The Zombie Knight Saga 158 Clviii. | 'A Search In Spirit...'

It seemed like the reapers should have been able to locate a hidden room behind a false wall or whatever, but that was not the case, apparently. If there was no soul for them to sense on the other side of said false wall, then the reapers had no way of knowing there was a hidden room there.

What was worse, from what Garovel was telling him, there was plenty of ardor in the rocks all over Himmekel, blocking his sight.

And all of that was a.s.suming that the trick of it would be something as simple as a hidden room. Hector wasn't so sure it would be, not after hearing about someone being pulled into a mirror. It seemed plausible to him that the only way to get wherever they were trying to go was through another mirror.

But what was the Kag for, in that case?

He tried to focus on his task, though. Diego had gone to inspect any other mirrors he could find, which meant entering more Hun'Sho quarters without alerting any of the other Hun'Sho. And Hector didn't envy that job. He'd never really been one for stealth. Maybe he could ask Roman to give him a few pointers, if they ever actually managed to meet up with the guy again.

And so, as they conducted their meandering search, Hector decided to make use of the downtime as he often did.

'Hey, Garovel.'

'What?' the reaper said privately.

'Is there anything else about the Undercrust you haven't told me?'

'Oh yeah. Tons.'

'No, I mean, like, any really important stuff that you've maybe not mentioned yet? Of the same caliber as lava people existing, for example?'

'Hey, I already told you that I thought they'd gone extinct.'

'Yeah, but even if you'd known they hadn't, would you have told me about them?'

'Of course.'

'You wouldn't have tried to keep it as another one of your surprises?'

Garovel paused. 'Well, who can really say for sure?'

'Garovel.'

'What?!'

'Are there any other big things left to tell me like that?!'

'Probably! The Undercrust has a lot of stuff in it, okay?!'

'Okay, so tell me some of them!'

'Agh! Don't just put it all on me! How about you ask a more specific question instead of making me think of everything, huh?!'

'Just f.u.c.kin'... tell me something, Garovel. I don't care what it is.'

'Oh, no, we're not doing that. I see that trap for what it is. I come up with something I think is super neat and cool. You end up incredibly bored and unimpressed. I end up feeling like a complete tool.'

'I wouldn't--'

'Uh-huh, sure. Now you listen here, Hector. You're my servant, alright? And this an order. Exercise those critical thinking skills of yours and come up with something good.'

'What the h.e.l.l? You NEVER give me orders. You give instructions and advice, not orders.'

'Yeah, because I'm such a nice guy. You're welcome, by the way. But this time, it's an order. Go on. Consider it a new type of mental training. Critical thinking is hugely important, y'know.'

'Ugh, fine. Where do you think the Hun'Sho came from?'

'Well, I--hey, you came up with that way too quickly.'

'Well, I already had it in mind.'

'You were supposed to think long and hard before asking something. That's why it's called critical thinking. You're supposed to think about it as if your life depends on it.'

'But my life DOESN'T depend on it.'

'That's beside the point.'

'Would you please just answer the question, already? You're being even more obnoxious than usual.'

'Where do I think the Hun'Sho came from?' said Garovel. 'What do you even mean by that? Be more specific, dammit.'

Hector stopped to rethink his question. 'I mean, like... well, okay, uh... Are they even considered human?'

'Ah. That's a question of some historical significance, actually. While I personally consider them to be human, I've known quite a number of people who would say otherwise.'

'But... like... biologically, I mean. They're so different from us. And, just... I mean, how did they become like that? They used to be normal, didn't they? Or were WE the ones that changed?'

'No, no, the Hun'Sho were definitely the ones who changed. It was just a very, VERY early instance of a successful mutation user. So early, in fact, that when it happened, most of us had no idea what it was. So you see, it's not all that surprising that it came to be interpreted as the work of a G.o.d. Because at the time... it kinda was. In a sense.'

'...How do you know all that, though? I mean, did you know the original Hun'Sho mutant yourself? And like, how were they able to use mutation in order to fuse ardor into their body like that?'

