. He sipped his tea, smiling politely. “Or have you forgotten what happens when students remain unsupervised for too long?”

Kalloway winced. It was brief, but Neska saw how much the statement impacted the professor, who said nothing but gave the Seeker a contemptuous glare.

Neska had to change the math on this one. Seekers on campus were bad, and guaranteed to cause a flash of violence, sooner or later. But the wild card was Resalio’s response. She had been keeping her words carefully guarded, never revealing her intentions.

“Headmistress,” Neska directed to her, but keeping her eyes locked on Ortholo, “Why specifically was I summoned here? I am willing to discuss certain topics, but this will not be a one-way conversation.”

One subtle tilt of her head from Resalio, and Ortholo cleared his throat. “Well, my first reason, candidly speaking, was to confirm you arrived at the Academy after our…meeting at Earthspire.”

She wouldn’t call it that, but she didn’t interrupt. “Then I learned you were on your way to deal with some goblins on a moderate-risk mission, so we just missed each other after I spoke to Major Gorovich. He clearly had prior knowledge of you, though he did not reveal the full extent of what he knew. Imagine, to my surprise upon your return, I found out you were the one to slay the Instance core.”

“It was not a singular effort,” she corrected. “Multiple teams were part of the assault to neutralize the threat.”

“So that's a yes.”

What is he angling for? He must want something. If he wanted me in custody, he didn't try all that hard. “Does it matter who defeated it?”

“It does, when I consider a woman who is only Tier two defeated a creature likely somewhere at early Tier three, and with an instance core growing out of its back. Especially considering you came from nowhere, and have demonstrated uncanny and unusual powers. Powers I presume Risha burdened you with in an unnatural fashion.”

No other word stung more than unnatural. It certainly felt like a codeword for something worse. “I would like to know more. There is much our organization might learn from your record.”

Neska raised a brow. “Well then, you should join me at my classes when they resume. I’m quite the learner, as they say. Maybe there are some topics we can find in common. As for the report on the Instance hive, we've already been asked questions. That report is with the academy, and it's their decision on what gets released.”

He considered this for a moment. “You know, I do have the authority to demand things and get them when and how I want. The powers granted to the Seekers give us broad authority and discretion.”

“But you haven't. You're here, asking politely. My guess is, you can't get what you want without my cooperation. What I think you want is, you want to know how I have witch powers.”

She raised herself a little higher from her coil for emphasis. There were certain perks to being able to set her ‘standing’ height. “You respect power, far more than you respect the rights of those you defend.”

He shrugged. “Power is the means to set rights. Everything else is derivative of power. For most, that’s determined by your class and your Tier. Lesser so are those in positions of influence and trade. You should have neither, and yet, I sense that some day, you may be the most powerful person in this room. Powerful enough to be of grave concern to many, as to what your intentions will be. If not fighting your fellow monsters, then what comes after, once hostilities cease?”

“Enough,” Resalio said crossly. “I will not permit you to implicitly threaten my students, especially those who have demonstrated considerable acts of bravery and skill, and I am keenly aware of what happened in Earthspire, Ortholo.”

Neska didn’t know what class, exactly, the Headmistress was. Given the callouses on her hands and her disciplined voice, she suspected she had gotten her hands well acquainted with physical tribulations. The Seeker best be wary.

“I’m simply asking questions that I’m sure others are asking themselves. Headmistress, you yourself haven’t disclosed your Tier. Tiers are power that transcends the traditional socioeconomic layers of our society. The interface is a great equalizer. It ensures even those who come from nothing have the chance to rise to positions of prominence and authority.”

“Don’t lecture me, Ortholo. Save that for those bright-eyed and bushy-tailed boys you put through your inhumane training and indoctrinated to the brutal mindset the Seekers have carried about for the last twenty years.” She locked eyes with Ortholo, as if looking to seize a second of weakness. “Three in ten are dead within their first year, Seeker.”

No moment of weakness came. Ortholo was as resolute as they came, wearing a stoic, almost bored expression as he sipped from his cup. “Your tea is quite good, by the way. Shipped from Ocearia?” Neska had a vague idea that it was the southern continent, where winter was more of a suggestion than a hard rule. It was also over a thousand miles across the ocean.

Resalio shook her head, the tension in her jaw plainly visible. “I grow and harvest it. We have numerous greenhouses that approximate Ocearia.”

“My gratitude to your skill and good taste then.” He set his cup down, turning to Neska. “So, if I might be so bold to ask, Neska Aksen, ward of the great witch Risha Aksen, what was her grand plan?”

“Killing the Radiant King. That’s how this ends.” she left out her suspicion of who he was, exactly. “I don’t know everything, because I was…compartmentalized. I don’t know why, yet. I have theories. I think she needed me to figure things out on my own, so I’d reach the right conclusions for the right reasons, borne of endurance and survival.”

“So, you can’t tell me anything that isn’t in those reports I am still reviewing.”

“No, Seeker. I can’t.” And I won’t, even if I did find some of the answers I’m looking for.

“And what of your intentions then, specifically?”

