{'Visitor.'}
"Ugh!" I scowled at a widget of Freki's resolve, bouncing away in the periphery of my augmented vision. 'Who?'
{'Betelle Mercantile.'} Came the reply. {'They want to see you, specifically. Says she'll be quick.'}
{'Very well.'}
I stepped through a nearby shadow with a sigh and emerged from Freki's before the air was spent. Some of his pack had set up a quasi den in the alcove before our door. It was little more than rugs or pillows to rest on and a few low tables to eat on, but it was enough for them to turn the space into an amalgamation of their usual speakeasy aesthetic and an outdoor resting spot. Large rugs and flat pillows were arranged across the floor, providing neat pathways to the three hollows and seating spaces for any visitors.
As it was, Freki was lounging before one such table, sipping on spirits while a woman who seemed to be a mix of halfling and human studied the privacy lantern set between them. Her thinning black hair was covered by a horned helm of colorful chitin like the namesake of her guild, and so too did thin plates of the stuff cover her dense frame. Only a few patches of dark brown skin were exposed to the light, all worn by the sands of time battering against them for decades.
Although only the light was on, I waited until I entered the sphere of influence before bowing to the assumed Guild Master, prompting Freki to retreat outside the bubble to his usual place at the door. "Good evening, Guild Master."
"Bah! No need for formalities." She waved as I sat. "I won't take much of your time. I've only come to ask if you know of your ancestor, Betelle Cole?"
"Ah!" I rocked back. "The Black Beetle, I believe she was called."
"Aye! And she's the founder of Betelle Mercantile." She nodded. "Name's Rhin of the Betelle Clan. Guild Master of the Nonusian Branch. But that's between us."
"I see. My tailor must have met a Betelle merchant belonging to the Marulean branch then."
"He must have!" Rhin beamed. "Though that's not surprising. The Marulean Branch was the original. You see, Betelle was the half-Amazonian daughter of Cole Nox. She lived the life of a ranger and was a lover of beetles. So she traveled the lands, collecting rare beetles and often sold them to other collectors. The giant ones, she kept to herself, using her necromancy to turn them into roving shops. A bit like you've done."
"Interesting." I nodded.
"Our traditions today are much the same." Rhin continued. "Our traveling packs are dead giant beetles, hollowed and repurposed to be rucksacks, bazaars, and mobile homes all the same. With them, we live nomadic lives as merchants, and have done so since the mid-sixth century. As such, The Mercantile has branches in all the realms except Youtera. We trade in everything other than sentient lives. Materials, resources, foreign goods, magical items, collectibles, exotic animals, even land. And of course, information.
"For anyone of the same blood as Betelle Cole, however, there are plentiful benefits and discounts. But." She regretfully sighed. "That privilege extends only to you and, er, yes, Lady Iris. We are a business, after all. And, to be frank, you have far too many subordinates to make that feasible."
"I understand completely." I chortled, and intended to speak more, only to be distracted by Rhin withdrawing a beetle-shaped brooch.
She placed it on the table between us, giving me several moments to gaze upon the scarab design. It was like a perfectly preserved fossil. Vibrant and colorful, with plates the same blue-green as my arcana and an elongated horn that seemed more like an angular barb. Or an arrow.
"This brooch will always point to the nearest Betelle Merchant and rattle whenever they are close. I'm sure with your… expertise, you'll be able to share their location with your subordinates. But I will remind you, we are a neutral entity in both politics and war. Even for you. However, I'm sure our exchanges will be very lucrative."
"Understood, and I agree. Thank you." I bowed, reaching into my Shade Pocket to withdraw a few materials. Upon covering them with a field of mana and subsequently releasing a bit of divine energy, I held out the VoidNet connected watch with a warm smile.
"Once you attune your mana to this watch, you will gain access to a map containing all cities, settlements, and camps in Eotrom territory. Share it with your Guild, along with the message that they can depend on us anytime for trade, asylum, or support. Anything they need. Be it supplies, security, or simply company, they are welcome anytime. We can even send more of those." I smiled.
***
Lancelot Morningstar.
***
Time.
