Memoirs 249 - Crisis (Patreon)

“What’s going on? When you’d get that bracelet?” Allyssa’s voice snapped Scarlett back to the present. She turned to face the girl.

“You can see this?” she asked, gesturing to the Orrery on her wrist.

“Um, yes…?” Allyssa replied, glancing uncertainly at the others. “Am I not supposed to?”

Yamina studied Scarlett intently. “What kind of artifact is that?”

A frown creased Scarlett’s brow as she turned to the wizard. Suddenly, all of them could see it? Did that mean it was now visible to anyone, or was it because they all diverged at least slightly from fate?

She dismissed the thought with a shake of her head. It wasn’t important right now. What mattered was finding out the cause of the Orrery’s behaviour. “We can discuss this later. Miss Ward, we need to return to the surface immediately.”

Though Yamina’s eyes narrowed slightly at her, she nodded after a moment, turning to activate the teleportation artifact they’d used to get here. “Everyone, prepare yourselves.”

With a wave of her hand, the circular artifact triggered, and a blinding light enveloped them. For a brief moment, the piercing headache gripping Scarlett intensified as the world swirled chaotically around her. Without even noticing, she found herself supported by both Fynn and Rosa as they reappeared in the room from which they had originally departed.

As the pain ebbed slightly and her surroundings stabilised, Scarlett pushed away from her companions. She quickly used her [Charms of Expeditious Change] to swap her expedition gear for a more comfortable black dress, then headed for the door, ignoring the concerned looks of the others.

At the doorway, she paused, turning back to look at Yamina. “Miss Ward, you have my gratitude for your assistance tonight. We will need to have further discussions soon, but for now, our business here is done. It may be best if you take your leave.”

The woman’s expression seemed to suggest she didn’t quite agree that their business was concluded, but then she nodded her farewells to the group. “Then we will see each other soon.”

With that, she vanished in a shimmer of light, and the room’s attention focused fully on Scarlett. She turned around and exited into the hallway.

“Wait, Scarlett!” Rosa called out after her, but Scarlett continued down the corridor, stopping only when she reached a door at its end. There, she raised her hand to knock firmly.

“It would be best if you change out of your gear before leaving,” she said, not turning as the sound of footsteps approached. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the others, still looking ready for a dungeon, pause and share looks of hesitation before retreating back inside.

Instead, they sent Fynn to join her, since he barely had any real gear to speak of, anyway.

Refocusing on the door before her, Scarlett tried knocking once again, more forcefully this time.

Impatience mounting, she waited, tapping her foot. After a tense minute, the door swung open to reveal a young wizard in ruffled grey robes, blinking sleep from his eyes.

“Contact Grand Wizard Hartford for me,” she commanded. “Immediately.”

The man flinched at her sharp tone but quickly retreated into the room. Moments later, he returned, presenting a circular metal disk to Scarlett.

She inspected it in her hands. “How does this work?”

“Ah, um, yes, my apologies.” He hastily touched the device, which then flickered with a blue light. “T-There. Now, when Grand Wizard Hartford sees your message, he’ll respond.”

“How long will that take?”

The wizard scratched the back of his head. “…I don’t know?”

Scarlett clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Very well.”

Taking the device, she descended a nearby staircase, navigating through the building that their accommodations were in and exiting into a spacious circular courtyard near one of the many waterways running through the Rising Isle. Her eyes swept over the landscape, where the vista of elevated islands and cascading waterfalls gave way to the ocean’s expanse, and studied the horizon. The sun had just begun to rise, but there were no signs of anything out of the ordinary.

She glanced down at the device in her hand, which blinked softly, showing no signs of connecting to Gaspar yet.

Was the man still asleep?

No, she’d been informed that she would be able to reach him any time of the day if necessary. Rather, it was more likely that he was busy.

She doubted it was a coincidence that he would be unavailable precisely when the Orrery showed this kind of reaction.

Still, what could she do about it? Nothing. Not when she was here on the Rising Isle.

With little else to do right now, and feeling far too tired to deal with this at the moment, she walked over to sit on a nearby bench to wait, idly tapping her fingers on the wood. Fynn joined her silently, standing guard next to the bench.

After a couple of minutes, Rosa arrived, wearing her enchanted cloak over a simpler blouse — with a brush in hand, for some reason. She sat down beside Scarlett. “Allyssa’s helping Shin with his armor, but they’ll be here soon enough,” she said, gazing out at the landscape before them while sorting out her hair. “I’ll say — they looked pretty worried with you just suddenly taking off like that. You could learn a lesson or two about softening that hard-headed approach of yours. You’re liable to scare the younglings to death eventually otherwise.”

“That is currently the least of my worries,” Scarlett responded coolly.

“Yeah, I could tell.” Rosa’s eyes briefly dropped to the Orrery on Scarlett’s wrist. “…So, what is up, Red? It’s not like you to act impulsively. Does that bracelet thingy spinning like that mean something bad is happening?”

Scarlett looked down at the Orrery. The metal orb on its face hadn’t stopped moving ever since it started. “…I do not know,” she admitted after a pause. “That is exactly what concerns me. It could signify a wide range of possibilities.”

She had some idea of the most likely alternatives, but the uncertainty was the problem.

Rosa’s expression grew a bit serious. “Not gonna lie, hearing you say that has me worried.”

“As well it should.”

“So, what’s our plan?”

“First, we need more information,” Scarlett said. She held up the disc artifact she’d been given, then placed it between her and Rosa on the bench. “While we remain on the Isle, our best source of insight is through its wizards.”

“You’re trying to reach that old man Hartford, then?” Rosa asked.

“Yes.”

“You sure he’s not sleeping?”

“I doubt that is the case.”

“Alright, if you say so. Then, what? We just wait?”