'Alright, ease up with the interrogation, Detective Goffe. I can't claim to have all the answers when it comes to this stuff. No, I did not personally know the mutation user who gave rise to the Hun'Sho, but it is widely known about in the reaper community.'

'But doesn't that mean it really could've been Avar or whoever?'

'Oh, don't start with that. The reaper community used to be very close with the Hun'Sho, because they could see and even talk to us, unlike basically every other race in the world.'

'Wait. "Basically" every other race? Does that mean there ARE others?'

'Well, there are the forest people of Jaskadan. They're pretty friggin' weird, too.'

'Forest people?' said Hector. 'Like with plants growing out of their bodies or something?'

'More or less, yeah.'

'...And you think those people were the result of some ancient mutation user, too?'

'Sure do.'

'...Even though our understanding of mutation back then was really s.h.i.+tty?'

'You're not wrong about that, but the thing is, historically speaking, wildly exceptional servants have always existed. People who were so far ahead of their time that it almost defies belief. The builder of Warrenhold was one such example, you may recall.'

Hector did recall. 'Stasya.'

'That's right. Is it so unthinkable that someone managed to wield mutation as skillfully as she wielded integration? Someone who figured it out long before the rest of us did?'

'Why wouldn't they have shared that knowledge, then?'

'Any number of reasons. Maybe they thought it would be dangerous. Maybe they were just greedy. h.e.l.l, maybe no one wanted to listen. You have to remember that mutation users were often treated like they were either diseased or just monsters.'

'Hmm.'

'Alternatively, it's possible that even the successful mutation users themselves didn't understand their own power well enough to be able to explain to anyone else. I've heard about that happening among their kind. Accidental breakthroughs and such.'

'...Then, isn't it possible that Avar himself was just a really powerful servant?'

'Of course.'

'So you agree that Avar could've actually existed, then?'

'In some form, sure. But not as a true G.o.d.'

Hector was abruptly reminded of his conversation with Eleyo. 'What would you consider to be a "true G.o.d," in that case?'

'As in, an otherworldly being with untold knowledge and power. Descended from a higher plane of existence, perhaps.'

'So you don't think Rasalased is a true G.o.d?'

'No. Powerful as he was--or IS, I guess--he still has pretty obvious limitations. Otherwise, he would've put a stop to that fight at Dunehall himself, don't you think?'

That was a pretty good point, Hector felt. But still, he wanted to keep prodding. 'So... a G.o.d can't have limitations?'

'Mm,' said Garovel. 'That's pretty much my whole problem with the term "G.o.d" in a nutsh.e.l.l right there. It's unscientific and not well-defined. By certain standards, I'm sure Sermung could be considered a G.o.d. But so what? What does labeling him that tell us? That he's just really powerful? We already know that. If anything, all it would do is build up a weird, cult-like mystique around the guy--which is something I would find extremely dangerous and intensely creepy.'

'Hmm...' Hector was running out of arguments. 'I guess you're right...'

Garovel laughed. 'You sound so disappointed. Do you really want true G.o.ds to exist that badly?'

'Ah... I don't know if I'd say that I WANT them to. But I'm just... trying to keep an open mind, I guess.'

'Given the many, many fables I've heard about all these G.o.ds over the years, I'm quite glad that they don't exist, myself.'

'Really? There's not even ONE G.o.d you like?'

'Oh, sure. There are several I "like," as fictional characters. But I certainly wouldn't "like" it if they were running around out there, doing all sorts of crazy s.h.i.+t all the time.'

'Hmm. Who's your favorite G.o.d, then?'

Garovel hesitated. 'From a purely fictional standpoint, you mean?'

'Of course.'

'...Well, I'm quite partial to Cocora, I suppose.'

Hector blinked inside his helmet. 'Really? I... I wouldn't have guessed that.'

'Why not?'

'I... I don't know. I mean, why is she your favorite?'

'Mm, I guess I just find the whole "purity" and "goodness" shtick to be pretty appealing. In her stories, she's always very compa.s.sionate and so forth.'

'Huh.'

'Why do you keep sounding so surprised?'

