Chapter 35: Chapter 111 – A Bigger Scale

Since Asterios had already verified that Umbra didn’t have any issues moving both him and Risvi through the Void, they jumped straight back to it shortly after the girls left to search for their demon friend and briefly explain the situation to him. His help could prove to be useful if they decided to take on the vile complex that ran on this continent.

To Asterios, the trip to Tyrienheim felt like half an hour, more or less. He didn’t suffer any discomfort after showing up in his family mansion’s gardens. Neither did Risvi. The boy looked pretty much the same as before they made the jump, which was quite impressive.

Led by Umbra, they found Ast’s mother in one of the offices shortly after walking inside.

“Oh, Asti? I didn’t expect to see you back so soon. And who is that boy?” Kindra stood up from her desk and trotted to give her son a warm hug before glancing down at the young dwarf.

“It’s a complex issue, Mom. I’ll need to find a shelter for him for some time. But first, we should talk with your parents about this. This whole situation is just too big to gloss over.”

Kindra immediately noticed his serious expression and nodded. “Alright. Do you mind if I ask the maids to wash our friend? And prepare something to eat for him? He looks starved. We can talk in the meanwhile.”

“Fine with me. Just make sure it’s something very light. You might not be that far off with the starving part.”

She then took Risvi’s hand and led the boy outside of the office while instructing Asterios to go meet James and Anna, who were taking care of their work in their usual, favorite spot in the garden.

He followed her advice and found his grandparents in the same bower inside which they had first met. The older couple noticed him approaching and his grandmother smiled at him softly.

“Greetings, Grandmother, Grandfather.” Asterios bowed slightly.

“Oh, stop with these formalities. We are at home, Asterios.” The woman gestured at him to sit and he obliged, taking a seat by James.

“I remember hearing about your departure to the Demon Continent. It’s a surprise to see you here with not that many days passing since that news.” The man raised his brow at him.

Asterios smiled. “I have a way to travel to every place I have visited, in a quite short time. We are currently at Dagger’s End, scheduled to depart tomorrow. But, some issues came up and the guards might delay everyone’s plans, not just ours.”

“That’s amazing! I knew you were something from the moment I saw you!” James laughed heartily and slapped Ast’s back a few times.

“Did you come back just to visit us while you wait for that issue to be resolved or…”

“It’s just like you think, Grandmother. My arrival here is connected to it. There’s something I need to consult with you about. The help I require could be dangerous to you and everyone in close relations with our family. There are very minimal chances for that, but they exist nevertheless. That’s why I wanted to ask for permission first before involving any of you in it.”

James and Anna glanced at each other, assuming serious expressions too, and nodded.

“Let’s hear it then. I commend your consideration,” the grandfather said.

“I would like to wait for Mom to come—and she is almost there so nevermind that.”

Just as he stated, Kindra showed up by the bower soon after. Anna was impressed by his environmental awareness but James already knew that Asterios employed the help of quite skillful and powerful individuals so something like this surely couldn’t have been hard for the young man.

Kindra instantly saw through the atmosphere between them and sat down by Ast’s side without acting all snuggly and giddy with him.

“Alright. I'll keep it simple. First, promise me that this conversation won’t make it outside of this bower unless I allow for that,” Asterios started, drawing Alcove of Serenity sigil on the table.

Everyone gave their word without a hint of hesitation.

“Some time ago, during a quest, we stumbled on hidden underground ruins of some prison. We fought its previous overseer-turned-monster and proceeded with our task. We didn’t share it with anyone to avoid getting involved in very dubious things because we found some information leading us to believe that it was a facility focusing on researching some kind of poison and testing it on humans.”

He could see his mother’s and her parents’ faces change after hearing the last part. It wasn’t surprising. They could easily imagine that it wasn’t a lawfully run official complex, taking care of the volunteers that helped with the development.

“Since digging the long-forgotten past can lead to unnecessary attention or even a disaster, we just moved it aside for the time. But, the young dwarf you had escorted, Mom, seems to come from a similar place, located in the territory of the Damascu Clan.”

Kindra gasped, covering her mouth. “That’s why he looked so sick!”

Asterios nodded. “He managed to slip past the guards and escape, hiding on our ship. We found him before the guards did it and learned about that facility, doing pretty much the same thing but with dwarves living on that continent.”

“Hateful!” Anna cursed under her breath.

“All I wanted from you was the permission to shelter the kid here, far from those people. Umbra and Selene did a quick check on him so there shouldn’t be anything that allows them to track his location, making it impossible for them to find the boy’s whereabouts after I teleported him this far. But, I’m almost sure we are dealing with something bigger here so we really need to act carefully.”

James nodded, rubbing his chin. “You are right. I wouldn’t be surprised now if such a place was built somewhere in the territories of all the main races. But, you have also taken enough safety steps before bringing him here, which is good. We can take care of the kid, right dear?”

“Naturally. While not that common, it’s not unheard of for Damascu Clan members to live this far from their homeland, so we should be able to reintroduce him into the society if the boy would wish for it. But, it would of course be better to lay low for now.”

