As the medical cruiser that Roary was carried into begins to power back on, Amy hurriedly looks at it before turning back and responding to Tom.
" I'll think about it, okay? I need to go… "
" Can you take Mimi with you? Donny and I still have business to attend to and I'm sure she'll want to stay with Roary while he gets better. "
Tom asks politely as Amy goes to turn around. Amy then stops and looks to the side with a gentle smile before holding her hand out to Mimi.
" You wanna come? "
Mimi wipes the tears from her face and nods silently before grabbing Amy's hand. They both walk back to the cruiser and climb aboard, then they turn around and the cruiser doors shut in front of them before it quickly ascends and flies towards a medical center in the distance.
" So what now? "
You ask Tom as you look down at the puddle of blood where Roary was laying.
" We still have an objective here in the city. "
Tom replies as he looks at you.
" The Devil's Den. We now know that the owners of the club are dead, which means that the person we saw last time wasn't affiliated with the club. Our cover is already blown, so we should at least go back and finish our investigation. "
" What about convincing the people here to worship Izael and Faerah in order to make them stronger? That was the whole point of talking to the Czar, wasn't it? "
You say with a confused expression.
" The people here aren't going to want to listen to us after what happened, Donny. They still think we killed their Czar. "
Suddenly another cruiser swoops over the rooftop and the door opens to reveal a man in fancy business attire holding a golden cane who's looking down at you from above. You and Tom both watch the man cautiously as the cruiser slowly lands, and the man speaks to you as he steps off and approaches.
" Actually, due to recent circumstances, we've discovered that you Otherlanders are not the ones responsible. "
" Who are you? "
You ask the man as he confidently stands next to you and Tom with a smirk.
" Naril Zrima, President of Sinnerprise Industries at your service. "
" What recent circumstances are you talking about? "
Tom asks curiously.
" Shortly after the explosion, I received an audio recording pertaining to the events that unfolded tonight. The file included a conversation between the two of you and one of NaxTech's Minders known as Codename Gareth. In this recording, Gareth confessed to plotting against the Czar and being involved in a coup orchestrated by NaxTech to overthrow The High Temple. It was clear based on the evidence of this recording that you were framed, so I did my due diligence and came out here to offer you my sincerest apologies and make amends in the hopes that we remain on peaceful terms from here on out. "
Naril says in a professional demeanor. Skeptical, Tom asks him another question.
" So you want us to believe that you're going to trust some audio file that you received out of nowhere over your own people here in the city? "
Naril smiles as he responds.
" You're absolutely right. Normally I wouldn't ever put my trust into something as circumstantial as an audio recording that, for all I know, could be a fake with the intent to deceive me. However, seeing that the source of this recording was Gareth himself, I think it stands to reason that this recording is very real and should be treated as legitimate evidence. Also, upon further investigation into the incident, we've deduced that my corporation was actually the intended target of NaxTech to be framed before Gareth took the plan into his own hands. An attempted coup on this scale is the highest form of treason ever recorded in Voldoorian history, so I'd also like to thank you for destroying NaxTech Headquarters because I don't think any other corporation including my own would've been able to stand up to them if they had succeeded. "
You look Naril in his eyes with a serious glare, thinking about all of the lost souls that died from your impact as you respond.
" Don't thank me for what I did. Even though I believe the people in this city deserved it, I only did it because I had to. Your lack of empathy towards those who lost their lives tonight is exactly why I despise Voldoor and its people. "
A look of fear immediately stains Naril's eyes as he gulps and desperately tries to remain friendly with you.
" Uhm- yes- of course. My apologies again, Otherlander. You're absolutely correct, I shouldn't have thanked you… it was very sad indeed and I should feel terrible… But please, if there's anything I could do for you in order to put Voldoor in your good graces, just tell me and I'll make it happen. As President of Sinnerprise Industries, I am yours to use or command however you wish. "
You and Tom both look at each other, instantly thinking the same thing before you turn back and reply to Naril.
