Book 2: Chapter 47 (Patreon)

They settled on a strategy, letting Madi handle the negotiations… again. Only this time, she had all the cards and wasn’t hamstrung by lack of knowledge. Sure, Arandir was a centuries older with experience leading a nation. He was likely at a level unseen by normal humans in their lifetime. He also knew more about what exactly an Administrator was.

Orrin sat with his feet up on his chair, eating some snacks he’d brought out for the group. Strategy talks made him snacky. “Remind me again why we aren’t just hightailing it out of here? He’s going to figure it out. Daniel can’t play poker to save his life.”

“And you can?” Daniel threw a grape at him. It bounced off his shoulder and rolled under a couch. “I seem to remember you losing all your chips whenever we played.”

“I didn’t say I’m good,” Orrin countered. “We both suck.”

“You’ve both kept secrets from me, so just keep acting like the idiots you are. It helps people underestimate you.” Madi picked a few slices of melon from the spread Orrin had put out. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if he thinks the Admin is you or Daniel. We know what we want. We just have to figure out his angle.”

“Kidnap and force us to give out Quests until we die,” Orrin crunched on a cookie. The small bakery in Dey made some great pastries but the cookies were too hard. I should give them a few pointers when we get back.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Arandir let himself back into his apartment. He carried a wicker picnic basket in one hand and an overly large glass bottle in the other.

He held up both hands, showing off his wares. “I have brought lunch but I see you have brought your own food. Perhaps we can share?”

Madi stepped forward and took the basket. She pushed some of Orrin’s food to the side, setting up the cheeses, warm bread, and bowl of meat that Arandir had brought into the new space. “This smells amazing, sir. What is this?”

“Nothing too special. A few select cheeses I prefer when I am in town. The meat is from a Ghostboar. We cook it underground and soak it in a sauce we make from local fruit. I prefer it spread on a piece of bread but it goes well by itself.”

Daniel tore the butt of the loaf off and dipped it in the saucy meat. He chewed. “This tastes like barbacoa but… sweet. I love it. Thanks, Arandir.”

With that, they lost Daniel to the food. He began making small sandwiches.

Arandir smiled. “You are most welcome.” He paused and put the bottle down on the table, before sitting himself. “Something to drink as well. Before we begin, please let me explain something. I am an elder of my people, the elder of Administration. Most do not understand what that means. Even my own people think I handle the boring paperwork. While that is one part of my job, I have not for centuries. I have people who deal with the day-to-day. My true job is working to perfect my Administrator powers in the hope that one day, my people can regain what was lost.”

“What was lost?” Madi also sat, pouring the bottle into a few cups that Orrin had set out. A dark red wine filled the cups. Orrin frowned and waved the cup away.

“The full powers of an Administrator. While I have only heard the stories from my father, a true Administrator would help propel their people to the brink of perfection. I procure knowledge, study, and experiment in an attempt to unlock more power so that I can help the elves of today regain their lost glory.”

Arandir took the cup from Madi and sipped it politely. “Sometimes, in my pursuit of knowledge, I overstep. I have done so with you. I apologize for forcing the issue, Daniel. I assumed that your party knew of your powers. Leanthun told me that you had all been having whispered conversations frequently, and I incorrectly jumped to conclusions. I cannot take back what was done but hopefully, I can remedy the situation.”

He placed the cup on the table and steepled his fingers under his chin. “If you do not accept my offer, I will keep your secret. I will also continue to help you with the council, no matter your decision. You are the best chance that anyone in my family has had since the Calamity and I fear I may have started off on the wrong foot. Please accept my apology.”

Orrin peered suspiciously at the old elf. He found himself believing in the guy. Which meant either he was telling the truth, or he had a skill to help with lying. Either way, he didn’t trust him.

“Apology accepted.” Daniel, ever the golden boy and teacher’s pet, answered. “I really don’t know what you expect from me though.”

Arandir laughed. “Trust and fair play once you reach a higher level. Now that I know you are an Administrator, we can discuss topics not sanctioned by the council. My role as Administrator holds different responsibilities.”

“What kind of responsibilities?” Daniel asked, taking another mouthful of Ghostboar sandwich.”

“Keeping the world from ending.”

Orrin was slapping Daniel’s back to dislodge the food that had gotten stuck.

Madi took over. “Maybe you can understand our skepticism. What exactly is it you want? And what are you offering?”

Arandir appeared bemused at Daniel’s predicament. “Am I to assume that you speak for him?”

Daniel choked but nodded, waving his hand at Madi.

“I do not know what Administrator skills he has, but I do know how those skills were unlocked in the past. I also know enough of what happened during the Calamity that I can make some very educated guesses at how he might further evolve his power. My hope is that someday, Daniel might become powerful enough to fix the System and reinstate Administrator powers to all races.”

