Wish upon the Stars chapter 1113 (Patreon)

It didn’t take long for the ambassador from the ship to show up. I assumed, based on Alara’s request, the S-ranker who showed up was the captain, though I had no way to be sure. He came like the wind, stepping on starlight, and arrived in the time it took me to blink twice. Alara dissolved her manifestation, stepping forward to meet him calmly, clearly not even remotely worried about any violence, despite the super weapon behind him.

“Greetings,” said the man warily. “I am Seth, captain of the Bloodraven. I confess, we were led to believe that none in the lower world remembered our father or his legend. How is it that you recognize his personal vessel on sight?”

“Who wouldn’t know the story of the Bloodraven,” Alara said politely. “A great warship built from the stolen wealth of a thousand divine kingdoms. A magnificent vessel that vanished among the stars one day, never to be seen again. Of course, I’ve seen it before in person, those many eons ago when it was still new.”

Seth’s eyes narrowed warily. “You claim to be as ancient as a Divine vessel? Are you a devolved god of some kind? Perhaps you’ve undergone a sundering?”

“Nothing so pedestrian,” grinned Alara wolfishly. “I simply died.”

That seemed to intrigue the man. “An S-rank resurrection. Fascinating. They’re so rare. While many S-rankers have Mirror Souls, I’m sure you’re aware that before passing the Divine watershed, the soul is fragile. It can be done, of course, especially with expedience, but shattering a soul at S-rank is dangerous indeed. May I ask your esteemed name, lady? I can feel your power even from here, I doubt one such as yourself was unknown even in those ancient days where gods outnumbered stars. My father has told me quite a few stories of his youth, perhaps I know of you.”

Alara gave an elegant curtsy. “I am Alara Atlas, daughter of the Heretic God. In my day, they called me many things. The Star of Misfortune, the Skyripper, and the Heretic Princess.”

His face went pale. “The Skyripper? The S-ranker who murdered the sky god Deltora?”

“Even so,” my sister in law said with her most charming smile. “It’s lovely to hear that my reputation precedes me. I always did like Selwyn. He used to tell me such wonderful stories as a child. He and my father were fast friends, you see. I consider myself quite lucky you decided to grace us with your presence.”

The way she said that implied heavily that it was HER fault it had happened. Which, come to think of it, it might have been. I wasn’t sure about the limits of Alara’s luck power, but it was significant enough that Atlas thought it was noteworthy, and it had already created several nearly impossible situations to allow her to navigate danger. Exactly how much any of us were affected by it was anyone’s guess, but taking credit for it was a good way to inflate her reputation either way.

“I heard many stories of my father’s friendship with Adam Atlas,” Seth said respectfully. “He was a mighty god, and my father was greatly saddened to hear of his passing.”

“Then he’ll be overjoyed to hear of his return,” Alara said brightly.

The man froze. “A-Adam Atlas is alive?” he all but squeaked. “That’s…wonderful news. I’m so happy.”

Based on the terrified crack in his voice, he definitely wasn’t, but it was kind of funny watching an S-ranker try not to piss himself in fear. “Of course,” purred Alara, her red eyes gleaming in a predatory way that had nothing to do with drinking blood and everything to do with smelling it in the metaphorical water. “I’m sure he would be thrilled to make your acquaintance as well, Seth. I just know our families strong alliance will weather the sands of time and extend into the present generation. I believe we will be great friends.”

That, to my surprise, didn’t seem to terrify him as much as the Atlas talk. In fact, he looked a little intrigued. I very decidedly did not choose to think about my sister in law’s romantic life, focusing instead on the moment. I cleared my throat, and Alara glanced at me for a moment before putting a hand on my shoulder and pushing me forward. “Ah, how rude of me. Seth, this is my new little brother, Solomon. He married my sister not long ago, and they’re very happy together, so treat him well for me, won’t you?”

Seth straightened, looking me over. “A strapping young man,” he said approvingly. “And already B-rank at such a young age. Such talent is rare.” He held out his hand. “Greetings, Solomon, I am Seth, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As a visitor to your lands, I’ll be relying on you to help me get the lay of the land.”

“Of course,” I said enthusiastically. “You’ll be our guests during your stay!”

He froze. “O-our?” he said quickly, having just realized something was off. His eyes flicked to Alara, who was smiling beatifically.

“Oh yes,” my sister in law said in a saccharine voice. “My little brother is quite the up and comer in these parts. He’s the current head of one of the six major divine factions that are currently extant in realspace.”

He flinched. “Ah,” he said as he released my hand. “How wonderful.” His voice sounded more annoyed than anything else, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. I was a B-ranker, and therefore, a nobody. As a random footsoldier, a request to be a tour guide was a favor to Alara, taking care of her kid brother when it was convenient.

However, I was the Wishmaster, and I represented a Divine faction. As the current leader of HIS faction on this plane, Seth presumably had decision making power in regards to the formation of alliances and treaties. Guest rights were an old concept, but still very much honored among those of political power. By offering to let me host and being claimed by me as a guest, Seth had essentially agreed to an alliance with the WCP.