“I intend to defeat the Radiant King. But I would be a fool to say I could tear a path through all the Varadur in the way by myself. As for what happens after,” she added with a deliberate pause, “I want to study to become a proper witch. There’s much of this world I don’t understand or remember, and unmapped frontiers of knowledge to explore.”

She leaned in. “Now you can tell me why you’re interested in me. Is it because I'm unknown? A future threat? Or possibly a powerful ally?”

“You are unnatural, serpent. Born of magic most foul, for you to possess the powers of both our Divine blessed humanity, and the mindless, savage hordes of the–”

Kalloway slammed down his hand so hard that the entire table rattled. Shadows twisted in the corners of the room, bending in ways the light should not have permitted. The professor wore a dead-calm expression as he reached for his teacup.

“Ortholo. I knew Risha Aksen for over twenty years. We fought and bled together since the very beginning. There isn’t a damn thing that woman wouldn’t do to give humanity the tools to their own survival. Disparage her work, or Neska again? And I’ll show you unnatural powers that will convey just where I stand on that totem of power you seem so fond of.” Kalloway then picked up his cup of tea and took a sip, as if the outburst hadn’t happened.

The seeker looked unbothered and unintimidated. “No need. Perhaps if you hadn’t felt the urge to seek attention, I would have finished my sentence with a request for a partnership.”

Juni, Neska, and Kalloway all let out sounds of surprise. Resalio kept her card-playing face straight, and she rested her chin on her hands, peering at the Seeker. “Explain, Ortholo.”

He set down his cup of tea, leaning in. “It’s no secret the Varadur are building an invading wave, larger than anything we've seen before. They gather fodder like goblins and other low-tier creatures, while they wait to bring in their more powerful and ravenous creatures at the last minute. A direct battle will result in the rout of several key positions and cost us territories we need to hold onto. I'd say we have less than a year, and realistically, six months, before that push happens. Anything I can do to degrade their movements or open a vulnerable flank, I will exploit. Especially if that includes the efforts of a witch with unusual powers.”

“What was his name?”

The room remained dead silent for several seconds after Neska spoke those dreadful words. “Who?”

“What was the name of the villager who was burned alive in Earthspire for allegedly harboring a deserter?” She wore a mask of calm in the face of the quivering fury she felt for this man’s arrogance. “Tell me you at least had the decency to learn his name.”

“Brendon, of Earthspire. No last name. As I recall, we didn't set his residence alight,” he stated with no emotion in his voice, as though this bored him. “It was unfortunate that we could not follow up with what he knew.”

“You sure did a whole lot of standing around, doing nothing, for a person who either was innocent, or aided someone who didn’t want to get thrown into a meat grinder. You also had no qualms about taking the torch to those who were given no chance to prove their innocence. Seekers seek violence first, and ask questions later.”

"I had reasonable--"

She cut him off. "All the Seekers see are enemies in every corner. I would even go so far to say it borders on paranoia. Or something worse: Deliberate abuse of your power. That has been my experience with every, single encounter with the Seekers. No wonder you're losing this war. And you're too stubborn to see it, or admit it."

She glared at him, keeping her anger in check. “So, why on Galwein would I trust you with a partnership, ever?” She deliberately raised herself a few inches higher, if only to drive home the point. “That’s right. I can’t. And I won’t.”

She, of course, was deliberately baiting out a response, a tell, anything to indicate what he really wanted. It was what Risha would do. “I believe we’re done here, Seeker Ortholo. Headmistress, thank you for the tea; I appreciate it. I’d like to follow up with tea with my associate, Brienne, in the satellite branch, now that I’ve had a sampling.”

Neska didn’t even give a second glance to the seeker, who sat there, fingers steepled, his reaction as bland as a slab of rock. This one kept his feelings deeply in check. “Juni, let’s head back. It's been a long day.”

“Actually, there is something I can offer.”

There it is. Their bargaining chip. Neska feigned a hissing laugh. “And what do you think you know of me, that you can say with certainty you know what I'm thinking?”

“Seeker Templar Marikand DeTrauss.” Ortholo's fingers curled as he uttered the name, his face carrying a lingering disdain. “Upon my arrival and subsequent discussions with the Major, his name came up. His body was not recovered from the site of Risha's cottage and subsequent battle.”

It was unpleasant news, but it wasn't surprising, either. She'd had her doubts that he would have perished from Risha's last attacks. One more enemy out there looking to kill her.

“The real Marikand is dead,” Kalloway said, looking grim. “What has approximated him is a Mimicoid. That's it. Your men were fooled by a simulacrum.”

“No. You don't know what we know. What you encountered was a new version of the Mimicoids. Their future evolution. Ones that can pass for you and me near flawlessly.”

“And how do they do that?” Neska demanded.

“They consume the person. And they become them. Near-flawlessly. Worse, they don't have the same signs as their lesser counterparts, such as sour or alchemical scents, random body twitches, or lacking knowledge. They absorb their memories. They, in effect, become the person.”

Ortholo winced. “As much as it pains me to admit this, the Seekers have a problem, as highlighted by Risha posthumously. One we must be discreet about in how we deal with it. And you, Neska, likely have an interest in killing this monster for good.”