“Yes, for now,” Asterios agreed. “I plan to investigate that facility and destroy it if possible so there is a chance that he could potentially return to his home if it still exists. Anyway, I don’t plan on involving you any further into this and will act alo—”

“Father, do you still have that token Great-Great-Grandfather received from the king for our family’s input in the development of trade back then?” Kindra interrupted him, directing her question at James.

“Naturally. For what reason would I use a personal right to request an audience with the king? There won’t be a better moment than this.”

“I agree, dear. It’s possible that another facility still exists in the human lands, or many more. We should bring the information on this organization to the royal family and let them take care of letting the other leaders know about it.”

“Are you completely sure that the royal family isn’t involved in this?” Asterios asked. “The abandoned prison was under a watchtower, also ruined.”

“Yes,” both of them answered in unison.

“The current king is a kind man, caring for his people, and not only. Our lands weren’t always as welcoming to the other races if you remember some bits of history. He would not let something so clearly inhumane take place anywhere in the kingdom,” James followed.

“I understand where you are coming from, Asterios,” Anna continued after her husband, “wanting to move incognito and without revealing any connections to us to avoid any retaliation towards the Hestizos, but I think all of us would agree that things on such scale should be met with a response of an appropriate might. It’s a serious international issue.”

Kindra placed a hand on Ast’s hair and gently ruffled through it. “Mom is right. The earlier we let powerful people know about it, the better. And if the leaders of the nations will take action themselves, this evil organization will less likely pay attention to anyone else, letting you move much safer.”

James smiled, capturing his attention. “Do not underestimate the Hestizos, young man. Our connections run deep, very deep. We are not a fresh lineage. You investigating and potentially bringing down the facility back there is a good thing, but in the end, you are just one person, one team. Or are you planning on making it your personal mission to track down and eliminate the whole organization?”

Asterios shook his head. “Of course not. I’m not a hero, nor am I aspiring to become one. If it became too dangerous, I would immediately retreat for the safety of my companions. That’s why I’m trying to plan this out to the smallest detail.”

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His grandfather nodded. “I know you well enough, albeit shortly, to understand that you aren’t the type to do things half-assedly. We are not going to tell you how to handle this on your side, but there are also things that we can help with on our side. If your operation ends up being successful, there’s always a chance that you will find some critical evidence on those people, or even the location of their other hideouts. Do your part and then pass the rest onto the others. I believe the king and the other rulers would be more than happy to pursue this cult or whatever it is. Their own people are being kidnapped and tortured if I understand this correctly.”

Asterios pondered over James’ words, rubbing his chin. He didn’t want to involve anyone else in this at first, but if his family really had the means to contact people of high standing, this could be the better choice than just him clearing out another underground prison without a follow-up. If he really stumbled on some valuable information this time, it would be wise to share it with someone who could actually do something about it.

“Alright.” He raised his gaze. “We’ll do it as you say then. From how it looked, it seems that this organization controls the guards in Dagger’s End, or at least has a lot of influence on it, so I don’t think they will release any ship before the boy is found, and that means ours too. I’m fairly confident in infiltrating the facility. We can look for as much information as we can. Being a Summoner comes in handy here; both of my girls can safely store almost anything we find, throwing it into their realm. We already have some valid proof of their nefarious activity and valuable intelligence. How fast can we arrange a meeting with the king?”

“Immediately,” James responded. “The moment I use the token, he will be informed about our request and is obliged to send someone to escort us. I wouldn’t be surprised if a Transfer Magician showed up at our doorstep a few hours later.”

Asterios nodded. “Good. Let’s activate it after we finish here. It will give me enough time to discuss things with some friends. There’s one more thing I have to take care of while I’m here, albeit not as important. Since you are obviously much more experienced in these things, I will leave everything on this side to you. I will fill you in on the details in a moment.”

“While we will take care of all the formalities and everything else related to that, I believe it should be you who meets with the king,” Anna suggested with a smile. “You are a Hestizo in the end. And know the situation the best.”

“Me? Meet the king? Oh, gods…” Asterios smiled wryly, already sensing Miria’s growing excitement.

Kindra slid her arm under his and hugged Ast’s side. “Mom is right! There’s no way you can pass such an opportunity! Do you know how hard it is to receive a personal audience? And I know for sure that you will make a great impression on the king and his people! Connections run the world and you are standing in front of a chance to make a quite powerful one!”

He chuckled while stroking his mother’s arm, who was beaming a wide smile at him.

“Fine. But if our whole family ends up declared a national enemy because I have somehow offended the great monarch, it’s going to be your fault.”

She giggled and her parents chuckled together. Afterward, Asterios shared a few more details with them since they had agreed on taking this on together and they ended the short meeting. James went to get the token while Asterios traveled back to Dagger’s End first to talk with Svertaniel.

The girls had instructed their demon friend to wait outside of the city and so he did. Asterios found him in a state of some trance or meditation with his grimoire hovering above the man’s lap. Svertaniel soon finished and Asterios filled him in on what was happening. Knowing how much the demon respected Umbra, he was sure that trust wouldn’t have been an issue in his case.

