When I notice that Hwang is almost done with the beast horde, I start to lower the barrier, well lowering isn't really what happens it's more like it disperses from top to bottom slowly.
When the barrier completely dispersed, one or two beasts of each species that were part of the horde were left alive but injured, to pass a message to the other beasts and not completely detonate the area's ecosystem.
As everything seems resolved, I leave my office and start climbing the stairs to the upper floors.
I won't fly or jump there as it's not urgent and because of the 'Eye of Seth' I have an idea what caused all this so I'm not even curious.
What interests me most are the tower members who are crazy enough to cause this and how exactly I'm going to be treated in the tower hierarchy, as I'm in the messy situation of technically founding the place, but I've also been out for a long time, and accumulated enemies for that time.
I think about these trivialities as I walk upstairs, which I'm almost regretting doing because Hwang decided to have the meeting in his office, seventh floor top, no matter how superhuman my body is climbing stairs with no end in sight, there will always be a touch of psychological torture.
When I finally reach the seventh floor, which contains a 'Mistlight Stream' map, a world which instead of the space between planets being filled with stars, there are a few, but it is mostly filled with a fine powder and pale glow flowing through the orbits of planets and stars creating the impression that the entire solar system is shrouded in glittering haze.
When Hwang decided to paint the maps of the eleven worlds, we decided to go in the order in which this 'Expanding Horizon' world interacted with the other worlds, according to historical records at least.
I obviously said things like his title is meaningless with this kind of world he responded with:
"It was not I who chose this limiting title, I am at heart a researcher, or observer as I am called, of all celestial phenomena."
Damn, only call yourself an astronomer if that's what it is.
I kept that part to myself obviously.
I enter Hwang's room, which has an oriental style, in the sense of the earth, or rather a westerner trying to imitate the oriental style with limited knowledge about the culture he seeks to imitate.
The tapestry is tasteful at least, imitation or not.
"Then who was crazy enough to fire an 'Void Catalyst' without even trying to disguise the signal?" I ask without hiding how the situation amuses me.
"This is Kaz, who has yet to be reinstated in the Tower, but for now treat him as someone who has the same authority as me." Hwang starts to explain the situation and continues "And I would also like to know the answer to the question he just asked."
A woman of relatively short stature, glasses and short brown hair points at Baha and Mingten, who are also in the room, and in response to this action the slovenly guard only managed to raise the palm of his hand to his face.
"Are you a child Jill? To try to pass the blame by taking the question literally?" The guard asks exasperated to the woman
"Talavar, details now." Hwang asks with an authoritative tone.
"Apparently Jill mixed up some of the research equipment with the standard equipment, which caused an accident when the two guests activated one of these switched equipment." The guard I respond with a tone... respectful?
I think so.
"What the hell?" Hwang, the Stargazing Master, asks.
"I'm sorry!" Jill basically screams this while grabbing onto Hwang's clothes.
My god this is uncomfortable, she looks like she's about to cry.
"Okay, okay." Hwang pats her on the back as he tries to get away from her, at some point he manages this feat and goes back to saying "Now please give Kaz and me space to discuss what we are going to do about this. You all stay on the second floor until second order."
And one by one, Jill still sobbing and Mingen with dagger glares in my direction, they all leave the room which is a little more spacious than mine.
"What the hell was that?" I ask.
"Buying time to think about how to solve the beast stampede problem, Jill's punishment and finally, how to prevent this idiocy from happening again." He responds by pacing back and forth, as he always does when he has a lot to consider.
"I have no idea what Jill's fair punishment would be, in a normal institution severe would be an understatement considering the kind of consequences she could face." I start talking "But as for the chaos the stampede created, I have an idea."
Hwang stops walking, he ends up in profile in my line of sight, and turns his face to face mine.
"Which one? I'm all ears." He says it in a questioning tone, the kind kids would use when giving an 'I dare you' challenge.
Seeing this attitude I can't contain the smile that takes over my face, while others would find such an action rude, well it's rude, but that's not what matters here I understand perfectly the reason for the reaction.
I'll just say that at the time we met my solutions came down to two types: kill it yourself, or borrow someone's hand to do it.
If it's the latter it doesn't matter whether the borrowed hand knows it's doing it or not.
My mind wasn't exactly stable at the time.
And that's why I laugh, because this nutcase always challenges me to think of at least one more solution, one that isn't limited to the two types I mentioned earlier.