" I know that notion may sound enticing to humans and other Voldoorians, but you should know that Otherlanders like us don't really care about your society or the material things that come with it. There are enemies on the horizon that intend on ending your entire verse and we're here to stop it. The only thing that you can do for us is to have the remaining inhabitants of Voldoor worship the Light Gods so they can be their strongest in the coming storm. Aatu, Noeh, and Sowzo have already been killed as a result of fighting the enemies that we're trying to stop; and Moriarch has already agreed to worship the Dark Gods as well until this fight is over. "
Tom then chimes in, supporting you as he talks to Naril.
" If you think what happened here tonight was bad, then you have another thing coming once they arrive. "
Naril stares at you and Tom silently as he contemplates what you're telling him, then he responds in a serious tone.
" Understood. I'll immediately put out the order that all gods are to be worshipped here in Voldoor and you'll have Voldoor's full support. With the Czar dead, The High Temple in shambles and NaxTech exposed for high treason, Sinnerprise Industries remains as the largest corporation in the city; and we intend on filling the power vacuum and rebuilding everything that was lost- uhm- as a result of Voldoor's foolishness in thinking that we could challenge gods such as yourselves. "
You nod your head and Naril walks back to his cruiser and hops aboard. Tom then walks up next to you as Naril turns around and gives you a closing statement while his cruiser starts ascending.
" I'll be keeping an eye on you through what's left of the city's surveillance system. If you need anything else, I'll only be a few words away. "
The cruiser doors then shut before it takes off flying back in the direction that it came from. Tom makes a remark as you both watch it fly away into the city.
" So Gareth ended up having our backs in the end after all. He intentionally monologued when we were down in the facility so he could get it on recording to bring the truth to light after he got what he wanted… He may have been motivated by selfish pursuits like the rest of the people in this city, but it makes me happy knowing that he planned on divulging the truth. "
" He didn't have to do that for us… "
You say as you think about why Gareth could've possibly done what he did.
" Maybe there was still a little piece of good left in him, even after sacrificing his humanity and becoming twisted by the nature of Voldoorian society. Granted, he did try to kill us along with Mimi and Roary, but that was expected coming from a psychopath like him and I think he knew we wouldn't allow it. Knowing how he is, he probably saw it as a challenge. "
Tom says before holding out your old outfit for you to grab.
" No sense in wearing these Voldoorian clothes anymore when the whole city knows who we are. "
You take your outfit from Tom and you both change back into your old robes. Once your robes are on, you look over to see Tom holding The Holy Omniverse Transcript in his hands and looking down at it with a puzzled glare.
" When we were in the club last time, Reylesh said that only a being created by The One with an Omniversal level of power would be able to open this… "
Tom says as he rubs his fingers down the face of the cover.
" And…? "
You ask as you snap your gaze up to Tom's face.
" It's been a hundred eons since my deal with The One, and after all this time, I haven't met a single being in The Holy Omniverse with that level of power. The most powerful beings I've ever seen in my adventures are a handful of gods that ended up reaching a multiversal level of power, but to have power that goes beyond your multiverse is something unheard of… To have power on that level would be comparable to The One himself. "
Thinking of a potential answer to the conundrum, you spitball it to Tom.
" What about a Valghuli Exemplar? They were once Gods that were created by The One who ended up getting possessed by a Valghul. You said that The None only corrupts the most powerful Gods to become Exemplars, and despite us both having an Omniversal level of power, I remember you saying that you don't think that you could take one in a fight… I know it sounds crazy, but do you think a Valghuli Exemplar could open it? "
Tom puts his hand on his chin as he thinks about your idea.
" I don't think so, Donny. Becoming possessed by a Valghul is the same as becoming Nothing and The One said that Nothing is beyond his sight, which means that Valghuli erase their host as one of The One's creations. I'm sure you also remember when you tried to use your Trap Sight to look at the Valghul back on that jungle planet and you couldn't see it because it didn't exist within The Holy Omniverse, which further proves that notion. "
" So what are you thinking, then? "
You ask Tom before he puts the book back in his robe and responds.
" I think we've already met who's going to open the book, they just don't have their Omniversal power yet. "