It was clear he hadn’t intended to do that, though he didn’t seem upset enough to imply he had bad intentions. He was just obviously unhappy that he’d been tricked so cleanly and quickly. I could see his mind trying to pick apart the interaction and figure out how much of it was Alara’s ability influencing things in her favor and how much was her just outsmarting him. Hell, I was trying to pick that apart.

I could see now why Atlas was so impressed with Alara’s abilities. They were so…insidious. Luck was such a nebulous concept, and it was possible to make your own, in a way. Alara was clearly a master as manipulating situations to her advantage, and capitalizing on not only her ability but her own innate skills and intelligence to expand her reputation. I could see why they’d called her The Star of Misfortune.

Seth was a professional, of course. He looked annoyed for a moment but quickly moved past it. “Well, I suppose I should take advantage of your hospitality if it’s offered,” he said smoothly. “Is this your base of operations?” His eyes flicked up to the palace, though he seemed mostly underwhelmed by the display.

“It is,” I said cheerfully. “I welcome yourself and your traveling companions to my home. Please, enjoy your stay. I’m afraid we don’t have anywhere you can park your ship. I suspect our hangars have neither the size nor the Impact to withstand an entry from such a powerful machine.”

“Of course,” he said proudly. “The Bloodraven nests wherever she might lie. None can threaten her.”

I made the correct noises of awe and appreciation, but gestured to the other arrivals. “And the others? If we’re to be allies, I would love to hear more about our new arrivals. I’m sure you’re well informed about any number of powerful forces. You’re all here for the legacy trial, yes?”

He immediately latched onto the last question, obviously pleased to be on expected ground. “Very much so. This particular inheritance belongs to an exceptionally well traveled Overgod who called himself The Hourglass Bodach.” At our obvious disappointment, he laughed. “You suspected a Worldgod inheritance? I can understand the error, but don’t be disappointed too fast. While the Bodach wasn’t a Worldgod, he traveled for many years through many planes. Overgods, Worldgods, he visited legacies and ruins from any number of great powers, collecting techniques and materials unseen in the modern world.”

His eyes locked on the clocktower in the distance, shining with fanatical avarice. “The secrets to Overgod and even Worldgod reside in that tower.” His gaze flicked to Alara and I. “As fellow natives of this plane, I’m not against working together, if you have that ability. I would need proof of your capability before I could commit to anything indepth, you understand.”

I nodded. An alliance like the one we made before was mostly a non-agression pact. He’d essentially been tricked into agreeing to play nice, but that didn’t mean he was actually willing to work with us in the legacy. Now though, he was open to hearing us out. I wasn’t sure why, honestly. Maybe he saw something in me like he said, or more likely, maybe Alara was so scary the rest of us became monsters by association. Whatever the case, I wouldn’t waste the opportunity.

Diplomacy wasn’t a natural game for me, but I had people for that. And more importantly, I didn’t believe anyone would be unmoved by the wish power. My family had depended on the power of the wish to maintain a monopoly in this universe for millennia. These people might not know what wishes were capable of, but when they saw the manifestation of the ultimate support power there was no way they’d be unmoved.

Seth made a hand gesture, and the ship behind him flickered. There was a sudden curtain of darkness falling over us, and when I looked up, I was unsurprised to see the Bloodraven hovering above the palace. Behind it, the other arrival vessels appeared to retreat slightly, taking up a holding pattern as they no doubt attempted to figure out what was happening on this plane. I imagined the other factions would be attempting to make contact, but without a ringer like Alara to smooth things over, I suspected it would be a drawn out and complicated process of bribery and courtship.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Seth said politely. “I’d like to bring some of my juniors down off the ship. Just the ones who will be entering the legacy with you. You ARE going to be attending in person, aren’t you?”

“We wouldn’t mind at all,” I said. “And yes, we will be attempting the trial. Wouldn’t miss it for a world. Or two. Maybe for three, but we’d need to haggle on rank.”

He laughed, making another gesture. There was a shift and suddenly, a small crowd of people appeared behind Seth. They all wore dark cloaks with hoods (Ascendants LOVED hoods, they were very dramatic and made people curious about your face) and there was about twelve of them. I nodded to them politely, then gestured for everyone to follow me inside.

Callie squeezed my hand as we headed into the base. I squeezed back. She hadn’t wanted to intrude on the negotiations aloud, though I’d received a few bursts of emotion through the body giving her opinion on the proceedings. My wife wasn’t the type to just keep quiet and let other people do her talking, but she didn’t feel the need to make her contribution known either. She was happy to advise in the background, even if I didn’t always take that advice.

I glanced back over my shoulder surreptitiously. Seth and the others being here was a good sign, and we owed Alara and Atlas for it, but we still had to stick the landing. We had information to get out of them, and if we wanted an active alliance with their trial takers, we needed to fight for one. I hoped Crell had his negotiating pants on, because this was going to be a doozy.