It was a strange thing for all, and yet even stranger to my family. We did not perceive the passage of time when our light filled us. To perceive, we had to detract, thus leaving us detached from time itself. Yet, it existed still. Still, it could take several minutes to travel across our empire. Yet for us, it was instantaneous.
Such was the plight of a light beam.
We skipped through time while it passed us by all the same. That, I assumed, was what made the Bodhi Tree feel so different after so little time.
It, too, seemed detracted. Drying. Dying. Even while it bloomed for the thousandth time. Seeing it, feeling it, caused me to think of him.
Time.
He alone was the lord of time, and space itself was his domain. He perceived everything when his light filled him. With his magic and sorcery, he could peer into the universe itself and all beings who dwelled within it, even when time was at a standstill, much less passing us by. And so, the changes that seemed so apparent to me must have been like an intricate play he could watch from all angles.
I wondered how he viewed both us and the Regni as we assembled in the same hall we gathered in just a year prior. And now, here we were, standing on the opposite side of the fence. Addressing the students we'd once been, even though one of us still was.
The proceeds were the same, if not given by the Assistant Headmaster rather than Mr. Knagh himself. Likewise, I stopped before the podium with the same poise as my father, and yet none of his grace.
"My name is Lancelot Morningstar. Stellar Commander of New Dawn." I told them. "I am here on behalf of of the aforementioned and the following subguilds; Stellaris Garrison, Vergo Corps, Orion's Army, Crux Draconis, Rouge Hydra, and Canis Red." I paused. "Our mission statement is and will always be as it was. That is: To spread a unified empire of peaceful humanoids across Nonus, united under the canopy of light. If you see that as a goal worth pursuing, we welcome you with open arms."
Although it differed slightly from my father's, it was a boldfaced lie all the same. The humanoids in our empire were peaceful, only to those who held the same beliefs. Those not called humanoid, or those divided from our light, suffered the worst fates. Not destruction or death. Apathy. Indifference to their suffering and willful ignorance of their plights.
It was much the same for the Optimus Regni, however. Even the general purpose guilds shared their need for a specific type of mystic. How superficial they were. Especially in the face of the final guild in attendance.
The inherent charisma of both drow and devils flowed in him readily, just as freely as his divinity out poured into the room. While one saw all eyes and ears open to him without resistance, the other saw the surrounding roots adopt a blue energy before mushrooms of silver conjured spores that granted the same effect as the scrying windows.
It showed a realm of arcana spread around a great pillar of blackened bark. Around it sat a ring, inverted mountain, fueled by that same blue pouring from the strange veins on Amun's temples; and what we saw within was… grand.
"I am Amun Za'Darmondiel-Nox, Guild Master of the Legio Noctis and the Emperor of Eotrom." He finally declared. "Our overall goals are twofold. The larger of them is to explore every realm of the Mortal Plane and eventually, beyond. Before that, however, comes our immediate goal. A crusade to reclaim and restore Maru."
He paused, and the image shifted, somehow traveling an untold distance below where more silver mushrooms grew from more vibrant blue roots to show us creatures we'd never think to see in Maru. Elves. Militant and organized in ways we'd never seen. They were elves of all types. Drow, High-Elves, and every type of Wild Elf known in the tales; forest, sand, frost, sea, sky, and mountain.
"As we speak, interlopers from Youtera- elves gather in the Marulean Darkworld, preparing for war as they sow chaos above. As we speak, my fellow Maruleans are opposing them. Thus, when the Legio Noctis returns to Maru, it will be total war. A great crusade, the likes of which the realm has never seen. And when they are defeated, we will have explored Ulai, found the portals, closed them, and brought the realm to a state of prosperity it has never seen. We will enjoy the peace we have created, and after, we will begin our grand expedition- our undying march across the Mortal Plane. Beginning in Betrarth, then to the Inner Reaches, out to Youtera, beyond the White Wall; and finally, to the unexplored realms of Nonus.
"And so I say, the Legio Noctis is open to all. No matter your goal, background, or power level, there is a place for everyone and our benefits are many. Including but not limited to a starting pay of twelve gold and five silver on a weekly basis. And for those who join come the end of the year, I offer the chance to begin your careers as junior officers. That is all."