Somewhere
As observed by the Divine
"Sir, please-" The words of the attendant are nearly drowned out by the wailing of several alerts, all announcing a dangerous power-load on the systems that maintain her masters vital functions. She yelps as one crystal bursts, showering her in fragments.
The messenger who brought the news of the loss of the Index Tendon lies in a heap on the floor, their form mangled beyond recognition. The alerts die down as the Undead Noble, Aurellium, regains their composure.
"A fool. A loyal fool, but a fool nonetheless..." They hiss as several tenders clean up the mess and replace the crystal that failed. Their voice, creaking, hissing, merely a whisper, yet it carries incredible power.
The kind of power only gained from bypassing the laws of the World and living several hundred years beyond the intended lifespan of a Photian. Although forever chained to a massive setup of machines and contraptions, they live.
The loss of the Tendon wasn't the only reason for their upset. Once again, that dreadful Monarch shows up at the worst possible time, and this time it's caused massive setbacks to several plans. However flawed the decision to try to salvage the situation by leaping into the Spring to get the Malice Cores out, Aurellium can't help but be impressed by the blind servitude the Tendon displayed.
What perplexes them though, is how the Monarch came to obtain those Cores. Unless... the Monarch must be flawed in some way, unstable, suspect to negative emotions that cause it to shed Malice Cores. Yes, this is something they can work with.
Although they now have to wait weeks or even months for the Spring to finish Purifying the Malice left within it, it wasn't all for nothing. Sending Daggers after those two would solve nothing, now that they're with the Monarch, same for that Witch.
"Leave the marked ones that are protected by the Monarch, we will only suffer casualties from trying to exact revenge upon them." The instruct their attendant. Aurellium likes this one, still young, not bad to look at, and filled with the sort of foolish kindness one finds in children that feed monsters. They will miss her once she dies, though it should be a while still.
She nods, writing the instructions up on her trusty notepad before rushing off to relay the message.
Now, to find ways to leverage this newly found weakness within the Monarch...
???
???
I thrash about, my vessel struggling to keep up. How delightful! How horrible! To think! I saw a glimpse of Her, Her eyes filled with fear and pity, looking into my own as I shared vision with that fool!
My face is gently, but firmly caught between two hands. I dare not jerk out. If my vessel sees it necessary to still my excitement, I'll let them have this bit of control. After all, I learned the hard way what happens if I don't.
To think, my arrogance lost me my other vessel... I weep at the memory. I let my vessel calm me, stroking my head and cooing gently with their croaking voice.
But still! I saw! That fool had a Master! And they didn't see me! But now I know! There's someone else that has cheated death like me! A different approach, a lot less elegant I must say, but it worked for them.
I told the leader, Leicher, about my discovery. He wasn't as excited as me, though. Made me want to bite him, make him exited about that at least! He already knew, though he didn't know what they were doing. That made him worry. Another like Her!
Though... if they seek to harm Her... Leicher says that's the plan, since She is considered a threat to the fools Master, and to the kingdom they conspire with. Just hold on a while more, dear Sister, we'll be together again soon enough, and then, no-one can threaten us!
Office of the High-Priest of the Harmekian Church
As witnessed by the Divine
The High Priest leans forward, intently gazing into the eyes of the Sister that brought him the news. He sighs, and holds his hand out for her to place the report in. The Sister then curtsies before she, slightly too briskly, walks out of the room.
As much as he wanted to, he would not risk his standing by making a move. Her attitude towards him was too... full of revulsion? He shakes his head, as if to get rid of the thoughts. He unwraps the report. It's lengthy, though from a quick glance, most of it is damage reports. Several broken walls, some were load bearing, in the inner keep...
As if something from within had smashed its way out. Now, onto the interesting parts, as he lays the first part of the missive aside for later. He grumbles internally at the thought of the cost of repairs though, he'll have to increase the tithes again...
He skims through the second part. Then restarts and reads it all properly.
"As the preparations for the Purifying of the Mages and the Gems were to start, the Oracle first refused to see them, before being forcefully brought to the Spring by the leader of the emissaries."
That's... odd. He had visited Delpha several times before, and she would always be eager to see her clients. The High Priest continues reading.
"The personal tender of the Oracle was hurt, though not severely."
Why include that information then? As if he cared if someone got injured? It's casualties that are to be worried about! He skips ahead.
"As the Oracle was brought before the Spring, Samantha Hargenbough, long time resident at the Spring Keep, voiced her outrage against the treatment of the Oracle."
Hah! Of course the old hag would. Every time he's been to the Divine Spring, she's been pestering him about the state of the Church, as if requiring tithes to maintain a resident Acolyte is a bad thing! It frees up resources the Church can spend elsewhere!
