"Someone was awfully quiet," Rory said as soon as they'd left Mariah's home and laboratory.

"She was spooky," Astra said with a shudder.

"I didn't expect you, of all people, to say that."

"She's always been spooky. One of my first memories is her poking and prodding me."

"I shouldn't be surprised about that," Rory said. Given what he'd learned about their ability to harness Astra's aura through an alchemical concoction, it only made sense that the one to have directly handled that was Mariah herself, as a tier six, she was likely the old alchemist who could have even been in Astra's true presence.

"Her nails are scary," Astra said as if that put an end to the discussion.

"I guess you could say that," Rory said with a gentle shrug before he began making his way through the city once more, having already obtained directions from Mariah, not that he'd really needed them. In his brief stint in the sky, the capital building of Ehkorrus had been easy to see at the very center of the city itself.

Continuing on his journey while avoiding the citizens of Ehkorrus as much as he could, it was only a matter of minutes later that Rory found himself looking up at the Capitol building.

"Very… Roman," Rory said, taking some time to admire the building. If John had been the one behind its architecture, it wasn't surprising that an Earth native would have deep impressions that even the memory erasure of the new universe couldn't have entirely wiped.

"Row-man?" Astra asked, testing the word out,

"A type of style," Rory said, not intending to explain further.

"Oh," Astra nodded along as if it made perfect sense.

Watching for several seconds longer, Rory finally sighed, seeing no way around the fact that he wouldn't be able to hide his presence.

If only I had my illusion spear.

People were constantly streaming in and out of the important-looking building, and while it wasn't large on the scale of old Earth buildings, that meant it was actually harder to avoid being seen.

Well… may as well own it.

"Why aren't you moving?" Astra asked, poking him.

"I am."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"I am."

"Are not."

"I very much am."

Astra poked him again, her face a mask of confusion until her eyes lit up mischievously.

"You're scared!"

"I'm not scared." Rory snapped back, glaring at the small fairy. "I'm apprehensive."

"Why?" Astra asked naively.

"Because… well, reasons!"

"Like?"

"Like… well…. Fine! It's one thing for a person to spot me here and there as I'm moving about. This will be me just walking straight in. From what I've gathered, most of them have this image of me as some 'greater than thy' being."

"Aren't you better than they are?" Astra asked, seeming truly perplexed. "Astra may be missing her full strength away from where her real body is, but Astra is pretty sure she could still eat most of them without trying."

"One, why are you talking about yourself in the third person? And two, that's not, that's…. They're still people!"

Astra said nothing, staring at him blankly.

Rory frowned, uncertain how to feel. On the one hand, they were people, but on the other hand, was Astra's point really that crazy? In a way, hadn't he already adopted a mindset similar to hers, able to let decades slip by and be unfazed by anyone passing on except for those close to him?

You know what? I'm not going to waste my time circling this drain right now.

Putting aside the thoughts, Rory finally strode out from his hiding spot between a shady pathway obscured by tree overhangs.

Had Rory wanted to, he could have broadcast his aura to be felt clear as day, but even if Rory wasn't going to let himself be tortured by the thoughts and conversation he'd had with Astra, he also wasn't about to pull a one-eighty in that manner either.

Approaching the city hall with a measured pace to avoid drawing eyes toward him, in the end, it was impossible; he was a truly unfamiliar face, and the fact that a fairy was hanging out on his shoulder didn't help either.

Trying his best to ignore the looks that began to find their way in his direction, soon Rory was even able to make out things whispered under their breaths, unaware that, as a tier seven, he could hear them without issue.

"Who is that?"

"…never seen anyone like him before. Did he arrive with the most recent wave?"

"Can't be, doesn't look much like a tier one now, does he?"

Rory felt uncomfortable, doing his best to keep his gaze forward as he quickly made his way to the several steps leading up to the architectural fusion of the Pantheon and a highly downscaled version of something like the White House. Reaching the entrance, Rory pushed his way inside, glancing around and taking note of the interior in a single second. Truthfully, it was somewhat generic, with columns, desks, and doors leading to other rooms, like almost any other governmental building he'd been in on Earth.

"Hello," A voice squeaked out as Rory looked to the side, a secretary watching him, a visible tremor through her body.

Oh, wonderful, it seems like she already knows who I am. I'm assuming Irene or Apostolos told the poor thing to expect me.

