Домагой Курмаич - Mother of Learning

Or maybe a container, patiently waiting for the day it could unleash its contents upon its oblivious surroundings.

Zach, Zorian and Alanic stood some distance away from the black oval, staring at it grimly. They dared not approach, lest they activate the hidden wards and traps strategically placed around it.

"This is the fourth one we found," Alanic commented. "One in Cyoria, two in Korsa, and now one in Luja. Just how many wraith bombs did these people make?"

"There has to be more than one of these things in Cyoria," Zorian commented. "There is no way they would place two in Korsa and then leave only one for Cyoria. Korsa is important, but Cyoria is a far more critical location. We just haven’t found the others."

"There is probably a few in the capital city as well," Zach said. "Jornak seems to have a downright personal grudge with our country’s leadership. No way would he miss the chance to strike at them at the heart of their power. Plus, considering what he said about Sulamnon and Falkrinea, there’s bound to be a few of these bombs reserved for them as well…"

"We’ll never be able to find more than a fraction of them," Alanic commented grimly. "This is going to be a disaster. Entire city districts could end up being devoured by wraiths. The cleanup will take years."

He glanced at Zach and Zorian unhappily, but neither of them said anything. There was nothing to say, really. They knew this as well.

"You still don’t know how to neutralize these things without triggering them?" Alanic asked with a trace of resignation in his voice. He already suspected the answer he was going to get.

Sure enough, Zach and Zorian shook their heads in denial.

"They’re superbly well made," Zorian told him. "Jornak must have spent ages refining the design in the time loop. Any tampering I can think of will set one off, as well as alert our enemies to our actions. The only way we can deal with these is by employing the same tactics we used on the previous wraith bombs – set up a specialized ward field just outside the bomb’s defensive field and try to contain the wraiths once they’re released. It should be effective, but I obviously haven’t tested it, so…"

"I see," Alanic said. He turned around towards the wraith bomb again, staring at it as if it that was going to suddenly provide him with some new insights. "You don’t have to waste time on that. I’ll contact the church higher ups and tend them to perform another containment job here. I still say we should trigger these things the moment we find them and deal with the consequences."

"And I still say we shouldn’t," Zorian argued back. "These wraith bombs can be harmlessly disarmed. Jornak has a method to do so, I’m sure. I just need to rip it out of his head."

"You really think you can do that?" Zach asked doubtfully. "We’d have to capture Jornak alive for that to happen. That seems… difficult."

"These wraith bombs are set to collectively go off the instant Jornak dies, so we want to avoid killing him if at all possible, anyway," Zorian pointed out. "Not to mention the other surprises he may have left for us in the case of his death. For all his megalomania, he clearly realized there’s a real chance he’s going to lose this conflict and made contingencies to account for it."

Zach snorted derisively.

"Too many contingencies, if you ask me," Zach said. "He put so much time into making sure everyone suffers if he loses… what does he even gain out of that? It’s just petty. Sore loser."

"Well, we were just discussing how we should try to capture him instead of killing him outright," Alanic noted. "So it’s not just pettiness. But yes, I get the feeling this is more than just about power for Jornak. He wants revenge."

"Revenge?" Zach asked, surprised. "On who?"

"Everyone," Alanic said, still staring the black oval in front of them.

The smooth, glossy surface of the object squirmed and shuddered, as if hundreds of worms were moving just beneath the surface, before once again becoming still and quiet. Neither of the three was disturbed at the sight. Wraith bombs did that sometimes. On occasion, one could even see a faint outline of hands and faces on the surface of the oval – leering, maddened, crying, screaming, begging – as if a person was desperately trying to break out from the inside before being forcibly wrenched back into the depths of the device.

"Speaking from personal experience here, maybe?" Zach tried, giving Alanic a curious look.

Alanic didn’t say anything for a second.

"I was a very angry person when I was young," he eventually said. "I don’t want to talk about it."

All three stayed silent for a few seconds, and Zorian quietly considered the battle-priest’s words. Alanic had never told them about his past, and Zorian had always respected that. Truthfully, he sometimes wondered why the man was so helpful to them in the first place. Did he see then as young troublemakers that needed steered from a dark path, just like someone had once steered him away from one? Or was he simply so discerning that he could accurately judge them with even the slightest exposure? Whatever the answer, Zorian was grateful for the priest’s help and had no desire to open old wounds if he didn’t have to.

As for the priest’s speculation of Jornak’s motivation… well, it could be true. Jornak – the old Jornak, the one that Zorian had talked to in the time loop – was definitely bitter and resentful about having his rightful inheritance stolen away from him. He could see how that could grow and fester once he became a temporary looper and looked into the abyss of corruption and power plays that was Altazian politics.

In the end, it didn’t even matter. No matter what reasons he had, Zorian would still have to defeat him in the end.

"In somewhat unrelated news, Silverlake is gone," Zorian suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. "The old Silverlake, that is. She just packed up everything portable out of her hideout and disappeared one day. I don’t have the faintest idea where she left."

"Do you think she’ll join the battle on our enemy’s side?" Zach asked, frowning.

"No, I doubt it," Zorian said. "I think she just realized she was being heavily scrutinized by some very powerful forces and got spooked. She’s a coward. No way she would dive into this conflict unless someone arm-twisted her into it, and new Silverlake seemed like she wouldn’t support that."

"If she’s really going to stay out of this, I’m fine with her going away," Zach shrugged. "One less thing to worry about."

"I’ve heard reports that several mercenary companies from the neighboring countries have taken on secretive, well-paid contracts," Alanic said. "I’m not completely sure but I strongly suspect our enemies have bought themselves some more soldiers from the final battle."

Zach scowled at the news, uttering a nasty curse. Zorian’s reaction was more restrained, but his face still darkened in response.

"The invaders have in general been getting restless and increasingly reckless as of late. Their preparations might be nearing their end," Alanic continued, becoming more animated. "What are we waiting for? We should attack now and seize the initiative."

"Well… the idea was always to be proactive and launch at attack before the day of the summer festival," Zach said, giving Zorian a questioning look. "However, Zorian keeps stalling, saying he needs more time. So the timing depends on him, really."

Alanic’s eyes softened a bit at the statement, his posture deflating.

"Ah, the situation with Zach, right?" he asked softly. "Did you find…?"

"I’m sorry. I couldn’t find a solution no matter where I looked," Zorian said with a wooden voice, not a trace of emotion on his face.