He feels his head get hot, his heart rate rising. Remembering what the Healer told him, he sighs and takes a deep breath, leaning back in his thickly upholstered chair, ignoring the creaks of protest as his weight shifts. That's better.
"As it seemed that the leader of the emissaries would retaliate against her, somehow, two large Malice Cores were dropped into the Divine Spring, fouling it as it struggled to Purify that much Malice at once."
W-what? What's happening over there? Random Malice Cores out of thin air?
"The leader tossed aside the Oracle as they, for some reason, dove into the Spring in an effort to retrieve the Cores."
The High Priest stifles a snort of bemusement. Truly, for a supposed leader, there can't have been much going on in their head. He reads the obvious conclusion, Malice contamination causing Chimerification.
"It is at this point unclear what transpired, but the Monarch is seen confronting the now monstrous leader in the courtyard a few moments later. With its aid, the guards atop the wall are able to kill the Chimerified leader. The body is disposed of by Samantha and the Monarch."
Hold up. He fishes out another report, this one from the Spymaster. Something about the known Skills employed by the Monarch... He doesn't understand why he was sent it, but questioning the ways of the Spymaster rarely gets you anywhere.
Yep, here it is, Hidden Space. Somehow obtained from Samanthas grandson, who's been missing for nearly six months now, presumed dead. Putting two and two together, the High Priest realizes where those Malice Cores came from.
Now comes the issue of figuring out the why. He'll leave that for later, he wants to finish reading the report in time for lunch, after all.
"After which, the Monarch flew off with Samantha and the Oracle, with the Monarch informing of the lack of an Acolyte in the village of Vailpol, and Samantha assuring the Oracles safety."
He can feel his pulse rising again. He takes steady breaths to calm himself, before re-reading that last part. Frantically, he scrambles around in his drawers for the map. There! He quickly locates the now brightly shining dot denoting Vailpol.
... That dot, it was just a dull glow for many years, on account of the lack of Acolyte, before going dark entirely a few weeks ago. But now it glows brighter than some city Churches! The Monarch must be involved somehow!
He hits a button, and a chime from outside summons the Sister from before. "Sister, send a Trusted to the village of Vailpol. Have them inquire about any recent visitors, I want names, occupation, time of being there, time of leaving!" She blinks once or twice at his tone. He ignores her.
With the elegance of someone trying to smile after eating unripe Vibrerberries, she acknowledges and heads out to make the necessary calls.
If his hunch is correct, he can expect a handsome tithe from the Queen Herself in the future! He catches himself in his excitement, if anything, he might manage to keep his head and position after the complete fiasco of losing the Oracle, having the Spring fouled, and letting a high ranking ally perish.
Careful diplomacy is needed. Once the Queen hears of this, he expects there to be several vacant positions at the Spring Keep, and possibly his own post as well. He decides to, for once, obey his Healers orders and skip lunch. There is work to be done.
Millibelle's Lair
Delphas' POV
I'm laying on my back, one of my legs extended up in the air. I explore the movement options I haven't had since I was ten. To think, just like that, I'm able to use my legs again... I swallow my tears of joy, it only distresses others when I cry.
Grandma is sitting down on her bed, her head tilted to one side in thought. Seems she's worried. "Grandma, what's the matter?" I get onto my stomach and face her. "What you said... About the Monarch." Ech, yes. I'll admit I was afraid too, when she suddenly stomped the ground, her eyes filled with anger.
And the way she suddenly gagged and reached within her own throat to remove a Malice Core... And the size of it! But... even so, she seemed to be okay afterwards. "How much has she told you?" Grandma asks me. "She told me everything... Sans how she got that Skill." I admit I understand why she would withhold that.
"Then, could you elaborate on what you told me back then?" I nod. "She is an Otherworlder, reincarnated into this World as a Divine Sacrifice. As it happens, she is also the Monarch. The biggest issue is her human mind. With her human emotions, she's continuously generating Malice within her when she feels negative emotions." I take a breath, letting Grandma process my words.
"She also has the Divergent Mind Skill. It slows the rate of buildup, but not enough for her to not have to regularly shed Cores." Grandma nods, the pieces fitting into place. "Her outburst was most likely her Other Will being disagreeable. I suspect that her sudden shift in attitude and tone towards us was because of that as well." Grandma sighs.
"A mentally unstable Monarch... Capable of great damage if she so desired..." She grimaces. "Hey, it's not like she's like that all the time! She seems to be in control most of the time at least. I think it's just stress that makes her go weird." I defend her. After all, I'd still be in that dreary place, still without use of my legs, if not for her.
"Still. If something really sets her off, I'm sure we all will suffer." She gets up. "I'm going to go see when we can expect food. I'll be back soon."
I'm alone, unable to leave or walk about as I please. But not for long. I'll work hard and be able to walk again! Then I'll do everything I can to make sure Millibelle remains stable. Purification of her and her Malice Cores, anything!