POV: Jolyon.

A dull buzzing echoed within the space. The machines working diligently in their efforts to find signs of life on the world below. Thus far, we'd searched all of the major cities and spaceports. Or what was left of them in some cases.

Every time we did so, we came upon the same image over and over again. Bodies. Millions upon millions of them. Crumpled over like cheap straw dolls.

They were left there to rot on the streets, in the stores, in their workplaces, in their homes, in all the ships we'd scanned on the upper orbit and in all those whose AI had taken over and performed emergency landings when their occupants died in low orbit.

Everyone, regardless of Tier or species, had simply dropped dead and stayed there.

And now, as we continued our scans of the equatorial jungle below us, it became evident that even the animals native to this world had not been spared such a fate.

The ship's bridge was silent as the grave. The monitors and work stations emitting dull, numbing sounds to indicate a complete lack of successful readings.

The crew, which in any other case would have been sharing gossip or making plans for what to do during their break, was also silent. Faces still as stone as they watched the monitors. Waiting, hoping, for even the slightest signal.

One minute turned into ten and ten turned into twenty. All while the silence remained deafening. The external sonic sensors also picking up nothing but the sounds of scattering sand and dust in the wind.

Over a desert, that may have been normal.

Over an equatorial jungle in a heavily populated world, not so much.

"We're not getting anything sir." One of father's employees informed me.

I turned to him, cursing myself internally for not having learned his name earlier. Master always said you needed to learn people's name to show them respect. No matter their station. It was one of the little ways in which you bought loyalty with love, rather than fear.

'Though he probably doesn't think anything is off about how I'm acting.' I sulked. 'Gnomes aren't exactly known for being overly nice or social unless there was something to be gained.'

I squared my shoulders and straightened my conical cap. Resolving to be different.

"What is your name ensign?"

He looked startled. No doubt expecting punishment. His uniform seeming to draw inwards from one second to the next, as if it had shrunk at my command and was now choking him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and lowered his eyes.

"Karlis sir. Of no house worth mentioning."

The response was perfect, for a minion drafted into such, or enticed into it for a slightly higher rate of pay. Not for an individual. Not for someone who felt appreciated.

'Or confident that their boss wouldn't jettison them out the cargo bay doors.'

I recalled how Master Rogvir behaved with us. When he meant to inspire confidence. To inspire us to greater heights without putting us down and making us feel small.

"Karlis then." I nodded. "Raise your head. You are not at fault. I was merely curious as to who I had the pleasure of speaking to."

He looked stunned.

They all did.

Staring at me as if I was a simian exhibit at some zoo. Flinging my own poo from behind the bars.

'Oh come on.' I cursed internally. 'Is it really so strange for someone in my opinion to be nice to his employees? Is it really so weird for a gnomish captain to behave like a proper leader?'

I recalled how my father had behaved on my maiden voyage. Back before our family was exiled and we lost all our holdings on the main gnomish dominions.

'On second thought, yeah. I can't really blame him.'

All I could do now was inspire change myself. By leading through example. Like Master Rogvir did.

"I understand that we're not getting any readings." I went on. "I'm merely stunned that such a thing would have been possible. I mean…"

I struggled to find my next words and coughed into my own hands.

"I've been off the general grid. Training with a whole host of Kenari elites and other gifted students with a Shifter Master, but things could not have possibly changed this much in this short amount of time." I said slowly. Waving my arm to the main screen.

"This…jungle should be full of all kinds of life signs. The howling of monkeys and the songs of birds and the scrambling of lizards and the crawling and buzzing of insects. With a ship like this one, meant for…"

I chose to avoid the word. Not wanting to acknowledge how many slaves had once been kidnapped and held in our barges.

"Transportation. Our scanners should have been some of the best in the business. Even the trees and fungal growths should be showing up in our scans this close up. I would understand it if this place had been blasted off the face of the planet like that one space-port, but I don't see how something like this could have happened here."

I paused to catch my breath. All too aware of how many eyes were piercing my front and back.

I took the opportunity to caress my Symbiote. Withdrawing a canteen from my storage ring and wetting my lips with fresh, ice-cold water.

"For goodness's sake men. I can see the bloody trees down there through the hull cameras! How can they all be dead!?"

None of the men at hand had any answers to give me.

"Should we send a ground crew sir?" Another man, Freshy, asked me.

"Absolutely not." I declared. "We have no idea what happened here in Asfarar. For all we know the Tyrant who's currently fighting Master Hazimon released some kind of super-plague on the world. Think of how many gnomish worlds have been lost so far. Are you going to take that chance?"

"No sir." He said gloomily. Before then going back to his work station.

I cursed myself internally. Wondering what I could have said to convey my emotions and the orders in a kinder, gentler way.