After listening to the whole story, Svertaniel offered his help in this operation. He would do so even if taking care of it wouldn’t get rid of their issue with leaving Dagger’s End. Asterios naturally accepted it. They most likely wouldn’t be able to receive official support from the Adventurer’s Guild this time so any skillful person joining their side was of great value.

Since Asterios would be bringing this matter to the higher authorities, it was unnecessary to involve the guild. Who knew where the members of this questionable organization could have been placed if they had enough influence to have the guards hunt down their escapee like he was an international criminal. From the beginning, Asterios didn’t want to spread the information about this to too many people.

Miria, Selene, and Umbra joined them and they decided to hold an initial briefing. Umbra had gone through all of Risvi’s memories and invoked a technique that pulled everyone into his own mind, where they watched them in extreme detail while discussing the underground facility and how to approach it.

Through the very unpleasant scenes that were quite tough to observe at a few moments, they managed to learn some more about the group’s possible goal. Since its members didn’t really care about hiding their discussions in front of test subjects that would end up dead anyway, Risvi managed to catch a few crucial details from occasional talks.

Asterios already had a few assumptions, and one of them was starting to look more and more probable. These people were clearly developing and testing some kind of poison, for some reason, using members only of a certain race as test subjects. Humans back there and Damascu Clan’s dwarves here, possibly following the same pattern in other nations.

What was their actual reason behind it, or their main goal, remained unknown to Risvi, and effectively to Ast’s group. Asterios was thankful that the antidote he had prepared was able to work on dwarves too. He made a mental note to let his family know about this so that they kept an eye on the boy in case some unexpected reaction took place at some point.

Finished with their show, Miria ended up quite riled up from all the atrocities and inhumane treatment the people in Risvi’s memories were subjected to. Everyone felt at least a little angry or bothered by their actions, but they also knew that various things were happening around the world and other realms and definitely not all of them were good. People just didn’t know about it, like in this case.

After coming up with a believable story they could feed to Moreso and his crew, Svertaniel left to meet with the captain, taking it on himself to explain why they would still be most likely restricted from leaving for at least a few days. Asterios returned to the Human Continent, showing up in Rosewind to pay Suanori a visit while they waited for any notices from the king.

Verifying through Umbra that she wasn’t busy, he notified her about his arrival and transported himself straight to the Guildmaster’s office. The silencing arrays activated shortly after the black shadow uncovered his body.

“Welcome back. I still can’t believe you can travel long distances like this in just a moment. Did you guys run into some trouble on your trip? If I’m not mistaken, it’s still too early for you to have arrived in Ashen Barrel,” Suanori spoke from behind her desk.

Asterios sighed heavily. “You can say that. Trouble seems to not leave me alone for even a moment. We have reached Dagger’s End this afternoon. But, we might have to stay there for longer than we have planned. The whole port is on lockdown.”

She shook her head. “You really are one unlucky man. Perhaps it’s balancing out all that luck of you finding so many amazing companions and growing stronger so quickly.”

At her remark, Miria and Selene stepped into the room from their respective portals and wrapped their arms around Ast’s.

Suanori smiled at him with one brow raised. “See what I meant?”

He chuckled and glanced at each of his girls, smiling at him softly. “I guess I can’t refute that. Anyway, there’s something I’ve been asked to inquire about.”

Asterios briefly summed up the request from the branch in Dagger’s End and explained his idea of how to help them out.

Suanori rubbed her chin as she listened to the story. “I see… So, you’d like for me to find some strong and willing people to check out that dungeon. I can do that. Getting the first run will be a great incentive for many adventurers. We’ll have enough to pick from. But, since you’ve said that you guys will be forcefully staying there anyway, why not take part in it?”

“Well… We didn’t know about the whole lockdown at the moment of agreeing to help, and… there is another very complex and sensitive issue we have to take care of, unfortunately. We are in the middle of working on it even right now. I just dropped by to pass this request onto you while we wait for something.”

“Is there anything I could help you guys with there? It really sounds like a pain.”

Asterios shook his head. “I really don’t want to pull you into this. Especially since you are a Guildmaster. We need to be very careful with this. Thank you for your consideration though. I appreciate it.”

Suanori could tell from Ast’s serious expression that it really was something difficult. It showed even on the girls’ faces. She sighed and looked straight at him.

“It’s dangerous, isn’t it? You sure don’t need my healing, just in case? I’m asking as a friend, not as a Guildmaster.”

“I’m afraid we can’t separate the two in this case. Someone could recognize your identity. And that could spell trouble for both you and me.  You aren’t exactly a common adventurer. I don’t want to risk it, that’s all. I assure you that what we have will be enough. Svertaniel will support us too.”

She raised a brow at him and stopped staring straight into Ast’s eyes after a moment, understanding that she wouldn’t be able to persuade him.

“Alright. I won’t ask you to explain it to me either. I’m really curious, but I can tell that this is something tough. If there would be anything I could actually help with, please, let me know.”

Asterios nodded and was going to leave when he thought of something. “Actually… Have you ever met the king?”

Suanori was glad she had just finished taking a sip of her water or that liquid would have certainly gone a different way than down her throat. Her eyes widened to the brim and she looked at Asterios with utter shock as she finished putting the glass down.

“I take that back. What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

 

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