'I just... I didn't picture you as a fanboy for the G.o.ddess of Light.'

'"Fanboy?" Really, Hector?'

'It's okay, Garovel. I understand.'

'Oh, you do, huh?'

'Hey, is that the real reason why you decided to go to Atreya originally? So you could hang out with all the other Cocora lovers?'

'Atreya isn't the only place where people wors.h.i.+p her, y'know,' said Garovel. 'She's been popular all over Eloa for thousands of years, especially during the peak of the Mohssian Empire. In fact, I'd say that was one of the major reasons why the Rainlords never really got along with the rest of the Empire very much. They refused to let go of Lhutwë and accept Cocora into their hearts like everybody else was doing.'

'Yeah, that sounds like the Rainlords alright.'

'Hector, why are you so interested in G.o.ds all of a sudden?'

'N-no reason.'

'You hesitated. That means you're lying.'

'N-no, it doesn't. I do that s.h.i.+t all the time. I can't help it.'

'Yeah, I don't believe you,' said Garovel. 'And if you're lying to me, then I'm guessing that it's because you're planning to do something that you know I won't like.'

'I... ah...'

'Something to do with G.o.ds, obviously.'

'Now who's the detective? Sheesh.'

'Just tell me what it is and save me the trouble of guessing.'

Hector considered it briefly. 'I thought you liked guessing games.'

'You're gonna be like that, are you? Alright, fine, I'll play.'

'You get three guesses,' said Hector.

'Oh, you're giving me a hard limit? Seems a bit unfair.'

'Wouldn't be much of a game if I didn't. If I let you have all the guesses you want, then you can't lose. There would be no stakes.'

'Heh, stakes, huh? This is getting serious, now. What do I get if I win, then?'

'Hmm. What do you want?'

Garovel fell silent as he mulled it over. 'I want you to ask Lynn out on a date the next time you see her.'

Hector stopped walking for a second to look at Garovel. 'Well, so much for that game, then. You're right, Garovel. We should just concentrate on finding that keyhole.'

'Okay, okay, just hold on,' the reaper said in hurry. 'That was too much. Fine. I don't want you to ask her out on a date. Instead, I just want you to give her a compliment.' After a beat, he added, 'Intentionally, that is. Accidental compliments don't count.'

Hector took some time to deliberate, frowning inside his helmet as he tried to imagine it. 'How...? I... agh, so I'm supposed to just shoehorn a random compliment into a conversation with her out of nowhere?'

'Doesn't have to be out of nowhere,' said Garovel. 'I'm sure you could figure out a sneaky way to work up to it. I've got faith in you, buddy.'

Hector grumbled to himself, wanting to call the game off again but not seeing much justification for it this time.

'C'mon,' said Garovel. 'If you can talk Ivan down from killing everyone, then I'm pretty sure you can at least pay Lynn a compliment.'

Hector scowled. 'Only if you win. You've gotta guess right, first.'

'Of course. And for my first guess--'

'Hold on. What do I get if I win?'

That gave the reaper pause. 'What do you want?'

Hector already had something in mind. 'I want... you to tell me more about your past.'

Garovel met his gaze evenly for a moment. 'My past, huh?'

'Yeah.'

'Could you narrow it down a little? I've got more than three thousand years' worth, remember?'

'Hmm.' Hector folded his armored arms. 'Alright. Then I want you to tell me something that you've never told any of your previous servants before.'

Garovel was quiet again.

'And it has to be something significant, too,' Hector added. 'Not like... just a story about how you once ate a nice meal and went to sleep or some bulls.h.i.+t like that.'

'...Alright,' said Garovel. 'I can agree to that.'

'Okay, then.'

'It looks like we've got ourselves a game.'

'Yeah, it does.'

A briefly heavy intermission pa.s.sed as they stared at one another, letting the ambient hissing and rumbling of Himmekel fill the air.

Hector had to break the silence for a confession, however. '...With all this build up, though, I've kinda forgotten what the game was even about.'

'I have to guess what it is that you're obviously trying to hide from me.'