'I'm turning into father.' I thought with a start. The idea twisting my stomach inside out. 'All this talk about higher ideals and here I am snapping at my men as if they were tools to be used and discarded.'

I sighed internally, vowed to do better and returned my focus to the screens.

"Any word from the rest of the fleet?" I asked offhandedly.

"Sir. Jocastor is devoid of life. As is Ferdovar, Hagof, Toyoru, Jennydur, Kevlor's World, and all the planets in the bright marches. Some of our scouting drones have reported back that there are no life signs on thew borders of adjacent galaxies as well. It is possible that only the most prosperous, capital worlds were attacked, but…"

"We will have to determine that when the time comes." I interrupted him. Already feeling the weight of responsibility dragging me down.

"Should we move on to the next world on the list?" Karlis asked.

"No." I said. "Not yet. Order all our vessels to perform a secondary sweep of each world. Double check that there are no people to rescue. I'd rather waste a few more days than leave behind any survivors."

A few of the men gave me odd looks. Though I suspected those had to do more with my choice of words than with the orders themselves.

'They're probably thinking that 'survivors' is an odd way to say 'slaves' or other such nonsense.'

I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.

'I will have to address the issue sooner or later though.' I resolved. 'The only reason we haven't been killed yet is probably because our house was exiled to the corners of the Kenari dominions.'

In contrast, every gnomish world and galaxy out there had more or less been torched by the Tyrant upon his first outing into the multiverse. And that was saying something considering how many domains the gnomish empire had conquered over the eons.

Those adults that survived were few in number and they all had one thing in common once you started to look closer at their circumstances. That is, they were all abnormal for gnomes. In the same way that I was.

He was also surprisingly moral enough to spare the little children, which was unexpected to say the least.

'But that had not been the case here.' I observed.

Asfarar had been thoroughly cleansed. Destroyed in both root and stem. Nothing was left alive in the world. Or in the galaxy from the looks of things.

'What kind of monster would do this?' I wondered. 'What kind of ability could do this?'

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The silence was broken then. A single beep cutting through it like a knife through thin curtains.

"Sir! There's a signal!"

"Where!" I was standing over him a second later, despite myself. All thoughts of civility and decorum now abandoned.

"In a desert near the destroyed space port. Something is walking through the dunes there."

I did not ask myself why we had missed it the first time.

"Take us there and make sure the med bay is ready to receive the survivor. Have the biohazard guys bring them in and make sure the atmosphere is tested for any contagions."

I didn't actually think the threat was biological of course. Not when the whole galaxy seemed affected, but better safe than sorry.

Less than an hour later, the sole survivor was being brought on board via a shuttle.

They were an Otti. An amphibian mammal. One of the younger species in the Labyrinth.

The eyes were completely destroyed and the limbs were in rough shape. What remained of the creature's fur was slick with dried, blackened blood, and other parts of the body were red and raw. Fur and skin parting to show exposed muscle to all who might look.

"Dear Gozo." I blurted out. "He looks like he was mauled by something."

"Sir." Another crewman spoke up. "We uh, don't have a Shifter on board. None other than you."

"I'll take care of it." I assured him. My legs already rushing past the doors and into the halls of the ship.

I reached the med bay soon thereafter and found the Otti sitting silently on a medical station. My staff moving to and fro with all kinds of devices. Scanning his body up and down and up again from all angles to try and figure out what kind of injuries they were working with.

There was no need for that of course.

I'd reached the 2nd Tier in Shifter already. Though I hadn't gotten very far into it.

I touched the Otti's shoulder and allowed my Psy to flow. The exposed flesh knitting itself back together slowly and painfully. The muscles twitching in response as Psy began to mend them.

"Sedate him." I ordered. Turning to my men. "This is going to take a while. He's already suffered enough."

"No." A voice bit back.

I turned to the Otti. Shock plastered in my face.

"No?" I echoed, feeling stupid as I did so. "Sir? You're…"

'All kinds of fucked up.' Was what I thought.

In truth, the man, I was still fairly sure he was a man, was little more than half a corpse.

I wasn't a slaver of course, but if I was, he'd be the kind of merchandise we wouldn't even bother healing. A bolt to the head was quicker and arguably more merciful.

"Very grievously wounded." I said instead. "I'm doing my best, but it is going to take some time before you have…"

I paused again.

"Skin again."

I shook my head.

"It's honestly a miracle that you haven't dropped dead already. I'm getting a feel that you're only on the first Tier. And with only one Type. Sir, if you weren't an Enhancer you'd be dead. It's honestly a wonder you're still conscious at all. I'm guessing your body is pumping itself full of adrenaline. Don't bother to put up a strong front. Not at a time like this. Just let us do our job and…"

"Your job." He stopped me. Letting out a ferocious chuckle. "You are slavers."