"I'm looking for Apo- for the Chief Protector, or perhaps the city… mayor? Leader?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"The Esteemed Luminary is available, as for the Chief Protector, he had business in the Maw and left me with a message to pass along, as he seemed quite certain you would appear here at some point."

"Well, here I am," Rory said, attempting a placating smile.

"Y-yes, you are," The secretary nodded vigorously before remembering she had a message to pass. "The Chief Protector instructed me to inform you that he will be visiting the Khan of Blue Lighting and running errands on the third floor for several days, and he invites you to join him at your discretion."

"Sounds like a busy man," Rory said, as the woman once more nodded, as if her life depended on it.

"He is indeed! While he prefers to remain within Ehkorrus, it is part of his routine to spend at least a week per month training on the third floor."

Well, glad to hear that family life hasn't made him all soft and goopy.

"Alright, now, where can I find the, Esteemed… what was it?"

"The Esteemed Luminary," The secretary said.

"Right, that."

"Head straight down the hall; the council room was purposely designed to be a straight shot from the entrance."

"Thanks, much appreciated," Rory said as he tipped his head toward the woman before turning on his heels and briskly walking away.

"Wow, you can taste the fear in her aura," Astra whispered, leaning in.

"Shut up, I know." Rory sighed. As far as overall tier strength went, she was actually one of the better ones he'd gotten a feel for, a tier five.

Why a tier five is doing secretary work is beyond me.

Making his way through the halls at a measured pace, it wasn't long before Rory found himself in front of a pair of doors that made him pause.

Wait a second… Isn't this the same wood that makes up my house?

Squinting, Rory leaned over and touched the door, trying to get a sense for it, when the doors began to open on their own.

Oh, talk about cliché.

Standing up so that he didn't give off the impression of a crouched goblin, Rory took in the sight of the council room.

It… was a council room, almost precisely what he'd expect to find back on Earth.

I guess some things never change.

"I greet the Great Founder," A voice called out as Rory frowned.

Not because the voice wasn't recognizable, but because it was, and Rory wasn't fond of how formal the speaker was coming across.

"Irene, been a bit," Rory said as he sauntered in.

"That it has, Founder Rory," Irene said, watching him. Unlike Mariah, Irene looked almost exactly as he recalled, just a mature and grown-up version. Her age could have been guessed at anywhere from mid-twenties to athletic, youthful forty if one hadn't known she was actually around ninety years old.

She wore a cinched black, silver, and blood-red robe, with a vaguely imperial feel, somewhere between a senator from Rome and a senator from Star Wars.

"Quite the warm welcome," Rory said, arching his eyebrows.

"Do you believe my behavior is improper for someone of your status?"

"Someone of my… what? Irene, it's me." Rory laughed, shaking his head. "C'mon, no need to have a stick up your ass."

Irene stared at him for several seconds before finally letting out a slow, controlled breath, tension easing from her shoulders.

"I was afraid that Apostolos was overselling your change, or lack thereof. But you really are the same Mr. Rory, aren't you?"

"C'mon, really? It wasn't that long."

"It's been something like sixty-four years."

"Sixty-four years, a week, what's the difference?" Rory asked, purposely trying to play to his casual nature. Rory wasn't that oblivious to how it must have felt for the people he'd forgotten- left behind. Still, for her sake, Rory was attempting to downplay any thoughts of him having changed dramatically as a person over the last few decades.

"If you say so, Mr. Rory," Irene said, before ushering him to a seat to her side. "Please, have a seat. It feels odd to be talking down to you from above. Apostolos won't care if you take his seat."

Shrugging, Rory did as she offered, plunking himself into the surprisingly comfy seat given how 'leader-y' it looked.

"I would ask how time has treated you, but given you single-handedly swooped in and saved us from imminent destruction, you've obviously benefited from your time away."

"You could say that," Rory said off-handedly. "I apologize for being so… delayed."

"I would say it is of small regard, but I would be lying."

Rory winced; now that Irene had assessed for herself that Rory was essentially the same as she remembered him, she had no qualms in affixing him with a rather withering stare.

"Well… I'm not the only one who's seen some growth. Tier seven is rather impressive, given you aren't a combat type."

Irene flinched as if he'd struck her, eliciting a confused look from Rory.

"Is something wrong?" Rory questioned.