'...I'm trying to hide something from you?'

'Yes! Something to do with your sudden interest in G.o.ds! Don't try to act all innocent now, Hector! It won't work!'

'Oh, right, yeah. I remember what it was now. Sorry.'

'Yeah, right. You're a sneaky little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you know that?'

'Shut up and take your three guesses already.'

'Alright, I will! For my first guess... I'm gonna say that you're thinking of converting to a religion. And the reason you've been keeping it from me is because you think I'll disapprove. Which I probably will, but that's beside the point.'

'Wrong.'

'What?! Bulls.h.i.+t! You know this game doesn't work if you lie, right?!'

'I'm not lying, Garovel. I haven't been thinking about converting to any religion.'

'Then what the--? Gah... Fine. Hmm. For my second guess... I'll say... you're planning some sort of religious surprise party.'

Hector squinted. '...What the h.e.l.l is a "religious surprise party?"'

'Like a... celebration of something religious, I guess?' said Garovel.

'Isn't that a little vague? I mean, it's still wrong as f.u.c.k, but shouldn't these guesses be more specific? I feel like it's cheating if you can just say s.h.i.+t that's too generalized or whatever.'

'Oh, shut up. I'm on my last guess here.'

'Yes, you are.'

'Ugh...'

'Don't cheat now,' said Hector.

'f.u.c.k yourself.'

Hector just laughed.

'Alright, then,' said Garovel. 'Final guess. Hmm... What would you be trying to hide from me? Agh... s.h.i.+t. I'll be honest. I really thought it was that first thing. G.o.ddammit, Hector.'

'Don't look at me like that. You're not getting any sympathy from me. There is some real s.h.i.+t on the line here.'

'You're a d.i.c.k.'

'And you're a jacka.s.s.'

'Fine,' said Garovel. 'For my third guess... I'm gonna say that... uh... you... you plan on starting your own religion.'

Hector snorted into a full laugh. 'Holy c.r.a.p, no. Wow, Garovel...'

'You're gonna call it Hectorism. And you're gonna use it to teach people all about the many types of d.i.c.ketry that you've become a master of.'

'This means I win the game.'

'People will come from all over the world to learn about what a complete d.i.c.k you are. I imagine you'll have many followers, all trying to achieve the same pinnacle of d.i.c.kness that you have.'

'Are you done?'

'I dunno. Are you sure you weren't spouting a bunch of bulls.h.i.+t?'

'What?'

'I'll concede my loss here, but now you've gotta prove that I really did lose. You have to tell me the truth about what you're trying to keep from me.'

'Oh. Hmm. Alright.'

'Heh. You're gonna tell me just like that? I thought you'd be more reluctant, considering what a big deal you made out of this whole thing.'

Hector saw his chance for a killing blow and decided to take it. 'It's fine. I kinda hate keeping secrets from you, anyway.'

Garovel fell quiet again.

Hector just waited, not sure what to think now.

'Hector, that was... That was sudden. And unfair. Right in my nonexistent heart.'

'You do that s.h.i.+t to me all the time,' said Hector. 'We'll be talking all normal or whatever, then you'll get super sincere and nice on me out of nowhere. And I'll get self-conscious and feel weird.'

'Yeah, but I'm allowed to do that to you, because I'm such a sincere and wonderful guy in general. I'm just being my natural, charismatic self. You can't take such a pure thing and... and weaponize it against me like that.'

'"Weaponize it?"' laughed Hector. 'Wow.'

'It's like a friendliness bomb. Which is too much power for one man, clearly.'

'Alright, whatever. We're getting sidetracked.'

'So tell me your secret already, then. I'm waiting.'

'It's nothing major,' said Hector. 'I was just planning on building some religious shrines once we get back to Warrenhold.'

'Wait a minute, what?' said Garovel. 'Religious shrines?'

Hector heard the surprise in Garovel's voice and hesitated somewhat. 'Yeah?'

'...What for? You said you weren't planning to convert to any religion, right?'

'They wouldn't be for me,' said Hector. 'They'd be for the Rainlords, mainly. But I'd also like to include some shrines for other religions as well.'