He licked what was left of his snout. His tongue parting broken, shattered teeth. Those that were not outright missing.

"You are gnomish slavers." He added.

The words hit me like a slap. Like a hard slap.

I felt my cheeks reddening. Both with shame, that he'd come to this conclusion solely because of my species, and indignation, that someone would say such a thing about me of all people.

"No." I declared. Perhaps a bit too forcefully. "I am Jolyon. Of house Dresa. I studied in the heart of the Kenari heartlands. Under Master Rogvir. The honorable and patient and good student of Lady Agony. I studied alongside Deketer, granddaughter of Hazimon the Dragon himself. I followed my Master's lessons in all things, especially in matter of morality. I am no slaver sir. And you will retract those words."

I swallowed my breath the second the words left my mouth. Cursing myself over my demeanor in the face of this poor victim.

'Yes Jolyon. Nice going. Let your pride get ahead of you in front of the half-dead survivor. Nice job. No wonder people hate gnomes.'

The Otti merely chuckled though and finally relaxed his muscles. The tension leaving his frame.

Only then did I realize that he wasn't on the first Tier at all, but the 3rd. That, and his Psy had been concentrated into his right claw. So thick and heavy that a single strike would have cleaved me and the rest of the men on the med bay in two. While also gouging a not insignificant hole into the walls.

He chuckled.

"I don't need eyes to see you are surprised, good gnome." He practically spat out the last two words. "I can smell your fear. Though you are at least partially correct. I was on the first Tier not too long ago. But what can I say?"

He smiled with what few broken teeth and fangs he had left.

"I've always been a quick learner."

"Who are you?" I asked him.

He chortled. Before then wincing with pain.

"Gefre-Shur." He spoke. "Of house Shur."

I narrowed my eyes. So did the rest of my men.

"Hey sir? Isn't that the house of the Veiled Assassin?"

It was.

I peered closer. Narrowing my eyes at the Otti's face.

"Oh sweet Gozo." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"Um. Sir. Are you?"

"Yes." He stated.

I looked him up and down again. Focusing my senses on his Psy.

"You're… uh. A bit weaker than I'd heard."

"Yes. I suppose I am now." He answered. Then he huffed in annoyance. "It has to do with a Title and with the way I managed to survive. Don't ask and forget about what you're seeing."

"Forget about what?" One of my men blurted out.

"Ask about what?" Another echoed.

"I don't know man. Weird things are happening." A third said.

I sighed and brought a hand to my face.

"Men, why don't you all go on and take an early break? In fact, fuck it. Why don't you take the whole shift off? Don't worry about the pay, you'll be getting your regular hours. Actually, fuck it. You're all due for a raise and overtime hours. Just go on and enjoy yourselves." "Yes sir!" "Yes sir!"

"Yes sir!"

They and the rest of the medical staff left in a hurry. Leaving me alone with the half-dead Otti.

"Focus your Psy into my eyes." He ordered with casual ease as soon as they were gone. "I need to see what's happening on the surface for myself."

"I can probably save you some time." I grumbled. "Everyone and everything is dead."

"The whole world?" He asked. Remarkably calm given the news I just gave him.

"The whole galaxy sir." I corrected. Listing off the capital worlds which had been wiped clean of life.

I then went further and listed off all of our readings near the equatorial jungle and what had happened with all the plants and the fungi and all the other living beings which should have been there.

"What about my peers?" He asked next.

"Your peers sir?"

"Yes. My peers." He turned a half-grown eye to me. As if he could see out of it already.

"The other Masters that were there with me. Grefed Mar Gosha, Defruto the serpentine, Prolofor."

He swallowed a lump.

"What happened to the Golden Cruelty?"

I blinked at him stupidly. My mind more or less short circuiting as he listed off the names.

I then shook my head from side to side. Slowly and then quickly. Going to far as to slap myself before blinking at him again.

"Hah?" I finally managed after half a minute.

He listed off the names again.

I blinked at him stupidly. My mind more or less short circuiting as he listed off the names.

I then shook my head from side to side. Slowly and then quickly. Going to far as to slap myself before blinking at him again.

"HAH!?"

"The Masters you fool." He clarified, as if I'd been too simple to understand otherwise.

"There should have been 50 or so of us. We were hunting the Golden Cruelty. What happened to the Golden Cruelty?"

I did not answer his question at once. My mind still racing, struggling to keep up with all the things this man had just said to me.

"I…uh…um…hah…um…ba…"

I only snapped out of it when he emitted a low guttural growl.

"I don't know sir." I informed him. Then and only then did I realize. "Sorry! Not sir! Master! I don't know, oh honored Master. You were… your excellence was…"

"Drop the formalities." He commanded. "I've never cared for them in the first place. And you did just save my life. Speak to me as though I were an equal and stop wasting my time with this absurdity. Now, my fellows."