"No, not really. Well, that's not true. How did you know?" Irene asked, staring hard at him.

"I can feel it rolling off of you."

"I've worn an aura suppression attachment for years," Irene said, pointing toward a choker around her neck, one that Rory had largely ignored. "You shouldn't be able to feel anything of the sort."

"Ehh, it's not just the weight of someone's aura that gives it away."

"Did you examine me? I'm not sure how you would have with my notice."

"No," Rory said. "And I'm going to go out on a limb and assume if you're even making a point of trying to hide your tier from showing in your aura, you also likely have a way of obfuscating your level should I try to examine you anyway."

Irene was silent, piquing Rory's curiosity.

"Why?"

"It is an effective tool," Irene said with a sigh. "Knowledge, and withholding it, that is. When people feel they are stronger than you, they are surprisingly looser-lipped than you'd expect."

"Sounds like politics."

"Because it is."

"Right, then I am not interested," Rory said plainly. "Instead, I'm interested in what needs to be dealt with in Ehkorrus. I already have plans to improve the city's defenses; the walls have served their purpose, but they no longer meet the city's current needs. So, what can you offer?"

Irene tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking for several moments before she raised her hand as if something had come to mind.

"You are close to tier eight, are you not?"

"Rhetorical question, I'm assuming."

"We've had a pest, a pest that was very nearly responsible for the fall of Ehkorrus with this most recent wave."

"Go on," Rory said, sounding interested.

"The Blight Khan, or Blighted Khan, however you'd prefer to refer to it," Irene began. "From intel gathered, it's another Khan-type monster within the Maw. How it learned of Ehkorrus is unknown; perhaps one of its own feelers was investigating the third floor when it unknowingly stumbled upon one of our people. Whatever the reason, it has been a persistent thorn in our side for years, though we had not realized the scale or direction until this wave."

"You want it dealt with," Rory said, guessing at the obvious.

"Yes," Irene answered. "Its strength is uncertain, but we do know it comes from a far less stable area of the Maw, a deadlock area in which five or six different Khans are constantly contesting. Our assumption is that, based on the strength of its underlings, it can't be anything higher than eighty or eighty-one."

"And why is that?"

"Because of the Khan of Blue Lightning himself. From what we've been told, forcibly spawning capable minions or underlings is actually rather exhausting. It's likely that with the Blight Commander being an upper-echelon if not top-ranked monster, we can assess that its strength can't be much further than what has already been indicated."

"Right, so tier eight, level eighty to eighty-one," Rory summarized. "Problem is, being that it's probably a Territory Alpha, even once I officially break through tier eight, in a one-on-one fight, that's a large gulf to cross. You're basically asking me to, as a freshly minted tier eight, attempt to hunt a high-to-peak tier eight."

"Are you saying you can't?"

"I'm not ruling it out, no," Rory answered honestly. "But, I might have a better idea."

"Go on."

"The Khans can't leave the third floor themselves, so as long as I am here, they can't muster the strength needed to beat down Ehkorrus. It was why this Blight Khan attempted to piggyback their timing with the arrival of a Siege Wave, essentially 'merging' with it. Even sending some of its strongest elites, without thousands of fodder monsters to take the brunt of damage, they wouldn't be able to crack the city even without my presence. Meaning we've got some time. I'll use that time to bring Ehkorrus up to standards. While I'm at it, I'll prepare for an assault on this Blighted Khan. Once I officially break through tier eight, I'll bring in the cavalry."

"Calvary?"

"Support," Rory said, amending his statement to a more easily understood explanation.

"I'm assuming you don't mean the Chief Protector."

"No," Rory confirmed. "Apostolos is strong, but he's still too far away from tier eight. I want to undertake this plan in three to four years. Besides, asking him to punch up that far would be pushing it, and I'd rather he stay here anyway. No, when I say calvary, I mean someone else."

"Are you referring to the notification received the other day?"

"Bingo," Rory said, shooting her the finger gun.

"Is that wise?"

"Ehh, probably," Rory said with a grin. "Not like tackling a tier eight Territory Alpha alone is any smarter."

"Then I will cede this decision to you."

"Good, because I'm doing it anyway."

As for what, or rather who, he was planning to bring in?

Well, if one Founder might not be enough to defeat the Blighted Khan, why not bring in two?

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