“And naturally, you would want him to give you the power if and when that ever happens?” Madi smirked.

“Not at all. I would have him choose. I would suggest Leanthun. He is my nephew and next in line to take my power if I should die. I have trained him to the best of my ability and I believe his temperament is what is needed for my people. He is strong but kind, knowledgeable but open to learning.”

Madi crossed her arms. “That’s all it takes to have the type of power you described?”

Arandir met her gaze without flinching. “Daniel, what knowledge do you have of the Calamity and its cause?”

Daniel finished coughing and took a deep breath to steady himself. “A [Hero] destroyed the world, right?”

Arandir shook his head with a frown. “He did it because the Administrators of his time forced him to.”

“Does this have something to do with what the council warned you not to talk about?” Madi cajoled the elf. “We really don’t want to piss off the entire elven council.”

“How much do you know of that [Hero], Lady Catanzano?”

“He shattered our world after going crazy. You didn’t answer my question. Is this what you were forbidden to talk about?”

“If humans lived maybe half as long as we do, perhaps you would not have lost so much of your history. I can understand the orcs, they never kept much stock in the past. The dwarves at least know some of it.”

Madi rapped her knuckles on the table. “Arandir, I’m specifically asking you not to disclose anything to us that could get us in trouble.”

Arandir took a slice of the melon on the table and bit into it. “This is good. I will have to have some purchased for myself.”

“Arandir, please don’t ignore her. She’s kind of the person I trust to navigate all this,” Daniel said, waving his hand in a circle. “Are you about to tell us something dangerous?”

“The truth is always a dangerous thing. Those who know the truth can wield it, twist it, or warp it to fit their needs. The truth, bare and untouched, is also a beautiful thing. We can learn from it and become better despite it,” Arandir paused and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Truth can be different for each person. What Quest did Asmea give you when it summoned you to our world, Daniel?”

Orrin’s internal alarms began to ring. Arandir knew. He knew the Stop the War Quest was not the real reason Daniel had been transported to this world. He knew the [Hero] was hiding something larger. Every conversation with the elder elf only helped him learn more about them.

“Truth is not subjective,” Madi cut in before Daniel could respond. “Just like justice. Something is either true or it is not. You are still avoiding the question, Arandir.”

Laughter filled the small room. Arandir wiped his eyes and held up a hand to forestall Madi’s rage at being laughed at. “I apologize. Sometimes, I forget the surety of youth. Truth is subjective. Anyone can twist facts to set their own truth. You agree that murder is wrong, correct?”

“Of course,” Daniel answered quickly, trying to reestablish his footing. The Quest question had thrown him a bit. “You’re going to ask ‘what about war,’ aren’t you?”

Arandir shook his head. “If I were to kill Lady Catanzano or your friend, Orrin, what would you do?”

Daniel bristled but spoke in a calm voice. “I would end you, then I would tear down this entire forest tree by tree.”

“Would you be in the wrong?”

“I would be getting revenge. You would be the one murdering.”

“What if I thought that by killing your friends, I would be unburdening you to reach your full potential?”

“You’d still be dead.”

Arandir sighed. “A poor example. If a mother finds a mugger holding her child at knifepoint and kills the thief, is that murder?”

Madi was looking annoyed. “Obviously not. She’s protecting her child. We know what murder is.”

“What if the thief was not a thief at all but only trying to recover medicine stolen by the child in the first place?”

Orrin spoke, “You’re just adding facts to change the scenario. That doesn’t change that truth is truth, only that you can change the underlying details to fit what ending you want.”

“Yes!” Arandir pointed at Orrin and smiled. “The mother who does not know the underlying details will think she has saved her child from a mugger, while the child knows she is now a murderer. What I want to tell you is dangerous to the council because they want to keep the knowledge hoarded. I want to tell you so that you know the entire picture. The truth. Only with all the facts can you make a decision based on truth.”

Daniel rubbed his eyes. “Madi, please tell the nice elf that I absolutely hate this kind of thing.”

Madi smiled. “Daniel hates when people talk in riddles.”

Arandir rolled his eyes. “The council does not wish for me to tell you the story of the Calamity because it involves knowledge lost to the world. With that knowledge, our people have been able to exist in a world beset with keeping us in our forest. Our youngest travel outside the safety of our tree line in an attempt to see the world and get captured as slaves. We must travel in groups to trade with other countries. I believe I should tell you. I believe you did not travel to our forest to give us a Quest that allows us to bypass our rules about war. I believe you were drawn here to right a wrong made by the last [Hero] to know Administrators.”

Orrin was on the edge of his seat. He’d been ready to [Teleport] them out for most of the conversation. Arandir was dangerous.

“The last [Hero] to know Administrators and the last to fight a true [Demon Lord]. The one who ended our world when the Administrators betrayed him.”