"Mingten and Baha, the two brats who came with me..."
"I know their name Kaz, not everyone needs to use nicknames to associate the person with the face more strongly." Hwang interrupts me.
Yep, I know, I only know me and Mingten from people who do this.
"...I'm sort of training them..."
"Sort of? What do you mean?" He interrupts me again.
"One: stop interrupting me, two: kind of, just accept it."
"Okay." He finally doesn't interrupt me.
"I thought I'd use them to clear out the beasts that must have gotten close to settlements because of the chaos, and use them to gain some experience with more than one type of combat." Not all combat is frontal, hunting, tracking, siege and assassination, these are the ones I'm most familiar with using these methods or being targeted by them.
"I imagine that in their training they would have to go through the surrounding cities, if we use that well we can start to repair or prevent the image problems that this can cause." And he goes back to walking everywhere. "When do I intend to take your half-wards on this pilgrimage?"
Half-wards and pilgrimage? Seriously?
"Two days from now, I have some things to sort out and prepare."
"Great, I'll send along with them someone who has skills useful in a civilian's eyes, and not strong enough to break the training atmosphere." That's why he called it a pilgrimage, image repair, huh.
If the Tower as an organization only cared about results and nothing else we could ignore it, or even act like tyrants, the latter is actually stupidly easy. Whereas when facing the beast horde the only Synchroners without the second dantian were the brats.
Obviously, if we start acting like this, the Tower will be grouped with criminal groups and will start offering bounties on our heads, which, as already said, does not represent much danger unless it pass a certain level.
The situation we're in now is that the Tower is a political hedgehog, and the groups that aren't happy with its neutrality are just waiting for us to fire all the thorns to ward off some threat or problem, like what caused this discussion, and then offering "help" while we are "vulnerable" and thereby tying ourselves to their goals.
"The two days, I don't know what you're going to do in between, but if you need a place to think the lower eighth floor is a forge." Hwang says this as I leave the room.
After that, I go down to the second floor where everyone involved with this incident is waiting, it is possible to see one or another member of the tower looking curiously at the group, but no one approaching.
"Jill you go back to the Stargazer Master's room." I speak as I approach the group. "Talavar you can return to your routine duties." I point to the brats "And you two come with me."
********
"The day of the festival of rebirth is at hand, in it I will go beyond being blessed by the flames." The Fire Envoy says while reviewing the documents above the table. "But first I have to complete the preparations, especially the 'key'."
Originally I would have been worried about drawing the attention of one of the Blessed Ones by doing something so drastic, almost heretical for a member of the cult, but someone gave me the perfect excuse to scatter most of my subordinates, and with it most of the other four's Fire Envoys spies.
I don't know what caused the chaos in Starforest, but whatever it was, thanks for the great timing.
When we arrived at the entrance of the eighth floor, on the way Baha was asking about what caused the attack on the tower but, I didn't have the patience to explain so Mingten gave a summarized version, I ask both of them:
"Decided what your weapons will be?"
"A saber, or sword and as I'm finally going to wear a decent disguise I want it not to be discreet." Mingten responds almost instantly, she's probably been thinking about it since the sparring match they had.
"And you, any ideas?" I ask Baha.
"No, honestly, I just think since I'm used to fighting with my fists something that doesn't change my style too much would be ideal." Baha says after thinking for a few seconds.
Use a hand-to-hand style? I think a pair of katar daggers or armed gauntlets.
No, tonfas would work too.
"I have some ideas for that, I'll show you later." I start to speak "But first, let's test the technical prowess of the Order of Breakers."
*********
I hear two knocks on the door to my office.
"Enter Jill." I speak already knowing who and what it is about.
"Excuse me." She says entering the room.
"Jill you will be away from your research for two weeks minimum." I speak.
"Uh! Why?"
"Seriously?"
"It's not that I don't think my actions deserve punishment I just want to know why so long? And if I can't work on my projects what am I supposed to do in that time?" She asks.
"You won't be staying at the Tower these two weeks Jill, you'll be helping Kaz with his field work." Since she's the main culprit in this fiasco let her help clean up the mess she caused "While you're gone, Talavar and I will review all available visiting equipment and safety protocols for removing and storing hazardous materials."
"Understood." She responds with her head down, which is to be expected since Jill, unlike Talavar, is basically a workaholic.
And so the severity of her punishment is in Kaz's hands.