Trash: Interlude XIII Proving Lineages (Patreon)

Interlude XIII

Proving Lineages

(Matriarch Florence Livanathan)

It is not often that faculty members from the premier University in the lands can get flustered by what they see. Yet, that is exactly what Florence found herself thrust right into the middle of, when she was summoned to an immediate after-action review, of what was originally slated as a system affirmed integrity check.

Just walking into the room, Florence could smell the unmistakable stench of fear and mildew. Two smells that are often independently powerful enough to overtake any known individual scent but have an odd amplifying quality when mixed. This combined and pungent scent alone was enough to let Florence realize that something drastic had happened. Fortunately, while Florence was the lead of the Healer’s school, she was not forced to lead this particular inquiry and could therefore watch the proceedings from the back of the room in silence. As always, Portia, Florence’s right hand, and university assigned spy sat to Florence’s immediate left. While the rows in front of Florence and Portia were filled with Royal Order of Watcher officers, and of course the University’s President, who sat mostly as a figurehead for these proceedings.

“Now, let the record state that you began your inquiry to the school’s quarantined zones as a quote Integrity Check for Lelia Volica, who claimed to have found an unexplored crystal source during a Foraging class? Is that correct Lieutenant Keller?” Major Noah Ritter, the commander of the Royal Order of Watchers for the university’s Paranormal Division asked. As the leader of the Paranormal Division it was only right that he serve as the presiding officer over his subordinate Lieutenant Keller.

“That is correct,” a bedraggled Lt. Keller replied as he stood in front of the four other ROW officers, and five University faculty members who also stood behind him. Everyone knowing that they too would be forced to answer intrusive questions.

“For clarification, can you tell us why you made not one, but two Integrity Checks with this particular student?” Major Ritter continued.

“Yes, she invoked the rite of council, and was then guided by her guarantor, Healing Candidate DiVoratore-Bloom,” Lt. Keller noted.

“And have you had previous interactions with this Healing Candidate before today’s encounter?”

“I have, she was the one responsible for cleansing the haunted Frat House yesterday, that we investigated” Lt. Keller responded. At his response a few gasps were heard as people were finally beginning to put a name to the recent cleansing. Hearing the conversation going on, Florence was quickly able to assess Lt. Keller and Major Ritter were involved in the investigation of the haunted Frat House. The now official name for the domicile, as the original name, the Necrotin Estate, has since been purged from the record books, and all formal references to Unity University ever housing or training members of the Necrotin lineage have since been purged. An unfortunate history that the university would rather the world forget entirely.

“Very well, so it was due to the cleansing of the haunted Frat House that you gave the healing candidate two integrity checks that were successfully accomplished?” Maj. Ritter questioned, moving the investigation further along.

“Yes, well. One was for societal damages to the Healer Candidate’s subordinate’s reputation. The second was for the location of a previously undisclosed system crystal mine,” Lt. Keller said.

“Very well. Moving on, it says that you were then directed to a previously unknown progenitor factory?”

“Yes, it seems that their team’s forager, Ms. Volica, was able to locate a corroded entry point for the factory. We then entered, were shown the location where Ms. Volica found the allegedly stolen crystals, thereby clearing her name and passing both integrity checks with the system,” Lt. Keller responded.

“Then something happened?” Major Ritter continued.

“Yes, one of the professors found a staircase up, where they went to explore on their own. We heard machines operate and come to life. Then—” Keller began, but cut himself off as if just remembering that moment was too much for him to process.

“Then?” Ritter pressed.

“Then, I don’t know. It was as if we were being controlled in some way. There was moisture from the ceiling that fell, and it caused an intense burning like sensation, before dissolving. Looking back, I think it is safe to assume that it had some hallucinogenic effects to it, or worse,” was all Keller could state.

“Then what happened?” Ritter asked.

“I released both Healer Candidate DiVoratore-Bloom and Ms. Volica, as I guided my men up to explore the top floor. We made it but a few steps before we were ambushed by a mind eater,” Lt. Keller replied.

Once again gasps went out at the affirmation that a second mind eater, in as many days, was declared to have been spotted on the campus grounds.

“Then what happened?”

“We fought, and were losing, until she came back.”

“By she, you mean Healer Candidate DiVoratore-Bloom?”

“Yes, she came back coated in Healing Flames—” Keller began but was quickly cut off by gasps and cries from those that were watching as spectators.

“Impossible!” Dr. Harty, the lead Linguistics professor exclaimed.

“Miracle flames,” Dr. Meyer, the lead history professor muttered.

