"Is his name really Vendekaabe, Eik?" Rasmus asked.

"Yeah, I had to keep myself from giggling at that as well when I first heard it," Eik admitted.

"You be careful now, okay? Don't blabber on too much."

Eik rolled his eyes. "I'll try, dad."

"I love you. Be safe."

"Love you too, dad."

"I love you too, Ihasu. Don't let my son do anything dumb," Rasmus grinned.

Ihasu laughed. "Love you, dad. I'm not sure anyone can keep this guy in check."

"Wow, is this what love is supposed to be?" Eik groaned, a smile of his own peeking through.

They hugged and then they were out the door. Ihasu would accompany him to pick up Vendekaabe, the cultist of Moon Shall Swallow who had sought him out personally after the oracle had apparently disappeared.

The man was utterly convinced that she was being held by other higher ups of the cult because they had found out that she had been trying to sabotage the ultimate mission of the cult to awaken the deity they worship, the Primal Entity called the Lord of the Moon.

Eik was inclined to agree.

The sequence of events where she suddenly stopped all communication with her small circle of trusted subordinates who then also began to disappear one by one, all while the cult itself maintained an impeccable facade of normalcy, was more than a little suspicious.

Andihar Dayarunar and Clan Leader Gul of the Ougi clan met them at the location where Vendekaabe was being held—a facility quite a lot more comfortable than a prison but secure and locked nonetheless.

It would be just the three of them and Vendekaabe going to the council, which was one of several such assemblies of elected officials, to petition for an operation targeting the cult headquarters.

Eik obviously went as the man who had been in the Moon Shall Swallow capital, Luna, and personally met the oracle of the cosmic cult and heard directly from her lips, while Andihar and Gul went to support him as influential public pillars of Gimleh and the Nidafjeld Alliance at large. From Eik's perspective, it felt like a sizable political force, but on the game board of entire ancient civilizations he couldn't tell how much push they really had.

With the exception of their recent visit to the Crucible, it had been a while since Eik had stepped foot in the Alliance headquarters. Given how sparsely many areas of the immense city base was guarded, this collection of buildings had a considerable number of armored officers conducting both constant patrols and stationary security. It spoke volumes of the importance of the work done here as well as the status of the people serving.

After several thorough checks and identity confirmations, they found themselves waiting in front of a nondescript door. Numerous identical doors lined a long corridor, only a small numbered sign next to it distinguishing them.

"I'm nervous," Eik muttered under his breath.

"Me too," Vendekaabe said.

Eik stared at Andihar and Clan Leader Gul, waiting for either of them to say anything, but all he got was a pat on the back by the muscular elf. "Shouldn't you be consoling us right now and telling us that there's nothing to be nervous about?"

Andihar pursed his lips. "Alliance career officials like the ones we are about to meet are famously rigid and conservative, and what we're asking for is pretty unusual, not to mention lacking in evidence. I'm a little nervous myself to be honest."

Eik looked desperately to Gul, the final ray of hope, but he simply grunted and refrained from commenting. Great…

"Enter!" a voice called from inside.

The room was rather small, undecorated, and sporting naked, white walls that made it feel like a random meeting room in a thirty-floor office building back on Earth. And in a sense, that was more or less what it was, wasn't it?

Six formally dressed people sat on one side of a large table facing the door, their backs to a wide window through which an inner courtyard could be seen, guards passing through regularly. Eik and company took seats across from the members of the council.

Both Andihar and Gul had refused to take the lead, only offering their presence and support, and Vendekaabe was out for obvious reasons, so that left Eik to do it. Great… Did those damn old men always have to find so many ways to teach him? This was important! For everyone!

One of the council members riffled through a stack of documents. "So…" he drawled with an expression of disinterest. He was lanky, earless, and had unsettlingly long digits. "Why have you requested to be heard today?"

"My name is Eik Magnasen. This is the patriarch of the house Dayarunar, Andihar Dayarunar, and this is the head of the Ougi clan, Gul Ougi. And this man is Vendekaabe, an envoy sent by the oracle of the cult of Moon Shall Swallow. We wish to propose an operation into the capital of Moon Shall Swallow, Luna."

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He slid a few pages across the table where they had outlined a general intention and concisely explained their reasoning. They had brought more than enough copies made with precisely utilized Awakened abilities, rather closely resembling what a modern printer could produce.

The council members read in silence, all of them swift readers. "You wish to attack the cult? In order to rescue… their leader?" a blue-skinned woman asked incredulously. "Did I understand that correctly?"

"The main effort would be focused on the destruction of mechanisms crucial to the cult's plans to awaken their so-called Lord of the Moon, but yes, we believe the rescue of the oracle is also of utmost importance to the overall goal of stopping the cult's ambitions," Eik said with a careful nod.

"Explain," one of the others ordered.

"Well, because she has apparently found out that awakening the Lord of the Moon wouldn't lead to the same nirvana as has been foretold in the original prophecy under which the cult has been operating thus far. Vendekaabe here is one of her subordinates who has been convinced of that new truth."