Scarlett fell silent briefly. “…For now, yes.”

Fynn observed them both from the side, then settled down on the ground and closed his eyes.

Scarlett leaned back in her seat, lightly closing her eyes and allowing herself a brief respite as they waited. After a while, Shin and Allyssa joined them, having changed back into their normal clothes, though the duo seemed to stay quiet after noticing the subdued atmosphere.

Scarlett wasn’t really sure how much time passed like that, but finally, she was roused by Gaspar’s sudden voice coming from the artifact lying next to her.

“What is it, Baroness? I’m busy.”

Scarlett sat up straight, and the others’ attention turned to her.

“I need an update on the situation in the empire,” she demanded.

The line went silent for a moment. “Baroness, under normal circumstances, there is no means to receive external news here on the Isle, outside the Chamber of Conjunction. Yet, you seem to be informed of the situation at hand already.”

“I am not. Judging from your response, however, I presume that something is indeed unfolding in the empire.”

“…Yes.”

“Tell me what.”

There were a few more seconds of silence. Shin and Allyssa exchanged glances, looking towards Rosa as if asking what was going on. The bard simply shrugged, though.

Finally, a resigned sigh echoed from the communication artifact on the bench. “Early this morning, we observed several intense surges of magical energy across various locations on the continent, primarily concentrated around the empire, as you mentioned. It appears these are part of a coordinated attack. The scale and methods of these assaults are highly varied, and we are still in the process of mapping them, but our communications with certain imperial mages and our own readings have confirmed the presence of numerous monsters attacking settlements. The full scope of the attack remains unknown, however.”

“What?!” Allyssa’s eyes widened in shock, mirrored by the reactions of the others.

Scarlett’s expression grew stern.

Her foremost suspicion was correct, then. The Hallowed Cabal had initiated their assault on the empire.

This scenario was one of the outcomes she had considered after observing the Orrery’s reaction, and though it occurred sooner than in the game—even earlier than she herself had anticipated—it didn’t catch her completely off guard.

There was even a certain sense of relief in that she wasn’t facing a completely unforeseen crisis, as she’d feared. That said, the situation was still far from favorable. Especially while she was away from the empire.

“What more can you tell us?” she asked Gaspar.

“Very little,” he replied. “I was informed of this less than an hour ago, Baroness. I’m far more interested in how you came to know of it yourself, but I’ll set that topic aside for the time being. We are still identifying the types of monsters involved in the attack. Reports have suggested that dragons are among them, which is astounding if true. The deliberate precision of this attack is evident for all to see, yet the method used to gather and direct such a large force of different beasts remains a mystery.”

Allyssa murmured the word ‘dragons’ under her breath, seeming to shake her head in disbelief at the news.

Scarlett considered the girl, then returned her focus to the communication artifact.

She, in fact, knew exactly what method had been used. The Cabal had finally utilized the [Ring of Depravity] they’d stolen during their raid on the Tyndall Ball. It would probably take at least a day or so before anyone could make full sense of what was happening, though, and there was no telling the extent of damage that would be caused during that time.

“I need to use the Kilnstone and return to the empire,” Scarlett declared.

While her pact with the Cabal should mean that the severity of the initial attacks in the Freybrook area was lower, her presence back home would still be important. There would be numerous tasks to handle, including things related to the relief efforts Evelyne had been working on.

Actually, that thought reminded her. Wasn’t Evelyne supposed to still be in Autumnwell? How easy would it be for her to return to Freybrook while all of this was going on?

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Gaspar said.”

Scarlett frowned. “Why not?”

“We’ve already attempted it, but the Kilnstone network across the empire is currently inactive,” he explained, his tone surprisingly tinged with frustration. “This disruption is unprecedented, and none of the fools over there can give us any relevant data on how that is possible. The actors behind this attack clearly possess capabilities that surpass what the empire, or even we on the Isle, had anticipated.”

The Cabal had disabled the Kilnstone network? She didn’t even know they could do that, although if any group had that ability, it would be them.

“Then have one of your wizards transport me instead,” she said, her voice hardening.

“Do you take our wizards for your personal attendants, Baroness? The few capable of such magic are preoccupied with managing this crisis. An event of this magnitude has not occurred in years, and we need to prepare on all fronts. You will simply have to be patient. Whatever is causing the Kilnstones to be non-functional is almost definitely temporary. I would be surprised if it lasts beyond today.”

Scarlett shook her head. She wanted to argue that it was highly unlikely for the Rising Isle to come under attack at this moment, so whatever preparations they were doing weren’t necessary. But convincing Gaspar of that would be futile. Considering it was an emergency, it wouldn’t matter what kind of valuable information she offered them in return. Even the Rising Isle, with its plentitude of skilled mages, would only have a handful of individuals capable of teleportation over such long distances.

“If that is all,” Gaspar said, “then I really must take my leave. We are currently working on establishing a communication network with the mage towers on the continent to better assess the situation and formulate a response strategy, and I cannot spare more time now. If you have further questions, I suggest you speak with Magister Penney, as he may have more availability.”

The glow from the disc faded, and Scarlett found herself staring blankly at the now-inert artifact.

“What… What does this mean?” Allyssa asked, her gaze turning to Scarlett.

Scarlett met her eyes, then leaned her head back slightly, pressing her thumb to her temple as if to soothe her headache. No doubt, things would be chaotic in the empire right now. The consequences of this attack would be massive, but at least she could take some comfort in being prepared and having protected herself from them as best as she could.

Nevertheless, she wasn’t sure how comfortable she was with solely using that mindset. This crisis did affect her in many ways, even if it felt disconnected from her in many others.

“I do not know,” she eventually said, exhaling a deep sigh. “Not yet, at least. But we will soon learn.”