“Order! Order in this court, or you will all be asked to leave while we conclude this interrogation!” Major Ritter concluded, slamming his gavel and letting his booming voice echo around the chamber. At this point, Major Ritter, turned to the other ROW officers that had been in attendance for the investigation. “Can you all verify the Lieutenant’s claims?”

There was a slight pause, as the other ROW members seemed to try to see who the Major was requesting to answer. Finally, they all just nodded, before the tallest of the bunch spoke up. “Aye, it was a greenish golden flame that coated her, and expanded out covering us all. The flames were pure, healing our wounds, and letting us feel like we were destined to win.”

Once again everyone erupted into pocketed discussions as everyone began discussing this update. Finally, Major Ritter raised a hand to calm everyone, before scanning the room and finally resting his eyes upon Florence.

“What say you, Matriarch Florence Livanathan, is it possible that your newest healing candidate has rediscovered how to create the holy flames?” Major Ritter asked. As he did, Florence felt a weight as every eye turned to her and waited for what she would say next. Taking a second to center herself, she began by saying the line that she knew would forever change the history of Unity University.

“It is possible, as our registration records have confirmed a genetic and mitochondrial match to the famed General DiVoratore,” Florence stated, telling of the records that she had hoped to keep quiet for at least a little longer.

“But General DiVoratore was famously a male, and we know such lineages would have stopped with him,” Major Ritter stated, using logic to expose the most obvious loophole in Florence’s findings. That is when Florence let out her own recent findings, pulling out a lineage map and marker to prove what she was now about to declare as factual and undeniable.

“Yes, but records show that General DiVoratore had a twin sister, one who was deemed to be unremarkable at the time, but—”

***

(Ankarah Carthwright)

There was something calming about spirit realms. While moving in such realms, everything seemed easier, power was more abundant, the energy to move was limitless, and space itself seemed to fold in ways that were easier to navigate.

In her mind, Ankarah could almost remember feeling fear in such places, but those were fleeting memories of the before. Of the times before she became who she was now. While most of her memories of the before were purged, Ankarah knew that her main reason for being called forth by Saffron was for her very knowledge of how to both use and move through spirit realms. Better still, the energy needed to move herself was the same expenditure needed to move an undead army. That is how Ankarah got put in charge of this expedition.

While the other elders did not trust either Saffron, nor Ankarah, to have the best interest in their troop movements, they did rely upon her for coordinates on where to attack and appear from.

This is not to say that the elders were against each other, but that they preferred not to place the interest of their own troops in the hands of a neophyte. A neophyte who was herself a replacement for the last officer that Saffron had trusted to lead her army. In her mind Ankarah knew part of why she had been chosen, was because she had slain the previous leader, making her the ideal replacement. How she defeated the previous leader was vague and missing in her mind, only the outcome and the magnificent voice of her elder are the only things that she herself can recall from that fateful encounter. The encounter where she proved herself worthy of leading such Lord Saffron’s army, over ground that felt more familiar than ever. With each step forward, she could feel something deep inside her letting her know that she was both home, and that she was now more powerful than ever thanks to her being on her home soil. Back to where she began. Back to where she would reclaim this land from those that would dare take it from her.

***

(Royal Seals Master Earl Carthwright)

For days, Earl lay in his bed, suffering the same fever dreams he always had. Dreams where his beloved Ankarah was still alive. Dreams that he could raise an expedition and find her. Only to then awake in a pool of sweat, and soaked sheets. Sheets so soaked in his sweat that it felt like he was swimming his way to consciousness.

“Gah-ah!” Earl swam, and finally managed to flop his way free of the soiled sheets. Rolling up to a kneeling position, he panted heavily from the floor. As per usual, his eyes rolled up to the portrait of his beloved Ankarah, a portrait of her youthful face forever young. Forever lost to time.

Just seeing the portrait was enough to cause his fluttering heart to calm down enough for him to breathe, and wonder once again, why he always had the same cursed dream. A dream where Ankarah was left to suffer and die in foreign lands, at the hands of a leader who cared nothing of the lives he had been entrusted with, of the healers who sacrificed themselves for the betterment of the empire as whole.

Then with a shock, he saw something that he never thought possible. A light that had been extinguished for years, suddenly sparked to life. For a moment, Earl was confused, as it took his mind a second to remember what the green light meant. Then after a second, he realized that the impossible had happened.

“Ankarah? My Ankarah! She’s alive! SHE’S ALIVE!” Earl cried out, jumping to his feet, after stumbling his way free from the tangled sheets. Then moving to the mantle piece, he grabbed the glowing stone, and saw that his wish had finally been granted. The visions that had haunted him for years was finally resolved, as he was right. He had always been right, his Ankarah was alive, and now she was finally coming home, to him.