'Hold on. So you're telling me... you're gonna build these shrines as a gift to the Rainlords, and what? Keep the shrines a secret so that you can reveal them with one big celebration?'

'Uh... maybe. I don't know how I want to do it yet. Why do you ask?'

'Because! Don't you see?! That means my second guess was actually right! You ARE planning a religious surprise party!'

'What?!'

'You made me feel like an a.s.shole for saying that, too! And I was right the whole time! You're a cheater, y'know that?!'

'A religious surprise party is not a real thing, Garovel! And a shrine is not a party!'

'It could be! Depends on how you spin it!'

Hector was lost for words.

'The nerve of this guy,' huffed Garovel. 'And to think, you even tried to make me feel like I was cheating, didn't you? Was that because you knew that you were the one who was cheating all along?'

'I wasn't cheating.'

'Seriously, how could you do such a thing?'

'I didn't.'

'Hector, this is a betrayal of the highest order.'

'No, it isn't.'

'I'm speechless.'

'Oh, I wish you were.'

'Y'know what? I take back all the nice things I said about you just now.'

'You didn't say any nice things about me.'

'Well, maybe I was thinking them, then. I take back those thoughts.'

'Okay? Ouch, I guess.'

'I'm glad you understand.' The reaper drifted over to the side of Hector's field of view. 'By the way, what made you want to build a bunch of religious shrines in Warrenhold?'

'Oh, uh... well, I've kinda been thinking about it for a while, really. Pretty much since we first got there, actually.'

'Why?'

'It was just, uh... Some of those rooms that we saw. They were in total ruins, but they looked like they used to be really pretty. The rainbow shrines in particular. I guess, ah... I guess ever since I saw those, I've been wondering what those shrines were actually used for. Because, I mean, all eight of Warrenhold's towers have one, so they were probably pretty important to someone, right?'

'Rainbow shrines...?'

Hector blinked. 'Do you not remember them?'

'Um. Sure I do. They were--ah--very colorful, weren't they?'

Hector laughed. 'You really don't remember?'

'Kind of? Not really.'

'Wow. This is the first time I've remembered something that you didn't.'

'Alright, don't get all c.o.c.ky. Your little shrines probably just didn't impress me enough to make me remember them, is all.'

'I see.'

'Anyway, I don't think a shrine of the Rainlords' water G.o.d is typically supposed to be rainbow-colored. So are you gonna completely tear the shrines down and rebuild them?'

'Might have to, considering how destroyed they were. I'd kinda like to preserve the rainbow coloring, though, if I can. It seems like it could have some historical significance or something.'

'Hmm, maybe.'

'Do you know of any religion that used rainbow-colored shrines?'

'Can't say that I do. But that coloration might be all the clue we need. Perhaps Stasya built those shrines as a tribute to ALL religions, not just one.'

'I was thinking that, too, actually. It would make sense with what Voreese said about Stasya wanting Warrenhold to become a center of trade between the surface and the Undercrust. She could've wanted those shrines to be welcoming of all different faiths.'

'Well. The ones that can get along with one another, at least.'

'Yeah, I suppose that could be a problem,' said Hector. 'And that reminds me, um... Well, maybe I should've asked this a long time ago, but does Abolish have, like, an official religion?'

'They have at least two, actually.'

'...What do you mean "at least?"'

'Well, the essential split is between the Morgunov faction and the Dozer faction, as you would expect. But each side also has its own degrees of extremism. So extreme, in fact, that they become almost unrecognizable from one another.'

'I don't, uh...? Give me an example.'

'Okay. On Dozer's side of things, the religion is called "Nualism"--or "the Way of None." It's rather grim, from what I've been hearing, but the variation in it comes from differing interpretations of "the Void's will."'

'The Void is like their G.o.d?'

'More or less. I think they'd tell you that the Void is actually not a G.o.d and instead just a silent, collective consciousness inside all of us, but I'm digressing again. Point is, the followers of Nualism are disagreeing about what they think the Void wants them to do.'