"But why does that mean we need to save her?" the blue woman asked again.

Eik took a deep breath. He knew that they were asking for good measure, but he wished they would just read the document instead. "Frankly, I don't think any of us know more about the details and secrets of the cult's plans than she does. Do you?"

The blue lady narrowed her eyes but didn't deign to answer. That was answer enough in and of itself. She scanned the pages of Eik's document, clearly done with that particular line of questioning. But Eik wasn't.

"Don't you see?" he tried, a tinge of desperation in his voice. "I'm just a guy who found out about the Unified Mass three years ago, but you guys have known what the cult is for the entirety of yours. There is finally a chance to actually beat them! I destroyed some of the awakening chamber when I was there, but that was only one step of many. We need her to even know how to proceed!"

"Yes, I'd like to know more about that," another council member broke in. It was a rotund man with a comically thick mustache. "Why were you there at the capital?"

Eik suppressed a sigh. "I was abducted from my home."

For about thirty minutes, they questioned him about his time at the capital, almost as if they suspected him of something, although they never went as far as actually say anything to that degree. Eik did his best to answer, hoping they would soon get back to the matter at hand.

Andihar and Gul, and sometimes even Vendekaabe, offered their input here and there, supporting Eik and at times even speaking more than him. As the meeting grew more mired, the two S-rankers lent their voices more and more.

"And you think we need the oracle to bring down the cult?"

"I don't know about that," Eik admitted readily. "but I'm sure it would drastically reduce the risk of a prolonged war as well as the general number of casualties. As far as I know, the Alliance has been warring with them for literal centuries at least! This is your chance to finally turn the tide!"

They put their heads together for a few seconds, a sound blocking aura barrier humming into existence before dissipating again. "And this primary offensive operation you mention, what would that entail precisely?"

"Well, that's where Vendekaabe comes in. Being a trusted subordinate of the oracle, he has knowledge that he has agreed to share with us on the condition that we agree to help rescue the oracle."

"And why should we trust what he says?"

"Because the oracle has already helped me escape imprisonment, as well as guided me in the destruction of crucial preparation for the awakening ritual."

"And if he's simply bait sent by other cult leaders? To lure you and us into a trap."

Eik chewed on the question, but it wasn't something they hadn't considered. Vendekaabe glanced nervously at him as he spoke. "He knows information that she shared with me when I met her. Information that goes directly against their traditional motivations. I destroyed their ritual sites. I killed their people as I escaped. Even if he was a plant by the other leaders, the very fact that he knows this information proves that he is either telling the truth, or that the oracle has been forced to divulge this information under duress, in which case our need for the information she has still remains unchanged."

"And what if it has all been a ruse from the beginning? Your abduction, your escape, the site you sabotaged. What if it was to get us to this point all along?"

Fuck. What could he say to that? Sure, there was that possibility, but… wasn't there always? Anything ever could be a ruse if you were willing to indulge in sufficient skepticism.

Eik prepared to say whatever he could think of but was saved by Clan Leader Gul who sneered derisively and leaned back in the chair and crossing his arms over his chest, the many heavy earring hanging from his lobes clinking metallically with the movement. He shot the council members an annoyed look.

"Do you never get tired of that?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" the blue woman asked, brows furrowed. "Do we never get tired of what?"

"Do you never get tired of being cowards? Of sitting on your hands until you lose feeling? Of overthinking every single thing to the point where you become paralyzed to any possible action?"

"We are simply doing our jobs, Gul Ougi," the mustached man huffed, clearly offended. "and I would ask you to respect that. Your at times reckless tendencies have not escaped our notice either. This is a matter of Alliance-wide security! We can't just act on any information we receive!"

"Well, then investigate!" Andihar broke in, frustration getting a hold of him too. "Make an effort to verify! If we suspect that the information could be reliable, and I would say there is plenty of reason to, then find out! You don't have to gather a billion-strong army from the get-go. A powerful strike force would be more effective for a rescue anyway. It's time to step up and seize this rare opportunity when it presents itself!"

Again, a sound barrier went up and the six council members discussed for a few seconds.

"We have heard you," the lanky man said. "We will now deliberate and ask that you leave the room for the duration."

With a sigh, Eik got up and followed Andihar and Gul into the hallway.

"Well, that went… not great…" he groaned.

"Honestly, I thought they would be more receptive to something that could really make a difference in the conflict with Moon Shall Swallow," Andihar said, Gul nodding along. "Rather disappointing."

"Will they not agree, you think?" Vendekaabe asked, voice trembling.

"I don't know, man…" Eik said.

They waited for a good fifteen minutes before being called back inside.

"After considering the circumstances, we have come to a decision," the blue woman said tersely.

"And?"

"Vendekaabe will be taken into our custody. We thank you for your work until now."

Unable to believe his ears, Eik looked from Gul on his right to Andihar on his left. Both men looked more dumbfounded than Eik had ever seen them.

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