Defiance of the Fall

Zac explained the connection between the Primo and the Hollow Court . The demon didn’t have Catheya’s conflict of interest and needed to know , especially when what would happen during the trial was up in the air . What if Ogras appeared inside the Hollow Court and consumed whatever treasure was within?

Nine treasures , and my court’s ultimate prize just had to belong to an old monster who’s still around? What kind of greedy bastard sticks around that long? Just pack it in and let us youngsters live our lives , - Ogras swore , his face scrunching up . - Did you siphon off all my luck? Is that what this is? -

Hey , you’re not under a contract , - Zac smiled . - Feel free to go for it . -

And have some undying monstrosity breathe down my neck for the rest of my days? - Ogras spat . - I’d rather marry a Barghest . Still , it might be an opportunity . If those undead imperial hotshots get turned around , and we get the thing on our own . . . -

We’d have an undying monstrosity owing us a huge Karmic debt , - Zac concluded .

Ogras leaned back into the sofa . - Well , this is all premature . There are a lot of roadblocks to pass before talking about bartering with the Primo , these deathsworn being the most immediate issue . Are the undead up to the task? -

It shouldn’t be a problem , - Zac said . - Our forces are greater , and we have the element of surprise on our side . -

Zac was soon proven right . Twenty minutes later , news of a shocking event spread through Vastness City . The Undead Empire had gone mad and attacked a smithy , killing everyone within . Eight people died , two of them from the Undead Empire . One Revenant had been expelled from the Perennial Vastness after landing three of the killing blows and running out of Mana .

The news barely had time to land before a second piece of explosive news dropped in the form of a global message . One from the Perennial Vastness itself . Lova had held up her part of the bargain . The Perennial Vastness was sealed for two weeks , and a large obelisk humming with Temporal Energy had appeared next to teleportation square .

The timing was perfect , to the point Zac guessed it was intentional . If Lova had sent out the message right after leaving , the six deathsworn would’ve likely left the smithy or gone underground . Now , they caught most of their targets in one go .

One day later , two more warriors were executed by undead death squads , and on the thirteenth day , a hooded man was killed as he appeared on the teleportation square . His death allowed Zac and the others to breathe out in relief , as his was the last name on the hit list .

A few days later , Esmeralda showed up and spat out a Spatial Ring . Zac first thought she’d unlocked Valsa’s ring grossly ahead of time , except it wasn’t the same one . Say what you want about Esmeralda , she was thorough . The toad had uprooted hidden depositories left behind by Valsa and her followers . The ring contained both coded and uncoded Information Crystals . Some were about himself , but his heart shuddered upon finding detailed accounts of both Catheya and Ogras .

There was also quite a bit of information about various Red Zones , insider info only the larger coalitions would hold . A surprising amount of the intelligence covered zones Zac recognized , zones well suited to his Daos . Valsa had probably felt it too risky to follow him into one of the random environments while he hunted for treasures of the seventeen Dao Peaks , and instead opted to research regions he’d eventually visit .

It was just a coincidence the showdown took place in the Stand of Saeward . Similarly , there were reports for zones suitable for Ogras and Catheya , though those missives were far less detailed . The meticulous plans and data left Zac’s back slick with sweat . Thank the Heavens he had his early warning system . He might have been in trouble if things played out just slightly differently .

Now , the wealth of information turned into a useful tool . He still had some treasures to pick up for his Omnitool , and the next step was to grind Mana as quickly and efficiently as possible . The reports would help out a lot . After all , raw strength often wasn’t enough to accomplish the missions in the Red Zones . You also needed to figure out tricks or hidden rules to reap the maximum rewards .

With that , all the safehouses were plundered , and those with damaging intelligence were slain . If the Empire sent new people to investigate , the clues would point to the Undead Empire rather than him personally . It wasn’t the best of disguises considering his Draugr persona was quite well known , but it was better than nothing .

So , what now? - Catheya asked as the trio reconvened .