'In what way, though? Can I get some specifics?'

'Specifically... in regard to the killing of children.'

Hector stopped walking in order to look at Garovel. 'Oh...'

'I did say it was grim.'

'Yes, you did.' He looked out over the stone railing of the bridge he was on and absorbed the glimmering view of Himmekel for a moment. So far, this hunt for a keyhole hadn't been turning up much, and as he observed the branching pathway ahead of him, as well as the half-dozen bridges both above and below, he couldn't help feeling like it was pointless to keep searching.

But oh well. He decided to pick the center path and kept walking, trying to make sure that he was still paying attention to everything he was seeing while talking to Garovel.

'So,' Hector went on, 'does that mean that some of the... Nualists or whatever are actually against killing kids?'

'Yeah.'

'That's... good, isn't it?'

'Sure. Y'know, apart from all the ones who AREN'T against it, that is.'

'Ah--but they're fighting each other over it, right?'

'Mm, I dunno if they're actually "fighting." I just know they're disagreeing enough to consider themselves not part of the same religion.'

'Huh...'

'Degrees of extremism, like I said.'

'Right...'

'There are a lot more deviations like that, supposedly. More than I previously thought there were, even. I've been learning quite a lot about Abolish recently, thanks in no small part to all of the reapers I've been able to talk to during our travels.'

'Oh yeah. I always see you guys grouping up and talking to each other.'

'You make it sound like we don't want you involved in our conversations. You're always welcome to come listen, y'know.'

'I try to. It's just, I mean--you guys go on forever. It's hard to pay attention for that long.'

'Ah,' said Garovel. 'What can I say? Talking is kind of all we've got goin' for us, so yeah, reapers tend to "overdevelop" our conversational skills a bit. It's one of the reasons why I said we're good liars. We get a lot of practice in.'

'Hmm.'

'In fact, that's a good rule of thumb for you: whenever you meet new reapers, expect them to talk a lot, and be wary of those who don't. There are really only three types of reapers who don't talk much. The young, the crazy, and the ones with a lot to hide.'

'Huh...'

'At our age, if you don't talk, the inevitable boredom will drive you crazy. And that may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not. Talking is an important coping mechanism for us.'

'That... explains a few things, I guess.'

'Someone like Tenebrach, though--he's an example of the third type. Of course, I only met him the one time, but he didn't talk much. As expected. A guy like that SHOULD have a lot to hide. It'd be weird if he didn't.'

'Wait, who are you talking about?'

'Tenebrach. Sermung's reaper.'

'Oh. Right.'
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'But anyway, I've digressed from what I was talking about before.'

'Abolish's religions.'

'Right. The variation in Abolish's beliefs has been growing rather rapidly in recent years. According to the Rainlords, it's even gotten to the point where Abolish has become this weird melting pot of personality cults.'

'You mean for more than just Morgunov and Dozer?'

'Yes. Apparently, there's also been some very divisive rhetoric going around within their ranks. There've even been rumblings about a secret group of Abolish reformists. Though, maybe they're not so secret anymore, if we're hearing about them now.'

'Is that... good? Because it sounds kinda good.'

'Possibly. I mean, it sure would be nice if Abolish stopped going around trying to kill as many people as they can. But I don't have confirmation that this reformist faction is actually trying to achieve that. And honestly, I doubt it is. More than likely, all this reformist stuff is just the result of a simple power struggle.'

'Hmm. Politics isn't exactly my strong suit...'

'Well, you're a lord now, so you better learn quickly.'

'Ugh...'

'A power struggle would also be pretty insane, though--especially now. Maybe not as "simple" a matter as I just suggested, now that I think about it.'

'What do you mean?'

'Morgunov and Dozer have been in power for close to three hundred years. And it's not like no one's been trying to take it from them. The gap in strength between them and everyone else is gigantic. So how would you go about trying to bridge that gap?'

'Uh...'

'At this point, if you're a member of Abolish, and you want to seize control of it for yourself, the most obvious plan is to just wait for the Vanguard to kill one of them for you.'

'I guess so. But if your plan is obvious, then it probably sucks.'