So that's what he wanted. He was offering a trade. One he knew she would give long thought to. “Let me guess. Allow joint operations with the Seekers, and you'll help me hunt down the monster who killed the greatest witch that ever lived. But I noticed you are clearly aiming this offer at me, and not the headmistress of this prestigious institution. Likely, because you think if I say yes, she’ll say yes.”

“Shit deal, don't even give it a second thought in saying no.” Juni’s tone dripped with acid. ‘That’s a lot more risk on us than it is on them.”

“Oh, one more thing.” Ortholo tapped the table, stalling. “We need this one alive. At least, for a little while."

“If I find him, I kill him, and he stays dead.” Neska rejected that idea as too dangerous, even with the potential knowledge gained.

“Seconded,” Kalloway growled.

Resalio raised a hand of restraint. “This is a nonstarter, Ortholo. You will use this joint effort to evaluate our Awakened for weaknesses. Your organization has already made it clear you view the Awakened as aberrants. My concern is post-war hostilities between your order and the Awakened who will be released from their participation in the war effort.”

Ortholo straightened, and creases formed on his face as he gave them all a severe look. “It is not just the honor of the Seekers that is at stake. These mimicoids can replicate the class powers of those they absorb. Do you understand the risk here?”

“How do you know this?” Resalio pressed, a crack in her composure showing as she tapped her teacup with her finger in a repeating rhythm.

“We were able to find one by chance, as they absorbed one of the lesser Templar. These mimicoids seem to prefer a single disguise and grow into it, possibly spending months or years in the role. This one was able to cast priest spells, something no Mimicoid has ever been seen capable of. We disposed of it thoroughly, and in a manner that didn’t leave us much to pick apart afterwards on a cadaver table.”

He narrowed his gaze on Neska. “You, yourself, are capable of using impossible powers, and some which I’ve never heard of. I had to read between the lines of the reports to understand the full scope. You are a case study of untapped potential, and untold risk.”

"What I am, is something you can't control or bully into submission, Ortholo. My witch and mentor defied a god, and stopped his progress for two decades." She folded his arms, giving him a contemptuous glare. "We are not your monsters on a leash whenever it's convenient for you. We are people, whether you recognize it or not. You came to us because you know if you don't have us by your side, humanity might fall in this coming attack."

He set his tea cup down. "Astute. But why are you so convinced?"

"Because the Radiant King is coming for me. He will throw every walking horror he has to ensure I don't reach my highest Tier. Because if I do, he will lose. Risha, the greatest witch alive, chose to save me over her own life for that sole reason. You want my help? I want your trust. Not just from you, but from every red clad Seeker who sees us as the enemy, looking for the slightest excuse to kill us where we stand. Despite everything, we stand to defend all of humanity. Even you."

If that wasn't a 'relay drop' moment, she didn't know what was. The fact that Resalio and Kalloway didn't intervene suggested they had her backing.

"That's... commendable. But this assumes one thing: you're the lynchpin of our success." He set down his tea cup. "But, what if you're wrong?"

"If I'm wrong about what Risha's plan was? Then you have absolutely no hope of winning this fight. And you know it. You know what's coming and you know they didn't fight that hard to hold that Instance under their control. Worse is coming. Much worse."

The seeker showed the slightest flicker of hesitation to speak. She could almost hear him going through the math. "It would be... difficult...to secure victory against the Varadur with just the Seekers and the joint Valos and Juiksen militaries. And the cooperation of the academy."

There it was. Her opening. He knew they couldn't hold this assault off. Not with conventional tactics.

“If you want my help,” she said, “you’re not just bargaining with me. You are bargaining with every Awakened who is terrified they are next in your zealous drive to kill monsters. This down payment for our help starts with Marikand DeTrauss being destroyed so utterly that he doesn’t get up a second time. And we want a gesture of good faith.”

Juni rubbed her temples with her paws. “For the love of the Divines, Neska–”

“I want three Seekers brought to campus. They train with us, and set aside whatever preconceptions they have. Consider it a test case. It goes well, we can expand the effort. We are all committed to the defense of humanity, so we do have one thing in common.” She didn’t like overriding Juni. To date, they’d mostly agreed on many things.

But this? This needed to happen. Real change needed to happen, and it would require making hard sacrifices. Nothing would satisfy her more than to sink her fangs into Ortholo for being an utter bastard.

The only thing that gave her pause was the fact that, for only the second time she'd seen in their organization, he'd hesitated and focused on what truly mattered. He was afraid, because he knew that divided, they would all fall. And that clash of knowledge greatly tested him.

Ortholo dipped his chin, stroking a small goatee. “Interesting. And what say you, Headmistress?”

She narrowed her eyes, smiling politely. “Oh, Seeker. You may come to regret asking us for help. Because our asking price may be higher than you are willing, or authorized, to answer for. But make no mistake, if this is a bad bargain, I will protect the interests of my students and staff, above all else. Are we clear?”

Ortholo frowned, the first time she’d seen his facade crack open. “Then let’s begin. But don’t expect this to be an easy arrangement.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Neska interjected, wearing a fanged smile. “I know just the Seekers I’d like to bring on board first.”