"You were the only survivor on the planet." I clarified. "The only one we've found thus far, I mean. Sir."

He growled again and I decided it might be best to move sideways a little bit. So that his one half-formed eye wasn't drilling into me constantly.

"We only found you on our second scan of the world." I went on. "We didn't pick up any living signatures at first. Not in the main cities, nor in the space ports. Nor in any of the ships stuck in high orbit around the world or in any of the orbital stations. The whole world, this one and all the other ones we've scanned so far, appear completely devoid of life. Every animal and person we do find looks as if they've been left out to rot in the sun. But even then, they haven't rotted away as far as we had expected. We came to the conclusion that whatever happened didn't just take out the bigger life forms, but small scavengers and fungal lifeforms and some microbes as well. In short, everything that could be considered nominally alive is now, no longer alive."

I paused.

"Well, actually no. Some microbes did survive. The ones sticking to you for one. Our medics just took samples and confirmed they were a native variety and not generally harmful. So, anything living, sort of. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that anything beyond a certain level of complexity was wiped out."

He sucked in a breath.

"Have we recovered any bodies?" He went on.

"Well, no sir. Of course not. How were we supposed to know your esteemed persons were here?" I asked, before correcting myself. "I mean, we did know some of the Tyrant's forces had attacked since some of the ships leaving the planet managed to make it to other dimensions, but we didn't have all the details. We just came to help with the rescue efforts of the people, since we were told that the devastation was substantial."

He nodded at that and followed his nod up with a grunt.

"I see." He finally spoke. "I will need you to orbit this planet a few more times then. With all your ships. I need them all to scan using conventional satellite optics and I will need them all to search for the visual outlines of my peers. I need to know how many, if any, survived."

"Sir that's a load of nonsense." I interrupted him. Blurting the truth out loud without thinking.

He did not kill me then, as I feared he would. Instead, he inclined his head a few degrees.

"Go on. Explain your reasoning."

I swallowed and did so.

"Well, for one, we do not have the visual profiles of any Master. Because, well, because why in the name of all the Divines would we? That tends to be privileged information and having that kind of information when you're not supposed to often means you're a very stupid stupid person trying to do a very stupid stupid thing. Like, say, kidnapping a Master's family and holding them for ransom. Those kinds of fellows don't tend to live that long precisely because such information is privileged. Our systems get scanned by every port we visit as per the Enclave Treaties. Like every other compliant ship. If the overruling AI found even so much as a lurid nude photo in some pervert's bunk monitor, then we'd all be hanged. Or worse. I mean…"

I swallowed.

"I think you might be a bit confused due to your head injury. Sir. That or a bit out of touch with reality. We just don't have that kind of option."

"Then search by species." He argued. "Surely the Masters will stand out."

"Again, Sir. That's a load of nonsense." I informed him. "Asforar was a cosmopolitan trading hub. There are literally hundreds of thousands of members of just about every species living here. Aside from the local inhabitants of course. And also, you're assuming that the bodies are still intact and in one piece. Again, a fair few of the still bodies we sighted have begun to rot. More slowly than otherwise, but still… this is a fruitless endeavor."

He went quiet and still for a few more moments. Seemingly considering my words.

Finally, he closed his eyes and released a long hiss. The tension he'd built back again leaving him as before.

"Very well. Take me home." He demanded. "To my home world. I will reunite with my people and I will see that you are properly compensated."

I nodded, then assented out loud after recalling that he couldn't see me or what I was doing with my head.

He wheezed in response. Wincing as he brought a paw to one of his more grievous wounds.

"They must be warned." He spoke softly. "They must all be warned. He was waiting for us. He used the Golden Cruelty as bait and waited until our forces had gathered. He… he couldn't have predicted this. Not when so many of our Masters at the cusp of Divinity couldn't predict this. He used his intellect alone. He is a genius."

He coughed some more.

"He is an evil genius. He predicted our every move simply by knowing who we were and the general means of warfare between Masters in the Labyrinth. He saw it all coming and he made plans accordingly. We… we never saw it coming. We never imagined he'd be this smart about it. We played right into his hands. Danced to the tune of his music and let him pull our strings."

He waited then, breathing softly until his one eye was fully healed.

"Incredible, Master Solomon. Truly incredible. Truly terrifying."

Then he narrowed it towards me.

"Solomon Carter, the Coffin Tyrant, is by far the most intelligent and most dangerous threat this multiverse has ever seen. In the span of a few weeks, he's whittled down our ow overwhelming advantage to the point where the neutral parties on the sides will either ignore the conflict completely or elsewise bend the knee. All while his own forces remain intact. They must all be warned. We must recruit more Masters right away. We must convince them all of the threat."

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