'Exactly.'

Hector wasn't quite sure what the reaper meant. 'So, what? You're saying... someone in Abolish actually has a smart plan for overthrowing their own boss?'

'Oh, I don't know about that,' said Garovel. 'Maybe it's a good plan. Maybe it's not. Maybe it's not a plan at all, and I'm completely misreading everything. All I'm really saying is that I think something big is happening within Abolish right now. Something that could threaten the status quo--or dare I say, even destroy it.'

'You sound surprisingly optimistic.'

'Is it so surprising, though? Abolish has been getting its a.s.s handed to it, lately. You heard the news about Jackson taking down not just one, but TWO of Abolish's biggest threats, didn't you?'

Hector certainly did. He recalled Asad's sister going around and telling everyone. 'The Star of the West. Wonder what he's like.'

'I've heard nothing but good things about him. And now it sounds like he's the de facto second-in-command for the Vanguard.'

'I wonder what he would think of this whole Rainlord situation.'

'a.s.suming he knew the whole story? Tough to say. But even then, I doubt he would side against the Vanguard.'

'Hmm.'

'Whatever the case, Abolish is gonna have a hard time dealing with him.' Garovel broke for a laugh. 'And YOU, apparently. Lest we forget how you made Abolish eat s.h.i.+t AGAIN when you took down Ivan.'

'I definitely did NOT take him down.'

'Completely on your own. No help needed. Made him look like a punk b.i.t.c.h.'

Hector sighed but couldn't help laughing just a little.

'At least, that's what I've been telling everyone,' said Garovel.

Hector's eyes widened at the mere thought of that. 'You're just joking, right?!'

'I am. Calm down. Hilarious as that would be, I don't think I'd be laughing when Morgunov himself showed up to take revenge on you.'

'Ugh...'

Hector turned a corner and found himself in an apparent park. It was small, but there was a walled off pool of lava in the middle with a tall, sharp monument rising out of it like a rocky needle. The area also boasted a cliffside view of Himmekel to Hector's right, along with a few stone benches where a handful of Hun'Sho were seated.

Someone else was with them, Hector noticed as he got closer. Someone in a climate-controlled suit.

"--like you wouldn't believe!" came a familiarly deep voice. "Why, in six months' time, I could have quarterly s.h.i.+pments arriving here all the way from Boregard! There would be no need to leave! I could bring the wonders of the surface world directly to you! Convenience at its finest!"

"Boregard is the name of your homeland?" said one of the Hun'Sho.

"My hometown, actually," said Mr. Robert Sheridan. "My homeland is a place called Intar. Quite lovely this time of year, if you can get used to the clamor. It's the center of the world, you know! Busiest country on the planet! And the most productive, when accounting for quality."

"Do you have many books in Intar?" said another of the Hun'Sho.

"Of course!" said Mr. Sheridan. "Though, ours are typically quite fragile--and flammable, specifically--so it would be quite the trick to transport them safely here to you, but for the right price, I think we can--ah! Hector! My young friend! What are you doing standing over there all by yourself?" Mr. Sheridan smiled wide and waved him over as he looked across his audience again. "Have I told any of you fine folks yet about how this young man saved my bacon?"

"Bacon?"

"What is bacon?"

"My life!" the man clarified. "He saved my life!"

"Ah, so bacon is life."

"Yet another strange new Mohssian word. How interesting."

"No, I didn't mean--! Ah--shoot! Uh--!"

Hector listened as Mr. Sheridan tried to clarify even further, but it didn't seem to go very well for him, and at length, the man gave up and addressed Hector again.

"How are you finding Himmekel? It is a majestic place, no?"

"Uh--yeah." Hector decided against telling him about the current quest to find a keyhole. Even a.s.suming Mr. Sheridan could be trusted, there were too many Hun'Sho around who would overhear. "What are you doing here, by the way?"

"Oh, just enjoying some of the finest company that Himmekel has to offer!"

Hector would've given the man a dubious look if his helmet wasn't in the way. "Are you really trying to sell stuff to the Hun'Sho?"

