The OP Lich is a Returnee, Book 6 Epilogue (Patreon)

Epilogue – Elsewhere

Four individuals met in a darkened room. No names were shared. Those who knew about this meeting already knew who the other attendees were. There was no need for introductions.

Each individual represented a faction of power. While they were not the nominal heads of their factions, what was decided in this chamber would be carried out. One way or another.

On an unseen signal, the political representative took a breath. “It is now the appointed time. It has been twenty-four hours. What do we know?”

The intelligence representative stood. “As you know, the Russians and Americans have been advancing their attempts to get the Anomaly’s secrets without dealing directly with her. The Americans attempted to place tracking devices on vehicles at her Athelian Arms office, but were caught by her. The agents had their souls stolen, and their soulless, but still-living, bodies were delivered to the American Ambassador directly, by members of the Yakuza clan she has ties with.

“At the same time, analysis suggests that the Yakuza had attempted cyberwarfare against the Anomaly, and businesses connected to her. However, since Phantomline deals with cutting edge CAD hardware on a daily basis, they’ve invested heavily into cybersecurity, including an air-gapped internal network that does not connect to the wider net, making it necessary to have someone physically on site to start hacking their main systems. The Anomaly’s social media and personal accounts are not as heavily protected, being civilian systems, but she has apparently used an exceedingly long password for them, so it is unlikely they made headway there.”

He paused, and said, “This brings us to the events of the last twenty-four hours. At 09:00, Tokyo time, a team from the CIA attempted to infiltrate the British military base where the Anomaly’s forces were training British special forces in the ‘Warrior’s Way’. Their attempt to steal training materials and possibly extract one of the Anomaly’s soldiers for study was apparently foiled. No word on if any of them were captured or not.

“Simultaneously, though apparently coincidentally, the Russians attempted a kidnapping of the Anomaly’s younger sister, studying in America. The Anomaly took her disciples, and teleported to her secondary residence in San Francisco. Using undead steeds that could ride across the sky, they used a tracking spell that the Anomaly revealed to them, and tracked the kidnappers to a cargo ship set to leave for Russia. Less than twenty minutes after her sister was kidnapped, she was recovered. The leader of the kidnappers made a deal for his men’s lives, by giving her all the information she wanted on his superiors, before surrendering to the police.

“At 10:00, Tokyo time, the Anomaly launched an assault with her armed forces on the Russian Army base that the team staged out of, with her disciples present. Our asset learned that the force involved in the assault was just one of fifty legions under the Anomaly’s command, comprising a force of some five thousand infantry, and three hundred cavalry. The base was home to 80 thousand soldiers, with another 20 thousand civilians living in the surrounding area. The only survivors of the massacre, which lasted two hours, were the families of the kidnapping team. We expect that they were warned ahead of time, as part of a deal between the kidnappers and the Anomaly.”

The military representative leaned forward. “What were her forces’ casualties?”

“Zero. Not a single soldier of her army was destroyed. And her army has now grown, as she raised all the corpses from the slaughter as undead, under her command.”

“And this was just one legion? Out of fifty?”

“Yes.”

The political representative took a deep breath, to steady himself. “Well, I believe we should commend our military representative on correctly reading the Anomaly’s strength, and urging us against any similar military ventures. Even if the initial estimates of her warfighting potential were low, the assessment that we should avoid open conflict with the Anomaly was the correct one.”

The military representative just nodded, and motioned for the intelligence representative to continue. “At 10:30, Tokyo time, while the slaughter at Uladimov Base was ongoing, the Anomaly’s operatives attacked KGB headquarters, in Moscow. The assault lasted six minutes, and ended with the building’s destruction by magic. There were no survivors, and no losses for the Anomaly.”

He paused, and then said, “At 10:45, Tokyo time, the Anomaly attacked the Kremlin directly, and slaughtered everyone in the Threat Assessment Center, except for the Premier. He was obviously allowed to live, though we don’t know what he was threatened with.”

“Probably some variant of ‘Try anything again, and you’ll die’.”

The intelligence representative nodded to the Military representative. “Indeed. Finally, at 01:00, Tokyo time, the Anomaly revealed another part of her army, an undead dragon the size of a battleship. Sitting on a throne placed between two of the skeletal dragon’s vertebrae, she teleported herself and the dragon to Washington, D.C.”

The political representative nodded. “And then she went to CIA Headquarters, yes?”

“Yes, apparently, after destroying every vehicle and razing the landscaping on the campus, she defeated the US elite MAGIC team, and turned them into undead. Then, she simply walked through the doors, and demanded a meeting with the director of the CIA. It is unclear what was said, but clearly threats were made. And, given the public display, they were most certainly taken seriously.”

“And, after that?”

“She returned to her residence in the mountains, and sent the dragon back to the pocket dimension where she keeps her army. I believe she is now back at Athelian Arms, working on teaching the crafters there. As if nothing happened.”

“Very well,” the political representative nodded. “Then I see no reason for us to get involved. If the Russians or the Americans wish to complain, give them the Anomaly’s number, and let them talk to her. We will not interfere in this.”

“Ah, with that settled,” the science representative spoke up, “the lab in Yakushima has had a development. As you know, using what the Anomaly has publicly revealed about enchanting, and by analyzing one of the Shield Charms purchased from Phantomline, they’ve been attempting to reverse-engineer the enchantment process. They just reported that they’ve achieved some limited success.”

The intelligence representative frowned. “How is their security?”

“The lab is in a remote area, but there are guards from the Self-Defense Forces there. They’ve been conducting magical research since the Awakening, so they are practiced at keeping things secure. Digital security is also in place, similar to what is used at Phantomline.”

The intelligence representative nodded, satisfied, and the science representative continued. “We think that, at this time, it would be beneficial to ask the Anomaly to review the project. If our thaumaturges can come up with new enchantments, then the benefits would be extreme.”

The military representative frowned. “Will she help, though? That would undercut her business, as well as her Phantomline dealings.”

The political representative shook his head. “The research lab does not have the facilities for full production. Perhaps if we agree to contract the production work for any items designed there with Phantomline, that could work. It would be a situation where everyone wins.”

The science representative nodded. “If we also include her as a consultant on the work, then she might be more agreeable, since she would learn of any new enchantments they design. And the team would benefit from her knowledge.”

The political representative nodded. “I’ll have the agent contact her, and make the request.”