Домагой Курмаич - Mother of Learning

Zorian jolted into full alertness, spinning around to face the lich. He gave him a shocked, searching look.

"Don’t look at me like that. Silverlake knows about it, so obviously me and that Jornak fellow also know," Quatach-Ichl told him bluntly. "Don’t do it. Jornak has somehow managed to reverse-engineer my permanent gates within the time loop, the thieving wretch. Even as we speak, he is sending a simulacrum to Koth to build a gate there. If you dump all your people in Koth, they will not be safe – you’ll just place them all in one spot so Jornak can conveniently capture them all in one fell swoop. Then he’ll have a whole bunch of hostages to threaten you with."

"Why–" began Zorian.

"I don’t like him," Quatach-Ichl said. "Besides, he’s trying to become the overlord of the entire continent. While I want to say he’s an arrogant idiot who bit off more than he can chew, the truth is that this time loop you all underwent is one hell of a boon. If he’s right about the first emperor of Ikosia using the same method for his ascent to power, then I cannot afford to dismiss his ambitions as a mere delusion. I’d prefer to have him dead by the end of all this, even if that means you emerge victorious as a consequence. At least you and Mister Noveda have no political ambitions."

"And if that causes your own invasion to fail?" Zorian asked curiously.

"You agreed to this truce partially because you know you still have a good chance to win, even if you take a handicap like that," the lich said. "I believe the same about my chances. We’ll see each other on the battlefield, Mister Kazinski."

Before Zorian could say anything else, Quatach-Ichl was gone.

Not long after the end of the meeting, Zorian went to meet with Spear of Resolve. Part of that was to inform her of what had happened there – although it was decided she would not participate in the talks, she was still a crucial part of their forces and someone who knew about the time loop. Additionally, she and her aranea normally constantly pressured the invaders and their cranium rat allies, so it was important he told her about the truce as soon as possible.

However, if anyone from their group were to see them at the moment, they would be shocked at what they were seeing. Zorian and Spear of Resolve were not meeting each other in the dark tunnels beneath Cyoria – instead, they were walking through the Cyoria’s main square in plain view of everyone. Throngs of people of all ages wandered around the place, laughing and talking and arguing, but none of them paid much attention to a teenager and a huge jumping spider walking beside him. Some of them glanced curiously at Spear of Resolve – it was clear they could see her – but then they just continued on their merry way, completely unconcerned by the giant spider wandering around the town square.

Some children running past them accidentally dropped a ball near her and she deftly stopped it with her long, hairy leg – those spider limbs were more dexterous than Zorian gave them credit for – and lightly sent it back to them. They awkwardly thanked her for returning the ball to them and then ran off while loudly arguing about something completely unrelated.

"This is an interesting experience," Spear of Resolve commented, watching them fade into the throng of people surrounding them. She was talking vocally this time, making use of a sound spell, rather than speaking to him telepathically. "Anyway, back to our current topic… no, I don’t think there was anything else you could have done. You could have just refused the truce, of course, but I have no doubt our enemy would have done as he promised. Personally, I am glad that crisis has been temporarily averted."

"Why?" Zorian gave her a curious look. "None of the threats would really affect you and your web."

"The wraith bombs terrify me," Spear of Resolve confided. "I had the misfortune to meet one of those things once. They can pass through solid stone and they only have to brush against you to do serious damage. They aren’t immune to mind magic, thankfully, but they are highly resistant to it. Having hundreds, or even thousands of those things prowling around through Cyoria’s underworld would essentially guarantee our extinction."

"Ah," nodded Zorian. "Yes, that makes sense."

"Still, while I’m glad we delayed a disaster, that’s all this is. A delay. Even if the truth holds, we still must figure out a way to counter his threats before the end of the month," Spear of Resolve continued. "I’m sure you realized this, but this man is guaranteed to use these things in the end, no matter what deal was struck."

A massive flock of pigeons suddenly flew overhead. Some of the birds flew low, speeding right past Zorian and other nearby people, narrowly swerving left and right to avoid hitting anything. People around them stopped and pointed, animatedly discussing the disruption, but Zorian and Spear of Resolve just kept walking.

Eventually, the two of them left the town square and walked into a nearby street. They entered into a nearby restaurant and decided to sit down for a while. Of course, the chairs were designed for humans and not very convenient for Spear of Resolve. Thus, they called the staff and got them to place a stack of wooden boards on top of the seat, so that the aranea could stand on them and still be high enough to interact with the table (and Zorian) properly.

"So," Zorian then began. "How many aranea in your web know about the time loop, anyway?"

"Pretty much all of them," Spear of Resolve said, curiously tinkering with the plate, metal utensils, and glass placed in front of her.

Zorian sighed heavily. "Of course."

"Sorry," she told him. She didn’t sound very sorry, in all honesty. "Word spreads around fast among us. Especially if it’s something so strange like time travel. It was inevitable that it would become known by everyone by now."

"What if you asked them to subject themselves to memory modification?" Zorian asked.

Spear of Resolve was silent for a while.

"It would be… difficult," she eventually said.

"But possible?" Zorian asked hopefully.

"Potentially possible," she admitted reluctantly. "There have been events where the entire web agreed to have memories of a certain incident erased for this or that reason. It is always a controversial decision, however. I would have to burn through a lot of social capital to make it happen. And for what? As things currently stand, our sacrifice will not save your friend. What about that unkillable lich that you never really managed to kill? What about Xvim and Alanic? What about you ? I don’t think it’s fair to ask this of us."

"I’ve talked to Xvim and Alanic," Zorian said. "They are… not entirely opposed to losing some of their memory in the end. I think they could be convinced to go along with it in the end."

"That still leave the lich and you as the huge, looming issues," the matriarch remarked.

"Yes, that’s true," Zorian agreed. "Incidentally, what about me? Do you think–"

"No," Spear of Resolve immediately said. "I’ve seen your thoughts. You are practically defined by this experience of being stuck in the time loop. You spent as much time inside as you did out of it. In my opinion, no one can erase your knowledge of the time loop without metaphorically taking a sledgehammer to your mind. I really wouldn’t recommend it."

"I see," Zorian said quietly. Part of him was relieved to hear that. He really didn’t like the idea of losing such a massive chunk of his memories for any reason.

But how can they save Zach, then? Was Panaxeth really right in saying that one of them would have to die?

He was far more selfish than Zach, he realized. Zach had already decided to die if it means he has to kill Zorian in order to live. If the situation was reversed, Zorian wasn’t sure he could accept his own approaching death so easily.