"Aha. You overheard that, did you? Well, what can I say? I am an enterprising man. I hope you will not think less of me for it, because I do not plan to change any time soon!"

The man's sheer enthusiasm took Hector by surprise and pulled a small laugh out of him. "S-sure," said Hector, "but, uh--I mean, do these guys even have anything to pay you with?" He threw a quick look over the Hun'Sho listeners. "Um, no offense."

They merely returned curious expressions.

"Oh, don't be silly," said Mr. Sheridan. "Wealth is relative, and payment does not require currency. I'm sure these fine gentleman and I can reach an accord with just a bit of amicable appraisal and negotiation. Why, just a couple years ago, I made an arrangement to have fresh fish s.h.i.+pped all the way to a tiny little village that had nothing to its name but dirt. Dirt, I tell you! But am I sore about how that deal ended up? No sirree Bob! In fact, I'm more than pleased! And this other time, I arranged to have--"

'He's definitely planning to rip them off,' said Garovel privately.

Hector was getting that impression, too. 'Wouldn't that mean he's already got his eye on something?'

'It sure would. We need to talk to him alone. See if we can get any useful info out of him.'

'Okay.'

And it took a while, but at length, Hector managed to wrest the man away from the Hun'Sho--or free them from him. Hector wasn't quite sure which.

They moved to the edge of the park, where they could speak in private while overlooking much of Himmekel. There was a decent view of the lavafall here, blocked only by a couple of the Vault's many black bridges.

"Hoo boy, these Hun'Sho are somethin' else," said Mr. Sheridan. "When I tell the folks back home about these people, they'll flip. Or call me crazy. Probably the latter, actually, unless I'm able to bring proof with me."

Hector wasn't terribly interested in that subject, but he did see a way for it to lead into the subject which did interest him. "...Do you have some kind of proof in mind?"

"One of the Hun'Sho themselves would be best, obviously, but they don't seem too interested in leaving. Real shame. So I was thinking maybe that monument over there would be a good subst.i.tute. Only problem is how I would transport it all the way back up to the surface." He motioned toward the pointy stone that Hector had seen earlier.

"Why?" said Hector. "What would a rock prove?"

Mr. Sheridan gave him a smirk. "That ain't no normal rock, son. I don't rightly know what it is, but I know a shot from my lovely little .38 right here didn't leave so much as a scratch on it." He produced a handgun from the pouch on the side of his hip and gave it a showy twirl. "And this baby packs quite the extra kick, if you know what I'm sayin'."

Hector did. But he had a different question. "...Why were you shooting the monument?"

"Oh, it wasn't me. It was Hermeios. Those nice fellas were all curious about my weaponry, and I always love opening new minds to the wonderful world of advanced personal protection technology."

"Right..."

"And credit where credit is due--the guy hit that monument dead on. Seemed like a real natural. Maybe a bit too eager, but I made sure to impart the importance of good trigger discipline."

"...You weren't concerned about letting a stranger hold your gun?"

"Not as long as I got my back up." He returned the gun to his pouch and pulled out a second, slightly larger one. "Though, I wouldn't call them strangers, exactly, either. I've gotten to know Hermeios pretty well, these past couple days. Swell guy. Real understandin' and SO polite."

Hector saw Garovel drifting toward the monument and decided to follow.

The reaper inspected it up and down. He pressed a skeletal hand against it. 'I can't phase through it.'

Hector was inspecting it now, too--though he had to keep a greater distance because of the pool of lava in the way. He scanned the rock for some sort of hole or indention--anything that seemed like it might be related to the Kag--but he saw nothing. Just flat, smooth stone.

Well. Actually, no. Not perfectly smooth, Hector eventually noticed.

There was a maze-like etching all over the body of the monument. The marks were so faint that even with the light being emitted by the pool of lava directly below, they were still almost invisible to the naked eye.

Mr. Sheridan was talking again, but Hector wasn't listening.

'What are these marks?' he asked Garovel.

'...They're a signature,' the reaper said privately. 'Rathmore put them on all of his works.'